Yo! I AM ALIVE!
Been forever, I know, but there is a reason for that.
To not drag it on forever, the long story short is that around Thanksgiving I had a medical emergency that I had purposely put off in favor of not screwing over the holidays for my family. Call me an idiot all you want but my best bud already chewed me out for that decision considering said medical emergency led to me being hospitalized and having a doctor blatantly telling me she was surprised I was alive. You see, I suffered from what is known as a Spontaneous Pnuemothorax' which basically means by lung popped and partially collapsed or in my case, a complete collapse of my right lung.
Imagine feeling like someone set off a firecracker in your chest and all your nerves are flaring with a series of muscle spasms completely locking you up as you rapidly loose control of your breathing and feel like no matter how hard you try you can't get enough air. I counted my blessings that I was only parked in my car when it happened and I recovered feeling in my right side after about an hour. I then proceeded to play off said injury as an old sport one that I suffered back in high school.
So I went on a family trip to the mountains for a week with essentially one lung. It literally sounded like someone trying to inflate a broken balloon underwater every time I inhaled and most people feel so much pain while trying to breath that they can't, beginning to panic and hyperventilate, and lead to other complications such as cardiac arrest. My doctor that checked me before all but demanding I get to the ER as quick as possible was a little freaked that even while she told me I was literally walking around with a noose around my neck by heart rate on the monitor never rose.
Apparently I'm as cool as a cucumber when told possibly fatal news.
She even let me drive myself to the ER. The look on the desk ladies' face when I signed myself in for a Pnuemo was morbidly funny and so I got rushed to urgent care and got a mini operation on the spot. To fix a pnuemo they make an incision into the chest and stick a very big needle with a hypodermic needle in you to suck out the excess air trapped in your chest cavity while making you take deep breathes to force your lungs to stretch out. Mind you, considering my lung had been collapsed to the size of a golf ball and left like that for a week, and since they can't put any sort of pain relief meds on the few nerves of the lungs, I could feel every moment of my lung expanding again.
I won't deny that it hurt, I was scared, I panicked when for a moment I couldn't breath as my lung stretched and I did cry later on after the adrenaline of the operation ended. I called several people that matter to me just because I wanted to hear them.
So that led to a hospital stay for over a week followed by being off work for longer and another family trip up north. During all that time I also had writer's block so I didn't write and then when the holidays ended, I was financially under so I've been working my ass off ever since and am recovered again.
So, consistent writing! Yeah! I'm back and hopefully updates will be regular again.
I'm so sorry to all my readers that I left you guys high and dry like that but you can bet your ass I'm carrying this story through!
So please enjoy!
A pleasure, Jbubu
'Where are they?' he thought as a cold sweat began to coat his forehead, the grip of his battle axe tightening to almost bone white as he saw his men try and fail against the damn guardian protecting their target.
It was meant to be simple, pick off the lone target as quickly as possible, overwhelm them and leave before any of the council could appear. With their engagement against the Olympian forces, it should have been simple but Pallas just had to go off on his own. Then to his further annoyance, some of his forces broke off to help because apparently the lured goddess was putting up a better fight than expected.
Even if the forces gone where barely a poultry dozen, they had still been minor gods that could assist here. Instead he'd lost the added power and there had been no communications with Pallas or his forces since. If only Pallas would at least contact them because they wouldn't be able to hold out much longer before one of the council came and—
Scrrreeeeech!
He winced as he jumped and rolled, hearing the ground being torn apart with a crackle of static. He was on his feet again and moving, narrowly ducking around trees and moving up hill as that thing made another pass before turning on a small cluster of mortal mercenaries.
Koios managed to find cover behind a large boulder, breathing heavily as he looked around just in time to see it fly through the mortals, their screams being cut short as they were promptly sliced down or cooked alive by the voltage. A large white blur soon shot out and over before remaining hovering over a hundred meters off the ground, uncaring of the bullets, lances, and bolts sent at it while Koios sent a seething glare at it.
The static dissipated enough to reveal the creature. Barely bigger than a pedestrian truck, it had what resembled a torso and head seemingly made of thunderous clouds. White lightning surged through it and formed a larger body and wings beyond. Overall it looked much like a griffon though the screeching voice was altered with the background of high voltage as its blitzing eyes scanned around the valley that had turned into its battlefield.
'More like a hunting ground' he thought morbidly as he slowly made his way higher up the hill leading to larger cliffs. That thing had not been expected, in fact, he had not considered more than a barrier to be their only obstacle in attacking the Zhangs. Koios now cursed his oversight in regards to the plans of attack. He assumed, a dangerous thing for any tactician, and it was costing him dearly.
He stopped and looked back again, watching as the griffon gave another screech as it dive-bombed a group of cyclops that had approached the targeted house a ways further into the valley. Koios watched as it landed with an explosion of static frying the monsters and rending apart the few that survived with its claws before it took off again.
