Chapter 8
Hey guys! The last chapter brought in around 600 views in one day and man was I shocked. I want to thank Ryan, Percabeth8899 and someonefamous99 for your short yet supporting reviews. Your enthusiasm is much appreciated.
Regarding SpartanBoi's review, I take it as a compliment that you like this story enough to repeatedly review it. Makes it feel interactive and I want that, because I don't want be the only one enjoying this story, I want to make it as enjoyable as possible for all the viewers. So any criticism you deliver is welcome as it is going to help me make this story more enjoyable. I deeply appreciate your continuous reviews and would like to thank you for your continued support.
This story will be a T as I have already declared earlier that there will be no sexually explicit scenes in story and even verbal profanity will be kept to a bare minimum because I feel that too much profanity corrupts the story. So the only point remaining is violence but this story doesn't focus on human violence nor does it have any torture in it so there's really no reason to make it an M. Once again, I'd like to thank SpartanBoi for pointing this out. I will give a warning in the beginning of the chapter if there is strongly depicted violence, I will also try to keep the gore to a lesser extent.
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Poseidon had been disappointed when his mother did not know the answer to Percy's invulnerability. He needed to know the full extent and source of Percy's invulnerability if he wanted to keep Percy safe, so he was bewildered when someone claimed that Percy was not a demigod . Immediately he whirled on the source of the voice with his trident in hand, ready to defend his son from this newcomer. For a moment he thought his eyes betrayed him when he beheld the sight before him.
Standing with her arms crossed and an unamused expression was Styx, Goddess of the River Styx and the Keeper of Oaths.
"Lord Poseidon, Lady Rhea." Styx addressed them with a respectful nod.
"He is not a demigod? What do you mean by that?" Poseidon brushed aside formalities, took a step forward and fiercely questioned. Before he could do anything rash, his mother placed a placating arm on his shoulder.
"Greetings Styx. Forgive my son for his rudeness, he is just acting out of concern for his son. Now would you please explain your presence here and the statement you made regarding my grandson?" Rhea asked in a seemingly calm and collected manner. But in truth, she was just as shocked as Poseidon at this revelation.
"My apologies Lady Rhea. I did not mean to startle you. As for how I came here, you invoked me when you took the oath in the throne room and I was waiting for an opportunity to talk to both of you. I felt that this was the right time for me to join the conversation since both of you were in a dilemma about his biology." Styx smoothly explained.
"You still haven't answered the question, goddess. Do not test my patience." Poseidon angrily warned.
"Don't rush, my lord, I was getting to that point. A demigod is a being who is half God and half human. That is not Percy's biology. He is three parts god and only one part mortal." Styx calmly explained her prior statement.
"I did not know that gods could sire children with that type of biology." Rhea stated with shock.
"They cannot Lady Rhea, of the three parts of Percy which are godly, only two of them are from Lord Poseidon."
"That must mean that the other godly part of his must be from his mother. Does that mean that she was a…?" Poseidon trailed off, uncertain of this new turn of events.
"Your assumption is right Lord Poseidon. She was a demigod; actually, she was my first demigod child." Styx flatly said but a hint of sadness could be detected in her voice.
"What? How?" Poseidon tried his best to voice out his surprise, but he just couldn't form a coherent sentence. Even if he had a thousand guesses, he would not have arrived at this conclusion.
"Let me elaborate, Lord Poseidon." Styx cut him off before continuing, albeit in a morose voice.
"It was an incident that took place over twenty-five years ago. I had been very lonely; my husband and children were on Olympus and I yearned for some sort of companionship. Desperation made me take on a mortal disguise and, after roaming the world for a few days, I found a man who enchanted my heart. A few months later I bore him a daughter. Percy's mother was my first demigod child and I was terrified of the harsh consequences that my actions would have on her. Due to her being my firstborn, she had inherited an invulnerability that my river bestows as a curse on those who survive dipping into it. The difference was, for her it was a blessing instead of a curse. Along with invulnerability she had gained enhanced physical attributes that were even greater than those of one of the younger Olympians' demigods. I was afraid that her unusual strength and scent would attract unwanted attention from both monsters and immortals, and I was in no position to protect her without unleashing the wrath of my husband and daughters upon her." Styx stopped for a second, taking a deep breath to compose herself. She was surprised when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, my dear, take your time. Forcing out unpleasant memories is never a good thing." Rhea kindly told her.
