Chapter 26
Greetings viewers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter! Firstly, I would like to thank the guest reviewer, John, SonGoku76 and Achilles for your motivating reviews. I am glad that you liked the previous chapter! I hope that you like this chapter too! Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to PerseusJackson's review, I am very happy to hear that you have enjoyed this story from it's inception. And I definitely don't deserve all the credit for this story becoming better. I have had wonderful support from all of you and a phenomenal beta reader by the pen name of MissyAndTheDocs who has done a fantastic job editing and pointing out plot points. Thank you for your support!
In reference to chrislgerlach's review, I am glad that you liked the previous chapter! I totally understand what you're saying. This is my first story and in many ways it's my dream project. In fact I plan to use so many arcs and novel ideas in this trilogy that I probably would have exhausted all ideas for my other stories. But that's ok. My goal is shelling out the best possible trilogy with the aim of (hopefully) aweing all of you. So I will definitely give my best in making sure that you enjoy this trilogy. I hope you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your support!
Regarding chesiregirl1105's review, you have perfectly articulated what I have tried to convey in this story. I am happy that you liked what I wanted to portray in this story. Of course, I do have a penchant for cliffhangers :) I hope you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
Regarding BlakeT1996's review, I understand that you did not like the conclusion to the Calypso arc and I respect your opinion. But, Percy did not break his relationship out of fear. Rather he did it because he did not want to start a civil war. You're welcome to disagree with me, after all I am only an amateur writer. I have tried my best but there are always some plotholes that miff other people. Thank you for your input and have a great day!
In response to Hippie Painter's review, I am glad that you enjoyed the gradual progression in Athena's and Zeus' characters. I hope that you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
Regarding Ryan's review, I definitely love both your ideas, there's no doubt in that. And I promise you that they will be incorporated into the next two stories in a way that is original and (hopefully) satisfactory. I hope that you like this chapter as well!
Responding to ItsYaBoi325's review, I am thrilled that you liked the previous chapter. These supportive reviews and kind words just make my day. I do my best to flesh out the best chapter but to be honest, I don't think that my work would be anywhere near the quality it is now at if it weren't for the constant support, inputs and constructive criticisms. So I thank you and all the other people who have been a part of this journey with me. I am glad you liked the way I am setting up the Percy X Athena pairing and the reasoning behind making Enceladus smarter. I hope you like this chapter as well. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to ShadowThanatos' review, I would like to say that you nailed the summary of the previous chapter :) I definitely agree with you, I feel that Zeus' character has the potential to be more respectable and I embedded Athena's weakness to be lack of awareness for the sake of irony. I am stoked that you like my non-canonical deviations and I hope that you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to IceFire99's review, I am glad that you liked the little tidbit of irony that I had embedded in the previous chapter. It was just to spice things up and make sure that Percy doesn't get too cocky. I am glad that you like the set up of the Percy X Athena pairing. Is it really a primordial? Or is someone else? Only way to find out is read :) I hope that you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to JoJo Jesus' review, I am glad that you like the positive spin that I am giving to the gods' personalities because it's not easy giving a positive spin on them when they have done some outright heinous things. But, my next stories will be addressing that. I hope you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to ThatCat413's reviews, thank you for coming forward and reviewing this story. I mean this is the best part of fanfiction. It seems that everyone is nice and even an introduction by mistake is converted into a pleasant online acquaintance, that is, if I could use that word.
Regarding your first review, you're right, I have taken a different approach to the Percy and Poseidon dynamic and there's a lot more to come. In response to your second review, I agree with you, my first few chapters. are not really my best work but they definitely get better as you progress.
Responding to your third review, Dionysus and Heracles fought together in the first gigantomachy, so you could say that they were around the same time. Answering your fourth review, I understand what you're saying and I will make sure to correct those errors. Thank you for the input! Finally, coming to your fifth review, I will definitely add a foreword in the description. Thank you for support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Athena had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in a very short interval of time. First, she had been completely confused when the pearl had failed to accomplish its task. A moment later, she had been strongly shoved by Percy and a momentary blistering rage had overcome her. But, as soon as she saw Percy taking a spear that was meant for her and fly hundreds of feet backwards, a gut-wrenching feeling of dread had crept into her heart.
