Quick recap: The gods have been told of the upcoming threat of Erebus. Percy, after having a long day decided to take a rest. Reyna and her unlucky legionnaires are headed for CHB after Jason (who soon will be having problems of his own, cough, cough, spoiler, cough cough) sent her away and Sharon is embarking on a quest of her own with Jim and Katie… oooh. How will these plot lines come together? Right?
No POV
"That dress looks amazing on you Piper," said Hazel.
"It looks OK but ... how about this one? It's perfect for you." Said Aphrodite while pointing to another dress in a magazine.
"Mom, this is the fifth dress you made me try that you insisted was perfect for me. I actually like this one, I think this is the one." It was a beautiful yellow dress and Piper spun around slowly to catch every angle of it with the mirror.
A few seconds later there was a knock on the door and Hazel hurriedly went to open it.
"Piper?" Asked a boy of about ten years old with a large bandage across his left cheek. Hazel lifted her finger gesturing the kid to hold on.
"Piper there is someone at the door looking for you."
Piper walked to boy and asked, "What is it?"
"Jason wants to see you outside the new camp walls Ms. Piper, something about a pre-wedding gift." Piper was surprised and thanked the boy. She shut the door and began to undress herself with the help of Hazel.
"Seems like Jason is going to keep you busy dear. I'll just go back to Olympus, I have my eye on a certain someone and I want to see what he's up to."
"May we ask who it is Lady Aphrodite?" asked Hazel shyly. Aphrodite became flustered and shook her head.
"So, I guess we know him, don't we mom," said Piper with a large grin on her face. "Is it serious with him mom?" Aphrodite froze but regained her typical confident stance after a second.
"Perhaps, and at least you girls think you know him," Aphrodite winked at her daughter and disappeared in her signature cloud of pink making the girls cough with the overbearing amount of perfume she left behind.
"Well that was awfully cryptic," said Hazel still fanning away the perfume. "Who do think it is?"
"I don't know but whoever it is I hope it works out, my mom needs someone special in her life too. I'm glad she left to look for him." Piper finished with a smile and she fully undressed. Hazel smiled back but became alarmed.
"I need to get going too, Frank and I have a date in like..." Hazel looked outside the window and cursed. "I am so freaking late, I'm so sorry Piper I got to go," Hazel said before leaving in a rush. Piper nodded and dressed herself back alone.
She was eager to see what Jason wanted to talk about and especially eager to see her pre-wedding gift. Coming from Jason it had to be something special as he was not the materialistic type so he rarely gave her gifts.
Piper hurried to the outer gates only to notice Jason wasn't there. She spotted the sentries and headed their direction, maybe they know something.
"Have either of you seen Jason?" The legionnaires shook their head but that's when she noticed a trail of flower petals leading into the forest. Could it? Of course, it is, it must be him. Piper ran into the forest eager to see what Jason had prepared for her.
Hazel ran to see her boyfriend, she didn't have a watch but she knew she was late by how dark it had gotten. Hopefully I'm not that late.
To her surprise Frank wasn't there, Hazel sat down in a bench nearby the Roman gardens and waited patiently. She waited and waited, only jumping out of her seat when a huge lightning bolt lit up the skies.
Did he leave after I was a bit late or did he stand me up? She asked herself.
"Hazel!" She heard someone scream in the distance. Frank made himself seen and ran to Hazel, the boy was drenched in sweat and in full battle gear.
"I'm so sorry I'm late Hazel, I lost track of time."
"I waited for a long time Frank, at first I felt a little guilty because I was a late but after an hour of waiting I was beginning to think you stood me up." Frank saw Hazels saddened expression and felt guilty.
"I know, I know but I am truly sorry. I was busy with official matters, camp security." Frank said pointing to his Roman armor with his bow.
"So that's why you're dressed like that." Frank nodded and sat down next to Hazel.
"Yeah, a centurion reported someone sneaking around camp, not one of ours. Jason, I and a few others been looking for him… or her." Frank added with a smile.
"Oh, need any help?"
"No, it's fine. Jason said he would handle it and to not keep you waiting." Frank sat on the bench and took off his helmet to slowly lean in for a kiss.
"And Piper? She was going to see Jason-" Frank shut Hazel up with a kiss and chuckled.
"Hey, it's Jason we're talking about, the golden boy? Remember? He's got everything under control." With another reassuring kiss Hazel felt her worries disappear
A few minutes into following the winding trail, Piper realized something was just not right. She paused and looked behind her and noticed the trail of petals she had followed missing. She shivered when the winds started to pick up and knelt on one knee to grab a petal.
"It's… not real," she whispered to herself when she felt her fingers contact each other.
"Of course, it's not real," a woman said. Piper faced forward to see a dark-haired lady standing before her. Was she a goddess or something else entirely, Piper was not sure but she drew her blade.
"That's an interesting blade demigod, filled with incredible sight magic paralleled by a few only." The goddess kept walking towards Piper ignoring the fact the demigod was armed. "A proficient sorceress could unleash its true potential, that which could rival even Apollo's power of foresight." The woman walked closer to Piper and stood merely 6 feet away from her.
"So, I take it you are here for my weapon, you're a sorcerer and want to see the future. All of this was a trap set by you to lure me away from my camp." The woman smiled and shook her head.
"You're a clever girl Piper but you're wrong. I don't need Katoptris to see the future, not when I have seen it without it." The woman smiled and walked even closer to Piper, just a few inches away from the demigod's face.
"What are you-"
"You have beautiful eyes demigod," she interrupted. "You're so beautiful, just like your mother."
The woman leaned closer to the demigoddess, their lips almost brushing against each other's. "Kiss me," she whispered.
Piper could feel the love magic in her words, she was powerful. Had Piper been anything less than a god she would have fallen prey to this woman. Unfortunately for the woman, Piper's own charm speak was way beyond that of a mere demigod after everything she'd gone through. Not even Aphrodite could control Piper through charm speak now.
