A/N
Sorry about the long wait for the chapter, work has gotten super hectic lately and I didn't really have time to work on the story. My update schedule may slow down a little bit, but I promise you I am and will still be working on the story.
In other news, I have decided to close the polling for the last pairing as frankly there is already a run away victor! Hestia will become the final pairing, which really I should have seen since Hestia is bestia, and everyone loves seeing it, even me. So that means this will be a PercyxHestiaxHeraxArtemis fic!
I own nothing, Percy Jackson is owned by Rick Riordan!
Chapter 9
Percy found himself standing on a beach in a storm, the wind and rain whipping his hair and he struggled to keep upright. He could see the ocean violently churning in the distance, and the violent storm above as peels of thunder and lightning ripped across the sky. He tried to shield his eyes from the torrential rain pelting his body so that he could see, and stumbled forward through the raging storm.
Up ahead he could hear the din of a struggle over the cacophony of the storm. Pushing his way forward, he saw two figures fighting in the distance. Getting closer he could see that they were a horse and an eagle, fighting to the death. He remembered this, he had this dream before. The eagle was trying its hardest to claw the eyes of the horse out, and the horse reared up on its hind legs to smack the eagle out of the sky. They seemed to be locked in a stalemate, but Percy knew that it was only temporary.
Just like before, the eagle came in for a swooping maneuver, gliding through the horses hooves with its claws outstretched, heading on a collision course with the horses unguarded neck. As time slowed down, Percy could see the shadows of the horse and eagle progress as their bodies stilled, the eagle slashing the horses throat, and the horses blood spewing forth. Percy screamed out, reaching forwards in a vain attempt to stop the killing blow, but the dream faded out before shifting to another location.
Percy found himself standing in what seemed to be a large cave, with a massive, jagged trench in the ground in front of him. No matter which direction he looked, the trench stretched out into the distance past his vision. Looking into the trench was fruitless, as the abyss was seemingly endless. He could faintly here the sounds of beasts and screaming, and smelled sulfur and smoke all around him. Where was he?
His hairs stood on end as he shifted his gaze to the trench, and an intense feeling of foreboding and despair came over him. Something wasn't right here and his body screamed for him to move away from the pit, as if there was a predator lurking in the darkness and preparing to strike.
Suddenly, a deep trembling voice rose from the pit, grating Percy's ears. It immediately filled him with fear before Gamer's Mind worked to clamp down on his runaway fear immediately. "Perseus, what a pleasure it is to finally make your acquaintance."
Percy looked at the pit warily, whomever this was just straight up sounded like a villain. "Who are you, what do you want?"
"Oh, Perseus, see how they leave you out to dry? Those damned Olympians can't even give you the time of day to introduce you to your actual family. You know they care not for you, you are simply a pawn in their game. Why do you think your father has never told you who he was, or claimed you? You are just a tool for him Perseus, you know it and I know it!" The voice spoke, as if concerned for him.
"You never answered my question."
"Hmm, no I didn't, did I? You have some fire, that's for sure, to talk to me in such a way. Why, you haven't even fallen to your knees to grovel yet, and my, my, you aren't even shaking in fear! Oh I knew I would like you, I just knew it! You will surely be the one! Join me Perseus, together we can take down those who have wronged you, tossed you out like yesterdays news without so much as a thank you or any acknowledgement! You see how they treat those at camp, you see their arrogance, join me and we can put an end to it all. A new age is rising, Perseus, and you and I can be its heralds!" The voice boomed in glee.
Damn, this dude is a total windbag, and he still hasn't answered his question! As if sensing his thoughts, Percy heard the voice chuckle, "Ah yes, I must apologize, I still haven't answered you. I am your grandfather Perseus. I am Kronos, Titan of Time, Harvest, and Justice, and the King of the Titans!" The voice boomed.
Shit. Of course he was just sitting here talking with Kronos, the guy that ate his dad and a bunch of his other family members, a guy who castrated his own father just because. "Uh, hi grandpa. What do you want?" Why did he say that, why on Earth would he say that? Why would he phrase it like that, too! This dude is probably going to kill him now!
Booming laughter emanated from the pit, as Kronos seemed to revel in Percy's nonchalance, "Ha! I told him you would be one to look out for when he reported you to me, I just knew it! It is quite simple what I want from you, Perseus. I want you to join me, help me bring the age of gods to an end and usher in the second Titanomachy, bringing the second golden age upon the world!"
That was a lot to take in, he just met this guy and he wants him to do what? "Why would I want that, why would I want to help you?" Percy asked. Better to keep this guy talking, he probably didn't stand a chance against him if he was honest.
"Other than the reasons I gave you? The gods are corrupt, Perseus. They flaunt their abilities and domains like toys, caring not for mortal deaths they cause. The world is full of suffering, and it is at their hands! The treat you mortals like toys to be discarded, they care nothing for you! I on the other hand, am quite different. During my rule, the world was a paradise. Do you know why they called it the golden age? Hmm? It was because during my rule, the world had a reveled under a period of peace, harmony, stability, and prosperity! People did not have to work for food or die of famine, for it was in abundance! People did not die in wars and petty conflicts; there was only peace and prosperity. People lived on to very old age, and there was no need for laws or rules as people did everything for the right reasons. No immorality."
The voice continued, "However, when my traitorous children overthrew me, they plunged the world into constant conflict and suffering. All you see around you today is a byproduct of their rule. War, pestilence, famine, murder, rape, all because of them. Join me, Perseus, and we can rid the world of their stain, and I can lead humanity into another golden age!"