Gauging by the point of impact, she could easily calculate that the spear would have struck her neck if Percy had not taken it for her. She wanted to rush towards him but she knew that whoever threw the first spear would not stop there.
Her intuition proved to be right and her peripheral vision was able to catch another gargantuan spear heading in her direction. However, this time, she was prepared for the attack and managed to swiftly move out of the way. Once she searched her periphery for any other surprise attacks and made sure that there were none , she finally observed her attacker.
Unsurprisingly, her attacker was a gigas, though one very different from the rest of his brethren. He was fifty feet tall and had green dragon legs like the other gigantes. His skin had a pale tone with a somewhat sickly green tinge to it.
He had green hair the same color as summer leaves that was braided in long locks. Unusually, his locks were braided with weapons and the gigas was so large that he seemed to have a gravitational field of his own. Worst of all, his eyes were blindingly white like the finest quality of Olympian marble yet, they radiated an unmatchable sense of malice.
"Who are you gigas? Explain yourself before I drive my spear through you." Athena commanded with a chilling glare. The gigas just laughed at her.
"Your threats mean nothing to me, goddess. I am Porphyrion, King of the gigantes and the Bane of Zeus. And I am here to finish what my brother started." Porphyrion proudly declared with a cruel smirk. Athena's eyes widened a bit, but she quickly steeled her nerves and shot a predatory glare at him.
"Feisty, aren't you? I will enjoy breaking your spirit before sacrificing you and that foolish war god to my mother." Porphyrion declared with a sadistic smile. Instead of responding, Athena threw her spear at him, which he immediately managed to deflect it with his own.
Athena dashed forward and slammed Aegis into his knees but, to her shock, he seemed unfazed by the attack. She quickly recovered from her surprise and with her shield, deflected a spear thrust from him.
She parried his thrust with her own and with the help of her superior skill, she managed to cut a deep gash along his neck but once again, he seemed unhurt. He thrust his spear towards her from the side and she managed to block it at the last moment. But the force behind the strike made her skid back a few feet. Athena seemed a little surprised by the strength behind that strike.
"Don't feel so baffled goddess. I was born to oppose your father. Even he cannot defeat me, what makes you think that you can?" Porphyrion stated with a condescending smirk.
"If I were to answer that question honestly, I would say that your lack of intellect in addition to your bulky, fat and slow body make you a very easy opponent to beat." Athena taunted.
"Your petty mind games will not work on me, goddess." Porphyrion growled.
"Really? Then why is your anger soaring?" Athena shot back with a smirk. Porphyrion roared and charged at Athena and they clashed in a fierce exchange of spears.
It was evident that Porphyrion possessed a large advantage in strength. But, Athena had the upper hand in speed, agility and skill and much to Porphyrion's chagrin, was able to fight him on an equal footing. However, a trained eye could see that Porphyrion was pressing Athena and was forcing her to make mistakes. Unfortunately for him, in this process, he ended up making a mistake of his own.
Porphyrion thrust his spear at Athena and expected her to block it and then parry it with a thrust of her own. Instead, she managed to dodge the attack in an incredible feat of agility. He had put too much power behind his strike and he momentarily lost his balance.
Capitalizing on this opportunity, Athena impaled his exposed clavicle and Porphyrion roared in pain. She immediately followed up with another attack by leaping up and with all her strength, she slammed her shield against his nose and broke it with a sickening crunch. But, before she could land another blow, she was blindsided by a large earthen pillar and was launched into the air.
She had a rough landing on the ground and was immediately immobilized by a dozen earthen hands. She struggled and writhed but the earthen hands did not let go of her. By this time, Porphyrion had recovered and he stood in front of her.