Piper pushed her back and pointed her dagger at the neck of this woman.
"I'm nobody to judge your preferences lady but I don't swing that way. Also, I don't know your name or why you are here."
"Oh, where are my manners," the woman said and she stepped back one foot. "I am Circe, former owner of C.C.'s Spa and Resort. Perhaps you have heard of me," she answered coyly and gave Piper a short bow.
"You're her!" Piper exclaimed.
"Oh, so you have heard of me. I was beginning to think I had long been forgotten after that disgusting swine took over my island."
"Of course, I heard of you, you're that witch that keeps girls as slaves on her island. Chrysaor mentioned how-"
"Shut it!" Circe said elegantly. "I did not keep them as slaves, they were my employees and I treated them very kindly. Second, I am not a witch but a sorceress, an adept practitioner of magic. And third, I am not here to harm you in any way Piper, instead I am here to protect you."
"Pr-pro-protect me?" Piper said with her voice breaking from surprise. "Protect me from what?" She managed to say.
Circe took the opportunity to walk closer to Piper and cupped her cheek. "I just told you I already seen the future Piper. You're about to get married and I show up, from who do you think dear?"
"From myself?"
"Do you really have much faith in him? So much faith that you think the only person who could harm you is yourself?" Piper gulped but remained stern.
"I knew someone just like you Piper, I loved her dearly. I trust you know who I am referring to." Piper put the pieces together and nodded.
"The same fate awaits you if you go through with this. You're young, you're beautiful and legally you aren't even considered an adult yet. Getting married at your age, you haven't even experienced or experimented life at all." Circe let out a dry chuckle.
"He's already keeping secrets from you, you know. You will get married but it won't be long before he breaks his vows to you. I know because I've seen it."
"I don't believe you, the future you were shown is wrong. Jason would never do that to me." Circe shook her head and look at Piper sadly.
"How many times has Katoptris been wrong? Remember when you saw Perseus drowning, how convinced you were that it was impossible?" Piper remembered when she was drowning back with Jason and Percy and looked back at Circe.
"If the future can't change, if what you saw is really my future how can anything you do to protect me make a difference." Piper said not buying what Circe was selling.
"With magic of course, swear your allegiance to our cause and together we can all defy fate itself. I've done it before but with your help we can do it again and again. All for the best."
"What do you mean with 'our cause' and 'together we can all'. What are up to sorceress?" Circe smiled and let out a short laugh.
"You caught that didn't you. Can't say I'm surprised, to be perfectly honest I am glad you did. That way they don't have to keep on hiding." From the forest cursed beings walked away from the places they were hidden. Twelve werewolves stepped out from the shadows and approached Piper.
"What the-! What do you want!" Shouted Piper with the knife poised for battle even though she knew it wouldn't do any good against them.
"Don't be alarmed Piper, they aren't here to hurt you." The werewolves managed to get down on one of their knees and bowed to her.
"Why are they kneeling to me?" Piper asked. Circe smiled and signaled the werewolves to stand up. "And why are they listening to you?"
"Are you interested in joining? Because if you are I'd happily explain to you everything you want to know. I saved them from an unhappy faith like I am trying to do to you. Join us, they have potential and so do you."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you go back to the Camp, without the memories of this ever happening of course. Oh, and by the way if you resist the procedure to erase your memories we will be forced to kill you but I rather you join us instead. Mother really isn't the talkative type and I need companions like you to talk to." Mother! thought Piper struggling to remember who Circe's mother was. Hecate!
Piper knew that she couldn't just go back and forget this ever happened when Circe was clearly up to something and she couldn't fight her way out of this. Not only did she not have any silver weapon but there were twelve werewolves at Circe's command. Even if she did have a weapon and could fight them off there was no telling what other magic Circe had at her disposal.
"I just want to ask one of them a few questions first." Said Piper.
"Go ahead." Circe simply responded confidently. Piper turned around and looked at one of the werewolves who immediately bowed down to Piper once again.
"What do you wish to know milady?" He asked courteously.
"Why did you join? Don't you belong to Lycaon and have to obey his every command or something like that?" The werewolf suppressed a growl and cleared his throat.
"He is our king but I do not belong to him. After the previous war he wanted to build an army, so he went on a personal quest to infect humans by the dozens himself."
"How many?" Piper asked reluctantly.
"They number in the hundreds, so he didn't need us anymore. After the beatings he threw us out, that he had no need for the Omegas, the last of the weak."
"So, he disposed of you like trash," said Piper. "How long were you loyal to him?" she asked.
"I obeyed him for thirteen years, I am skilled in combat but I am no match for the new recruits. They are stronger and faster, not to mention filled with bloodlust. They lack reason and only obey Lycaon out of fear."
"Okay… they sound dangerous and like a potential problem but you still haven't answered my original question. Why did you join? What do you stand to gain here?"
"I want him to suffer, I want him to beg me for mercy and when he does I will give him none. Lady Circe will help me reach my goal, she just asks for my unwavering loyalty. Join us Lady Piper! We were left to die, but Lady Circe rescued us from our fate! Join us and we will do anything to save you from yours!"
Piper was surprised at what she had just now learned, Circe was saving people and just asks for their loyalty. So, this is what she meant when she said she already defied fate.
"How did you know that this was going to happen to them? Why did you go save them?"
"Dear, you have to tell me if you're going to join me first or else I can't tell you anything."
"Why does that matter if you're going to erase my memory if I don't join?"
"Well, there is always a possibility a god can recover those memories and I rather they know as little as possible in case they do."
After some thinking Piper made up her mind, she did not want to believe the sorceress about Jason but she did save those werewolves in their time of need and maybe she was trying to save her too.
Medea was Circe's niece and she had been betrayed by a hero named Jason as well, Circe wanting to save her from suffering the same kind of fate made sense too. Piper also realized that someone had to know what she, her mother and the werewolves were up to and if it will harm the rest of the demigods or cause problems in any way to the gods.
