Chapter 12
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At the San Francisco pier:
"Blackjack hang around we may have need of you again," Perseus said to his Pegasus
"Will do Boss, I could use a little more action. Mares on earth dig heroics and scars" Blackjack neighed in Perseus's mind
"Blackjack hold on," Perseus said in his thoughts
"Yeah boss" Replied the irritating Pegasus
"I need for you to go and recon the mountain where Artemis is being held. Scout for any surprises those bastards may have prepared for us." Perseus instructed
"Oh ok boss, what if I run into any trouble?" Blackjack questioned
"Exterminate it with extreme prejudice and get the Hel out of there." Answered Perseus
"Will do Boss, scout for traps, kick some ass, and then bolt." Blackjack neighed as he took flight
/\/\/\/\/\
The entrance to the Garden of the Hesperides:
"Who or what is a Ladon?" Perseus asked
"Boss" Perseus heard in his mind
"Blackjack, what is it?" Perseus questioned
"You were right boss. Them bastiches have a whole ship full of monster just waiting to jump on ya boss." Blackjack replied
"Did they discover you?" Perseus inquired
"Yeah they did boss, but they just acted like I was one of them. So I went with it to try and find out everything I could." Responded Blackjack
"What do they have planned?" Asked Perseus
"They know you're almost there. They have started to leave the ship and will surround the mountain top, so when you and the little phillies arrive they will rush forward to kill all three of you." Stated Blackjack
"Really? Well, I guess we will just have to spoil their little surprise with one of our own." Said a smirking Perseus
"How you plan on that Boss?" Asked a nosy Blackjack
"Once we are in the garden I will create a portal for the girls to go through so they will not have to deal with the dragon. Then you will pick me up so we can enact operation Hammer of the Gods." Perseus replied
"BOSS NO! Not Hammer of the Gods!" Exclaimed Blackjack
"Yes, Blackjack, Hammer of the Gods and once that has started I need you to take care of those monsters that have already left the ship." Said a determined Perseus
"Ar…are… you sure…Boss? Do you remember what happened last time?" Asked a reluctant Blackjack
"Yes, Blackjack I remember. That was a long time ago, and I've practiced since then." Perseus replied. "Just listen for my summons."
"Will do Boss" Replied Blackjack
Perseus took hold of Zoe's shoulder and whispered "we need to talk. Thalia does not need to know about this."
/\/\/\/\/\
In the Garden of the Hesperides:
Ladon come! Defend the tree!" One of the Hesperides yelled out as they disappeared in fear of the hundred-headed dragon
"Get ready Blackjack!" Perseus said in his thoughts
"Ready Boss" replied Blackjack
"Go' Perseus yelled as a signal for the girls to run through the portal and for Blackjack to pick him up.
"Alright Blackjack, you know what to do fly as high as you possibly can," Perseus instructed
Blackjack took off flying high into the air when he said: "Boss, I want you to say it."
"Say what?" Perseus asked
"It. I want you to say it or I'm not going any higher." Threatened Blackjack
"Come on! It's embarrassing!" exclaimed Perseus
"Doesn't matter if I have to do this then I might as well get some enjoyment out of it," Blackjack replied sarcastically
"Fine!" Perseus sighed loudly "just get us where we need to be."
As they flew higher into the sky Perseus looked around observing what was happening. As they approached the appropriate height Perseus said: "alright Blackjack as soon as I start Operation Hammer of the Gods, you fly down and take out those monster."
"Will I get a treat if I do?" Asked the annoying Pegasus
"A treat? You want a treat? I already have to say that and now you want a treat?" Hissed Perseus
"Yeah boss, I'm a growing foal. So I need to eat if I wanna grow up big and strong." Neighed a smirking Blackjack
"Growing foal?! You are over two thousand years old! How much more can you grow?" Growled an irritated Perseus
"Come on Boss, you know I'm your favorite steed," Blackjack said sweetly
"You are my only steed! You know what, I do not have time for this so fine. If you destroy all of those monsters, I will take you to get a delicious treat found only on Midgard." Replied an exasperated Perseus.