This sounded too good to be true, and from what Percy was told in his Latin class, not technically true. Kronos was literally the Titan of evil, killed his father, and ate all of his kids. Percy was pretty sure this 'Golden Age' he wanted to usher in wouldn't be too good for humanity, as absolute power corrupts absolutely. He was pretty sure that he would lead humanity into the golden age, for sure, but for who was the golden age for. A flock of sheep can easily be led into the butcher by one sheep claiming to be one of them. Percy wasn't stupid; this so called golden age was for the titans, not humanity. Plus, there was absolutely no way he was siding with the bastard who ate his friend.
Resolved, he glared into the abyss and uttered one word. "No."
"Hmm, what did you say?" The voice asked.
"NO! I will not join you, you cannot trick me Kronos! I will never betray my family!" He yelled into the pit. The pit rumbled angrily, rocks crashing down from the ceiling.
"You DARE! I offer you ultimate power and you DARE refuse! If you are not with me, boy, then you will be slaughtered like everyone else who dares to stand in my way! Watch your back, boy, your days are numbered!" A massive gust of wind came blowing out of the pit, and Percy was launched back by the sheer force. As he was tumbling through the air, his vision started going dark, before he passed out.
Ping!
For sleeping in a bed while having the 'Drunk' status, HP and MP have not been restored. Status changed from 'Drunk' to 'Hangover'.
Percy abruptly woke up with a pounding headache. Bringing his hands up to grab his head, he tried to alleviate the pounding headache he currently had. What happened, why was he feeling so terrible? Hands still covering his head, he pulled up the bio screen and opened his eyes, only to immediately shut them as a painful flash of light went across his vision. It only served to make his headache worse, and he attempted to rub his head to stop the pounding pain in his skull. Gingerly cracking an eye open, he scanned his bio screen.
Status: Hungover
Hungover – Painful condition that reduces HP and MP regen by 50%.
Hangover, he's heard about those. Mainly every morning when Gabe would start complaining just after he got up from a heavy night of drinking. Rubbing his head to alleviate the pounding, he looked around the cabin. It seemed that none of the Hermes kids were there; they all must have gone out for breakfast or something.
Percy checked his watch and was shocked. 5:30 PM! How was that even possible, the alcohol had knocked him out around 7 PM yesterday! Looking at the bottle lying on the ground next to his sleeping bag, he reached for it and looked over the label as well as the warning label he had overlooked last night.
Dionysus Special Reserve
1985 – Nectar Blend
Warning! This product is only for consumption by gods! Mortals can experience extreme nausea, seizures, extreme spells of unconsciousness, complete liver failure, kidney failure, coma, and death using this product.
Percy stared at the bottle slack jawed. This thing almost killed him! He was so focused on gaining the perks that came with drinking the wine he didn't even check if there were any risks. Seems he got lucky, or at least he thought so, as he didn't really feel any pain other than his pounding headache. Still, possible organ failure doesn't sound great. Remembering the flask of nectar he had taken from the infirmary on his first day, he pulled it out of his inventory. Uncorking it, he took a swig and immediately felt better, the comforting flavor of his mothers fresh baked cookies flooding his tastebuds.
Nectar Uses: 4/5
+100 HP and +100 MP for 2 hours!
Hangover status cured!
Sighing in relief, he placed the bottle back into his inventory and stretched his arm, reveling in the feeling of being headache free. He took a few moments to bask in the feeling of being headache free, before he started to put together a schedule for the day. He lost a lot of daylight apparently, but since he didn't actually need to sleep and only did it out of habit he could just practice through the night. He did need to watch for harpies, though.
He figured since capture the flag was tomorrow, he probably would need to do some brushing up on his skills such as water and shadow manipulation. After all he didn't want to start lagging behind on his non-physical skills, but he would have to train in secret. Perhaps he could do some beach training later tonight? Other than that, he could focus on his unarmed and armed combat tomorrow during the day, as he was sure Luke would be running another swordsmanship class in preparation for the game.
Thinking on it, he could also do some training up in Archery. He probably wouldn't be able to use it well enough come time for the capture the flag game, but he would at least progress in it a bit more. He was currently at a -35% accuracy buff with his archery skill which was increased to -20% due to the Totem of Artemis he had received from Chiron, so a couple more levels and he may actually start having stuff hit the target without his bow actively working against him!
Hmm, archery. Archery, archery, archery. Was he forgetting something? He could've swore that something was going to happen today, and that it revolved around archery. He rubbed his chin before shrugging. Oh well, he couldn't remember. Maybe his memory will be jogged as the day goes on. Checking his watch, he sees that the time is now 5:40 PM, so he decides to head out of his cabin.
Walking out, he sees that the sun is already starting to get low on the horizon, and there wasn't much activity in camp. Jogging up to the dining pavilion, he could see that the food was ready to be served and was untouched, so he figured that everyone was still in training sessions. Grabbing a plate and loading up on food, he walks over to the Hermes table and starts to tuck in.
Halfway through his meal, he suddenly remembers! He forgot to do a sacrifice! Shaking his head at his absentmindedness, he walks over to the brazier and starts going through his usual daily sacrifices. Tossing one in for Dionysus, Poseidon, and Hermes for his usual reasons, before tossing in a juicy piece of brisket for his new favorite person, Hestia,
As soon as the meat touched the flames, a pillar of flames erupted beside him. Percy yelped and flipped his plate into the air, watching as its contents fell all over the floor. Looking over to where the flames were, he saw an incredulous looking Hestia standing next to him, though she looked a bit different this time. Gone was her usually kid form that made her look like she was late for the bus to elementary school, now she looked more like his age. He wondered what spurred the change in appearance.
He smiled and waved at her, and greeted her "Oh, hey Hestia! What're you doing here?"
Her jaw slackened a little and she looked at him incredulously. Something started to niggle in the back of his mind, trying to reach up through his hazy memories of last night.
"Perseus! What are you doing here! It is almost time, you didn't forget did you?" She asked, hand on her hip.
