Chapter 14

Greetings readers! I hope all of you enjoyed the last chapter. A warning, this chapter has mild gore, however it's in only a small part and it's nothing too severe.

I'd like to thank Ryan, M3RKOV3RK1LL, Marmot95, Jacob M 420 and the three guest reviewers for your supportive reviews. I know Percy Jackson fanfiction is past it's heyday, but I wanted to a write PJO fanfiction since I started reading fanfiction six years ago. So I am determined to write a complete and hopefully, an enjoyable story. I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for your support!

I'd also like to thank Hippie Painter and sidaqlotay07 for your support. This story is very important to me, but the fact that all of you are liking it makes this experience much better. Thank you for your continued support!

In reference to ShadowThanatos' review, I am glad that you liked the fight. As to why I made it seem as though he was untouchable, I will elaborate in the footnote. Of course, criticism or questions are always welcome, as long as they are delivered in a civil manner. No one starts off as a perfect writer and your feedback is integral in making this story better. Thank you for your continued support!

In reference to SpartanBoi's review, I made the Olympians and Zeus less hostile towards Percy because of two reasons, one-I felt that a younger Olympian Council wouldn't be as arrogant and paranoid as the one we see in PJO and also Rhea talked to Zeus and he came to terms with Percy's existence. I'm glad that you liked the little jab at Polybotes in the last chapter. Thank you for your continued support!

In reference to JoJo Jesus' reviews, there will definitely be a change in the story of how Athens got it's name. But this story won't deal with that. To be honest, even I am a tad bit anxious about how this Percy X Athena pairing will progress. But I'll try my best to make it a satisfying arc and won't just try to stuff it in. Thank you for your continued support!

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.

When he materialised in the Olympian throne room along with his father, Percy was not expecting the Olympians to be arguing like a bunch of teenagers. However, all of them quietened when they saw him and Poseidon. Some of them even seemed to flinch in fear at the sight of his ichor-covered armour. He had forgotten to remove his helmet, which had probably added to the intimidating factor.

"Poseidon, why have you brought him here again? I already heard the news of his success." Zeus exasperatedly asked his brother.

Poseidon calmly sat on his throne and conjured a few cushions for Percy at his feet before speaking. "The forces of the Earth Mother attacked the seas today brother. Three armies of thousands of mermen and sea monsters attacked three of my most important underwater cities and Percy was the one who successfully defended Atlantis. In the battle, one of the Gigantes showed up. Undeterred, Percy fought and managed to kill him with Amphitrite, who dealt the final blow."

"You managed to defeat a gigas?" Apollo asked in awe.

"Not just any gigas Apollo, he defeated the gigas born to oppose me." Poseidon proudly boasted. Taking this as his cue, Percy stood up and in detail, he explained his battle and the weaknesses and strengths of the Gigantes.

"Nephew, you continue to surprise me." Demeter stated with a wide smile.

"I just made use of my opponent's arrogance Aunt Demeter. After all, no opponent is infallible." Percy replied with an equally wide smile.

Athena was impressed. She had initially expected that he would be another Ares, very strong, yet recklessly brutish. She was pleasantly surprised that this man knew the importance of strategy. Most of the time, people with immense strength and power at their disposal tended to act brashly in battle.

"If a god and a mortal hero must work together in order to kill a gigas, how are you able to kill them along with a god? Aren't you considered an immortal now?" Ares asked Percy.

Poseidon responded for his son. "Percy may have divine attributes and longevity, but he still has a soul. As long as there is a soul to reap, he will be considered as a mortal."

"Enough about that. For now, the son of Poseidon has proved his worth. I have called this meeting because eight gigantes have showed up in different parts of Greece. Two of them are stacking mountains in order to reach Olympus. Hermes, Apollo, Athena, Hephaestus, Artemis and Aphrodite, I want all of you to engage your banes. Ares, I want you to stop the two gigantes that are attacking Olympus." Zeus commanded the rest of the Olympian council. Immediately all of them flashed out of the throne room.

"Son of Poseidon, I task you with defending Olympus alongside Ares. Kill those two gigantes. Right now, it seems that only you are capable of that." Zeus ordered neutrally.

