Chapter 27
Greetings viewers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter! Let me first apologize for this delay. It took a long time for me to finish this chapter because I had to move around a bit due to the sudden surge in cases.
Moving on, firstly, I would like to thank John, Cool and Percathena for your (continued) support!
Answering a guest reviewers question, no, I am not Anaklusmos14 in a different account. Nevertheless, I take it as a compliment that you liked this story enough to compare me to arguably, the best Percy Jackson fanfiction writer. Thank you for your continued support!
Regarding SonGoku76's review, I know that I did not pull any punches in the previous chapter but that'll be the last chapter in this story to focus exclusively on Percy and Athena. There will definitely be a few moments here and there, but I will leave the rest of the development for the next story. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Achilles' review, I am glad that you liked the previous chapter. Of course, one of my main priorities is finishing this trilogy as soon as possible. But, life does tend to mess around quite a bit and I refuse to publish any chapter that's sub-par or not up to the mark. However, this is my dream project and I will definitely see it to the end. Regardless of how much ever time it takes. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Okoh's review, trust me, I had the same sort of excitement while writing the previous chapter. It was actually one of my favourite chapters and even though it was a major annoyance rewriting it, I loved the end result. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to PerseusJackson's review, I totally agree with you. If I had not developed the Olympians' characters differently bit by bit and instead, tried to shove all the positives into them at one shot, this story would admittedly be unreadable. I am glad that you liked the last chapter, I hope that you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
Regarding Mike2020's review, I am glad that you liked the last chapter. Thank you for your compliments. I just want to give my best while writing this trilogy and I am glad that you liked this story. Thank you for your support and keep binging :)
Responding to Ryan Fowler's review, I am happy that you like the way the dynamics between Percy and the rest of his family have been developed. I come from a very close knit extended family myself so I enjoy writing as well as reading stories that project the values of families. I am glad that you liked the previous chapter and I hope that you like this chapter as well!
In response to Callum Runchman's review, don't worry, I am not going to portray Percy as though he's always going through PTSD. I believe that constantly making use of Calypso to haunt him will gradually reduce the impact of these episodes and I definitely don't want that. In order to make it more gut wrenching, I'll use the Calypso card very sparsely, so that the emotional calorific value of that arc is more satisfying. Rest assured, I will not make it seem as though he's only one step away from losing himself in his fatal flaw and becoming a monster. At least not yet. Thank you for your support!
Answering hawkeyestratos1996's question, I can't answer your question without spoiling a lot of things. However, I will give you a hint, I will take a metaphysical approach that has already been visited upon in the canon. Another hint, it's not what you think it is :) Thank you for you continued support!
In response to ItsYaBoi325's review, firstly, yes, I am a dude. I am flattered that you think that this is your favourite story. There are a LOT of freaking amazing stories out there and I am touched that you like this story this much. I am glad that you are as excited about the Percy X Athena pairing as I am and also, you are right. You perfectly worded what I was trying to portray in the previous chapter. I want to show how Calypso is still affecting Percy's life even without really affecting it personally or intentionally, if that sentence makes any sense that is. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well? Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to JoJo Jesus' review, I definitely love what I am doing. I mean if it means that sometimes I have to take a small sleep reduction to deliver a chapter, it never gets old or boring. Personally, I am quite surprised that I have the same enthusiasm as I had three months ago when I started this story. Of course, part of the reason is because this has been my dream for many years and writing gives me a great amount of joy. But, even the constant support, motivation and the constructive criticism from all of you has been instrumental in bringing this story to this stage. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to IceFire99's review, you are spot on. I took a more positive approach to Zeus because of two main reasons. One, I felt that this was a less treaded upon path and thus, it had more potential. Second, I was partly influenced by Anaklusmos14's stories. But then again, who isn't. I am glad that you like the direction in which this story is going. Yes, answering to reviews may take a bit of time but the sheer satisfaction and happiness that it provides in return more than compensates for the time spent. That's the reason I don't ignore any review and I dedicate my headnotes to my reviewers. Because they are the people who take time out of their busy schedules to interact and share a few kind words with me.
I mean what's better than the fact that two absolute strangers who know nothing about each other and probably live on the opposite ends of the world can interact amicably about a story and provide the writers motivation is what I feel makes fanfiction the best form of social media.
