Chapter 29
Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed the previous chapter! Firstly I would like to thank the guest reviewer for your continued support!
Next, responding to John's review, I know how you feel, I mean even I am a tad bit emotional that this story is going to be over, it's just surreal. But I hope you will like the next story just as much or possibly, even more than this one. Thank you for your continued support!
I would also like to thank HellRaiderS for your supportive reviews. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to the TheCrazedValkyrie's review, I am glad that you liked the portrayal of Amphitrite. Thank you for your support!
In reference to SonGoku76's review, I am glad you liked the previous chapter. Let's just say I like cliffhangers :) Thank you for your continued support!
In reference to Achilles' review, I am flattered that you think so highly of my cliffhangers. Why a suspense thriller? I have an Espionage Arc planned in this trilogy :) Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Okoh's review, I am glad that you are liking this OP Percy story and I definitely don't have plans to stop anytime soon! Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Yesse2362's review, I do agree with you. Percy is in some ways, very different from his canonical portrayal but I have tried to retain some of his most basic characteristics such as his loyalty and his altruism. I am glad you liked this story! Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Callum Runchman's review, yes, the first part of this chapter will be a tad bit tense. Yeah, the gods really like Percy and that trend is only going to go upwards. The extent to which that gratitude and appreciation will be shown in detail in this chapter so I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
In response to Gabe1234's review, I am glad that you liked the action scenes of the previous chapter. If I could, I would have written the fight scenes for all the gods but I was quickly running out of ideas and at any cost, I didn't want to make the fights repetitive because that would just make the chapter very boring. Regarding changing the canonical events, there's something in the footnote that I would like for you to read. Thank you for your continued support!
In response to ItsYaBoi325's review, I am glad that you liked the previous chapter! I know, I know, it may have been a bit too much to end two chapters back to back in a tense way but this is the end of the story. So I want to create that sort of anxiety that approaches at the end of a war. I hope you like this chapter as well! Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to Ryan Fowler's review, first of , I am thrilled that you enjoyed the previous chapter. Secondly, the Hunters Of Artemis haven't been formed yet because, as you may have noticed, there's a daughter of Atlas missing. Let's just say I have an entire arc in store :) Thank you for your continued support!
In response to JoJo Jesus' reviews, it's totally fine, I know how hectic it gets sometimes and I am very grateful that all of you take the time to interact with me. I know, your first review was for the eighth chapter and now we are at the twenty ninth one. I am so grateful that you and so many others have kept up with this story over the course of almost four months.
Coming to your second review, yeah, even I was really excited for these chapters and I hope that I have delivered. Don't worry, what you will see in this chapter will only be a trailer of what is to come :) Once again, I am really thankful for your support and I definitely love writing this story. And the good news is that I have already started the work on my next story and I have outlined the arcs and the first chapter will hit the press probably just a week after this story is over. So there won't be a hiatus or any such thing. I'll discuss more about this later. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to IceFire99's review, I am stoked that you liked the flow of the action scenes in the previous chapter. Interspersing them with dialogues was an attempt to break the action packed monotony of the previous chapter. I mean, a chapter oriented on fights is already very fast paced and if all the fights are just clubbed together without any breaks , it makes it hard to read. So I am happy I was able to achieve that.
Also, I am glad that you liked the fluidity in the shift of Percy's behaviour. He is more or less a personification of the sea and just like the sea, he is very calm, altruistic and amicable when positive emotions are driving him. When negative emotions drive him, he kicks up a hurricane, literally and figuratively. Thank you for your continued support!
Responding to ShadowThanatos' review, I am glad that you liked the previous chapter! I totally agree with you. The gigantes could never really match up to the Olympians because they lacked the balance between strength and agility. Even in Heroes Of Olympus, RR shows that even though they are really strong, they are far too slow even for demigods of Percy's and Jason's calibre. Those two managed to take out almost gigantes entirely on their own just because they were faster, so you're right, a Percy this strong shouldn't have much trouble.
I am sorry for not being able to portray the fights with all the gods. It was initially my plan but I am not that good at naming OCs and all the minor gods' banes were OCs. So I didn't want to give them cringy names and tarnish the chapter. Besides, I felt like I had reached the limit with my action scenes. After that, they were just not going to be original anymore. Once again, I apologize and thank you for your continued support!