"You got yourself a deal Boss," Blackjack responded
"Be quick, once it hits all Hel is going to break loose," Perseus stated
Looking down at the ocean Perseus could see the little dot that is the Princess Andromeda. Carefully Perseus stood up on Blackjacks back, bent his knees and leaped high into the air yelling the one thing he never wanted to say again "Pootietang!"
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Blackjack POV
As Perseus came to the height of his jump, he assumed a position that resembled that of Superman flying. Only Perseus was not flying. No, Perseus's intention was to gather as much speed as possibly on his way back to earth. With storm-breaker leading the way Perseus began to concentrate on his trusted hammer infusing it with Space Generation to enhance the blow Storm-breaker will provide while simultaneously employing Space Depletion to erase any matter the hammer comes into contact with.
As soon as Perseus jumped from his back, Blackjack went into a steep dive heading towards the monsters currently climbing up the mountain. As he pulled out of his dive, blackjack neighed loudly getting the attention of some of the monsters. As those monsters began to turn around Blackjack unfolded his wings that allowed him to accomplish two things. The first is to slow his descent and the second it allowed him to unleash his wing blades (think Archangel of the X-Men) at the monsters. As each blade hit a monster it instantly dissolved into golden dust.
Surprised by the sudden onslaught, monster after monster succumbed to the deadly Pegasus. Once the surprise had worn off, the remaining monsters regrouped and began to attack Blackjack. Unfortunately, for the monsters, Blackjack was too fast and too strong for them to stop. If Blackjack didn't destroy them with his wing blades, he stomped or back kicked them with his Nth metal horseshoes. Either way, the monsters fell before the fury of the treat motivated Pegasus.
Blackjack continued his massacre of the monsters…until he heard that sound. It was a high-pitched whistling that Blackjack has heard only a few times before. "Oh FUCK!" Blackjack yelled to himself as he put all of his energy into fleeing the area.
The remaining monsters cheered thinking that they had successfully repelled the attack only to hear a loud high pitched whistling sound. The monster looked around trying to find the cause of the sound when one monster finally looked up and yelled: "look!" The monsters look up only to see something that resembled a human sized missile. They stood there staring in awe as the unknown object collided with the Princess Andromeda.
/\/\/\/\/\
Back to Perseus:
As I jumped off Blackjack's back, I began to clear my mind so I could concentrate. The most important aspect of Hammer of the Gods is having the correct power ratio between Space Generation and Space Deletion. Blackjack was there last time I tried this and let's just say I may have accidently vaporized a third of the planet because my power ratio of Space Deletion to Space Generation was too high.
My speed increased as I rocketed towards the unsuspecting ship. I started to concentrate on enhancing storm breakers striking capability with Space Generation. While I was doing this, I split my consciousness and began gathering power from Space Deletion. My brother Thor often wonders why I combine these two aspects of my powers. I have tried to explain to him that that Space Generation in conjunction with Storm-breaker will indeed destroy its intended target but with unintended results. Once I strike my objective it will explode with massive force. The first time I used Space Generation with Storm-breaker I destroyed an Asteroid. Although I achieved my goal of stopping the Asteroid, I failed epically in protecting the citizens of the planet. All I did was cause the Asteroid to break-up into smaller pieces, which then proceeded to decimate the planet I was trying to protect. From that day forward I trained diligently to master that technique so that tragedy would never happen again. Unfortunately, I could never contain or destroy the resulting debris, and then one-day father suggested combining certain aspects of space generation with aspects of space deletion.
For many years I practiced and trained, trying to combine the two forces in which I was unsuccessful at, as can be verified by the Chitarui and Brood. I was almost ready to never use that technique again when I felt a presence in my mind. It was the Presence. He, she, it said it was imperative I master this technique and that he, she, it, would train me in how to combine my powers. I voiced my concerns for the safety of the universe if I continued to train in combining these powers, but the Presence informed me we would train in something called virtual reality. After approximately two centuries, I was finally able to successfully combine the two power sets. I would be lying if I said that everything went perfectly after that because it didn't as I destroyed a third of a planet using that technique. I was informed by the Presence that my training would now be done by myself, I protested vigorously but was told that I had mastered the ability to combine the two power sets now all I had to do was discover how to summon the correct ratio of each power which would be discovered with more practice.