After taking a few more deep breaths to prepare herself for recounting another painful story, Styx continued. "In that moment, I went against every instinct I had as a mother and I did what I had to do to ensure my daughter's safety. As her powers stemmed from me, I sealed them all away so deeply within her that they would never show themselves in her or any of her mortal descendants and I left her on her father's doorstep to raise. She went through her life as a mortal and she was safe. I had never counted for her meeting Lord Poseidon though." she bitterly lamented.
"You were smitten with her and loved her with all your heart and she reciprocated with the same passion. As a result of that passion she bore you a powerful son. What both of you did not know was that she had great potential locked deep within her. The seal I had created for containing her powers was so powerful that had it been any other God, bar probably Lord Hades, that seal would have held. But, the raw power your son inherited from you roused the hidden power within her, broke the seal and, like an opened floodgate, all that power that she should have had as my firstborn, poured into him. Though he is one-part mortal, his divine side is so powerful that the only thing that distinguishes him from a god is his mortal soul and his lack of a divine form. Even for his advanced biology, he is still stronger than he should be." Styx explained in full detail.
"Fascinating; he has all the powers of your firstborn as well as having a strong control of Poseidon's domains." Rhea spoke with awe. Never before had she seen a marvel like this and she was pretty sure such circumstances would never be recreated.
"No, Lady Rhea, his potential is far, far greater than that. As an equivalent to my firstborn, he has the unaltered blessing of the River Styx. The blessing of the River Styx makes him far more powerful than any demigod child of Poseidon ever born. I am a River Nymph and a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, that, along with the blessing of my river, highly amplifies his hydrokinesis, geokinesis and atmokinesis. On top of that, he also has the physical attributes of a major God, though the most defining aspect of this blessing is the invulnerability he possesses." Styx elaborated.
"Lady Styx, what is the exact extent of his invulnerability and how does it affect his other attributes?" Poseidon having grown sober at the mention of his late lover, politely questioned Styx.
Surprised at the respect he gave her, Styx complied. "To explain his invulnerability, we have to look at the nature of my river. The waters are filled with broken dreams, hopes and oaths. Thus, it is a place devoid of will and hope which rips out the essence of lesser immortals and the souls of mortals. But there are a select few mortals with such great willpower that they can resist the violent pull of my river; on those people my river bestows upon a very useful ability. It grants them physical invulnerability - no blade, no scythe, no axe, nothing can pierce their skin - and it also grants them superior strength and speed far beyond what can be imagined, though this gift comes at the cost of endurance."
"You mean they become effectively unkillable?" Poseidon quietly asked. The consequences of unkillable demigods in large numbers could be disastrous.
"No, my lord, no one is unkillable. An attack with enough power aimed at either the head or the heart can carry enough blunt force to cause severe internal injuries and they cannot be treated if they don't have natural healing properties of their own as their skin cannot be pierced by any medical tool. Also, another serious drawback is that they have one vulnerable spot which, if hit, will instantly kill them. That is why it is a curse." Styx carefully explained the curse her river bestowed.
"Where is his vulnerable spot? How do I find it? How much protection does that spot require so that an attack there does not kill him?" Poseidon frantically asked. His worry had shot through the roof, he had to find out Percy's vulnerable spot, or else he could lose his son in a moment in the heat of battle. Poseidon was even considering never sending Percy to fight in the upcoming war. He did not want to lose his son. He could not lose his son.
"Calm down, Lord Poseidon, you do not need to worry about his vulnerable spot because he does not have one." Poseidon could only owlishly blink at this statement. Even Rhea seemed a little taken aback.
"You see, Percy has the blessing of my river and not its curse. There is a great deal of difference between the two. First of all, Percy's invulnerability is not permanent. Try to think of it as a shield, if he ever receives an attack with enough trauma to cause serious damage, his invulnerability can be broken and his skin can be pierced to treat any injuries. The chances for this, are astronomically small as his body can heal almost any injury if he is immersed in sea water for a long period of time. Additionally, as I said earlier, the blessing enhances all the abilities he gained from you. Even his endurance is not compromised, in fact even his endurance is enhanced to divine standards. However, the greatest point of difference is his lack of a vulnerable spot. Percy is fully and completely invulnerable and no blow, no matter how powerful it is, can instantly kill him. He can also effectively wield Stygian Iron weaponry due to him being an equivalent of my firstborn." Styx concluded.