I am stoked that you think my action scenes are good. To be honest, when I started this story, I had concretely figured out only two aspects that I felt were uncompromisingly essential for this story. One was fast paced but yet follow able action and the other was proper character development. Thank you for your continued support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.
Ares was about to spar with the only man other than the Big Three who could match him in brute physical strength; someone who also happened to be one of his two favourite people, along with Aphrodite.
Ares had suffered a horrible imprisonment. He had been depraved of his energy right to the edge of its capacity and it had taken him tens of jars of Nectar, hundreds of squares of Ambrosia and six months to be able to fight again. That, in his opinion, meant he had gotten rather rusty. Thankfully, he had found the perfect sparring partner in Percy and he had been sparring with him on a weekly basis for the whole duration of his rehabilitation.
He had a found a great and understanding friend, the perfect sparring partner and a very honourable man in Percy. Aphrodite had told him how the young prince had agreed to spearhead the entire campaign to free him and, even though he had only thanked Percy verbally once, he had a deep-seated gratitude towards his cousin.
He had ordered the construction of a large temple in Sparta along with many other small ones, that were going to be dedicated to Percy. It was an unusual thing for Ares to do. He had always maintained a rude, brutish, seemingly ungrateful and unemotional front but, other than Aphrodite, Percy was the only one who he allowed to see the honourable and respectable man behind the mask.
This had led to them striking up the most unlikely of friendships. The young prince was practically his polar opposite in many ways but they did share some key similarities when it came to battle and honour during war.
The biggest plus point was that, whenever he sparred with Percy, he could go all out. He did not need to pull back his strikes in fear of injuring his opponent because, much to his amazement, Percy always managed to match and sometimes, even outpace him blow-to-blow.
Initially, Ares had doubted Percy's physical strength but when the man broke his nose with an unrelenting right hook during their first spar, he had quickly realised that his cousin was more than capable of keeping up with his beyond Olympian physical strength.
In fact, his cousin had managed to beat him three out of five times in all their spars due to his superior speed and unmatchable endurance. His thoughts were broken by Percy's voice.
"What's the matter Ares? Chickening out before our next spar?" Percy taunted.
"I was thinking of the best ways to pummel you." Ares replied with an infuriating smirk.
"Ha! You wish." Percy retorted with a predatory smirk. This was another reason Ares liked Percy. The man was completely impervious to his rage-inducing presence.
Ares' blood red armour enveloped him and his massive two-handed broadsword materialised in his hands.
"Only physical attacks?" Percy questioned. Ares nodded his head with a smirk.
Instantly, Percy mimicked his actions and he went on the offensive with two vertical slashes from his pitch-black swords.
With the help of his precognitive battle sense, Ares managed to block the strikes with his own sword, though he immediately skidded back a few feet when Percy shot a powerful kick at his gut.
Ares recovered in a second and he managed to block another slash from Percy. He sensed a second slash coming from a second direction and managed to twist out of the way in the last minute.
Taking advantage of his position, he immediately rammed the flat of his sword against Percy and sent the tri-blood skidding backwards. He dashed forward with a powerful overhead strike, only to find that his sparring partner was quicker than him.
Percy nimbly and acrobatically dodged the overhead strike and tried to slam the hilt of his one of his swords into Ares' knee. However, the god managed to shift his leg, avoid the attack and then proceeded to attack him with a horizontal strike.
Reflexively, Percy blocked the extremely powerful slash with both his swords. Ares tried to push him back but he was unable to budge Percy's position even by an inch. The two of them were locked in a power struggle before Percy suddenly pulled back.
Ares had expected an evasive manoeuvre similar to this and drove his sword forward. Rather than blocking it, Percy deftly deflected the strike and caused Ares to involuntarily stumble a foot to the right. A second later, Percy delivered an unpredictable roundhouse kick to Ares' exposed side.
The sheer force behind the kick was enough to launch Ares a few feet into the air. He roughly landed on one knee and immediately blocked Percy's twin slashes. Unexpectedly, he pushed upwards and managed to get on his feet by catching Percy off-guard.
However, Percy almost instantly recovered and unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes, slashes, feints and stabs. Only Ares' precognitive battle sense which could sense the trajectory of weapons milliseconds before they struck managed to prevent him from being riddled with gashes and wounds.