"A valiant effort goddess, but, your mission was doomed from the very beginning. Our mother had already taken cognizance of your usage of the teleportation pearls when the son of Poseidon used it against my elder brother, Alcyoneus. Those pearls are linked to Poseidon's essence and since this area is beyond his sphere of influence, they are useless here. You were set up to fail. Now, I will show you exactly why I am the bane of your father." Porphyrion explained with a cruel smirk.
Porphyrion raised his spear and instantly, a monstrous bolt of lightning dropped down from the sky. Suddenly, a large cylinder of solidified water materialised above Athena and it was converted into a white, glowing plasma when the lightning struck it.
Before Porphyrion could react, the rod of plasma was launched at his face and he let out a scream of agony when it scarred his entire face. A moment later, a huge, funnel shaped shockwave blasted him a hundred feet backwards.
A small tremor shattered all the earthen hands holding Athena and a second later, a visibly pained and exhausted Percy landed next to her.
"Percy" Athena breathed out in equal amounts of awe and concern.
"There's no time Athena, we cannot fight him here and the Earth Mother's presence is getting more concentrated. Let's leave." Percy stated with urgency seeping into his voice.
Before Athena could reply, he grabbed her shoulder and both of them vanished in a blue mist leaving behind a groaning, scarred and bleeding gigas.
As soon as Percy and Athena materialised on a faraway beach, Percy let out a groan of pain and fell forward. Thankfully, Athena caught him before he landed on the ground.
"Percy, where have you been injured? What is happening?" Athena questioned in a slightly frantic voice.
"I think I have an internal injury. I have teleported us away from that cursed land. But we are barely on the other side. I couldn't get us away any further. I am most probably going to fade in a few minutes as I have run out of all my energy." Percy rasped out.
Athena nodded at him and carefully lowered him onto the sandy beach. After that, she removed his breastplate. As soon as she removed his breastplate, she recoiled a bit in shock at the sight of the nasty dark purple bruise covering the entirety of the right side of his sculpted torso.
She wondered how he could even stand with such an injury hindering him, let alone attack the gigas. However, she quickly overcame her shock and, with the help of a few of her metaphysical abilities that had returned, she summoned a large jar of Nectar and gently spread it across his bruise.
This elicited an immediate response from Percy who hissed in pain as his vision started to blur. The pain quickly muddled Percy's mind and his vision completely blurred as the excruciating sensation made him delusional. When his vision cleared, instead of seeing Athena, he saw Calypso nursing him. Immediately, a drowsy smile broke out on his face.
"Calypso, I never thought I would see you again. I am so happy to have you back." Percy slurred in a voice inebriated by pain. Athena froze for a moment, but quickly managed to put two and two together. The resigned maturity in his eyes and the random post-traumatic outbursts suddenly made sense. She was even more shocked when Percy shakily placed his hand over her hand that was carefully spreading the Nectar on his torso.
"I thought I had lost you Calypso. I…" Percy started but his voice cracked at the end and he unable to finish his sentence. Athena wanted to pull back but sheer intensity of love and sorrow radiating from Percy's eyes prevented her from doing so.
"Percy, I have to immerse you in the sea in order for you to heal." Athena gently stated.
"Please don't go away, Calypso. I love you too much. I will not be able to withstand another separation. I have been an idiot. I should have never left you but none of that matters now. All that matters to me is you." Percy pleadingly croaked out with a desperate edge to his voice.
"I will not leave you, Percy." Athena softly promised. This seemed to calm the invulnerable prince and, with one final painful smile, he descended into the arms of Morpheus and his grip on her hand loosened. But, her grip on his hand only tightened.
Athena had never been one for emotions but even she was saddened by the hopelessness and defeat that she had seen in his eyes. They were the doors to his scarred, traumatized soul and she could never forget the broken look on his face.
He had been forced through so much of pain and had been made to forge his destiny through loss and heartbreak. As she carefully immersed Percy in the sea, for the first time in her long immortal life, an ember had been lit in her heart. And that ember was a fierce protectiveness of Percy. That protectiveness would eventually grow into something special. Something eternal.
