So Helena and Lea are later this chapter, and I'm not sure how to describe them physically without interrupting the flow of the story (I'll go back and add it in when Nalinda, Lea, and Helena see Percy before he visits Khione), but I'll do it here too, just in case.
Helena, the dryad, has pale green skin and deep brown eyes. Her hair is a lighter brown, and has either samara (the little helicopter seeds maple trees have) or maple flowers sprinkled through it. She is also curvier than most other nymphs.
Lea is a naiad, and she has a light tan, snow white hair, and pale blue eyes with gold flecks. She is slender, like most nymphs.
Sorry if I ruin the immersion putting the descriptions here. I'll try to find a place in previous chapters to put them in, and I'll try to be better about this sort of thing for the rest of the nymphs.
Piper POV
Since we were the only two Aphrodite girls here, Silena often came to my room before bed to chat. After a bit of small talk (there's really not much to talk about on a phantom island) she went right for the elephant in the room. "Hey Piper. Did you fuck Percy earlier? You two disappeared during the movie."
I blushed, but couldn't for the life of me feel ashamed. Being fucked by Percy was very enjoyable, but even before that, I didn't really mind him fondling me on the couch. I had followed him to his bedroom and basically offered myself to him. And I didn't feel dirty for doing those things, which was weird.
"Yes, we did.", I admitted.
"Was it good?", Silena asked, and I got the distinct impression that she was considering just jumping him in a hallway.
"It was nice.", I said. "So, how are you holding up?"
"You mean with the whole concubine thing?", my older sister asked.
"Yeah. I mean, I never saw you and Charlie together, but I kind of assumed you'd rather be with him than be here."
"I don't deserve to be with Charlie. When Hades sent me here, I took it as a chance to redeem myself and give something back to the guy who cleaned up my mess.", she said softly. Then she perked up a bit. "How about you? You were dating Jason before all this, right?"
"We broke up before the rebellion; I caught him banging Drew. At first I missed him a lot, and his betrayal hurt me, but now, thinking about him, I don't feel anything."
"You're lucky. You're one of Percy's closest friends, and you've got no baggage to hold you back from enjoying all the awesome sex.", she joked, bumping my shoulder, trying to get a rise out of me.
"I never said it was awesome!", I hissed. Percy already knew how much I enjoyed having him take me, but I didn't need that information to be passed around the rest of the house.
"You didn't need to. Everyone knew you two had sex again."
I wasn't really surprised; I'd left not long after Percy, and we walked back together. "How?"
"You had that perfect sex glow. When it happens again, might I suggest fixing your hair? Judging from how you looked, I'd guess he took you from behind and pulled on it pretty hard.", she said waggling her eyebrows. She had scooted closer to me, and I had a feeling that she might be thinking of doing some un-sisterly things with me. Probably in this bed. "So, what's he like?"
"It was pretty simple. Yesterday he ate me out before dinner, and when I started to touch myself, he called me 'Miss McLean' and threatened to tie me up if I didn't behave."
"Wow. I was wondering when Percy's dom side would start to come out. Then what happened after dinner?"
I spilled everything, how Percy had taken my virginity, and how I woke up to Annabeth riding him and what we all did to each other in their bed. Then I told her about how he had fingered me during the movie and I confirmed her suspicions about what we did before dinner. I was surprised at how easily I talked about my sex life, but maybe my apprehensions before I joined Percy's harem were more because of how Jason kept trying to get into my pants instead of my own insecurities.
When I finished, Silena was fanning her face with her hand. "You let him fuck you?"
"Like I had a choice. Did you forget that he owns us?"
"I know Percy. He would never force himself on anyone, especially not on a friend.", Silena retorted. She was right, Percy had given me the option to stay and finish the movie, but I had followed him anyway. "I know we haven't known each other long, but I never thought you would have a slutty side."
"I'm not a slut!", I half shouted.
"Well, you let him take you whenever he wants, and you enjoy it."
"I'm his concubine."
"Like I said before, did he force himself on you? No? Then you like being used by him.", she mused.
