Luke POV
"When you say the quest is no longer available do you mean it disappeared?" Chiron shakes his head and puts a Stygian Iron spear on the table. Annabeth's eyes widen when the spear she realizes what it is.
"Is that the Legendary Level 10 Stygian Iron spear that is rumored to have an attack power of 1,500 that we can only get as the reward for bringing back Medusa's head!?" Clarisse asks the table almost screaming.
"Did you kill Medusa, Chiron?" Annabeth asks bewildered. Chiron shakes his head again and deeply sighs.
"This spear appeared in the rewards room, a few minutes ago." I look at the spectacular spear in awe. When I was younger, I tried leveling up furiously to go on that quest to kill Medusa and finally obtain the spear, but I lost the will for it when I met the hunters. Some are so high level because they have literal millennia of experience, like Chiron.
"If it was the hunters that killed her, the spear wouldn't have appeared in the rewards room, right Chiron?"
"Correct Annabeth, rewards only appear in the room if whomever finishes the quest was not aware of the reward."
"If it wasn't us or the hunters then another monster took Medusa out for us?" Clarisse asked. "I say we take the win and fight for the spear if that's the case."
"Or the camp could sell it and then use the money to fund a quest for the 50th floor. For the Fleece?" Katie's question prompted Annabeth to look around the room.
"We don't have enough strong people for quest like that yet."
"What if we just give it to our best spear user, that umm coincidentally happens to be me." Added Clarisse again.
"Actually Clarisse, Malcolm may only be level 42 but when it comes to skills, he is best spearman in the camp, not you." Responds Annabeth, Clarisse shrugs it off with an annoyed look.
"I think we're forgetting about the issue that something out there killed freaking Medusa." Chimed in Lee. "Do you guys have any idea how strong Medusa is?"
"A few mages from my cabin sent their summoned monsters to spy on her whereabouts but they were all killed instantly. We estimate she's at least a 50 Mage. If I'm not mistaken, she should be hard to defeat, even for you Chiron." Annabeth says carefully but Chiron just chuckles.
"Don't mind me Annabeth, I rather be weak forever than ever get experience from killing demigods."
"It doesn't matter what or who killed Medusa, the fact is the camp has a strong weapon now and we could be attacked soon. Mr. D says we should reinforce our defenses and put more useless campers on watch for a few weeks."
"On watch for what, whatever monster killed Medusa and got tons of xp? Go tell your dad if he really thinks we could be attacked soon to get out of his room and give us some useful advice, potions or weapons." Silena tells Castor. "He is the camp director, but it feels like we're doing all the work. Chiron has been doing so much work it he literally looks older, and he's immortal."
"Thank you Silena, I been noticing that too."
"What if we sell it to the hunters? They will probably pay good money for it and we can use that money to buy food from the GRID." Kate proposes again.
"We don't have a shortage of food Kate; we have a shortage of power. Selling the spear is out of the question, specially to the hunters. They take all our good stuff and only trade us the trash they don't want." Clarisse says angrily.
"Mr. D says we have to be friendly with the hunters because they're stronger than all of us combined. The fact they use our camp as a pitstop means they clear monsters on the way here for you useless heroes."
"Your dad doesn't even come out his room, I don't think he can talk about us being useless." Annabeth adds annoyed.
"For father's sake, can you stop talking about Mr. D? He is never even around; I'm even starting to think he's not even in the freaking camp." Lee says exasperated.
"I'd like to add that we could be having visitors soon," Chiron says, stopping the chatter.
"I bet it's the hunters, they always join us when the weather is exactly like this or powerful weapons show up." Says Silena pointing her hair towards all of us.
"I'm talking about a powerful demigod." The campers look around in confused, but Annabeth looks at Chiron. "He might be joining us in the recent future, a new cabin leader."
"Is that why you were out for the past week Chiron?" He nods and puts his hand over his face. Annabeth presses her temples to ease her stress while Beck finally gains interest in the conversation
"Things are going to be changing around the camp soon, I have a feeling he's going to be involved with one the Major Quests. Also, don't be alarmed if he has a monster with him."
"Nice, so he's a summoner like me. Since we have the best mages, I believe we will see eye to eye quite nicely." Silena says bluntly.
"This divided camp thing is also ending now. Annabeth, I appreciate your motivation and leadership, but I can't have you fighting with Luke on how to run things." Chiron sternly says. "You will all vote for Luke or Annabeth today, unless any of you decide to are fit to lead as well. I will say that if the result is a tie, Luke will be the declared the leader," Annabeth stands up, presumably to protest, but Chiron finishes.
