Chapter 21
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter! First of all, I would like to thank the two guest reviewers, John, Perlypsofan and SonGoku76 for your supportive reviews. Thank you for your (continued) support!
In reference to OneDocToHealThemAll's review, I know that using the name Percy in Ancient Greece is not a right thing but, I am doing it so that there's a connection for the readers between the Percy of this story and the canonical Percy. So please excuse this mistake. Thank you for your input!
I'd like to thank ItsYaBoi325 for your supportive review! I am glad that you liked the story enough to binge it :) Thank you for your support!
Regarding Ryan's review, I thank you for giving your input but I just cannot digest the scenario where one individual is in a relationship with two individuals. I feel that such a relationship is kind of unethical but once again, that's only my opinion. I am not taking a jab at anyone here. However, I am happy that you are actively involved in this story. Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to Thiskid2004's review, I will expound on the pairing in the footnote. Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank RageSage for your supportive review. I am glad that you liked the last chapter. I will expound on the pairing in the footnote. Thank you for your support!
In reference to hawkeyestratos1996' review, I will expound on the pairing in the footnote. Regarding your second review, I have very little knowledge about Kratos and the Greek universe in God Of War. So I will have to look into it and do a bit of research. Thank you for your input and thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank BlackJackkk12 for your supportive review. I know that it seems kind of cruel to do that to Calypso but I have tried to give a reason for that in this chapter. I will expound more about the pairing in the footnote. Thank you for your continued support!
Also, I want to thank ShadowThanatos for your motivating review. I am glad that you are enjoying the shift in Percy's character. I am also really glad that you enjoyed the previous chapter. Thank you for your continued support!
I would like to thank JoJo Jesus for your supportive review! Initially, I had decided to make this a Percy X Athena story and for that reason, I had set up the story this way. Also, I had always planned to have both a Calypso arc and an Athena arc regardless of what the final pairing was. Of course, whatever happens in this chapter will have long lasting impacts on the rest of this story and the next two ones. The answer to your other questions are in this chapter and I don't want to spoil it for you :) Thank you for your continued support!
Finally, I would like to thank IceFire99 for your motivating review. First of all, I am really glad that you liked the previous chapter. I have been a hopeless romantic for a really long time and I felt that these chapters would temper this story with emotions and I have absolutely loved writing these chapters. The fact that that all of you have shown so much support just makes this even more satisfying. However, if this story does become a Percy X Athena, the dynamic will be vividly different from the Percy X Calypso dynamic. Thank for your continued support!
Once again, I would like to thank all of you for the massive support that you have shown. I hope all of you enjoy this story!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Percy was left speechless as he stared back at the impassive forms of the fates. However, after he snapped out of his initial shock, he fell to his knees as he respectfully bowed to the Moirai.
"Rise Perseus." Lachesis, the fate of life, ordered in a neutral voice. Percy obeyed and rose to his full height.
"My ladies, if I may ask, what is the purpose of your visit?" Percy respectfully questioned them.
"A decision awaits you, son of Poseidon. One that will not only decide your fate but possibly, even the fate of the entire world." Atropos, the fate of death, stated in a gravelly voice. Another bead of sweat dropped down from his temple as Percy's heartbeat soared with anxiety. However, he quickly steeled his nerves before replying.
"I know, Lady Atropos, and I have made my choice. I am ready to return to Olympus and finish what I started." Percy replied with unwavering determination.
"Are you sure about this decision, son of Poseidon? Have you considered what you may be giving up?" Lachesis asked Percy.
"Leaving Calypso will be very difficult. My only comfort is that she knows that I cannot turn my back on my family. Besides, it's not like I am never going to see her again." Percy replied with a voice laced with hope.
"That will not be possible, son of Poseidon." Atropos stated with a hint of finality in her voice. A confused look made its way on Percy's face as he wasn't able to understand Atropos' statement.
"Perseus, let me expound on what my sister stated." Clotho, the fate of birth, stated with an almost unnoticeable hint of warmth in her voice. In response, Percy gave her a slight nod of respect.
