Artemis POV:
The moment I awoke the next morning, I was us and running towards Perseus' room. I needed to get him to Olympus to discuss my dream last night. That mystery man was definitely somebody who was extremely powerful and would most likely have the power to destroy Olympus.
I sharply rapped my knuckles on the door. After a minute he didn't respond so I slammed my fist against the door as hard as I could. I heard a startled yell coming from inside and the door suddenly swung open. Perseus stood there in his pajamas glaring at me with a pissed look.
"What Artemis? I was trying to sleep when someone came banging on the door," He growled accusingly at me.
"Now is not the time Perseus. Change and get Ashley as quickly as you can. We are going to Olympus."
He sensed the urgency in my voice and his eyes widened. He nodded and rushed off to get changed. I sat out in the common room and waited for him to get ready. A couple minutes later, he came in with messy hair and a tired looking Ashley in his arms. I rushed over to him and flashed us to the throne room. I called another meeting and the gods all flashed into their thrones within seconds.
"Is there a reason why you have called yet another meeting with such urgency, Daughter?" Zeus asked a little irritated that he had to get up so early. Most of the gods were extremely lazy and didn't get out of bed till very late in the day. They were gods after all and even though they had duties, there was nobody telling them what to do.
"Yes father. Last night I was called into a dream by a man covered in shadows," I said, catching everybody's attention," I do not know exactly who he was, but I know that he was very powerful. He said that he was there to warn me. We have 2 months of peace and then he will attack Olympus. I have no doubt that if we do not find a way to defend ourselves, we will be decimated."
The gods paled at this information and they sat up straighter in their thrones at the urgent matter. Everybody started to look a little nervous, even Zeus who never got nervous about a potential enemy. He was too cocky and arrogant to believe that anybody would be able to undermine his position of king and if something was getting even him nervous, then it was a terrible revelation indeed.
Athena as always, looked like she was thinking about something.
"Sister, can you describe what he looked like to us? I might have an idea of who this could be, but I pray that it is not, for if it is, then it would almost certainly mean the end of us all."
"I could not see his figure very well, but it was like he did not have a physical body. His form was like a manifestation of evil and seemed to be made of shadow. His eyes were the most disturbing part. They looked like a bottomless pit that pulled all light from around it and suck it in."
With each word, Athena's face turned whiter and whiter.
"There is no way, he could be alive is there? He was thought to be faded many millennia ago," She muttered under her breath. At this, the gods seemed to become even more apprehensive, shifting in their seats.
"Would you care to explain who this 'He' is Athena?" Zeus asked uneasily.
"Over an eon ago, a being more powerful than anything was born from the maker. His name was Apollyon. Nobody knows how he came into existence. He is known as the Angel of the Abyss and was born to destroy and kill. He so powerful that the Primordial Council voted him banished to make sure that he would never endanger the universe in his lifetime. It took the might of every single Primordial, Titan, and God to bring him into submission and trap him in the Void for eternity. He managed to not only kill, but fade ninety percent of the immortals that fought against him. Most have forgotten him in history, but I can assure you that he is real. If he has not faded and has somehow managed to escape his prison, then there is almost no way that we can survive an attack from him," She explained.
The gods were now sweating in their thrones, almost too scared to move. Silence was cast over the throne room as the gods and Perseus digested this information. Ashley was still in his arms, but she did not know what was going on. She was looking around in confusion and marveling at a painting on the ceiling of the throne room. It was true, ignorance is bliss.
"And is there any way that we can stop him from destroying us?" I asked.
"There is only one known way to send him back to his prison. That is to acquire the key to his cell. You see, after he was locked away, the Primordials created a key that will forever close his prison and never let him out. They feared that he would somehow find a way to escape and he would come back for vengeance. They buried this key somewhere that he would never find it. The only people who knew where it was hidden have long faded alongside the history of this key," Athena elucidated.
"If they had this key, then why didn't they use it the moment they created it to ensure that he would stay trapped," Asked Poseidon. I could everybody in the room was thinking the same thing.
"The key took a very very long time to create, as it was so powerful. The creators faded before it could be fully created. This key could come in the form of anything, even a person. It is our only hope of defeating Apollyon. The thing is, the moment he got out the Void, he would have started locating the key as it is the only way for him to be brought down and he has had a head start."
We sat in silence yet again.
"We must find this key at all costs as it is the only way we can survive this," Zeus said. Even he knew the gravity of the situation and there was none of the usual arrogance and over-confidence in his voice," In the mean time, we will commence the training of Perseus immediately, starting today. He will meet with half the council per day and the other half the next. We need to make sure he is prepared. I think he is the only person that has any chance of finding the key."