Unfortunately, some of Percy's slashes were so fast that even though he could sense them, he did not have the speed to block them.
As testament to Percy's endurance, he consistently kept up the flurry of attacks for tens of minutes. Ares could only manage to land a few blows while parrying as he was forced on the defensive. To make matters worse, even though Percy was picking up bruises, he did not seem to be slowing down. In contrast, he actually seemed to be speeding up.
Ares found it impossible to find an opening and deliver a decisive strike because Percy was not even attempting to change tactics. Instead, he used his relentless offense and titanic endurance to dictate the course of the spar. This dance of blades continued for a long time with Percy slowly gaining ground.
Finally, Percy noticed that Ares had marginally slowed down, due to the numerous cuts he had picked up. Deviating from his constant and carefully calibrated offense, he used a large swathe of his remaining energy to switch to a blistering but unsustainable attack.
Ares had not expected him to have this much energy left and was completely taken by surprise. In a very short time, he was riddled with cuts, gashes and wounds. However, by now, he had sparred with Percy enough time to know that the prince would slow down. He was actually caught off-guard though when his precognitive battle sense was unable to detect a left hook heading his way.
His head was forced backwards as Percy decked him. Immediately, he was assaulted with a set of fists and kicks. Before he could react, another closing roundhouse kick sent him flying backwards.
Ares groaned when he landed and when he looked up at him, he found a pitch-black sword levelled at him. He nodded his head in concession and Percy's swords disappeared from his hand as he extended a hand towards the kneeling god.
Ares took his hand and he was hoisted up. A second later, two large squares of Ambrosia materialised in his hands and he offered one to Percy.
"You're relying solely upon your sixth sense, Ares. Unfortunately, that doesn't allow you to sense attacks without weapons. Looking out for other attacks will be helpful. Besides, it will even help you out while facing divine energy blasts." Percy suggested.
"Other than Athena, you're the only one who knows about the true extent of my precognitive battle sense. No one else has the brains to figure that out. Also, you should be a bit more cautious in your offense. It worked against me because you had the advantage in speed. I saw multiple openings where your offense could be broken but I didn't have the agility or speed to strike them. But if you are fighting a nimbler opponent such as Artemis or Athena, you should cover yourself better." Ares grumbled before giving his own piece of advice to Percy.
Percy nodded his head and made a mental note of Ares' advise. It would come in handy in his next spar with Athena, another new habit of his. He would spar with Athena and Ares on a weekly basis and these spars had provided him with excellent battle experience. This had even provided him the opportunity to come up with new tactics and strategies. His train of thought was broken by Aphrodite's arrival.
"Hello Percy." Aphrodite greeted him with a hug.
"Hello Aphrodite." Percy greeted back with a wide smile. He had grown very close to the goddess of love in the past year. She had taken on the role of a therapist and that of a caring elder sister in his life.
Over the past year, he had split his weeks between Olympus and Atlantis. He spent four days in Atlantis while he lived in his father's palace on Olympus for the other three days. And occasionally, he joined the minor gods on a strike mission against monster camps.
When he was on Olympus, he spent a large chunk of his time with Athena. He spent his time discussing war plans, designing upgrades for their systems and sparring with her. However, those weren't the only things they did together.
Every week, just before he left for Atlantis, he and Athena would go to a concert of the muses, attend a play at the Olympian theatre or just roam around the breath-taking city and discuss a myriad of non-battle related topics. To his pleasant surprise, it had been a very good experience.
Even his episodes and delusions had become few and far in between. While he still mourned the loss of Calypso, he had learnt to live with it. Talking to Selene had provided him with a lot of closure and his frequent talks with Aphrodite had helped him to move on, at least partially.
He was still not interested in pursuing romantic engagements with anyone else. In his opinion, it was nothing short of betrayal to move on so fast and discard all his love for Calypso. However, apart from that, mirth and joy were slowly returning to his life. It was almost as if his life was riding on a second wind. Deep down though he knew that this peace was just momentary. This was the calm before the storm.
While they had wiped out multiple camps of monsters, they had not encountered a single gigas for the past year. Neither had they experienced any hindrance from the Earth Mother. The attacks on Olympus by the spirits had continued, but with the RADARs running at full capacity, that had become a non-issue. His thoughts were interrupted by Aphrodite's voice.