Percy woke up to a very familiar burning sensation and as soon as his eyes opened, he noticed that he was in a very comfortable bed. The next thing he noticed was that someone seemed to be changing his bandages.
When he turned, he saw Athena's face furrowed in concentration as she carefully wrapped the gauze around his body. A moment later, bits and pieces of his most recent memories flooded his mind and he mentally cursed himself for losing control once again. His memories were blurred; he remembered having an episode but he could not recall the details. Momentarily brushing those thoughts aside, Percy cleared his throat. Instantly, Athena's head shot up and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Percy, how are you feeling?" Athena questioned with a concerned expression.
"Actually, much better than expected. These bandages seem very familiar. Have they been crafted by Mavrus?" Percy inquisitively questioned. Athena nodded with a twinkle in her eyes.
"You may not be aware of this but, a very long time ago, I learnt the basics of medicine and healing from Mavrus. He is the one who taught me to craft these extremely effective golden bandages." Athena confirmed.
"Seems like we learn something new every day. I assume that we are not in Olympus. May I know the reason for that? Also, how long have I been unconscious?" Percy asked.
"Due to traveling to that wretched place and being in the concentrated presence of the Earth Mother, I have still not regained the ability to take on my divine form, only few of my metaphysical abilities. You have been unconscious for a day Percy but, to be honest, you recovered faster than expected." Athena answered.
Percy was about to ask another question when he noticed a flash of sympathy in Athena's eyes. It was similar to the one in Aphrodite's eyes when he had narrated his relationship with Calypso to her. In a flash, all of his most recent memories resurfaced and he realised that he had not experienced an episode. Rather, he had experienced a delusion.
"You know about mine and Calypso's relationship." Percy bluntly stated. Athena seemed surprised by the randomness of the question. Nevertheless, she slowly nodded her head in confirmation.
"Then I believe I owe you an explanation as well as an apology." Percy stated with a straight voice, but Athena could detect the pain in it.
"Percy, you don't need to explain yourself to me." Athena gently replied.
"You deserve an explanation Athena. I have breached your personal space twice and I sincerely apologize for that. The least I can do is explain." Percy stated before explaining his stay on Ogygia, his relationship with the imprisoned Titaness and finally his choice to leave her. Athena was silent for a moment as she absorbed all this information.
"Why did you come back Percy? You don't have any obligation towards the gods. Why did you leave behind the life that in your own words, was the ideal one?" Athena couldn't help but question.
"You may disagree with me, but I don't believe that cold logic can answer every question. Our emotions are the ones that always drive our decisions and that is nothing to be ashamed of. The gods are my family. If I don't aid the people who have trusted me, what meaning does my life have? My personal loyalty is what defines me. My loyalty gives me a purpose in life." Percy declared with a determined look.
"Leaving Calypso was the hardest decision of my life. I loved her with all my heart and I had envisioned an entire life along with her. When I left, I gave up on all those dreams. Maybe if the gods were more accepting, I could have had the life I wanted. But at the end of the day, they are my family. And one thing that I know about family is that we can never give up on them. No matter how tempting they make it. Once we cross that line and abandon our own people, we are no better than the Titans." Percy stated with his voice thick with emotion.
"Tell me another thing Percy. Why did you take that spear?" Athena questioned with an intense stare.
"Athena, every moment, every action does not need to have a logical reasoning attached to it. There was no logical reason for me taking that spear. What I did was based purely on my emotions. Athena, you are my close friend and my trusted companion. You trusted me enough to divulge your weakness to me. I would be a very bad partner if I did not follow through with the responsibility of having your back. Besides, I have already broken enough promises for one lifetime." Percy stated with a poignant smile.
Athena was a bit confused by his last statement but she did not ask him to elaborate.
"You are a wonderful enigma. I cannot find any other word to describe you. If I hadn't had the pleasure of working with you personally, I would have scoffed at your statement. All these days, I believed that emotions had no place in a logical conclusion. But now, I realise that emotions and logic are two very different sides of the same coin. If balanced properly, they complement each other rather than opposing each other." Athena quietly admitted.