Just behind it lay the damn home they had been attacking, the walls crackling white as the lightning coursed through it, making it next to unpassable as one unfortunate minor sea god had learned. Their initial attack had been swift and successful, attacking just as one of the Zhangs returned but it had been too close to the home and the other, the wife if he remembered correctly, had managed to haul her unconscious husband into the home before it lit up with its defense.
Barely a minute later that thing appeared from a lightning strike and proceeded to attack with extreme prejudice. Before Koios had boast some 300 or so troops, over 50 being minor sea gods and the rest well equipped mortals and cyclops from Poseidon's own forces which soon bolstered with the additions of Phobos and Deimos once they were sure the Olympians and new protogenoi were well and truly focused on their battles.
It seemed that the numbers had been pointless as the griffon tore through them, moving at such speed that mostly simply could not adjust to. The mortals and cyclops were both too slow to even try and attack when it got close while it obviously avoided being close to any of the gods for longer than necessary with the use of hit-and-run which had seen to over a third of Koios' forces already turned to minced and charred meat.
Even then the gods mostly at his command were quite literally fighting like fish out of water, their movement comparatively sloppy and unused to fighting aerial opponents putting them at a distinct disadvantage. Koios once again cursed both Tyche and that damn council that started it all.
The council that that his own wife joined and now fought for, a thought that never failed to infuriate him. Just how and why she had joined them he wasn't sure but then again, most divine deities have proved themselves to be opportunistic. Lacking in fidelity was another common trait but he tried not to think along such lines, even if they almost whispered within his mind, wondering how Phoebe gained such sudden high standing with the new council.
Regardless he shook his head to clear his thoughts as he watched that creature circle overhead, the now blackened, almost invisible moon catching his eyes for but a moment. He'd noticed it darkening some 10 or so minutes ago and couldn't help but feel a sense of dread watching it. He knew very well what such a thing could mean, felt the sheer power of the demon that had fought there, something that easily surpassed the most he's felt from Pontus or Thalassa as of yet. Just the thought of fighting Jackson chilled him to the core but luckily he was not considered a frontline fighter and was too valuable for Pontus to risk.
Still, he knew time was running out and they needed to get to the Zhangs or else…
And as if prophetic in nature, his worries literally materialized with a thunderous boom as a bolt of white lightning suddenly struck dead center of the valley and only a hundred or so meters away from the targeted house. Koios was forced to cover his eyes at the blinding intensity as the ground shook beneath him before a pressure all but slammed down on him.
His hair stood on end as a near numbing level of static saturated the atmosphere with a thick scent of ozone and undertones of heated copper. It took a few seconds until the white spots in his sight cleared enough for him to see from his vantage point upon the cliff he managed to ascend.
There, standing at the full hundred feet of a primordial was one Jason Grace, his frame wreathed in white static as his eyes glowed like high beams. His sword in hand, the primordial god looked down on the scattered forces before him, then glancing over his shoulder to look at the house still flaring with electricity similar to his own.
Once his gaze returned to Koios' forces the rage on his face was easily recognized, his arm holding his sword rising up. However the action seemed to startle the men out of their shock at his arrival.
"A-Attack!" one of the water deities shouted out as he and his men began to rear back their spears, the mortals around them taking aim and the remains of the cyclopes charging with mangled roars.
They never got the chance.
The massive sword came down without any sort of restraint, searing white as it struck right at the center of the charging monsters. The initial explosion on impact seemed to almost vaporize the closest monsters as the shockwave blasted towards the mortals and gods further back, crushing many and knocking over others.
Grace remained quiet even as he raised the sword again before swinging it across his front as some of the gods managed to throw their spears. It mattered little as a blade of pressure either cut or knocked off the spears and continued on, turning more of Koios' men into mincemeat. Soon cries of horror and agony filled the air as Jason attacked ruthlessly.
A god crushed under foot, another three pierced through the center, the blade cooking them on contact. A force of several hundred mortals and gods meant nothing to the likes of Grace. The bullets didn't even seem to register, none of the gods could seem to strike past Jason's jacket of light, and that lightning creature was still picking off anyone trying to get away, instead corralling them for its master to butcher.
Then, when less than a hundred remained Jason suddenly raised his left, empty hand and balled it into a fist as white lightning crackled off it. Koios could only watch in abject horror as that fist glowed with holy power before Jason slammed the hand into the earth in the direction of men.
An explosion of power in a pulse was released, rushing towards and through the scrapes of Koios' forces and beyond them. Koios could hear them scream, see their silhouettes as they were disintegrated before the light was simply too much forcing Koios to look away. After what felt like an eternity there was only silence remained and Koios slowly looked again.
Gone were his men. Gone was the land and forest that had laid behind them, leaving nothing but a smoldering trench carving all the way to the end of the valley. And standing right before it was Jason with his back to Koios, his blade resting at his side as he took in his own handy work. Koios felt sweat coating his forehead as he looked on, almost too scared to breathe as his frame shook.