"If anyone else tried anything, I'd cut off his hand.", I defended. "I guess I am a bit slutty. But I'm Percy's slut, there's a big difference.", I defended.
Silena giggled. "Just how big a difference? 'Cause those jeans he was wearing earlier weren't nearly tight enough for me to get a good idea."
"You'll just have to find out tomorrow.", I teased. "Apparently the three of us are going shopping after lunch."
Silena squealed and hugged me tightly, and I noticed how big and soft her breasts were. When she pulled away, her eyes were shining and she was staring at my lips.
"So what you said earlier, do I count as 'anyone else', or would you be open to a little girl-on-girl action?"
"Why do you want to make out with me?", I demanded.
Silena leaned closer. "Because it makes you uncomfortable, and I think it'd be fun. Plus, I don't think Percy would let you practice kissing him without making you very sore afterwards."
"I don't mind getting sore after.", I said as I leaned in to taste her. Silena didn't deepen the kiss, we just stayed there, enjoying the feel of each other's lips. After a few moments, I pulled away.
"That was fun, but strange.", she said.
"Do you want to stop?", I asked, raising my eyebrow. "You started this."
Suddenly, she grabbed my face and kissed me again, and I wrapped my arm behind her back and pushed her over onto my bed. Selina wove her fingers into my short, choppy hair and I pushed my tongue into her mouth. I slid my leg up between hers, and I enjoyed the feeling of silky soft skin against mine. Kissing her didn't make me super horny like Percy did, but it was fun. She grabbed my breasts and I responded by pinching her ass.
"Are we trying to outperform each other?", she whispered huskily.
"I guess us Aphrodite girls do have a competitive side."
"Game on, then. Tomorrow morning we find an empty hallway. First one to make a noise loses."
I was determined not to show weakness, so I nodded in agreement. I let go of her and we fell asleep, Silena wrapping her arms around me.
Zoe Pov
"Perseu-!", I screamed as yet another orgasm ripped through me, and I cut myself off with a strangled moan. My hands clawed at his jet black hair, trying in vain to pull him up. Perseus had been toying with my womanhood for gods only knew how long.
"You know how to make me stop. All you have to do is ask.", he whispered against the pale skin of my thigh, pressing a kiss there. I was determined not to let him win his little game, and I was reasonably proud of how long I was able to resist his ministrations, but when he started again my will crumbled.
"Please, Perseus. Take me.", I pleaded, throwing my head back into the pillow as his tongue dipped into me again.
After a moment, he pulled out. "Good girl.", he mumbled against my sex. "But I don't think you've learned your lesson in obedience yet, so I'll have to punish you just a bit more." As his head lowered between my legs again, I nearly cried out with need, but no amount of begging would dissuade him.
Perseus lavished my folds with kisses, pulling them between his lips before descending again to devour me. I felt him smile against me as he paused, and I heard him say, "Apples." Seeing my confusion, he continued, "You taste like apples.", before he began to suck on my clit.
My legs were wrapped around his head, so I could only really see his sea green eyes, playfully glimmering as he tortured me with his mouth. The worst part was that he had removed his fingers and tongue from inside of me, at least then, my muscles had something to squeeze. Now, I felt empty, and I begged him again for his cock.
Gods, what would Lady Artemis think? Her lieutenant for millennia, most loyal of her followers, begging a man to take her maidenhood., part of me asked. Perseus is my master now. More importantly, do you really want to stop this?, another, stronger part of me replied, before another orgasm made all thoughts cease.
When I released the grip my legs had on his head, he smirked and pulled away. "I think you've learned your lesson, Zoe. Would you like me to take you now?", he asked playfully.
"Mhm.", I whimpered, my entire body trembling with need, the fire in my belly raging with my relief so close.
Slowly, so slowly that I tried to drag him up faster, Perseus traveled up my body, kissing here, and biting there, leaving marks on my skin. When he arrived at my mouth, I quickly laced my fingers through his hair to hold him in place. I tasted my juices on his tongue, and I found that the flavor did remind me of apples, but what I was truly aware of was the glorious weight of his hard, muscular body, pressing down on me.