All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan
Warning- There is a bit of excessive violence in the first part of this chapter.
As soon as Percy saw his father's limp form, his mind went blank. All of a sudden, various memories of him and his father spending time together started playing in his mind. He saw himself as a toddler sitting on his father's shoulder, he saw his father training him and the memories went on until they paused to their latest encounter. He saw his father broadly smiling at him with pride and love in his eyes and that was the moment Percy lost it.
Percy gave out a guttural roar and unbelievably, a wall of force slammed into the attacking gigas, strong enough to even push Zeus away from him. Percy slowly walked towards his father and placed a hand on his chest. Poseidon was enveloped in a blue mist which when subsided, revealed an empty ground. Percy then turned towards his aggressor.
This gigas had the appearance of an old one. He was much, much shorter than the rest of brethren - only as tall as Otis and Ephialtes. He had scaly draconian legs the colour of white frost, his face was wrinkled and his head was covered in ratty, grey hair.
He had milky eyes, full of wisdom, caution and experience. In his hands was a proportionally large spear and he sported a proud smirk. None of this seemed to register to Percy as he stalked towards his opponent with a blank, cold look in his glowing, vibrant sea green eyes.
"Rejoice, godling. For I am Thoon, the Bane of the Moirai and the destroyer of fate. Your fate is to survive today and live a glorious life. Though I and I alone have the power to change that with my very own hands. My brothers and my mother may have lost today, Perseus - even I am aware that I will lose. Just as I am aware I will take you with me. The Earth Mother has used all her energy to encase us in a metaphysical and physical barrier godling. No god, not even the fates will be able to penetrate this barrier. Not unless you kill me." Thoon declared.
The eyes of all the gods widened at this declaration and all of them tried frantically to go near them, though it was a futile effort. However, Percy seemed unfazed and he wordlessly stalked forward.
"What's the matter godling? Why are you speechless? Have you come to surrender and beg for-" Thoon started but he was abruptly cut off when Percy crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and slammed his ethereally glowing fist into the giant's gut.
The sheer strength behind the punch turned Thoon's insides into chowder as he kneeled forward in pain. Before he could recover, Percy slammed his brightly glowing elbow into his head and he was sent flying into the barrier his mother had set up.
Percy then pointed one of his swords at the gigas and shot a divine beam of sea green energy at the gigas. Thoon managed to avoid the beam in the nick of time but howled in pain when it vaporized a small part of his exposed neck. Since no god was attacking along with Percy, his wounds quickly recovered but he barely had time to block Percy's twin slashes.
Even though he blocked the attack, the raw force behind the strike pushed him backwards as he was assaulted by an unstoppable force of nature.
Only the century of experience that he had gained from training in the pit and the greater speed and agility that he had in comparison to the rest of the brethren allowed him to keep up with the terror-inducing figure in front of him.
His fear increased manifold when he saw no emotion in his opponent's eyes. No anger, no grief, no determination, no mirth. All he saw was the cold command that demanded his obliteration.
He had entered the fight this late because he had assumed that by now, Perseus would have been worn out and tired. Instead, he seemed to be stronger than ever before. He was so fast, so unrelenting in his offense and so unbelievably strong that, Thoon found it almost impossible to match him blow-to-blow. And he himself was no pushover.
Porphyrion, Polybotes and Alcyoneus were only marginally stronger than him and he was certain that, while the godling in front of him was very powerful, he was definitely not on the level of strength where he could dominate the fight in this manner.
Perseus was radiating power that was on par with Zeus, Hades or Poseidon and Thoon was receiving the smack down of his life.
The arm of a mini hurricane was buffeting him at unimaginable speeds and was ripping entire chunks of his skin off every second. Added to that was the deadly and unstoppable onslaught of fatal slashes and stabs from his opponent. In comparison, he had only landed less than half a dozen powerful but ultimately, insignificant blows on his opponent.
He was lethally impaled or lost a limb frequently and it was only his rapid pace of regeneration - that even exceeded his brothers' - that still kept him in this fight. Unfortunately for him, his opponent was wounding him at a pace that was exhausting even his regenerative capabilities.
Finally, Thoon was pushed into a corner and the number of wounds he received became too much to be effectively healed. That was when his downward turn started.