He knew his mission had been a failure and his gut was telling him Pallas might have failed as well. After all, if one of the primordial gods had already left their attack on the Olympian forces, who was to say that others hadn't as well. However he was broken from such thoughts as he noticed Grace shift and glance over his shoulders.
That's when Koios felt the pressure baring down on him double as Grace's gaze immediately met his, freezing him in place at the barely contained fury within those glowing eyes. At that moment Koios knew he needed to escape but just before he could think to flash away his instincts flared as he jumped to the side.
Not a moment too soon at that as an enormous fist slammed down where he'd just been, Grace having moved and closed the distance to where Koios was in barely a blink. 'Chaos damn it all he's faster than he let on!' Koios mentally shouted out as he rolled to the shaking earth below him from the wrathful attack. He could only thank his lucky stars that Grace's size made his movement just noticeable enough.
Still he wasn't going to stick around as he jumped off the rapidly crumbling hill. He reached into a pocket in his battle skirt as he landed some three or so stories down with a grunt and kept running, hearing a footfall just barely missing him. With a sense of glee he pulled out his hand to show he had a deep blue pearl in his grip. One similar to the very same pearl Amphitrite and Triton had used back in the mercenary fort.
Within it held a concentrated dose of Pontus' power meant to teleport whoever crushed it, even being able to punch through anti-flashing barriers. Crushing it without hesitation he felt the blue mist envelop him as he ran just as a shadow passed over him and he felt a barrier wash over him. He couldn't help but smirk though, already knowing it was futile. Looking back he saw Grace reaching for him, his hand crackling with white electricity but just as it reached him, he vanished, escaping the wrathful deity…
Jason
"Fuck!" the primordial snapped as he slammed his fist into the earth, setting off a small earthquake as the lightning crackled off him and fried anything close to him.
He breathed through grit teeth as he desperately tried to reign in his temper, his grip on Revelation going nearly bone white. This night had already been hell for him, for the whole council as well as their enemies. Watching the demigods, many of whom he'd rescued himself, fight and die in that forest, practically throwing their lives away for nothing, had struck him to the core.
Especially those he cut down himself even after he offered them a chance to retreat or surrender.
They weren't monsters. Not some vengeful spirits and creatures filled with the intent to harm simply because it was their nature or sole desire but beings not so different from himself. Fighting for what they believed in or maybe just scared and following what they knew, it didn't matter. In the end they met on opposite sides of the battlefield and someone had to cut down the other, regardless of how much he wished it wasn't so.
Then came Apollo, pushing every bit of Jason's self-control as he kept his attacks at non-lethal, keeping the god in check while waiting for Percy to finish off Artemis. Waiting and hesitating even when he had the possible openings … but then again, a sadistic part of him knew letting the Sun god live longer would be worse than killing him. But even then, he had to remain put and play his part, feeling the attack on Frank and Hazel's home …
'Frank and Hazel …' he thought as he got a better grip and looked back at the home still cloaked in his lightning barrier, his griffon construct flying above it on constant patrol. He shook his head as he rapidly shrunk and dashed to the house in a white blur. Within moments he was at the door and his sword was sheathed on his back before he grabbed the door handle.
His lightning dispersed on his will leaving the home intact as he opened the door, unfortunately letting in the smell of cooked flesh and metal with him. Even worse though was that the house already smelled like blood and charred meat worrying him even more.
"Frank! Hazel!" he called as he moved past the foyer and into their large living room, idly thanking Chaos that the blinds were down along the wall-sized windows and blocking out the view of the carnage outside. Barely a few seconds passed as he reached the hall past the dining room, following the trail of blood that started near the door before he heard the furious stomping of little feet.
"UNCLE JASON!" a set of voices cried before two missiles slammed into his legs and clamped on to him.
He stopped as he looked down in relief at the two little heads.
"Casper! Julie!" Jason shouted in relief as he picked up both of the 4 year olds, hugging them to his chest as they latched onto him.
He couldn't help a tear or two escaping him as he hugged the kids, having hopped that neither were hurt in the attack, especially after seeing the blood. Still, someone had to be injured so he quickly kneeled down and set them on their feet to get a quick look at them.
Jasper took after his mother, having her same dark mocha skin and slighter darker brown hair that spilled in wild curls, framing his small face and surprisingly bright, amber-ish eyes. Julie was more like a mix of Frank and Hazel, with light caramel skin and black hair falling down in loose waves, along with her darker brown eyes and finer features hinting at Asian descent. Both of the twins looked perfectly healthy aside from the puffiness of their eyes and clear tear stains, dressed in matching blue shirts and black shorts though their white socks had spots of blood on them.
Seeing as they weren't in any pain he released another breath of relief before his mind quickly shifted to the other two possibilities for being hurt and asked, "Where's mommy and daddy?"
