Chapter 24
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter! Firstly, I would like to thank the two guest reviewers and John for your supportive words. Thank you for your continued support!
I would also like to thank SonGoku76 for your continued support!
In reference to Okoh's review, I am glad that you liked the little bonding moments that were included in the previous chapter. I wanted to show Percy and Athena bonding with each other and I felt that this was the best way to incorporate that. Thank you for your support!
In reference to Rocket's review, I could correct the mistake if you could be a bit more specific. Thank you for your input!
In reference to Someonefamous99's review, I am aware that most writers don't like overpowering Percy as much as I have. I mean I have read stories where he is either too underpowered or he is too overpowered, like Chaos level overpowered. Once again, those are some excellent stories, but in my opinion, it makes the fights one-sided, in both cases. So since this story focuses a lot on fights, I have tried to find the sweet spot between overpowered and underpowered and I am glad that you liked it. Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to PercyJacksonIsTheMan's review, I totally agree with you. Like I always felt that the raw power that invulnerability gave Percy in the Last Olympian was very wrongly taken away. And I also don't like the concept of an Achilles heel. I mean, what's the point of having all that power if you die when a single arrow hits you. I am glad that you liked this little detail. Thank you for your support!
I do hope that it does not seem like I am bashing anyone. All these are just my opinions, so no offense.
In reference to Ryan's review, I am really glad that you liked the last chapter. Your idea is a really really good one and it gave me this idea for an entire arc. This arc will be one of the most important ones in this entire trilogy and it definitely will be included in the next story. I sincerely thank you for your amazing input! Thank you for your continued support!
Regarding Hippie Painter's review, I am glad that you liked the previous chapter. I have a plan to write two other Percy X Calypso stories once this trilogy is over. Even both of those will be pretty unconventional with unexplored concepts and probably one of them may end up being a duology. But this a long time away, I still have to finish this trilogy. Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to ItsYaBoi325's review, yes I did give them missiles :) And they will cause a big boom :) Answering your question, Athena and Percy haven't developed any romantic interests towards each other as of yet. While Athena does see him as a friend, he is more of an intellectual and combat companion. On the other hand, Percy himself has just lost his relationship with Calypso, so he's not that keen on having a romantic relationship with anyone as of now. But, there will be a lot more progress by the end of this story and the next two stories will have the Percy X Athena pairing at their centres. Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to ShadowThanatos' review, I am glad that you liked the thought that I had put into the previous chapter. I really wanted to make sure that it was as authentic as possible and I am really happy that you liked it! Thank you for your continued support!
Regarding IceFire99's review, I am glad that you liked the impact that the end of his relationship with Calypso caused to Percy. It's an attempt to humanise him, that is, if I could use that word. Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to JoJo Jesus' review, first I would like thank you and all the other reviewers for taking time out of busy lives to interact and share a few kind words with me. Trust me, that really makes my day. Referring to the second part of your review, you nailed down what I was trying to convey in the last chapter. This certainly won't be an event that he'll be able to overcome easily, but I guess that's what makes it a satisfying saga of romance and development, at least I hope it does. Thank you for your continued support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Percy woke up in a comfortable bed. The first thing he noticed was how early in the morning it was. He took a moment to survey his surroundings, confused for a second. With a start, he remembered the events of the previous night and his expression turned morose.
The last episode had not been like the other ones. For a moment, he had lost control of himself and had thought that this life was a hallucination and he had subconsciously accepted his hallucination to be his reality. This was a very dangerous development. He could not afford to be stuck in the middle of an episode when he was in battle. His thoughts were interrupted by someone's voice.
"You gave us quite the scare Percy." A woman stated from the side. When he turned towards the source of the voice, he saw Athena standing near the door with a mildly concerned expression on her face.
Athena was worried. She had been taking a casual stroll through the streets of Olympus when suddenly, a familiar wave of raw power reached her. A moment later, she heard a loud, anguished scream and she had immediately rushed to find its source.
When she had arrived, she saw Percy angrily cursing Gaia before losing consciousness. Instinctively, she teleported to his position and caught him before he fell. Wasting no time, she had taken him to Apollo's palace before Apollo shooed her away in order to conduct some tests.
She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding when Apollo had informed her that Percy was fine and that the event was a result of significant emotional stress and physical exhaustion. She brushed aside those thoughts before looking at Percy.
