Chapter 15

Greetings readers! I hope all of you enjoyed the last chapter. I would like to thank all the three guest reviewers, Destruction227 and IceFire99 for your supportive reviews. All of you have been a great support. I am flattered that you think that this is one of the best stories you have read, I hope you will enjoy this trilogy that I have in mind. Also, I have no plans to abandon this story. In fact, I have an entire trilogy that I want to complete. Thank you for your support! Keep reviewing and let me know your thoughts on my future chapters!

I want to thank sidaqlotay07 and Hippie Painter for your constant support. I'm glad that you liked the logic behind my chapter and Percy's conversation with Gaea. Thank you for your continued support!

In reference to JoJo Jesus' review, I am glad that you share my excitement in this story. I hope you like this chapter as well. Coming to your question, I do plan to take this story to canon, but I'm not sure about where I should start and where I should end. I have narrowed it down to four scenarios and I will resolve it once this story is finished. I mean if I don't go to canon, I can't write that Percy and Atlas battle, so I will definitely be taking this story to canon. Thank you for your continued support!

In reference to ShadowThanatos' review, I am glad that I cleared any confusions. I use the headnotes to thank reviewers and also answer questions. While I use the footnotes to explain the parts of the chapter which may raise questions or seem like plot holes. I'd also like to thank you for the suggestion to show Percy being injured while fighting, that is what lead to me making the fight in the previous chapter more realistic. Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank all the people who have reviewed my story till date. It has been a great experience and all of your support, suggestions and civil criticisms have made me a better writer and this story a better read. So a shout-out to all of you!

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.

Percy was frustrated. Even though it had been a week since he had completely recovered and his strength and power had returned to their initial level, he had lost most of his speed, combat fluidity and agility. For that reason, he had dedicated all his time to training his body and regaining his former attributes.

He grunted as he lapped the Royal Arena for the fifteenth time and increased his pace. He was determined to get back to full power and fulfil his promise of killing all the gigantes. However, this time, he would be prepared for every challenge that came his way.

Poseidon was apprehensively watching Percy perform upside-down push-ups with a large rock balanced on his legs. Percy had been rigorously training and rehabilitating his body for the past two months in order to regain his prior condition. He had extensively engaged in weighted acrobatics, body weight stretches and ran fifty laps of the Royal Arena at full sprint, three times a day. He had not come out of the Royal Arena even once and Poseidon, who by now suspected that Perseus wasn't even sleeping, had decided to confront his son.

After finishing his last rep of upside-down push-ups, Percy noticed his father. "Hello Father, what brings you here to the Arena?" Percy questioned with a smile.

"Hello Son. I have noticed that you have been training in the Arena without breaks for the past month. May I know the cause of this extensive training?" Poseidon questioned Percy with a smile.

"I wanted to get back in shape for the upcoming war. I cannot fight properly unless I am at full power and all my physical attributes are at their peak. Besides, I have taken Ambrosia and Nectar breaks." Percy defended himself with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Your attributes returned to their prior level a month ago, Percy. Why are you still training? Neither I nor your mother interfered till now because we knew that your pride was wounded. But this has spiralled out of proportion. You cannot survive only on ambrosia, nectar and the energy of the sea. This madness has to be stop." Poseidon sternly declared.

"You don't need to worry anymore, father, because my training ends today. I have used these two months to not only to bring my body to its former shape, I have used my time to surpass it. I have greater speed, endurance and agility than ever before. Last time, I failed in my task because of my overdependence on my elemental powers. This time, I have trained to efficiently manage my energy reserves, no matter any surprises the Earth Mother sends my way." Percy declared with a wide smirk.

Steeling his nerves for the inevitable confrontation ahead, Poseidon addressed Percy with a sigh. "Son, you will not be fighting in this war anymore. You have done more than enough, and you have been brutally injured in the process. I forbid you from fighting in any other battle in this war." Poseidon firmly stated.

"Father, I cannot and will not run from my duty. I am not going to cower in fear just because I was injured once. My family needs me, and I will not desert them." Percy rebuffed with an equally steely voice.

"Perseus, as the King of the Sea and your father, I order you not to leave Atlantis. For me, your safety is paramount." Poseidon fiercely commanded, eyes swirling with power.

