PLEASE READ
This is a little interaction between the girls.
I wrote a bit of my philosophical stuff in it, whatever.
To the reviews!
book lover0608 - I personally wanted to challenge myself so I decided to make this story a harem. I laughed while writing the James Bond scene too.
CourtingTheMoon - It wasn't a slip up. Some of the stuff I write may not make sense till later. You will find out how they were asked to talk in this chapter. I remember your earlier comment about wanting some interaction between the girls. Here it is, hope you like it.
Quentrall - They won't find out he is Percy because he technically isn't. But read this, it will, hopefully, sort some things out about why he hasn't told them.
Gothic Math Freak - Thank you for your compliment and I am glad you like my stories. This chapter is more of a chapter showing the girls friendship with one another. If you ever write your own story I recommend listening to music. I always listen to music while writing, it provides inspiration.
Blackcurse11 - Thank you. And they will eventually be with him, all of them.
Addicted to PJO - The idea just popped into my head, lol. I wish I was but I'm not a genius. Trust me on that.
MagicGold34 - Thanks. It just popped into my head.
book study - I'm not really sure about Rachel. I have an idea for her. She isn't in the harem because I was never a Perchel fan. Or Percabeth for that matter. Annabeth is a daughter of Athena, I was sick of all the ones where it is insanely obvious it's him yet they don't see it.
awesomeness50000 - In my story Science is magic. It is the form of magic where specialized apparatus is used to focus arcane energy rather then using pure willpower.
the dark is king - I try to update as quick as I can. Give me a break.
AyeitsEash - It's no problem. Thanks.
Anonymous - I don't know what you mean by uninspired. Could you elaborate and I will try to make it better. This is an American site and I am in Australia. While American's spell words like 'recognize' I would spell it like 'recognise'. I try to alter it to fit the site but I miss some things.
Guest 2/1/13 . chapter 4 -He is shown in chapter 9 - Lift, drop and scream. He actually died in the Giant war. I wrote that in the first chapter, in the good bye note.
My updates will go even more out of whack because school has officially started again. Joy!
I hope you like the chapter.
Chapter 11
Jealousy Begone!
Calypso
Calypso was awoken by two dark figures in her tent. They were shaking her violently, trying to wake her up. Groaning, she sat up, glaring at them in irritation.
"What?" her voice was layered thickly with sleep. She brought the blanket up to keep her upper body warm. Once joining the legion of light she began sleeping in only a sports bra with a pair of shorts or sweatpants. This was mainly because it was surprisingly comfortable and gave her better maneuverability if she had to defend herself, rather than in a sleeping gown or something more constricting. It was also better than sleeping in nothing and freezing to death.
"It's almost three in the morning, Aphrodite wanted us to meet them at Reyna's home inside the Census hall" Calypso remembered exactly what Bianca was talking about.
Before they left to rest last night they were mentally contacted by the goddess of love. She said to meet at the Roman consul's home, for reasons currently unknown to them.
She said Clarisse, Thalia, Artemis, Athena, herself, Piper and the Roman, Reyna, would be there. One thing they knew is that those women were somehow connected to Percy, and Zoe guessed that he is exactly what this meeting is about.
She also deduced, just like her fellow feminine legionnaires, that it had something to do with the mysterious man that everyone knows as Erin Effigy. He is the world's most famous, even more than Daedalus, inventor, as well as even more hidden and ingenious.
No one knows who he really is. His name, Erin, is actually a girl's name that means 'Ireland' the emerald isle of the old world. It can be used by boys but it is very uncommon.
His surname is the most interesting. If Calypso was correct she had heard from one of the gods, Hermes she thinks, it was too long ago to remember, that there the greatest pure mortal wizard was named Merlin Effigy.
If Erin is indeed descended from the great Merlin than that would explain his exponential magical prowess that shatter all laws of the universe, well not all laws. If she remembered correctly her lord and lady had told her that the laws of the conservation of energy and matter are in effect for all, even the creator.
With her experience in stealth stylized magic she knows where he would draw his power from, the plane of the arcane. The only problem with this is that focusing energy from that plane requires untold amounts of willpower and mental conditioning.
Magic really has no boundaries, except that if unprepared, the caster's body, soul and mind can be damaged by the destructive forces of the arcane. Her lord and lady call this magical degradation.