He seemed to be morose and had not spoken a single word. She could sense his aura emanating a deep sorrow and he was staring at the window with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Percy? Are you okay?" Athena questioned. This seemed to bring Percy out of his silence.
"Yes, I am fine. I assume that today is the day of the assault. Judging by Helios' position in the sky, I assume that it has not started yet?" Percy brushed aside Athena's concern before questioning.
Athena was not convinced but she could clearly see that he was uncomfortable talking about yesterday's events. For that reason, she decided not to pursue this matter any further.
"No. Helios started his journey only a few minutes ago. Also, Aeolus told us that the assault may arrive in the afternoon." Athena stated. Percy nodded at her before getting up.
"I take it that you were the one who brought me here. Does my father know about these developments?" Percy questioned.
"Yes, I did bring you here after you fell unconscious yesterday night. However, I did not inform anyone other than Apollo about this because I assumed that you didn't want anyone else, including your father, to know." Athena replied.
"You did the right thing. I do not want to worry my father anymore. Besides, today is a very important day. All my attention needs to be here. I love my father, but his overprotective streak will lead to an argument between us and I have no time for that." Percy stated with a weary sigh.
"In his defence, you do have the tendency to get injured quite often." Athena retorted with a small smirk. The comment incited a small smile from Percy before his face turned serious.
"I will meet you in a few hours. We'll go check the systems for one final time before the assault." Percy stated and before Athena could question him any further, he disappeared in a blue mist.
Athena could sense that something was not right. Something had happened to Percy during his stay on Ogygia. Something that caused him extensive psychological trauma. She shook her head to clear it of those thoughts. Percy was a brilliant and rational man. Whatever his problem was, he would find a way to deal with it. With these thoughts, Athena disappeared in a flash of grey light.
When Aphrodite heard someone knocking her door early in the morning, she did not expect that certain someone to be Percy when she opened the door.
"Hello Percy." Aphrodite quickly overcame her initial shock and greeted him.
"Hello Aphrodite. I hope that I did not disturb you. I wanted to talk to you about something." Percy stoically stated. Aphrodite instantly understood what he was talking about and invited him in.
Once they were seated opposite to each other, a glass of Nectar and a large square of Ambrosia materialised in Percy's hands. Percy gave Aphrodite a questioning look.
"Eat Percy. Judging by your appearance, I can say that you have neither eaten nor rested in the past week. Starving yourself will do you no good." Aphrodite's sternly stated. Percy grudgingly nodded at her before polishing off the divine supplements in his hands.
"Percy, before we start, I know that this may be painful for you but, if you want me to help you, I need to know the entire story. I only sensed your heartbreak that day, I did not intrude into your mind to search for details." Aphrodite softly stated.
Percy nodded at her, albeit a bit reluctantly before telling her the details of the relationship that he had shared with Calypso. He zoned out multiple times and his voice cracked frequently but with a sympathetic patience, Aphrodite calmly waited for him to finish and offered him multiple smiles in order to comfort him. After finishing, Percy held his head in his hands in an attempt to stop the images from popping up in his mind.
"What will I do Aphrodite? Everything seems to remind me of Calypso. Until yesterday, these episodes were only flashbacks. Now things seem to be completely different. I could not even differentiate between my mental constructs and reality. I cannot afford to have such a broken state of mind." Percy lamented with a hint of hopelessness seeping into his voice.
"These episodes are a result of buried emotions Percy. You have experienced a personal loss. Akin to how the mortals lose their loved ones to death, you have lost Calypso, but you have lost her to the compulsion of fate. Unfortunately, this event has registered as emotional trauma and since you have never experienced loss before, your mind is trying to overcome it by burying your emotions." Aphrodite stated.
"How do I get past this?" Percy questioned.
"You are experiencing grief and grief has five stages. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance. You already passed the stage of denial when you were faced with this choice. Anger was when you lashed out at the fates. Bargaining was when you tried to find a way to keep seeing Calypso and at the same time, fulfil your duty. Now you are going through the penultimate, longest and hardest stage- depression." Aphrodite paused to let Percy absorb this information.
"Currently, your guilt and your previously buried emotions are resurfacing and you are being faced with what-ifs. Along with that, your depression is also having an overall negative effect on your psyche. To overcome this, you need to forgive yourself. Percy, the first step to acceptance is forgiving yourself. You need to forgive yourself in order to attain closure. Attaining closure will allow you to finally accept things as they are. Once you reach the stage of acceptance, you will finally be able to move on with your life." Aphrodite explained.