He screamed in pain when his entire left arm was vaporized by a pulsating beam of sea green energy but was quickly made to shut up when Percy proceeded to swiftly cut off his other arm.
Thoon was then forced to kneel into the ground once again when Percy slammed a glowing fist into his gut. He was too battered to even scream in pain when Percy brutally pinned his draconian legs to the ground by driving his swords through his legs and into the ground. Thoon could only cower under the unforgiving, ruthless gaze of the destroyer in front of him.
"What are you?" Thoon rasped out in unbridled horror. For the first time since their duel started, Percy spoke up.
"I am Perseus and I am the destroyer who brings damnation." Percy replied in a cold, deep and slightly distorted voice that filled the air with power.
Percy immediately surged forward and punched Thoon's torso with both his fists that were glowing so brightly that they had turned his hands into a sparkling pure white.
As soon as Percy slammed his fists into Thoon's chest, an intense, white funnel-shaped shockwave erupted from his fists and tore a gaping hole in Thoon's upper body. In fact, the shockwave was so concentrated that even after tearing through Thoon's armoured chest, it still had the abundance of energy that was required to shatter Gaia's barrier.
A second later, Thoon limply fell to the ground with his eyes rolled over. Instantly, three flashes signified the arrival of the fates who with the help of their Celestial Bronze clubs, smashed Thoon's head into flatbread. Their leave was as sudden as their arrival and they disappeared in identical flashes of light.
For a moment, an uneasy silence enveloped the atmosphere when suddenly, Percy's eyes glazed over and, due to immense exhaustion, he collapsed to the ground in an unconscious heap.
Almost instantly, Athena was at his side, gently placing a palm on his armoured chest before a grey light enveloped them and they disappeared. Following behind, all the other gods along with Hercules and Dionysus vanished into thin air.
The battle had taken a very heavy toll on all of them. The war was finally over with the result being a resounding success for the gods. Now, it was time to rest, reward and relax.
It was becoming a habit that Percy woke up disoriented and in slight pain. He tried to sit up but groaned when he felt his muscles were still sore. Instantly, a few people were at his side. After clearing his head and focusing on his surroundings, Percy absently noticed that almost all the major gods were there.
"Percy, son, how are you feeling?" Amphitrite questioned with worry in her eyes.
Percy seemed a bit confused at her question before the memory of his father laying unconscious sprung to his mind and, despite his body refusing to comply, Percy shot up from his position. Unfortunately, he had overexerted himself and he immediately lost his balance. Thankfully, his mother caught him at the right time, before he crumbled to the floor.
"Perseus, you are tired and sore. If you don't rest, I will be forced to knock you out." Amphitrite firmly chastised after placing him back on the bed.
"Mother, where is father? Is he alright?" Percy frantically questioned. Immediately, he felt a strong palm on his shoulder.
"Son, I am here. You don't need to worry." Poseidon stated from Percy's side.
As soon as Percy saw his father, he pulled him into a tight hug, but he pulled away as soon as his father grimaced a bit.
"Father, are you hurt?" Percy questioned with worry.
"Son, I am fine. It was just a spear and my armour took most of the impact, there wasn't even a wound. It's just a little sore, that's all." Poseidon reassured.
"Why did you take that spear, father? I am invulnerable. I would have gotten off with just a bruise." Percy angrily stated.
"Perseus, you don't get to lecture me on me protecting you. I don't care even if you become as strong as me. I am your father and I will always protect and look out for you." Poseidon stated with narrowed eyes. Percy stared back at his father, but his eyes finally softened.
"Son, I am perfectly capable of handling one pesky injury. I have taken much, much more punishing blows in the Titanomachy. I may not have durability of your magnitude, but your old man can handle more than you think." Poseidon stated with a wide smirk.
"What happened? Did we win?" Percy questioned.
"What are you talking about, cousin? You defeated the final gigas entirely on your own." Apollo replied with confusion.
"Me? I don't remember anything after seeing father get hit." Percy answered with an uncertain look in his eyes.
"Percy, what do you remember?" Athena gently questioned. Percy furrowed his brows as he tried to recall his most recent memories.
"All I remember is blacking out after seeing father hurt." Percy finally stated.
"Huh? So, you don't remember brutalizing the bane of the fates?" Ares commented.