"Uh, possibly? I'm sorry, but I am honestly not sure. My memories are kind of hazy from last night due to … circumstances, and I don't quite remember everything. But come to think of it, it does feel like I am forgetting something." He lamely explained.
She rolled her eyes at him, "You dummy! I told you I would get you a teacher for your archery today, and here you are stuffing your face!" Oh, that's why archery was ringing a bell. It was all coming back to him, the talk with Hestia about getting him a teacher today, and the warning not to be late. Wait, when was he supposed to be there!
"You better hurry up and get over to the range now Percy! I told you to be there at 6, so you have 5 minutes to make it over there! You better hope you make it on time, or she is going to skin you alive, and I am not telling you that as a figure of speech. And I warn you, if I lose my new friend over something like this, being skinned alive is going to be the least of your worries, Perseus!" Hestia glared at him while pouting and crossing her arms over her chest. To be honest, it was really cute, and in any other moment Percy probably would have laughed and joked with her, but at the moment he was currently freaking out.
"Oh gods, I'm sorry Hestia! Won't happen again! Thank you for reminding me, you're the best!" He dropped his plate on the nearby table and started to rush out before turning around and springing a hug on Hestia in thanks. She stiffened before slightly relaxing, but before she could even think of reciprocating Percy released her and ran out, turning around to wave at her and smile on his way out.
Ping!
New quest added!
Make it to your archery lesson on time, and survive!
Rewards:
Hestia: +5 rep
?: +5 rep
500 EXP
$500
Failure:
Maiming/Death
? : -100 rep
Hestia: -5 rep
Accept/Decline
Quickly pressing accept, Percy sprinted for all he was worth through the camp to get to the archery range on time. Rushing past campers, he heard Luke tied calling out to him before being promptly ignored, he couldn't waste any time! Luke looked after Percy's sprinting form oddly, before shaking his head and resolving to ask Percy about that bottle everyone saw him with earlier.
Percy reached the clearing where the archery area was set up, panting for all he was worth after sprinting nonstop from the dining pavilion. He glanced at his watch, 5:59 PM which turned over to 6:00 PM seconds later, seems like he made it literally with seconds to spare. He tried getting his breathing under control while looking around the range to see if he could find his teacher. Unfortunately, it seemed the range was empty, and he wondered if he was supposed to meet them somewhere else or something. Hestia said the range, right?
Mana Sense Activated!
Suddenly he picked up a spike of mana in a tree at the edge of the archery range to his right. Turning to look at the tree in question, he looked up to see a girl standing on one of the higher limbs on the tree. She was dressed in what seemed to be a silver hunting outfit consisting of a silver parka, and hunting pants, and he could see a bow and a quiver of arrows peeking over her shoulder. She had fair skin and long auburn hair that was braided to the side, and she seemed to have a soft glow about her as if she was giving off a little bit of light. He had to admit, this was one damn beautiful girl and she gave off an air of confidence like no one else he has met before, not even Hestia or Dionysus. Who was this girl? His mana sense was going crazy, however, and whoever this was had a whole bunch of it to go around.
Observe activated!
Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt
Race: Olympian God
LVL: ?
HP: ?
MP: ?
STR: ?
VIT: ?
WIS: ?
INT: ?
DEX: ?
CHA: ?
LUC: ?
Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, the moon, archery, maidenhood, childbirth, chastity, wild animals, the wilderness, disease, and the high mountains. She is one of the twelve Olympian gods, and is currently leading her Hunters of Artemis, a group of all female hunters that follow a strict vow of maidenhood. Artemis has a dislike for Percy due to him being a male, as she believes all males will eventually become that which she despises, although she is giving him the benefit of the doubt since Hestia vouched for him. Artemis prefers to use his symbol of power, The Bow of Artemis.
Artemis Reputation: -5/100
Percy gulped, Hestia hadn't said she was getting a goddess, and one that apparently already didn't like him. The goddess looked down at him with an unimpressed look on her face, her silver eyes watching him with disdain as if she was a child being told to eat her vegetables. She quirked her eyebrow when she saw that he was already looking at her even though she had just made her entrance, and hopped down off of the tree limb. Artemis walked up to Percy, looking him up and down and snorting, unimpressed.
"Hestia has me wasting my time on a mortal male? Great, not like I had anything better to do. Listen here, boy, I don't care who your parent is or what you think you deserve, I care neither for your pride nor your ego. Don't get a big head and think you are anything special, I am only here at the behest of Hestia, and I want to know why she would waste a favor of mine on, ugh, a boy." She practically spit out that last part, looks like she doesn't have the greatest opinion of men. Great, just what he needed.
"Uh, hi my name is Percy, nice to meet you too I guess? Hestia and I are friends, thank you very much, and I told her about how abysmal I was at archery and she suggested she could get me a teacher. To be frank she insisted on it, I really didn't want her to waste a favor on me and I tried to convince her not to, but she wouldn't budge. Look I'm sorry if I offended you in some way, but I'm just here to learn archery so…" He never got to finish his sentence.
Warning: Transformed!
Percy went from being eye level with the goddess to staring at her shins. What just happened, what's going on? Looking down at himself, he was shocked to find fur all over him and some lil rabbit feet under him. He could also see the shadow of what looked to be … antlers? A bunny with antlers, is that what he is now, what the hell happened!
"How dare you fraternize with a maiden goddess such as Hestia, I know what you were trying to do! Trying to get into her pants, huh, or use her for your own needs? After all you already had her waste a favor on you. You males are all the same in the end, using women as stepping-stones to get what you want and discarding them after; well I won't let you succeed! I will not let you lead a fine maiden like her astray! And you dare talk to me with such disrespect! Better get used to being a jackalope quick, boy, because you have seconds to run."