Over the centuries, I would continue to practice and hone this technique. For safety concerns, I would go deep into space and create my own Asteroid and practice on it. I quickly discovered that the state of my emotions would affect the power ratios, as one time I almost destroyed a sun because I used too much of my Space Deletion powers. Fortunately, for myself and that solar system, I was able to use Event Negation to repair any damage I caused.
As I got closer to the monster-filled ship, I heard a small boom, signaling I had just broken the sound barrier. I fought with my emotions as I tried to find the perfect aspect ratio of the two power sets. Ironically an image of Thalia and Artemis sprung forth in my mind. The mental image of these two women calmed my emotions and steeled my resolve that what I was doing would work. Artemis stepped forward and gave me a ball of light that was filled with power, my power. I realized that it was the power of my Space Generation, and then Thalia stepped forward handing me a smaller ball of light. Again I recognized it to be my power, only, this time, it was my power over Space Deletion. As one, they both said "this will work" as they proceeded to kiss me on the cheek before disappearing.
Smiling, I concentrated as the two balls of energy disappeared while Storm-breaker began to resonate with the two aspects of my power. Perfect I thought to myself as I looked to the side and observed Blackjack in the midst of battle until he suddenly looked up and bolted from battle. "I guess he heard me coming," I thought to myself chuckling. I also noticed one of the monsters pointing me out to the other monsters but it was too late as I slammed into the ship.
The instant storm-breaker made contact with the ship, the area surrounding the ship pulled inwards, due to the space generation part of the technique. It was the next part that was crucial as the area suddenly thrust forward in a massive explosion. As the ship exploded I released the space deletion portion of the technique. If done properly, this will delete any and all debris of the exploding ship. This needed to be done due to the fact that debris from the exploding ship would catastrophic to Midgard, as numerous cities and its citizens would be destroyed.
Unfortunately, the shockwave and its effects will still be felt, but seeing as we are beside a mountain and in the ocean the mortals will believe it to be an earthquake or a meteor strike. "I do hope that Zoe remembers to use the charm I gave her," I thought to myself
If repeated, I will deny every thinking this but for once I was thankful old fish face was my biological father as I lay at the bottom of the ocean recovering from what I just did. After a few minutes, I stood up as I summoned Storm-breaker back to my hand, and I burst forth from the ocean to observe the havoc caused by the explosive shockwave. The remaining monsters dead are and gone, parts of Mount Othrys falling into the ocean, and in the distance, I could hear unusual noises that Thalia had identified for me as emergency vehicle sounds being deployed. I made for the top of the mountain hoping that Zoe, Thalia, and Artemis were still alive.
End flashback
/\/\/\/\/\
Atlas's words were lost in the sound of the massive explosion.
Silently and stealthily Zoe drug Thalia, until they were in front of Artemis.
"What are you doing?!" Snapped Thalia
"I am saving our lives. That is the signal from Perseus, so shut up and do as I say and we may just survive this." Replied an irritated Zoe who pulled something from her hunter's jacket and threw it on the ground.
Before Thalia could ask what Zoe was doing a large thick wall appeared in front of them.
"Take cover!" Zoe yelled at Thalia as the shockwave reached the top of Mt. Othrys.
Once the shockwave hit it was chaos. The pressure from the shockwave caused numerous trees and plants to be uprooted, as the few surviving monsters and demigods were thrown about like leaves in the wind. Even the wall that was protecting Artemis, Zoe and Thalia began to show cracks.
Zoe and Thalia were praying to all the gods that the wall would hold when something unexpected happened. Something hit the other side of the wall. Whatever hit the wall was big and dense as it caused the wall to collapse on top of whatever hit it.
With the shockwave subsiding, Zoe and Thalia opened their eyes to see the devastation the shockwave caused. Both were in a state of shock until Artemis got their attention "Zo…Zoe! Ar…are… you alright?"
"Yes…yes Milady, a little shaken but fine." Zoe replied
"Y…you… must leave Zoe…. it's a trap." Artemis said to her lieutenant.
"We know Lady Artemis, Perseus will be here soon and we will free you," Zoe said in a hopeful tone
"Wh…where… is Perseus?" Artemis asked exhaustedly
"He is near. Whatever it was he had to do was responsible for… this." Zoe said as she looked around
Suddenly a rumbling could be heard as Zoe and Thalia looked towards the pile of rubble that was once their wall of protection.
