-Disclaimer: All rights go to Rick Riordan and dragonswoe.
The man behind the computer smiled. His smile was full of glee at receiving the new book from dragonswoe. Now only his problem was to find someone to read it because the man behind the computer does not read! He gets people to read for him.
Hmm. The man behind the computer thought. Perhaps the gods of Olympus and some half-bloods could read it for him.. It would certainly be fitting and full of amusement as they throw tantrums or verbally fight each other!
"Yes!" The man behind the computer laughed insanely. "They shall read this book and read it loud for me! Maybe some of them will die too..."
He pressed enter and he disappeared in a swirling vortex leaving behind his computer for the first time, but never fear! The man behind the computer—is just not a man without a computer—but a man behind a laptop too!
-Olympus Throne Room-
The Olympians were in session with their meeting and nonchalantly listened to Aphrodite rant about losing her hairbrush. In the middle of the throne room a small vortex started appearing. The Olympians instantly shut up as they watched the vortex silently. Zeus himself was holding his master bolt tightly prepared to attack this unknown force that dared to enter his throne room.
The vortex exploded violently sending a man with black hair and blue eyes. The man was holding a laptop in his hand and a book in the other. He looked around and saw the Olympians looking at him and his mouth twitched lightly.
Zeus spoke up arrogantly. "Mortal! How dare you enter the throne room of the gods! Speak up now or be incinerated by my lighting bolt!" The sky god aimed his bolt at the mortal.
Poseidon rolled his eyes at his brothers dramatics and just watched the young man who didn't react to his threat.
"I come from the future!" The man exclaimed making the gods gasp. Some of them were wildly thinking. Is this Kronos' doing? But the man added. "I came here with books—books that tell the future!" He giggled inwardly at the jaw-dropped immortals.
The goddess of wisdom perked up at the books part and anyone could see her eyes sparkling at the option of more knowledge—or plain reading. "Give it here," She spoke sternly and with commanding voice.
The man rolled his eyes, but threw the book towards the goddess because she is too tall and far away on her mighty throne.
Athena smiled as she caught the book and read the title on the book. "The Lost Son- The Crooked One's Rise." She said with a pale face and the gods grew pale-faced too. No doubt wondering if the Crooked One' as in Kronos is rising. "Seth appears on the banks of the River Lethe with no memories. He soon finds himself working for the Lord of the dead and has a choice. Fight for Olympus, his new family against the Titans and the Crooked One or help the Titans. Kronos has a secret that he has guarded since the first Titan War, a secret that only the Titans remember." Athena added with a grim tone.
"Blasphemy!" Zeus shouted in anger. "Father is not rising! This is foolishness!"
The god of the sun rolled his eyes and said, "The book speaks the truth." Yeah. Apollo is a badass and could tell the truth from a book!
The gods all forgot about the man in the middle of the throne room when they heard about Kronos rising from the summary of the book. The man shouted, "Can we read? I should have just remained at home with the book if you don't want to read it!"
The gods faced him in union before Poseidon asked, "What's your name?"
"My name?" The man asked. The gods nodded. The man continued, "My name is The Man Behind The Computer."
The gods turned to each other confused thinking what-a-weird-name- before shrugging. The man walked towards the child-like goddess Hestia and who eyed him warmly before he sat down next to her near the flames of the Hearth.
"What?" The man asked curiously. "I wanted to sit."
The gods shrugged again and Hestia turned back to the fire and stoked it. Zeus said, "Let's read then. Hand over the book daughter." Because Zeus is the king and king must read first. Athena rolled her eyes and threw the book at the king.
Zeus opened the book and cleared his throat and began to read.
Chapter 1- I Bathe In The River Of Memories
"Why do I have to do this?" I asked my father. He looked away and at the dark water of the River Lethe.
"It is for the best, son." My dad replied. I nodded.
The more kind-hearted Immortals grew sad. Who's father would throw them in the River Lethe to wipe away their memories?