"A council meeting has been convened and both of you are required there." Aphrodite conveyed.
She waved her hand and instantly they were both clean of all sweat, dust and grime. He nodded at her in thanks and disappeared in a blue mist.
When Percy materialised in the throne room, he was not expecting to see his paternal grandmother in the centre of the throne room.
"Grandmother." Percy greeted her in slight surprise.
"Hello grandson." Rhea greeted back with a warm smile.
Percy observed the solemn looks on her face and the rest of the council and immediately realised that she had brought along some grim news.
"I assume that this is not a cordial visit." Percy stated. Rhea nodded with a sigh.
"Unfortunately, yes. Day has informed me that the Earth Mother has birthed another dozen gigantes with the Pit. All these gigantes are the banes of the gods that have sided with you and all of them are planning to mount an assault on Olympus in a few months." Rhea cautiously explained. The slightest amount of anxiety made its way into Percy's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by a steely determination.
"Thank you for bringing us this crucial information, grandmother. We have already stocked up on our missiles and weaponry for this scenario, which leaves us perfectly poised to repel any invasion." Percy reassured. Most of the gods let out a small sigh of relief.
"Unfortunately, the SPEARs won't be of any help as we don't have any biological sample to specifically target gigantes. However, we have around half a dozen SKEANs. We can save those for the strongest gigantes or use them to gain an early advantage." Athena continued. Zeus nodded his head in affirmation.
"Athena and Perseus are right. Barring Poseidon and Hades, all gods - regardless of whether they are our allies or not - and Perseus will be on Olympus at all times. Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes and Artemis, I want each of you to lead a group of gods and form strike teams that will be constantly ready for the assault. Hephaestus, you are in charge of making sure that all our weaponry is in perfect shape for battle." Zeus ordered. Hestia suddenly spoke up.
"I have an extremely important proposal. I believe Perseus, Athena and Ares should form an Olympian Triumvirate that oversees this mission." Hestia stated. After hearing this statement, the eyes of everyone in the throne room widened, except Percy's.
"A triumvirate? Aunt Hestia, surely, you jest." Artemis stated with disbelief evident in her voice.
"Niece, I am not a fan of setting up a triumvirate either, but the situation mandates it. We cannot ignore this threat. This is the most efficient way to tackle this threat." Hestia solemnly stated.
"Ok, I am confused. What is a triumvirate? I have never heard of it." Percy questioned. Athena was the one to answer him.
"An Olympian Triumvirate is a set of three Olympians who lead a specific domain such as war. Once created, the Olympian Triumvirate becomes an all-powerful entity with the authority to supersede any god or even the entire Olympian council in matters pertaining to that domain. This institution exists so that our personal squabbles with each other does not interfere with our response to a significant threat." Athena paused before continuing.
"An Olympian Triumvirate must be elected by all the members of the council and Hades. It is set up only for a certain time interval to deal with a specific crisis and is immediately dissolved once the crisis has been dealt with. Once elected, the rest of the council will solemnly swear to not question their authority in that domain. However, the triumvirs also have to take an oath that they will not misuse the power for their own personal benefit." Athena concluded. Percy was left speechless as he absorbed all this information.
"Father, is it really necessary to set up a triumvirate?" Apollo questioned with some uncertainty. Zeus sighed wearily before answering his son.
"I am not pleased with this proposition Apollo, but Hestia is right. We lost Ares for fourteen months because we underestimated the threat the gigantes posed. A triumvirate has the ability to effectively deal with them and assuredly bring us victory." Zeus replied. Demeter was the one to chip in this time.
"Nephew, the three of them are perfect for this role. Athena is the best strategist in the world. She can formulate the perfect strategy to defeat this threat. Ares has the knowledge and experience to train the minor gods and make sure that they are fully prepared to deal with their banes." Demeter explained.
"Finally, Percy has proven to be extremely adept at innovating and finding pragmatic, more efficient approaches to problems. Together, Percy and Athena can find weak links in the armours of our enemies and successfully exploit those weaknesses. Also, he can provide crucial insights to the minor gods and make sure that there is greater coordination in battle with him." Demeter concluded.
"Hestia and Demeter are right. It is true that an Olympian Triumvirate has never been set up. However, that is only because the council has never faced a problem of this magnitude. We were caught off guard in the first stage of this war. We need to make sure that does not happen again, not when we are this close to victory." Poseidon supported the motion with a fiery speech.