"Unless the winner manages to get the majority vote. Feel free to change your vote by the end of the meeting." I look around the room and then at Chiron. I wanted to unite the camp but not like this, I don't fully know why Chiron dumped this on us now, but with Grover being away, and the new demigod potentially joining are probably some of the reasons.
"My cabin votes for Luke," Beck. "Luke makes a good effort in helping our cabins work together in and out of battle."
"Mine is for Annie." Clarisse says crossing her arms. "The Athena cabin encourage battle, at least more than Luke's."
"Mine votes for Annabeth too," Kate says apologetically. She prefers my leadership, but her cabin got angry when the Aphrodite kids became stronger than them. "My cabin believes her leadership is makes us stronger and brings a few more weapons into the camp."
"Mr. D votes for Luke, he doesn't like either of you but appreciates I'm invited to Luke's Friday parties. Also, he kind of hates you Annabeth." Castor adds while sipping on a strawberry smoothie. I don't know why Mr. D hates Annabeth so much, but I also think Castor was himself voting for me because he likes to eat with his brother at our cabin every Friday.
"Aphrodite's cabin prefers with Annabeth," Silena says with a nod at Clarisse. "She has our best interest in mind and has given us valuable strategic guidance."
"My cabin backs up Luke 100%," says Lee with his arms crossed staring at Clarisse.
"Why the hell are you looking at me," Clarisse says indignant.
"Because Luke and his siblings have a brother mentality, they don't just take advantage of our ranged attacks and healing powers then leave us to die when the situation get tough." Lee says with spite.
"Just because we don't die for you? We're not going to take a beating for you. You never pull your own weight and you always stay in the backlines to kill steal."
"It's called XP sharing, something that the Hermes and Hephaestus parties understand. They realize that since most of us attack with arrows or magic, if we don't get killing shots, we lose durability for nothing and miss out on XP."
"You'll get your damn XP when you're the ones risking your lives. You guys sit on the fucking backline, I can't remember the last time any of you cowards got hurt." She spat back.
"If we're attacked who's going to heal your sorry asses when you get hurt." Lee said angrily.
"We have potions idiot; we don't need you." Clarisse says while holding up a red flask.
"A potion won't save your ass when you're all alone and injured."
"I think we should continue with the voting," says Chiron. "If we're still doing that."
"My cabin supports my leadership."
"And my cabin supports mine." I say. Annabeth leans back on her chair and sighs.
"So, the votes are in. Four votes for Luke and four for Annabeth. If that is the final vote the only thing left to say is congratulations Luke." Chiron stands up as do I to take his handshake, it is a bit sad that Kate didn't change her mind to support me last minute so that I could win by majority but it's okay. "Make sure you treat all of the campers-"
The door opens and in front of us is one of the hunters.
"What are we all doing here?" asks the girl. Immediately, Annabeth's eyes light up and she answers.
"We were just deciding on the official camp leader, basically who is in charge of the organizing the campers." Zoe looks at me, Chiron and back at Annabeth.
"It sounds really important; I wonder if we get a vote now that we are here. Or we hunters do not get a vote?" Chiron steps away from his chair and opens his palm towards it. I can tell that Chiron is annoyed by their sudden appearance as well.
"Please have a seat, we will happily take your vote."
"Don't mind if I do activities director." Zoe smiles and seats down on Chiron's chair. She takes a good look at everyone and then finally on me.
"Let me guess, all the boys voted for the boy and all the girls voted for Annabeth. Correct?"
"Well, it is a bit more complicated than that, but you are correct, it is a tie." Chiron answers.
"And yet, the boy was apparent winner?" She then asks.
"As the leader of the Hermes cabin, Luke is taking care of dozens of unclaimed children from many gods aside from his brothers and sisters. Naturally his vote should have more weight than the vote a singular cabin leader."
"I suppose that is a valid reason, but I could argue something similar about the hunters. Seeing as we are the strongest cabin that frequently bring in supplies from outside the camp and we take members from many gods our vote should also have more weight than the vote of a singular cabin member, specially that of a cabin with only two members." Zoe looks over at Castor, but he is unfazed.
"Mr. D says his cabin having voting rights is one of the few things that makes him not unleash his wrath upon the girl scouts. Also diet coke. And my mother-in-law." Zoe smiles and nods.