"How long will this take?" Percy quietly asked.
"Percy, you have gone through a heart-breaking and traumatizing event. This is not a physical wound which heals faster when externally aided. The process of emotional healing is a natural process and its duration can only be determined by your mind. You cannot brute force your way out of depression. Especially with your fatal flaw being personal loyalty, your mind needs even more care and time in order to completely heal." Aphrodite stated.
"Similar to how you erected a mental barrier in my mind to prevent others from intruding into it, can you erect another barrier to prevent my own mind from accessing these painful memories?" Percy requested with a pleading expression.
"I can do that Percy, but do you really want me to? Stopping your mind from accessing the memories that you have shared with Calypso may provide temporary relief but it will also take away all the lessons that you have learnt from your days with her. Do you really want that? Do you want to go back to being the ruthless warrior you were?" Aphrodite intensely questioned.
Percy seemed to be left speechless and he had no answer for this question. Finally, he decided that he could not let the progress go to waste.
"You are right. I cannot and I will not go back to my unforgiving and brutal ways. I am just worried that I may have one of these episodes in the middle of a crucial battle." Percy stated before expressing his concern.
"Percy, you do not need to be the perfect soldier. You are a good man. That is enough. Taking excessive responsibility has always been an extension of the fatal flaw of Poseidon and his children. You might have made the choice here but that does not mean that you should take the blame on yourself. Love is a wonderful thing, Percy. It can completely reverse the direction of our lives in a positive way. But sometimes, that positive impact comes at the cost of our love. It may be very hard to accept, especially for you, but you cannot let one traumatic event ruin the rest of your life." Aphrodite advised Percy in a gentle tone.
"However, for your sake, if you want, I will erect a barrier that will only prevent access to those memories if you are in the middle of a battle. This will allow you to heal at a natural rate but at the same time, you will not be left defenceless in the middle of the battle." Aphrodite offered. Percy eagerly nodded his head and a soft, pink glow surrounded Percy's head for a moment before fading away.
"Thank you, Aphrodite. Talking to you defogged my mind to a considerable extent." Percy sincerely thanked. In response, Aphrodite reached over and pulled Percy into a gentle hug.
"You are family Percy. You are so young, yet, you have brought all of us under the same umbrella and you have gone through so much pain. You unequivocally supported and respected me despite having no obligation to do so. It is only fair that I treat you in the same way." Aphrodite stated with a serene smile.
A wide smile spread across Percy's face as he nodded at Aphrodite before vanishing in a blue mist. This talk had given him a new breath of life.
Percy was stoically standing near the edge of Olympus with his indestructible armour enveloping him. Along with the rest of the Olympians, he was patiently waiting for the assault to take place.
They had invited all the gods to witness the prowess of their system. Citing their neutrality, everyone but a dozen gods had politely declined to come. Percy was not too worried about that. Even having a dozen gods on their side would be enough to make a decisive difference. He wasn't naïve though, he knew that they would want something in return for extending their support.
For that reason, he and the rest of the major gods had held a meeting and had decided that the negotiations with the minor gods would be led by him, Athena and his aunts. Athena had been chosen for her strategic talent while his aunts were going to put their diplomatic skill to use.
His presence was to showcase the confidence that the Olympians had placed in him, as well as add a certain intimidating factor to the negotiations, even though he had no interest in bullying the minor gods. His motivation for being a part of the negotiations were different from that of the Olympians.
Now that he had been a first-hand witness to Olympian pride and paranoia, he had realised that the Olympians would not give the minor gods what they deserved unless a large amount of pressure was applied on them. For that reason, he had covertly made a plan with his more compassionate and fair aunts, Hestia and Demeter, in order to prevent such a scenario from occurring.
The gods had overestimated Athena's strategic brilliance, his intimidating and confidence building presence and his aunts' diplomatic skill. They could directly negotiate with the minor gods, but he had an inkling that this negotiation would not reach a conclusion favourable to the minor gods. And as long as the outcome did not favour them, the minor gods would not lend their support. Hence, a more pragmatic approach was required to reach an effective and fair solution.
For that reason, if their negotiations with the minor gods failed today, he would engage in backdoor negotiations with the minor gods on behalf of his aunts and his aunt; Demeter had already informed him that she had asked Hecate to be the mediator.