"You summed that up perfectly. This is the reason why I fight for the gods. This is the reason why I took that spear for you. I believe that you, and the rest of the gods are inherently benevolent. You are willing to change for the better and, as long as that happens, the world is in good hands." Percy passionately declared.
Athena couldn't help but stare at him with a mixture of awe, respect and a very tiny amount of something else that she couldn't identify. Percy's personality was magnetic. He was so young, yet, he seemed to posess a wisdom that even most Olympians lacked. However, Percy's voice broke her train of thought.
"What about Ares? Is he fine?" Percy questioned.
"Yes Percy. Apart from being in a temporary coma due to an extreme depletion of energy, he doesn't seem to have sustained any major physical injuries. I have sent an iris message to Aunt Selene and thankfully, she will be giving us a ride back to Olympus tonight." Athena reassured.
"Thank you for everything, Athena." Percy sincerely thanked her with dazzling smile. A light, almost unnoticeable golden blush dusted Athena's cheeks but she quickly managed to regain her composure.
"As you aptly said, you are my close friend Percy. I will not forget your sacrifices. Once, this war is over, I plan to be the patron goddess of Kekropea. My first job will be to have a temple dedicated to you in the city. I will also make sure that you get the recognition and the reward that you deserve for all your efforts. This is the least I can do." Athena determinedly declared. Percy looked like he was about to protest, but the goddess interrupted him.
"Don't be modest Percy. I will not let you become another unsung hero. Now, go back to sleep. You still need to recover." Athena gently, yet firmly started.
Percy did not disagree with her; he was tired and sore all over. Adding to that, his chest was throbbing and his eyelids were starting to become heavy. With one final smile directed at Athena, Percy slowly slipped back into the realm of Hypnos.
As she observed his peaceful slumbering form, in that moment, for Athena, he seemed to be the personification of complete physical as well as mental and emotional perfection.
He seemed to be at peace and his muscles relaxed with each breath. His forehead was free of all stress lines and it was then that she noticed that a few strands of hair covering his unblemished forehead. Instinctively, she reached out and gently tucked those stray stands behind his ear. Inexplicably content, she left the room with a radiant smile on her face.
Percy was anxious. Along with Athena, he was waiting for Selene's arrival. She had been kind enough to offer them a return trip on her chariot all night. By daybreak, they would be on Olympus and he knew that his father would not be very pleased with his current state.
Even though they would return triumphant, they also had some grim news. He was a bit anxious about the surfacing of the bane of Zeus and he knew that this combined with the Earth Mother's increased interference could only mean one thing. The war had reached its final stage. His thoughts were broken by the sound of the Moon Chariot landing in front of them.
"Thank you for agreeing to give us another ride Aunt Selene." Athena thanked.
"Yes, I hope we did not bother you, Lady Selene." Percy politely stated. Selene immediately turned towards him with a scary expression on her face.
"I don't like what you're doing, Perseus. I thought that all the honorifics between us had stopped." Selene stated with an angry look on her face.
"Forgive me Aunt Selene. That was just a slip-up." Percy hastily corrected. Instantly, Selene's mood took a radical shift and she gave both of them a wide smile and gestured at them to board her chariot.
"Good grief. I never knew she could be this scary." Percy whispered.
"Oh, you have no idea." Athena muttered.
"Is there any problem nephew, niece?" Selene questioned with a sickly-sweet smile. Percy and Athena frantically nodded their heads. Selene gave a slight smirk before turning away.
Percy shook his head before getting up. Unfortunately, a pang of pain erupted in the right side of his body and he lost balance. However, Athena quickly moved in and gently supported him.
"This is embarrassing. At the very least, I should be able to walk on my own." Percy grumbled.
"Maybe you should have thought of that before taking a sixty feet long spear to the chest." Athena retorted.
This was enough to silence Percy and the two of them slowly made their way towards the moon chariot. Unknown to them was the silver eyed goddess observing them with a small smile on her face.