Huh, what! What's going on, she did this? What the hell is a jackalope, and why did she turn him into one! He looked up to her only to see her shrugging off her bow and drawing back an arrow, and Percy's heart jumped in his throat as he sprung away from his position just in time to avoid a wickedly sharp silver arrow from going right through his heart. She was crazy! If there was an Olympic sport for jumping to conclusions, she would take the gold in a heartbeat! He had no idea where she was inferring all of this from, but he needed to get away now!
Running out of the archery area and through the underbrush, he kept swerving left and right in a zig-zag motion in an attempt to throw off her aim, but each time she fired an arrow he could literally feel the skin on his back being peeled off from close calls. She was seriously good, and he would have taken the time to admire her ability if it wasn't for the unfortunate circumstance that he was her target. He burst into the activities field and zipped across it to try to reach the forest, but the glint of an arrow forced him to swerve left at the last moment to avoid being skewered. The arrow landed centimeters ahead of him, as he took off towards the beach.
Mana Sense Activated!
He could feel a gathering of mana just ahead of him, and saw her appear with her bow drawn just in front of him. He squeaked in fear and turned to run to the left, but quickly changed direction straight towards her in an attempt to trick her. His maneuver worked as she fired off another arrow where he was moments ago, before quickly trying to shift to hit him. Unfortunately for Artemis, he had already gotten close enough to run through her legs, bolting through and into the underbrush and swerving back towards the range.
Artemis cursed in Ancient Greek before giving chase, tracking his every movement through the brush and staying a single step behind him. This was no good, Percy was getting tired and she was dead set on getting him, plus she looked to still be fresh as a daisy! He still had no idea why she decided to go all Rambo on him, but he knew he couldn't outrun her forever. Especially if she could just cheat and teleport. He needed help, fast, but who! Wait, Hestia, she set it up after all!
Sending out a quick prayer to Hestia and hoping above all else that she hears it, he bursts back into the archery range clearing with a hop and before he can touch the ground, he feels a pressure on his neck and is left dangling in the air. Artemis had caught him. She lifted him up with one hand and turned him around, holding him in front of her face.
"Finally got you! I have to admit, you gave an impressive chase, and you evaded quite a few of my arrows. Not bad at all, but unfortunately for you, you never stood a chance." She grabbed a knife from her belt and smirked at him, and he sagged in despair as she surely was going to gut him now. Luckily for him, the fates weren't so ready to give up their little priso…err, hero, just yet.
Mana Sense Activated!
A pillar of flame lit up behind Percy and in front of Artemis, as Hestia stepped out looking incensed. She snapped her fingers, and Artemis was no longer holding a bunnified Percy by the scruff of the neck, but a regular Percy by the scruff of the neck, forcing Artemis to drop him in surprise from the sudden change. As soon as he touched the ground he scurried back and hid behind Hestia, peaking out from behind her at the goddess who almost turned him into rabbit stew.
Ping!
Quest Complete!
Make it to your archery lesson on time, and survive!
Rewards:
Hestia reputation: 15 +5 = 20/100
Reward unlocked!
Artemis reputation: -5 +5 = 0/100
EXP: 5,500/12,000
$: 85,170 + 500 = 85,670
"Artemis! I asked you to come and teach a friend archery properly because the camp wouldn't teach him! And yet, five minutes after your lesson starts, he prays to me for help and I find you ready to skin him alive! How dare you, explain yourself!"
Boy Hestia was pissed, Percy could see the ends of her hair turning into flickering flames, and her eyes sparked into two small fires as she glared at Artemis. Artemis shrank back like and looked uncertain at Hestia's reaction, but stood up and explained her, frankly, backward reasoning.
"Hestia, I am trying to help you! Surely this boy is simply trying to lead you astray, or had something on you that forced you to help him in some way! I know of this male, Dionysus mentioned him a couple times, which is never a good thing mind you when it comes to that lush, and he only just arrived at this damned camp, and just a couple days after he arrives you come and use a favor I gave to you on his behest! He obviously is holding you hostage somehow, I was trying to protect you!" Artemis explained.
"Protect me, are you kidding? You don't think I, the first born of Kronos and Rhea, can protect myself? I may not be a fighter and prefer peace, but I can easily stand toe to toe with my brothers, and YOUR father mind you! Perseus here is my friend, simple as that. He has nothing on me, he has done nothing to me, and his convictions are pure, or did you forget I could sense that?" Hestia quirked her eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip.
Artemis blushed in embarrassment, and tried "Well, no, of course I think you can protect yourself, but I just wanted to help! Plus, he was disrespectful to me as soon as he arrived; it only convinced me that he was just like any other male."
"Disrespect! I just tried to explain why Hestia set up the archery practice and you turned me into a rabbit!" Percy chimed in, before quickly shutting his mouth as Artemis shifted her glare to him.
"Artemis! You need to stop doing that! How many times has your father punished you for your heavy-handed judgment on innocent males, it has been getting ridiculous lately? And in case you have forgotten, you are already on your second strike after that incident in Appalachia, you know what will happen if you reach your third strike. I implore you, just give him a chance. He really is a good man, and doesn't deserve to be treated like the others."
Artemis had the decency to look sheepish at Hestia's dressing down. She sighed, "Your right, as always." She turned towards Percy and choked out, "I…apologize, for my hastiness. I will give you the benefit of the doubt for now, but only because Hestia has vouched for you boy. One misstep…"
Figuring that would probably be the best he would get out of her since she looked like she just swallowed a lemon, he told her "Uh, its alright, I guess. Can we just, y'know, not have any repeats? I kind of like being a human and not a rabbit."
She cracked the smallest of smiles at that, and then smirked and told him, "Oh? If you don't like being a jackalope, I could turn you into something else? Maybe a deer?" Percy paled and let out a choking sound at the idea of being turned into an animal again.