I pushed his face away as he lined up at my entrance, and I stared into his eyes as he entered me. I felt a burning pain as his girth stretched me out, but after centuries of fighting monsters, I had certainly felt worse, and none of them was mixed with this sensation of connection and wholeness that I felt now. When he was fully sheathed in my flesh, the pleasure easily overwhelmed my discomfort.
Percy POV
Zoe was tighter than Piper was, and I was worried that I would have to go even slower with the demi-titan than I had with the daughter of Aphrodite. I started gently at first, wanting to make her to enjoy being with me, but my worries proved unfounded, when after adjusting to my length, she began to claw at my back and buck her hips, telling me that she wanted more. I began to take her with strong, steady strokes, since she seemed much less fragile than Piper and my demigodesses, and definitely stronger than my nymphs.
I slowly built up the strength of my thrusts, and let my pace increase, until the sound of our bodies colliding echoed through the room. I let my hands explore the graceful curves of her body, from her toned thighs, up her firm ass, all the way to her breasts, which, even under the force of my love making, were too perky to move much.
I needed to feel her body pressed to me again, so I pinned her down with my weight, and held her arms over her head as I made her mine. Dominating someone like Zoe ,who was so prideful and headstrong, in this way awoke something in me and I began to thrust into her with even more strength, picking up speed, making the bed slam against the wall. Instead of discomfort, the former huntress seemed to enjoy having me take her like this, judging by the death grip she had on my hair and the passion of her open mouth. Our speed meant that neither of us would last long, and as she came, I continued to thrust into Zoe, trying to prolong her orgasm for as long as possible until I found my own release.
I collapsed on top of her, smothering her with my body until she tapped my shoulder, asking me to roll off.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be that enthusiastic your first time.", I panted out, lying on my back next to her, trying to catch my breath.
"I do not recall asking you to slow down, Master.", she purred, snuggling into my chest.
"I guess you really like this 'Master' stuff, huh?", I teased.
"Yes, I do, Master.", her words muffled by my lips as she kissed me. "As I said, you gained my trust long ago and have only proven yourself more worthy since then. It is easy to serve a master who has earned your respect and admiration."
"I hope I never lose it, my, huntress."
I wrapped my arms around her petite body and pulled her closer to me as we fell asleep.
Next morning, Percy POV
I woke up, once again, just before dawn again. It was weird how waking this early was so difficult as a demigod, but I suppose having a gaggle of beautiful women waiting for my attentions had something to do with my change in sleeping habits. I was pleased to find Zoe lying on top of me, using my chest as a pillow, and I smiled at the content look on her face. I let her doze a while before I softly squeezed her ass, making her shift in her sleep. I wanted to test how much I could touch the girl before she woke up, and I began to trace shapes into the skin of her back. This time, she buried her face in my chest and began to wriggle, trying to escape my teasing fingertips. A few minutes later, while I brushed the sides of her breasts and her inner thighs, she woke up, squirming on top of me, bleary eyed and confused.
"Huh?", she asked, before she realized where she was and how she got there.
"Good morning, Zoe.", I smirked.
"Good morning, Perseus.", she said, blushing as the memories of last night took hold.
"I hope you enjoyed yourself.", I teased, and was rewarded by her blush deepening.
"Yes. I believe I understand now what Aphrodite and her spawn have been going on about all this time."
"Mmm.", I hummed in agreement as I pressed a kiss into her forehead. "Would you like to shower?", I asked.
"I would. Alone.", she remarked, giving me a stern look,
"Actually, I was considering-", I started as I reached for her breast before a pillow slammed into my face.
"I will not tolerate any of your advances this early, at least not until after I have broken my fast.", she glared at me as she walked to the shower naked.
Seeing the bruises I had left on her thighs and bottom, I briefly considered following her in and taking her again, as much as she protested I knew she wouldn't stop me. But she had a point, and I didn't want to ruin the progress I had made with her.