Hecate was the perfect candidate to be the mediator for these negotiations as her palace served as neutral territory and, the wards around it giving the added advantage of his presence there being kept a secret.
There, he would reach a fair and mutually beneficial settlement with the minor gods and his aunts would convince the rest of his family to ratify the settlement.
In all honesty, their back-up would most probably end up being their next course of action. By now, he knew enough about most of the Olympians to deduce that their negotiations with the minor gods would reach a dead end. His thoughts were interrupted by a dozen flashes of light.
"Greetings, my fellow gods. Today, we have invited you to celebrate a new achievement along with us. All of you would have noticed that recently, thousands of malignant spirits are attacking Olympus every week. In order to deal with this menace, with the help of the Elder Cyclopes and Hephaestus, Athena and Perseus have built a seamless defensive weapons system." Zeus proudly announced.
The minor gods politely greeted him, though they didn't seem impressed since most of them assumed that this was, once again, one of Zeus' empty, dramatic claims. However, they stayed silent so as not to antagonize him.
Zeus gestured at Athena and Percy to unveil the RADAR. Athena nodded at him and, with a flick of her fingers, a fully loaded and operational RADAR shimmered into existence in front of them at the edge of Olympus. The minor gods seemed impressed by the gleaming Celestial Bronze structure but before they could say anything, Percy cut them off.
"We could explain how this system works, but I feel that such an endeavour would be a waste of time. So, instead of wasting your time with technical and meaningless explanations, we'd rather show you it's capabilities. I sense that the spirits are already approaching Olympus. Now, there are four of these systems, one in each quadrant of Olympus. I say we split up into four groups. Enjoy the fireworks." Percy smoothly suggested with a welcoming smile.
The minor gods nodded at him and all the assembled gods gathered in four groups. Heading towards the East quadrant, Athena left with one group. While Hestia and Demeter led the other two groups towards the South and West quadrants respectively, Percy stayed behind in the North quadrant, along with his father, Apollo and Aphrodite.
With them were Nike, Goddess of victory, Morpheus, God of dreams and Iris, Goddess of rainbows. Percy greeted them with a polite smile. In return, they offered him small, unsure smiles.
Suddenly, the Celestial Bronze pole of the system started emitting beams of multicoloured light. A second later, fifty SPEAR missiles shot out of the launcher. Another second later, the assembled gods and Percy not only heard fifty sonic booms but along with that, they heard another hundred and fifty sonic booms.
In a few minutes, with the help of their divine vision, they saw the missiles closing in on their targets before their shells broke away. A moment later, all the missiles made contact with their targets and fifty large explosions of Greek fire lit up the sky.
Hundreds of spirits were wiped out with one onslaught and it left the rest of the spirits frozen in terror. Unfortunately for them, this would prove to be a very costly error. They had already ventured very close to Olympus and the RADAR had already loaded the next set of missiles.
Once again, the pole emitted a multicoloured light and missiles shot out of the launcher, the RADAR falling silent after that.
The spirits attempted to escape by manoeuvring out of the way and trying to evade the missiles, but the missiles had been fired with an intent to completely neutralize the threat. These missiles were much faster and far more agile than the spirits. The missiles caught up to the spirits in no time and multiple explosions rocked the sky.
The assembled gods and Percy noticed that all but one wind spirit had been wiped out. However, a missile was unrelentingly pursuing it. The spirit desperately zigzagged away from Olympus at a blistering pace. But it would prove to be a futile effort. In less than half a minute, the missile reached its target and a second later, a green explosion erupted. Once the light subsided, only the clear blue sky was visible.
All the assembled gods were left in awe. While Poseidon, Apollo and Aphrodite had already seen these missiles in action, not even in their wildest dreams had they expected this system to wipe out more than five hundred spirits in less than fifteen minutes.
Iris, Nike and Morpheus on the other hand, had never seen anything of this magnitude and they were left completely speechless. This display of power had certainly impressed them. But before they could voice out their thoughts, Percy interrupted them.
"As all of you remember, a meeting is going to be held today at Aunt Hestia's palace. From our side, me, Athena and my aunts will be attending the meeting. I assume that all of you and the rest of the gods that have graced us with their presence today will be joining us." Percy stated with a respectful voice, with the slightest amount of firmness colouring his words.
"Of course, Lord Perseus. All of us will be present at the meeting." Iris politely replied.