"Artemis!" Hestia exclaimed.
"Fine, no more transformations. I promise to at least be cordial, unless he tries my patience." Artemis relented.
Huffing in satisfaction, Hestia turned towards Percy and gave him a smile. "Don't worry Percy, Aunty Hestia is here to protect you from your mean old cousin. Now, don't annoy her, follow what she says, and be good!" Before Percy could protest that he was being good, she hugged him and flashed away.
Percy turned towards Artemis, who huffed in indignation before turning and walking towards the range. "Well, come one, then, I don't have all night, stupid boy. I don't really know why Hestia likes you so much, but I promised I would at least try to teach you, so you better not waste my time! Lesson one, you will get in a ready stance and hold it until I am satisfied."
She tossed Percy a plain bow, and he fumbled with it before standing in front of the targets. He got into a ready stance with his bow, setting his feet apart and drawing the string back. Artemis inspected his form, and kicked his feet further apart, nudging him in about a million different places before she stepped back.
"Alright, get a feel for your current stance. You will need to be able to assume a stance like this subconsciously and without notice if you want to be a decent archer." He nodded and tried to focus on how he was set so he could remember it for the future. Suddenly, Artemis lashed out and swept his legs out from under him, sending Percy tumbling to the ground with a yelp. Percy rubbed his head as he looked up at Artemis, who looked down on him and shook her head.
"Lesson 2, you must remain constantly vigilant. You were so focused on the task you allowed me to get in your guard. On the battlefield you would be a liability, you must be constantly aware of your surroundings, as you never know where an attack may come from. You must be able to get into your archery position and aim at a target without even thinking about it. Your subconscious needs to take the reins and you need to be able to consciously assess the battlefield conditions for threats and tactics. If you can focus on adjusting battle plans and reacting to changes in a fight while still being able to pick off your enemies, then you will be a force to be reckoned with. Again."
Percy spent the better part of 2 hours practicing his ready position, constantly getting into and out of it while Artemis adjusted his form. She would then make him immediately drop his form and try to get back into it, and the process would continue. Over time Percy noticed that she was adjusting his form less and less, and his muscle memory was able to pick up on his stance better even though it was still far from perfect. While this was occurring, she would randomly attack him, forcing him to be aware of his surroundings constantly while he adjusted his form.
Artemis studied him for a moment and nodded her head, "Good, you have gotten substantially better at entering your form than you were earlier, however you are still far from perfect. You will need to train as much as possible in your form, as it is the most basic necessity for a good shot. Accuracy is difficult enough as is, but being accurate with terrible form is nearly impossible. Now, let us fire some actual arrows." She waved her hand and a basket of silver arrows appeared on Percy's right. "Grab and arrow and get into position, we will judge your accuracy now."
Percy did as he was told and grabbed an arrow out of the basket, drawing it back and aiming down range. Artemis nudged his footing and his arms a few times before stepping back. "Alright, fire."
Percy let the string go and the arrow zipped through the air, embedding itself just outside of the rings of the target, but at least on the target itself. He sighed in disappointment, he was hoping he would at least not embarrass himself in front of the Goddess of Archery, but that negative buff on his archery skill is still messing him up.
Artemis quirked an eyebrow at his shot, "Interesting. Your form is frankly poor, but it seems you actually can pay attention because it is getting marginally better, although your release and stance are hampering your shots the most. Every small action you take in the buildup, every contraction and relaxation of any of your muscles, and even how you handle the bow after you have already shot the arrow will affect you aim. Steady your aim by taking and holding a breath seconds before the shot and tensing your arms to steady the bow. However, be cautious not to flex too much, as the shot will miss regardless of how good your form is, and I don't think I need to remind you that it is lacking. Keep your bow steady after the shot; try not to let it move at all from where you are aiming. Remember, just because you have released your arrow does not mean it has cleared the bow. Finally, narrow your target of where you are aiming; do not aim for the entire board. Aim small, miss small, so try to aim for a specific point and focus only on that point, in this case the bullseye."
She adjusted his stance a few more times and then looked down range, "Again."
Percy pulled an arrow out and strung it, keeping his stance as he brought his bow to bear on the target. He kept his arms steady; putting enough strength into it them steady his bow. Laser-focusing on the bullseye, he sucked in a breath, held it, and fired his arrow. It sailed through the night sky and embedded into the target with a dull thunk. He hit the blue ring this time, much better! Though still no bullseye, if he kept this up he would get better in no time. He smiled and looked over to Artemis.
"Hmph, anything less than a bullseye is terrible." She is stone cold, at least he is trying! "However, considering what you were doing before and the entertaining stories I have heard, I must admit that you have improved quite a bit." He preened at that, happy to finally get some praise out of the cold goddess for his hard work.
She quirked an eyebrow at him, "Careful not to get too big of a head there, boy, you still frankly suck. But, I guess you are in fact improving. Nowhere near my hunters, but that is to be expected." Artemis begrudgingly admitted. Percy smiled despite her, uh, 'encouraging' words. From his experience with her so far, she made it pretty plain to tell that she didn't like men. At all. But he figured that was as close a complement he was going to get out of the goddess, so he rolled with it.
"Again!" Artemis yelled, and Percy complied. He felt like he was going to be here all night.
Or at least most of it. He was dog tired, his arm muscles were screaming at him every time he moved and he was going out of his mind from 8 straight hours of archery practice with Artemis. She had only slightly cooled it on the snide remarks about his gender, and was pushing him like a slave driver when she noticed that he would keep going.
"Hmm, acceptable for now, but only just. You are still nothing compared to a hunter, but I must admit you have shown a marked improvement from when we first started, no matter how meager the improvement is." Jeez she just could not give him anything more than a backhanded compliment. Percy bet that if he were a girl she would be fawning over his progress, but he figured he should live with it. He didn't want to be turned into an animal again after all.
