lightningkid333 : She did, how else did he even manage to hit the target, if barely
No Name; I'm not one for multitudes of them
Austin; Thanks, and I'm glad that I'm getting some positive attention for this story
Okay, I'm making the official comment now, but this is approaching the climax, as this chapter details the offer that will set the end theme of this story.
The island
A few days later, we find Percy in a training area, sword practicing with Shannon, Theron and Kenyatta. Zaria and Raquel, Lysandra's daughter, were taking a breather from the session on the side.
Percy blocked two sword swipes from Theron and Kenyatta, just as Shannon got behind him...
As a blast of water shot up behind him, knocking his daughter to the ground.
"Nice teamwork...but it still needs something" Percy commented, as he forced his two sons off his blade as Artemis and Annabeth wandered down to the training area, observing the training session.
"For someone who has no plans to deal with Zeus, Percy seems to be taking improving his skills seriously" Artemis noted with a frown as Percy backhandedly blocked a lightning attack from Zaria with Riptide as she rejoined the practice.
Annabeth looked at Artemis with a frown "Your still on about that?"
"Percy brought it up?" Artemis asked. She had brought it up again with him the other day, to similar results.
Annabeth shook her head "No...you mutter when your upset and take it out on the training dummies" she looked up into the clouds "Percy's stubborn, but his head is in the right place. Do you honestly think he'd willingly risk starting World War 3 to get back at Zeus?"
Arteis looked away "It might not"
"Artemis, you know quite well that conflict between the children of the Big Three or Demigods in general, is the cause of most major conflicts; The American Civil War, the French and Indian War, World War 2, the War of Jenkin's Ear, the American Revolution, the French Revolution and the following Napoleonic conflict, World War 1..."
"Mrow...actually that's the House of Life and the Demigods...but your partially correct Owl Girl" an unknown female voice shocked everyone in the area, and seemed to really bother Artemis, as she reformed her bow and aimed it directly at the voice that spoke.
The woman was short, but fit like a gymnast. Her eyes glowed like yellow lamps, a bit like Artemis's, and she was wearing a skin tight leopard print leotard, with her black hair done in a ponytail.
"What is one of your kind doing here!" Artemis said with Python like venom, rather alarming everyone else but the two females in a glare match, as the new person's eyes glared at her like a cat would at a dog.
And not in the fear in terror manner that most cats would.
"Oh, behave Diana, I'm here on a diplomatic issue, now shoo" she waved off the goddess like some dog, before an arrow flew at her.
Which she deflected with a single, really sharp looking knife that came out of her right sleeve, with a second one sliding out of her left.
Percy drew Riptide once more...before Artemis gave him a sharp look, and he put it away.
"Wow, you have him trained" the person noted with a frown, but a bit amused "You must think you can handle me alone"
"I can" Artemis gritted, drawing her hunting knives, as Zaria looked ready to attack, before Percy held a hand up to stop her.
"But, Dad..."
"Zaria...it is impossible to argue with a woman normally (Particularly the ones that seemed to like him), but when she's like that...its best to be far away" Percy commented...as the two knife users flew at one another.
Silver knives clashed with bronze ones, in a flurry of sparks and metal, the two seemingly equal in the use of knives in warfare.
Both were moving at non human speed, the knives clashing in a way that showed no edge on either side, nor a scratch on either of them. Then, the two knife sets collided one last time...sending both of them clattering to the ground.
Percy was rather alarmed, who could match Artemis like that...and why they seemed to hate each other so much.
While it was true that Artemis did have a temper (Then again, so did virtually all gods, baring Hestia), he still couldn't fathom why this leotard person so easily brought out that temper.
The loss of their weapons didn't seem to dismay the two of them at all, as they began attacking each other with their fists, again showing equal merit in their abilities as each attack with blocked, reflected and absorbed by other body parts in a endless dance of leg and arm.
It was like two Rock Lee's fighting, really.
However, their brawl, before it got any worse, was interrupted by both of their arms being restrained by what looked like toilet paper...
No...bandages
"Honestly, you can't do anything right, cat" a new person appeared from the shadows, with the bandages that restrained the two girls launched out of his sleeves, sort of like Spiderman's webs.
"Uncle Nico?" Theron said in shock
He did have a point there, the guy did look a lot like Nico in his late teens, wearing a black leather jacket, dark jeans and having a pale complexion, brown eyes and dark, unkempt hair with combat boots on his feet.
He glared at Theron "No, I am not related to Pluto, I personally feel insulted."
"What are you doing here, Anubis" the so called cat hissed, as everyone but Artemis paled in shock.
Wait...
"Anubis...as in the Egyptian God, Anubis!" Annabeth said in utter shock.
"Duh...who did you think I was, Babi?"