At the mention both kids started to tear up again before Julie cried, "Daddies hurt!" while Casper pointed back the way they came. Not a moment later Casper bolted back towards the back of the house and where the rooms were while Julie refused to let go of Jason so he quickly scooped her up and followed before picking up Casper as they moved.
It took less than a minute for Jason to arrive to the master suite, his heart practically in his throat as he opened the slightly ajar door as he called, "Frank, Hazel!" and was met with a troubling site. Both of the adults were on the bed, Frank laying back and looking like he was barely conscious, biting onto a thick belt as Hazel got to work. It was then that Jason spotted the source of blood, his eyes locking onto the spot of his left shoulder and arm beyond.
Or at least, the mangled and charred flesh that should have been an arm.
Hazel was tying another, thinner belt around the meeting point of the shoulder to try and lessen the blood loss, her arms soaked in the stuff as her eyes remained narrowed with focus. Without wasting a moment Jason set the kids down and got to work looking for any more damage, willing a thin rope into his hands as he noticed that Frank's left leg looked pretty busted up as well. After tying off around the thigh Jason snapped his fingers to get plenty of bandages and started wrapping up the leg the best he could.
The pair worked in silence as Hazel got to wrapping up the arm any other injuries Frank was sporting as the big man just focused on remaining conscious even as blood dripped into his right eye from a nasty looking cut. Jason could hear the kids sniffling behind them and occasionally asking if their dad will be okay but both adults were too focused to respond at the moment. However, after what seemed like hours when it was only minutes, Jason and Hazel got Frank as bandaged up as they could but Frank also finally blacked out meaning they weren't out of the woods quick.
"Hazel, grab on, we're leaving," Jason said as he moved around the bed to pick up Frank.
Hazel didn't respond, already knowing Jason would not even think about leaving them here. She only nodded, a tenseness to her frame as she was quick to scoop up Jasper and Julie, softly murmuring to them that things would be okay. Jason then picked up Frank easily enough, trying his best to not shake him up before Hazel stepped up to him with the kids and placed a hand on his arm.
"Jasper, Julie, eyes closed he said as gently as he could while still being urgent to which the children listened as they buried their faces in their mother's neck.
With a quick check he made sure none could see him before he teleported them all in a bright flash of golden-white, the world twisting around them for all of three seconds before they were set down. What was once silence within a dark house with the smell charred flesh and debris was now a hall of white and creams, the loud bustle of doctors and nurses as patients were milling about.
Luckily, being who he was, his arrival was instantly noticed as one doctor, a brunette woman by the name of Dr. Malcolms, a mortal mother of roman demigod in fact, raced up to them as she was followed by two nymphs in nurse uniforms.
"Lord Jason," Dr. Malcolms addressed but before she could even bow he raised his hand, holding back an annoyed sigh at the show of respect at the worst of times.
"Now time, I have one for emergency treatment," he said as he started looking for a gurney or anything else to set Frank on.
Seeing how badly injured Frank was, Dr. Malcolms was quick to call for said gurney, one being rolled up within moments with a satyr assistant guiding Jason on how to set Frank as Hazel and the kids watched on. Without another word Frank was wheeled away leaving the rest of the Zhangs with Jason. A few minutes passed in silence, the adrenaline of the night slowly draining as Jason glanced to the kids and noticed that they were barely keeping awake themselves. Almost instinctually he knew it was far too late into the night to be up for them.
However, before he could speak he was interrupted as Hazel finally spoke up.
"Thank Chaos you Jason. If you hadn't arrived when you did … I don't think I could have gotten our supplies and held onto the wounds at the same time," Hazel said with a slight shakiness to her voice as she looked at where they took her husband through, her gaze finding his as her eyes looked a little watery.
"You're welcome …" he said softly as he gently stepped closer and hugged her along with the kids, saying his own silent thanks to Chaos that even if hurt, at least no one had died.
He knew just how jarring it could be to be attacked out of the blue like that and to see someone so dear to you hurt to such a degree. It was a terrible shock at least but he knew Hazel was made of tougher stuff, plus she had to the kids to look after so he released the hug before looking at the tired mother.
"Come on. Frank's well taken care of the kids need to sleep. You too and just standing around here won't do you any good plus you can be back here first thing in the morning if you need to," he said softly.
Glancing down at the kids as they seemed to nod on and off, Hazel smiled faintly as she murmured, "Okay."
With her agreement he nodded as he enveloped the family in his arms again, this time letting them slowly dissipate into soft motes of light and back to the Palace of the Skies…
With Hestia
The breeze softly grazed her face as she let her senses flare out, feeling with more than just the regular input as the night dragged on, feeling heavy and cool. Her eyes slowly drifted open as her dress was lightly pulled by the changing winds, her wings out and extended in their full glory as she weightlessly floated above their city.