"Unbelievable. At the pinnacle of his strength, how powerful will he be?" Rhea asked in wonder.
"He already would have reached a level of power that would be on par with the younger Olympians and would only be weaker than them in physical attributes due to their advantage of divine empowerment. He is also immune to poisons and diseases and effectively immortal, but he can be killed if severely and irreparably damaged. Now, with your blessing, he is on par with the younger Olympians, both in terms of raw power and in terms of physical attributes. Once he receives Lady Amphitrite's blessing and is officially adopted by her, his power and physical attributes shall become even greater than before. His raw power will almost be equivalent to that of Lord Poseidon and will be greater than even Lord Triton's power. His physical attributes will also break through the barrier. Other than the Big Three, his raw physical strength will only be matched by Ares and his speed will be on equal footing with Athena and Hermes. Most of all, his endurance will drastically increase, it will be comparable to that of The General." Styx proudly stated.
"Why does he need Amphitrite's blessing, won't he explode due to the amount of divine power in him? After all he is still a mortal." Poseidon worriedly asked. He would prefer to avoid his son exploding due to his own power.
"On the contrary, Lord Poseidon, he will be in grave danger if he doesn't receive her blessing. The magnitude of raw power in him is so great that he runs the risk of becoming an unstoppable arc of destruction if he ever loses his temper. If that ever happens, the only way to stop him will be killing him and only you or your brothers will have the power to do that. You have to remember, my lord, that for all his raw power and great physical strength, he is still part mortal, as you said. That part of him is also the part that will always keep him humble and empathetic, but that and his inherently kind nature are also the only things that will hold him back from turning completely into The Destroyer. Lady Rhea's blessing strengthens those ideals, but he needs Lady Amphitrite's restraint." Styx cautiously explained with a little bit of worry laced into her voice.
"I will make sure she blesses him as soon as possible Lady Styx. His safety is paramount to me." Poseidon instantly promised.
"Thank you, Lord Poseidon, Lady Rhea. My daughter meant the world to me, I failed as a mother and could never be there for her. All I could do was cowardly lock away her birth right and watch her struggle against the monsters of this world. All that is left of her legacy is Percy. I will help you in any way possible to ensure his survival and happiness. I let my first demigod daughter down, I shall not fail my grandson too. Even though he has potential to be one of strongest warriors in history, there will always be forces stronger than him; I beg of you to protect him, give him the life which I could not give my daughter. Please, my lord." Styx emotionally pleaded with watery eyes.
"I shall do everything in my power to protect him, Lady Styx. My son means the world to me and, no matter how old or how powerful he becomes, he will always be my son. I will protect, love and give him the best life I can. This I swear on the River Styx." Poseidon sincerely promised, his own voice thick with emotion.
"You have endured a lot of pain my dear. But I promise you, it will not go in vain. His mother was a wonderful woman as he has inherited that kindness from her. Your grandson will make you very proud my dear. He will honour his mother's sacrifice." Rhea consoled Styx with a soft voice. She knew first-hand how difficult parting with children could be.
"May I hold him once?" Styx requested. Rhea complied, but the sudden movement startled the previously asleep Percy. He saw a strange raven-haired woman with blue eyes looking back at him, different from his grandmother. From the arms of his grandmother, he looked around for his father and curiously questioned him after spotting him, "Who is the pretty lady papa?"
Styx answered for Poseidon. "Hello Percy, my name is Styx and I am your grandmother."
"Gramma? But I already have a Gramma" Percy innocently questioned as his little brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at Rhea who in return smiled lovingly at the naïve nature of his question.
"Yes Percy, Lady Rhea is your Grandma. But I am your other Grandma" Styx affectionately told him.
Percy contemplated this for a second before accepting this proposition.
"Hi Gramma!" Percy excitedly chirped at Styx. Styx then tentatively held out her arms and Percy immediately went to her. She could only stare as she looked into his bright and vibrant eyes, full of joy. Her daughter had had the same look in her eyes when Styx had first held her. She softly stroked his hair and held him close for some time before handing him back to Rhea.
"I shall take my leave Lord Poseidon, Lady Rhea. The purpose of my visit has been fulfilled. Goodbye Percy." Styx said with a small smile on her face.
"Bye Gramma!" Percy excitedly wished back.
"Goodbye Lady Styx. You have provided us with invaluable information. You have my permission to enter the seas whenever you want to see Percy." Poseidon sincerely replied.