Instead, I got up and pulled on a pair of loose cargo shorts and a t-shirt and walked barefoot to the nymph's quarters. The girls weren't up yet, so I quietly stole down to the dungeon to discipline Khione. She refused to swear loyalty to me again, unsurprisingly, and I let her try to escape, which ended the same way as yesterday: with the ice goddess in tears and back in her cell. I wondered how much longer it would take to break her, since I truly enjoyed the way her icy skin felt beneath my hand. I was lost in thought about the feel of her frigid flesh as I returned to find Nalinda, Lea, and Helena sitting on the large central mattress in the common area.
"Good morning, Master.", the trio called in unison, and I found my morning wood became fully erect.
"Good morning, girls.", I called as I sat down between them. "How would you like to do this?"
Helena looked to me and said, "If you don't mind, Master, I would like to go first.", playing with her long brown tresses.
I patted my lap to signal her to sit there, and when I gently wrapped my arms around her I felt her relax into me. I was glad that Nalinda had dismissed those rumors about me to my girls.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle. Would you be comfortable with giving me your maidenhood today?", I asked, trying to get her to relax.
"Yes, master. Though I would like to start out slow, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind. Remember, you can back out if you want to, I won't be upset.", I told her as she climbed on top of me.
"I don't think that will be a problem, Master.", she breathed as she pulled her dress over her head. She wasn't wearing anything underneath, was that a nymph thing?, and I got a good look at her bare body. She was much curvier than my other nymphs, but not as busty as Silena. "Nalinda told us how much she enjoyed you taking her, and how you promised to treat us.", she said as she leaned down to kiss me. Her mouth was cloyingly sweet, and I wondered what her sex would taste like. Lea joined in and began to kiss my neck while Helena unbuttoned my shirt. Nalinda pushed down my pants and started to suck my cock. The other two girls stopped what they were doing and kneeled down in front of me. The three took turns sucking on my length, playing with my sack in their mouths, or kissing each other.
I wound my fingers into Helena's hair, urging the girl to take more of me in. The other two stopped to watch as I filled more and more of the naiads mouth until a mix of her saliva and my precum was spilling out the sides, which Nalinda and Lea dutifully licked up. It didn't take long until my entire length was buried in her mouth, and I looked into her chocolate brown eyes as she hummed around me, tongue lapping at the underside of my cock.
Finally, she couldn't hold her breath any longer, and I let her off, gasping for air. Lea attended to my cock while Nalinda cleaned Helena's face with her tongue. Lea's mouth was much smaller, so she kept to the tip, sucking on the head and playing with the tip until the other two returned their attentions to me. Working together, they made me cum, Lea pulling away at the last second to pump my length, letting my seed splatter over all three of them. They promptly began to clean my spunk off of each other, moaning and kissing, swapping my cum between them and swallowing all of it down until every drop was gone.
"Thank you, girls. Now, Helena, I think it's your turn.", I said, as I reached down to help my girls stand up. She laid down on the mattress, legs spread wide, and I laid down beside her.
Threading my fingers through her hair, I claimed her mouth again as my right hand began to play with her folds. She wasn't quite wet enough yet, so I settled for massaging around her sex until she was dripping and I dipped a finger into her, drawing my digit up and back to find her most sensitive spot. Soon, I had her moaning into my mouth.
I looked over to Lea, who was watching with fascination, and a look of confusion on her face. "Did you have a question, Lea?"
"Master," Lea started. "Why do you seem so intent on the pleasure of your concubine? We were taught to let our masters take their pleasure from us."
I thought about it for a moment, and continued to finger the dryad beneath me. "Helena, can you hear us?", I asked. All she seemed able to respond with was an emphatic nod, so I slowed my motions, but kept moving inside of her. "I guess I take pleasure in making my partner feel good. After all, if I just take my pleasure from you, and don't bother to make sure you enjoy it, I'm just masturbating using your body instead of something else."
Helena and Lea both nodded, understanding, and Nalinda already knew how I liked it.