"If I join you, will any of those I love get hurt? That including Jason," Piper said slowly whilst looking at the ground.
"Can't guarantee that if you don't join us." Piper's face hardened but she let Circe continue. "If you ally yourself with me you can personally guarantee the safety of everyone that you care for."
Piper turned to look at the werewolf she had met and asked for his name.
"My name is Joseph, mistress."
"Um, Circe, Joseph I accept your proposal. I will join if you promise by the river of Styx everything both of you said is true." Circe smiled and elegantly raised her hand.
"You swear on the Styx Piper?" Asked Circe. Piper gulped but nodded. The sky boomed letting Piper now she was now bound by the river.
"Very well then, I, Circe the Immortal sorceress swear that everything I told Piper is completely true." Thunder boomed and Piper looked at Joseph.
"I, the accursed and betrayed werewolf by the name of Joseph swear I told my new mistress Lady Piper nothing but the absolute truth." Thunder boomed once more and Piper exhaled in relief.
"Well my dear, you've already met Joseph and his brethren. Now let me introduce you to the rest of the coalition."
"The rest of the coalition? I thought it was just us and your mother." said Piper. Circe gave Piper a sympathetic frown and pouted.
"Then you thought wrong dear."
No POV
"Hey, as long as we are passing by the city would you mind if we made a quick stop by Olympus?" Jim asked Sharon.
"Umm not really, are you sure we can just drop by anytime we want though? Isn't it a city of gods?" The campers stopped at the edge of the street and shrugged.
"That is true Sharon but we've been there a couple of times. It's not like we aren't allowed there, as demigods we can enter freely and even shop there, we just can't live there."
"Katie is right, I've been saving my drachma for the past couple of years and I want to get an upgrade. Nothing fancy like your sword but anything's better than the one I currently have." Jim pulled out his sword and Sharon took a closer look at it. It was very slightly bent and was somehow a little chipped. How does celestial bronze even get chipped? She wondered.
"Why don't you just get it fixed Jim? Buying a new sword in Olympus is not going to be cheap." Said Katie.
"My dad is the god of merchants, I am as good in negotiating as I am with a sword. Trust me Katie, I got this."
"Yeah whatever Jim," said Katie. "What about you Sharon, you have any money? Did your siblings give you any?"
"Uh, no just what you guys gave me as supplies." Sharon took out her coins and counted 6 drachmae. "I don't really know how much these are worth anyway."
"Honestly, I'm not sure either but based on Katie's store they are worth around 50 bucks each." Jim leaned in closer to Sharon and whispered,"but between you and me I think she's been ripping all of us off."
"What you say Katie, 50 bucks each sounds about right?" Katie glared at Jim and looked back at Sharon. They crossed another street and saw the entrance to The Empire State Building 2 blocks away.
"Yes Jim, each Drachma would be worth around 50 dollars and for the record I never ripped off any of my customers."
"How about those sneakers you sold me for 10 whole drachmae when I was new at the camp, that's like 500 bucks right there." Sharon looked around vigilantly for any threats and crossed another street with her new friends.
"Those were magical shoes from Olympus Jim, they grow along with you and never get dirty." Katie responded irritated. "You're still wearing them right now!" She exclaimed while pointing at Jim's shoes.
"Guys," Sharon said as she came to a stop. "How exactly do we get in, there's like people working in there. There's even a shady looking guard protecting the elevator." Jim opened the door and walked in, he did the routine with the lobby guard and got him to give him the key much to Sharon's surprise.
"Sharon, Katie, come on," he said and they followed. He clicked on the button to Olympus and they stood silently listening to the music.
"Guys," Sharon said. Concerned, Katie grabbed her shoulder and asked her what was wrong.
"I've never seen a building this high in person much less been in one." Katie chuckled and let go on her shoulder. "We're going to floor 600, that sounds pretty high. The highest building I've been in was our town's hospital and that only had 6 floors." Jim laughed as well and soon they were all laughing. It wasn't long before they reached Olympus and they stepped out of the elevator.
The city of gods mesmerized Sharon when she stepped out. It shone in golden light and had incredible activity from minor gods, nymphs and other beings. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Are they all gods?" She asked.
"No, the ones without form that kind of float around are spirits but the ones that look like spirits but act like people are nymphs." Explained Katie.
"You haven't seen nymphs and spirits before Sharon? We have them back at camp, they are always playful and sometimes flirt with campers but we don't really mess with them. They are dangerous and if we hurt them we get in trouble with Chiron so we mostly stay away," added Jim as they started to walk through the streets of Olympus. Sharon eyed the shops in awe and tried to take everything in as Jim continued to talk.
"Hermes wanted to engage me to a wandering spirit about a few months ago since she helped him out in a very difficult job and chose me as her reward or more like mate. She was fun, very cute but crazy wild so I told him to give me a year to think about it. He's still pressures me about it every few weeks, which reminds me my time is up next month." Jim sighed and kept on walking.
"Sounds like you have it made Jim," said Katie. "I know demigods who would fight drakons to be in your shoes." Katie laughed.
"I guess I can't really complain, in her human form she has this freckles that really do bring out the shine in her green eyes," said Jim with a grin.
"Hey guys, is that where they sell the Ambrosia and Nectar?" asked Sharon. Pointing to a shop called "Hermes Quick Stop."
"A cup of Nectar for a drachma, and 4 squares of Ambrosia for a drachma too, sounds about right," said Jim.
"Sounds really expensive," said Sharon. "Do you guys think we need more?"
"I wouldn't worry about it Sharon; most questers don't use it all anyway. Besides Katie here can heal most wounds with her herbs. Right Katie?" Katie nodded and took out her first aid kit.
"It has every medicinal herb we could ever need," she said with a smile.
"Hey look," Jim said pointing to another shop. "That's the shop Conner told me about, let's go." Sharon and Katie followed Jim into the story called "Plat's New and Used Armor, Weapons and Tools.