"Wh…wha…what…happened?" Asked a dazed and confused Atlas
When from out of nowhere came a boot to the face of Atlas, after which a familiar voice said, "I happened" as there stood Perseus.
Said kick knocked Atlas to the far side of the mountain giving Perseus enough time to rest and make sure everyone is alright "Zoe, Thalia are you alright?"
"Yes Perseus, the protection you provided us kept us safe." Replied Zoe "but we must hurry Lady Artemis will not last much longer."
Perseus concentrates on Storm-bringer which begins to glow brightly before it transforms into his spear Nætrdagr. "Zoe, Thalia when I say to go and help Artemis out from under the sky," Perseus ordered
The two demigoddess's nodded in affirmation as they waited for the opportunity to save Artemis.
Perseus crawled underneath the sky with Artemis and said: "Artemis drop the sky; it is alright I have it." Said Perseus
'N…no…yo…you wo…won't be…ab…able to…hold it…u…up…by…yourself." Replied Artemis
"Drop the damn sky before it kills you!" Hissed Perseus
Still Artemis refused so Perseus adjusted himself placed his hands on the sky and pushed upwards. As the sky began to move upwards Perseus tripped Artemis causing her to drop the sky. "Now!" Perseus yelled to Zoe and Thalia as the two rushed forward and helped Artemis out from under the sky.
"No!" Yelled Artemis "he is trapped"
"He has a plan Milady" Zoe replied
Yes!" The booming voice of Atlas rang out, "he must be planning to hold the sky forever because there is no way in Hades he is getting out from under it!"
(I bet you thought we would make a reference to Hades sneezing. Haha not this time)
At this Thalia started to laugh.
"Why are you laughing demigod?" Atlas questioned
"You mean besides you being an ass hole. Well, you're pretty fucking stupid as well." Thalia said tauntingly
"Thalia!" Zoe hissed
But Thalia just ignored her as Atlas turned red in rage and bellowed "you…you dare! You dare speak to me that way! I am general of the Titan army!"
"I sure am ass-hat" responded Thalia. "Oh, by the way, look behind you."
As Atlas turned to see what Thalia was talking about a right uppercut hit Atlas square in the jaw sending him flying into another wall.
There stood Perseus shaking his hand and saying "Fuck! He has a hard jaw."
Artemis and Zoe stood there with their mouths agape at the fact Perseus was free from holding the sky.
Perseus snapped his fingers in front of their faces as he said: "Zoe, you and Thalia continue on with the plan, Artemis and I will handle the Titan."
"Why… why…would you need…my help? It is obvious you can defeat the Titan by yourself." Artemis stated
"Under normal circumstance you would be right, be these are not exactly normal circumstances," Perseus replied
A moment later Atlas came staggering back into the clearing. "How? How did you escape the sky?" asked an inquisitive Atlas
"I did not escape it as much as finding it a new bearer until we place you back under there." Responded Perseus
At this Atlas and Artemis looked towards where Perseus had been holding the sky to find his spear Nætrdagr was now holding the sky in place.
While Artemis and Perseus were squaring off against Atlas, Zoe and Thalia began to look for Annabeth. Even though neither would admit it they were afraid that she may have been seriously injured or killed in the shockwave. Thankfully the remaining monsters had been killed so all the two demigoddess's had to worry about was random unconscious demigods.
Soon Zoe began to hear a muffled voice. As she tracked it down the voice became clearer as Zoe could hear "help…help me."
"Thalia! Over here." Zoe called out
The two demigoddesses began to sift through the various overturned trees and bushes until they came upon a familiar sight. It was Annabeth trapped in a hole underneath of all of that destruction.
"Annabeth!" Thalia yelled
"Thalia! Is that you?!" Screamed an enthusiastic Annabeth
"Yeah hold on and we'll get you out" Replied Thalia
Thalia and Zoe looked around to see if they could find any rope so they could pull Annabeth up and out of the pit but were unable to find any.
After a few minutes of thinking, Thalia said: "Annabeth close your eyes."