She pulled away from her thoughts "Just let me get dressed" they walked out of her tent. Calypso roused from her bed and changed into her assassin robes. All the legionnaires have armor, light and endurable, but all the assassins have specially designed robes containing countless hidden pouches and sheathes that hold things most wouldn't want to know about.
Checking that all her… accessories were there she walked out of the tent to be greeted by her sister and friend. She simply nodded to them and Bianca shadow traveled them inside the Census hall.
Despite seeing it before the hall brought a sense of awe in Calypso. She was more into the natural beauty of the world, thus why she wanted to see Eden, but this was simply beautiful.
There were columns surrounding the large table they sat at made of shimmering gold. The roof was domed and had pictures of the constellation's, which had been unaffected by the shifting. The floor and walls was the purest white and the walls were slightly tinged silver. On the wall were many tapestries of the gods or demigods.
The reason she wanted to see the fabled island of Erin is because from the people that have said to have once lived there it was a land of endless peace and tranquility. All corruption was crushed brutally by Erin, and the innocent were left to live out their lives as they wished. They have only been able to get a description of the mysterious island and its name.
Eden. Or more commonly called the hidden land by the residents of Pangaea.
Calypso always wanted to see it because they say that the buildings are stylized to mold with the environment. Not planted like a big block where the original habitat once was, till it got destroyed.
She was dragged out of her thoughts once again when she felt herself being dragged by two familiar hands. She looked up to see her two friends dragging her behind the goddess of love.
Aphrodite's face was constrained, like she was thinking of something important. They emerged into a courtyard. There were white marble paths running across and around the greener than normal grass that stretched across most of the courtyard.
In the center was a fountain similar to the one in the town center. There were many houses placed evenly throughout the clearing surrounded by high marble walls.
Calypso was immediately dragged over to the house on the direct right. It was plainly designed like the rest but she could see movement through the windows.
Pushing the door ajar, Aphrodite walked right in while the trio hesitated slightly. Zoe was the one to take the first step and the other two soon followed. Calypso shut the door behind them, her natural instincts told her they were in no danger, and her instincts, which she had trained hard as an assassin, were almost never wrong.
Thalia, Clarisse and that Piper girl were lounging on one of the couches, chatting. Artemis was talking to Athena, who was currently writing things in a little book. Reyna was pacing in front of the warm fireplace and Aphrodite had sat in a comfortable looking armchair. It was the first time that they noticed Aphrodite wasn't wearing that much makeup, only a bit of crimson lip stick. Despite the lack of chemical agents she still managed to look stunning.
They supposed that due to the world changing that makeup would not be as common as before the shifting. But she seemed quite happy to not where too much, not like at the meeting, where she was wearing the usual amount and acting like her usual troublesome self.
In this room, alone with these women, she seemed quieter, almost reminiscent and lonely. It was like she was waiting for someone very important to her to come home. Matter of fact they all seemed to have that longing look in their eyes, even though most were preoccupied it was still there, shining clearly enough for one to see if they really look for it.
The trio quietly placed themselves on one of the vacant seats, a large black couch. Thalia silenced all in attendance. They quieted down and looked at her with a knowing look while the other three were confused.
"We came to discuss something with you three" she looked pointedly at the legionnaires "What are you honest thoughts and feelings for Percy?" she asked.
They looked around at the faces of the girls with surprise dominantly showing on their features. All the other seven had a serious look on their faces. Zoe, being the most unintimidated by anything, decided to speak first.
"Well… at first I thought he was just another hero" she hissed the last word "But after seeing his loyalty and selflessness for myself I-I may have, uh…" she trailed off, shifting uncomfortably on the blank looks from the seven.
She heaved a sigh and continued "After watching his selfless and incomparable deeds from the sky I grew to, uh, I grew to… love him" her voice lowered to a whisper.
Calypso and Bianca looked at her with shock and a tad of jealousy; they didn't expect to love the same person as one of their best friends, especially the ultimate hero. The seven girls looked like they expected that answer and showed no signs of jealousy. Aphrodite's eyes glowed light green before it faded a second later.
Zoe, at that time, felt something inside her disappear. It was like a useless emotion just faded away from her very being. Bianca took the chance to talk.
"I never knew him for long. On the quest he was there doing the impossible. He never gave up, no matter how impossible it seemed, he never gave up on his beliefs" she paused for a moment "Despite only being near him for two days I felt so at ease and calm, even when not directly talking or in contact with him. After watching him become the honorable idiot he is I couldn't help but love him" she finished. They broke into light laughter when she called him an honorable idiot.
