Chapter 9: new job:
A/N: I'm back. Just going straight to the writing. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: the usual characters are Rick Riordan's plot mine. I don't own PJO or HoO
Last time: "I think I have the perfect candidate for you Artemis. I'm sure he won't disappoint you." She had a sly grin on her face as she looked up from tending the Hearth. She closed her eyes. As she opened them a column of flames appeared by the fire before it cleared revealing a familiar figure.
"What the…"
Percy's POV:
I felt myself being flashed out the clearing. When I arrived I took in my surroundings. It looked like I was back in Hestia's palace on Olympus. It wasn't overly flashes but a nice homely place. A hearth that looked exactly like the one in the throne room, only slightly smaller, was alight in the centre of the room.
The marble floor was tiled and smooth. I looked around until I spotted a doorway. I walked through trying to find a bathroom to freshen up. I located it and entered. I turned on the tap and felt the cool water run through my fingertips as I washed the dirt and monster dust off my hands. I splashed my face with water.
Feeling refreshed, I walked back into the main room to take a seat and wait for Hestia. As soon as I walked into the room I felt myself being flashed away again.
"What the…"
I instinctively went to pocket to bring out riptide but stopped as I saw where I was. The throne room on Olympus was as grand as ever. Each of the Gods were looking at me with curiosity, except for Hestia who was smiling slyly. I bowed to Zeus and then quickly to each of the other gods in the room before looking at my patron with an eyebrow raised. I know what you are thinking-yeah I did bow to all the gods, even Ares. Can't have them knowing it's me. Hestia rose from her place and locked eyes with me.
You're needed again Percy. The Gods have a job that needs someone to do. A dangerous one that requires you. I think you are perfect to carry out this task.
I was wondering why Hestia was talking inside my head, but I went with it. What job is it? And why me? I mean what has come up that's so dangerous that I need to come out of hiding?
Percy, Artemis has requested that the council allow her to appoint a Guardian of the Hunt. Now I know she prefers someone female but you are the best candidate for the job. Zeus wanted Hercules to do it but as you can tell that didn't go down well with Artemis. If there is war coming, the hunters need to be able to fight. With all of these attacks happening, their safety is a key priority and I know you will protect them well.
I laughed nervously in my head. Are you serious my lady? Does anyone actually want this job? I mean if I do this I'm going to die. They will shoot me with Gods knows how many arrows.
I looked defiantly at Hestia but she wouldn't back down from the stare. I sighed. I knew I wasn't going to win this argument. Fine! But why are you talking in my head?
I think you know why Percy. You will need their trust and for that you will have to reveal yourself. You have hidden away for too long. It is time you came back. War is on the horizon. You will need to protect the hunters. I know why you wish to stay hidden; I know you feel you should've been able to cope after the war, and that you let your friends down, but every hero has their limits. There is nothing to be ashamed of.
I sighed. She was right. She always was. I had been running for too long and it was time for me to return to the world I was familiar with. I looked back at Hestia and nodded my head slightly to inform her that I was willing to reveal myself. She smiled warmly.
I'm proud of you Percy. You are doing the right thing. Now how about we give the other Gods a show before I reveal you? There was mirth shining in Hestia's eyes as she turned to address the others in the room.
Narrator's POV:
The Gods in the throne room eyed the column of flames that Hestia had summoned. They gazed curiously as an 18 year old boy stepped out. Each God was taking in his appearance. Dark black hair with pulsing red and green eyes. His black hoodie covered in gold dust and his dark blue jeans were covered in dirt and mud.
"What the…"
His outburst was humorous to most present. The boy seemed to realise where he was and turned to the God at the head of the council. He bowed to Zeus before quickly bowing to everyone else. His attention then turned to Hestia. He gave her a questioning look, ignoring the curious gazes of the other Gods.
It was clear to all those present that they were communicating in their heads. Hestia's face was clear and void of expression as she looked into the eyes of the boy she had summoned.
The boy's facial expressions were a stark contrast. His face showed exactly what he was thinking. There was curiosity etched on his face before changing to disbelief. The boy's face clearly alerted the Gods what he was clearly thinking. Are you serious? Is this a joke? His facial expression then switched to show he was having an internal debate before finally, his face showed a look of acceptance. The boy gave Hestia a slight nod, causing Hestia to break into a warm smile. It was clear she was pleased to win whatever debate they were having. Mirth shone in Hestia's eyes as she looked at the other Gods present. All this had occurred in a matter of seconds.
Before she could say anything, Artemis had shot up from her throne; she drew her bow and aimed it at the boy in the centre of the throne room.