"Why?" asked the daughter of Athena
"If you want out, close your eyes and keep them closed," Thalia ordered.
Thalia closed her eyes and concentrated on summoning a pillar of air that would lift Annabeth out of the pit.
Even though frustration was beginning to set in, Thalia continued to concentrate. Sweat started forming on her brow as finally the air took shape beneath Annabeth and slowly but surely lifted the young demigoddess out of the pit. As soon as her arms came out of the hole Zoe grabbed them and finished pulling Annabeth out of the hole.
At this Thalia collapsed in exhaustion.
"Thalia! Thalia, what's wrong?!" Annabeth asked loudly
Zoe placed a hand on her shoulder and said "she will be fine. She used her powers in a new way and it took up all of her energy."
"Oh." Replied Annabeth.
/\/\/\/\/\
Back to Perseus and Artemis
Atlas stood there and laughed at the Price of Asgard as he realized that is was his weapon holding the sky in place. "Stupid Asgardian, you have no weapon. You have no hope of defeating me now."
"I need no weapon to best someone as unskilled as you Titan!" Perseus hissed
"We shall see; we shall see" Atlas replied as he threw his javelin at Perseus
Perseus who was already expecting an attack from the Titan stood there waiting for the javelin to get close. Once the javelin got within arm's reach Perseus reached out and grabbed it out of the air and twirled it like a baton before launching in back at Atlas.
Atlas was stunned at what the son of Odin had just done and thus was unprepared for when the javelin cut into his shoulder as it flew by. "AAAA!" Atlas bellowed as he received the wound. "You said you didn't need any weapons to defeat me and you just used a weapon!" Growled Atlas
"I did no such thing." Replied a smirking Perseus "What I did was return your weapon to you. It was not my fault you could not catch it."
"You dare make a mockery of me, you insignificant fool…" Atlas shouted before being cut off when a silver arrow lodged itself in the cut Perseus made when 'returning' Atlas's javelin "argh, you bitch" Atlas shouted at Artemis who had recovered some of her energy, but was still looking quite pale from her recent imprisonment.
"I thought you could handle more than a single arrow Titan" mocked Artemis
Growling in anger Atlas jumped high into the air intending to bring his weapon down upon the exhausted goddess, however in his rush he forgot about Perseus who upon seeing Atlas was going to jump by the way he bent his legs, gathered his power before launching himself at the Titan's unprotected side, hitting his mark, Perseus heard some of the Titan's ribs crack from the immense hit Atlas just received causing the Titan to grunt in pain.
"Foolish boy… I am Kronos's second in command. I have fought in many wars. Do you think some cracked ribs will stop me?!" questioned Atlas reaffirming his grip on his javelin as Artemis made her way back over to Perseus.
Perseus who didn't respond to Atlas's taunts instead noticed Artemis was still looking weak and gripped her shoulder to lend her some more of his power
"What…what are you doing?" asked Artemis staring at the offending appendage
"You still looking a bit pale, I am giving you some more energy, however, I can only spare a little" replied Perseus
"Thank you Per…look out!" screamed Artemis causing Perseus to duck his head back as Atlas javelin sailed over Perseus face just scratching the top of his left eye.
Breathing heavily Perseus wiped the dribble of blood that was running down his face before reassuring Artemis that he was ok then turning to face Atlas.
"Good shot, I'm afraid it will be your last," said Perseus in a tone that stated it as a fact.
"We shall see!" said Atlas before lunging at Perseus to engage in close quarter combat leaving his javelin anchored in the ground from whence he lunged from.
Artemis watched as Perseus expertly dodged the Generals punches and jabs. Drawing her bow back hoping to get another shot at Atlas's cut from earlier before huffing in annoyance as the combatants were moving too fast for even the goddess of archery to get a shot in.
"What's the matter boy, getting tired?" Atlas mocked, hoping that Perseus would be affected by his taunting
"No…no, actually I am feeling quite refreshed. I've never fought anyone with as little power as yourself" countered Perseus serving to make Atlas growl as he kneed the Asgardian in his stomach knocking the air of out of his lungs. His armor might be impregnatable but Perseus could still reel from the force behind the strike which was followed up with a heavy punch to the face knocking him off his feet, before slamming into the cold black walls of the Titan palace with his jaw at an odd angle.