"I see." Zoe looks at the spear in the middle of the table and then at Annabeth, who proceeds to lower her head. "Well, after careful deliberation the hunters have decided to vote for Annabeth in hopes to strengthen the relationship between campers and hunters."
"I am sure your vote was entirely based on merit Ms. Zoe."
"Entirely. Annabeth has pushed the Aphrodite and Demeter cabins to great strength and success while managing to drop most of the deadweight along the way. With her leadership skills she is sure to remedy the horrible situation that the camp is currently in, this collaborative weakness."
"Yes, of course. Very insightful Ms. Zoe."
"I believe that puts the current votes at 4 for the boy and 5 for Ms. Annabeth. If I'm not mistaken that means Annabeth is the new leader of the camp?" I can't hate the hunters, but their judgmental nature makes it impossible to like any of them, specially the leader. I mentally sigh in resignation and hope Annabeth doesn't forget why Thalia gave up her life for us.
"You are correct Ms. Zoe, Annabeth- "
"I change my vote to support Luke's leadership." A voice that I didn't expect mentions the words that save me.
"May I ask what brought about such a change Ms. Clarisse? I expect there to be a very good reason for such a change, especially since it is at the last second." Zoe asks calmly.
"There is. So umm, as the strongest permanent cabin, I have realized that we must train the weaker ones. Yes, that's it. We are only as strong as our weakest link so we must train the weakest links. Luke has been doing that without much success but with our support I think we can get it done." Clarisse finishes her explanation and looks at Chiron for reassurance.
"That seems like a reasonable explanation Clarisse. Anyone else want to change their vote?" Chiron looks around the room, but nobody says anything. I look at Clarisse slightly annoyed it might mean I owe her.
"If that is all the final vote is 5 to 4, with Luke winning by majority vote. Does anyone have any objections?" All eyes turn to Zoe but she just nods.
"Congratulations camp leader," she tells me. "I wish you the best on behalf of the Artemis Cabin. If you excuse me, I must leave to make important sleep preparations and plans for the usual activities tomorrow. Nice spear by the way." She stands up and leaves the room.
Chiron takes a seat once again and calls for Annabeth.
"Yes Chiron?"
"Please work with Luke." She nods and then he looks at me. "Please work with the hunters." I nod unsure of what 'work with the hunters' consists of. A few seconds pass and nobody says a word.
"Well then, that will be all children. Feel free to tell your cabins anything you think they should know." Chiron takes the spear into his room then we exit the big house.
"I hate that girl," Lee tells me as we are walking to our cabins. "She was talking about my family when she said Annabeth dropped deadweight you know? It pisses me off that she pretends to be so nice but looks down on everyone. If only we were as strong as Chiron, then we could tell them what we think." Moments like this remind me that I need to be stronger, that maybe I shouldn't have slowed down my training.
"One day Lee, keep working hard and the day will come," that's all I can say to him.
I let my cabin know I was appointed the new camp leader and after some congratulations and concerns I head to the training dummies near my cabin. Compared to Chiron and even the hunters I am weak. But one day I will definitely reach their level, if it's not possible with the GRID's alone then I will do it will my own power. The day will come.
Quick Slash 1
Mana: -100
You have done 1 damage!
You have done 1 damage!
Slash, Quick Slash. My fastest combo yet. True, against the training dummy it only does 2 damage but against a real opponent it instantly unleashes dexterity-based skill that is impossible to dodge after a regular attack, even with the Dodge skill of the same level.
Slash, Quick Slash. Slash. A regular slash after quick slash is too slow. I shove away the HUD, it doesn't tell me anything I don't already know.
Slash, Quick Slash. Quick Slash. This combo works faster than the last one, but the second Quick Slash can still be dodged. I need something more, something more powerful like my Counter Slash skill. The skill that deflects an attack's force and uses it for a strong counter strike.
I remember the day I first used it, I was practicing my Evasive Slash and figured it wasn't strong enough against strong enemies. Evading an attack by attacking the enemy with a single slash wasn't enough. It needed power, something that said this is not just technique, it is power. So, I added the power. That's how I created a new skill.
"Power," I look at the dummy and ready my blade. Slash. Quick Slash. It isn't enough. If only I could experience it at least one time, if only I could add the force to the Quick Slash and make another strong skill.
Failure.
Failure.
Failure.
I can't make it work.
Slash. Force. Slash. It is not enough. It needs technique and force.
Dexterity Enhancement 5
Mana: -500
Dexterity: +570
I smile at my desperation but ready my blade. I have the technique, that's all I ever had.