Hestia stoked the flame sadly. "Who would do something that to their own son?" Hephaestus looked at Hera carefully before going back to tinkering with metals.
"So I'll know the basics, but not anything else?"
"Yes."
"Since we won't see each other for at least a century," I smiled at my father and hugged him, he stiffened; none of his other children had ever hugged him before. I let go and walked straight into the river, as soon as I touched the water my legs felt like jelly and I fell headfirst. From below the surface the only thing I saw of my father before the river took my memories were his eyes, staring down at me sorrowfully.
Poseidon smiled. At least the father was sad about it. He wouldn't be sure what he would do in a case like that. Possibly thousands of earthquakes and tsunamis.
I saw my memories as they floated away down into the darkness of the river, torn out of my head. A black fortress below a red sky, and countless orange bumps on the rocky ground stretching far as the eye could see, like blisters on skin, bursting and monsters clawing their way out of them. Before my memories were gone, breaking out of the Lethe and sucked into a bottle. I saw a man looking at me with regret as I lifted out of the water. When I looked up at him, he was gone.
The Olympians frowned. Those memories seemed familiar to them. They could tell the black fortress was something important—something on the back of their mind. The man next to Hestia was giggling inwardly at the confused gods attempting to figure it out.
"My Lord." A Fury rasped as it settled on the ground.
"Alecto, I am busy." A man in a black robe replied, black eyes bore into the Fury as she approached.
"I am sorry My Lord, but it is of the utmost importance."
"What has happened?"
"The body of a boy was found on the banks of the Lethe. He is breathing, but seems to be sleeping."
"Where is he now?"
"We left him there My Lord." Alecto replied. The god nodded and stood up, shadows flocking to him, he stepped into them and disappeared.
The shadows darkened in the throne room before the god of the underworld popped up in all his glory with pale skin and black robes. His onyx eyes glared at the Olympians. "Why am I here?" He asked roughly.
The gods grew more confused. Zeus decided to answer despite his hatred for his brother. "We didn't call you here.."
The man next to Hestia giggled again and his hand rose. "I called you here!"
Hades frowned and faced the voice finding a curious sight. A giggling man sat next to Hestia who had trouble containing her smile that was lighting up the room. Hades asked the man harshly prepared to send him to the fields of punishment. He had been busy in the underworld and he couldn't retire which—sucked! "How dare you call me?!"
"You're in the book," the man simply said and pointed towards Zeus and the book in his hand. Some of the gods were wondering how a mortal could call a god.
Hades despite the weird situation nodded and summoned a throne made of bones and stygian iron. He eyed the man for a few moments before facing Zeus and saying, "Continue reading, I suppose."
Zeus nodded and continued reading.
I saw the boy as soon as I left the shadows, he was lying motionlessly on the rocky ground where hundreds of souls had been purged from the river and been reborn, as innocent as a new born mortal. He had a few bronze streaks in his jet black hair, and pale skin that only came from almost never seeing the sun. He wore black form fitting armour with gold etching on the edges; it shimmered in the almost non-existent light. My hand reached out and turned him over of its own accord. His face was handsome – Aphrodite would probably try and get him in her bed – but not too perfect. He looked to be 15 and was tall for his age, around 6ft 4". His looks were chiselled like marble. I felt a connection to him, like we were related.
Hades frowned thinking who could that have been who fell in the River Lethe. And don't forget the related part which is more freakier. Athena's mind was working overdrive thinking about the possibilities. Maybe his son—but he wouldn't throw his son in the Lethe, would he?
Ares brandished his sword as he saw drool coming from Aphrodite's mouth and her eyes seemed to be glowing with lust.
Out of all the gods, he looked like me the most with his pale skin, but I don't remember having another child, not after Maria. I cursed, I can't get attached, I am Hades. The God of the Underworld. But I couldn't leave him here. I sighed but picked him up and Shadow Travelled into a guest room in my Palace. I really don't know why I have them here, it's not like anyone ever visits. Persephone is up at Mount Olympus with her annoying mother and I am alone down here, with the dead. Olympus shun me, all because of my blasted youngest brother.
