IT EXPLAINS MY CURRENR HIATUS.
DISCLAIMER - I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Everything in this story, bar the Plot, and a few Characters, belongs to Rick Riordan.
Feel Free to Review, I love hearing what I'm doing well, and what I'm doing horribly.
Warning - Again, another pretty boring chapter. They will be for a little while, sorry :)
Chapter 8 - Feasts
Unnatural light streamed from a small podium sitting in the middle of an enormous table, straight upward, lighting the room. A sundial, that was strangely not using sunlight, projected the time onto the smooth wall to Perseus' left.
The long table was filled with various foods; grapes and fruit platters, to a stuffed peacock in the centre of the table.
A traditional Roman feast.
Perseus sat alone, on the end of the table, a glass filled with the Vineyards finest wine, and a porcelain plate stacked high with various meats and pates sitting untouched in front of him.
He had been sitting for an entire hour on the sundial, after being seated by an annoyingly silent servant.
Leaning back in his chair, he began pouring essence into his Runed cuffs.
These were very unlike those he'd grown used to in the Arena; They were finely crafted out of delicate silver, runes carved with utmost precision, suggesting immense strength.
However they didn't bind his use of essence, more limiting it.
He concentrated on a grape sitting at the opposite end of the table, and watched as he floated it across the table, and dropped it on his plate.
He turned his attention to the peacock, and after glancing around, lifted the entire platter, leaving it hovering a few feet above the table.
He lifted another platter filled with assortments of cheese and switched the positions of either platter.
"Curious. The last time we met, you were using essence to cave skulls, yet now you use it to tease my servants. How circumstance changes men."
Perseus whipped his head to the side, his eyes landing on an enormous man, at least 8ft tall. A servant to his left rushed forward, shifting the positions of the platters, and sent Perseus a disdainful look.
"Uhh I'm sorry sir, I had thought nobody was coming"
Perseus stood at his table and bowed slightly to the titanic man.
How strange, Perseus thought, that his life had become so mundane.
"So you agree with my sentiments."
The gargantuan man lowered himself into the throne at the opposite end of the table, chuckling as he did so.
Perseus stood by his chair awkwardly for a moment. He'd never cared for etiquette, yet here he stood, paralysed with uncertainty of his every move in the presence of this being.
"Sit boy, I have no care for trivial roman pleasantries."
Perseus sat, and watched as the man gripped a large leg of lamb and began tearing into it.
He didn't eat like the rest of these pesky Romans.
"Are you going to eat, or just sit there like a log."
Perseus shook himself from his gaze and began to gnaw at some glazed peacock.
"I've never met a Roman like you sir. Though I've never met a human like you either."
The man roared with laughter.
"Keen eyes boy. I'm neither Roman nor human. Just like you."
Perseus nodded.
"I recognise you. You were in the Emperors stand at the Colosseum."
The man smiled.
"Aye, Guest of honor for that little brat."
Perseus smiled.
"You saved me?"
The man tore a chunk out of an apple.
"You saved yourself. I just had you moved before your head was lopped off."
Perseus took a sip from his wine, grimacing as he did so.
"Aye, whine isn't a mans drink is it boy? Even us Greeks drink that piss."
Perseus Grinned across the table.
"I think I would prefer mead or ale, like those north men drink."
The man nodded slightly.
"Close."
Perseus arched his brow.
"Now. I suppose you might have a question or two, may as well get them over with now."
Perseus looked at him for a moment.
"Why am I here?"
"Better here than in the Colosseum. Waste of talent in that cesspit. Besides, my Daughter would castrate me if I hadn't have."
Perseus nodded.
"You were the one helping me with the Binding chains?"
He nodded.
"The blonde Demigod who was in there with me; said he was employed to help me… He your friend?"
The man's bearded face furrowed.
"No… No I had no man in the Arena."
Perseus nodded. Another enigma.
"Leo… or wit, or whatever he calls himself. What is he?"
The mans brow furrowed further.
"I'm sorry who?"
Perseus opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Uhh… a short tanned man with curly brown hair? He said people called him wit?"
The man grinned.
"Ahh the Emperors wit! A strange little fellow isn't he. Quite intriguing, even to me. How did you meet him?"
Perseus chuckled.
"He's been tormenting me while I work since I got here."
The man raised his eyebrows in surprise, and shot up from his seat.
"He was here? When did you last see him!"
Perseus was taken aback by the sudden outburst.
