Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. I would say I own the Greek myths, but I don't want to be zapped by Zeus...
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IMPORTANT:
Ok I'm sorry for the delay, but I've been revising for my exams. Because of my illness, I've missed lots of school and now I need to catch up, so I have very little time for anything. I'm sorry, but don't expect any frequent updates for this story until at least the end of June. Sorry.
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I think my brain may have exploded. Over 105 Favourites and 120 Follows. I mean, holy hopping hippo I'm happy!
Athena2000: Zoë wasn't betrayed by Heracles and is not in The Hunt, and thus has no illogical hatred of men. But will she hate Percy? Hmm, you'll see...
aesir21: Ah, Les is indeed the typical arrogant brother (even though Percy isn't actually his brother because he is not a son if Poseidon), but yeah, that's how I wanted him to be portrayed. Yay!
Guest: Thank you. About my update schedule... I don't really have one. I update as it comes to me, may take a few days or upwards of two weeks. I don't like spewing half-arse chapters, sorry about that.
Guest: Make it Percabeth? Are you crazy? Read my profile info about Percy x Annabeth pairings. This is Percy x Zoë. That's it.
CDOwen: Oh, thank you! That makes me happy! Ok, about the relationship between the Primordial deities... Chronos, Ananke and Khaos are siblings. Gaia, Tartarus, Erebus and Nyx are children of only Khaos. Perseus is son of Gaia and Tartarus, and Typhon is a creation of Perseus'. Hylas is the equivalent to Perseus' champion (but he isn't). Wow that's confusing... I know most of it wasn't like that in the real myths, but this is a story. :3
k1demmin: Sorry about that. What you said made perfect sense, and it'll be explained in this chapter... I hope...
To the rest: Thank you for your support! Some have asked questions that I can't answer without spoiling the story. So sorry for that, and I'll just leave you with your suspicions!
~Nom Nom :3
Bane of Khaos
Chapter 5 - When You Piss off the Gods...
The whole camp watched the two new demigods (well one new demigod and a fate weaver) with suspicion. The claiming symbols faded above their heads, and it seemingly snapped the campers out of their frozen trance.
"Well what are you waiting for?" Les said venomously. "Chiron, Argus, get them out of camp!" Lots of the campers behind him loudly agreed.
"You can't do that!" Annabeth shouted, outraged.
"Yes we can!" Shouted a blonde haired boy from behind Les. "They will follow in the footprints of their parents!"
"Malcolm!" Annabeth said, shocked. "You as a child of Athena should know better! If we go by that logic we shouldn't trust Lord Zeus, Lord Poseidon or Lord Hades - even Chiron himself for being sons of Kronos!"
Luke took over. "We can't blame the faults of the parents on the children." He said. "We should give them a chance."
"Yes indeed, that is what the gods said too." Chiron said. "Mr D has authorised a quest for them and one-"
"Hell no!" Les fumed, interrupting the centaur's speech. "I've been waiting three years! If Luke didn't screw up his quest two years ago, I'd been chosen!"
At the mention of the quest, Luke's eyes darkened.
"It is the will of the gods." Chiron said. "But, if you had let me finish, I was going to say they would be allowed one companion."
Les straightened up. "If I must, I'll go with them to protect the brats." Hylas snorted. "What's he doing?" Les hissed.
"I suspect he is attempting not to laugh, and thus causing pressure in his throat which is released through a snort." Percy stated clearly. "My own estimate on the cause would be that you believe that you will accompany us upon the quest, a detail I myself find quite humorous. You must know, however, that you will not accompany us upon this quest, as I personally find your company rather vexatious and monotonous."
Everyone was quiet for a moment before Hylas burst out laughing. Annabeth snorted and many of the Athenian campers snickered, even some of the ones behind Les.
Looking at Les' confused face Percy sighed. "Apparently he is quite dim too."
Before Les could respond, Chiron interrupted him. "That's enough, campers! Percy, you shall visit the Oracle. Hylas, you will wait at the big house for him, and decide the third member of your quest after receiving the prophecy."