Hades glared at the marble floor because his private thoughts were just told to the Olympians. He could sense their eyes drilling holes in him. He became fidgety and thought that if their children had this then how did they handle it?!
"I am not annoying!" Demeter shouted swinging around wheat. "Have some cereal!" She added before magical cereal appeared in her hand.
Dionysus grunted in his sleep—or smothered a chuckle. Poseidon eyed his elder brother with curiousity. He knew how he felt—kind of—but now he knew definitely and glared at his younger brother. Zeus was becoming uncomfortable from the few glares from his siblings. Hestia was glaring at him too and that was making it more heartbreaking.
I looked at the kid on the bed in the room and summoned Alecto. She appeared in front of me in the shadows.
"Inform me when he wakes." I ordered before sweeping out of the room, my robe billowing behind me like wings. She nodded and retreated into the shadows.
I shot up and instinctively stretched out my right hand, I had no idea what I was doing, until a black hilt smacked into my palm. My hand closed and a black blade tinted with gold extended out of the hilt. I looked at the blade and caught a word engraved on the flat, Katastrofí, I automatically knew what it meant, destruction. I saw a demon in the corner watching me somehow I knew what it was, a fury, Hades' torturers. How did I know that? I shook my head slightly, trying to clear my mind. I couldn't remember anything.
Few immortals frowned.
"How does he know that?" The prankster god, Hermes asked curiously. "Shouldn't his memories of everything be wiped clean?"
Athena was about to answer—when she realised she didn't know. She panicked on the inside but Hades' smooth voice saved her from panicking. "Some knowledge remains of the basic stuff." The gods glanced at him thinking how he could possibly know that before realizing that he's the god of the underworld.
A pale man stepped into the room and inspected me. His eyes narrowed slightly when they saw my sword. "Can I see that sword?"
"Who are you?" I clutched my sword in my hand, nearly crushing the grip.
"Hades." He said and flicked his finger. My sword flew out of my grasp and into his hand. "Di immortales!" He yelled and dropped the hilt, revealing a burnt hand, "Styx!" The sword had sunk into the ground. He glared at me, I just shrugged. "Ancient Othryian Iron." He said looking at his burn.
"What?"
"Your sword, it was forged during the Titan's rule."
The immortals gasped and Zeus shouted, "Where did he get that sword from! Someone find that boy and bring him to me! Hades, find him!"
Hades narrowed his eyes in anger at his younger brother and Athena was watching his father with a face that screamed are-you-dumb?
Before anyone could say anything. The Man Behind The Computer spoke up with a clear voice and informed, "You can't find the boy because I came from the future and that means the book is from the future!" Silently under his breath he added. "Idiot."
Some of the gods heard it and laughed out loud. Apollo was the loudest because his truth-sense was tingling meaning it was the truth and that meant for him to be rolling on the floor laughing out loud. Artemis watched his brother curiously wondering how she could have him as a brother—but despite this she was trying to smother her chuckles against her hand.
Zeus turned red, then blue, then purple before calming down and continued reading despite not wanting what he wanted. He frowned as some gods was still laughing and he saw his son, Apollo, rolling around on the floor. Zeus smirked and shot lightning from his bolt and Apollo yelped and was shut up. Grumbling Apollo went back to his throne and sat down.
"Can I ask you one thing, am I in the Underworld?"
"You don't know who you are, yet you know the Underworld?"
"I guess."
"Yes."
"Yes, what?"
"You are in the Underworld." Hades rolled his eyes. I nodded and looked at my armor, remembering how καταστροφήhad appeared I imagined it dissolving into shadows. My armor melted into the shadows. Underneath I was wearing black trousers, a sleeveless red V-neck t-shirt and a black hoodie. Red smoke emanated from my red shoes and made it look like I was floating on a cloud of blood.
Goddess's shuddered and Aphrodite was on the verge of vomiting. Ares was cheering at the sight of a blood cloud. Hera looked at Ares with disgust, thinking how could she—the perfect mother have a disgusting war-monger as a son?