"Welcome to Plat's N.U.A.W.T. kids, what can Plat do for you?" Said an elegant man all the way at the back of the store.
"Hey, I'm Jim and this are my companions Katie and Sharon and I am here because my brother Conner suggested I dropped by this store…" started Jim.
"Conner? As in the Stoll?" Asked the man.
"Yeah, he said you had the best quality and valuables in all of Olympus. Is that true?" Jim asked.
"Why of course it's true!" Said Plat, "I am Plutus, god of wealth and when I say this is the best Olympus has to offer that is a guarantee you can take to Zeus himself. May the fates strike me down should anything in my shop be of inferior quality to any of the other shops on Olympus." He exclaimed with his hands raised to the ceiling.
"Hmm," Jim said as if questioning the validity of his claim. "Okay, let's say I believe you and the fates aren't wrong about you. If I needed a good quality sword from your shop, which would you suggest for someone like me?" The man examined Jim carefully and called Jim towards one of the aisles.
"Look young man, this Imperial Gold sword was made by Daedalus himself, that's right boy the same Daedalus from the Labyrinth. Although the was most known for his inventions, Daedalus was an expert craftsman that only ever made three swords and this is one of them, Inventor's Edge. This specific sword is truly his best, I dare even state my honest opinion that it matches the work of Hephaestus himself." He said with pride. "Although if the god of fire asks you didn't hear that from me." He whispered.
"So how much would this Inventor's Edge be worth Plat?" Asked Jim.
"Well that's the beauty of it my boy, this amazing sword is only worth 700 drachmae but for you as a friend of Conner only 600." The man said excitedly. Sharon and Katie looked at each other and with a single look shook their heads in unison behind Jim.
"Really, the sword made by a mere mortal is worth that much?"
"But Daedalus was not a mere mortal you see, the man cheated death for hundreds of years and became known to the world as the master craftsman, inferior only to Hephaestus himself. If you doubt his sword feel free to hold it for yourself, you will see that not only is the sword a perfect match for you, it is unbreakable and enchanted to never ever require maintenance." Jim picked out the sword and swung it around for a bit.
"Well, it does feel good in my hands and it's a little heavy but do you have anything stronger in the magical sense? I think I need something with a little more magical power," said Jim. Plat snapped his fingers and held another sword in his right palm.
"Then feast your eyes on this Celestial Bronze beauty used by your father himself when he was a young godling, "The Thief Blade" it's called. It is infused with the power of your father himself and when in danger steals half of enemy's speed for 10 seconds. How's that for magical power?" Asked Plat.
Jim handed Plat Daedalus' sword and when he took a hold of his father's sword. He sensed a familiar power, it was truly his father's sword. It had the ability to steal half of his opponent's speed and Jim was sure it was very powerful. He swung the sword a bit and could see himself using it in the future, the only problem was it was going to be very expensive.
"How much is this sword worth?" asked Jim.
"This one is quite pricey demigod, I'm selling it for 1,200 drachmae but for you only 1,100." Jim thought about how much he had and it wasn't going to be enough. After all his years of camp, saving money and training demigods who wanted extra tutoring he only had a little over 900 drachmae.
"That's good and all but the sword is still only made from Celestial Bronze, what guarantees me that it won't end up like my old sword? Hermes himself said this sword was expertly made of Celestial Bronze and look at its state now," said Jim pulling out his sword.
"By Hades name, how does a Celestial Bronze blade end up like that!"
"See the sword the girl behind me is carrying? That sword did that to mine, hers didn't even have a scratch." Jim pointed at Sharon.
"Could I see that?" Plat asked. Sharon unsheathed her sword and pointed it towards Plat. He examined it from afar and barely touched its edge, a single drop of Ichor leaked from his finger.
"It's amazing…" Plat muttered.
"You see my problem?" Asked Jim. "I need a sword that can stand up to that and if you can only have Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze weapons… I guess your shop isn't as high quality as you say it is." Plutus tried to talk but couldn't, the weapon that was presented to him he never seen anything like it, it surged with mysterious power he never felt before but he knew he had to have it. He had to examine it and find out how much it was worth and unravel the mystery behind its power, but that would take time, time he did not have.
"I'll give you 2,000 drachmae for this sword young girl." He finally said.
"I'm sorry," said Sharon. "It is not for sale." Sharon put the sword back on her sheath.
"5,000 drachma," he said.
"I'm sorry but-"
"Fine! 10,000 drachmae, you can rebuild the entire camp 5 times over with how much I'm offering you for that sword." Shouted Plat.
"I'm sorry, but it's really not for sale. Please stop trying." Plat leaned in to his counter and sighed in defeat.
"At least tell me everything you can about it, where did you get it, who made it and what's it made from?"
"I'm afraid I can't do you that either Plat, I don't really know much about it to begin with." Sharon gave Plat a sad shrug. "Katie, Jim if there's nothing here you guys want to buy then maybe we should just go."
"Wait, don't go just yet. You will need all the help you can get in your quest young girl and so does your friend. Let me try to use it and I will sell your friend his father's blade for 800 drachmae." Sharon was about to say no but Jim gave he a short nod. Was all this part of his plan, she wondered. She still wasn't sure if she could trust this Plutus guy but they were on Olympus, chances were that the god wouldn't try anything dangerous on them with their parents around the corner.
"Umm, okay. If I let you try it out you'll sell him the sword for 800 drachmae?"
"Yes, I swear it on the Styx." The god said and thunder boomed. Sharon gently handed him the blade and he received it with great care. The great power that once flowed through the sword was long gone once it left Sharon's hands. Plutus noticed but swung the sword at Inventor's Edge with all his strength, the Imperial Gold weapon split in half and the pieces fell on the floor.
"Just as I thought, even without the power that dwells within it your sword is much stronger than any other sword that has passed through my store. You would have been a fool to sell it to me at only 10,000 drachmae." Plat chuckled and handed Sharon back he sword.
