So this chapter is unfinished, but i'll just make what I had planned for the rest as its own chapter, just so i can get a few messages out to those who follow this story, my other stories, and this account in general. I have barely been posting anymore, and I get that. It's been bothering me a lot recently, along with several other things. Life on my end has been a bit stressful, and it grows more and more as things go on. I've been struggling to piece things together to make things better, and this is going to be the start, though it will change in time.
First and foremost, this story is going to continue to be updated. It's by far my most favorite, but that has less to do with substance than it does with style. The other stories I've posted, I posted to get stuff off my chest and out of my head, and moving forward in life, I've come to hate what they are. I want them to be better, and this story is where I've seen my writing improve.
So, building off of that, I am going to be reworking all of my previous stories, par one of them just because it wasn't getting any traction and I myself have grown distant from it the most. It will also help lessen the load on my shoulders this year. The others are going to be revisited and rewritten, with new stories to take their place for a while before i decide to delete the old ones, just so followers can move to the updated stories and not lose their notifications.
Finally, just to bring something else to light, I am going to try other things relating to stories and "literature" as I sludge forward in life, and if you enjoy how I write here in these stories, I'll make sure to share the other works so you have more to enjoy. I find life pointless without something to entertain us from reality, so I might as well help others find the same peace that I do.
Thank you for being patient and understanding on this whole, messy ordeal. I hope you continue to enjoy this story and others to come.
J looked down at the daughter of the war god with malice and hatred. Had she shut up after her proposition to a fight, he wouldn't have had the reason he did to punch her in the chest, sending her back into the table of whatever godlings were closest to them. His hand had stayed outstretched after the punch and the other clasped onto the hilt of his sword without tearing away his gaze.
Clarrise physical showed much more aggression as she got back on to her feet and took her spear in hand. Her trusty weapon crackled wit electricity that could have danced around her sneer. "So that's how you wanna do it, huh?" she snarled out before lunging for his chest. J responded by pulling his sword out of his sheath.
Neither got near each other as another force came in between the two and put them to a halt. Percy winced slightly at the electricity of Clarisse's spear and gripped J's arm tighter as he tried to fight against Percy's hold. "Both of you stand down!" Percy ordered at them, his voice gaining volume over the other campers' outburst to J's actions.
Clarisse wore a face of anger as her attention shifted from one man to the other. "Don't order me around, you nobody!" she yelled in response. Percy turned quickly to face her.
"I said stand down!" His increased volume and growing ferocity made Clarisse flinch, just enough for Percy to shove her spear to the side and turn his whole body to face J, using his now free hand to grab J's other before he could raise it any higher.
"J, I said stand down, and you will stand down." Percy lowered his volume to J, still loud enough for the people closest to the to hear.
J made no response with his voice. His hands and arms flexed, gripping his sword tighter and pushing against Percy's grip, but to no avail of breaking free. His eyes darted up to meet Percy's, and Percy's down to meet his.
"You will stand down, that is an order."
J leaned his head forward, only to be met by Percy's as their staring contest continued. Percy could feel J's body heat up, and the steam forming from where his hands held J's arms.
Clarisse stared at the two questionably with the other campers, her rage lower but still present. "What, too afraid of your bitch boy getting hurt?" she taunted before taking a step forward to attack them both.
Instead, she collapsed, down on her hands and knees, her weapon heavy in her hands. A pressure has been applied to the air around her, and she couldn't find herself moving up to challenge it. Her head began to hurt and her stomach turn. Her eyes moved slowly up to see the two men in their stale mate, steam and light faintly emanating from them. Her eyes then moved to the other campers close to her to find them on their feet, paralyzed in place and unable to help the war demigoddess on her feet.
"You are not to engage her in combat, do you understand?" Percy growled between his teeth at his companion. J let out a growl from his throat, keeping his gaze against Percy's. "Do not make me put you down."