"Your deductions are partially right, Perseus. In the mortal and divine plane, it has only been six months since your fight with the bane of Hades. But, the situation on Olympus has been worsening over the past few months. I will not bother with the details as the Olympians will inform you of all their plans. However, that is only if you decide to go back to Olympus." Clotho paused at this point before continuing.
"You have a choice to make Perseus. You can either decide to stay with Calypso or, you can return to Olympus. But, if you leave Ogygia, you will never be able to come back here." Clotho finally stated.
"That is not true. The three of you may have inflicted this curse upon Calypso but that doesn't mean that I have to abide by those rules. I love Calypso - I will do whatever it takes to come back to her and I can say with utmost certainty that my father will support me in this endeavour." Percy defiantly stated with a steely glint in his voice.
"There is no doubt about the fact that your father and by extension, all of Atlantis will back you. If it assures your happiness, your father and mother will personally ferry you to Ogygia whenever you want. But, the rest of the Olympians will not take kindly to the fact that you are involved with the daughter of one of the most hated and feared Titans." Lachesis stated.
"The Olympians may not be happy with my choice but, they will not interfere lest they incur the wrath of my father." Percy confidently replied but, a small amount of uncertainty could be detected in his voice.
"Son of Poseidon, you overestimate the benevolence and tolerance of the Olympians. You may have struck a very good impression on all of them but, the respect they have for you pales in comparison to their fear of the Titans. To make matters worse, the ongoing war has done nothing but feed those fears." Atropos replied with a slight hint of condescension in her voice.
"Zeus will erupt in anger once he finds out that you are involved with a Titaness. He will label you as a traitor and will order all the gods to hunt you down. Obviously, your father will furiously respond to the threat levelled on you and a divine civil war will break out. Naturally, Gaia will take advantage of this situation and will attack the gods when they have grown weary and weak. Just like that, the entirety of the Olympian and by extension, the human civilization will collapse." Atropos finished in a blunt and harsh divination.
Percy stayed silent for some time as he struggled to come to terms with this revelation.
"Then I will not return to Ogygia until this war is over. That way, the possibility of the Earth Mother taking advantage of this situation will be prevented. Even after this war is over, my visits to Ogygia will be kept a secret. Once things have calmed down over the period of a few decades, I will reveal this relationship to the gods. I am sure that Lord Zeus will still be very angry when he finds out but, his response will not be as irrational." Percy countered with an excellent argument.
"Son of Poseidon, you will be caught on your very first visit to Ogygia. Helios and Selene are mandated to report any actions that involve any Titans. The only reason that you were not caught by them was because we had shielded your aura from Helios while at our behest, Selene had been kind enough to not report your presence to the Olympians. The moment you step out of Ogygia, this status quo will be abolished and whether they like it or not, Helios or Selene will have to report this to Zeus." Lachesis stated. Percy was about to argue but he was cut off by Atropos.
"You are a very naïve young man, son of Poseidon. You hold very lofty ideals and you expect the world to conform to them. Your invulnerability has made you think that you can control the outcome of every event as long as you are involved in it. You could not be further away from the truth. Even your unmatchable power and divine strength cannot stop the river of fate. You may create a few new streams or at the most, you may be able to divert it's flow but you will never be able to stop it. Fate is an unstoppable entity. It will deliver what it has to deliver." Atropos stated in a voice that surprisingly, was free of any malice or hostility.
Instantly, the winds started picking up around Percy as he clenched his fists in barely restrained anger.
"Is all of this a game to you? You are playing around with the lives of people by forcing unfortunate fates on them. Fate is supposed to be impartial. But you are far from impartial. First, you condemn Calypso to such a terrible existence and then, you send me here to destroy what little hope that she has left. I refuse to be another one of your pawns. I will fight anyone who comes in my way. Be it a monster, a gigas, a primordial, an Olympian or even fate itself." Percy fearlessly declared with his eyes swirling like a storm, though the fates seemed unfazed by this outburst.