Below she could see the dim lights and the nearly empty streets save for some night patrols carried out by her husband's wolves. Then her eyes trailed beyond, the crimson orbs soon spotting the now empty fields that had been used as an emergency camp for the taken demigods within the Third District. It was mostly empty now with the demigods having been moved to the barracks just outside the Segunda Gate and closest to the city.
Even now she could tell many were asleep but it wasn't restful. It was fitful, with nerves and tension still running high even after the battle that ended hours ago. Turning her gaze she easily spotted the camp of the so called invaders, the Olympian camp looking torn and battered as many remained awake. She could feel just how shaken that divided army was, many barely clinging onto their hope.
It was a bitter irony. The primordial goddess of Hope and yet she watched and waited, counting down as she helped crush the very hope of her enemies and to show them how pointless their struggles were. Sadly, it was a familiar feeling … something that she hadn't even thought about for thousands of years.
She could feel her nails turning into claws as she clenched her fist, memories of screaming, blood, battle, and pleas for mercy echoing in her ears. She shook them off though, knowing now wasn't the time to remember such times. Instead her eyes returned to the city as she allowed her wings to close up and dropped. Her face didn't show any change as she fell with the wind pulling at her, the mountain rapidly approaching her until she finally stretched her wings out again when she was barely a dozen or so feet off the ground.
Her fall was immediately cut off before she gently drifted down the rest of the way, her sandaled feet softly setting on the stone floor before she retracted her wings back into her body. After smoothing out the cresses in her cream dress she began to move, walking into Will's clinic and where her husband waited.
At the thought of Percy she sighed again, feeling conflicted yet again as her thoughts went back just what happened in the time after Percy killed Artemis and then came back to the mountain but more importantly, just who he brought with him. Even now she wasn't sure how to feel, especially not when it unnerved her how close she was to wanting to lash out. Here she was, known as one of the kindest goddesses on the mountain and in their history, and yet, she came so close to wanting to harm someone just because of who they were related to.
The self-disgust upon realizing where her thoughts had been going alone shamed her enough that she almost wanted to slap herself for it. And worst of all, it was knowing that just like her, that child was also the focus of the whirlwind that was undoubtedly Percy's thoughts.
'And let's not forget about that either,' she thought as she took only a single flight of stairs before arriving at the floor her husband was. The clinic was mostly silent at the hour and Hestia idly waved at the attending nurse that was currently at the desk for the floor, not making a sound even as her ears picked out every set of hearts and light breathing of the occupants of the rooms. She passed by, unconsciously radiating a warmth that gently settled some of the more restless patients within their rooms before she finally arrived to door 24.
She stopped just outside, knowing who was inside and wondering just what she was going to do once in and even questioning her own self-control. Any other in her situation would blame her changes, the fact that with her growth in power and assimilating to her natural Sacred Animal changed her. That the new power and instincts added aggression and a possessiveness that wasn't there before.
But that wasn't true.
Hestia wasn't always the kind and sweet goddess known, and later practically forgotten. This anger, these feelings of being nearly irrationally territoral and possessive … they'd always been there if only buried as deep as she could. Her ascension to being a primordial only brought it out to see the light of day once again.
And now those feelings were seeing a godling, just a little child that could practically still be called a toddler, as a possible threat to something that by all means, she really wasn't. But then again, she had to address this sooner or later and her husband needed her. So, with a deep breath she slowly opened the door and walked into the spacious room, her eyes diligently scanning all around as she took everything in.
The room was simple, with a single bed to the left side, a set of seats on either side along with monitors. A far side window that was currently closed and a couch on the same side. An in suite bathroom connected at Hestia's right and next to counters with a sink and other medical appliances along with some patient folders. It was all there but Hestia's eyes were focused on one thing.
Percy was sitting at one of the chairs to the left side, his head leaned down with his hair falling over his eyes, his hands holding up a familiar icy blue wolf pendant. Hestia's eyes softened as they looked at him before she quietly approached and gently took his hands within hers. He slowly looked up at that, his normally bright pupils looking dimmed within the black writhing flames. Her heart clenched at seeing him look so tired and spotting the familiar guilt within them brought her back to the times after the end of the war and the broken hero that so desperately needed someone, anyone to simply be there for him.
So, seeing him like that she quietly moved until she was seated across his lap, one of his arms gently wrapping around her waist as he set his head down against her shoulder. She felt as he took a deep breath and her scent along with it before his frame relaxed if only slightly. Then, taking her eyes off him, her gaze moved to the only other occupant in the room as she looked at the bed.
It was the first time she'd really seen the girl, Cloelia, if she remembered correctly. The blonde looked so small and pale at the moment, her breathing shallow as the monitors beeped steadily. The blanket was only up to about mid-chest and her arms were outside them letting Hestia see her right arm. The entire limb looked like it had been frostbitten, the skin taking on a gray, nearly black coloration with light blues veins and cracks that reached up to her shoulder.