"I refuse to accept this order. I will fight this war, with or without your permission." Percy replied, his face darkening in anger.

The sea around them violently churned as father and son glared each other down with equal intensity. Instantly, Amphitrite and Triton materialised next to them.

"Before you cause any unwanted natural disasters, you both need to calm down. Right now." Amphitrite ordered them in a calm, yet, firm tone. Almost immediately, the sea around them calmed down.

"Father, Delphin has informed me of Helios' reports, the gods are struggling. The gigantes are terrorizing the populace and are raising legions of monsters to attack the gods. This cannot continue. I have to stop them." Percy reasoned in a calmer voice.

"I know Percy. But I cannot bear to put you in danger again. There is always the possibility of losing you, even if the odds of that are extremely low. As a father, I have already failed you twice, I will not fail you again. So long as you are safe, nothing else matters." Poseidon replied with a desperate edge to his voice.

Percy's eyes softened at this statement. "Father, I understand this, but we have to help the gods. The House of Poseidon is renowned for its unmatchable power and unwavering loyalty. The gods are our family too and Olympus is also our home. Besides, as beings of higher power, we have a responsibility to protect the mortals from the threats of our world. We cannot let tyrants roam the world when we have the power to stop them." Percy passionately declared.

Poseidon was silent as he deeply pondered over Percy's statement. While Percy was right, the Earth Mother's power vastly exceeded his own. Once Percy was on the battlefield, he would be on his own and Poseidon did not want that. No matter how much Percy trained, he was no match for Gaia, even in her slumber. Especially not when he was in her domain, there were too many risks associated with it. His thoughts were broken by Triton's voice.

"Percy is right father. We must help the rest of the gods. As Percy said, they are our family too." Triton concluded in agreement.

"Both of you are right. But Percy cannot fight on his own. Not because he is not strong enough, but because of the Earth Mother's interference. We need to find a solution to that. Until then, I agree with your father. It is too dangerous for Percy to fight." Amphitrite voiced out her concerns.

Before Poseidon could speak, an iris message from Hestia interrupted him. "Brother, forgive me for interrupting, but the younger Olympians have returned from their hunts and a council has been assembled. Your presence is immediately required on Olympus." Hestia urgently informed them and then slashed through the message.

"This is the best opportunity for me to jump back into the fight, father. Let me come to the council with you." Percy suggested.

Poseidon was unsure. Percy's passionate speech had roused his sense of loyalty, though he still had reservations about Percy fighting.

"Poseidon, you have to let him fight his own battles. We will always be there for him and will guide him, but this is the path that he has chosen out of his own volition. As much as I want him to stay safe and out of danger, if wanting to fight is his choice, then we have to respect it. Take him to Olympus. You will find a suitable solution. One way or the other." Poseidon heard Amphitrite's advice through their mental link.

After a few moments of silence, he decided to heed Amphitrite's advice and nodded at Percy. A wide smile broke out on Percy's face and Poseidon put his hand on Percy's shoulder as they vanished in a blue mist.

Athena had been slightly worried when she had heard of Perseus' fall. When she had been told of his declaration, her respect for his strength and strategic thinking had turned into a slight admiration of his character. It took a great amount of courage and integrity in order to stand up to a protogenos. But he had paid a great price for his words. She know he had complete physical invulnerability but a fall from Olympus was an event that, in her opinion, only the Big Three could survive without losing their physical form. Even then, they would have to take at least a year or more to completely gather back all their essence. Naturally, she expected that Perseus would take a similar amount of time to completely recover.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Poseidon and another figure. When the blue mist around them descended, Athena's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Standing in the middle of the throne room with a stoic face was Perseus and from the waves of power that were rolling off him, he seemed to be once again at full strength.

By the looks of it, even the other gods were surprised by this turn of events, if the expression of slight shock on Hades' usually stern and dark face was anything to go by.

"Nephew." Demeter whispered in shock.

"Hello Aunt Demeter." Percy politely greeted her with a small smile. He then bowed to her father and stood straight.