"What? You're joking Ares. I stopped fighting like that more than a year ago." Percy replied with denial evident on his face.
"He's not joking, nephew. You unleashed your unrelenting wrath upon the gigas after sending your father to Atlantis." Hestia stated in a morose tone.
"See for yourself Percy." Aphrodite stated before placing the tip of her index finger on Percy's forehead.
Instantly, the entire event unfolded in front of Percy's eyes and he felt nauseous after seeing his own ruthlessness. Those glowing, swirling, vibrant sea green eyes, they were not his eyes. Those were the eyes of a cold, hardened, remorseless killer. He clenched his fists as anger towards himself bubbled up inside his chest.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, grandson. You went through a traumatic experience. That must have caused your emotions to temporarily overcome you, which is not a trait exclusive only to you. Similarly, Poseidon lost control multiple times during the Titanomachy. It's in the family." Rhea reassured.
"Seriously Perce, how did you draw that much power? To put it in your own words, you were radiating enough energy to light up an entire continent." Hermes stated with a hint of fear in his voice.
"Yes. At the height of your wrath, you reached a level of strength that was on par with your father and uncles. You also suddenly displayed multiple metaphysical abilities. Generating a wall of force, sending a divine beam of energy; for a moment, we thought that you had turned into an actual god." Demeter revealed. Percy's eyes widened at this bit.
"So, am I a god now?" Percy finally questioned.
"You're still technically a mortal, Perseus. I can still sense a soul in you but, it is starting to be slowly snuffed out. Oddly, I can also sense a small amount of an essence of a god in you. It's as if the essence is anchoring your soul to your body, making it realistically impossible to reap." Hades replied from the door of the room.
"How is this possible? I thought a being could have only either a mortal soul or an immortal essence." Percy questioned.
"That is what we assumed to be the case, until we saw you. I have made a few assumptions Percy. I believe that you are developing a partial godly essence due to the immense deification that you have received in the past two years." Athena paused to let him absorb this information.
"That immortal essence is slowly consuming your mortal soul. Eventually, I calculate it will almost completely consume your soul and make it impossible for anyone other than yourself to kill you. However, that small sliver of mortality will prevent you from unlocking the greatest metaphysical abilities of taking a divine form, taking a new physical form or drawing power from your domains, though you will be able to use all the other metaphysical abilities that we possess. In a strictly technical sense, you will still be a mortal." Athena finished.
"You need to know though, this process will likely take around half a dozen millennia; that is, assuming this level of deification continues. Throughout this time period, you will gradually become stronger and stronger until your immortal essence almost completely consumes your mortality. At that point, you will reach a level of power where you are just one notch below your father and uncles." Rhea stated.
"There is a caveat to this son. Always remember one thing - if your emotions reach a tipping point, like what happened with the fates' bane, your emotions will draw power from your essence so much, that it will temporarily overcome your mortal soul and you will lose yourself to the blind wrath of a lost immortal." Amphitrite stated in a soft voice.
"Another thing Percy. Your swords have been crafted by the Elder Cyclopes to mirror my trident, Zeus' Master Bolt and Hades' Helm of Darkness, in the sense that they excessively draw power from you and amplify it. They will do the same thing in this case. Once your immortal essence becomes the dominant entity, your swords will further amplify your strength to put you on par with me, Hades and Zeus. So, if you ever feel like you are losing control, throw your swords away. That may help you regain some focus." Poseidon advised.
Percy was speechless. He did not voice it out loud but he was scared of this newfound power. He did not want this power because he knew that it would come with its own baggage. He never wanted to be deified - hell, he never even wanted to be this powerful.
He did not trust himself with it. He knew how dangerous power of this magnitude was. He was a loose cannon. As he was not bound by any divine laws, there was always the possibility of him losing control and going on an unstoppable rampage. As if reading his thoughts, Athena voiced out her opinion.
"Percy, you deserve far more credit than what you give yourself. This is just one instance of you losing control. Even without this development, you have always held more than enough power to become an arc of destruction. Yet, you never lost complete control, not even once. Especially in the past year, you have shown more restraint and caution while exercising your powers than most gods are even capable of. If there's anyone I would trust who could freely wield this much power, it would be you." Athena earnestly opined.