Even with a part of her still being on guard just for the sake of who the girl was born to, Hestia couldn't help but feel some sadness at seeing such obvious damage and wondering just what was going to happen with the girl. Though she wasn't a slouch in terms of medicine and healing, there were still unique sorts of injuries and conditions that were better left to medical experts like Will or Asclepius.
Still, after several minutes of silence Hestia finally returned her attention to her husband as she felt him shift slightly, their gazes meeting before she asked, "How is she doing?"
The question seemed to bring a new weight onto Percy's shoulders as he sighed, his eyes glancing to the sleeping godling before they returned to Hestia as he answered, "As she is now … she's dying."
"…"
Hestia remained silent as she thought over such a short and simple sentence, wondering just how that made her feel. No matter just how ashamed she was, she knew a part of her felt some relief at the thought. She'd slowly grown to hate Annabeth, ever since she found out by accident about her affairs with Apollo before anyone else. Before the demigods even made their trip to New Rome to try and gather the Seven, when times were uncertain but even then Hestia watched as her favorite mortal was pulled along by the heart strings. That hatred had taken permanent root when Chase ran without ever truly coming clean after the war and then seeing just how broken it left Percy.
The years had not done much good other than deepen the feelings as she watched Annabeth become just another Olympian god, distancing from her family and beginning to turn her anger over Apollo's infidelity onto his children though it hadn't quite yet spilled over into any actual actions. But … this last year and the latest efforts of the war, Hestia had been watching Chase and how it was almost like she was rudely awakened from a deep slumber.
Again Hestia was seeing pieces of the demigoddess that once had her respect and approval. She'd watched as Annabeth became a cornerstone of stability and calm for the demigods as others lost themselves in the turmoil that is war, as her new motherly side helped provide a warm shoulder to so many of the young demigods.
That same goddess that willingly came into the literal den of lions in search of safety for her family and all her siblings, knowing that she was at risk. A lot of good truly, even if too late to change Hestia's mind and remove that grudge coupled with the very real threat that Chase was. But now Annabeth was gone and all that truly remained of her was her young daughter, born completely innocent of her mother's sins … and yet Hestia kept seeing Annabeth overlapping her. Luckily hearing Percy take a deep breath broke her from her thoughts as she refocused on him, making her ask him, "You said 'as she is now' … what does that mean exactly?"
Percy looked at her for a moment, as if thinking on how best to say before he finally just went out and said, "There is a possible way to save her."
"… And …?" she persisted, feeling a slight pit of worry forming in her gut.
"… Will thinks … well, he theorizes that the only way to save her is to … adopt her," he said softly as he looked at the sleeping godling, "… He says only a true Blood Adoption can save her…"
"Blood Adoption …" Hestia murmured as the words echoed in her head, her eyes also trailing to the godling.
Blood Adoption, an act only a god could carry out and did just as implied by the term. Something rarely done and often times only with a demigod that renounces their divine ties to one god and become the child of another … but to be done to a godling…
"Could she even survive that?" Hestia asked softly to which Percy gave an unsure shrug, his eyes not moving off the girl. "And why exactly is that the only option?"
"… Her essence has become corrupted," Percy answered as his gaze fell to Cloelia's blackened arm. "When she assumed her divine form, she absorbed some of my power and essence to force the change, damaging her own core and leaving it fractured. As a godling she simply doesn't have a stable existence and with no domain to anchor her, she can't heal on her own."
"… And giving her to Apollo?" Hestia asked softly, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it anyways.
"A death sentence …" Percy answered with a sigh as his shoulders slouched as Hestia faintly nodded.
She knew that would be the case, especially as they learned more into just what affected divine essence and their own form of DNA. Being what they were, in a sense they were constantly changing and evolving over time with the conditions and environment having the largest affects. Gods that remained in close contact literally developed similar traits or adjustments but, as gods their emotions had very real effects on how they developed and reacted to each other. Two gods could be born as twins and yet, if they truly hated each other, their essences and very blood would harshly reject each other.
Yet, two goods with a good and close relationship, even if not related closely to each other, could share their energy and essence with each other with less risks of causing 'Essence Contamination' since they would align. But a godling needed to be close to a parent to properly develop until stable enough to gain their own domains … something that Cloelia was clearly not. But now she needed an anchor, something that could fill in the cracks and stabilize her which was now limited to two individuals; Percy and Apollo.
But then again, from what Hestia remembered, Apollo wasn't exactly close to Cloelia and with how Apollo hated Percy above all others, especially now, the results would be disastrous. If Apollo transferred any power or blood into Cloelia, his essence could violently reject and attack the contamination left from Percy's power, something that isn't just in Cloelia but becoming a part of her essence as a whole already. And Hestia doubted Apollo could get enough control to suppress his own intent and assimilate with the traces of power rather than try and eradicate it from his daughter, something that would lead to her death.