After listening to him, most of the gods nodded their heads to convey their consent, albeit some of them very grudgingly.
"Wait, Athena said that only Olympians can be the triumvirs of an Olympian Triumvirate." Percy voiced out.
In reality, Percy did not want to be a triumvir. He had most definitely not expected to have power and authority of this magnitude handed to him on a silver platter and he was unsure about taking on such a great amount of responsibility.
He was no stranger to great responsibility; it was what had forced him to leave Calypso. He had learnt the hard way that taking too much power was not always a good thing. At least not from a personal point of view. However, his statement was met with many deadpan looks.
"Is that really your question? Are you seriously asking this question after doing everything that only an Olympian is capable of doing?" Apollo drawled with his voice dripping with sarcasm. Percy chose the right option of staying silent.
"Now that all questions have been answered. Shall we call a vote?" Poseidon shot a pointed look towards Percy and questioned. Once again, he was met with nods from the rest of the gods.
"All in favour of the First Olympian Triumvirate being formed with Perseus, Athena and Ares as the triumvirs." Zeus stated. Instantly, thirteen hands rose up as all the gods present in the throne room conveyed their assent to ratify this proposal.
"Since all of us have ratified this proposal, tonight, at the Olympian Plaza, the First Olympian Triumvirate will be officially formed and an Olympian ball will be arranged to commemorate this event. Hermes, I want you to inform all the minor gods who are on our side of this development and extend to them invitations to the event. Wife, Aphrodite, I believe both of you will be able to arrange the ball. Poseidon, I extend the invites to you and the rest of the Atlantean Royal family. If there are no other questions, this meeting is dismissed." Zeus proudly announced before disappearing in a blinding flash of lightning. As soon as he left, Percy let out a groan.
"Why do we have to have a ball? Can't we all just take our oaths and get to work?" Percy grumbled. This incited a chuckle from most of the gods and Rhea and even made Hades' face break into a small smile.
"Son, unfortunately, some people decided to make this an extremely elaborate formality and fill it with pomp." Poseidon replied with annoyed looks directed at Hera and Aphrodite.
"Hush Poseidon. Nephew, the inception of an Olympian Triumvirate is an event of very great significance. This is also the first time that such an event is taking place in history. Its importance is akin to the inception of the Olympian Council. As such, it will be marked and celebrated by an Olympian ball to commemorate its inception." Hera stated.
"Yes Percy. In the ceremony, once you take your oath, you will be given Olympian robes made from the finest Olympian silk that have been dyed golden with Nectar. I have already talked to your mother and she says that she will take the responsibility of ensuring that you are at your best for the ceremony." Aphrodite explained.
After listening to her final statement, a look of horror made its way onto Percy's face. But, before he could say anything, a blue mist covered him and when it dissipated, there was no sign of Percy. Poseidon shook his head in resignation and, following his son, he disappeared in a blue mist.
"It never gets boring with him around, does it." Hermes stated with a fond smile. Identical smiles spread out on the faces of everyone present in the throne room.
"This is the biggest reason why I think he is perfect for the role of a triumvir. His greatest ability is neither his raw power and divine physical attributes nor is it his invulnerability – it's his magnetic personality and unifying presence. Think about it. He has brought all of you under one banner. Of course, the glaring threat of the Earth Mother and gigantes has also contributed to that but, it is his presence that radiates peace and calmness that has added cohesion to your previously fractured council." Rhea stated.
A look of realisation made its way onto their faces as they realised that she was right. Percy had changed them over the past two years and it had been for the better. With these positive thoughts, all of them vanished from the throne room in different flashes of light.
As Amphitrite watched Percy take his oath, don the golden robes with sea green accents and take his place as an Olympian Triumvir, pride oozed out of her eyes.
"Hard to imagine that the pipsqueak I knew would one day become strong enough to be an Olympian Triumvir." Triton mused. Amphitrite shook her head in an effort to shake off the surreal wonder of the moment.
"Yes. He has certainly come a very long way. Your claim about mortals writing and recounting tales of his valour will definitely become true. He already has a few temples dedicated to him in Sparta, certainty, many more will follow." Amphitrite opined.