"I never thought I would have a harem, but now that I do, well, I never do anything halfway. See, I want you girls to want me, not because I own you. I want to own you because you want to belong to me." I emphasized my point by pushing my fingers deep into Helena, stimulating her clit with my thumb at the same time, making her squirm and thrash, calling out my name.
"Helena."
"Yes Master?", she asked, panting and shivering.
"I'm going to eat you out now. Is that alright?" Again, she only seemed to be able to respond by nodding. "Lea, I want you to sit on Helena's face. I want you to look in her eyes as you ride her tongue, and tell me when I should take her." The naiad complied, and climbed up onto the bed.
"What about me, Master?", Nalinda asked, pouting that she was not getting attention.
"I haven't forgotten about you, little nymph. Sit down here next to me and I'll finger you." Satisfied, she sat down, pressing her back to me as I wrapped an arm around her, and I laid my other hand on Helena's slightly rounded belly, holding her down as I lowered my face between her legs.
Helena was already dripping wet, and the smell of her drew me in. Her pussy was sweet and inviting, and as soon as I started to lick her, she jumped at the contact. Her arousal was viscous and tasted like maple syrup. It reminded me of pancakes and I dove right in, my tongue reaching inside of her, searching for the source of the thick fluid. I could hear Helena's moans muffled by Lea, and I reached for Nalinda.
My hand blindly explored the girl, and she drew me in by kissing my fingers, sucking on the tips for a moment before I began to explore lower, trailing below the swell of her breasts, over her flat stomach and into her womanhood. I drew my fingers up and back, trying to find that sensitive bundle of nerves again while rubbing her clit with my thumb. In just moments, Nalinda was quaking with pleasure, and I found that while Helena was definitely responding to my ministrations and Lea enjoyed riding Helena's tongue, Nalinda was by far the most sensitive. I began to form plans to find out just how much the nereid could take when I reminded myself to pay attention to Helena.
Her juices were thick and fragrant, and quickly stuck to my tongue and lips. I brought the hand holding her down by her stomach to attend her clit, rolling, pinching, and pulling at the hardened nub until I had the dryad squirming, trying but failing to escape me and Lea. Nalinda caught one of Helena's flailing feet and brought it to her mouth, sucking on her toes, while Lea did the same with Helena's hand. Our combined onslaught was too much for the nymph, and we had her climaxing over and over again until Lea stopped us.
"Master, I think she's ready for you now."
Understatement, considering my entire mouth was covered inside and out with her juices. "Lea, Nalinda, occupy each other here, next to us as I take Helena, won't you?" The two eagerly started kissing, Lea on top, fighting for dominance against Nalinda, and I turned my full attention to the dryad. While I had considered Juniper pretty, the whole green skin thing bothered me then, but now, seeing her flawless flesh beneath me, I decided that I had certainly seen stranger things, and threw the last of my inhibitions aside.
I grasped Helena by the hair at the base of her skull, careful not to disturb the red and yellow flowers that dotted her hair, and pulled myself down to take her mouth. The dryad then took my manhood, and, without looking, guided me to her sex until I was lined up at her entrance. I pushed forwards slowly, retreating, then advancing again, each time sinking just a few millimeters deeper into her. I took my time with her, but soon enough our hips were pressed together and I was fully inside of her. I released her face and turned us to look at the other nymphs.
Nalinda had managed to roll them over so that she was on top, and had the naiad pinned while fingering her. Feeling our eyes on them, Nalinda leaned down to kiss Helena. I took the her hair in my fist and forced her face down into Helena's mouth, distracting the nereid enough that Lea escaped and moved around Nalinda, rubbing herself against Nalinda's ass while reaching around to finger her from behind. Seeing the smaller girl in a position of dominance made me growl, and I switched the hand holding Nalinda down so I could pull Lea in to claim her tongue. The naiad tasted like a mountain stream, cool and clear, the water rich with minerals, and while I enjoyed going down on the dryad, I was glad to wash the thick taste of Helena from my mouth. Helena's orgasm was slow and creeping, like a growing tree. Her moans became more insistent as her inner walls gradually tightened around me, and like roots eventually breaking through rock, her tightness soon became nearly unbearable, and I was unable to stop myself from emptying my seed into her cunt as she orgasmed around me.