"Child, this outburst is merely an extension of your fatal flaw. Think rationally and you will see that your thoughts are the ones that are biased. Contrary to what people believe, we do not dictate the terms of fate on our own accord and we certainly do not influence people's lives with a motive of our own. We may create a person's string but, the fate we weave for a person is a reflection of their actions and their choices. We are responsible for either rewarding or, punishing people for their actions. This is something that applies to both mortal as well as immortal life." Clotho expounded in a calm voice.
"Fate is not the rigid entity that people believe it to be. Mortals and immortals invoke our name for everything they do, they curse us for any unfortunate event that befalls on them. The truth is, we don't will fate with any motive of our own. We are not the creators of fate. We are simply it's guardians. As guardians of fate, we enforce the fate that people deserve. Even the Olympians are not exempt from this and the only reason we support them in this war is because their positives trump their negatives." Atropos continued.
"We do not weave the choices that a person will make in their string of fate. Rather, we weave their string of fate based on their choices. This duty was passed on to us after our mother, Ananke retreated into a deep slumber eons ago. Fate is a person's judge, jury and if need be, executioner. Fate is the most fundamental entity of this world and it was the first thing that our grandfather, Lord Chaos created in order to maintain balance in this world." Lachesis stated.
At the mention of Chaos, the winds that had started to swirl around Percy immediately died down, the air around them vibrating with power. Percy stayed silent for some time as the magnitude of the revelations had left him temporarily speechless.
"Then why did you send me here? What did Calypso do to deserve this fate? What did I do to deserve this fate?" Percy questioned after a long pause.
"Calypso has not always been the peaceful that you think she is. You forget that she is the daughter of Atlas and Tethys. Her mystiokinesis and vitakinesis are second only to Hecate and Apollo. During the Titanomachy, whenever Atlas was injured, she was partly responsible for his unbelievably fast recoveries and when he would be back to full power, he would mercilessly slaughter every nymph, nature spirit or mortal that he perceived as an ally of the gods." Clotho stated.
"Yes, countless beings would still be alive if the General had taken a longer time to recover. Granted that most of it was just an expression of the general's brutality, Calypso was not without fault. Even then, we prevented the gods from sentencing her to a harsher punishment. We don't send her heroes to break her spirit. We had sensed that she had grown lonely and hence we sent you to provide companionship. Falling in love with you was her choice and we had no part to play in it." Lachesis explained.
"Now, let me explain why you were sent here. The world had fallen into disarray. The gods were starting to turn out like the Titans and the Earth Mother was on the rise. Our duty is to maintain balance in the world by guiding the river of fate in the right direction and we had to restore balance." Lachesis explained.
"Unfortunately, we could not interfere directly due to an oath on our grandfather that we had sworn eons ago. We needed a champion. We needed someone who had the ability to make the right choices that would restore balance to the world. You are that champion. Your string was created with the intent to restore peace and our decision paid off. You have always made the right choices and, as a result, the world is on the right path." Clotho revealed.
"But then, your downward spiral started. You gradually started slipping into the confines of your fatal flaw and you were on the trajectory to become one of the very monsters that you hunted. However, instead of letting you tread that path, as a reward for your earlier actions, we sent you to Ogygia. The purpose of sending you here was to give you a chance to break out of the clutches of your fatal flaw. Once again, you made the right choice and took a turn for the better." Atropos commented with grudging respect.
"Now, the slate has been wiped clean. You have fulfilled the purpose of your life. The world is on the right path, the gods have been effectively rallied and have also become more benevolent. Yet, you have another choice in front of you. You can either stay with Calypso forever or you can return to your family. As it stands, the present circumstances prevent you from having both. So, what will you choose Perseus?" Lachesis questioned him with an intense look.
Percy tried to come up with an answer but he failed to do so. The recent events had left him numb, only able to internally debate his options over and over. He didn't want to let go of the woman he loved but at the same time, his loyalty prevented him from turning his back on his family. Noticing his indecision, Clotho decided to speak up.