"Thank you, Lady Artemis. I really could not have progressed as much as I have in my archery ability without your help. Even though I am, well, pretty bad at it at the moment; I did not want to give up on it as I thought it could be pretty useful in the future. Thank you for taking your time to teach me." He meant it, he really has improved a lot, and it was confirmed when he checked his notifications.
Ping!
Due to continuous use, a skill has leveled up!
Archery
LVL 5 (2%): Robin Hood! String an arrow and send it sailing towards your opponents to pick them off from long range. Due to being a son of Poseidon, you automatically receive a -50% accuracy buff. (Accuracy: -30%) (+5% per level)
Ping!
Due to continuous use, a skill has leveled up!
Archery
LVL 6 (5%): Robin Hood! String an arrow and send it sailing towards your opponents to pick them off from long range. Due to being a son of Poseidon, you automatically receive a -50% accuracy buff. (Accuracy: -25%) (+5% per level)
Ping!
Due to continuous use, a skill has leveled up!
Archery
LVL 7 (5%): Robin Hood! String an arrow and send it sailing towards your opponents to pick them off from long range. Due to being a son of Poseidon, you automatically receive a -50% accuracy buff. (Accuracy: -20%) (+5% per level)
Ping!
Due to continuous use, a skill has leveled up!
Archery
LVL 8 (17%): Robin Hood! String an arrow and send it sailing towards your opponents to pick them off from long range. Due to being a son of Poseidon, you automatically receive a -50% accuracy buff. (Accuracy: -15%) (+5% per level)
It seemed that training with a goddess in her craft paid dividends. If he had to guess, it would be like having a master skill trainer where anytime he trained under them he received a massive boost in experience. Not to mention, now that he had reached a -15% accuracy buff by getting to level 8 in archery, it now cancelled out due to the totem of Artemis (ironic) that he had in his inventory since that gave him a +15% buff to archery. Now his shots would just be skill, with nothing actually hampering it! Percy couldn't help but smile at that, he could finally start using the bow on a semi regular basis. Perhaps Chiron would let him return to the archery practices?
Artemis narrowed her eyes at him, "Speaking of… I noticed that your shots were suddenly striking with more consistency near the end of training. That's when I noticed some of my own godly signature leaking out of you, and yet I know for a fact I have never met you before. Why is that?" She asked. Percy thought it would do him no good to lie to the goddess, especially with her reaction as soon as she arrived, so decided to bring out the arrow to show her.
He really should have figured that due to how violent and antagonistic she had been to him throughout the training, she probably would not react well to him having one of her things, even if she had cooled down a little throughout the night and treated him a little more nicely. As soon as he pulled The Totem of Artemis out of his inventory, he found himself up against a tree and with a wicked sharp looking silver knife held to his throat. Getting over his shock, he looked at Artemis to see a furious look marring her beautiful face.
"Where did you get this! This is an arrow from my personal quiver, and I very well no that I have never given one to you or any man in history, so where did you get it!" Her eyes widened. "Did you steal it from me while we were training? How dare you, I take my time to train you on the behest of Hestia and you try to steal from me! Answer me!"
What the hell was she on, again with the jumping to conclusions! Wary of the knife now pressing into his throat and drawing a line of blood, he needed to explain quick! "What, n-no, I didn't steal it, I swear! Chiron gave it to me after I helped gr-err, a friend, out, I promise! He said that you gave it to him for his help in healing one of your sick hunters and decided to give it to me. Ask Hestia or Chiron, they'll back me up! I swear I never stole from you, I have never stolen from anyone in my life!" That was technically true, Percy had never stolen anything from anyone unless you counted the pilfering of Gabe's little stash in his car. But Percy didn't count that because 1:He considered it taking back the money that Gabe stole from him and his mom through the years and 2:He didn't consider Gabe a person.
Artemis glared at him for a long moment before huffing in frustration. "Stupid Centaur." Artemis muttered, removing her knife from his neck. "Very well, I do not like the idea that one of the arrows from my personal quiver is in the hands of a male of all things, but I will allow it. Chiron and Hestia have always been good judges of character, so I will trust them on this one and take your explanation for now. But step one foot out of line…" She warned, pointing her knife into his crotch before sheathing it. Yikes!
She turned away and looked up at the moons height in the sky before turning back to him. "I expect you to continue practicing as much as possible, I very well may pop in time to time to gauge your progress. I will not have my efforts to teach be wasted, especially by a male. It is not often that I take interest in the progress of a male; usually they displease me before long and have, unpleasant, endings. I'll remember your name, Perseus Jackson." As she finished, she flashed out in a burst of silver light.
Artemis reputation: 0 +5 = 5/100
Why was she so scary! Percy checked his watch and sighed, 4 AM. He couldn't go well to sleep as he wasn't feeling exceptionally sleepy, just exhausted. Grabbing a water bottle out of his inventory and splashing it on himself, he instantly felt revitalized.
Son of the Seas Activated!
You have come into contact with water, and due to your heritage receive a boost in your attributes! You are now able to breathe underwater!
HP and MP have been restored completely, all status effects are negated, and your body has been healed completely!
+3000 HP
+3000 MP
+20 STR
+20 DEX
+20 VIT
Deciding he probably shouldn't waste his free time, he jogged over to shoreline and away from any possible prying eyes to train his water manipulation skills. Finding the perfect spot and he set about working on tightening his control over large amounts of seawater. He had practiced it in Montauk, but frankly he was a complete novice at it and knew if he ever wanted it to be a deciding factor in a fight he would need to be able to control his father's element to mastery.