When her sex finally released its hold on me, I pulled out. Lea, seeing my cock glistening from Helena's juices, pushed me down onto the bed to straddle my hips.
Helena was still senseless after our bout, so Nalinda took advantage and topped the dryad, pinning her down as she claimed the other girl's mouth, grinding into her.
Lea took my member in her delicate hands and guided me to her entrance before sinking down onto my length. I placed my hands underneath her ass to slow her descent, and I squeezed, rather enjoying the coolness of her flesh as she enveloped me. When she had grown accustomed to my length, the naiad began to ride me in earnest, twisting and writhing on top of me like a serpent. I let her set our pace for a while before I brought my feet underneath me so I could drive up into the nymph, making her cry out in pleasure. I took charge then, thrusting up while my hands held her face to mine until we climaxed together, my seed filling her up until it dripped out of her.
We stayed like that for a while, when suddenly, Annabeth's image appeared, and she didn't look at all surprised to find me balls deep in one of my concubines. "Enjoying yourself, Seaweed Brain?", she asked.
"Jealous much?", I teased.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss you.", she sighed, but brightened before continuing. "I'll be coming back early tomorrow morning, but we have to leave for Atlantis before lunch. Triton's called for a meeting with the various underwater nobles. It's pretty important, seeing as how it's the first time some of these people have seen him as the new Sea God."
Politics, the entire reason I had refused Father's throne. But if I didn't show, the noble families would take it as a sign of Triton's weakness, and I didn't want to undermine his authority.
"Fine. I'll be taking Piper and Silena shopping this afternoon, so we'll be back tomorrow morning too."
"I'll see you then, Seaweed Brain. Be sure to save something for me, I've been lonely.", she pouted before closing the connection.
I was looking over the nymphs when my stomach rumbled and I got an idea.
"Nalinda, be a dear and get me some pancakes from the kitchen? Blue ones if we have the food coloring." The nereid looked a bit confused but stood up and dressed to head to the kitchen. I decided to continue playing with Helena while I waited for my breakfast, so I buried my face in her ample (for a nymph's) bosom, leaving a few hickeys there.
Lea stood to get a glass of water and freshen up as I amused myself with the dryad.
In no time, Nalinda was back with a tall stack of blue pancakes which I took from her. I moved between Helena's legs and began to pinch and stroke at her sex until she was wet again. I continued to play with her, occasionally leaning in to suck on her clit, until she was dripping, her thick, syrupy arousal flowing slowly onto my pancakes.
When they were drenched, I stood, thanked the girls for their services, and walked out of the nymphs quarters, enjoying my breakfast. Helena's arousal tasted even better than that imported stuff Paul brought back from Canada, the sugary maple flavor mixed with a feminine musk. I found myself wondering if I would have to have her on my pancakes from now on, and thought, Why not?
Finishing my pancakes, I dropped the dishes off in the kitchen and made my way to the area I'd designated as the training yard to find Zoe among a bunch of packages, which I assumed were the girl's old weapons.
The former Hunter found her bow and hunting knives in a long thin parcel and smiled, preparing to string it when she saw me approach.
"Good morning, Perseus. I hope you don't mind my opening these up. It's been so long since I held a bow."
"Hey, it's your stuff. Just be sure not to mess with the other girl's things."
Zoe smiled and finished stringing the bow, testing the wood's flex and warming the weapon up. I watched as she practiced shooting at some driftwood targets, admiring the muscles in her arms and back flexing in the early morning light, her flowing dress in stark contrast to the instrument of death she held in her hands.
"Enjoying the show, Master?", she teased.
"Why shouldn't I?", I smirked, coming up behind her to kiss her bare shoulders. "You've had breakfast already, haven't you?"
"Yes, though I hear your own was a bit...unorthodox."