"Perseus, I will make this easier for you. If you return to Olympus, the chances of the gods winning this war will rise significantly. However, even if you decide to stay with Calypso, the Earth Mother's victory is not assured. There are too many variations to conclusively make any statement. It could go either way. But regardless of whoever wins this war, your life with Calypso shall remain undisturbed. That will be your reward for diverting the river of fate in the right direction. Your responsibility ends here Perseus. Whatever choice you make will start a new chapter in your life." Clotho paused to let Percy absorb this bit of information.
"We understand that this is not an easy decision. For that reason, we will give you two weeks to decide on what you want to do. After that time interval, the raft will disappear forever if you don't board it. Remember, there is no right choice this time. Your choice will lead the river of your fate to two very different destinations and it is entirely up to you to decide where you want to go. Farewell Perseus." Clotho stated with the slightest hint of sympathy and pride in her voice.
A moment later, the Moirai disappeared in a bright flash of white light, leaving a conflicted Percy on the beach. Lost as he was in thought, he did not notice that a certain caramel haired Titaness had overheard this entire conversation.
The moment Calypso had sensed the presence of the fates, a feeling of dread had overwhelmed her. Her immediate response was to try and banish them from her island but as expected, she failed. Dreading the reason of their visit, she had rushed to the beach where she had unknowingly ended up eavesdropping on Percy's conversation. Her heart shattered into a thousand shards like a piece of glass when she heard the fates' ultimatum. However, she quickly left the beach in order to give Percy some privacy to sort out his thoughts and feelings..
She had been absent-mindedly fiddling with her flowers when she heard Percy's footsteps from behind. For his sake, she tried to put on a brave face and turned to greet him.
"Hello Percy." Calypso tried to greet him with a composed voice but the cracking of her voice towards the end gave away her true emotions. That was enough for Percy to put two and two together.
"You know." Percy bluntly stated. Calypso could only nod in sorrow filled affirmation. It was then that she noticed how much the fates' ultimatum had impacted him.
His hair was messed up in an unruly and rugged way and his shoulders seemed to sag as though he was carrying the burden of the sky. Worst of all, his sea green eyes seemed to be mirthlessly swirling around with sorrow. She did not like seeing him in this state. She reached out and cupped his cheek in one of her hands.
"Percy, we don't need to talk about this today. You have already reached your emotional limit for today. Let's have dinner and then go to sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow." Calypso suggested while gently caressing his cheek. Percy closed his eyes, leaned in and nodded in acquiescence.
Dinner was a quiet affair and when it was done, they silently moved to their bedroom to sleep and hopefully, clear their minds.
Percy did not want to make this decision. Rather, he could not make this decision. On one hand, the very thought of leaving Calypso forever stirred up very painful emotions within him. He had made a promise to himself that he would do everything in his power to protect the hope in Calypso's eyes and he could not even fathom the thought of breaking that promise.
On the other hand, his loyalty to his family refused to let him abandon them. Granted, the fates had told him that he had no further responsibilities in this war, but his fatal flaw was not allowing him to potentially endanger the people who had raised and loved him, in spite of his heritage.
Most of all, he was dreading the conversation that he was about to have with Calypso on this topic. He had no answer to any of the questions that she would ask him but, he could not make this decision without her. It was in this tense and morose atmosphere that breakfast took place and once that was over, Calypso looked at him with some fear in her eyes.
"Have you decided on anything Percy?" Calypso asked him in a subdued voice.
"No. I haven't been able to come to any conclusion." Percy quietly replied without meeting her eyes.
"Percy, please look at me." Calypso gently ordered and Percy consented.
"Before we discuss this topic, I want to know who I am talking to. Am I talking to Perseus, the Champion of Atlantis or am I talking to Percy, the man I love?" Calypso questioned him with an intense look.
"You are talking to Percy, the gardener." Percy light-heartedly stated after a brief interval of time to try and lighten the mood.
"Then, I will not lie to you Percy. You mean the world to me and letting go of you will put me through immense emotional trauma." Calypso stated with her eyes glistening in sorrow.
"I do not want to leave you Calypso. I just need to find a way to convince the gods, give me more time, I will find a way, I will-" Percy started but he was cut off by Calypso when she placed her finger over his lips.