"You could stay here, boy." Hades said.
"I don't… I mean, I could just stay on the surface world."
"Nonsense, the moment my brother senses you, you'll be sent here in a heartbeat."
Zeus frowned but didn't deny the statement.
"You mean I'll be dead,"
"Do you remember your name?"
"Is that a trick question?" I asked. Hades raised a greasy eyebrow.
"I'll call you Seth." He decided.
The Man Behind The Computer asked, "How did you come up with a cool name like Seth?"
Hades blinked. People never thought of him as cool. Usually they called him fearsome, frightening, gloomy, cruel and many more. He thought about the name Seth before frowning and said, "I didn't come up with it."
The Man Behind The Computer blinked before smiling slightly. "Rude. You should have fallen for my trap!"
Hermes laughed before followed many others. Some people could see their eyes and could tell their feelings so some of them could see Hades who wasn't laughing, but had joy in his deep onyx eyes. Slowly they stopped laughing and Zeus continued to read.
"Seth?" I asked incredulously, feeling my eyebrow creep up my forehead.
"It's a name, which is more than you have at the moment." Hades shrugged. "Come with me."
"Where are we going?"
"You ask a lot of questions."
"Sorry." I smiled.
"The Throne room." Hades answered. I nodded and hurried after the god.
Now, I'm sure you're all thinking why is he following the god of the dead? Is he suicidal? Firstly, no I'm not suicidal… at least I think so. And secondly, I figured that since I couldn't really do anything else, like for example, taking a nice holiday around the surface world without being blasted to smithereens. And my armor had gone, I had no idea how to get it back, my sword had disappeared into the ground. I had the brilliant idea that following the god of dead zombies, ghosts and skeletons around was the least of my worries. Of course I also had the added bonus of a fury, one of Hades' personal torturers following me around. Being hit by Zeus' master bolt would have been better than what happened because of my decision.
Hades took me for a tour around the palace where skeletons kept pointing their muskets at me, well, until Hades told them to back off. The throne room was massive, a throne made of human bones sat in the middle. To the left of it sat one that was shaped like a flower, gilded with gold. Persephone.
"That is my wife's throne, Persephone goddess of-"
"Spring and Queen of the Underworld." I blurted.
Hermes turned towards Athena again before she explained what Hades had said. Demeter shouted, "And she would be perfectly fine up here but you had to go and kidnap her!" She threw the cereal at Hades who simply shot it with godly energy.
"Give it up woman! It was eons ago!" Hades shouted back. Enraged that she's still angry about it.
"Yes." Hades glanced at me. I shrugged, having no idea where that came from. There was a flash of gold light in the throne room.
"Hades!" A voice yelled. "I come back to see a boy that looks nearly exactly like you, in the throne room!"
"Ah, Persephone, we were just talking about you." Hades turned; I smiled and looked at Persephone.
"You can't keep it in your pants for one minute!"
"You dare break the oath!?" Zeus and Poseidon roared together.
Dionysus yelped from his sleep before grunting at the sight of the big-three fight again. He fell asleep pretty quick. Ares was cheering on from the sidelines swinging his massive sword "Fight! Fight!"
"You dare accuse me of something like that?!" Hades stood up from his throne angrily. "We made the oath a month ago and a woman does not just have a baby in a month! It's impossible you fools!"
The Man Behind The Computer was smiling at the verbal fight. He could see some of the gods even face-palming at Zeus and Poseidon's stupidity because they clearly remembered what the strange man behind a computer said.
Zeus and Poseidon wide-eyed and feeling stupid sat back down on their thrones. Hera slapped Zeus' arm for his stupidity. Hades calmed down before sitting down and waited for him to continue to read.
"He's not-"
"Do not give me that lie! We are having a war at this very moment!"
"He is not my son!" Hades roared.
"Then who is he, I know of no other god with skin as pale as that and black eyes!"
"I don't know, and neither does he!"