"You!" Artemis snarled. "Father, this is the man that has been saving the demigods. The one I was talking about earlier. The one that calls himself Blaze." The council were now intrigued. This was the man who had been saving their children. Never before had a council session been so interesting.
"I would prefer if you didn't point your arrow at my champion Artemis. If I am not mistaken, he saved your hunter's lives a few hours ago. You asked for a guardian, and I am simply providing you with who I think is the best candidate for the job." Artemis lowered her bow slightly, but the glare she was giving the champion of Hestia had not diminished. The boy however, did not back down.
Zeus cleared his throat and gestured to Artemis to sit back down on her throne. Reluctantly, Artemis sat down. "Hestia, we have been looking for this man for years, and you have known him and his identity all this time. Why didn't you tell us?" Zeus's tone was slightly accusatory. There wasn't sheer anger in his words, he had improved over the last few years, but there were still things that just annoyed him.
Hestia looked at Zeus and shrugged. "He is my champion. He was not a threat. You never asked me directly if I knew him. And besides, I had promised not to disclose his identity or his location to anyone until he was ready. Now," Hestia paused as she looked each of the other Gods in the eyes; "I believe you will want to know who he is and why he is the best option to guard the hunters." There were nods from the rest of the council. Most Gods, like Apollo and Hermes were sat at the edge of their thrones, waiting in anticipation. Hestia continued talking.
"Of course I could list off all his accomplishments, but I would rather just show you. It will be easier. After that, you can vote whether or not you agree. And Artemis, I know he is a male, but try thinking logically. This is about your Hunter's safety." Hestia glanced at her champion and silently asked a question: Ready? The boy nodded.
As soon as he nodded, Blaze's eyes glowed a fiery red. Flames engulfed his entire body. The Gods who had previously been sitting on the edge of their seats, Apollo and Hermes, yelped and shot back to avoid the flames that were quickly spreading. Hestia held a mischievous grin as her champion went up in flames.
Blaze however, had not moved. He stood calmly, trusting his patron. The fire branched out, covering the entire throne room before it flared, causing the Olympians to close their eyes. Soon, the heat given off vanished, as the Hearth absorbed both the heat and the flames.
The Olympias glanced back towards Blaze. His clothes had become cleaner. There was no evidence of mud on his jeans and his black hoodie had no monster dust. There was now a belt on his waist with 3 knives on either side. His hood now covered his face.
"Lower your hood my champion."
As soon as Hestia spoke those words Blaze started reaching for his hood. The Olympians held their breath to see what other transformations had occurred. The hood came down agonizingly slowly before they revealed raven black hair and mesmerising sea green eyes and a familiar face.
There were a few gasps before silence fell upon the throne room. It wasn't long before it was broken as the God of the Seas whispered "Percy."
Percy looked at the face of his father before a grin split his face. "Hi dad." Tears fell from Poseidon's face as he rose from his throne and made his way towards his son. A few strides later he shrunk down to human size before wrapping Percy in an embrace. Percy returned the hug with as much force, taking in the calming scent of the sea that his father possessed.
"I expect some explanation as to where you've been the last few years Percy, but right now it appears we have some business to attend to." Percy nodded before turning his attention to Zeus. He knelt in front of Zeus.
"Lord Zeus, my patron has informed me that you require a Guardian for the Hunt. I know the risks involved with this position but I am willing to accept." Percy slowly rose from his kneeling position before standing straight and looking at the king of the Gods. Zeus nodded briefly.
"Very well Perseus. I approve of this choice Hestia. Is there any here that has any problem with this choice?" Zeus looked over the throne room at the other gods. None raised their hands. "Very well, the council has accepted. Artemis, do you accept Perseus as your new Guardian?"
Artemis glanced at Percy who was staring expressionless at her. She could sense he had changed from the man he was five or so years ago. And not just change as in he could now throw fire and had a different appearance. No, in the past he hadn't been as fast or agile as he had shown today. His strength has increased as well. There was also the fact that he had not used any of the powers he had inherited from his father. This meant that he was not reliant on those, but could easily use his other skills as well. Artemis couldn't help but slightly respect the demigod. She had made a decision.
"I accept father. But I will require an oath of allegiance. I assume he knows better than to flirt with my hunters anyway." Zeus nodded and waved his hand towards Percy. The son of Poseidon made his way towards Artemis's throne. He knelt at the base and looked up.
"I Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and Champion of Hestia, swear on the river Styx to protect the hunters and Lady Artemis for as long as the Fates foresee." (A/N: who thought Chaos was going to appear here? Come on admit it. Nope, I have a different angle on the Chaos thing-no hints.)