Everyone nodded - unable to argue with Chiron's hard tone - and dispersed into camp.
Percy and Hylas managed to reach the big house before coming face to face with a problem: Dionysius. The god was sitting on the porch with a scowl directed at the son of Gaia.
"Well, of it isn't the brats who's caused so much trouble." He sneered. "Perry and Hyla, was it?"
"I am not a platypus!" Percy protested.
"Oh he knows us!" Hylas mock-gushed. His face turned sour, and he eyed the god and sniffed the air. "Hmm, let's see... Shabby clothes, smells like a brewery... Must be the prick of the drunk god, stuck here 'cause he couldn't keep it in his pants. Not like the others are better, even your bitch-of-a-stepmother is probably easy when you get through her 'barriers'."
A couple of gobsmacked campers had gathered around them; Les, Luke and Annabeth being among them. Thunder boomed threateningly overhead, but both Percy and Hylas remained unfazed. Dionysius, however, winced from the raw fury that both the king of gods and his wife showed.
"That's rich." Dionysius said. He didn't know why, but the children intimidated him. Even though they couldn't do anything yet, words could still do damage. "What about your mother, Percy? Such a slut. How many siblings do you have?"
Percy, who had been relatively uninterested since the Perry comment, froze at the mention of his mother. Les, who had (begrudgingly) been impressed by Hylas' stand to the wine god, laughed. "Aww, the wittle baby can't handle talk of his mommy?" He baby-talked.
Percy turned his head, and Les looked into his eyes and saw... Hell. No, Hell was nothing compared to what he saw. He'd rather spend a lifetime in Tartarus next to Kronos himself than to have looked into those eyes.
What he saw was the epitome of fear. In just one second he saw a lifetime of death, torture and pain. Monsters - both real and fiction - performed unimaginable things on victims. He wanted to cry, to vomit, to curl up in a ball, to run away, to beg for mercy... To just die so he could never see those things again.
The campers and gods alike watched as Les looked into Percy's eyes for just a moment before his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor. He had wet himself, was crying and was shaking vigorously on the floor, a broken boy.
Dionysius watched as the son of Poseidon collapsed to the son of Gaia's gaze. He knew what had happened - after all he had used it many times before on campers. It was a 'Realm Gaze' as he called it (not bothering to learn the correct name), when a god showed a mortal their realm. Yet, such a severe reaction was rare, even by god standards. The only other god to prompt such an extreme reaction was Hestia, and that was when she showed mortals their 'home' or whatever.
Poseidon teleported to his son in a sea breeze (so not to incinerate the nearby mortals) with a face of thunder. He opened his mouth, only to freeze as he looked into Percy's eyes. He may have only caught a small glimpse of it, but it was enough for the god to take a step back.
"Now if you would excuse me, I will go see the Oracle." Percy said in a quiet voice, before walking away and into the house.
He made his way to the attic, up through a trap door, to see the room filled with the remnants of past quests. He ignored the items and focused on the shrivelled woman sitting by the window. She turned to look at him, and opened her mouth.
"Come speak, Lord Perseus, to the Oracle of Delphi, in union with Lady Ananke." She rasped out, her voice echoing eerily from many places at once. "Fear not the prying eyes, for they can be fooled by words of lies."
Percy nodded, thinking hard. Even though he got the prophecy from Ananke herself, the one she gave he had came to realise it depicted the final battle of the war, and the stages leading to it, so he had no idea where to start. His original plan was to enter the camp and find the thief, but it turned out that said thief was integrated completely in camp, and with the camp in lockdown, they couldn't get the weapons without drawing suspicion. Heck, even his little stunt outside could be a problem, but he could play it down to being a son of Gaia. So this could be a perfect opportunity to find the starting point.
"Where do I begin?"