But Percy could do it. His presence was stronger and could easily anchor Cloelia while slowly repairing her core … but it would mean Percy would become Cloelia's parent. A daughter that at the end of the day would forever connect him to Annabeth even if she was no longer here. And it was this that truly bothered Hestia in regards to doing this but, could she condemn a child just for having on relative she didn't like?
She wasn't sure and that thought scared her. It was disturbingly close to thinking like much of those that she no longer called family, especially the likes of her former siblings that would turn on each other and any of each other's children at the drop of a hat. She shivered at the thought of being anything like them and she felt Percy wrap both his arms around her before hugging her which she took quiet comfort in as she turned enough to lean her forehead against his. Still, to think her hatred of the mother could so easily spill onto her child.
Hatred truly was a twisted, cancerous emotion when left unchecked.
But even then, she counted her blessings that she didn't have to go it alone, otherwise she might make a choice that couldn't be taken back and would leave nothing but regret. Her thoughts aside, the couple breathed in synch as both found solace in the other. They remained silent for several minutes before Hestia spoke, her voice soft as she looked into his eyes, "And … what will you do?"
He stared back in silence for several more minutes, as if searching for the answers through her eyes before replying equally as soft, "… This isn't a decision I can or should make on my own …"
It was an answer that warmed Hestia's heart … and also made a welt of guilt settle in her gut. She was touched at that he would wait for their input for such a decision but at the same time doubted her own position and just what she could decide in the end. Still, seeing as neither were in any state to make such a decision Hestia gently untangled herself from his arms and stood up while taking one of his hands.
He followed along as she tugged him up, the pair looking at Cloelia one last time before Percy walked closer and set down the pendant next to Cloelia's black hand. Then the couple quietly left the room and its sole occupant before walking away in silence. Though Hestia felt her thoughts tossing about as she wondered just what could she decide to do with the godling, the pair moved with a somewhat comfortable quiet, their hands interlocked.
It took them only a few minutes to arrive at the doors leading out and once they stepped out they were welcomed with soothing darkness … or would have been had they not met one face that really had bad timing.
Hestia silently cursed, wondering all the while why the goddess wasn't with her other children, especially after being separated from them for quite some time. But, given the hours of the night most or all of her rescued demigods were likely asleep, whether by their own power or due to the caretakers currently watching over them making them sleep to get some rest. Regardless that left a goddess with highly tuned senses the time to investigate.
Both Percy and Hestia stopped in their tracks as they were met with grey eyes framed by blonde hair that almost made Hestia think that they were seeing ghosts. It was up to debate whether seeing a ghost would have been preferable to finding Athena herself standing before them. She was dressed in a simple white shirt and shorts, looking as domestic and normal as Hestia could ever recall seeing the goddess.
But her eyes told a very different story as she looked at the two primordial gods.
What was once an almost comfortable silence suddenly became a heavy, suffocating thing as Athena looked between the two of them, her sharp eyes searching even as her mouth opened to ask the first question that would only lead to pain.
"Why is Cloelia here?" she asked, her voice carrying an edge that hadn't been there in days since her being on the mountain but also an underlying shakiness. A hint of deep worry with a fear that threatened to overcome the current mask of calmed concern on her face.
Still, Hestia and Percy shared a glance, a dozen thoughts communicated as they looked back to the goddess. How could they answer and if they did, what about the next question that would undoubtedly follow it? However it seemed that Percy, even if usually one to try and spare others pain, wasn't about to beat around the bush.
"She's here because she's in critical condition," Percy said, his voice even and not hinting at his own stressed state that Hestia found him in.
At hearing Athena gasp with clear worry flashing in her eyes both tensed as they could already hear the next question coming.
"And … w-where's Annabeth?" she asked, her entire posture suddenly looking like she was barely restraining a tremble or the urge to run into the hospital to see her granddaughter.
"She's … she's …" Percy tried to say but he also looked shaky as he thought about it, his fists clenching as he looked down before Hestia decided to say it for him.
"She's gone …" she said softly and watched as Athena stepped back as if slapped before her hands came up to her mouth.
She felt her heart clench as she watched as that calm cracked and broke piece by piece as Athena's eyes started to water, her entire frame shaking before she abruptly fell to her knees. Once upon a time such news wouldn't have gotten such a strong reaction. Not the Olympian goddess that had built a wall around her heart and kept everyone at a distance to avoid suffering the brutality that was living in Olympus, especially back in the olden times where a weak woman was consumed without mercy in abuse.
Not now though. Now was the former wild goddess that, after being rejected by her father initially, was taken and raised in Atlantis by Triton alongside Pallas, his daughter and treated like a wild but loved princess. The passionate goddess that wore her heart on her sleeve and fought with her all, that once formed a crush on Poseidon and loved her home under the sea before the tragedy of Pallas' death at Athena's sword before being taken back to Olympus.