Now, I add the power. Quick. Slash. Quick. Force. The dummy doesn't react, but I feel the difference. I keep my eyes close and just take it all in. I look over at the HUD
Quick Slash 1
Mana: -100
Active Skill Detected: Quick Force 1
Quick Force 1
Mana: -200
You have done 1 damage!
You have done 1 damage!
"Congratulations camp leader," says a voice behind me. I recognize the voice of Zoe anywhere. "It is rare for a demigod to create a single skill in his lifetime, yet you have managed to create your second one already, advanced ones at that. You truly are the greatest swordsman of your generation, or should I say Duelist." Zoe smiles at me but I sense no warmth in her eyes.
"Is there something you need Ms. Zoe?"
"No, I just came to inform you that we have set up our cabin and will be staying here for a few days." Zoe looks at me expectantly but then takes out a thin double-edged sword from her inventory.
"Also, here's a gift from us hunters as congratulations for you new position and for creating such skill." She hands me the sword and I reluctantly take it. "It is called Backbiter; it was forged with the dying breath of a tortured demigod that hoped it would someday protect him from both monster and man. Hopefully you can give it a happy home instead." I watch as Zoe walks away.
Surprisingly, it feels perfect in my hand. It will be more useful than my regular bronze sword since it is made with what looks to be silver and Celestial Bronze. Perfect for killing monsters, werewolves and demigods. It also feels powerful so I head to the Hephaestus cabin to see if I can get it appraised before I equip it.
"Beck!" I scream as I walk near the cabin. Luckily, Beck is outside the other side of the building with his siblings working so he quickly comes up to me.
"What's up Luke?" I hand him my Backbiter and he eagerly inspects it before I can ask him to do so. "Made of Celestial Bronze and Cursed Silver, A Legendary Level 10 sword at full durability with good buffs for a hunter class like you. Not going to lie to you man, the sword is great, but since it's made with Cursed Silver it has an effect of inflicting pain on its victims' souls. Just don't use it on us mortals." He says with single laugh as he hands it back to me.
"I have an update on my class thing, but I'll tell you about it later. I have to go, thanks for your help Beck. Also come by tonight, we're having steak." I wave Beck goodbye and put the sword in my inventory.
"Sure-thing Luke, come by any time. Specially if you can show me more weapons like that one!" As I run back to my cabin, I catch a glimpse of Annabeth talking to her cabin and they look angry. She is clearly trying to calm them down, but some aren't listening. On paper it would seem like today was a great day with me becoming the official camp leader, creating a new skill and even getting a strong sword as a gift, but it strangely feels like things have only gotten worse. This must be what my mom would have called an ominous feeling.
Name: Luke Castellan Title: Son of Hermes
Race: Demigod Sub-race: Human
Party: Luke Castellan's Party
Level: 46 Age: 19
Health Pool: 8,653/8,653
Mana Pool: 6,863/8,653
Strength: 35
Dexterity: 57
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 14
Luck: 7
Attack Power: 525 (LV 10 Sword)
Defense Power: 420 (LV 10 Armor)
Percy POV
"Where exactly are we going Percy?"
"To the labyrinth…"
"We are already inside the labyrinth, which direction are we heading to?" I ponder about this, I figured that the labyrinth would lead me somewhere to fight monsters, but I guess it doesn't work like that.
"Honestly, I just want to fight monsters with this new weapon and get some rare equipment." I just reply defeated. Alecto stops in her tracks and turns around.
"We're going to clear all the floors of the labyrinth." She states. "Tough monsters at the bottom and potentially epic drops. We might also find you some armor from all the demigods that died on the way there." I frown at the thought of wearing some dead demigods' armor but the armors we found at Medusa's place are badly beaten and low level.
Back in my timeline Celestial Bronze was almost indestructible. But here it has durability and it's weaker than Enchanted Gold, clearly something must have changed, no doubt it's the doing of this GRID thing. I tell Alecto to give me the four pieces of armor we found in the emporium and I run my information skill through them.
Name: Celestial Bronze Leg Protectors. Common+ Level 2 thigh plates that belonged to a foolish child of Hephaestus, they have some durability left. They enhance Intelligence and Health by 5%, useful for the Mage class.
Price: 365 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Sword. A Rare Level 1 Sword used with little durability, it has almost no durability left. It enhances Health, Strength and Defense by 5%, useful for the Knight class.
Price: 425 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Batting Helmet. A Common Level 3 helmet with little durability left. It enhances Wisdom by 5%, although it clearly wasn't enough to protect its wearer from their own stupidity, useful for everyone that wants to live.