"PERCY" shouted Zoe as she suddenly appeared
However, the shout also alerted Atlas who smiled upon seeing an opportunity to rid the world of his traitorous daughter. "Say goodbye to the mortal Asgardian" before heaving his javelin high above his head and launching straight at Zoe
"NOOOOO!" shouted Perseus who had just had his jaw reset by Artemis. Time seemed to slow (he's not using his power, I mean the saying) the javelin inched closer and closer to the unsuspecting daughter of Atlas. Perseus who was on his feet tried to use his time powers, but he was already severely weakened from providing energy to Artemis and Operation Hammer of the Gods. Perseus knew he wouldn't be able to stop the javelin in time but still he tried. Unfortunately, Zoe turned just in time for the javelin to run her through.
"ZOEEEEE!" screamed Artemis rushing to her hunter's side, using her godly strength to gently remove the javelin, she quickly laid Zoe down and attempted to use what little godly power she had left to heal her, but it was not enough.
Perseus could only stare in shock as he quickly went to Artemis side to try and aid Zoe. Although looking at her wound he knew their efforts were futile.
"Finally, that filthy traitorous bitch is dead! Who's next?!" shouted Atlas summoning his javelin back to his hand.
Unbridled fury now clouded the Odin-son's vision as he stared at his critically injured friend(?) in front of him. Knowing his father wasn't going to be very happy Perseus yelled in anger cracking the floor around him before he started walking towards Atlas.
"Ahh! Now I have your undivided attention? If I had known, all I had to do was kill the bitch I would have done so earlier" taunted Atlas.
However, he was interrupted as the inhibitor band on Perseus's arm shattered as red and black lightning struck the Asgardian blinding everyone in the vicinity before it died down revealing the fully powered Asgardian god of space, time, justice and loyalty. Blessed warrior of The Presence and prince of Asgard. Putting on his pitch black helm that has the golden plum was a sight that inspired hope in all who fought with him. Perseus used the helm's wisdom to for lack of better word to scan his opponent and come up with a battle plan to defeat his enemy. It took him only fractions of a second before he launched himself at the Titan delivering strike after strike and expertly dodging incoming strikes from Atlas.
Perseus knew that time was of the essence if Zoe was to be saved. Quickly, Perseus enacted his plan to get Atlas back under the sky. Perseus maneuvered Atlas around until he was facing the sky. Perseus then feigned a kick to Atlas's head. Atlas not realizing the feint, went to duck under the kick only to be met with a right uppercut that stood Atlas straight up in a daze. At this Perseus yelled "Now!" and from out of nowhere Blackjack appeared behind Atlas and kicked him. The force of the kick sent Atlas airborne as he finally came to a stop under the sky. Perseus held out his hand and summoned Nætrdagr causing the sky to fall squarely on the back of Atlas.
Realizing what just happened Atlas roared in anger, as he started cursing his enemies.
Perseus quickly made his way back to Artemis and Zoe and was saddened by what he saw.
"Di…did…Iser…serve…you well…Mi…milady?" Zoe wheezed out
"Yes my Lieutenant, you have served me better than I could have hoped for." Replied a crying Artemis
"Stars…I…I…see stars," Zoe said as the light in her eyes went out for the final time.
"Yes, they are beautiful tonight," Artemis responded
Perseus stood behind Artemis observing the moment between the goddess of the hunt and her most loyal follower. Perseus knew this was wrong that Zoe should not be dead, he could feel that Zoe was needed for the future. With tears in his eyes, he watched as Artemis began a ceremony that he was unfamiliar with "Artemis what are you doing?" Perseus asked
"I…I am…bestowing the highest honor possible to Zoe, I am putting her in the stars." Artemis said while crying
"No!" Perseus yelled as he knew if this happened Zoe would be dead for certain.
"It is an honor and she deserves it." Snapped Artemis
"Please allow me to explain…" Perseus was saying when Artemis interrupted him
"No! You are just like all the other males, not wanting a female to get the recognition she deserves!" Artemis bellowed as she began the spell once again.
"I am truly sorry Artemis, hopefully, you will understand soon," Perseus said as he teleported Zoe's dead body away.