"Not to mention that he is already deified to a very great extent under the sea. I wonder, will being this greatly deified actually transform him into a god?" Triton questioned her with curiosity.
"Honestly, I don't know Triton. While it is true that a greater place in history and constant remembrance of mortals gives more power to our essences, it's not the only thing that makes us gods. With Percy, he is only a mortal by technicality. Even though he has a soul, the chances of it being reaped by someone else are so astronomically miniscule due to the ichor that flows through his veins, that we may as well classify him as a complete immortal." Amphitrite revealed.
"Maybe deification will give him some metaphysical abilities but there's no substantial evidence to deduce anything with accuracy. However, Percy does have a track record of setting historic firsts so as of now, nothing can be ruled out." Amphitrite replied after giving deep thought to Triton's question.
"Right, that's exactly what he needs. More powers." Triton sarcastically retorted.
Amphitrite chuckled at his statement before turning towards Percy and observing him once again. Perhaps, one day, he would be so highly deified that he would overshadow all of them except Poseidon. But she was neither afraid nor was she jealous because she knew that, no matter how divine or immortal Percy became, he would always retain the small sliver of mortality required to make him the best of both worlds.
Percy, Athena and Ares had tirelessly worked for more than a month to prepare for the assault. Ares and occasionally Percy trained the minor gods to be capable of facing their banes while Athena and Percy had dutifully provided each major god with a detailed synopsis of their banes' weaknesses.
Percy had conducted multiple reconnaissance missions and had found out that, on the day of the attack, around ten thousand spirits would attack Olympus. He had acted swiftly and with the help of the Elder Cyclopes, he had secured much more than the required number of SPEARs required to tackle this threat.
However, in the past month, one problem had become glaringly obvious. He was not enough. The minor gods would not be able to hold off their banes alone. Not with the Earth Mother constantly interfering. To make matters worse, they knew nothing about the new brood of gigantes. For that reason, he and Athena had come up with a proposition.
Presently, a council meeting was being held with all the major gods in attendance. Ares was divulging the details of the minor gods' training. Once he was finished, Percy and Athena nodded at each other and they decided to put forward their proposal to the council. Percy cleared his throat and instantly, all the attention was on him.
"In the past month, Athena and I have noticed a major chink in our strategy and that chink is over-reliance on me. While I have no doubt that all of you will have no problem fighting your banes, the same can't be said for the minor gods. Ares' training will put them on equal footing with their banes but, they will not be able to simultaneously fight their banes and fend off the Earth Mother. For that reason, we will need more mortal heroes to help us in this battle." Percy neutrally stated.
"We have conducted extensive research for plausible candidates and after a thorough analysis, we have deduced that there are only two heroes capable of supporting us. They are both demigods and my half-brothers. The heroes are Heracles and Dionysus." Athena concluded. Almost instantly, worry filled Zeus' eyes.
"Nephew, do you really require their assistance? They might be two of the strongest demigods but, I am not sure they are strong enough to be pitted against gigantes." Zeus replied. Hera shot a viperous glare at Zeus and was about to say something when Percy interrupted her before a fight could break out.
"Lord Zeus, I do not want anyone else to get involved either but unfortunately, I cannot be at a dozen places at once. Even if I aid the minor gods at the start of the battle, by the time I reach the last minor god, the Earth Mother would have found a way to at least severely injure them, if not worse. They will not be fighting the banes of the major gods, Lord Zeus, I will take care of that. However, we will need them for an assured victory. Hypothetically, we can win without them but, there may be some unforeseen problems." Percy honestly replied.
Zeus finally sighed in resignation and gave his consent. Not that it really mattered. The moment Perseus, Athena and Ares had been made triumvirs, even he was not above their authority in any decisions for the war. Whatever their proposition was, it would be executed regardless of others' opinions on it. Thankfully they had not bulldozed any proposals and had always taken the advise of the council.
"Hermes, go and bring your half-brothers to Olympus. They will be living here and training under Ares until this war is over." Zeus ordered. Hermes nodded his head and disappeared. Zeus then turned towards Percy and Athena.
"Daughter, nephew, I have faith in both of you and your plans and I have no doubt that we will win this war. If there are no other questions, this council is dismissed." Zeus complimented and disappeared in a shower of sparks.