"My son has done enough, Zeus. He has brought to you the greatest weakness of the gigantes. I will not put him in harm's way once again." Poseidon harshly rebuffed his brother.

Zeus grew red with anger and was about to retort but Percy interrupted him.

" I will defend Olympus father." Percy announced.

"Son, you have done enough already. You don't need to put yourself in harm's way once again." Poseidon tried to reason with Percy.

"Protecting Olympus is also my duty, father, along with protecting Atlantis and I shall not run away from it." Percy unfalteringly replied.

"If you are set on fighting them then, I am going to fight with you." Poseidon fiercely declared.

"You are needed under the sea father. The mermen will take it as a sign of betrayal that you prioritised protecting Olympus over pursuing the remnants of the armies attacking Atlantis. Do not worry about me." Percy reassured the overprotective god. The father and son stared each other down for some time before finally, Poseidon relented and acquiesced at the determined glint in Percy's eyes.

A jar of nectar and a large square of ambrosia materialised in Percy's hands. The young man looked around in confusion until he saw his Aunt Hestia smiling at him.

"If you are going to be protecting Olympus, you'll need to be at full power." The goddess warmly told him. Percy smiled at his aunt, quickly ate the ambrosia and chugged the entire jar of nectar.

Reenergized, Percy bowed and vanished from the throne room in a blue mist.

In hindsight, Ares should have probably formulated a plan before engaging the two gigantes in battle. This was turning out to be an unsustainable battle. Not only was he fighting two expert spearmen, he was doing it on top of a mountain. As he deflected a spear thrust from the green haired gigas, the other one kicked him in the chest and he skidded a few feet backwards.

The first gigas threw his spear at Ares. However, before Ares could twist out of the way, a pitch-black sword smacked the spear aside. The gigantes stared in shock and slight fear at this ichor-covered newcomer.

"Who dares interrupt us? Be gone before me and my brother skewer you." The purple haired gigas shouted after coming out of his stupor.

"I am Perseus, Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, Champion of Atlantis and I am here to kill both of you." Percy confidently stated.

"Kill us? Don't make me laugh, godling. Do you know who we are? I am Otis and this is my twin Ephialtes, we are the sons of Gaea and Tartarus. Born to oppose Dionysus." The green haired gigas, Otis stated.

Percy just blinked owlishly at them. " I don't know where you are getting your information from, but there's no god by the name of Dionysus." He drawled.

"Foolish godling! Unlike your pesky Olympian masters, the Earth Mother sees the future and prepares all the required contingency plans. In her name, I shall impale your head on a pike." Otis angrily declared.

Percy observed the two gigantes in front of him. They were twelve feet tall with reptilian legs and two yellow eyed green snakes for feet. They were identical except for the colour of their hair and they both held ten feet long spears.

"That was what your brother Polybotes told me before I drove my swords into his eyes. The ichor that you see on my armour is that of your dead brother's." Percy gestured at his armour and smirked at the gigas.

"You lie godling." Ephialtes countered with uncertainty in his voice.

"You seem unsure gigas, maybe you will be convinced after I kill you. I beat your brother and he was apparently the bane of my father. If the gigas born to oppose one of the three strongest gods was so easy to kill, killing two gigantes born to oppose an imaginary god will be a piece of cake." Percy taunted Otis and Ephialtes.

Before, the gigantes could reply, Percy ducked as two beams of red energy blasted the twins off of the top of the mountain.

"Perseus, what are you doing here?" Ares asked in surprise.

"Lord Zeus ordered me to repel these two gigantes. Besides, you did say that you looked forward to killing immortals with me. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for that." Percy explained.

"Alright Perseus. These gigantes are trying to stack Pelion and Ossa on top of Mount Olympus in order to reach the land of the gods." Ares revealed the gigantes' plan. Percy was about to respond, but the two gigantes shot out of the ground.

"I will shred you to pieces, godling." Otis growled.

"You talk too much." Percy commented and vanished in a blue mist. He reappeared in front of the unsuspecting Ephialtes and struck his glowing swords in front of the gigas. A shockwave propelled Ephialtes backwards and Percy vanished and rematerialized above the bleeding monster and brought his swords down in a diagonal slash. However, Ephialtes managed to block them with his spear. Wasting no time, Ares shot another beam of energy at Otis and engaged him in a clash of blades.