"Bring her back!" Screamed an irate Artemis "If you bring her back now, I will kill you quickly!"
"I cannot," said a sullen Perseus as he disappeared in a green and golden flash.
At this Artemis swore she would hunt Perseus down and make him pay as she summoned her bow and continued the destruction of Mt. Othrys.
Unbeknownst to Artemis, Perseus has traveled back in time to just before Zoe was struck by Atlas's javelin. Perseus watched as Zoe made her way to where Artemis and he were. He watched as Atlas threw his javelin at an unsuspecting Zoe. The instant before the javelin struck Perseus teleported Zoe out of the way while placing a twin construct in her place. Even though he saved Zoe, things had to progress as they did before. Perseus watched in sadness at the pain his other self and Artemis were feeling. The only consolation was that they would soon be happy again. Perseus waited until he saw himself teleport into the past to save Zoe and then reappeared in normal time.
After he reappeared Perseus fell to one knee in exhaustion. Unfortunately for him, Artemis was standing right in front of him.
"You should not have come back! Now I will kill you!" Artemis said as she unleashed a kick that sent Perseus flying twenty feet before skipping to a stop.
"Fuck!" Perseus said chastising himself
Before he could get to his feet Artemis was on him like a ferocious wolf. Artemis straddled his waist and proceeded to rain blow after blow down upon Perseus
Perseus had wanted to explain to Artemis why he did what he did, but she would not give him the opportunity to do so. It was all he could do to stay conscious from the beating Artemis was giving him.
In the distance, Perseus heard what he had been waiting for. At this he tried to say "listen" but all that came out was "arg arg arg."
Suddenly Artemis was tackled from on top of Perseus. This made Artemis even angrier as she shouted "I will kill you as well" as she turned only to see Zoe.
Artemis stood there in shock as she could not believe that this was Zoe in front of her.
"Milady what did you do?!" Zoe exclaimed
"Zo…Zoe…Zoe… how are…you here you died?" Stuttered Artemis
"Perseus came back and saved me." Zoe responded
"No! He kidnapped your body for some perverted male reasons!" Artemis hissed
"No, Milady he saved me, he brought me back to you and the hunt." Explained Zoe
By this time, Thalia and Annabeth finally caught up only to see a bloodied Perseus laying on the ground. "Percy!" Thalia screamed in horror as she rushed to be by his side
"What the fuck happened!" demanded the daughter of Zeus
"I…I…mistakenly attacked him." Responded a remorseful Artemis
"Mistake! You mistakenly attacked him! You Bitch! I don't care if you're an Olympian or not I'm gonna kick your ass!" Thalia threatened as lightning sparked all over her body.
"Thalia please, a lot has happened which you do not know At least let us explain before you take retribution," Zoe said pleading with Thalia to be sensible.
Thalia sat beside Perseus and placed his head in her lap as she listened to what happened while she was unconscious.
Even though she wasn't happy at what happened to Percy, even Thalia could see how a misunderstanding could have occurred.
As if their day wasn't bad enough a loud voice that sounded like three people talking at once called out "Zoe Nightshade"
The group of females all turned at once to see something they didn't want to see. The fates, all three of them. "You should have died Zoe Nightshade and we are here to rectify this mistake. Thalia will lead the hunters in your place." The fates said in unison.
A loud and clear "No!" echoed throughout the clearing as the girls turned to see a battered and bruised Perseus standing there defying the fates.
"You have no say in this Odin-son. In fact, you are fortunate that we do not punish you for what you did." The fates said with a smirk
"You dare to threaten me! I am Perseus Jackson so of Odin, champion of the Presence, I do not kowtow to fate, for I make my own!" Perseus exclaimed, "and if you think for one minute you will take Zoe's life away then be prepared to lose your own!"
"You do not have the power to hurt us Odinson," the fates said laughing.
Perseus closed his eyes as black lightning erupted from his hands hitting the space just above the Fates when suddenly a white hole appeared over them. "I believe you are mistaken or would you like a trip through a white hole," Perseus said smirking.
Quickly the fates huddled together and talked for a moment before saying "Ahem we rechecked the thread of life and see we were mistaken, Zoe Nightshade may live."
Perseus nodded and said, "leave."