"I hate agreeing with the fates, but they are right in this matter. During the Titanomachy, I sped up my father's recovery significantly and I am indirectly responsible for all the lovers that he cold heartedly separated with his metal javelin. This is my punishment and I have to accept it. You have only two options Percy. Either you can stay with me and let the gods fight their own battle or you can go back to your family and never see me again. There is no third option." Calypso stated with a sad sigh.
Percy did not reply. He loathed to admit it but, she was right. He did not have any other choice. No hurricane or shockwave could change anything. He had to make a choice. He looked away and closed his eyes while clearing his head of all prior thoughts. He stayed in that position for a long time before finally, unwillingly, he had made his choice.
"I cannot stay Calypso. Even if there is a small possibility that my role can help my family win this war and restore peace to the world, it is my duty to fulfil that role. I love, adore and respect you with all my heart but I cannot ignore a call of help from my family. This is my destiny." Percy morosely stated.
"This is the soldier talking. The fates themselves have told you that you have fulfilled your responsibility. This is not your destiny Percy. This is your choice. Why does it always have to be you who has to fight? Why do you have to make all the sacrifices? What about me? You told me that I was your world. Then why don't you think about the pain that you will put me through by making this choice? Why Percy? Why? Why does everything have to do with the war? Why can't you live a life free of conflict?" Calypso harshly questioned Percy with tears falling down her cheeks.
"You are right. I don't fight because I have to. I fight because I want to. Till today, I always thought that this life of conflict was forced upon me but today I realised that those notions of mine were wrong. This was my choice. Every time I fought, I chose to fight because I believed it was my duty to protect my family and the lives of innocent people. Even today, I have chosen a path which will cause me a great amount of personal pain. I have chosen this path because I don't want to push this duty on someone else. This is the destiny that I have defined for myself." Percy wearily replied without meeting her eyes.
"Is this really your destiny or is this the destiny that someone else has forced upon you? Have these two years meant nothing to you? I thought that you had evolved past being just a loyal soldier, but I now see that I was sorely mistaken. It seems that your fatal flaw will never let you be anything other than a warrior. An extremely honourable, incomparably noble and a highly deified pawn but nevertheless, a pawn." Calypso stated with a bitter laugh which turned into a soft sob towards the end.
"Calypso, please-" Percy tried to console her but for the second time that morning, Calypso interrupted him.
"Percy, there is nothing else left to discuss on this matter. You have made your choice explicitly clear. I wish you all the luck in this endeavour of yours. Goodbye." Calypso choked out before disappearing in a white flash.
Percy sighed and held his head in between his hands, his heart aching full of guilt and sorrow. This had been the hardest decision of his life and he did not want to make it but this had to be done. His own eyes were watery due to the severity of the emotions that he had experienced. A cold breeze blew over the entire garden matching the cold feeling of sorrow that was spreading through him.
Calypso was sitting on the beach and had been silently staring at the waves for a few hours and the sun had already set when she felt someone sitting next to her.
"Go away Percy. I don't want to talk." Calypso stated in a hoarse voice without looking up
"My dear, it's not Perseus." She heard a woman reply from her side. Instantly, she turned around to look at the woman and when she saw who it was, a happy yet, watery smile broke out on her face.
"Aunt Selene." Calypso greeted her with the maximum amount of enthusiasm that she could muster.
"Hello Calypso." Selene greeted her back with her characteristic radiant smile.
"Aunt Selene, what brings you to Ogygia? In the night-time none the less. Shouldn't you be riding the moon chariot?" Calypso questioned with confusion evident on her voice.
"The fates informed of the recent events that have taken place and I wanted to visit you in the afternoon. Unfortunately, Zeus called a meeting in the middle of the day and I had to attend it. I noticed that you were sitting here alone when I was riding the moon chariot across Ogygia and came to comfort and hopefully console you." Selene sincerely stated.
At the mention of the fates, Calypso's face dropped and a fresh batch of tears filled her eyes as she looked away.