Zeus had been watching the prince with a look of disbelief on his face and he took a few moments to compose himself before addressing him. "I want an explanation. Helios told me that you were thrown off of Olympus. How have you recovered so fast?". Perseus nodded at her father and, in detail, explained his recovery and rehabilitation to the king and the rest of the gods

"Unbelievable. You really are an unstoppable force of nature." Athena stated with a slight amount of awe laced into her voice. In return, Perseus just gave her a dazzling smile.

"Impressive indeed. In my knowledge, only The General had this sort of durability." Hestia casually stated. At this statement, all the heads in the room turned to her. She shrugged and pointed at Zeus.

"Yes, The General was the biggest thorn in our side. Before we were handed our weapons, he separately defeated the three of us numerous times in combat. After we were handed our weapons, I fought him on a mountain and managed to throw him from it by hurling my Master Bolt at him. This was a few months before the final battle of the Titanomachy. We expected him to be out of the picture when we stormed Othrys and we were astounded to find him fully recovered and geared to fight at the top of the mountain along with the Titan Lords. While our father was always the actual target, he was too arrogant to fight us himself until we ambushed him in Othrys. It was The General, Hyperion and Iapetus who gave us the most trouble." Zeus shared some information about the twilight of the Titans.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that our cousin is comparable to the person who's been holding the sky for a millennium?" Apollo questioned with a tint of fear.

"Only in durability Apollo. The General's physical strength is unmatchable. Only our father, Hyperion and the three of us have ever come close to matching his brute strength. It was for that reason that he was the general of the Othryian forces." Poseidon stated.

"Enough about The General. He is not the threat and will never bother us again. Let us return to the matter at hand. What is the status of your hunt?" Zeus questioned.

"We cannot engage the gigantes, father. Each of them has their own personal armies consisting of hundreds of monsters. We are hard pressed to defeat them on their own. Combined with these monsters at their disposal, it is not possible to engage them without putting ourselves at significant risk." Artemis reported.

"What about Ares? Has anyone heard any information about him?" Zeus asked the other Olympians.

"It's like he has disappeared from the face of the earth father. We cannot sense his aura at all." Apollo stated with an unusually heavy voice.

"To make matters worse, the green haired gigas who escaped has gathered a large army and is wreaking havoc on the Mycenaean countryside." Athena added. Percy's eyes darkened at the mention of Otis.

Taking this as her cue, Hestia addressed her brother who seemed to be deep in thought. "Zeus, if you are willing to listen, I have a proposition." Zeus thought about this for a moment and stiffly nodded in consent. Poseidon looked at his sister with suspicion, but Hestia just smiled back at him.

"The gigantes can only be killed by the combined efforts of a mortal hero and an immortal. Alone, they are not a problem. Unfortunately, the gigantes are not alone. There are hundreds of monsters with them and the gods cannot take their divine forms without losing a considerable amount of energy. On the other hand, none of the demigods alive are capable of fighting an entire army of monsters while the gods engage their banes. Sending two gods is also useless since, even though we may manage to incinerate the monster armies, the gigantes will not be killed." Hestia explained.

"Will you get to the point Hestia? I have already considered all these scenarios and dismissed them because they are not effective." Zeus impatiently snapped.

"Patience brother. We have considered all these scenarios but, there was one person who we had not accounted for. Young Perseus here is the perfect candidate to accompany the gods while they fight their banes. If the crater in the Kekropean countryside is anything to go by, he is well equipped to single-handedly reduce a monster army to dust. He is also capable of holding his own against a gigas. In fact, he has been responsible for all their casualties. Let him hunt the gigantes along with the Olympians." Hestia suggested.

"What about the Earth Mother? My son may be extremely adept at killing monsters and gigantes but I do not want him to face the Earth Mother ever again. I refuse to accept this proposition. I will not put my son's life on the line and anyone who has a problem with that can take it up with my trident." Poseidon declared with a steely voice as he glared at his sister. Anyone else would have at least flinched a bit at the sight of his swirling and glowing eyes, but Hestia matched her brother's eyes with a calm gaze.

"I agree with you Poseidon. Percy's well-being is extremely important. But Percy will have an Olympian along with him. While the Earth Mother's power vastly exceeds our own, we can still protect him from many of her machinations." Hestia replied.

"Ares was with him when the Earth Mother interfered, he was still thrown from Olympus. How will this be any different?" Poseidon argued with narrowed eyes. A new voice joined the argument.