And the fates quickly left not wanting to piss off the son of Odin any further
Perseus released his hold on the white hole and proceeded to pass out once again
"Percy!" Thalia yelled as she made her way to his side and once again placed his head in her lap.
"What happened?" Asked Annabeth
"I believe Perseus just bluffed the fates into keeping Zoe alive." Said a still startled Artemis
Artemis, Zoe, and Annabeth began to make their way towards Perseus when suddenly a black blur cut in front of them.
It was Blackjack and if a horse or Pegasus could look pissed then Blackjack was most definitely pissed off.
Artemis moved to go around him but blackjack just moved to cut her off.
"What are you doing you dumb horse!" Artemis yelled
Blackjack looked her in the eye and neighed angrily as he raised one of his wings to just in front of Artemis's chest
"Stupid Pegasus wings will not stop me!" Hissed Artemis
"Milady be careful Blackjack has wing daggers and they are dangerous!" said a concerned Zoe
"This Pegasus dangerous, please Zoe that's like saying Ares is the hunk of the year.' Replied the sarcastic moon goddess.
At this Blackjack slowly walked until he stood in front of Artemis. He looked her right in the eye snorted and then drew his head back and head-butted her in the nose causing ichor to spray everywhere. To make matters worse it seems like Blackjack was laughing at the moon goddess.
Artemis has had enough of this disrespectful animal. She summoned her hunting knives and started towards the Pegasus only to stop as four wing blades landed right in front of her.
Blackjack neighed at Artemis as if he was taunting her. He then made a motion with his head as if saying bring it bitch.
"Milady stop this before someone gets hurt, namely you." Stated Zoe
Blackjack neighed as if agreeing with the hunter
"Surely you do not believe a Pegasus can defeat me?" asked a hurt Artemis
"Milady, up until now he has been playing with you. Plus, you are still weak from your ordeal. So for the sake of everyone let it go." Zoe begged
"Fine, but if I ever see that Pegasus again it will become dog food," Artemis said snidely
To which Blackjack stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at her.
Once Artemis and the others backed away Blackjack made his way over to Perseus and gently nudged him with his nose. Blackjack tried this a few times before trotting over to Thalia and pulling on her shirt as if saying come with me.
Thalia followed him back over to Perseus who was still unconscious. Blackjack motioned with his head for Thalia to help Perseus get up on his back.
"You want me to put him on your back?" Thalia asked
Blackjack nodded as he lay on the ground so it would be easier for Thalia to put Perseus on his back.
After a few minutes, Thalia finally got Perseus on his back. Thalia went to leave as Blackjack stood, but was stopped by the Pegasus.
"What is it, boy?" Thalia asked as she rubbed his nose
Blackjack pointed at her with his nose and then to his back
"Yo…you… want me… to ride with you?" asked a suddenly scared Thalia
Blackjack nodded once again as he pushed Thalia towards his back.
"Al…alright…ju…just do…don't let …me fall." Thalia said to the Pegasus as she climbed on his back
Once she had climbed on Blackjack looked back to make sure both passengers were safe and secure and at that Blackjack took off flying through the night sky.
As Artemis, Zoe, and Annabeth watched the deranged Pegasus fly away their mouths dropped open when he disappeared into a portal.
/\/\/\/\/\
Fate's POV
"The Asgardian is powerful indeed," said a female voice that was laced with ancient power
"I agree, he protects his friends most diligently, as we have observed" came another female voice that like the first female voice was laced with power
"I did not expect him to create a white hole above our heads," said a third female voice clearly amused at what happened.
"It appears dear sisters that the Allfather was indeed correct in saying that the relationships that are fated to happen will be paramount to the survival of the universe"
"When we wove his thread even we did not anticipate that he would become the god that he is today if you remember our vision was clouded," said one sister
"Our vision may have been clouded, but like you said we did not anticipate him becoming who he is today" replied another sister
"This opens up a world of new possibilities for young Thalia Grace, seeing as we have allowed Zoe Nightshade to live" responded the last sister
"Believe me Clotho, I am sure The Presence and the Allfather already have something worked out," said one of the Fates as they proceeded to continue to spin, measure and cut the threads of life.
/\/\/\/\/\