"So, about the deal," said Jim. "Only 800 drachma you say?" Plat nodded and with the snap of his fingers made 800 drachmae that Jim had in a magical bag disappear.
Katie, who had been browsing the store after Sharon started conversing with Plat, came back with some purified hellhound leather armor and showed it to the god. "How much for this?" she asked.
"Only 5 drachma young lady," he said with glee which make Katie smile as well.
"Okay, I'll take it." With the snap of his finger he made Katie's money disappear.
"If that will be all kids, good luck on your quest kids. Jim, for every customer you recommend to my shop you get a 100-drachmae discount on elite goods, so keep the referrals coming and you Sharon if you ever change your mind about me that sword young demigod, my shop is always open." Plat gave them a wave goodbye and the demigods exited his shop.
"Yeah, and now I know why Connor insisted I shop here, he wanted the discount on elite goods." He laughed.
"Jim?" asked Sharon. "Did you have all that planned from the start?"
"No, but I'm glad it worked out for all of us. I got me a new sword, Katie finally got some armor and Sharon, you finally know how valuable your sword is." Sharon nodded and turned to Katie as she responded.
"Yeah, no kidding Jim, he said it was worth more than 10,000 drachma and speaking of armor. Jim, why aren't you wearing yours?" Sharon looked back at Jim and asked him
"Yeah, you would think you need it now more than ever."
"If I'm going to be fighting a legendary swordsman, I can't sacrifice speed for protection, the armor slows me down a lot and while it's good for training it's not good for actual battle. Besides, I won't win if I can't even land a strike."
II guess that makes sense," said Katie as she put on her newly bought armor. "It's a good thing that this armor isn't that heavy then." The group walked the gates of Olympus and headed back to the real world. They were prepared for the imminent battle but all the preparing in the world didn't help them against what showed up next.
Isaac POV
The werewolf swung his paw again and again and he just wouldn't stop. I looked back at Robert and saw he was losing, probably because he was no good with a spear. I focused on the werewolf trying to kill me when I saw an opportunity and I took it, I slammed my shield against the face of the werewolf and he backed off a few feet. I celebrated the direct hit as it was my first successful one against him. The only problem was, I celebrated too much. I let the guard down and before I could protect myself I saw his claw fly straight into my face, I only had time to protect my face but after the hit all I saw was black.
"Isaac," I heard a voice from afar. "Isaac, wake up." It said. I felt a little cube go into my mouth. I didn't know what it was but it tasted sweet, it reminded me of the cake sister Anna gave me on my last birthday so I chewed it and ate it.
I slowly opened my eyes and saw Peter's face, he was alive and I was so happy to see him. I looked around and spotted two piles of golden dust, I looked for Robert but he wasn't anywhere, only thing there was a white pegasus.
"Where's Robert?" I asked Peter.
"Everything's fine Isaac, Robert is in the tent. Reyna released him of his duties and took him inside." I smiled in relief and laughed, I could not believe we survived that.
"Our praetor saved us?" I asked Peter just to be sure. Peter nodded and I managed to croak out a laugh again. I was sure we were dead, to find out we survived and everything was all right now a was simply put a miracle.
"Yeah, she did Isaac. I don't know what she was doing in the middle of nowhere but she dropped by in that pegasus and took care of them. The universe works in mysterious ways Isaac, regardless we owe her our lives." I heard the praetor come out of the tent and forced to hold back my tears. The freaking praetor of the entire camp had personally saved us! I could not believe it.
"Where are we going praetor," asked Peter. Our praetor frowned and shook her head.
"We aren't going anywhere, I will be on guard while you guys sleep and tomorrow morning you three are heading to New Rome. You can have my food and supplies, I have a journey of my own and with Guido here I won't need most of my supplies." It was like the day just kept getting better and better, we failed our quest but that did not matter, we were alive and now we had supplies.
"Thank you, Praetor, but I must insist, let us accompany you on your journey, I let my team down and am filled with great shame. I must redeem myself." I looked at Peter and he was right, I was also ashamed I was so useless in that battle not to mention we owed her our lives. We can't go home after failing like that.
"He is right praetor, we failed the mission but Peter saved my life twice today. Just give him one more chance praetor." The praetor looked like she was about to shut us but she nodded.
"Very well Peter, we leave to the Greek camp tomorrow morning," she said. After that, a huge lightning bolt lit up the sky and thunder boomed through the entire forest. It sent chills through my spine and I knew it was something very serious.
"Umm, that was no ordinary bolt and thunder right praetor?"
"No, that was a calling for the gods. Get some rest legionnaires." I could only nod and followed Peter to our tent. I hopped in my sleeping bag and smiled as I remembered we were saved by our praetor. I closed my eyes and prayed to the gods that everything that happened to us at that moment was not a dream.
I woke up the next morning to the smell of food, I shook Peter awake and together we rushed to the outside of our tent. Outside was our praetor cooking some pork? She saw us and told me to sit down. From the looks of it she had already eaten.
"Eat up Peter and Isaac, I need to take a quick nap, wake me up in a few so we can get going," she said. She walked to her own tent and zipped herself in.
"So, do we wake up Robert?" I asked Peter.
"Umm, he stayed awake for weeks. I think we should let him sleep in," said Peter as grabbed himself a piece of meat.
"I wonder how she got this," I mentioned to Peter. I grabbed a bite to eat and almost devoured it, I did not realize how hungry I was.
"She probably has cool praetor gear that lets her store things like this. I say we finish this, clean up and patrol until noon." And so, we did. I grabbed my equipment and we guarded the campsite for about 3 hours. We woke up Robert who seemed a lot better than last night but we came to a problem when it was time to wake up our praetor. Not surprisingly, Robert fell asleep as soon as we stepped out of the tent.