"Last time, we were not expecting the Earth Mother to interfere directly. This time, we will be more cautious. This is the best proposition Uncle. Perseus can provide us with valuable physical and elemental support while we can provide him with metaphysical support to prevent the Earth Mother from gravely injuring him." Athena reasoned.

"I agree with Lady Athena, father. This is the most efficient way to fight this war. Besides, I still have to uphold my promise to the Earth Mother." Percy seconded.

"They are right, brother. If you are still not convinced, I promise you that I will get personally involved in the battle if the Earth Mother interferes." Demeter promised.

Even with all the reassurances, Poseidon did not seem convinced. He looked at Percy, the two locking eyes as if in the middle of a mental conversation.

Zeus was growing impatient, but he knew better than to interrupt a protective Poseidon. As much as he hated to admit it, Poseidon was the strongest god, not him. Of course, his older brother was only marginally stronger than him and a fight between them would be an extremely close one. But anyone who had seen the final battle on top of Mount Othrys would know who would emerge victorious. His thoughts were interrupted by said reluctant sounding brother.

"Alright. I agree to this plan. But I will hold all of you to your word." Poseidon agreed, although a hint of steel could be detected in his voice.

Percy beamed at his father and Poseidon gave him a small smile in return. After that, Percy respectfully addressed his uncle. "Lord Zeus, I have a plan." Zeus nodded at the tri-blood and gestured for him to continue.

"Now that we are going hunt gigantes, I believe that our first target should be Otis. He was there when the Earth Mother attacked me and captured Lord Ares. Thus, he may know about Lord Ares' whereabouts or possibly even have him as his prisoner. We have to start somewhere, might as well start here." Percy suggested.

"I agree with Perseus. This gigas may have information about Ares. Even if he doesn't have Ares with him, we can always capture him and force the information out of him." Athena concurred.

"I want Athena to accompany the son of Poseidon. If there aren't any other questions, this meeting is dismissed." Zeus declared. He wanted his best strategist to score this victory for the gods and he knew that Athena would not fail him. Besides she was powerful enough to temporarily hold the slumbering Earth Mother at bay. So that would assuage Poseidon's fears and would also offer protection to his son.

When no one said anything, Zeus disappeared in a blinding flash of lightning. Most of the Olympians followed his lead and flashed out. However, a few of them stayed behind.

"All the best Perce. If you require any medical supplies, just pray to me. Farewell, cousin." Apollo beamed at Percy and disappeared in a golden light.

"Take care, cousin. I look forward to fighting gigantes along with you." Hermes wished and disappeared in a white light. Only Percy, Poseidon, Hestia and Athena remained in the throne room.

"Son, do not hesitate to pray to me if you are in trouble. I will sink the entire island if I have to protect you from the Earth Mother." Poseidon fiercely declared. Percy just smiled at his father's overprotective nature - it certainly was a nice feeling that his father loved him enough to take on a protogenos. Poseidon then turned to Athena with narrowed eyes.

"I will hold you to your word, niece. No metaphysical entity should put my son's life at risk." Poseidon declared with swirling eyes before vanishing in a blue mist.

"My brother has always been protective of his family. Once during the Titanomachy, he bisected a minor Titan who had managed to harm me. However, he doesn't bear any ill intent towards you. I have full faith in you niece, you never have and never will let me down." Hestia recalled and proudly stated. Athena smiled at her aunt. Hestia had always been the best of the gods.

Hestia then turned her attention to Percy "Nephew, you are already the greatest hero to have ever lived. You have so many feats to your name and your attributes are almost unmatchable. You make me very proud. Your sense of duty and honour will take you a long way. Farewell and good luck. I know you will be successful." Hestia warmly complimented. Percy gave her a wide smile and she disappeared in a majestic pillar of fire.

"So, Lady Athena, what is your plan?" Percy politely asked Athena.

Athena was a little surprised at this statement, she expected him to do this his way, especially with his royal upbringing and him being the centrepiece of this attack.

"No need to be surprised Lady Athena, you are one of the best strategists in the world. It would be foolish to not listen to you." Percy stated with a wide smile.

A small smile graced Athena's lips as she explained her plan to Percy. This would be a good hunt.