The Oracle smiled - well tried to anyway - and green fog drifted out its mouth. It laced the floor and four figures raised up from the fog: Ananke, Hylas, Heracles and the woman - Zoë, lieutenant of The Army.
When she spoke, her voice echoed from all directions, amplified.
"You shall go west and meet the god who has rebelled." Heracles started.
"And find what was stolen and take it where the darkness dwelled." Hylas continued.
"You ssshall betray one who had called you friend." Ananke hissed, her own voice overpowering the Oracle's.
"But shan't reveal your true allegiance, in the end." Zoë finished in the Oracle's voice, before all four forms dissipated.
Hylas was deep in thought. The ancient laws protected both himself and Percy, but for how long? The gods couldn't raise a finger against them when they were bound in a mortal quest, but what about once it was done? It was going so well too: they had managed to somewhat contact Kronos, receive their quest and made it though their claiming without harm (it was an added bonus that the gods thought Gaia was at work, even though Percy technically claimed himself). Then Les and Dionysius, and their big mouths, causing Percy pain over his mother. It was a miracle that he didn't snap there and then and ruin the whole plan. But he didn't, and that was the good thing.
Percy appeared in the doorway of the big house, looking like he normally did.
"Well?" Dionysius asked, half impatient and half wary of the son of Gaia.
"We leave now, and we shall take Annabeth, daughter of Athena." Percy announced, before walking to the camp boundary.
"M-Me?" Annabeth spluttered, obviously thrilled. Everyone turned to Hylas. Apparently it was his job to answer.
"'Course!" He laughed. "We need the daughter of thinking at all that jazz."
Annabeth looked insulted. "I have you know she is Goddess of Wisdom, Warfare, Divine intelligence, Architecture-"
"Blah blah blah." Hylas waved off. "Don't care, just pack your shit and come to the tree when you're ready." She nodded, glaring at him, before rushing off to get what in needed. The two gods had already flashed away, and most the campers had already left. Catching Luke's eye, he nodded fractionally. Wordlessly, he rushed off after Annabeth.
Both Percy and Hylas waited a good 10 minutes before Annabeth rejoined them, holding a bag and a pair of winged shoes, her cheeks red. "Luke says these'll help..." She muttered, thrusting them to Percy, who put them on.
They were silent for a few hours, until Annabeth snapped. They were waiting at a bus stop, Hylas kicking an apple about, waiting for a bus to take them west. They had been dropped off in New York by Argus about ten minutes ago, and had waited for the bus since.
"What are we doing?" She asked them, mainly aiming at Percy.
"Waiting for a bus." Hylas stated, not even stopping his game.
"I mean in the quest!" She exploded. "We have no plan, you almost ran off with no money, clothes or even any ambrosia or nectar, I'm here... What are we doing?"
"'Patience is the companion of wisdom.'" Percy said, still in deep thought.
"Saint Augustine..." She looked over to Hylas. "What is with him and all these quotes?"
"He just does that." He shrugged. "It's just something he picked up. Thank the gods it wasn't riddles or haikus..." He shuddered.
"So he means he'll tell us later?"
"Pretty much."
She nodded, and they lapsed back into silence. The bus arrived, and they got on, and sat at the back, Annabeth sitting closest to the window, than Hylas next to her, Percy sitting in the seat in front. They sat quietly, Hylas drumming his fingers on the chair in front, before he froze and looked like he had just been caught doing something he shouldn't have been.
"We kinda got a problem..." He said slowly, biting his bottom lip.
As soon as he said that, the bus stopped and three women got on. Annabeth recognised them immediately: "Erinyes..." She whispered. They still brought back bad memories.
Two sat on the front two seats, their legs creating a cross, while the third (Alecto, Percy noted) approached them.
"Brace yourself..." Hylas muttered to Annabeth as she sat down. She tensed for the worse, but was practically floored with shock at what happened.
"Hello Percy..." She purred (PURRED!) to him, licking her lips slightly. "I haven't seen you since this morning."
Annabeth thought she couldn't be shocked anymore. She was wrong. What happened next made even Hylas choke and look bewildered.