"She locked herself in, how are we supposed to wake her up?" I asked Peter since Robert was snoozing. The pegasus then neighed and squealed loud, so loud it almost woke up Robert for good. It trotted around Reyna's tent and made such a ruckus Reyna peeked her head out of the tent, half awake.
"Is it time already?" She asked. We simply nodded and waited till she was ready. When she came out, Robert was sleeping next to a tree and Peter was packed up and ready to go next to the pegasus.
"Okay, first thing first. Jason suggested I visit the Greek camp before his upcoming wedding with Piper so that's where I am heading, Robert!" She screamed Robert awake. "If you guys want to accompany me on my quest I would not mind but if you want to go back to Camp Jupiter I would not blame you either. Also, I don't know how you guys ended in Kentucky when your quest was near Nebraska but I'm glad I found all of you alive." I managed half a smile at her last remark.
"Now, let's get going," she said and sighed once she saw Robert snoring again. She went to talk to her pegasus and with some assurance from him, put Robert on his back and he carried him around like luggage.
I felt so much better knowing that our praetor was leading us now, she would occasionally signal us to stop as she inspected our surroundings and just now kicked down a tree to get us a place to sit.
"Peter are you the only one with a silver weapon?" She asked. Peter finished drinking the water in his mouth and nodded.
"I'm afraid so praetor, we didn't expect-"
"You must always be prepared legionnaire, as the quest leader it is your duty to make sure your team is prepared for everything." She told him sternly and Peter could only nod in shame. She reached into her backpack and pulled out two silver daggers, she handed one to me and the other to Peter.
"That one is for Robert once he wakes up Peter."
"Thank you, praetor," he said. I grabbed one of the daggers and noticed an inscription on the handle, it said Property of Artemis.
"As you see Isaac, they don't belong to me. I found them locked up in the storage for praetors, I plan on giving them back to Lady Diana next time we cross paths so don't you dare lose them."
"Of course, praetor," I said.
"Do you think we are going to be attacked by more lycanthropes praetor Reyna?" Asked Peter.
"I am sure we will but," she paused. "I am not sure what exactly is going on to make them this way. When I was riding on Guido he took some long turns and avoided flying over some places altogether which is why I'm down here in Kentucky instead of New York. I think he must have felt something amiss and was trying to keep us safe by avoiding the areas with werewolves." Reyna looked back at Guido and the pegasus nickered.
"I did not think much of it at the time but later when I saw something shine from afar I pushed Guido towards it, much to his disapproval, and you guys were fighting off the werewolves there. It's the only thing that makes sense."
"So, you're saying there's a lot more lycanthropes we need to be on the lookout for?" Asked Peter.
"Correct, I want you guys to be ready and practice using those knives in case we come across more of them."
"I don't think that will be necessary praetor Reyna," said a powerful voice. We all turned to where the voice came from and there stood an entire command of battle maidens dressed in silver clothes. Immediately my eyes landed on the cutest one and I felt my face burn up. She was dressed in the same clothes as the other girl but she was noticeably shorter with short neck length black hair and hazel eyes. I waved at her and she waved back, I smiled back at her but froze when the girl next to her gave me the evil eye.
Then another girl walked forward straight to our praetor, she then got older and then looked like a grown woman and even had different clothes. Her short red hair got longer and her face grew scarier than before.
"Lady Diana," said our praetor bowing down to her. I then realized that this woman was the goddess Diana, the goddess of the moon. So that must mean that the girls are her followers.
"Naomi, if you could please collect my knives." The cute girl then walked towards me and took the knife from my hand.
"Hi," I said.
"Hi," she said back with a smile.
"My names Isaac," I quickly told her like an adiot.
"Um, my name's Naomi," she said. I nodded because I already knew that, that's what the goddess called her.
"Well bye," she said.
"Bye," I said quickly and she left to grab the other knife from Peter. She then gave them back to her goddess and they disappeared
"I was going to return them to you once this was over Lady Diana, I just wanted ensure the safety of my legionaries in the meantime."
"I know Praetor, we heard your story," said the goddess. "If you and your companions needs safe passage to the camp we will be more than happy to escort you there. Your companions seem like they could use our aid." she said looking at us.
"Lady Diana, it is an honor to meet you," said Peter. I was no genius but I was sure that was a bad move since the big shots were talking.
"Silence legionnaire!" She said loudly. "I was speaking to your commanding officer. Learn your place son of Mercury." Peter paled and nodded vigorously. In that instance I learned that the goddess was truly terrifying and struggled to swallow my saliva.
"As I was saying praetor, you are welcome to tag along as we go to the Greek camp. As long as you keep your subordinates in check that is." The silver eyes goddess looked at Peter, the unconscious Robert and then finally at me.
"Should they try anything funny with the Greek huntresses and I won't hesitate to reprimand them in a most severe manner."
"I promise I will personally punish them should they go astray Lady Diana," said our praetor bowing down again.
"Do you?" she asked.
"Yes milady, I swear it on the Styx." Thunder boomed and the goddess seemed content.
"Very well praetor, we were just at the Greek camp a while ago but since circumstances seem to have changed with the infestation of lycanthropes we will let you tag along." The goddess turned around changed back to her younger form and went back with her followers. We followed close behind them but they slowly started leaving us behind since they were much faster. Not so much that we couldn't see them anymore but far enough we could talk freely now.
"Lady Diana was really frightening praetor," finally said Peter.
"You think, you were lucky she transformed into her roman form to talk to me, had she stayed in her Greek form that might not have ended so good for you," answered back our praetor.
"Oh, I see," he said. After a long pause he then opened his mouth again. "Praetor," he said.
"What now Peter?" she asked.
"About your promise," he began.
"What about it Peter?"
"Why did you swear it on the Styx?" He asked. Truthfully, I had wondered the same thing, if any of us got the goddess angry in any way the river would claim her life. It was just another thing we owed her now.