To Percy's surprise, no one disagreed with her. In fact, all of the gods voiced their agreement with her statement. Even a certain god of the sky who had just entered the room a short while ago agreed with his daughter.
"Nephew, Athena is right. I am normally not pleased to know that there is someone capable of challenging my power. But in your case, I have no trepidations. Time and time again, you have proved your loyalty and have fearlessly led us to victory. If we use you and then cast you aside, we are no better than the Titans." Zeus passionately declared and he actually blushed a tiny bit when his mother shot a wide, proud smile at him.
This day was starting to become more and more absurd for Percy. He did not know what they saw in him. He did not know what inspired so much confidence in them. He saw himself as a traitor. As a man who reneged on his promise to his lover to not engage in unwanted brutality.
"Moving on, you have been unconscious for more than two days and now that you are awake, we can finally share the spoils of this war and reward you." Hera stated from her side of the room. Percy was surprised that they had waited that long for him.
"You seriously did not think that we would not wait for the person, without whom, winning this war would have been impossible, did you?" Aphrodite rhetorically questioned.
Percy opened his mouth to say something but he found no words escaped him; instead, he settled for a sheepish smile. This elicited fond smiles and chuckles from all the gods present in the room.
Things had finally returned to normal and it was all thanks to a certain Prince of Atlantis with eyes like the sea. He had remade them into something that Rhea, Hestia, Demeter and once upon a time, even Hera had always wanted them to be. A family.
Even though all his muscles were still sore, Percy marched into the convened extended Olympian Council with the aura of the decorated general that he was. All the chatter immediately grounded to a halt and to his surprise, as a sign of respect, all the gods, major and minor, along with his grandmother stood up when he entered the throne room.
"Now that the man of the hour has arrived, we shall proceed with the awarding ceremony." Zeus stated.
"Let us start with the gods who have been crucial in this victory." Poseidon announced.
"Yes, as agreed earlier on, a new council will be set up with semi-annual meetings at every equinox. This council shall be aptly called The Divine Council and will function alongside the existing Olympian Council. The members of this council will be all those present in this room with the exception being Heracles and my grandmother. Also, it has been decided that Helios and Selene will be joining us there as well." Athena revealed.
In return, she received many nods of appreciation and smiles from the minor gods. Athena wanted to continue but she was rudely interrupted by Heracles.
"Is Dionysus is going to be a part of this council then?" Heracles questioned with gritted teeth from his spot. He recoiled a bit at the cold glare that his half-sister shot at him.
"Demigod, should you interrupt me again, you will not be pleased with the consequences. We will discuss about Dionysus and his rewards in a short moment." Athena replied with unmasked annoyance.
"Forgive me, Lady Athena." Heracles hastily apologized.
"Athena, wait a moment. You said everyone present in this room except the people you mentioned, does that include me?" Percy interrupted.
Unlike the cold reception that she had awarded to Heracles, Athena's eyes twinkled with a knowing look, the smile on her face conveying that she was expecting such a question.
"Of course, Percy. You are the Hero of Olympus. The Prince and Champion of Atlantis. You were an Olympian Triumvir. It makes no sense to exclude you from this council. This is not a reward for your actions Percy, those will come later. Having you on the council is a necessity." Athena proudly stated. Percy nodded his head at her, albeit a bit hesitantly.
"Moving on, the Olympian Retinues will be formed shortly after all of us have regained all of our energy as it will be a laborious process. Until then, all of you can decide on whose retinue you would want to be a part of." Athena finished.
"All of you are invited to the Olympian Ball being held today after this council meeting. This will be a celebration of our victory over the gigantes, marking this as a day to remember. Apollo, Hera, Aphrodite and Hermes have already made all the necessary arrangements. All you have to do is rejoice, rejuvenate and enjoy the ball. We shall meet again shortly." Zeus declared.
The minor gods nodded at him in gratitude and disappeared in bright flashes of light.
"On to the next subject matter, let us move to rewarding my demigod sons." Zeus declared. He gestured at his sons to come forward and they quickly kneeled in front of their father.
"Rise my sons. Both of you have done Olympus a service but unfortunately, I can properly reward only Dionysus." Zeus stated with a sigh before addressing Heracles.