"How doesn't he know who he is?"
"If it helps, Hades named me Seth." I interrupted the two gods, probably not my smartest idea. Persephone waved her hand and I turned into a plant.
"That's better." She smiled.
"Persephone!"
"Yes dear?"
"Turn him back."
"Well, since I can't turn the god of the dead into a plant, I'll do it to his son."
I imagined Hades as a dandelion sitting on his throne made out of human bones.
Apollo and Hermes laughed loudly at the image and few other gods decided to be more polite and smothered their laughs. Hades cursed in Ancient Greek to himself.
"I swear on the river Styx he is not my son." Hades sighed.
"That changes it." Persephone smiled, she waved her hand and I reappeared as a human.
"Do you change every kid you come across into a dandelion?"
"Only my husband and his spawn."
"You turn the fearsome god of the dead into a plant?" I smiled.
"Whenever I find one of his children." Persephone nodded.
"How many have you found?"
"Oh, only, a few dozen."
"Only?"
"Compared to his brothers, he keeps it in his pants."
Poseidon and Zeus glanced around for support but found none. The goddess' were all glaring at the two of them because they knew what Persephone just said was the truth.
"And you've turned him into a plant for every one?"
"Of course! One time I turned him into a stinging nettle and planted him on Oly-"
"I don't think Seth wants to know where I have been planted." Hades interrupted
"Why is a mortal in the Underworld?"
"Alecto found him on the banks of the Lethe." Hades explained as he sat on his throne.
"I'm going to assume he was dipped?"
"He is in the room!" I shouted. They ignored me.
"Why else would he be there unconscious?"
"You never said he was unconscious."
"Why else would he be on the bank?"
"Why else would he be in the room?" I said sarcastically.
All the gods now laughed out loud not bothering to hide it. The Man Behind The Computer was laughing because of another reason though. The image of bringing other characters from this book into the throne room—oh the joys and gruesome fights would be delightful!
"What will we do with him?" Persephone asked studying me. I squirmed under her look.
"I could help out here."
"He could help me with the rogue spirits."
"So he'll stay here then?" Persephone finished. I coughed and the two deities turned to me in surprise.
"You know it is rude to talk about someone while they're in the room, right?"
"Sorry. I forgot you were there, Seth." Hades sighed.
Apollo spoke up, "How could you forget him? You're the god of the underworld and a living being is in the underworld!"
Few gods nodded in agreement and looked towards Hades to see him turning red. The gods snickered at the sight and before Hades could explode, Zeus started to read.
"I know, I could tell."
"As we just said, you could stay down here and find the souls that have escaped the Underworld."
"So, stay down here, alive or go to the surface for less than 6 hours and be forcibly sent here?"
"Yes."
"I'll stay here." I decided.
"Good. Your room will be the one you woke up in. You do remember the way?" Hades checked. I nodded.
"Seth, be careful when doing your jobs, my father doesn't ask questions." Persephone said, concerned. I thanked her and left the throne room.
"It would be easier to shadow travel." A voice called after me.
"How?"
"Feel the shadows around you and imagine a portal connecting the shadows to your destination." Hades replied, "Seth, when you want to start. There is a soul in San Francisco that has escaped." I tried shadow travelling and found myself in my room. It was like I had done it before.
The gods exploded with questions and Athena herself was smiling thinking what a good book it was. Athena got tired of all the questions the gods seemed to ask yet completely forgetting that the book and the man are both from the future so she shouted, "Will you idiots just shut up?! The book is from the future so none of these things exist yet!"
The gods turned red in embarassment before muttering excuses.
"Now father," Athena turned towards her father. "Give me the book and I will read so we can find out more about this!"
-Author notes-
Some information. Right now there are only gods but there will be more characters that I will bring in. The Man Behind The Computer has its tricks, but will we find out his identity someday? This is my first time writing a 'reading' fanfiction so give me tips on how to improve and I' will try my best.
Should I add more interaction between the immortals and all? Tell me what you think.