"Because I know you won't let me down legionnaires." She said out boldly. "Your resolve in that last battle and willingness to prove yourselves now say a lot about your character. You may be young and it might be too soon for me to assume this but I believe all of you are on the right path to becoming great Romans." I saw Peter smile as our praetor said that and I joined in. She showed faith in us and even bet her life on it in front of a goddess.
After my last blunder I wasn't about to disappoint her, I was going to make her proud of me someday. I gripped my sword tightly and quickly followed behind her picking up the pace. She noticed and gave me a nod of acknowledgement.
"Good, let's catch up to the hunters and get this over with."
Percy POV
I opened my eyes on yet another ceiling I had never seen before. I looked around the room and remembered this was the room I rented out yesterday. I did not really want to spend much time here, sleeping here last night probably attracted the interest of many nearby monsters and that put the lives of the innocent people nearby in danger.
I walked out of the building and realized that I was getting a lot of unwanted attention from the hotel staff. A young man in a bright yellow tank-top that said, "Hot Stuff" was probably not something these people saw in a consistent basis. I needed to change into my child form fast so I went into one of the lobby restrooms and decided to mist travel away for some supplies first. I concentrated on the energy that radiated around me and immediately sensed Gaea's energy, no surprise there. Even while scattered, her life force was surprisingly strong.
Anyway, I mist traveled away to an ATM at my local bank and created myself an identical card as the one I gave mom, I took out some cash and headed for a store. I needed travel supplies and by that I mostly meant food. As great as the reftate was it was not edible and I needed stuff to snack on. I stopped by a convenience store where I stocked up on junk food, bread and surprisingly a roasted chicken in an integrated ministore. I headed for an empty alley and dug in. It wasn't my finest hour and it wasn't the best chicken I ever tasted but I was glad I bought it.
"Hey you!" Someone said at the entrance of the dark corridor. The man walked closer and seemed to evaluate me. As I took a closer look I realized 'man' was too much of an overstatement. The person was a scrawny kid, no older than 15.
"Do you need something?" I said hoping he did not do what I thought he was about to do.
"Yeah," he pulled out a knife and pointed at my bag. "Give me everything you got and nobody gets hurt." I cursed beneath my breath and stood up.
"Look man, you don't want to do thi-"
"I said!" He screamed between his teeth. "Give me everything you got! Give me your bag, your wallet and your phone and I swear you'll make it out of here alive. Got it?" I used Nemesis powers and saw he was not a bad person, if anything he was just struggling to survive.
"Look man, calm down. I don't have a wallet or a phon-"
"Shut the fuck up! I don't want to hear your BS you little dumbfuck, I saw you shopping for that at the store. Now give me the fucking card!" He shouted. I was forcing myself not to hurt this guy but halfway through I decided he needed to learn a lesson. Maybe it was Nemesis' influence on me or the fact he cursed me out but fuck this guy. I pushed him back before he could even react and stretched out my arm to summon an escrima. The boy picked himself up but freaked out when he saw me will my weapon into existence.
"I told you, you didn't want to do this." I said. With my left arm I controlled the water inside his body and froze him in place.
"But no, you wanted to be a tough guy not to mention you interrupted my lunch." I pointed at my chicken and bread with my escrima. I put my escrima to his face and stared at his eyes intently as they widened in fear.
"It burns, doesn't it? I asked him. "The water inside your body, it doesn't let you move huh? Your lungs are barely capable of letting you breathe, let alone talk back to me with that foul mouth of yours. You might even pass out soon, who knows I keep holding you in place and you might die right here, right now and I bet nobody will even miss you. You don't have father and your mom is an alcoholic who doesn't give a flying shit about you." I let go of the boy and he fell to the floor. He was choking and crying, maybe I went too far and by my old standards I was particularly cruel but things were different now. I eyed him on the floor and picked him up by his green t-shirt. I turned my escrima into a large knife and pulled it real close to his neck. His face was filled with tears and dirt from the filthy alleyway floor.
"What are you even doing with your life, do you even have a reason to live?" I asked him.
"Maybe I should end your misery right now and give you a swift end. Your life is pathetic, killing you would be a mercy, I would be all too willing to give you after what you tried to do to me, what you say?" The boy burst into tears again and uttered nonsense at me.
"Kill me please? Is that what you're saying?" I mocked.
"Noo pwease," He could barely say.
"Please end your misery? Alright, if that's what you want." I grabbed my knife and winded up my arm to slice his throat.
"I want to live!" He screamed. "I don't want to die!" I pushed the kid back on his butt and picked up his knife after willing my own away.
"Why? If this is all life has to offer you, why even bother?" The kid looked at the floor and didn't lift his head. He was thinking of his answer.
"I don't know!" he cried. "I just don't want to die yet… Please let me go, I swear I won't do it again…"
"You swear huh? Would you swear it on your life?" The boy froze and then nodded.
"Swear it on the river of Styx, swear that you won't do this again and you'll try to do something with your life."
"I swear it," the boy said in a composed manner, he dried his tears and then looked at me. Thunder boomed and he got startled.
"You heard that? That was proof your oath is being watched. Break your promise on the Styx and you will pay with your life." He paled and nodded. I bent the knife in half and threw it on the floor, I then took out the cash I had taken out of the ATM before and pushed it on chest.
"Here," I told him. He slowly grabbed the cash and looked at me confused. "Don't break your promise, it's a promise you don't want to break? You've seen what I can do, you don't want to see what Styx can do." I patted the kid on his shoulder and walked outside the alley. I closed my eyes and prepared to mist travel away. I sensed the things around me and immediately caught on to something I did not feel when I woke up this morning.
Not only that, this something was close nearby, I don't remember ever meeting this being before, When I tried to figure out what it could be I came up blank, the only thing I could pick up from it was that it radiated energy like a god, and it was very cold.
I made sure I was covered with my protective water like material and remade myself an escrima. I mist traveled to the target and saw the carousel from central park. There wasn't a lot of people nearby, a few couples with small children and morning couples out for a jog.