Before Chiron or any other camper could intervene, J dropped his head. His body cooled and the steam stopped emitting from his body. Both his arms dropped to his sides and his sword clicked back in to the sheath. Percy released his arms and stepped back to let J turn away and walk off.
"Head to the amphitheater and campfire to cool off," Percy announced to him. "I'll meet you back over there later." J nodded his head softly in response, refusing to use his own voice.
The demigods around Percy gasped for air as the pressure on the disappeared. Clarisse in particular struggles to her feet, having a hard time finding her own breath after the stand off between the two men. It was Percy who grabbed her by the arm and hauled her to her feet, but refused to let go. He turned to address the rest of the campers, many of which were looking at him in fear.
"Carry on with your meals," Percy announced. "I'll see you all again at the campfire." He then proceeded to drag Calrisse away from the dining hall, despite her protests and the weary looks of other campers, Chiron included.
Nevertheless, Chiron decided to side with Percy for the time being. "Back to your meals and table, everyone!" he announced, stomping his hoof on the floor to capture their attention.
Clarisse was doing her best to struggle out of Percy's grip but the pressure exerted on her just moments ago was still leaving her drained. He stopped pulling her along once the two were several yards away from the dining pavilion. Percy made no effort to hide them or take her somewhere privet. He saw no reason for them to be. The war demigoddess nearly fell over again when Percy let her go, but she still managed to keep her footing and face him again. "The hell is your problem?" Percy raised his eyebrow slightly, surprised to see that his old "friend" hadn't lost her attitude.
"Is that any way to treat a friend, War Girl?" Percy asked.
"You're not my friend," Clarisse snarled back in response.
Percy took on an expression of fake heart break. "What, does the beard ruin ol' Kelp Face's face that much you don't recognize me?"
Clarisse's expression dropped quickly, changing from aggression to surprise in a near instant as she began to actually take in the man in front of her. "Prissy?" she asked in disbelief.
Percy turned his head to face the pavilion and wiped a thumb across his chin. "Nice to see you too, Clarisse. Shame it couldn't have started on better terms."
"Holy Hades is that really you?" He turned back to his old rival to still her still struggling to accept what she was given.
"Yeah, it's me. In the flesh. And armor."
"What the hell.. when did you-" Percy placed both his hands on her shoulders, cutting her off with his own words.
"Look, I'll explain more at the campfire, and maybe at the Big House meeting later, but right now, I need you to tell me what you told J."
Chiron kept his eyes on Percy and J as the campers began to take their seats at the fire. The two men stood on the other side of the fire, in their own heated discussion that the flames overpowered to everyone else. Percy was the more active of the two, constantly turning and gesturing with his hands as he talked, whereas J faced and kept his gaze on the fire, his lips moving less often compared to Percy's.
Chiron was unsure of how the campers would react once their suspicions on who they were would be confirmed or denied. Many campers present were new, and had only heard stories about him. Some were even from the Roman camp, in the same boat as the youngest campers. Percy still had many of his old friends filling up the other seats, and Chiron hoped they could at least maintain their composure until later.
The fire beside the two men died down as their talk came to and end and made their separate ways around the fire to the other side. Percy and J turned to face the crowd of campers, whose hushed discussions died down in response to their focus. Percy looked among the crowd, spotting out all the familiar faces from his past and smiling in their directions one after another, giving a small nod to his two cousins and ex-girlfriend as he spotted them again. J, instead, stood still with his eyes closed and his head bowed, ignoring the crowd of people in front of him.
"Hello," Percy announced, finally catching everyone's full attention. The son of the sea took a deep breath; not often did he talk in front of crowds of people. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. My sincerest apologies for the ruckus earlier. It was not our intention-" he gestured to himself and J beside him, "-to make you feel uncomfortable or attacked. What J did was what he thought of as his best course of action in self defense. Neither of us mean to make enemies out of any of you."