Artemis looked intrigued at the oath but quickly caught herself. "I accept your oath Perseus."
"Well, if that is all then this council meeting is over, Perseus stay back I wish to have a word with you. Don't look at me like that Poseidon I'm not going to blast the boy. Council dismissed." With that, the Gods flashed out one by one. Poseidon wished his son good luck before flashing out until only Hestia, Zeus and Artemis remained.
"Artemis, you can leave and inform your hunters of the outcome of the meeting. I will make sure Perseus makes it to your campsite." Artemis raised an eyebrow before she teleported out of the throne room. Zeus then turned to Percy.
"I know you're a bit anxious about this conversation but I assure you I have no intention of harming you. You know, it's a father's duty to look after his children. I know I haven't been the best father, but my daughter and her hunters are in danger and while I can't protect them personally, I will make sure they are protected properly." Zeus sighed and hesitated as if he was debating internally. "Therefore, I will offer you the blessing of the sky. I don't know exactly what it entails as I have never given this blessing before but it should help you and we all know you will need it. Guarding the hunt will not be easy; and I'm not just talking about the monsters. They will try and make your life difficult."
Percy nodded. He had assumed as much. The hunters were not going to make his life easy. Percy was however shocked. A blessing from Zeus was not what he expected. Before he could fully grasp what was happening, Zeus began chanting in Greek much too fast for Percy to understand what was being said. As the chant finished, an electric blue aura started to make its way towards him. The aura encompassed him before he felt a sharp pain coming from his back.
Percy fell to the floor on his hands and knees as the pain racked through his body. Something was trying to make its way out of his back. There was a resounding RIP sound followed by relief. Percy glanced back to see sleek black wings protruding from his back. His eyes widened as he went to stroke them. They were soft and felt light. He rose so that they could unfold. As they did, Percy noticed that the bottom row of feathers on both wings were a different black. They had gold and bronze lining and looked sharper than the other feathers. They were a huge 6 feet in width.
Zeus snorted. "Wings! Of course, it had to be wings." Shaking his head, Zeus walked up to Percy to inspect the wings. "Well it looks like you have normal feather wings but infused with stygian iron so that you can use them for protection. That will also help you be more agile and faster when flying. It looks like the feathers at the bottom are different. They are made from stygian iron and lined with both imperial gold and celestial bronze. I believe they work like throwing knives when you are in the air. I think if you swipe your wings they should, or at least the feathers you want will fly towards a target. They should replace themselves too. Why don't you try it out?"
After a few tries, Percy finally got the hang of flying. As he rose in the centre of the throne room, Zeus erected a target. Percy folded his right wing in front of his body, before he swept it back around towards his back. He thought about 1 feather leaving his wing and flying towards the target. Sure enough, a sole feather detached itself from the wing as if it had been thrown.
Percy's joy was short lived. Instead of hitting the target, it missed by inches, ricocheting off Zeus's statue (the one with Annabeth's plaque), before hitting the ceiling and finally embedding itself in Zeus's throne. Percy glanced at Zeus, who was looking in disbelief and slight anger at the aftermath. Biting, down his anger, Zeus motioned towards Percy, indicating that he should try again.
It took 5 minutes before Percy could shoot one feather on target and another 15 to learn how to shoot all of them from one wing. Percy felt elated that he had made fast progress, but had to make sure he would keep practicing. With his job done, Zeus quietly spoke to Hestia, before waving a hand over Percy and then flashing out.
Percy could sense Artemis's presence in his head along with her location. Zeus had given him an internal GPS that would lead him to the Hunt. Hestia regarded her champion. "I knew you would do the right thing Percy. Now before you leave, I will give you the ability to control your aspect changes. Obviously, your outfit will remain the same, but you will be able to control when you are Blaze, and when you are Percy. Now hurry along; Artemis and the Hunt will be waiting for you. I suggest you fly, gives a nice element of surprise." After a brief hug, Hestia left the throne room.
Percy looked at the open window in the throne room. "Well, here goes nothing."
With that Percy leapt out the window, falling briefly before expanding his wings and shooting off to find the hunt.
A/N: hey guys, what do you think? I know it has been a while I am sorry but it was unavoidable. Essays due, exams to sit, stress to overcome. Anyway please review, comment what you think it does help. Next time will be Percy being introduced to the hunt.
Sorry to those who thought Chaos was going to come after Percy swore an oath to him and then one of the Gods says you shouldn't do that and then Percy gets bare powers. I have a set storyline for when I had the chaos appearance and it is not quite yet but I will not give spoilers. Until next time.