"A god named Bobby?" Percy frowned
"B a b i, Babi"
"Names Bast, if you care" the cat grumbled
Percy then gave a look aimed at Artemis "Egyptian Gods...really? Why did this never come up?"
Artemis glared at the two other gods "And why would I need to bring up these eyesores? To be fair, I didn't even know they got out of their prison" it wasn't like she got newspapers that often when she was on the hunt, and they had been rather quiet for many years.
"Prison!"
"Relax, Olympus didn't lock them up" Artemis said dryly
"Really, you didn't hear about the exploding Rosetta Stone?"
"The computer program exploded?" Percy frowned as Annabeth and the nearby gods gave him a look
"I was kidding. I know that the Rosetta Stone is a rock with writing on it" Annabeth groaned and the Egyptian Gods looked ready to hurt Percy.
"It got repaired...or the Red Pyramid that would have blown up North America?"
"Okay, I was locked up, and Percy's memories were taken, and Annabeth and the hunters were looking for him" Artemis justified
"The return of Ra and the near devouring of the sun by Aphophis, the chaos serpent!"
"Whoa...that snake must like his food hot" Percy murmured, as the Egyptian gods looked like they might just strangle him.
"I wouldn't mind Apollo meeting that oversized Viper" Artemis said darkly.
"The rebirth of the House of Life!"
"What is that, a gym or something?" Percy gave another of his infamous answers, before a blast of fire erupted where he had been...
However, just as that happened, a black Jackelope appeared in Artemis's unbound arm, tucked under it in an attempt to keep him from getting killed.
Though she made sure he could still understand what would be said.
"The House of Life, a secret organization of Egyptian Magicians...spread across the world with 360 branches. The First Nome is Egypt, 21st is Brooklyn and I think 360 is Antarctica"
"Okay...um why do you even need a base in Antarctica" Shannon asked curiously.
Bast grinned sinisterly "To keep magical penguins from invading the human world and subjugating humanity to slavery with their nuclear weapons and amazing magical capabilities"
Everyone gave her a disturbed look, even Anubis. They could not tell if she was joking or not
"Um...leaving the commando flightless bird topic behind, we have come to deliver a message...an offer if you will" Anubis smirked.
Artemis narrowed her eyes, tucking Jackelope Percy closer to her "What offer?"
"The House of Life and the Gods of Egypt shall soon rage war with the Olympian Gods" Bast began "And, we know you know how to get onto Olympus"
Percy Jackelope began to twitch furiously, which Artemis correctly gauged for a response, and so turned him back into his human form "Thanks, and how many people do I have to say this to, that no matter how angry I may feel at Zeus, I will not cause World War 3 over it, or any war that mortals will be truly affected by!"
Anubis rose his eye "But don't forget, Perceus Jackson, of several things. One, that what would cause a lot more destruction to mortals; a single, decisive attack in the heart of Olympus, or an assault to force Olympus open" Percy looked disturbed at that point
"Or this, we know of your vow on your own life to protect Camp Jupiter, and your loyalty to Chiron, Lupa and your friends elsewhere. Now then, they'd be caught up in war if you don't help us. But, don't make your decision now...think about it" Bast finished with a predatory smirk.
The god of jackals vanished into the shadows as they finished delivering their message, as Bast dissolved, leaving behind a black and white colored cat, which looked at them cutely.
"Schrodinger?" Shannon said alarmed as her pet cat jumped into her arms, purring.
"Dad..." Raquel had never seen her father looked so conflicted before.
House of Life, First Nome
Hundreds of Magicians stood in a full military formation, as hundreds more appeared in the room, all armed with staffs and boomerang shaped wands.
All of them were chanting, the same thing in the same language.
"دار الحياة، دار الحياة!"
"Casa della Vita, Casa della Vita!"
"Maison de Vie, Maison de la Vie!"
"Дом жизни, Дом Жизни!"
"Дом жизни, Дом Жизни!"
"生命の家生命の、ハウス！"
"Casa de la Vida, Casa de la Vida!"
"בית החיים, בית החיים!"
"House of Life Yaşam, Ev!"
"House of Life, House of Life!"
It was even more impressive as Egyptian Gods gathered with the House's magicians in the chanting.
Carter stood at the helm of the war rally, the Chief Lector, his uncle Amos Kane, a powerfully build dark skinned man, and his trusted adviser, his sister Sadie Kane, who didn't look like him with her blond hair and Caucasian skin, standing with him as near equals.
Behind him was his wife, the beautiful Zia Rashid, who sort of looked, and acted like, she came off the same mold as Zoe Nightshade.
"The Olympian Gods are divided and weak, and waste their energy in petty squabbles! We have recovered from greater challenges than any demigod has faced, in fact we have exceeded recovered and have improved more in these twenty years than in 2000 years! Soon, we shall take our revenge for Egypts fall, and destroy Olympus, therefore taking our place as the strongest pantheon in the world!"