In the week since Athena and Percy had started their hunt, they had been quite successful. Helios had told them that the green haired gigas and his army was roaming the Mycenaean countryside and they had been following its trail. Presently, Perseus was scouting ahead. He had gone on various similar missions and had found out that Ares was not with the green haired gigas. Nevertheless, they would follow through with their attack and capture Otis.

Athena's initial plan had been to follow Otis and his army and attack them while they were in transit but the gigas had sensed her presence and had set up a fortified camp. So, she had changed her plan to attack his army with Perseus sneaking in and destroying the camp from inside. Perseus had improvised the plan as he had scouted ahead and had noticed that the camp was set up on the Peloponnesean beach. His suggestion was to flood the camp since that would take care of most of the monsters and he would deal with the rest of them while she engaged the gigas. She had to admit, it was a good plan.

The goddess was brought out of her musing by the soft rustling of leaves. She instantly turned with her spear in hand but relaxed when she saw that it was Perseus.

"I am sorry. Did I startle you Lady Athena?" Perseus questioned with a small smirk.

Athena just narrowed her eyes at him. She could not understand how someone as powerful as him could be so cheeky and cheerful. His mood switched like the sea, he was sarcastic and quippy one moment and suddenly he turned determined and terrifying in another. She had noticed that he was very adept at reading situations and responding to them accordingly.

Another thing that had caught her eye was his intelligence. He was a master combatant and strategist. He knew how to approach any battle and always found and exploited his opponent's weakness. His physical attributes and elemental prowess were leagues above any minor god. She was not sure that she could beat him in an all-out fight - and she was one of the strongest second-generation Olympians. His endurance even outmatched her own. But shockingly, he displayed no signs of arrogance and always remained humble and kind to those who needed it. All in all, it had been a good week as his company was very amicable.

"Lady Athena? Are you fine? You seemed to have zoned out a little." Perseus worriedly inquired.

"I am alright Perseus. I was just thinking about a few things. What information have you gathered this time?" Athena reassured and then asked.

"There are around two hundred monsters and the camp is fortified with earthen walls and watchtowers. Otis is in the centre of the camp. I can flood the entire beach and bring down those earthen walls. The wave will probably drown most of the monster army, but I will have to deal with the rest of them while you engage the gigas." Perseus explained.

"How long will it take you to finish the remaining armies?" Athena questioned.

"There is always the danger of the Earth Mother interfering. Even if Aunt Demeter intervenes, the outcome may not be in our favour if the Earth Mother gets involved. For that reason, I will finish the monsters with a combination of combat and shockwaves as soon as possible and once that is done, I have a big supply of Ambrosia and Nectar that I can use to instantly gain back some of my strength. Then we can make quick work of Otis, that is, if you are still fighting him." Percy elaborately explained his plan.

"This is a good plan. You are right, we cannot afford to let the Earth Mother get involved. Remember, we have capture Otis. Not kill him. We can extract Ares' whereabouts from him." Athena reminded. Percy nodded in confirmation and vanished in a blue mist. Following his lead, Athena disappeared in a grey light.

The Northern Cyclops guarding the monster camp was having a good day. He had come across a delicious demigod and his master had promised him more demigods if he kept an eye out for threats. As he was patrolling near the beach, the Cyclops spotted a minor ripple in the water. For a second, he was worried that a sea god was intervening, but he quickly dismissed that thought as gods could not interfere in mortal matters since master Otis was not directly involved in their pillaging of mortal settlements.

As he returned to the camp, he noticed a huge shadow cast over him and the rest of the tents. When he turned back, he saw a colossal wave that was more than a hundred feet tall. He did not have the time to react before he burst into a pile of golden dust as the humongous wave ferociously swept across and reduced the entire camp into rubble and splinters.

Otis was sleeping peacefully with a proud smile on his face while he envisioned himself on a throne with the defeated gods at his feet. Suddenly, a force of a hundred war hammers struck him and he woke up with a pained yell.

When he overcame this initial onslaught, he saw a figure in pitch black armour materialise in front of him. By the time he realised what was happening, he was kicked with a glowing boot that sent him flying backwards. He crashed into an abnormally large hellhound and the force of the collision disintegrated the monster behind him. Otis coughed up some ichor and when he looked at the approaching figure, his face paled in horror filled realisation.