The gods nodded in agreement. As much as I hated Perseus being put into danger, I knew that it was mandatory and that he was the only person for the job. He had seemed to accept his responsibility and had a fiery look in his eyes.
"Meeting dismissed. Gods that will be training Perseus today, you will have a designated time to train him every other day for and hour and a half each. I know you probably do not wish for this nephew, but you must understand that this is necessary," Zeus said.
"I know, Lord Zeus. I will not give up even against the most powerful enemy and I'm prepared to do anything to stand by that."
Zeus gave one final nod in his direction and flashed out, along with half the gods. That left Poseidon, Demeter, Athena, Apollo, Me, Hades, and Hestia (Hestia and Hades are Olympians) in the throne room.
"Hello, Perseus, we will be training you today. We will each teach you how to use out respective blessings and how to master their powers," Hestia said approaching him. Hestia was by far the most kind and understanding Olympian. She did flaunt her power or act stuck up and she was always willing to help her family when in need.
Perseus bowed to the group of gods and asked,"So let's get started shall we?"
(Line Break)
For the next week, every single on of the Olympians trained Perseus with vigor.
Poseidon would train him in his ocean powers to help him master his control over the sea. The time that they spent together was relaxed and made up for much of the father and son time that had been lost by the war.
Demeter trained him in his control over the underbrush. By the end of the second day, he was able to summon weeds from the ground and had very limited control over them.
Athena helped him in his battle strategy. She claimed that he was all brawn and no brain, but that it was about to train. She taught him strategical ways to get out of almost every situation and how to make battle plans in a war.
Apollo showed Perseus how to use the power of the sun against his enemies and taught him how to block or raise the amount of sunlight in a given area. He also helped Perseus a little with his archery even though there was little to be improved upon. I had done an amazing job teaching him if I do say so myself.
Hades instructed him on his control over the dead. He had already learned minor control over skeletal warriors, but Hades increased his power and taught him how to use it as a weapon, just like that traitor Nico. He would have a nasty surprise when his own minions turn against him.
Hestia helped Perseus in any way that she could, even with the training of another god. That was just the way she was, always nice and willing to help. She also helped him with his powers over healing and showed him how to summon food out of thin air. Soon after the first week, he was summoning blue cookies and munching on them before summoning another. In fact, he summoned so many blue cookies, that Hestia had to limit his blessing to only allow him a certain amount a day, before he would be unable to create anymore.
Hephaestus made his fire powers more deadly. Perseus could now summon fire almost as well as Leo could and had enough control that he could reliably use it in battle without burning his undies off his body.
Hera educated him on how to always tell whether or not somebody had true intentions. It might seem stupid, but this was an extremely useful ability to have. It would be impossible to lie to him or betray him in anyway. They seemed to grow a little closer, almost like a mother-son relationship and I often saw them joking around with each other while training.
Aphrodite attempted to teach Perseus how to flirt, but when that didn't work out, she resorted to flirting with him herself. Whenever they trained together an ugly feeling welled up in my stomach watching her relentlessly flirt with my only male friend.
Zeus did not enjoy teaching him, but knew that it was very important that he did. He taught Perseus how to control lightning and become immune to it. By the end of the week, Perseus could shoot lightning out of his hand, but was a very poor aim. The best he could manage was to fire the bolt within a forty foot area of the target he was aiming at.
Ares and Dionysus were by far the most reluctant to train him and tried to make it as miserable as possible. Ares was looking forward to beating Perseus into a pulp, but was shocked that he was not able to defeat him as easily as he had though. More often then no, Perseus would defeat Ares in battle if they were not using powers. Dionysus was still as lazy as ever and decided that he did not even want to teach Perseus, which was fine by him. Perseus hated Dionysus strongly and he did not mind that he would not be training with him. I mean, who needs to learn how to grow grapes and throw amazing parties.
Then it came to Perseus and I. I was mostly just a sparring partner for him, as I have taught him in most of what I know. Our friendship has become stronger and more solid now. I think both of would be comfortable calling each other friends and kidding around together. I still have this weird feeling in my chest whenever I'm with him though. It's like I'm a lot warmer around him. Every time he would accidentally brush his hand against mine, I felt a shock travel through my body and I shuddered. Every time he glanced in my direction, my heart fluttered and my heartbeat increased by a tenfold. Every time he talked to me, the only thing I was focused on was his voice. I don't know what it is, but I like this feeling.