I shrugged at her comment.
"You are growing quite bold, Perseus.", she said in a stern tone, turning around to look at me. "When you first arrived you were very reluctant around us, and now you are taking girls left and right. I hope you remain the same in the important aspects of yourself."
"Thanks for reminding me. That is what I have you for. I'll be taking Piper and Silena out shopping today. Have you given Silena a list of things you'd like?"
"I did so before dinner last night."
"Good. Also, Triton's called a council meeting in Atlantis tomorrow. I'd like you and Piper to accompany me and Annabeth."
"Will we be servicing you there?"
"You will, but you can explore the city while we're in court."
Zoe perked up a bit. "I have never seen the underwater capitol. I'm told it has unique gardens and plant life."
"Enjoy yourselves. I will have to insist that you two stay together, though."
"Of course."
Just then, Tyson's image appeared in a rainbow. "Brother!", he called. His one eye had deep bags under it, but it still sparkled with excitement. "I have finished the weapons and armor. Bigger brother had me bring it with the fish-ponies and the builders, but we can't get through!"
"Good to see you, big guy. Come on in.", I said, waving my hand to let my half-brother through the protections around the island. Soon, a herd of hippocampi was coming along the beach, pulling a chariot loaded with packages and Tyson. He ran up to hug me as soon as they landed. Behind him, a half dozen earthborn dragged themselves out of the surf and began to work on the arena.
"Looks like Santa's come early this year.", I remarked, looking at the parcels of arms and armor in the chariot.
"I do not know who Santa is, but I got all the things you asked for! Me and the other cyclopes worked all night on them!", he said as he started to open the packages and describing them to me as we put everything on gear racks in the shed the earthborn had quickly erected.
There were padded jackets and pants woven from enchanted wool of the sheep from Polyphemus' island. Chain mail, plate armor, and a few dozen shields and bucklers round out the protective items. For weapons, there were one handed arming swords and two handed longswords for all the girls, a few maces, along with enough polearms and spears for a platoon. Short knives and daggers for parrying and close combat, along with a few heavy crossbows. All of it was made from a strange metal that seemed to be no metal I was familiar with.
When he saw me examining one of the helmets he explained, "We've been experimenting mixing celestial bronze and imperial gold with mortal steel to hurt monsters as well as protect from mortal attacks."
"This is great, buddy.", I said, patting him on the back, which was a bit hard since he was 7'6" now. "I knew I picked the right blacksmith."
He beamed, and some of the weariness left him as he squared his shoulders in pride at his work.
We left the shed to find that the earthborn had cleared all the debris from the area I had marked off and constructed an arena. Some areas were left sandy to practice grappling, others were planked with wood, and large stones and small walls dotted the landscape to provide cover and places to hide during bouts. There were a few balance beams and standing poles to practice footwork, along with a rock wall that made the one at camp look puny and boring. I was a bit confused as to why the gods gave my harem such cool training equipment while their own children had to make do, relatively speaking, with so little, but I put it off as wanting to please the new god rather than neglecting their offspring. The earthborn descended into the waves again to complete the hippocampi stables.
Zoe looked out approvingly at it all and set out to practice on the balance beam, shooting at targets down the beach.
I stayed there, chatting with Tyson as some of the other girls came out to try their new training area and their weapons, old and new, and the air was filled with laughter and the ring of metal as the girls sparred. Soon enough, the sun was high in the sky, and Tyson had to leave, blushing as my 'nice ladies' hugged him in thanks for their gifts. He waved goodbye as he mounted Rainbow and disappeared beneath the waves.
Shopping trip and maybe Atlantis or Annabeth on Olympus next chapter.
So how did you guys feel about the whole 'Helena provides syrup for Percy's pancakes' bit? I worried that it was too kinky, but I figured, yolo.
100+ followers! Woo! Thanks guys.
Sorry if I seem to just go back and tweak things willy nilly, but I'm going to go back and have them move to the North Atlantic instead of the south, to be closer to CHB, because of reasons that will be in future chapters. Also, Percy sends the order to Tyson after he leaves the movie, before Piper joins him.