Ephialtes thrust his spear at Percy's chest, but Percy swivelled out of the way and brought down both his sword hilts on his opponent's inner calf. Ephialtes fell to a knee and instantly was met with a round house kick to the face, the force behind it sending him spiralling backwards.

Percy rounded on Ephialtes and viciously attacked him. The gigas was barely able to keep up with his opponent. His only solace was that his smaller size as compared to the rest of his brethren gave him the slight boost in agility that was required to fight an opponent as relentless as Percy.

As the battle continued, the frustration started to mount on Ephialtes as the small gashes and cuts caused by his opponent's twin blades started hindering him. To his dismay, the godling in front of him blocked most of his stabs and the slashes that got through his guard seemed to have no effect on the godling as his spear just bounced off the godling's skin.

Percy was impressed. While the gigas in front of him was not as powerful as Polybotes, his greater agility made up for it. The gigas was able to fight him on equal footing and occasionally even managed to force him on the defensive. Unfortunately for Ephialtes though, Percy had plenty of time and energy to spare. It was just a matter of time before all those gashes and the frustration caused his opponent to make one mistake.

Percy's intuition proved right as Ephialtes overextended himself on a thrust. Percy immediately got under the gigas' guard and cut two deep gashes along Ephialtes' arms.

The pain caused Ephialtes to recoil a bit and Percy used this opportunity to strike his glowing swords against Ephialtes' armour. However, this time he struck them at the gigas' sides.

A shockwave internally rippled through Ephialtes' body and he coughed up a large amount of ichor and collapsed on the ground.

Percy ended the fight by bringing down one of his swords on the gigas' exposed neck and severing his head.

He turned his attention to Otis and noticed that Ares was slowly pushing back the gigas. Percy pointed the glowing tip of one of his swords at Otis and struck his other sword against its edge. The tip emitted a linear shockwave that hit Otis exactly in the chink of his armour and pushed him backwards. Percy vanished in a blue mist and reappeared next to Ares.

"Lord Ares, kill the gigas behind me. I will deal with the one in front of you. He can only be killed if you lethally wound him." Percy explained. With a nod, Ares teleported in front of Ephialtes' headless body and stabbed him in the chest. Instantly, Ephialtes dissolved into a mass of grapevine and reptilian skin.

Otis recovered and when his gaze landed to the remains of his brother he gave a loud cry of anger and turned towards Percy.

Percy was ready for this and sent a series of shockwaves at the green haired gigas, each consecutive shockwave causing tremendous damage and the final one propelling the monster onto his back, where he lay profusely bleeding and disoriented.

Percy nodded at Ares, who got ready to deliver the killing blow before a deep rumbling of the ground stopped him midway. Suddenly, a large scaly tail smashed into Percy's torso and he was launched from the mountain.

He descended from the mountain top and was about to hit a ledge, but he recovered in the nick of time and vanished in a blue mist. He rematerialized on the mountain top and was met with a pair of yellow, paralysing eyes belonging to the Aeothiopian drakon staring at him. Even Ares had been thrown off balance and was now fighting a seemingly rejuvenated Otis.

The drakon roared and spewed a large torrent of fire at him. Percy willed a hurricane around himself and the flame extinguished on contact.

Percy's javelins replaced his swords and he threw a dozen of them at the drakon in quick succession. Though most of the javelins bounced off the beast's hard scales, a few managed to pierce the softer spots in between its scales and the drakon roared in pain.

Percy vanished, rematerialized on top of the drakon and struck his glowing swords against its skull. Any lesser monster would have immediately died, but, as a testament to its durability, the drakon seemed only disorientated. The outer layer of the hurricane continuously battered against the monster's scales and slowly started ripping them off of its body.

The drakon however wasn't idle as it furiously tried to shake Percy off its head. Percy vanished, reappeared in front of the drakon and struck his brightly glowing swords, a large shockwave shredding all the scales from its body. Percy then drove his swords through the drakon's exposed head and the drakon's essence was ripped apart and absorbed by the blades.