"Heracles, you still have a long road of redemption in front of you and that is your fate. Even I cannot tamper with that. Neither can I assist you directly in your labours. However, Hephaestus will give you some weapons that have been designed by Athena and Perseus that will surely aid you on the trials you have to face." Zeus stated with a sympathetic look.
Heracles seemed disgruntled and a bit offended, though he knew better than to speak out. After all, his stepmother was shooting poisonous glares at him every other minute and he did not intend to bring more suffering upon himself. So, he bowed to his father and stepped back. Zeus then addressed Dionysus.
"However, you Dionysus have earned the right to become a god. As a result, you will soon be deified. This is a solemn promise from the council. There is the possibility of making you an Olympian as well." Zeus stated and immediately, chaos erupted in the throne room. Everyone was silenced though by the sudden arrival of the fates. Instantly, a gravely quietness enveloped the entire throne room.
"My ladies, may we know the reason why you have graced us with your presence?" Zeus asked with a small bow of respect after coming out of his initial shock.
"We are here to inform you that Dionysus cannot become an Olympian. He was always destined to become a god, but never an Olympian." Atropos stated in her gravelly voice.
"Lady Atropos, I don't see why he cannot become an Olympian. In my opinion, he has earned the right. Besides, he also had two banes. This implies that the Earth Mother had predicted him to be a significant threat." Zeus argued.
"Zeus, you want him to become an Olympian because your opinion is biased." Lachesis bluntly stated before continuing.
"While it is true that we had initially chosen Dionysus to lead the charge against our aunt, his moral standards did not meet our expectations. He also lacked the courage and honour required to be our champion. Hence, we chose a more capable, nobler and much greater champion." Lachesis finished by pointing at Percy causing him to shift around uncomfortably at the attention he was receiving.
"The Earth Mother believed that Dionysus was the threat and assigned two banes to him. Had she known Perseus would be in her way, she would have assigned double the number of banes. Even then, tell me Zeus, who was it that killed them on both occasions? Who was it that risked his life to prevent the twins from reaching Olympus the first time? Who was responsible for defeating them in the final battle? It was Perseus. Fate is not a game of roulette. It delivers based on the actions of a person. Not on the whims of the Olympians." Clotho declared.
"Lady Clotho, I had no plans to withhold any rewards that Perseus deserves." Zeus stated with honestly evident in his voice.
"We know, Zeus. Make him a god, give him a place on the Divine Council, reward him in any other way you desire. But Dionysus cannot become an Olympian. That verdict is final. And it would not bode well for you to oppose us on this matter." Atropos declared in an ominous tone.
"Of course, Lady Atropos. We shall do as you say." Zeus hastily acquiesced.
To his surprise, they did not leave immediately and seemed intent on staying till the end. He discreetly shook his head and with a gesture of his hands, three stone grey thrones materialised at the end of the throne room. Everyone seemed a bit confused at this but no one had the courage to voice it out.
"Finally, after much deliberation, we have decided to expand the Olympian Council to include Hades and Perseus." Zeus declared. No one disagreed, everyone seemed to be content with this decision. Everyone except a certain green eyed Prince of Atlantis.
"With all due respect, Lord Zeus, I would rather not become an Olympian." Percy unwaveringly stated and this time, all hell broke loose.
There were looks of disbelief, arguments and counter arguments. All the while Percy stood unfazed. Finally, the fates decided to intervene and put an end to this cacophony.
"SILENCE." Lachesis shouted and for the third time, the entire throne room fell silent.
"Allow young Perseus to share his reasons." Clotho stated before gesturing at Percy to continue.
"Uncle, neither do I mean to disrespect any of you nor the prestigious position of an Olympian. However, I have never aimed to be a god. The reason I was this effective in this war was exactly because I was not bound by the Ancient Laws. I hope to use this to a greater extent and interact more with the mortal world and possibly even guide demigods." Percy revealed.
"In the various hunts that I was a part of, I noticed one thing - demigods have been left to fend for themselves and are often untrained to match divine threats. Due to this, most of them don't even live for more than twenty years. I would like to take on the responsibility of making sure that these demigods aren't felled at the hands of monsters. After all, they are my family. Strong monsters sometimes terrorize even the mortal populace knowing that the gods cannot interfere so I will interfere wherever required to rid them of these divine threats." Percy staunchly stated.