Everyone else followed his lead and disappeared in order to train, plan and prepare. After all, the greatest battle of the millennium awaited them.
Ares was annoyed and the source of his annoyance were his two obnoxious and arrogant half-brothers. They, especially the burlier one, had a penchant of not properly listening to his advice. To his immense satisfaction though, over the past month, he had managed to squash their arrogance by putting them through a hellish training regime.
He had to admit, once he trained them, they were not half that bad in wielding their respective weapons. However, their prowess in battle was not even a fraction of Percy's and he had realised how screwed the gods would be if it weren't for Percy.
In all honestly, he did not see his mortal half-brothers as gigas-fighting material, but he trusted his fellow triumvirs. If they both thought that these brats could prove useful, that was all the confirmation he required. He had given the two punks a few days of rest as he had sensed that the final battle was approaching.
At this stage, the assault could commence at any point in time. His intuition proved right, as he heard a series of hundreds of sonic booms go off in the distance. Instantly, his blood red Spartan armour covered him and he disappeared in a puff of blood red smoke.
When Ares materialised in the Olympian throne room, he observed that all the major gods, Percy, all the minor gods fighting on their side and his half-brothers in their respective armours and seemingly ready for battle. Unsurprisingly, it was Percy who addressed all of them.
"Today, all of us face the biggest threat to ever emerge after the Titans. We are fighting against the primordial of the earth and her draconian offspring. This will be a battle unlike any that came before. It will be long. It will be bloody. And it will definitely exhaust all of us and push us to the extreme limits of our abilities. But we will win. Not because we have the numbers or because we are physically and metaphysically stronger. We will win because we fight for family, for protecting the world and for ensuring that a new age of prosperity and peace dawns upon the world. In stark contrast to that, our enemies only fight for personal greed, malevolence and an intent to raze this world to ashes. What they have failed to understand is that fate is not kind to those who seek to disrupt its flow. We will win because today, fate is on our side!" Percy passionately roared.
All the assembled gods and heroes, including Zeus, were galvanized by this fiery declaration. He had roused the pride, passion and benevolence in all of them and their cores resonated with his speech. Energized by Percy's speech, Zeus gave a war declaration of his own.
"Ares, sound the horn of war. Olympus is going to war. And we will return victorious." Zeus fiercely declared.
Ares nodded and a long, curved trumpet of ivory materialised in his hands. He took a deep breath and blew the trumpet. A great roar erupted from the trumpet and that mighty roar was heard leagues away from Olympus. The signal was clear. They were going for the kill.
All the assembled gods and heroes disappeared in different flashes of light, puffs of smoke and screens of mist. They would win this battle. For the sake of the free world and for ensuring a prosperous and peaceful era, they had win this battle.
Hey guys! So with this chapter, we reach the final arc of this story. There are probably only three or at the max, four chapters left in this story and I thank all of you for being a part of this journey. It may seem like Percy is massively overpowered by smacking around Ares but bear in mind that this is just one of their many spars. He managed to find an effective strategy for this spar and scored the win. But, he's also lost multiple times. However, at this stage in this story, he is already stronger than all the younger Olympians. Individually, they may have specific advantages in different physical attributes but his stats are more well rounded. However, he is only marginally stronger than them. So he's definitely not on the level of the Big Three or for that matter, on Atlas' level yet.
Now the concept of the Olympian Triumvirate is a very, very important detail for the next stories. I know it may seem like I have added a lot of pomp but, I really cannot overstate it's importance as it contains multiple plot points.
I chose a time skip of one year because I felt that Percy and Athena could use some off-screen development. I even had to give Percy's familial dynamic with Aphrodite and the rest of the gods some time to improve. All of you would have also noticed his gradual assimilation into Olympus and again, this is very important for the next story.
Also, like I have done with practically every other Olympian, I have given a positive spin on Ares. Making him more honorable, more friendly, more grateful and a lot more things. Probably, I am deviating the most from canon when it comes to him but, I could not resist the challenge of giving a completely positive spin on Ares. Just to mix up the dynamic a bit.
Finally, Hercules and Dionysus have finally been introduced, though not in person. They will have a somewhat brief role and some minor action in the next chapters, but they'll not feature too much after that. Instead, I have some other plans :)
A shout-out to MissyAndTheDocs for your phenomena editing!
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!