After they were done laughing Aphrodite's eyes glowed green once more before faded along with that tight feeling that settled into Bianca's chest after Zoe's confession.
Calypso took the time of silence to talk "He arrived on Ogygia with beyond serious wounds. I nurtured him back to health but I knew there was something different about him then the others. Despite being injured nearly beyond my power to help him he insisted that he help me with the chores of the island. All the other hero's had sat in the bed complaining about their wounds while Percy, younger than them all by far and definitely more injured, moved about freely".
"He told me the stories of his adventures and always tried to downplay his own role in it all" they simultaneously rolled their eyes. They knew what each other was thinking.
'He's too modest' they thought.
"I couldn't help but fall in love with him" she finished. Aphrodite's eyes flashed green once again and the same feeling from both Zoe and Bianca disappeared. Unlike those two, Calypso knew exactly what that feeling was. Jealousy, after all, she had experienced it many times.
She raised an elegant eyebrow at Aphrodite. The goddess of love smiled mischievously "You are not the only ones to love Percy" the three sat up straighter "As a matter of fact every girl in this room likes him" she gestured to the assembled people. The three were surprised to feel no jealously towards the other girls. They, other than Calypso, are not experienced in love but jealousy is the thing that everyone knows about.
"As for what I was doing Calypso, it is a handy little trick I have as the goddess of love. I cannot control love, only nourish and nurture it. A side effect of love is jealousy. I can, I only did this for us ten, remove all feelings of jealousy between people, to a small extent. Only between us ten though, if some other girl was with Percy we would still feel it".
After a moment of digesting the thought Zoe spoke "If you wanted us to tell you that we love Percy we have, what more do you need from us?" she asked. Thalia smiled crazily.
"Not only do we love Percy, but he loves us. All of us, no matter how hard that is to believe" she pulled out a book, one that she had kept for centuries "It say's in here, in Percy's journal".
"What would we do? Percy is missing, the only person that knows where he is, is Erin Effigy, and he isn't willing to share the knowledge" said Bianca.
Athena and Artemis sat up straighter "Actually, Bianca, I believe that he is Percy" said Athena "Or at least was" she emphasized the last word.
They sat up straighter. Athena looked at the little book in her hand "I have been jotting down notes about him and Percy's similarities" she cleared her throat "Here are a few".
"They both have the same attitude and sense of humor, which I can tell from Erin's behavior till now. He has the same smile; he looks the same if you see under the tattoos and goatee. He has the same disrespect for certain gods, and many other things. He even has the same shine to his eyes" Artemis interrupted her.
"The eyes are a doorway to a person's soul, they show peoples power, they cannot be changed" she frowned at the now smirking goddess.
"You are right, of course. Percy's eyes were sea green, because of his power over the sea, what if his powers changed. Since Percy was disowned by Poseidon he no longer had any connection to the sea. His eyes would be susceptible to change under certain effect. If they changed into that color it would have something to do with his destiny" she now frowned.
"I know of only one person with eyes like that" she shivered "And we are fighting that man" they looked at her wide eyed.
"You mean… Erebus" the fire flickered and the wind picked up as the room darkened. The room changed back to normal in a moment and everyone released a breath they didn't realize they were holding.
"Don't mention his name, we don't want to call him to us" said Athena "The only reason we could mention him before was because we had two primordials keeping his presence at bay".
"Now" she cleared her throat "We have to find a way to get him come out with the truth" she clamped her book shut.
"Wait, wait, wait" she Piper "He swore on the Styx that he isn't Percy Jackson" they deflated, except Athena and Artemis.
"He dropped a lot of hints" said Artemis "During the meeting he said that Percy Jackson is gone, not dead, gone, like he is no longer that person. If one of you had a new life you would adopt a new name wouldn't you?" they nodded "He isn't, technically, Percy Jackson anymore".
Athena took over again "Percy Jackson was the son of Poseidon, spiritually connected to the sea. Once he was disowned he was just Percy Jackson, cast out of the sea, a demigod of unattached blood. Like with his eyes, he is subjective to change at the interval of being disowned and claimed by two others".
"When taken as the champion of Hecate and Hebe, he would've given himself a new name and he essentially became that person over the course of four centuries. He has the same personality, all his old memories and the same emotions, just in a different facade" Athena looked quite pleased with her theory.