Percy had dealt with the drakon in an unmatched pace, but he had sacrificed a crucial amount of his energy reserves for this brutal offense. Percy wanted to take rest for a moment, but a loud grunt of pain from Ares signified that he had to move fast. He launched another linear shockwave at Otis, but a large earthen wall rose from the ground and absorbed the shockwave. Immediately he was blindsided by a large earthen fist and Percy was catapulted off the mountain for what seemed like the tenth time that day.

Once again, he vanished and rematerialized before he could crash, but the pain and exhaustion was evident on his face. He could practically feel the hairline cracks in a few of his ribs and he knew he would not last long. Unfortunately, Ares had already been captured in Otis' Celestial Bronze net.

Percy sent a small shockwave at the gigas but he easily countered it with a beam of green energy.

"You have lost, godling. Do you understand the futility of this fight? The Earth Mother, Gaea herself, opposes you. You are an insignificant gnat in front of her primordial power." Otis taunted.

"Your brothers believed the same thing. Look where it got them." Percy retorted with a pained smirk.

Otis charged at Percy and they engaged in a fast-paced duel. However, unlike his previous fight where he was the one in control of the battle, this time Percy was on the defensive end. He had depleted most of his elemental energy reserves and even his divine endurance was finding it hard to keep up with the gigas in front of him, who seemed to be at full strength.

After a long duel, Otis found an opening in Percy's iron defence and thrust his spear at Percy's chest. While the armour and his invulnerable skin took most of the damage, the sheer power behind the thrust caused acute pain to run through him and Percy grunted in pain as he fell to his knees.

Otis stood over Percy and laughed at him "What happened, godling? What happened to killing me? You boasted that you would show me the same fate as my brothers, but look at you, on the ground at my feet and out of energy. Even the foolish war god has been captured. You have failed in your mission. Now I shall avenge my brother and find a way to spill your ichor." Otis darkly declared. He aimed his spear at Percy's head and thrust downwards, but, Percy suddenly ducked, jumped forward and thrust his swords through Otis' neck.

Otis' eyes rolled back into his skull and he collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap. Percy shakily got up and his foot took on an ethereal glow as he brutally brought it down on Otis' head. Ichor splattered everywhere as Otis' head was crushed with a sickening crunch. It would take the green haired gigas a substantial amount of time to recover from this attack.

"Good riddance." Percy muttered under his breath. Percy prayed to his father for his help, in order to deal the killing blow to Otis. Oddly, his father did not respond to him. He was probably busy dealing with the mess at Atlantis so he brushed it off, sure the god would come as soon as he was able. Pery turned in Ares direction and was about to free him when suddenly, two earthen hands shot out from the ground and took hold of his feet. Instantly, he was sandwiched by two large earthen fists.

He didn't have a chance to realise what was happening as he fell headfirst into the ground with a cry of pain. The earthen hands that held him allowed no space for movement so he could only helplessly watch as the ground swallowed the headless Otis and the captured Ares. As soon as they were gone, he could see the face of a sleeping woman forming on the ground.

"Gaea" Percy whispered in horror.

"I see that you recognise me Prince Perseus. You have the potential to be a major thorn in my side, young prince. But you also have potential to be a great asset. I will give you two options. One, join my side and I will elevate you to a status that your father cannot even dream of achieving or two, I will hurl you off this mountain and eternally hunt you. Choose wisely, young prince. It will make all the difference between eternal salvation and eternal damnation." The Earth Mother offered with a seemingly dreamy smile, but Percy could see the ruthless disposition behind it.

"Serve you? Don't make me laugh. You must be delusional if you think that I will serve a face made out of mud." Percy rebelliously retorted and immediately a pillar of rock hit him in the face.

Percy groaned as he tried to shake the cobwebs out of his vision.

"I see you have chosen the path of eternal damnation. Very well, I shall grant your wish. I hope you enjoy the living hell that your life will now become." Gaea sadistically commented.

"Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." Percy replied with a proud smirk.

"I look forward to breaking your spirit young prince. When I am done with you, you will be begging me to kill you." Gaea declared with a cruel smirk.