"Fantastic. Now without any further ado, let's go." Percy stated. He nodded at his father, Apollo and Aphrodite before vanishing in a blue mist. The rest of the gods followed his lead and disappeared in different flashes of light.
Hestia was a tad bit anxious. Currently she was in the middle of a meeting that was taking place at a large rectangular table that had been set up in her palace. Iris, Nike, Kratos, Bia, Zelus, Morpheus, Hypnos, Nemesis, Eris, Enyo, Tyche and Hebe were sitting on one side while she, her sisters, Athena and Perseus were sitting opposite to them. The cause of her anxiety though was not the meeting in itself but Hera's ongoing argument with Iris.
"This is preposterous. You are joining the winning side of this war. Your demands are unreasonable." Hera stated.
"Our demands are not unreasonable, Lady Hera. In return for lending our support, we want greater representation on the Olympian Council, we want greater worship from the mortals and spirits alike and finally, we want more pieces of the stronger domains. Domains which have been exclusively hoarded by the Olympians." Iris calmly replied.
"Iris, you appear to be mistaken. We are not courting your help. What you saw today was just a glimpse of what we have at our disposal. Our victory in this war is assured. Everyone who fought on our side during the Titanomachy was handsomely rewarded. Similarly, we are giving you the opportunity to be a part of an exclusive clique. Being a part of this clique will give each of you a piece of the lavish spoils of war that are at the table. But in order to be a part of this clique, there cannot be any pre-requisites for joining." Athena firmly stated.
"With all due respect to you, Lady Athena, it is evident that you are bluffing. We are aware that the situation has grown dire for the past six months. If you really had the confidence you claim to have, then you would not have even arranged this meeting." Hypnos countered with the slightest hint of condescension in his voice.
"You are right, Hypnos. The situation had grown dire on Olympus. But the tables have now turned. The centrepiece of our attack and our most durable fighter is back. Added to that, he is closely collaborating with the greatest strategist this world has ever seen." Demeter confidently stated.
Immediately, a monstrous wave of raw power pushed all the minor gods back into their seats. With fear creeping into their eyes, they turned to the source of the power and they noticed that it was emanating from Percy.
"Demeter is right. With Perseus and Athena at the helm, we had scored a string of victories and except one gigas, we had exterminated every other gigas. Unfortunately, we lost Perseus for six months. Now, he has returned stronger than ever. Within a week of his return, we put an end to the menace of these malignant spirits. With him back and with the rest of my brethren working together, it is not a question of if we will win this war. It is just a matter of when we will win this war." Hestia proudly boasted.
All the minor gods raised a few eyebrows at this declaration. They could see Zeus, Hera and Athena making dramatic and exaggerated statements. But all of them knew that Hestia was not one to make empty promises. Not to mention that the amount of power that was rolling off of Perseus exceeded the power they possessed even while taking their divine forms.
"Alright Lady Hestia. Since you are the one who is making these claims, we have no reason to doubt you. We will provide the support to you as we are now convinced that you will win the war. But we need a solemn oath on the River Styx from the entire Olympian Council to agree to all our conditions in return for our support." Nemesis stated.
"That is not possible, Nemesis. We will not be complying with your outlandish terms. However, I have two counterproposals for all of you. One, in return for your support, before you join the war, we will solemnly swear to reward you, though it will be on our terms with little room for negotiations. Or two, we promise we will be dividing the spoils of this war with you in mind as well. This will give you greater rewards. Either you choose one of the two proposals and gain or, stay where you are by holding your ground." Athena craftily proposed.
It was certainly a very alluring offer. But if there was one thing the minor gods had learnt in the past millennia, it was that they could never take Athena's words at their face value. Every sentence, every word was carefully crafted with a great amount of cunning caution and forethought.
"Then I am afraid that we won't be joining you in this war. We are willing to negotiate, Lady Athena, but we will not be fooled. When my mother supported the Olympians in the Titanomachy, we were given empty promises. We will not fall into the same trap again. There are some things that we cannot compromise on. Let us know if you change your mind." Zelus declared and the rest of the minor gods nodded with him.
They waited for a reply from the Olympian delegation but when they saw that the Olympians were not willing to budge, they gave them a nod of courtesy before vanishing from Hestia's palace. Hera was the first to react.
"We do not need them anyway. This way, we get to keep all the spoils." Hera declared before disappearing in a soft blue light.