Price: 136 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Boots. Common Level 5 shoes, that look suspiciously like Converse shoes a dumb blacksmith would wear, with almost no durability left. They enhance Luck by 5%, useful for everyone that wants better odds at everything.
Price: 121 bronze credits
The buffs seem nice but the shoes that could help increase my luck have no durability left. I thought my luck would help me find the equipment that I want but I guess since they were drops from dead demigods, which the GRID clearly didn't like, they were there long before me. Also, I have no idea what strong equipment would look like, but maybe Alecto can help me with that.
"Hey Alecto, can I see some of your equipment. I have nothing to compare these items with." Alecto groans but hands me two of her rings.
Name: Celestial Bronze Ring. A Rare+ Level 1 Ring with almost full durability that Alecto bought in the Underworld. It enhances Health, Mana, Intelligence and Wisdom by 5%, useful for the Mage class.
Price: 448 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Ring. A Rare+ Level 1 Ring with almost full durability that Alecto got as a Labyrinth Drop. It enhances Health, Mana, Dexterity and Luck by 5%, useful for the Hunter class.
Price: 448 bronze credits
"Why are your rings Level 1?" I ask her. It seems weird that they are Rare+ with good buffs but she keeps them at such a low level. "Can only Heroes upgrade their equipment?" I hand Alecto back her rings, but she shakes her head and puts them on.
"Equip. Monsters that have natural armor can't add armor on top of it. Well, we can equip it, but they don't increase our defense, so anything besides rings just get in the way. The only thing that can increase our defense are the buffs that they give us so there is no point in upgrading them and making the equipment more expensive." She replies.
"Oh, I couldn't help but notice you got one of them as a Labyrinth drop and another one you bought in the underworld. Do you think we could maybe-"?
"Go to the underworld to buy you some equipment? No. Hades is probably angry at me for the treason thing and getting you out with a raging Hades would be impossible." Honestly, I had forgotten about Hades. The guy is probably furious I lived through his assassination attempt and got Alecto on my side.
"No, I mean stop by the camp to sell or repair the beaten armors and then go into the labyrinth for some loot." Alecto thinks but shakes her head.
"We can probably clear a few floors with no problem for loot and then go sell it at the camp. It will be easier for you to gain their trust if you have equipment for trade." Alecto raised a good point. Grover made it clear he didn't trust his fellow campers and while he was a douche, he didn't seem particularly evil. Maybe there is a chance to have him as my friend here too after all.
"Okay, let's go down like two floors and then let's go to the camp to sleep and shop." The room we are on moves fiercely and the entire labyrinth shakes. A door appears on the labyrinth wall and Alecto turns to look at me.
"What is it?" I ask. I don't remember this happening the first time we entered the labyrinth.
"It's a boss room." She says with a grin. She opens the door and a hellhound is sleeping in the middle of the room.
Name: Hellhound Boss. A Boss Monster on the First Level of the Labyrinth. While no stronger than a regular Level 1 Hellhound, it has the strong 70% damage reduction buff given to all labyrinth bosses, attracts monsters, has a chance to drop better loot and unlocks the second floor.
I excitedly pull out my wand from my inventory and blast it with full power like I did to the wall back at Medusa's place. We must beat them to unlock the next floors after all, also I doubt this one is too strong even with the Boss buff.
Passive skill Detected: Magic Shot 10
Intelligence Enhancement 20
God Power: -2,000
Intelligence: +600
You have done 263 damage!
You have gained 1,368 experience!
You have gained 68 bronze credits!
263 damage! That's all it took to kill it? Nothing compared no Medusa. The Hellhound Boss instantly turns into dust. In its place there are 2 stat orbs, a sword and a ring. I pick them up and use my treasure skill to identify is there is anything else in the room.
Name: Celestial Bronze Sword. A Common+ Level 1 sword at full durability found in the Labyrinth by Percy Jackson. It enhances Health and Mana by 5%, useful for all classes.
Price: 2,700 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Ring. A Rare+ Level 5 ring at full durability found in the labyrinth by Percy Jackson. It enhances Health, Mana, Strength and Intelligence by 5%, useful for the Paladin Class.
Price: 470 bronze credits
Interesting, so far, I have only heard of Knight, Hunter, Mage and the Balanced Class. A Paladin class sounds stronger. I give Alecto the Rare+ ring and she studies it.
"It says it is good for Paladins," I tell her. Alecto raises an eyebrow at my comment and gives it back.