Selene was silently studying the twenty five year old Prince of Atlantis. Athena had fallen asleep opposite to him but Percy seemed to be deep in thought as he gazed at the stars.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" Selene casually commented in an attempt to strike up a conversation. Percy seemed a bit startled but nevertheless, he joined the conversation.
"Yes, they seem to be especially beautiful tonight." Percy mused.
"You miss her." Selene softly stated. Percy's muscles tensed for a moment as if preparing for an episode but they slowly relaxed once he realised that he wasn't experiencing one. A long silence enveloped both of them before Percy finally broke it.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't." Percy quietly replied. Selene couldn't help but sympathize with him.
"You should move on nephew. I know that it is easier said than done, but if it helps, Calypso has moved on. The time she spent with you was a great experience, but she has accepted the fact that it is over. I would advise you to do the same. As long as you cling on to false hope, you will never completely heal." Selene advised.
"I cannot just forget her." Percy angrily retorted.
"I am not asking you to forget her nephew. I am asking you to make peace with your own demons. I have witnessed all your episodes, albeit unintentionally, and my heart goes out to you. You need to stop tormenting yourself. I know that, given what your fatal flaw is, this won't be an easy task. I fear though that, if you sink any further, it will send you on a never-ending cycle of pain. Move on and live your life nephew. If not for yourself, do it at least for her sake." Selene soothed.
"I know, Aunt Selene, but it's just so hard. I see her everywhere. I feel as though she is everywhere alongside me. I want to move on too, it just seems to be an impossible task." Percy admitted with a frustrated sigh.
"Nephew, you don't need to force yourself to move on. You will heal at a natural rate. Give it some time. Start with a few baby steps and eventually, you will recover. What is imperative is making sure that you don't obstruct this process. And the only way to do that is by forgiving yourself. You did not have a choice, my boy. It may seem like you did but in reality, you didn't. You are not to blame for this. That is all in the past though. You have an entire immortal life ahead of you nephew. Making it a life of bliss or a life of torment is completely in your hands." Selene stated with wisdom sparkling in her eyes.
Percy's eyes slowly regained some mirth as he understood the wisdom behind Selene's advice. Slowly, a weight was lifted off Percy's shoulders as he realised that Calypso had moved on. He finally realised that the only thing he could do was live his life to the best extent possible.
"Thank you, Aunt Selene. Talking with you has provided me with some much needed closure." Percy earnestly stated.
"I am glad I could help, nephew." Selene replied with an affectionate smile. A pleasant silence enveloped them as Percy finally took the first step in his long journey of recovery.
Percy and Athena had stopped in front of the large, gleaming Celestial Bronze doors of the Olympian throne room. Rather, Percy had stopped and Athena who had been supporting him was puzzled by this sudden action. They had chosen to walk the short distance here as divine teleportation could cause some mild discomfort to Percy.
"Athena, I was just thinking of something. How about I go and keep a lookout on Ares in Apollo's palace while you talk to the rest of the gods?" Percy suggested.
"And why would Ares require security when he's in the most protected city in the world." Athena questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"You never know, danger is always lurking around." Percy feebly replied.
"Percy, I know that your father will not be pleased by your injury. But, if you are looking to stay out of trouble, you are going to have to come up with a better excuse." Athena dryly commented. Percy grumbled something under his breath but Athena quickly silenced him.
"Cheer up, Percy. You are returning as the greatest hero to have ever walked the earth. You will be getting numerous statues in Olympus and a mural in the throne room along with plenty of other rewards." Athena sincerely promised.
For what felt like the tenth time in that day, Percy seemed surprised at this statement and looked like he wanted to protest but once again, Athena interrupted him.
"You deserve to be respected and admired all across the world, Percy. Not only in my city." Athena stated.
Percy seemed unsure for a moment but, finally, he nodded his head and gave Athena a grateful smile. Athena returned it with a small smile of her own. With her free hand, she pushed the large doors open and they slowly entered the throne room.
The gods had been in an intense conversation. Apollo had informed them about Ares' return, and they were now anxiously waiting for Percy and Athena.