"No, this is not possible. The Earth Mother hurled you off Olympus. You could not have recovered in only five months. What trickery is this?" Otis frantically bellowed.

"Bellow all you want gigas, that won't change the impending doom that awaits you." Percy declared with a predatory smirk as he simultaneously decapitated two nearby hellhounds who attempted to attack him.

Otis grew red with anger, summoned his spear and flung it at Percy but a goddess clad in ornate Celestial Bronze armour and a regal red cloak materialised in front of Percy and swatted aside the approaching spear with her own. Otis recoiled in fear at the face of Medusa on the goddess' shield.

Percy nodded at Athena and vanished in a blue mist. Athena immediately swung into action and engaged Otis in a fierce clash of spears.

Percy was an arc of destruction. He was sending dozens of monsters back to Tartarus with his shockwaves and any monster that was unfortunate enough to try and attack him, promptly had their essence ripped apart and absorbed by Percy's pitch-black swords.

The monster army fell into complete disarray as one man single-handedly decimated it. The boulders thrown by Laistrygonian giants were cut apart by his blades, the Cyclopean clubs were too slow for the man whose attacks seemed to a flow like a steam of water. Every attack was followed through and it was as though the man fought with no instinct of self-preservation. Arrows fired by dracanae archers either snapped against his indestructible armour or bounced off his invulnerable skin and any hellhounds that dared to go near him were decapitated.

Otis wasn't faring any better. While he was a master spearman, his skill was not even comparable to that of his opponent's. He was lacking in strength, precision, finesse and was hopelessly outmatched in speed and agility. He was barely able to keep up with the goddess and even that was only due to the constant nourishment the earth was providing him. He groaned in pain and skidded back a few feet as his opponent's shield thunderously struck his sides.

Athena's effective use of her large shield combined with her immense natural speed and agility made her almost as relentless as Percy in battle. She followed through with her prior attack, aimed her spear at the gigas' head and thrusted. The gigas managed to deflect the blow in the nick of time but was forced onto his back when Athena slammed her shield into his face with all her strength.

She then slammed the butt of her spear against the gigas' forehead and his eyes glazed over as he was forced into the realm of unconsciousness, with a large pool of ichor around him. Athena snapped her fingers and instantly, a set of gleaming Celestial Bronze shackles bound most of the gigas' limp form.

Percy saw that Athena had subdued the gigas and decided that it was time to end this battle. Most of the army had been wiped out, so Percy nodded at Athena and she immediately disappeared in a grey light along with the chained Otis. Percy followed her lead, vanished in a blue mist and reappeared in the sea with his brightly glowing spear in hand.

Percy threw his spear into the centre of the remaining monster army. He made eye contact with the dracanae archer for whom the spear was meant for and smirked triumphantly before vanishing in a blue mist.

A large, radial shockwave erupted from the spear on contact and instantly reduced the entire monster camp into a pile of golden dust and rubble.

When the dust settled, the only sign of an armed conflict was the glaring hole in the beach that the sea water was quickly filling.

Hey guys! This chapter showcased some of Poseidon's protectiveness. I know that I have extensively portrayed it and may have dragged it a little bit, but I felt that Poseidon would be a lot more reluctant to send Percy back to fight after the fall so I wanted to highlight that.

Also, I used this chapter to set the stage for Percy and Athena's future relationship. I included Athena's thoughts on Percy as the first stage on their relationship. While their relationship won't really develop into a full fledged one in this story, this is the basis for the long romantic saga that I have in mind for the next two stories. However, as you all would have noticed, there is only a mutual respect and admiration and no romantic feelings are involved as of yet.

Also, Rick Riordan portrays Ephialtes as the stronger of the twins and if Percy was able to beat him with moderately easy difficulty, Athena could certainly beat a harmed Otis with ease.

I have always thought that Poseidon was the strongest god in the Rick Riordan universe so I decided to go out on a limb and state it in this chapter. Of course, the difference is very marginal between him and his brothers, but it's there. I also hope all of you liked the little Atlas reference. I could not stop myself from adding that little detail. I have also changed the events of the First Titanomachy for the sake of the story. This will be very important for the future chapters.

A shout-out to MissyAndTheDocs for your phenomenal editing!

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