Being here had practically returned Athena's emotions that she once buried but in doing so, left her vulnerable. She was a goddess that got to finally connect with her daughter, her favored child and was slowly building into a whole new person that was more than just a tactician and warrior but a living, breathing being that let herself feel once more.
And that being had just taken one of the worst blows a parent could. Learning that their child had just died.
The couple watched sadly as soon Athena's entire body shook as she tried to suppress her own sobs. Hestia didn't even want to think how she would react if she learned Cloelia might be following after her mother soon enough. Such news could break her beyond repair, so the couple remained silent as they watched.
However Hestia noticed some movement and glanced aside to see Medusa having materialized out of shadows, her head swiveling around before she spotted Athena and quickly ran over, dropping to her knees and enveloping the goddess in her arms as Athena truly started to cry. One glance at Percy told Hestia that he'd summoned Medusa just for that, the silence of the night now taking on the heartrending sobs and cries of a devastated mother.
Hestia could feel a stinging in her eyes as she listened, feel the sense of Unity and warmth within Athena dipping as such a key piece was brutally taken from her. One glance at her husband told her hearing and seeing this was affecting Percy too and that was without even considering the Nightmares he'd have to deal with this night, both his own and those of the demigods around the mountain.
Still, she steadied herself as she hugged him, sending one last glance to Medusa as the pseudo-goddess took to comforting her charge, before the primordial pair disappearing in a burst of shadow. A grand total of two seconds later the shadows parted, leaving them back in their room with the House of Protogenoi. Releasing Percy, Hestia stepped back to look at him and what she saw filled her with conflict because she felt two distinct things.
Relief.
Yes … relief. Relief because she could see and feel as the last of Percy's hope for Annabeth, the last sliver buried deep in his heart, was finally fading. If there had ever been anything that brought Hestia's hatred for the goddess to the surface, it was being able to feel that last shred of hope and knowing who left it and why it was there. She was Percy's first love, the girl that was with him through thick and thin, when that innocent boy, ignorant to the terrible world of the gods, was driven head first into it all. She was there, a fellow hero and friend, the lead or guided to him when needed, supported as best she could, and helped save them all.
She'd been everything that Hestia once wished she could have been … and also why Hestia had feared the goddess that came from that heroine.
Because she knew if anyone could have come back into Percy's life even after everything she did … it would have been Chase. Even after all the time in Tartarus, the training, the time to heal and move on, she was something that remained with Percy. It didn't even take Hestia a minute to guess why Pontus would have even gone through such lengths to get to Annabeth.
Because she was a walking, breathing Achilles' heel for Percy.
A weak point that could have been ruthlessly exploited if Pontus had gotten ahold of her and used her as a lure to get Percy alone. Even after all this time, Percy couldn't have brought himself to cut her down or abandon her, especially not when she had a child to go back to. And now that Chase was gone, her husband was safer while also finally letting that part of his past go.
But it also made her sad.
The marriage that she had with him and Hestia was so much more than what mortals could understand. They shared feelings, melded minds, and truly united. Their happiness, sadness, and all other emotions were felt throughout and it clawed at her heart to see Percy like this. But what probably hurt most is that she just didn't know which decision could end this pain. Should she agree and let Percy go through the adoption, burying her own feelings on that matter, something that would only fester and poison their bond? Or should she voice against it, knowing that such an act would stay with Percy forever as they allowed an innocent child to die?
It was all maddening.
Still, she buried those thoughts for now, wanting to do nothing more than comfort her husband and maybe find some rest herself. So she refocused on what was in front of her now as she used her own limited control of the darkness to make Percy's coat dissipate. A snap of her fingers later and both were down to nightwear, Percy's being a simple pair of shorts while Hestia's was panties and baggy shirt.
Taking his hand again she led him to their bed as the pair settled in, facing each other with their faces just a few inches apart. Their gazes remained locked as the silence surrounded them before Hestia leaned closer and lightly kissed him.
"It'll be okay," she said softly as she pulled back before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head to her bosom.
She felt his arms wrap around her back in response as the pair remained close and for several minutes nothing changed … until Hestia felt his form shake ever so slightly. Then came the slight feeling of her shirt getting wet but she didn't feel bothered as she merely hold on, radiating what warmth she could as she held him.
He wasn't just her king and husband but a best friend, a confident, and a pillar of her life just like she was for him. Tomorrow would be a new day and no matter how much pain and bitter choices would come with it, they would face it together. But for now, even with her feelings on that goddess, she couldn't find it in herself to be angry as Percy cried for his first love one last time…
So, how was it!? Been a while and I don't feel this is my strongest chapter but I'm content overall with it. Action tappers for a bit more of developments between characters and showing a little more to the dynamics of the mountain. Some faces new and old appearing but what does it all mean!?
Let me hear your thoughts! A sublime pleasure, Jbubu