"The combination of Knight and Mage, in history Paladins were religious warriors who derived their magical power from faith not mana. Naturally, heroes already process some godly power from their parent so for you the paladin class means you have skills that require Intelligence and Strength."
"Like that skill you used on Medusa, right?" Alecto smirks but opens the door that appeared marked with a giant two.
"That was a Duelist skill called Counter Slash. I learned it from a demigod after seeing it once," she says. I follow her into the opened stairway down and keep silent. "Duelists use a combination of a Strength and Dexterity based skills, since I only have one, I can't be considered a Duelist yet."
"So, you don't want this ring?" I ask her.
"I think it suits you better. Plus, it's as good as my current equipment so it will not benefit me as much as it will benefit you." Alecto attacks a random hellhound that walks near us and spots the next Boss Room. I consider putting on the ring, but I end up placing it in my inventory for now.
"We're really making progress; I think it's because of my high luck." Alecto looks at me with suspicion but nods.
"Yeah, you do seem to be extremely lucky, even I am getting good drops since we formed the contract. It wouldn't surprise me if your luck was in the double digits." I remember dumping all my points into luck and wonder if I put in too many. I don't know how the points have affected my current journey thus far but if I hadn't maybe I wouldn't have Alecto here with me answering my questions. I might have killed her instantly and be all alone, that would be awful. I shake my head and signal Alecto to open the door.
In the room another Hellhound Boss is sleeping, and it does not look any tougher than the previous one. This time it is surrounded by three other hellhounds. I signal to Alecto that I got this one and pull out the wand. First the boss and then the minions, fast and easy.
Intelligence Enhancement 20
God Power: -2,000
Intelligence: +600
You have done 263 damage!
You have done 875 damage! x 3
You have gained 2,391 experience! x 4
You have gained 120 credits! x 4
The boss takes reduced damage, but it gives the same experience and credits as the weak ones. What a scam, they give me decent loot, but I think that's because of my high luck. For the average demigod, boss battles are probably not worth it.
I collect the loot and activate my treasure skill to spot for valuables that may have been in the room. I only find a shield under the dirt and a hidden chest with only a dagger inside.
Name: Celestial Bronze Shield. A Common Level 10 shield with good durability that can be equipped instead of a weapon. It enhances Defense by 5%, useful for the Knight class.
Price: 3,600 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Dagger. A basic Level 1 dagger with full durability but nothing special to warrant hiding it in a chest. It enhances nothing, useful for anyone that needs a basic weapon.
Price: 2,500 bronze credits
I think I will just end up selling these, I can use a shield and a dagger but since I'm barely getting used to the wand I will be staying near the back. As for the loot from the monsters, I only got a stat orb from each of the basic hellhounds. The boss was a bit more generous by giving me two orbs, a pair of boots, and a vest.
Name: Celestial Bronze Boots. Common Level 1 boots at full durability that look like ugly work boots. They enhance Wisdom by 5%, useful for everyone trying to make good decisions.
Price: 400 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Chest Plate. A Rare+ Level 4 chest plate at full durability that looks suspiciously like a gray winter vest. It enhances Health, Mana, Strength and Wisdom by 5%, useful for the Knight class.
Price: 1,050 bronze credits
I hand Alecto the boots and chest plate for her opinion and she nods to me.
"These can work for now," she says before leaving to look for an exit and give me room to equip it. So far, I have been passing up on equipment for the chance on getting Enchanted Gold armor but it's not dropping, even with my high luck. Chances are they don't drop from monsters this weak or at all.
I put on the boots after I put my old ones into my inventory and wear the vest over my shirt, but the HUD says nothing. My wand is supposed to be Legendary too with nice bonuses, but it didn't give me any buffs either. Apart from the damage boost to Athena and her children, that I have not had the chance to use, not that I want it. I vaguely recall that Alecto said the word 'Equip' after she put her rings back on, so I equip the rare paladin ring from earlier and my wand as well.
"Equip." Instantly, the HUD spams messages.
You have gained 15% Health!
You have gained 15% Mana!
You have gained 15% Strength!
You have gained 5% Dexterity!
You have gained 10% Intelligence!
You have gained 15% Wisdom!
You have gained 5% Luck!
I immediately bring out my grid and see that my stats went up slightly, except for Luck, that one went up by almost 500 points. I remember that Alecto has been collecting some orbs for me and call her over.
"How many Stat Orbs do we have?" Alecto reaches into her inventory and pulls out all the orbs we have collected so far.