"Aunt Selene, I'd rather not talk about that." Calypso stated in a quiet voice.
"Calypso, bottling up your emotions is never a good idea. Instead, you should express them and try to let out whatever it is that bothers you. Over a period of time, negative, as well as positive, emotions have a compounding effect on your mental state." Selene advised.
"What is the use of even talking about it? Whatever my emotions on this topic are, they won't make any difference." Calypso bitterly replied.
"My dear, obtaining emotional peace is something that you have to do for yourself. It is essential to make peace with our own demons in order to heal and eventually, move on." Selene responded with a calm expression. Calypso did not respond. After a long pause, she finally spoke up.
"Why does he have to go, Aunt Selene? Why can't he just stay and live his life peacefully with me? The fates would have certainly told you that he has fulfilled his responsibility. Then why does he want to shoulder even more responsibility? I thought he loathed that life of conflict. Why isn't he taking the other option?" Calypso quietly questioned
"Because that is his character. He is the embodiment of the sea. Akin to how the sea shoulders the responsibility of protecting and supporting all the beings that dwell in it, he takes the responsibility of the entire world. I have had the pleasure of interacting with him a few times and from what I have gathered, he is a wonderful and selfless man. If he feels that a situation is going south, he cannot stop himself from intervening. Trying to stop this trait of his from manifesting is like trying to stop the tides. It is an impossible endeavour." Selene stated.
"Then what should I do? How will I be able to cope up with this loss?" Calypso asked.
"You have to accept the situation as it is, my dear. Unfortunately, there is no way to circumvent that. The only thing you can do is make the most out of what you have. Tell me niece, how do you want things to end between you and Percy? Do you want it to be a bitter ending or do you want it to be the amicable conclusion of a wonderful experience? The choice is yours my dear. Sometimes we take what we have for granted and it is only when we lose it that we realise what it's value really is. Don't make that mistake Calypso." Selene advised with a faraway look in her eyes.
Calypso stayed silent as she absorbed this piece of advice. She could not deny the truth in her aunt's words. Her aunt had always been one of the kindest and most humble Titans unlike the rest of their arrogant and brutal brethren.
"Thank you for this advice Aunt Selene." Calypso earnestly thanked her aunt.
"Of course, my dear. That is what family is for. We have to support each other. Alright, people will start questioning why the moon is not moving if I stay any longer. Take care Calypso. Goodbye." Selene greeted before getting up and disappearing in a bright silver flash.
Following her lead, Calypso got up and headed towards the dining pavilion. She would heed her aunt's advice and was determined to make the most of the time that she had left with Percy.
Calypso found Percy despondently leaning on one of the engraved pillars of their beautiful beach pavilion. His aura had turned morose and it reminded her of the twilight zone of the sea. Unmoving, cold and dark.
Percy was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Calypso until she cleared her throat. Immediately, he turned and when he saw her tear streaked cheeks, he was struck with another pang of guilt.
"Calypso." Percy whispered in slight surprise.
"Hello Percy." Calypso greeted him with a small smile. A look of disbelief and confusion made its way on Percy's face by the unexpected lack of hostility in her voice.
"Did you eat dinner?" Calypso asked him with concern.
"I didn't. I couldn't. Not after what happened this afternoon." Percy replied without looking at her.
"I'm sorry for what I said Percy. I didn't mean to hurt you." Calypso softly apologized.
"No. Please don't apologize. You have no fault in this. This is my fault." Percy replied in a subdued voice. Calypso wanted to say something but Percy cut her off.
"You were right. I was, am and will always be a soldier. That is my fatal flaw. I cannot turn a blind eye to a threat. Not because I am noble or honourable but because I am a selfish man. The biggest reason for me shouldering all this responsibility is because if I don't, my guilt will consume me. I would rather choose this path of pain myself rather wallow in guilt over my actions. I have accepted that as my destiny. But what I cannot accept is the amount of pain that I have inflicted on you. I am a monster. I should have never made a promise that I couldn't keep." Percy's voice cracked towards the end as he let out a weary sigh.