They took a moment to digest the new information. Luckily immortals have faster processing brains so they could make sense of it faster.
"Then why didn't he tell us, and all the others that didn't betray him, who he is?" Reyna sounded hurt, letting her cold Roman consul demeanor fade.
Aphrodite began bouncing ceaselessly in her seat "I know! He and she went through so much together only for her to throw it all in his face like it was nothing. He's scared of being hurt again" little did she know she was spot on, in one part.
Erin was indeed afraid. Afraid of revealing who he once was and having the girls he has never stopped loving for one second look at him with any emotion that he couldn't comprehend.
Hatred, because he never, even once, seeked them out.
Guilt, because they didn't try and stop his banishment.
Fear, for the power he possesses.
Disgust, because he kills people without a second thought.
Pain, because he can't tell them the truth.
And the most common of all, love.
Those were the most prominent emotions that were circling in his head as it came up with various scenarios of what his revealing might bring.
It was all built out of his mistrust. The mistrust that he gained from four centuries ago still lingered. He knew they wouldn't betray him, any of his real friends or family.
He just couldn't fathom why they wouldn't. He knew Annabeth since he was twelve, they went on all their quests together, they saved each other's lives countless times and they were in a happy relationship at the end of the war.
But it mattered for nothing. He was just a way for her to get the spot light, to go on quests and quench her pride.
The thing he is most afraid of isn't anyone or any emotion.
He is most afraid of change itself.
He understands change is essential.
He understands that change keeps the world spinning.
He understands that humans must change to live.
He understands everything about change, much more than most.
But he fears it the most.
Change brought about the end of his old, peaceful life. Change brought about his new, violent life and his love for ten different women. Change brought about the fear of what he might gain, only to lose it because the world must keep spinning on its precarious axis.
That's the main reason he made Eden, eternal in the early time, before change affects the world. He wished for an unchanging paradise, a home with which would never be different, a home that would give him a feeling that he is safe from the laws of change.
A paradise that would be familiar to him through all time, a place for him to be safe from what he fears throughout eternity.
His Eden.
The gods are just like him, fearing change. Artemis couldn't admit the fact to the others that she loved Percy for twenty years because of her pride, the same with Athena. The only gods that do not fear change are the ones always subjected to it.
The sea is always changing, thus is Poseidon. The flames of the hearth are always changing, thus is Hestia. People's hearts and attention is shifting through vast crowds of people, changing between who they care for, thus is Aphrodite, to a certain extent. Till she experienced true love, not lust, love where the heart belongs to another, and they will cherish it.
What none of them understand is that change is subjective to outside influence. Most believe, in this current time, that the fates decide everything. They, like Aphrodite, do not control their domain; they can only nudge it in the direction they want.
Aphrodite's theory wasn't just for Erin, but existence itself.
"We could always beat him up and force him to tell us" suggested Clarisse.
They all snorted 'she never changes' they thought, the ones that knew her did.
"You saw him fight, we have no chance of beating him" said Piper, staring at Clarisse incredulously.
"We should find him, but first" Reyna walked over to the kitchen "It's breakfast, can't do too much work without eating something first" they looked out the window and saw the sun low in the sky.
"Six thirty in the morning" Artemis said automatically, like a robot.
They ignored the outburst, excluding Bianca and Calypso, after knowing each other for so long they weren't surprised at the outburst, she always knew what the time was, something about the position of the moon, stars and the sun.
"Should we tell the others?" asked Piper. Athena immediately shook her head "We should keep it to ourselves, at least for now" the others nodded.
"We need to make a plan to get Erin to tell us the truth" said Reyna, getting some bread and peanut spread out of the cupboard and Thalia got some nectar and ambrosia out of a different cupboard. Sometimes it's nice to just eat mortal food, no matter how simple.
"Athena always has a plan" said person smiled smugly.
Aphrodite held in a giggle "Do you have one now?" she asked innocently.
It had its intended effect. Athena's face reddened "N-not yet" she whispered, quietly eating the sandwich Reyna made for her and sipping her nectar.
They burst into laughter again. After eating the simple food they left to confront one Erin Effigy, if they could find and catch him that is.
Tell me through a review if there was something wrong with it. Like if you didn't understand something, tell me and I will try to make it easier to understand.