"We only have 24 of them," she says like it's nothing. "Don't think these few will be of much use to you considering how strong you are." At that moment it hit me that Alecto probably didn't know my stats were not that high. The only reason I can do some damage it is because my skills are at a high level and I can augment them with focus.
"I think they might be useful with these items buffs."
"If you say so," Alecto hands them over and I eat them as we walk towards a door that popped up with a huge number 3. The HUD spams messages about my stats increasing but I ignore them. 9 red ones, 8 yellow ones and 8 blue ones, it was easy to tell what they increase when they are color coded like this.
We open the door to the stairway and at the bottom there is nothing is sight. Alecto walks in confident in front of me and leads the way for a while until we find a harpy.
"I thought the Labyrinth had only hellhounds," I whisper. Alecto shakes her head.
"In the first underground floor there are only hellhounds but in the lower floors other types of monsters start to appear. I had to fight a fury like me once."
"Oh, you can have this one then." Alecto approaches the harpy and instantly kills it with her right claw. As usual, the monster Alecto kills also drops an orb but this time, instead of storing it in her inventory, she gives it to me. I gladly eat the blue orb and we continue walking.
When I first met Alecto, she said they were rare drops, but they seem to drop every single time we kill a monster. If so, I can easily increase my other skills by killing many level one monsters, but that would mean missing out on the high-level stronger ones that probably drop better armors, weapons and skills. Alecto must have killed another monster because she hands me another blue orb.
"It would be nice to get an equal mount of each orb to keep the stats balanced." Alecto nods but keeps moving forward.
"I tried to keep my build balanced as well but its hard considering the drops are random. It's easier when you're in a camp and can trade them." Hmm, demigods seem to have an advantage over monsters then. If we ignore the fact monsters don't age, get free armor, weapons and are typically stronger by default.
We get to a door for a boss and open it to see what is inside. It was another hellhound surrounded by 2 others.
I signal Alecto to go ahead and she easily kills them without having to use a skill. Simple dodges and slashes with her claws. I walk towards the drops and see a red and two yellow orbs. Perfect, now the stats are balanced. I eat them while Alecto looks at the other drops, then she hands them to me.
"Not too good, but I suppose you could use them since they are in perfect condition and have three buffs each." I grab the pair of pants and the ring that she hands me.
Name: Celestial Bronze Leggings: Rare Level 1 pants that look suspiciously like jeans, they have full durability. They enhance Dexterity, Intelligence and Luck by 5%, useful for the Assassin class.
Price: 900 bronze credits
Name: Celestial Bronze Ring. A Rare Level 1 ring at full durability found in the Labyrinth by Alecto. It enhances Dexterity, Attack and Defense by 5%, useful for the Hunter Class.
Price: 350 bronze credits
Assassin must be another advanced class, one that uses Dexterity and Intelligence skills. I can't picture what kind of skills they are but they must be scary if they combine skill and magic.
"Equip," I say after I put the jeans, that somehow magically turned into my size, and ring on. I put my old jeans in the inventory and look at the HUD.
You have gained 10% Dexterity!
You have gained 5% Intelligence!
You have gained 5% Luck
You have gained 5% Attack!
You have gained 5% Defense!
Perfect. We got a few items and have successfully equipped them. Now all we have to do is find an exit that leads us to the camp like the one at Zeus' Fist or somewhere near it. On second thought, appearing right next to the camp with Alecto might scare a few campers so maybe just really close to it so we don't have to walk much but not so far that the walk is long.
"Alecto, do you know of any Labyrinth entrances near the camp?"
"No, the camp is very well protected. Even if I did, nothing guarantees that the Labyrinth will lead us there."
"We just have to find an exit near the camp then, like one of those houses with the white fences on the road there." I remember to scan my surroundings for treasure, and we walk for a few seconds before finding a door on a wall that said exit.
"It seems like the Labyrinth knows exactly what we want." I tell Alecto.
"That's how it works, next time we want to go to the deeper floors we just have to say the floor number we want to explore and if we have it unlocked, we will find stairs to it."
"Cool, I thought we had to clear the floors every single time." We opened the door and found the stairway up.
"That would waste so much mana and time, I don't think the gods would like that very much." Alecto says climbing the steps in front of me.
"Why? Do they fight in the labyrinth too?"
"I heard Hades mention he fought three level 150 hellhounds once, he said they were pretty easy. With them not being actual monsters but fabrications of the GRID that is."
"So, there is no real monsters in the Labyrinth?"