"Not two hours ago, He walked off when you flashed into the villa"
The man had an extremely concerned look.
"No doubt he knows who you are. Hopefully he was too busy chasing Calypso to bother about you too much."
"Calypso?"
The man's dire expression softened, until a small smile graced his hairy face.
"Aye, my daughter Calypso. That cheeky boy has been intrigued with her since they met back in Rome."
Perseus' face dropped. Shock pulsating through him for a moment.
Luckily, the man didn't notice.
"She's been looking after the place while I was still in Rome. She hates that city. She was supposed to join us now, but I don't know where she's wondered off to."
Panic was setting through his very core, Calypso, if it was the same girl, had bathed and scrubbed Perseus down, and he doubted this man would appreciate such a thing.
"Sir, one last question?"
The man nodded.
"Who are you?"
"I'm assuming you don't just mean my name? Well I'm Atlas, He who lifts the world."
Perseus widened his eyes.
"You're the Titan?"
"Aye. As you guessed, I'm not human."
Perseus glanced down. "Shouldn't you be… well… holding up the world?"
Again, Atlas roared with laughter, the sheer booming volume far louder than before.
"I am boy. I don't literally sit under this planet and hold it up, does it look like I'm big enough to do that?"
"Well how do you do it then?"
"I exist."
Most people would probably question further, but the answer and ticked something in Perseus' brain. It somehow made sense.
He nodded.
Atlas grinned. "Aye. You Unnamed know. Better even than us Titans and Gods."
Perseus smiled.
"You seem to know a lot about my people. Have you met others?"
Atlas began walking towards a balcony garden, Perseus followed.
"I have. I've met many, but I've rarely talked to you. Secretive people, understandably. It is impossible for one of us 'named' I suppose you could call us, to know a lot about your people though."
This surprised Perseus.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Atlas replied before he could.
"Yes, even us Titans, Gods, Primordials; all of us haven't received 'permission' as you say. Your tongue is as silent as a mute. Very frustrating. You should hear Athena's anger about her severe lack of knowledge in the area."
There was silence for a moment, and Perseus looked out over the Vineyard from the garden balcony. The view was breathtaking.
"You're a Greek technically, but the Romans honour you?"
Atlas nodded.
"The Gods took Roman forms. But most of us Titans didn't care enough. The Romans accept this because they know we could topple their empire within moments."
Perseus nodded.
"They don't think you favour Greece?"
Atlas smiled.
"And people call Unnamed mindless barbarians. Of course they do. And they're correct. Rome is a stain. But Greece isn't much better, so we don't get involved in human wars."
Perseus fell silent. He'd talked enough lately. And talking wasn't something he enjoyed.
"Well…"
"Jari" Perseus offered. He may as well, seeing as everyone else used his Untold name.
"Well Jari, I have to return to my affairs. You may do as you please. Those cuffs can be removed and you may leave if you wish, though I wouldn't recommend it yet."
Perseus thought for a moment.
"I'll stay for a while, if I'm allowed?"
Atlas nodded.
"Of course, you're a free man now. You don't need to work the Vineyards by the way, I'm not sure why you started doing that in the first place."
Perseus widened his eyes, mouth agape.
"I brought you here in case you wanted instruction in Essence. I assume, seeing your previous predicament that you hadn't received any. However you do seem rather adept already."
Perseus bowed slightly.
"Aye, I've never been taught anything sir, I would be in your debt."
Atlas grinned through his beard.
"Nonsense, your presence here alone is enough repayment. An Unnamed friend is worth more than an empire."
Atlas walked from the Balcony, and began walking through a door Perseus had never been through, or even noticed.
"Ahh, and Jari."
"I've instructed all the men and women here they are not to talk to you about your previous life. I'd request you didn't mention it. Your presence here, while safe, would cause an extremely strained relation with the Roman empire."
The bath girls reaction to his cuffs and mentions of his time in the arena returned to his mind, and he nodded understandably.
"Come here to this door" – he gestured to the doorway he stood in. " in two days time if you want to learn"
Authors note:
sorry guys, I know it's been a while, but unfortunately both my computer and laptop are currently broken, and I'm unable to update this story / I literally have about five thousand words waiting to be put into the next chapter, which is almost done, but unfortunately I can't access any of it because it's only saved on a word document on the broken laptop. I'm using the phone app for fanfiction to write this right now. hopefully I should be able to get this updated soon but for now things are looking grim.