Percy smiled - smiled! - seductively and winked. "You could've seen me sooner." He said, his voice deeper than Annabeth remembered, and it made her blush. Alecto blushed, and Annabeth thought she was going insane. An Erinye blushing? What next? A Minotaur in bright white underwear (fruit of the loom, her mind thought helpfully)?
Both Hylas and Annabeth watched with slack jaws as they saw Percy and Alecto flirt with one another. It lasted a few minutes before Alecto changed the subject.
"I've came as a messenger." She said, her tone more serious.
"I thought that was man-slut number 3's job." Percy said, his monotonous voice returning.
Hylas laughed while Annabeth looked scandalised. "You can't say that about the gods!" She hissed, but was ignored.
"Anyway, Lord Hades wants to speak with you in his realm." Alecto said.
"Why can't the dead idiot get off his lazy ass and come here?" Hylas queried.
Alecto ignored the insult. "Lord Hades is currently occupied in his realm, and as Lady Persephone is at Olympus, he has no time to spare."
Percy nodded, and Hylas spoke up again. "Yo, Miss A, can I ask you a question?" She looked suspicious but nodded anyway. Hylas leaned in and stage-whispered. "How much do you think I would need to pay the Princess of thunder to have a go at his wife?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
Before Annabeth and Alecto could even think to look appalled, the sky roared to life, and there was an explosion behind the bus, followed instantly by another from the front of the bus. The bus turned and started to roll, off the road and down into the ditch on the side of the road. The roof of the bus cracked in half, and most of the glass shattered inwards, hitting some unsuspecting mortals and the other two Erinyes, who disintegrated into dust.
Annabeth groaned, her bones aching, and slowly sat up. In the rolling of the bus, she had been flung from her seat and onto the window frames (which were now the floor) of the bus. Her left arm was stinging, blood leaking out of a nasty cut, and she felt wet blood on her forehead. Mumbling about 'idiot blasphemy', she fished out an ambrosia cube out of her bag and munched on it, taking her first look around.
She didn't know what to be surprised and angry about more: the fact that the gods had actually harmed mortals (that she knew some had even died) or the fact that the two responsible for said wrath were standing unfazed at the large gash opening of the bus, neither looking like even a wrinkle or a speck of dust graced them. But what felt like the clincher, was the fact that they both were waiting for her, like it was all her fault that they were in this situation.
Scrambling to her feet, she rushed after their retreating figures, catching up with them when they entered the trees. With a scream of frustration, she flung her bag at Hylas, hitting him on the head and making him fall forward.
"You absolute stupid little imp!" She screeched, grabbing her bag and hitting him again with it. "What. Were. You. Thinking!" She shouted, emphasising each word with a hit from her bag. "We could've been killed! Some mortals were killed!" She stopped for a breath, them rounded on Percy. "And you..." She hissed. "Are you crazy? Flirting with a Kindly One? Do you have a death wish?"
"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you about that!" Hylas said, completely disregarding Annabeth, much to her frustration. "What was that about, Mr No-Emotion?"
It was like a switch, and suddenly they were looking at Percy in a whole new light. His green eyes had more of gleam to them, his body looked more defined, his hair softer, his clothes more enticing...
"Let's just say... It's one of my other personalities." He winked, making both of them blush. Then, as if the switch turned back off again, the feeling was gone and Percy's face turned back to neutral.
Annabeth stood there, looking dazed yet worried, but Hylas just laughed joyously. "Should've thought that!" He chuckled.
After a while of walking silently (both Hylas and Percy rarely talked, and when they did it was to each other, causing Annabeth to grind her teeth) they came across a big warehouse. There was a small road running past it, but one look and the three could tell that it was a quiet road. Potholes littered the black surface, and the white paint had faded to a small scrawl.
The warehouse itself was a small-ish building, with faded grey walls and a flat roof. In big red letters read: 'Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium', and there was a big set of black double doors underneath it.