"No, I told you I fought a Fury, once didn't I? It wasn't just sitting here waiting for demigods to kill her as the boss in the 80th floor. The GRID creates these monsters for heroes to level up and train but made it so that monsters and gods and many other beings can enter too, if they want a challenge."
"But we can still die."
"That's how the god Pan died." I look over at Alecto surprised and she explains further.
"He ventured onto the labyrinth hoping to find The Fountain of Eden, something about doing whatever it took to save the wild. He regularly led groups of Satyrs with him into the Labyrinth to clear floors hoping to get the rumored item, but on his last excursion he never came back, and he was never seen again. The gods looked for him and his group but after 2,000 years of searching they declared him dead." That sucks. I hope that he is only hiding in the Labyrinth like last time. We reach the Labyrinth exit and open the door to living room covered in white sheets.
"There is so much dust in here, the owners probably haven't lived here in decades."
"Or maybe nobody ever lived here." Alecto say pointing out the window. I look outside the window and see the white fence and road in front of us that looks kind of familiar. "This road leads straight into the camp."
I nod as I remember this is where the Minotaur captured my mom. Alecto said most of the monsters disappeared so maybe he won't show up this time. I can't wait to see everyone else; it feels like it has been forever since I last saw them, hopefully they didn't change as much as Grover.
"About time, this feels like the longest day ever. I can wait to get some sleep." I open the unlocked door and we start walking on the road.
Pick your own strawberries
Alecto decides to change back into her human form, and we pick up the pace since we are almost there.
"May I ask you a question Percy?" She asks after a while.
"Uh that was question already but sure."
"You're powerful, so powerful I'd dare say you might be stronger many minor gods already. I'm not going to ask about your level, skills or stats but I am curious about you. Why do you want to get stronger?"
"Wow, that's kind of a hard question to answer." I say. Back then I would have said to protect my friends but in this timeline everything is different. I am high level and my luck has been good so far, life is easy.
"When I worked under Hades, I wanted strength so I could one day reach the power of the gods and change my fate. But you are already there, so that just leaves the question of, why are you searching for more?" I think about the people back in my timeline and feel sad. The battles we fought, the quests we endured, and the people we lost.
My head starts aching and I close my eyes. Memories pour in, Mom, Annabeth, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Nico and Piper. Our friends, our camps and even the gods. Gone.
"We're not done yet man, don't go giving up now." I struggle to lift myself up with Riptide and let Jason grab on to me. I put pressure on the wound on my right leg. I notice Jason missing his right arm but we both turn to Gaea. She was on her knees, injured but she was laughing.
"After what she did to my mom, to Annabeth, to our friends. Are you kidding!"
"She is still conscious; we have to knock her out to seal her." Jason says struggling.
"She killed Piper! The hell do you mean seal her!"
"You think I don't know that! But I promised her. She made me promise." Jason approaches Gaea and kicks her in the face. Gaea tumbles over but is still grinning.
"I hate you," he says. "And I will seal you." Jason pulls out Katoptris and stabs her in the heart. "But this is for Piper." He twists the knife and falls on his back.
"I… I am the Earth itself. You might have won this one, but I… I took everything from you, and I will be back. My children and I… we will get the happy ending you didn't." Gaea laughs again but this time its me kicking her face in. She rolls around and smiles at me.
"You're wrong you bitch! You're not getting a happy ending and you're not coming back." I grab Riptide and swing it directly for her neck.
"Percy, Nooooo!"
As Gaea's head rolls off from her body I look back at Jason. I don't even have time to says the words I'm sorry before the world turns black.
I turn to look at Alecto and she looks confused.
You have gained the title Destroyer of the World
"Because I was weak."
Name: Perseus Jackson Title: Son of Poseidon
Race: Demigod Sub-race: God
Party: Percy Jackson's Party
Level: 983 Age: 12
Health Pool: 11,540,391/11,540,391
God Power: 11,489,709/11,540,391
Strength: 29
Dexterity: 29
Intelligence: 29
Wisdom: 16
Luck: 10,823
Attack Power: 525 (Wand)
Defense Power: 1,215 (Added Armor)
Name: Alecto Title: Percy's Helper
Race: Fury Sub-race: None
Party: Percy Jackson's Party
Level: 98 Age: None
Health Pool: 61,665/61,665
Mana Pool: 45,200/59,382
Strength: 185
Dexterity: 193
Intelligence: 200
Wisdom: 21
Luck: 9
Attack Power: 1,260
Defense Power: 1,104