"Mark my words mud face, I will force you back to sleep by killing all of your sons in front of you and you will be powerless to stop me. I am the son of the Earthshaker, I will use your own domain to kill your children. You will regret getting up from your slumber." Percy promised with a determined glint. His eyes glowed and swirled at this declaration as he fearlessly stared back at the sleeping face of the Earth Mother.

For the first time since her face had risen from the ground, a look of pure rage made its way on the Earth Mother's face. Immediately, two large stone pillars rose out of the ground and they knocked Percy off the mountain with so much force that he flew a hundred feet upwards before spiralling in an uncontrolled downward descent.

Percy slowly faded out of consciousness as he fell through thousands of feet before crashing into the ground. This collision released so much energy that it caused a mile-long cloud of dust and debris with Percy at its centre.

The first thing that Percy could feel when he woke up was pain. Hot, searing, mind-numbing pain. He let out a strangled gasp and instantly someone was at his side.

"Percy?! How are you feeling?" A woman whose voice seemed vaguely familiar worriedly asked him.

"Mother?" Percy questioned, too disoriented still to be sure.

"Yes, my little sea tulip, it's me, I'm here." His mother held his hand comfortingly and it was then that Percy noticed that his whole body was covered in golden bandages. A blue flash to his right signified the arrival of his father, his brother arriving in another flash next to his mother.

"Percy, I am so relieved that you are finally awake. Mavrus!" His father sighed in relief and shouted for the Chief Physician of the Royal Palace.

"What happened to me? Why am I covered in golden bandages and why do I feel like I am in a furnace?" Percy questioned, after overcoming his initial confusion.

"You were propelled off of Mount Olympus, Prince Perseus. You sustained very grievous injuries and were on the brink of death when Lord Poseidon found you at the base of the mountain. You have been unconscious for about three months." Mavrus stated once he came into view. The faces of all the other members of the Atlantean Royal Family darkened at the memory.

"Three months?" Percy asked in surprise.

"Percy, you were thrown from a mountain. You fell thousands of feet and you were buried a hundred feet under the ground when I found you. All your bones were broken, your tendons were torn. Your muscles had been ripped apart in multiple places. You may have godly attributes, but even a god would have taken multiple decades to retake a physical form if they had been in your position. The fact that you have woken up after only three months is a testament to your invulnerability." Poseidon explained with a solemn face.

"As for why you are covered in golden bandages, I believe I can explain." Mavrus stated. He continued once Percy's attention was directed at him. "The inner lining of these bandages contains a paste of ambrosia and nectar so your body has been healing rapidly by absorbing it, which is also the reason you are feeling like you are in a furnace. That reminds me, it is time to remove the bandages and let the sea finish healing you."

"You told me that my body is rapidly healing, then why remove the bandages?" Percy questioned.

"Even though large consumption of nectar and ambrosia may not affect you, there is always the risk of your soul being incinerated on continuous absorption. For that reason, I dress you in these golden bandages covered in this paste for two weeks before, at Lord Poseidon's command, the water drenches and soothingly heals you for a week. You have already gone through three of these cycles and you will be completely healed in a week." Mavrus explained his treatment.

"So, I will be back to full power in a week?" Percy questioned with a hint of excitement to his voice.

"Not at all Prince Perseus." Mavrus replied and Percy's face morphed into a look of confusion.

"Let me elaborate. While you will return to your former attributes in a week, your body will still need extensive rehabilitation for at least a month before you can fight at your prior prowess. Your body has been torn apart and stitched back together, my lord. There is bound to be some rigidity and delay in your combat agility. Unlike gods, who only take on physical forms to channel their essences, your powers are always channelled through an actual body. Due to this, it is easier to heal you, but when your body loses its edge, you cannot just take on a new physical form. You need to bring your body back to shape the old-fashioned way. You don't need to worry too much though; you just need to gradually increase the intensity of your training and the ichor in your body will take care of the rest." Mavrus elaborated.

Poseidon nodded at Mavrus and the old merman walked out of the room.

"Father, I have some urgent news. I was not defeated by the gigantes, it was the sleeping Earth Mother who hurled me off the mountain. We need to inform the Olympians." Percy told his father once Mavrus was out of the room.