Athena was the next to react. Her pride had been wounded when the minor gods had seen through her plan and had outrightly rejected it. She gave Percy and her aunts stiff nods before disappearing in a grey light.
"I have to say I am impressed, Aunt Hestia. This meeting went exactly as you told me it would go." Percy stated with a chuckle.
"My dear nephew, spend a millennium with our family and you will realise how stubborn and proud they are. They are good at heart but evidently, they suffer from many flaws. Nevertheless, let us put our back-up plan into motion." Hestia stated.
"Yes nephew. We cannot afford to dilly-dally any further. While we will eventually win this war, having the support of a dozen other gods will allow us to dictate the terms. I have already talked to Hecate and she has very graciously agreed to host another meeting between you and the minor gods. This meeting has been scheduled for tonight. I assume that Hecate will convey that information to them in time." Demeter revealed.
"Remember nephew, it is imperative that no one on Olympus gets to know that you are the one who is engaging in these backdoor negotiations. Your father will provide the excuse for your absence. Expect a lengthy and tiring negotiation. I have faith that you know where we can compromise and where we can't. Once you are successful, we will convince the council and ratify the settlement reached in the negotiations. Good luck nephew. We have full faith in you." Hestia advised before warmly smiling at Percy. Percy gave her and Demeter a wide smile before disappearing in a blue mist.
Hecate was curiously observing the young man in front of her who was patiently waiting for the minor gods to show up. She had been slightly apprehensive when Demeter had requested her to host this secret meeting. She had heard the rumours about Perseus and had initially thought that he would be like Atlas. But, Demeter was a close friend and she could not deny a sincere request from her. It was for that reason alone that she had complied with the goddess' request.
As soon as Perseus had arrived and she had seen him in person, she noticed that he had a build and height that was remarkably similar to Atlas. He was tall and intimidatingly muscular yet, he seemed to be lean and agile. Even though he gave off the same waves of power, the similarities between him and Atlas thankfully ended there.
He was polite, amicable and was a very cheerful man. She could see the quiet intelligence in his eyes, as well as an earnest determination. Her thoughts were interrupted by a dozen flashes of light. The minor gods stared at Percy and Percy stared back at them.
The atmosphere was tense for a moment with no one saying anything. Finally, Percy broke the silence.
"Before we start, all of you need to swear on the River Styx that, other than in between yourselves, you will not discuss the existence or the significance of this meeting with anyone else." Percy staunchly stated in a tone that left no room for argument.
"We will make a solemn oath only if you swear that you have the authority to make binding negotiations. We want to make sure that this isn't another Olympian ploy to make false promises through you and then backtrack on your word." Nike countered. Percy nodded and unhesitatingly took the oath. Following his lead, the rest of the assembled gods including Hecate, took their oath.
"I will not beat around the bush. Earlier today, you said that you could not compromise on some things. I want to know what they are." Percy stated in a no-nonsense tone.
"Greater representation and a piece of the larger domains are the things that we absolutely cannot compromise on. To raise and solve our problems, our voices need to be a part of the decision-making process. Also, to make sure that we don't fade away from a lack of importance, we need stronger domains that can constantly feed us with energy." Kratos resolutely replied. Percy took some time to process this information and formulate a proposal.
"Alright. This is my proposal. The Olympians will not agree to expanding the council. Even I, Aunt Hestia and Aunt Demeter put together cannot muster enough support for such a motion. However, what we can offer is that we can create another council for all of you to discuss and resolve your issues." Percy paused before continuing.
"Similar to how Olympian Council meetings are held at the Solstices, a semi-annual meeting will be held at the Equinoxes. The members of this council will be the Olympians, Lord Hades, Lady Hecate, Aeolus, the wind gods, Lady Selene, Lord Helios and all of you. Similar to the Olympian Council, each member will have one vote. This will provide the forum that you require in order to raise your problems." Percy proposed.
"That is a tall promise, Lord Perseus. If you are serious and if you do believe that the Olympians will agree with you, this arrangement is more than acceptable to us. But you still haven't addressed our second condition." Iris replied.
"The Olympians giving up parts of their domains is unacceptable and impossible. This is a matter on which we cannot budge. Since what all of you really require is a greater flow of energy to sustain your essences, I believe we can reach another mutually satisfactory settlement on that matter." Percy paused to gauge their expressions. Once he received apprehensive nods of confirmation, he continued.