He set to work in exerting his influence over the waves crashing to the shore, commanding them to come to him. The water jumped from its position, coiling around him and setting him in a large, swirling bubble of water. He then pushed out with his powers, forcing the water into the air and separating it to form spikes, which he then commanded to strike into the dune near him. The spikes did as commanded, zipping into the sand and burying themselves while Percy worked to keep their shape throughout their flight and even while in the sand.
Repeating this process dozens of times, Percy was able to pay attention to how the water was moving inside of the spikes, and was able to tighten his control over the motion incrementally until he felt he had a good enough hold on it. He was happy he was improving, but he knew simple shapes and attacks would only result in lower experience gain over time, so he kicked his training up a notch in attempting to create complex shapes. Dragons always fascinated him when he was little, so he wanted to try to create one out of water first. However, unfortunately for him jumping from crude spikes to a complex, 'water-breathing' dragon was out of the cards, with him only managing to form what looked like a long noodle with two triangles protruding out of its back.
He shook his head, "Baby steps, Percy. Baby steps."
Taking control of the water again, he decided to go with a similar animal in a snake. He already created a noodle, how much more difficult could it be? While he was able to get the shape down properly and he could pretty much tell it was supposed to be a snake, it definitely failed when looking at the finer details since there were none. Concentrating on his control, he slowly worked until he was able to form a mouth, eyes, tongue, and some crude scales. Proud of his work, eve though it wasn't too impressive quality wise, he exerted his ice control on the water snake and turned it into an ice sculpture.
Setting the sculpture aside, he walked to the shoreline and placed his hand into the water to start practicing ice control. This was exponentially harder than what he was doing before, as seawater naturally resists turning into ice, but he was a son of the sea, and eventually he started seeing thin layers of ice being carted off by the waves. Working on his control until he could start seeing large chunks of ice forming at a time, he sat back in exhaustion and wiped his brow. Looking up in the sky, he hadn't even realized that the sun had risen and it was now 8 AM. Checking his notifications, he was pleased with the results of his training.
Ping!
Due to continuous use, a skill has been leveled up!
Water Manipulation
LVL 11 (90%): Aquaman! Due to your heritage, you can control water and make it obey your will! (Cost: 28 MP/min)
Ping!
Due to use of a skill book, a skill has been leveled up!
Ice Control
LVL 4 (5%): Take a chill pill! Take control of individual water molecules and the Van der Waals forces between them, forcing the molecules to stop all movement and drastically reduce its temperature to create and control ice! (Cost: 185 MP/min, -5 MP per level)
Ping!
Due to use of a skill book, a skill has been leveled up!
Ice Control
LVL 5 (30%): Take a chill pill! Take control of individual water molecules and the Van der Waals forces between them, forcing the molecules to stop all movement and drastically reduce its temperature to create and control ice! (Cost: 180 MP/min, -5 MP per level)
Remembering his deal with the Ares cabin, or more specifically Clarisse, on how they would train each morning in unarmed combat, he decided to rush over to the arena. Wait, he had missed a day of practice, right? He hoped that Clarisse wouldn't be too mad at him, but he had a feeling he was in for a beating.
His intuition had yet to prove him wrong, as once Clarisse saw him at training in the morning she made a beeline for him and immediately chewed him out. It was only after he had told her why he had missed practice yesterday, what with being knocked out due to drinking the wine he was give, that she at least stopped being physical about her displeasure. For some reason she seemed to like that and gave him the clear for missing practice, but threatened that if he missed again he would be walking away with a few less intact bones.
Taking that warning in mind, he had practiced unarmed combat with the Ares cabin for the entire morning up to lunchtime. Clarisse decided to pair him up with herself for the entire day, and seemed to be a lot rougher in her training than usual, making sure to hit him hard whenever she could. Percy figured this was some sort of retribution or warning for yesterday, but at least she wasn't trying to beat him up. Or at least she only did it under the guise of training.
He had been able to improve a good amount during this session, running through more Judo katas and even getting sparring practice in. He was now a lot more proficient with the skill, but he was still a long ways off from being a master. He did figure that he would actually be able to use it in active combat now, at least in a limited capacity.
Ping!
A skill has been improved through continuous practice!
Unarmed Combat
LVL 3 (5%): Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! When all else fails, use you fists to strike you opponents and to deflect your opponent's blows! (35 DMG/strike)
Ping!
A skill has been improved through continuous practice!
Unarmed Combat
LVL 4 (53%): Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! When all else fails, use you fists to strike you opponents and to deflect your opponent's blows! (40 DMG/strike)
Ping!
A skill of unarmed combat has been improved through continuous practice!
Judo LVL 3 (5%) – Prioritizes counterattacks and using an opponents momentum against them through redirection, grappling, and throws. (Proficiency: Amateur) (+5 DMG/strike unarmed combat buff)
Ping!
A skill of unarmed combat has been improved through continuous practice!
Judo LVL 4 (29%) – Prioritizes counterattacks and using an opponents momentum against them through redirection, grappling, and throws. (Proficiency: Novice) (+ 10 DMG/strike unarmed combat buff)
Overall he was happy with his progress, and was chatting with Clarisse as they walked out of the arena and toward the dining pavilion for lunch. Once you earn her respect and actually start to get to know her, she was fun to hang out and talk with. She wasn't all muscle and hyperfixated on fighting like her siblings; she actually had a knack for strategy and an interest in history as well. Of course she was more interested in the wars of history and battle tactics, but he figured it was an improvement over her siblings focuses.
"Hey, Percy! Where've you been? You weren't really around yesterday and no one saw you in the cabin last night?" Percy turned his head to see Luke flagging him down. Luke looked over at Clarisse and his smile fell a bit. "Clarisse."
"Castellan." Clarisse turned to Percy, "I'll take that as my cue to head out. See you soon Percy and good luck. You'll need it, we want to test how far you've come since you arrived." What, what did she mean by that? The Ares cabin wasn't going to just find him during training and beat him up, right?