Styx gratefully nodded at Rhea who gave her a kind smile as she teleported out of the area.
"I should return to Atlantis mother. I am sure Amphitrite will be very worried and I do not want to feed that worry. Why don't you join me - it has been centuries since you have visited. We shall be happy to have your company for a few days." Poseidon asked Rhea.
Rhea seemed unsure for a moment but a look at Percy solidified her decision and she replied, "Alright Poseidon. I shall stay with you in Atlantis for a few days."
Poseidon smiled at his mother's statement. A moment later, they both vanished from the area in an ethereal blue light.
Amphitrite was worried. She had been nervous in the morning when Poseidon had left and later when she had felt the sea violently churning due to his anger, a knot had been formed in her stomach. She had immediately summoned Triton, who had Percy with him, to the throne room and was fully prepared for the news of a war when Poseidon had materialised in the throne room. She was surprised when he had informed her that Rhea had made an appearance and was going to rein in Zeus and a slightly reluctant Poseidon had taken Percy with him to meet his grandmother. Though it had been shocking, it was a welcome occurrence. Rhea's presence in and of itself was enough to prevent any misbehaviour from Zeus. However, the worry had crept back when Poseidon took a longer time to return than he should have. She was about to Iris message him when he materialised in front of her along with Percy and Rhea. Percy immediately leapt into her arms and she caught him with a practiced ease.
"Mama!" Percy excitedly greeted her.
"Hello, my little sea tulip." Amphitrite affectionately responded after placing a soft kiss on Percy's brow. Seeing him safe and sound lifted a big weight from her shoulders.
Her eyes then turned to the other person who had come along with Poseidon. Understanding instantly that her husband had invited his mother to Atlantis to spend time with her grandson for her a few days, Amphitrite greeted her with a warm smile. "Greetings Lady Rhea, it is a pleasure to have you here with us."
"Put aside the formality my dear. That sort of stiffness from family is bit too cold for my taste ." Rhea replied with a smile of her own.
"Grandmother! It has been a long time since we last met. How have you been?" Triton greeted his grandmother with a wide smile.
"Hello to you too, Triton. Look at how much you have grown. The last time I visited, you were such a shy and young God." Rhea fondly greeted her other grandson.
"I assume you were successful in convincing the Olympians and Zeus." Amphitrite stated.
"Not only that, we also informed Chiron of the council's request and he has accepted our invitation. Once I make the official announcement after discussing with the Mermen generals and the Ichthyocentaurs, I shall send Delphin or Triton to bring him here." Poseidon clarified.
"But what took you so long father?" Triton questioned.
"After talking to Chiron, we were graced by the presence of Styx who explained to us the reason behind Percy's invulnerability and its effect on his power and physical attributes." At this statement, both Amphitrite's and Triton's eyes widened in surprise. Taking that as his cue, Poseidon explained all the information shared by Styx to them, in extensive detail.
After he finished his explanation, a silence enveloped the Atlantean throne room. This silence however was broken by Triton's groan.
"You had to bless him, didn't you Grandmother? Now every time he loses his temper, some massive hurricane will batter those poor helpless mortals." Triton told in an exaggerated manner.
However, Poseidon quietened at the mention of Percy's potentially destructive temper. Amphitrite noticed this and questioned him "What are you not telling me Poseidon?"
Poseidon looked at Triton and telepathically told him the information that he was about to convey to Amphitrite. Triton immediately understood that this was not a conversation for Percy to hear, so he took the toddler from his mother and went to the Royal Courtyard.
Poseidon then turned his attention back to his wife and responded- "Styx told me that the blessing amplifies not only his physical and elemental power, but also his emotions and ideals. Due to this, his fatal flaw will be extremely pronounced. Which happens to be only one of the problems. Even the uncontrollable temper that he has inherited from me will be elevated to the point where, at the peak of his strength, should he go through an intensely emotional ordeal, he will become an unstoppable force of nature and the only way to stop him at that point will be to kill him."
"Please tell me there is a way around this, Poseidon." Amphitrite desperately asked; she knew how dangerous loyalty and uncontrollable temper could be for the children of her husband. If Percy had the amplified version of that, he would be in grave danger of losing himself in his anger.