Calypso's heart constricted in pain at the sight in front of her. The man standing in front of her was not a heartless soldier. She could see how much the war had broken him. Physically and now emotionally, he had been put through an unholy amount of suffering for someone his age and that had forced upon him a resigned maturity.
Wordlessly, Calypso reached out and gently pulled Percy into an embrace and the tri-blood eagerly leaned deeper into her loving embrace. She felt a few tears wet her chiton and she gently stroked his hair in order to console him. They stayed in that position for some time before Percy pulled away and looked at her with deep sorrow evident in his eyes.
"I thought you hated me." Percy brokenly stated.
"Percy, darling, I could never hate you. I can never forget the wonderful relationship that we have shared and the time that I have spent with you has been the greatest time of my life. To say that I will miss you is an understatement, but rather than fighting or arguing with you on this topic, I want to make the most of what time we have left." Calypso earnestly stated while looking into Percy's eyes.
Percy responded by pulling her into a deep kiss and she returned it with equal fervour. After that moment of passion, Calypso rested her head against his chest and Percy responded by placing his chin on her head. This had become the most intimate expression of the immense love that they held for each other.
Responding to Percy's positive emotions, the sea around them softly swayed and in response, Percy and Calypso swayed along with the waves and the tides with their eyes closed in bliss.
Hey guys! I know that this chapter took much longer to come out but that was because I wanted to finalize the pairing of this story. Now, as promised, I will explain in detail about which pairing I have chosen and why I have chosen it.
The pairing for this story is going to be a Percy X Athena pairing because of a multitude of reasons. First of all, I don't believe the whole opposites attract myth. Of course, I am not taking a jab at anyone but I believe that there needs to be a lot of similarities between two people if a relationship has to be compatible and stable. Most of all, their core values have to be the same and as you can see, that's not the case with Percy and Calypso.
They have very different priorities and completely different thought processes so even though they have learnt a lot from each other, at the end of the day, their core values differ and that doesn't make them very compatible in the long run.
Also as pointed out by this story's Beta reader, MissyAndTheDocs, I have shown a very large amount of development and have consumed a lot of potential in these chapters. So if I had gone with a Percy X Calypso pairing, after these chapters, I wouldn't be able to show the amount of development that I would have liked as their relationship has already developed into a full fledged one.
On the other hand, I have barely scratched the surface of the Percy X Athena pairing and this gives me the opportunity to build their relationship over the period of an entire story instead of in just four chapters.
The final reason is that I don't want the protagonist to be handed his happiness. I want him to earn his happiness after a lot of pain and heartbreak and the best way to do that is to show how important his loyalty is for him. He is the soldier who puts his life at the line every time he fights and sacrifices his own happiness for the sake of protecting his family and the world. But as you would have noticed, it's a self inflicted compulsion rather than a choice.
Unlike his version in the Rick Riordan universe where he feels extremely guilty for not being there and takes the responsibility of other people's deaths, the version of Percy in this story has the brain as well as the brawn to preemptively neutralize anyone that he views as a threat. That's what I explored in his conversation with the fates.
Regarding the fates' conversation with Percy, I wanted to show that Percy's birth was not some random coincidence, rather it was calculated move. Also, I wanted to portray the fates with a more benevolent nature and I have even made fate in the Greek universe more flexible and in a way, more karmic. This has been done for the sake of the plot and in a way, for justifying the end of Percy and Calypso's relationship in a more canonical way.
Once again, I have changed the events of the Titanomachy and Calypso's involvement in it for the sake of the plot. I mean Rick Riordan never tells us how Calypso sided with her father so I took the liberty of mixing things up a bit.
I want to thank all of you for giving me your inputs on what you wanted this story's pairing to be. I respect all of your inputs and they have certainly played a very major part in the selection of this pairing. I hope all that all of you enjoy the progression of this romantic saga as much as I will!
Also this chapter has very important Easter eggs with references to a few major plotlines in my next stories :)
With this chapter, the third act of this story is over and fourth act starts from the next chapter.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!