"In this proposition, the Olympians will form individual retinues which you will be a part of. You can choose whose retinue you will be joining. Being a part of this retinue offers multiple benefits. It officially puts you under the umbrella of an Olympian. That itself will enhance the worship you receive from mortals and indirectly, will strengthen your domains as well as your influence in the world." Percy explained his proposition.
"We will not be the slaves of Olympians." Enyo harshly replied.
"You will not be slaves of the Olympians. Rather, this will be an agreement where you will be mutual partners. Albeit, you will be occupying the junior role. This won't make you the Olympians' errand boys or girls. You will be helping them in carrying out the duties of their domain. This system is akin to how the water gods assist my father. This will give you the opportunity to be a part of greater spheres of influence. These retinues will be formed once this war is over as it will be a long and detailed process." Percy calmly stated.
The minor gods looked at each other as they seemed to debate this proposition. Finally, they seemed to come to a conclusion and they addressed Percy.
"Your proposals are satisfactory Lord Perseus. If the Olympians sincerely and solemnly swear to abide by these terms, you have our support in this war." Tyche replied and the rest of the gods nodded in agreement
A wide smile broke out on Percy's face after hearing this statement. He mentally conveyed this information to his aunts and asked them for confirmation. Immediately, he got two relieved confirmations. With that done, he turned his attention back to the gods in front of him.
"I am glad we could reach a mutually beneficial settlement. If all goes according to plan, there will be a mutual oath tomorrow afternoon. It has been a pleasure meeting you. I hope that this is just the first step of our enhanced cooperation." Percy smilingly ended the meeting on a positive note. He received many smiles in return and with a nod of respect, the gods disappeared from Hecate's palace. Before Percy could leave, Hecate stopped him.
"I have to say, I am impressed with your diplomacy. You are much craftier than your aunts but at the same time, it doesn't seem like you harbour any ulterior motive. I am curious, why include me in this? You had no obligation to make sure that I was rewarded. In fact, even when I supported the Olympians, I did not expect any gratitude in return." Hecate stated.
"That's the problem, Lady Hecate. The Olympians are far, far better than the Titans or the Gigantes, but they aren't without their own flaws. Pride and paranoia are their common characteristics. Of course, there are exceptions. But if someone doesn't make sure that the Olympians don't exploit others, it leads to unfortunate circumstances for both the world as well as certain individuals. If we plan to survive, we need to adapt. We have to constantly evolve so that we don't end up stagnating like the Titans." Percy stated with a faraway look in his eyes.
At that moment, the man in front of her did not seem like any other divine twenty-five year old. His eyes held a deep yet somewhat resigned maturity.
"Thank you for hosting this meeting Lady Hecate. I shall not disturb you any longer. Good night." Percy bade her farewell with a small smile before disappearing in a blue mist.
Hecate had been charmed. A feeling in her gut told her that this man was someone special. Someone extraordinary. Someone who would usher in a new golden age. An age that she was proud to be a part of. The winds of change had finally swept across Olympus.
Hey guys! I know that it may feel a bit weird that I didn't make Percy explain himself to Athena. But this was because the two of them are still not close enough for Percy to share information that is this personal. Besides, as of now, he doesn't have an obligation to explain himself to Athena. Also, while Athena does care about him and while they are friends, she doesn't feel the need to provide emotional consolation to him. At least not yet.
You might be wondering why Percy talked to Aphrodite rather talking to Hestia or his mother. Firstly, there are plenty of stories with Hestia playing the motherly and supportive role so I decided to try someone different. Also, Percy didn't want to worry his mother so he didn't talk to her about this.
Secondly, Aphrodite already had the knowledge, albeit limited, of Percy and Calypso. Besides she is the Goddess of Love, so she has more experience in this matter than anyone else. Finally, I wanted to portray Aphrodite in a positive light by giving her a familial, sister and brother sort of relationship with Percy.
This chapter may feel like a bit of a drag, but as the chapter title says, I really want to show Percy's diplomatic side. This gives a more multi-dimensional understanding of his personality and also, differentiates him from being a simple soldier.
This chapter also showcases his growth. Before meeting Calypso, he would have blindly followed whatever order the gods gave him because he thought that they were always right. But now, he's evolved beyond that. His judgement is now based on right or wrong and he's willing to do things his way in order to uphold fairness.
The retinue concept and the concept of a different Council meeting at each Equinox is very important for my next stories. These things will significantly change the landscape when we reach canon.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!