"We know, Percy. Everyone knows that it was the Earth Mother who hurled you off the mountain." Triton stated with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Also, it is because of her that I could not answer your prayer. Even asleep, her power was so concentrated at the peak of mountain that I was unable to teleport there at all. I could only come once her power had receded." Poseidon recalled with guilt. The god shut his eyes as he recalled the memory of holding Percy's pale, broken and limp body. He had never been so terrified his entire life; it had reminded him of how he had been late to answer his lover's call which had resulted in her death. This time, he had almost lost his son.

"You could not have done anything, father. Her mere presence prevented me from utilising my elemental powers. Leaving that aside, how have things been in Atlantis?" Percy comforted and then questioned.

"The seas are firmly back in our control, brother. All the rebelling immortals have been chained and imprisoned in the deep trench. The remaining monster armies have been completely vanquished and, with their leader dead, the small amount of ancient sea monsters that are alive have once again retreated to the depths. The past three months have been peaceful and free of conflict. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the godly world." Triton's face darkened at the final statement.

"What is the matter? Is Olympus still under threat?" Percy asked with a frown.

"Not directly. At least not since you defended it. But the Olympians have been under immense pressure. Only Athena, Apollo and Artemis managed to defeat their banes. Hephaestus, Aphrodite and Hermes failed to defeat them and your aunts had to get involved in order to save them from the gigantes. Most of the minor gods have decided to stay neutral in this conflict. Only a few of them, such as Hecate and the wind gods, have sided with Olympus. To make matters worse, Ares has still not been found since he was captured by the Earth Mother three months ago." Amphitrite revealed in a subdued voice.

"Percy, you don't have to worry about Olympus for now. We will help them when required. You must focus on healing properly and for that, you need to rest." Poseidon interrupted and before Percy could protest, he snapped his fingers and Percy instantly fell asleep. Poseidon snapped his fingers once again and the golden bandages vanished from Percy.

Slowly, the sea surrounded Percy and his body took on a light glow as the sea began healing him.

"You don't want him to fight again, do you?" Amphitrite questioned.

"Yes, I never want him to fight again. My heart broke when I saw his comatose body. He was thrown from a mountain, the tallest mountain in Greece. He may be extremely powerful and his durability may be unmatchable, but he is still a mortal, he can still be killed. He does not deserve to be caught in the middle of this conflict. I will not let any harm come to him and anyone who tries to come in my way will be dealt with in a brutally efficient manner. Let Zeus stake the life of his demigods, I will not let my son be hurt." Poseidon fiercely declared with his eyes glowing in power and irises swirling like a violent sea storm. He then stiffly nodded at both of them and flashed out of the room in a blue mist. Triton followed his father's lead and teleported out of the room to deal with the remaining armies.

As she deeply thought about Poseidon's declaration, Amphitrite could not deny the reasoning behind it. She would give anything to see her younger son safe and out of harm's way. On the other hand, she knew that her boy wanted to protect his family. Helios had told her of his fearless boast to the Earth Mother before being thrown off the mountain and Percy had always followed through with what he said. Once he was back in shape, his drive would be stronger than ever.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she took a seat next to a sleeping Percy and gently caressed his cheek, like she used to do when he was a toddler.

The Earth Mother had earned the hatred of the seas and Amphitrite promised to herself that she would tear apart the Earth Mother's favoured children, the gigantes, to avenge Percy.

Hey guys! Making Percy survive a fall from one of the peaks of Mount Olympus may feel a little far fetched, but I have already established that he has the attributes of a younger Olympian. So if Hephaestus and Dionysus were able to keep their physical forms intact after being knocked out of the sky by Typhon, Percy in this story can certainly survive a fall from Mount Olympus with having complete physical invulnerability.

Also, if Jason and Percy managed to hold their own against Otis and Ephialtes in Mark Of Athena, I think that a Percy on the younger Olympian level and with complete invulnerability would be able to dominate the fight. However I have tried to make the battle as even as possible.

As promised, I will elaborate on why I made Percy seem undefeatable in the last chapter. I wanted to build a really overpowered image of him and then bring it down with a bang, literally and figuratively. I felt that this would have more of an impact on what Gaea is capable of and would make the gods and Percy more cautious and less cocky. Let me know your thoughts on this.

Read and review! I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!