A few minutes later, Percy and Athena walked into the throne room and immediately, a silence enveloped the throne room as they stared at the uncovered, bandaged torso of Percy who seemed to be leaning on Athena for support. Poseidon was the first to break out of his stupor.
"Son what happened? How bad is your injury? What did you do? Who did this to you?" Poseidon rapidly questioned with his eyes continuously darkening with each question.
"Father, I was injured in battle by a gigas. It's nothing serious. Just a small bruise." Percy placatingly replied.
"Perseus, do not lie to me. Athena wouldn't have wrapped you in Mavrus' golden bandages if you weren't seriously injured." Poseidon stated with narrowed eyes. Thankfully, Hestia interrupted on Percy's behalf.
"Brother, he already seems to have endured a serious injury. Let him sit down and get comfortable for a moment." Hestia suggested. Percy shot her a grateful smile.
Poseidon nodded his head in agreement and with a gesture of his hand, a comfortable chair materialised in the centre of the throne room. Percy gave Athena one final smile as they took their respective seats.
"Uncle Poseidon, let me explain from the beginning." Athena stated. Poseidon did not seem pleased but at Percy's reassurance, he stiffly nodded.
In detail, Athena explained their entire journey, their battle with her bane, the failure of the sea green pearls to serve their purpose and their encounter with Zeus' bane. The emotions on the faces of the gods shifted from triumph to concern and eventually, anxiety. But the one emotion that stayed on their faces the entire time was awe.
"I knew that you were invulnerable but this is unbelievable. Even with indestructible armour on, what kind of a freak of nature do you have to be in order to shrug off a head on strike from a sixty feet long spear and attack as if you are unhurt?" Hermes rhetorically questioned. Poseidon shot an annoyed glare at Hermes for his choice of words before addressing Percy.
"What was the one thing that I told you not to do?" Poseidon angrily questioned Percy.
"Uh, something along the lines of not getting hurt?" Percy nervously replied. Even though he was an extremely powerful individual and could probably even give his father a decent fight, he was not willing to disappoint him. Poseidon just let out a sigh of exasperation.
"We will talk about this later son. For now, I am glad that you successfully made it out without sustaining any lethal injuries." Poseidon replied with hint of softness and relief. Percy gave his father a wide smile and everyone in the room couldn't help but be charmed by this little moment. Hestia was the next to speak.
"Nephew, niece, I never doubted both of your abilities and I am proud of what both of you have accomplished. You have brought back one of our family members and you have triumphed over not one but two challenges that were previously thought to be insurmountable." Hestia warmly complimented. Both Percy and Athena gave her gracious smiles.
"As Hestia said, both of you have definitely propelled us to the winning side of the war. I am proud of what both of you have accomplished." Zeus complimented in what was a very rare occurrence.
"However, this is not the time for us to rest. We have entered the final stage of this war and it is now time to defeat our banes and force the Earth Mother back into slumber once and for all. I have no doubt in our resolve or our strength. I am confident that we will triumph and herald in another age of peace and progress. This meeting is dismissed. Perseus, I would like to have a word with you in private." Zeus fiercely declared.
Most of the gods gave Percy a nod of respect and disappeared from the throne room but a few of them stayed back. Aphrodite was the first to speak.
"Percy, Athena, thank you for bringing back Ares. I can finally be at some ease after fourteen months of anxiety." Aphrodite thanked.
"Ares is family, Aphrodite, and family sticks together." Percy stated with a proud smile and all the remaining gods in the throne room gave him fond smiles. Aphrodite gave him and Athena one last nod of gratitude before disappearing in a puff of pink smoke. Apollo was the next to speak.
"Cousin, I took the liberty of scanning you and thankfully, there's nothing to worry about. However, I would suggest that you get proper treatment, either from me or from Mavrus." Apollo advised in his no-nonsense, doctor voice.
"I assume that you'll have your hands full with healing Ares so I will let Mavrus deal with me." Percy replied. Apollo gave him a nod before vanishing in a golden light.