"There is only one way, Amphitrite. You will have to adopt him. The restraint and calmness your adoption will bestow upon him will be the only thing that can counteract his inherently uncontrollable temper." Poseidon almost whispered. He did not want to push such a big decision on her, but he also had to consider Percy's safety.
"That's it?! I cannot believe you did not tell me earlier. There is nothing more important than his safety and happiness, of course I will do it." Amphitrite instantly declared.
"Think this through properly my dear. While you have to adopt him, it does not have to be today. You can afford to take your time, at least until he grows up." Rhea soothingly told Amphitrite.
"Don't worry Rhea, I have thought this through. To be honest, ever since he called me mama, I have been thinking of officially adopting him with my blessing. So what if he was not born to me? He is as much of a son to me as Triton is and I will proudly bestow upon him my blessing." Amphitrite unwaveringly responded.
Poseidon and Rhea could only smile at this declaration. Poseidon mentally asked Triton to come back to the throne room and immediately Triton materialised in front of them along with Percy. He handed over Percy to Amphitrite and retreated back to his spot.
Amphitrite held Percy in front of her and spoke calmly, voice unwavering, " I, Amphitrite, Queen of The Sea and Goddess of Calm Seas, adopt Perseus, Son of Poseidon as my son and along with it, bestow upon him my blessing."
Once she finished, a bright teal blue light enveloped Percy. After it subsided, everyone in the room could only marvel at the affect it had on him.
The only physical impact of the blessing that could be seen was the slight heightening of Percy's cheekbones. The other aspects of the blessing were far more pronounced. They could feel the sea around him pulsating with power, yet it was not raw and uncontrollable like before. While it would still retain its crushing pressure, his power would be more controlled and restrained and her blessing would prevent him from losing himself to his rage.
"Am I the only one thinking this or does everyone feel kind of sorry for unleashing Percy on her forces?" Triton amusedly mused.
"You are not wrong Triton. I doubted Styx when she said that once Amphitrite blessed him, he would have power comparable to my own. Maybe one day, we can figure that out conclusively." Poseidon enthusiastically stated with a grin.
"He is indeed a strong one. If Styx was right about his power, she is probably also right about his physical attributes. She stated that his endurance would be comparable to that of The General. I believe I do not need to elaborate on what a feat of strength that is. He certainly has the potential, but he needs be properly trained to efficiently channel all that strength and power." Rhea confidently stated. She had no doubt that Percy could one day even surmount a difficult challenge to his father.
"Gather the Ichthyocentaurs and the Mermen generals. We shall discuss the time and the duration of his stay in Camp Fish-Blood with them along with informing them of the arrival of Chiron and his stay at Atlantis." Poseidon declared. He was finally content: Percy was safe and his protection had been permanently ensured. Now, he could freely cherish his son's childhood with his entire family and Poseidon could not be happier.
"I have an inkling that one day the mortals will write a great story about the life of the legendary and insurmountable son of Poseidon and Amphitrite." Triton dramatically declared. Everyone present in the room broke out in laughter at Triton's flamboyant words, though no one disagreed with him, Percy would one day become one of the greatest icons of the Greeks. Thus began the Tale of Perseus, the invulnerable Son of The Sea.
This concludes the first act of this story, though the story itself is nowhere near completion. To be honest, I had properly planned only the first part of this story and wanted to build the rest of the story depending on how the first part went. I have a vague idea of some important events, the storyline and character development, but it's not properly realised. I will try not to slow the story but the next chapter may take some more time to come out. I assure you, this story will definitely be completed as soon as possible, but I also want to maintain the quality.
Coming to the content of this chapter, I know this chapter raises quite a few questions and Percy's mother being the first demigod of Styx is a bit strange. But I wanted to do something new and I felt like this was an angle that had not been explored. Also I know it may feel like Percy is vastly overpowered but as all of you would have noticed, I have only stated he has potential and have emphasised that he needs to be trained to actualise that potential. I will not make him ultra powerful in one chapter. I'll use time skips to gradually show an increase in his power and will also try to develop his character with it. He will eventually be able to go toe-to-toe with the Big Three, but that will not happen in this story. As I declared at the starting I have 2 or 3 more stories planned and he'll be at that level of power in the last story.
The General is Atlas as you may have guessed. I have always been fascinated by accounts of his strength and endurance. Writing a one on one battle between him and this story's Percy is my dream. I actually started this story so that I could write that battle.
I'd like to thank all of you for your continued support. Let me know what you thought about this chapter. Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!