"Besides, this war has shown us that Olympus is not without its enemies. I am not saying that we will ever be challenged again. I don't believe anyone has the courage to challenge us after our resounding success in this war. However, in the astronomically low probability of another war, I would prefer to not be tied down by any Ancient Laws." Percy finished.
"Son, you have already done enough for the world. I thought that you wanted to be done with all this fighting. This is your opportunity to completely move away from your mortality and take the position that you truly deserve." Poseidon argued.
"In what seems like a lifetime ago, I had promised someone that above everything else, I would be a better man. And I want to deliver on that promise father. I have realised that I am uniquely positioned to do good for the world. Fate has been kind to me father. It has given me the choice to choose good and help the rest of my brethren who have not been as fortunate as me to have been raised by divine parents. Besides, it is not as though I am going to spend all my time fighting." Percy replied with a faraway look in his eyes.
"Perseus, this is entirely your decision. Are you aware of what you are giving up? If you become an Olympian, you will become stronger than every other god including your father and uncles. In fact, should you become an Olympian, your power will rival that of the Titan Lord's. This will give you unparalleled influence in both the mortal as well as divine worlds." Clotho stated and a tense silence enveloped the entire throne room.
Surely, he would not reject their offer now. But once again, he proved their assumptions wrong.
"I do not seek unparalleled influence, Lady Clotho. If anything, now I am even more convinced of my choice. Power comes with responsibility and I don't want the responsibility of ensuring that I am not corrupted by power. I am first and foremost a protector of Olympus, Atlantis and if need be, the Underworld. Should there be a hybrid war where Divine Laws need to be circumvented, by becoming an Olympian, I cannot directly interfere in the mortal world when it matters the most. Finally, the mortals and demigods worship us my lady. It's my duty to protect them on behalf of the gods." Percy determinedly declared.
To his shock, he got a quick applause from almost everyone in the room. With this display of selfless altruism and unmatchable virtuousness, he had cemented himself as the greatest hero of all time.
"Nephew, you shall receive all the help you require in this endeavour. You are not just a protector of Olympus anymore . I propose to this council that you be made the General of The Divine Forces. Athena, Ares, Triton and Thanatos are respectively the Generals of The Olympian, Atlantean and Underworld's Forces. You can be a Divine General of their rank and coordinate joint attacks against any enemies." Hestia proudly proposed. She was met with nods and murmurs of approval from everybody.
"Strictly speaking on terms of power, you are more than capable of assuming that rank and you deserve this status. You are perhaps the only one who is trusted all across the skies, the seas and the Underworld. Having you in that position makes perfect sense." Athena voiced out her opinions.
"Yes, nephew, along with that, the Olympian Council has decided to confer upon you multiple rewards for your service." Zeus proudly announced.
"Firstly, you will be the divine ambassador to the mortal world. You can directly interact with the mortat plane on our behalf in any way you deem fit. As a result, there will be multiple temples built for you across all of Greece. Your presence will prove to the world that we exist and take part in mortal affairs." Hera stated.
"Even though you are not a god, you will still have your place on The Divine Council. Once we finish discussing your rewards, we will also confer upon you numerous titles to showcase your achievements to the world. Throughout Olympus, your name shall be etched as the greatest hero to ever traverse the earth. We are not thankless fools like the Titans. You will be aptly and handsomely rewarded." Hestia firmly announced.
"Finally, the Council grants you one request. Whatever you ask for, if it is within our power, it shall be granted." Zeus sincerely promised.
Percy was a bit overwhelmed. He had expected some rewards but not of this magnitude. However, he did have a proposal that would hopefully bring more peace to the Olympian Council and more representation for Atlantis.
"Uncle, I assume that you are on the lookout for another Olympian." Percy stated. Zeus seemed a bit surprised but nevertheless, he nodded in confirmation.
"The Olympian Council must have an even number of gods. Or else the symmetry that we follow for ratification of proposals will not be conserved." Zeus replied.
"Then might I suggest that my mother, Amphitrite, Queen of The Seas take that position?" Percy proposed. Everyone, including Poseidon seemed surprised at this proposition, though no one interrupted him out of respect.