"Son, I am not happy with the amount of injuries you are picking up. Nonetheless, I am overjoyed that you will be back in Atlantis. Your mother, your brother and your aunts have missed you. Your mother has also organized a ball to celebrate your return." Poseidon started somewhat cheerfully but his voice became gloomy towards the end. Percy groaned at his father's last statement.
"Of course my return to Atlantis would be celebrated with a ball." Percy muttered.
"It's good to have you back, son. I'll be waiting for you outside. Pray to me once you're done." Poseidon stated with a fond smile. He gave Zeus and Athena a nod before disappearing in a blue mist. Much to Zeus' annoyance, Athena was the next to speak.
"Working with you has been a pleasure Percy. I hope that you return to optimal health soon." Athena greeted in serene smile.
"Barring the injury, this certainly has been a good experience. I look forward to working with you again." Percy replied with dazzling smile. They stared at each other for a moment longer before Athena finally gave him a final nod of gratitude and disappeared in a grey light.
"Finally; for a moment it seemed that I would never get to talk to you." Zeus grumbled in exasperation. A silence enveloped them as he stared at Percy.
"Nephew, thank you for protecting my daughter. I would have been devastated if she had lost her physical form and had been forced to reform. You followed through with your promise and I will not forget that. You have also been one of our most valuable fighters in this war and you will be duly and handsomely rewarded at the end of this war. This is my promise to you." Zeus stated with a surprising warmth in his tone. Once again, Percy was caught off guard by the mention of reward but he quickly recovered.
"I have only fulfilled my duty, Lord Zeus. I had promised you that I would protect Athena and I will always follow through with my promises. The gods are my family and Athena my close friend. I will always be there for those who believe in me." Percy passionately replied.
"I don't like admitting it but you have taught us a valuable lesson, nephew. You have shown us the importance of family and that has potentially prevented us from taking the same turn for the worse as the Titans did. You are a good man. The rest of the gods and I are certainly with you. May even the fates be with you." Zeus stated with a small smile before disappearing in a blinding flash of lightning.
Percy shook his head with a wide smile on his face. He had not been lying when he had said that this was a good experience. They had freed Ares and had gotten out of a pickle relatively unscathed. Also, he had achieved some closure and he had even had the pleasure of working with Athena.
Added to all of that, his faith in the gods was stronger than ever. All in all, it looked like his destiny was on an upward curve. With these motivating thoughts on his mind, he prayed to his father and a moment later, he disappeared in a blue mist.
Hey guys! First of, I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. This chapter was meant to be posted on Sunday but after finishing three-fourths of the chapter, I ended up deleting it by mistake. Thus, I was forced to rewrite the entire chapter as I don't keep any backups. However, I am very happy with my rewrite and I hope that all of you like it too.
Also, you may be a bit confused as to how Porphyrion was injured by lightning because the novels state that he has resistance to all lightning strikes except the ones delivered by Zeus' Master Bolt. Technically, the rod of plasma that Percy controls is not really lightning. Rather, it's a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen plasma. So I have exploited that little detail.
Okay coming to the Percy X Athena moments in this story, I know that I have completely deviated from the subtlety that I had conserved in my earlier chapters. This is because, I felt that they had developed enough chemistry and I also felt like Percy taking the spear for her was a major catalyst for Athena.
In this chapter, she's finally started seeing the person behind the prince and the fighter by witnessing his most vulnerable moments. So I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to really get the Percy X Athena pairing going.
Also, closely observing and practically dissecting Percy's personality has, to a certain extent, taught Athena the value of emotions. While she will never be overly emotional, this is also setting up a different approach to her personality.
So she will be much more sensitive, more emotional and definitely not as cold-hearted as she is in the canon. But, of course, I will try not to deviate entirely from the canon. But, it's not possible to have a Percy X Athena pairing without making significant tweaks on her personality.
Finally, it may seem like I am dragging the Calypso arc but I want to show how much it's mentally wreaked Percy. Like I have said, I want the protagonist to actually earn his happiness rather than being handed everything on a silver platter.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!