"Look at all those families in this park, all happy and laughing as that contraption moves their kids round and round. The mortals strolling through the terrain with smiles on their faces sweating but somehow enjoying themselves with such a simple activity."
"Yeah, they all seem to be having a good time. Heartwarming, isn't it?" I told her trying to get something out of her.
"Yes, it is quite sickening." I took a closer look at this lady and wondered if she was who I thought she was.
"Do I know you?" I asked.
"I don't think so, I'm not from around here." I took a closer look and spotted her cold brown eyes. Nemesis' blessing seemed to work with me because as soon as I caught a glimpse of her face it let me know of all the evils she had done.
"You froze some of my friends you know, you almost killed them."
"But I didn't, your friends lived to see another day, didn't they?" I gripped my escrima and pointed it towards her.
"You're a traitor to Olympus and deserve to be brought to justice." I felt Nemesis power almost bursting through me and suppressed a smile. "Give me a good reason I should not just kill you in the name of Nemesis right now for everything you did to my friends and your actions the last war." Khione raised a brow and smiled as well.
"You? A demigod? Kill me? The only reason your friend won our little skirmish and forced me to retreat was because that impudent boy had complete control over fire being a son of Hephaestus and all. You, you're a son of Poseidon all your little powers over water don't stand a chance against mine." I could totally beat her in her current form, she was not that skilled from what I heard from Leo but she was a goddess and had a true form. I was not sure of how the fight would go if she unleashed it and we used our powers against each other, I could control water but she had complete control over the snow, she could literary summon blizzards on the spot and turn demigods into pure ice. If anything, me summoning more water or a storm would just work in her favor.
"Besides I didn't come here to fight anyone. But if you're here, I think we can both get something out of it." The goddess stood up and gave me tiny slaps on my cheek, I shook my head left shaking her hand off.
"Would you like to come back to Quebec with me? The gods don't have any power over there in our land, you wouldn't have to take orders from anyone there. I could teach you how to use your powers over water to it maximum potential, and in the process, we could even become very good friends." The goddess eyed my shirt but continued to smile. Thanks to all the interaction I been having with gods I was getting better at reading them, before they were so intimidating but now they seemed more real. It wasn't hard to tell Khione was desperate to get something, the only question was what.
"Suppose I would like to go with you to Canada and become your 'friend', what would I have to do?" The god smiled and stood up from the bench. She stretched her fingers as high as she could and it started to snow.
"Do you know how strong your father really is?" She simply asked me. I was taken aback and had to think for a second. I never really thought of how strong my dad was but he was strong if most of the gods feared him as much as Zeus and Hades and a giant was born specially to kill him.
"Do you know who will take over his domain if he were to die?"
"Why are you asking this. What does this have to do with what you want?"
"Is just a simple question, do you? Who do you think will take control over his domains? Who is the rightful heir to his throne?" Triton, I guess. He is second in command to my father and the legitimate son of the King and Queen of Atlantis, not that I mind in any way.
"Triton, at least until my dad reforms." Khione nodded and kept on nodding urging me to continue.
"The same with any heir of any god. They will assume control of their domain and could keep it should they not wish to return it."
"Okay… but I'm sure Triton will."
"Yeah, I'm sure your pushover brother would but do you see where I am going with this?" She looked at me eagerly awaiting my response but I did not want anything to do with the assassination of her father, especially since she was going to become more powerful once she took his domain and he was just going to reform later wanting vengeance and all that.
"I see where this is going," I told her confidently.
"You do?" I nodded.
"Yeah, you want me." I said successfully holding back my laughter as much as I could.
"Huh?" Was all she managed to say.
"It's ok, I'll have sex with you." I nodded understandably. If the goddess could look any more dumbstruck it would totally surprise me.
"What? Is that not what you meant with 'very good friends'?" I said cheekily. She finally seemed to snap out of it and frowned.
"I did imply that but…" I leaned in closer to her and stroked her cheek.
"Don't get me wrong Khione, I am still very angry about what you did to my friends," I whispered into her ear. "But your beauty, your coldness and dark sexiness are turning me on and I am okay with you wanting me because now I realize I want you too." Khione looked lost in thought, looked back at me and stumbled back a bit.
"Don't be scared, our love might be forbidden but I will fight Zeus himself should I have to. Nothing will stop me from taking down anyone that opposes you and me,"
"Our lo-love?" She repeated as her eyes widened.
"And when I'm done I will hold you tightly, and make you mine as I unleash the unruly passion that dwells within me. I will unleash it all."
"Your unruly pa-passion?" She croaked.
"Yes, I will use every inch of my body, every ounce of my strength and every fragment of my soul to ensure every second I spend with you fills us with the sexual pleasure of our wildest dreams."
"Se-sex-sexual pleasures!?" I nodded and hovered over her lips. Her lips were cold as ice but the goddess was gorgeous and my body was starting to act up again, I could feel it getting excited so I had to finish this now. With a gentle lean forward, I brushed my lips against her and took in her scent.
"Just say the word Khione, A world of pleasure awaits you." I said enticingly as I backed away. The goddess opened her eyes and started to breath heavily. She backed away in fear and almost collapsed.
"Something's wrong," she whispered. She touched her forehead, cheeks and neck and looked very panicked. "What did you do to me? Why does my face feel this way!? Why is it warm!?" She screamed. She looked so terrified that I almost felt bad for her, she probably never experienced anything like this before and was scared out of her mind.
"I must be losing my powers so far from home." She whispered to herself. "Yeah, that's probably it." She assured herself and looked back at me.
"I'll be back Perseus… our conversation isn't over yet." She said before disappearing in a pillar of snow.
I smiled and looked around the park, never thought I'd get to meet the infamous snow goddess that almost took down Jason's team on his quest and get her all worked up like that. I shrank down to my now usual size and wondered what she was doing down here in the first place, surely she wasn't just waiting for me to show up.
"That was quite a scene brother, remember me?" Asked an unmistakable voice behind me.