(Line Break)
Percy POV:
Two weeks had passed since the Olympians had started training me. Zeus had called another council meeting and we were all in the throne room waiting to hear what he had to say.
"Over the past two weeks, Perseus has been training under our wing, mastering the power of the Guardian's Blessing I think that we can all agree that he is ready," He said. The council nodded in agreement,"It is time now Perseus. You will need to find the missing key to Apollyon's cell and lock him away once and for all. Because this is a dangerous and tough mission, you will be assigned an Olympian of choice to accompany you along the way. They will oversee your quest and help guide you when you have lost track of your path. Who will you choose?"
I looked at all the Olympians and assessed each of them. There was not chance I would want to spend even a second with Dionysus, Ares, Aphrodite, or Zeus so that ruled those gods out. Of the remaining members of the Council, I saw only a few candidates. Poseidon, Artemis, Hestia, and Hera. I was still contemplating which one to pick, but with one look into her eyes, I knew my choice was made.
"I will choose Artemis to be my companion on this quest."
The other gods looked shocked by my decision, but Artemis looked at me with a smile on her face and something else that I couldn't comprehend in her eyes. She nodded at me in acceptance that she would be the one to accompany me on this.
"Very well, you have made you decision. You will depart first thing tomorrow morning. You need to move out as fast as possible. Apollyon will be looking for it just as hard as we are, and we must race for it," Zeus said with finality.
"But what about Ashley, what will she do while we are gone?" I asked.
"Ashley cans stay with you and go on this quest with you. The moment you are in any sort of danger, you can transport her to one of us and we will keep her safe," Zeus said. I nodded.
"Meeting dismissed. Good luck Perseus, make us proud," Zeus said and then flashed out along with most of the other gods. Hestia, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, and Artemis stayed behind. Hestia and Hera approached me.
"Percy, we would like to wish you luck before you leave on your quest. We know that this is a big job, but I know that you understand how important this is," Hestia said.
"I do, My Lady. I would do anything to help my family and I would be prepared to die for the cause if that is what is needed," I said. The gods looked a little saddened by this statement, but all knew that what I said was true. There was a very high chance that I would not come back alive from this.
"Thank you Percy, for everything you have done for us. Know that we wish you luck and if you ever need anything at all, you just need to pray to either of us and we will come," Said Hera. I embraced both of them gratefully before they both flashed out to return to their duties. I turned to my father and hugged him. I pulled back and looked into his eyes.
"Father, I know you're worried, but I'll be fine. Plus I have Artemis to keep me out of trouble," I said smirking at Artemis.
"I'm sure you will Percy. I know that you will find that key and save Olympus for the third time. And in case there is some trouble, would you please look out for him Artemis?" He asked her. She nodded and we watched as Poseidon gave last sad look at us and flashed away.
Finally, I looked to Athena. She had always been the closest god to me other than my father, after the war. She was the one that had helped me through my depression and had shown me the light in the world and in myself.
"Thank you Athena, for everything. Just know that if I don't come back, then I will always love you like an older sister."
She had tears in her eyes as she answered,"Don't say things like that Percy. I know you will come back and when you do, we will hold the biggest celebration for the biggest hero of them all. I love you too little brother."
We hugged for the last time in what would be a while. Maybe never again. She kissed my forehead with watery eyes, and flashed away, leaving me alone with Ashley and Artemis.
Artemis turned to me and we had an understanding between us. She grabbed my hand, as I held onto Ashley, and flashed us to the beginning of a new adventure.
(End of Chapter 12)
the guy that loves all gunpla: I don't mind you giving more ideas. In fact, it would be nice if you did and gave me some more to write about!
Wulfkin17: Thank you for the criticism, but I'm not sure where you are talking about with the internal monologues. Anyhow, I hope you're enjoying the story so far, I'm just writing to please! Oh, and you have no idea how juicy this story gonna get ;)
ghostchilli666: I'll try to make the chapters about this length from now on, but no promises that I'll be able to get out a chapter every day. Thank you for the support. I know I say thank you a lot, but I don't know what else to say xD.
SonOfHades: Yeah! It would be great if you could give me some more ideas or even some ways that I could improve. I don't feel that my writing is that great, so anyways I make it better would be greatly appreciated! And nope! Not Erebus. I'm trying to make my story as original as possible!
A.N: Here's another chapter! This was by far my favorite one to write and creating the backstory of the main antagonist. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!