How do you guys feel about how I manage the timelines during my story? I started out with the chapter starting in the morning, ending with the evening, but now it's kinda whatever. Is that okay, or does it not really matter at all, or do you hate it?
CJ: I planned on Percy being the one to 'break the ice' as it were. Some future chapter will likely feature Annabeth on Olympus, maybe dealing with flirtatious gods, a man hating Artemis, and her mom. The whole 'Artemis/the hunt and Athena joins the harem' bit will likely be that chapter as well.
Now for a weapons/armor rant. If you don't care why I picked one weapon over another, don't read.
So I know classical arms and armor (Greek and Roman) is different, but I really like Medieval stuff; around that period marks the end of the age of hand weapons and the beginning of gunpowder as the primary weapon, so it's arguably the apex of classical arms and armor (swords and stuff).
Padding is very important when it comes to protection. If you have to choose between only padding or armor (especially chainmail), go for padding, it'll absorb the force of most weapons, even if it does get cut a bit. Armor might help, but a lot of the force will still go into you, which I assume is not fun times. Chain mail was the primary armor of most cultures until the advent of full plate. Neither is particularly heavy, and since it distributes the weight evenly across the whole body, along with well made joints for plate, it doesn't really restrict motion that much; Reyna will probably be the only one with full plate, the others having mostly chain mail with a few pieces of plate.
Two handed swords (longswords, not huge claymores and the like) are not much heavier than one handed swords, but are easier to wield for weaker people because you can use two hands. They can also be worn as a side arm for when your spear or polearm is no longer useful.
Spears are looked down on as the poor man's weapon, but they are the king of the battlefield. Until gunpowder, every culture across all human history used spears in one form or another. Poking your enemy with a pointy stick is basically the simplest action, making spears noob friendly, if you will. The reach you get with a spear is also very handy, made more effective if you have some buddies also using spears.
I prefer strap shields for the girls, because you can basically just put it on and have passive protection, especially if you stay in formation with others. I personally prefer center grip, but that requires more strength and skill, which the girls might switch to later on after they start training. Also, combine a strap shield with a mace and you get another noob friendly weapon set, since the shield offers passive protection, and you don't have to worry about edge alignment with a mace.
Every weapon set should include a dagger or knife for getting in close, and some training manuals had actually had you hold one in the same hand that held the primary weapon (like spear or sword) for a no delay switch in case the opponent gets too close.
I get really bothered when Hollywood has skinny, small, and/or weak people (teenage girls, Keira Knightly, and others) use bows. To use a hunting bow (tops out at about 70 lbs) is fine. Most of bow hunting is getting close to the prey by stalking and sneaking. War arrows are much heavier and have to hit harder, since they have to get through padding and armor. To shoot war arrows far enough to be useful, and hit with enough force to do damage to an armored target, you need to pull at least 80 lbs, and the average was around 100-120, topping around 140. War archers more than swordsmen (especially if it's a two handed longsword as described above) had to be beefy. Swordsmen could be weaker but still be effective if they were agile enough. So the idea that a bow user's primary stat is agility vs sword user's stat is strength is sort of backwards, I know, Hunters of Artemis use bows, but those are arguably for hunting (also supernatural Blessings of Artemis for strength is copping out since they're not supposed to be that much stronger than normal demigods).
Light crossbows (at least what I call light) are loaded with a single motion that cannot be interrupted, so you pull the string and lock it in, or you let go and have to start over from the beginning (also, typically lighter draw weight). Heavy crossbows are different from light crossbows in that heavies have a crannequin or windlass that you can crank for a while, pause, then continue cranking until fully drawn (and allow for really high draw weights). That's why I like heavy crossbows for the girls, especially over war bows. They can work in teams to crank them, with one protecting the other while she cranks, and switching if either gets tired.
If I forgot something, or you have a question, pm or review. Lindybeige, Scholagladiotoria, and Skallagrim on youtube have lots of cool videos about this kind of stuff.