They entered quietly. Inside there were statues of everything. There were people, animals, monsters, even satyrs, all lifelike and all with an expression of terror imprinted on their faces.
"I don't like this..." Annabeth whispered.
"Fine, wait outside then." Percy replied in his normal voice. Out of the three of them, he was the only one that wasn't crouching and sneaking, just walking like he had done through the trees.
"By myself?" Annabeth hissed. "I wouldn't last ten minutes!"
"Take Hylas with you then." Percy said. "There only needs to be one of us looking for anyone here. I will contact you both if I find anything." Before she could protest, he added something else. "I am the son of Gaia. I do not think any monster can get past me."
Reluctantly, Annabeth nodded and left, followed by Hylas who shook his head. To anyone else it was a shake of annoyance or disbelief, but between them it meant only one thing: The gods were not watching.
Percy waited until he hear the door shut before he spoke again.
"Medusa, youngest of the three Gorgon Sisters, daughter of Phorcys and Keto, one cursed by Athena, I wish to speak to you." He announced in a loud but calm voice.
After about a minute of silence, he heard her approach from behind him. He turned and looked at her, her figure dressed in a black dress, a veil covering her face.
"So a brave demigod wishes to slay me." She hissed sarcastically. "Who are you, foul creature?"
He smiled and allowed his body to age to that of an eighteen year olds. "I am the firstborn child of Gaia and Tartarus, Perseus." When she flinched slightly at the name, he scowled, his personality of fear and chaos rising to the surface. "Do not confuse me for that dammed son of Zeus who shares my name." He hissed, venom lacing his words. "He was an insult." He waited a moment and allowed himself to calm down. When calm, he looked at her and flipped her head back and revealed her green snake-hair and her stony-grey eyes.
He kissed her cheek, weaving his destruction powers into the touch. The snake hair died away, leaving long blonde locks in its place. Her eyes softened to a deep sea-blue and lips reddened. Hesitantly, she touched her face and smiled softly at the changes, and looked back at Percy, who was now a twelve year old again.
"A little gift from me." He said. "The curse Athena put upon you is now gone, but the gift remains. You can still turn others into stone, but you can now control it. Also, your sea god powers are back."
She smiled, her second true smile for over two thousand years (the first being only moments ago) and looked at him curiously. "I've got two questions for you. Why have I never heard of you before? Why did you want to help me?"
"I am a secret." Percy stated simply. "No one knows who I am because I wish that. As for why I helped you..." He looked directly into her eyes, and Medusa felt joy at the fact that she could now look people in the eyes without killing them - something she had always liked yet was robbed of. "You are powerful. Because your sisters faded, their passed their power onto you. And now I wish to harness that power... If you would let me..."
She felt happy. She had finally found something to do with her eternal life - something she lost when she refused to fade with her sisters - apart from killing the odd mortal, demigod or satyr. She nodded, not trusting her voice, and he smiled.
"I will send you to Tartarus with my blessing." Percy said. "This will protect you from its horrors, as my father will protect you." He smiled slightly. "You are the fifth person to get this blessing. Feel proud in yourself."
She started to crumble away into the gold dust. It wasn't like the usual way she died - no, this lacked the pain and she could feel herself flowing and being read shaped in a different location. Before she completely disintegrated, she asked a question.
"How can you break the ancient laws?"
He laughed, and it made her both aroused but shiver in fear. "I can do whatever I want. And nothing can ever stop me."
With that parting statement, Medusa crumbled into dust and made her first voluntarily made journey into Tartarus.
Another chapter! Huzzah!
Oh, I may not be back for a while (see details at top) so I leave you all with some things to think about (ain't I evil?):
Who are the other three blessed by Perseus?
What is Hestia's 'secret' domain?
When will Percy and Zoë finally meet?
I know the answer to all three, but it's more fun for people to speculate. So adieu, sayonara, whatever, and I'll post again later!
Thanks for being patient!
~Nom Nom :3