Percy took the moment to let that sink into people's heads. While the self defense part was a lie, he did want to be on good terms his first day back to camp.
"Let me introduce myself," Percy started up again, taking a step forward to the crowd slowly. "My name is Percy Jackson." Almost immediately did people start talking again to one another, though still in hushed volumes. "I am the son of Poseidon, and the same Percy Jackson who use to go to camp here, at Camp Half-Blood. I have been traveling with my dear friend here, J. He and I have been sightseeing and training together and I felt I've been far from home for too long. It's a pleasure to see how much this place has grown over the years."
Then he had nothing to say. He didn't know what to say, nor did the many campers in the stands. The only one who found the words was Chiron.
"Perseus, is there something else you wish to mention?" Percy turned to his old mentor, mildly surprised at what Chiron could be referring to.
"I have a lot to tell, but I don't know where to start," Percy responded with a small smile. J sighed and stepped up, patting Percy's chest with the back of his hand.
"Let me help you with that," he breathed out, sounding bored and annoyed, for reasons Percy didn't know why. J stepped past his friend and closer to the stands, before turning back around and getting down on one knee.
"All hail Lord Perseus," J announced as he bowed, much louder for everyone else to hear. "God of the tides, weaponry, heroes, and power."
"Minor god, mind you," Percy mumbled under his breath. He gazed over the crowd to find all their faces stunned, even his old friends and his mentor too. "What he says is the truth. I am now a god."
People began to rise and bow to Percy, all uncertain of how to act in this new situation. Chiron was much more accustomed to it all, but even he had his troubles processing the information that young Perseus had become what he turned down years ago. Percy, too, was uncomfortable with all the bowing, even with his friends not hat much older than him, but he said nothing to stop them. He knew the other gods would make a ruckus about his humility, especially his own father.
"Thank you all, but you don't have to do that too much, please. Still getting use to the whole...thing." Percy let out a small chuckle as campers rose slowly, probably confused as to why a god did want to be bowed to. Percy only hoped they would come to understand.
"And while we're doing introductions, this is J." Percy gesture to his bowed friend, who chose not to move from his position. "He was my companion as we traveled. However he is not a god like me. He is, however, my right hand man and my first champion." The fire behind Perseus shot up above the now announced god, startling him slightly. "God dammit J, stop that."
The fire died out and J raised his head towards his patron. "I thought it would help with the dramatic flair," J stated, almost innocently. Which is impossible for J to be, the ass.
"And yet you didn't do it for me. Kinda selfish, don't ya think?"
"You were announced as a god and I bowed when saying it off. I'm not feeding your ego more by giving you that to."
"No, it's fine, I understand." Percy rubbed away a fake tear. "You don't love me anymore. You're leaving me, for someone else, aren't you?"
"That requires me to have loved you in the past." J stood back up and took his position by Percy's side again.
"Fuck you too," Percy whispered to his friend before turning to face the campers along with J. "Now that the introductions are out of the way, and I do apologize that this is such a short talk, but I wish for the cabin counselors, assuming those haven't been done with yet, to come into the Big House for a meeting. The rest of you may return to your cabins for the night." Percy turned to face Chiron. "Are the harpies sill active?"
"Not as night patrol in the camp."
"Great. Never mind then." Percy turned back to the stands. "You who do not have to come to the meeting may roam freely to the camp and return to your cabin upon demand from your counselor or Chiron." Without waiting for their responses, Percy turned and left towards the Big House, J tailing behind, leaving Chiron to deal with the crowd of campers.
The centaur stomped his hooves on the ground, the echoing catching the attention of the campers now onto him before they could disperse wildly. "Counselors, come with me to the Big House. Campers, please stay within the cabin boundaries until you are to return to your respective cabins. Have a good night." He gestured to the counselors to move to him, as everyone got up and left to chat over and think about the announcement of their new godly member, and took the small count of campers to the Big House to discuss with Percy on whatever matters he was still hiding from them.