"I nominate my mother because she is a very peaceful goddess. She's the one who keeps our family together and she definitely has the power to be classified as an Olympian. So I figure that it won't hurt to have another peacemaker in the Olympian Council. She's also the Queen of The Seas and I believe that the seas do require more representation. Finally, the Olympian Council has always maintained an equal number of gods and goddesses, so this satisfies even that requirement." Percy ironed out a perfect logic.
"You're a box full of ideas. aren't you?" Ares rhetorically questioned. Everyone chuckled at his statement but none could deny the merit behind Percy's words.
"Alright, let us take a vote. All those in favour of Amphitrite joining the Olympian Council." Zeus asked and twelve hands rose into the air.
Some of them voted because they saw the merit in his idea. Others only voted out of the respect and trust that they had in Percy. They knew that whatever he did was always in their interests and they knew that his propositions were objective and impartial.
"Tomorrow, we shall officially induct both Hades and Amphitrite into the Olympian Council. Now, let us bestow the titles upon Perseus." Zeus announced and gestured at Percy to stand in the middle of the throne room. Percy promptly took his position there.
"For unequivocally fighting for the Olympian cause, we confer upon you the title of Champion of Olympus." Apollo stated
"In recognition of your great conquests and victories and in the belief that you will lead us to many more, we confer upon you the rank of General of The Divine Forces." Ares bellowed.
"For being the greatest hero to ever enter the battlefield, we confer upon you the title of Hero of Olympus." Athena declared.
"Finally, as an acknowledgement to your boast of being the destroyer who brings damnation, we confer upon you the most fearsome title of all, Perseus Diaboles. Your very name shall strike terror in the hearts of your opponents." Zeus concluded. Poseidon wanted to finish but suddenly, the fates spoke up.
"One more title. For restoring the path of the river of fate, we confer upon you the title Restorer of Fate." Lachesis stated.
"All hail, Perseus Diaboles, Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, Prince of Atlantis, Champion of Atlantis, Champion of Olympus, Hero of Olympus, Restorer of Fate and the General of The Divine Forces." Poseidon roared.
All the gods stood up in a final sign of respect and Percy bowed to the council. He had ushered in a new age of prosperity and peace. He had done the impossible and had combatted all the odds that had been stacked against him to claim victory against the Earth Mother. The world had entered a new age. It had entered a golden age.
Hey guys! So this chapter more or less concludes this story and we only have an epilogue left. After that, we hit the next story of this trilogy. It's been a wonderful experience and I hope that all of you enjoyed it!
First of, this is the next power upgrade that I am giving to Percy. And this will be the one that puts him on par with Atlas. I also wanted to give a glimpse of what he can become if he ever loses control. I chose Thoon as the final big bad because I wanted to use the connection between Percy and the fates that had been established earlier.
How much of a god Percy will become, how long it will take for him and all those other details will be the prime subject of the next stories.
Moving on, Percy chose not to become an Olympian for a myriad of reasons. Most of them have been addressed in this chapter and the other ones will be addressed in the epilogue.
Also, making Amphitrite join the council was an on-spot decision, I had initially thought that I would have to include Dionysus because I was bringing in Hades but then I suddenly had this idea that having Amphitrite on the Olympian Council is an unexplored idea. There's so much potential for more.
Besides, Dionysus is one of the characters who no matter how hard I try, I feel is not worth giving a positive spin on. Maybe that's a personal bias but I just don't feel like I would have done a good job with his character development. And I don't want to do anything that I feel won't be enjoyable. So, that's the last you'll be seeing of Dionysus. Hercules on the other hand, will pop up again.
Percy has also finally decided that he cannot shy away from fighting. In a somewhat saddening way, he has realised that fighting has become his life. This will also be a central plot point in the next story.
Let me know what you thought about the titles for Percy and his newly acquired General rank. Perseus Diaboles roughly translates to "The destroyer who brings damnation." I initially wanted to make it Apollyon but that would be a rip-off as it's been used a lot of times. So this is another novel prospect.
Most importantly, I will be taking in ideas for my next story. Tell me what ancient mythological events that you want Percy to be a part of. This is set in pre-Roman times as I have a different plan for that. But any events set before that time and I will definitely try to give it a spot in my next story. In fact, I have set aside a few chapters for materialising these ideas. I will share the full details in the next chapter and I would gladly take your ideas after that.
Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a great day!