"So where have you been, Percy?" Luke asked again.
"Oh, uh I was training late last night and only got to bed late, had to sneak past the harpies. I also usually get up pretty early, so I just decided to head out and run in the morning." He half-lied. He was training at night and did do a run in the morning, but he figured Artemis probably didn't want him spilling the beans on her training him in archery and the fact that he never went to sleep.
"Oh, ok, smart! Be careful about those harpies if you train at night, they're no joke." Luke joked.
Ping!
A new skill has been created through continued use!
Lying
LVL 1 (35%): Liar, liar, pant's on fire! You are a capable liar, and are able to convince people that the BS coming out of your mouth is really the truth! ((35 + CHA)% chance of telling a successful lie)
Luke patted him on the back and pulled him along to sit at the Hermes table. For some reason, the Athena and Apollo cabin were also crowded around the table, as well as a few others. Looking over at the Ares cabin table, it seemed like the Hephaestus, Demeter, Dionysus, and Aphrodite cabins were crowded around their table as well. What exactly was going on?
"Well anyways, Percy, I hope you haven't tired yourself out too much, we are going to need you to perform your role well during capture the flag. Annabeth, do you mind telling Percy here what he will be doing before we run through our strategy again?" Oh, oh! That's right, capture the flag was today! Percy started to get a little excited, from how much all the campers were talking it up it seemed like a really fun game!
Annabeth looked up from the map on the table and looked over at Percy. "You will be on border patrol along this section of the creek." She said as she pointed to the map, her finger tracing the creekline to the south. "Basically all you need to do is watch out for enemies and patrol along this line. Not the most glamorous job and you won't really be expected to see much action, but since you're the newest person here you get the worst job until you prove yourself."
Great, he was hoping he was going to be able to fight but looks like he will just be sitting in the water all night. At least he will be near his element, so he should be able to use that to his advantage.
"Ok, so one last time. The Apollo campers will be charged with guarding the flag and setting up in trees to pick off anyone from the other team that comes across, while the Athena and Hermes campers will group up in pairs of three and go out into enemy territory to look for the flag. This should allow us maximum coverage of the forest and we should be able to find the flag before they even get to ours. Any questions?"
Percy furrowed his brow at that plan, thinking back to some of the tactics Clarisse was talking about when they were walking up to the pavilion. "I'm not sure if that will work very well, Annabeth. The Apollo camper's strength is ranged fighting, so if any of the other team manages to get up close their goose will be cooked. Sending the Hermes and Athena cabins out in scouting parties would also leave them vulnerable to being picked off."
"Very well, what do you propose then, Percy?" Annabeth snidely asked. Seemed she didn't like having her plans questioned. Maybe it was a pride thing?
"I think it would be better to increase the size of the scouting parties to make them more into units. We will send groups of five over the border to hunt for the flag, and each group will have one Apollo camper to act as both long-range support and a medic, while we have two Athena campers and three Hermes campers to serve as the main fighting force, that way they shouldn't be overrun by the other team if they meet resistance. We don't realistically need to have a large amount of parties, just enough to provide adequate coverage of the forest. With the amount of campers we have on our side we should be able to make six full units in this manner, not including three border patrollers." He pointed to the map at two positions that were near the proposed flag location. "We should keep two units in reserve on our side at these points. They should be able to notice the advance of any group from the opposing team adequately enough here, and would be able to hear a struggle if any of the border patrols got caught in a fight. We should then send the other four groups into the other side of the creek and have them run through the area in U-patterns to look for the flag. This allows us to sweep the forest with a smaller amount of groups as since the groups have to return to our side anyways, they can use the return leg of the U to search for the flag instead."
As he finished his long-winded explanation, he looked up at the other campers to see if they approved. Annabeth looked dumbfounded, as if she was confused as to why she didn't come up with the plan before he did and the fact that it was, frankly, better. He based it off of the Japanese strategy at Midway for the spotting planes that Clarisse was talking about earlier, except he wanted to avoid leaving his 'carriers', or flag, unguarded like they did.
"I, uh, I don't really see a flaw in the plan to be honest." Annabeth muttered, looking a bit off put. "Hmph, maybe you're an Athena camper after all, coming up with a strategy like that. Ok, we will follow Percy's plan so let's go ahead and assign groups!" Annabeth said.
Sure enough, Annabeth wasn't lying about border patrol being boring. Percy sat at the edge of the river, hand on his cheek as he waited for anything to happen, anything at all. His ears perked up as he heard the sounds of far away fighting from the other side of the river. It seemed that their units were meeting some resistance, but he was confident that they should be able to handle anything that comes their way with six a unit. He wished he could be leading the charge, but he saw the point that newbies get the worst jobs; can't quite trust them to be clutch yet, after all.
He looked down at the beautifully made sword in his hands. Charles had caught up with him as he was leaving the pavilion, carrying the sword that he commissioned wrapped in cloth. It was a beautiful Xiphos, made exactly to his specifications as he requested the day before yesterday. It was a beautiful sword that gleamed just a few shades away from gold. Charles assured him that it had been created by tempering steel, silver, and bronze together which he claimed made a deadly combination for any camper to have. The handle was made of the light colored holly and wrapped with black string and a patterned design to match. It came with a holly wood scabbard to complete the look, making it a beautiful piece of craftsmanship that was well worth the money. He had named it Eleftherotís, or Liberator because he thought it sounded cool.
Eleftherotís (Liberator)
A sword owned by Perseus Jackson and forged by Charles Beckendorf, the blade is made of steel, silver, and bronze, allowing it to harm Gods, Demigods, Titans, monsters, werewolves, and humans.
DMG: 85/ Special Effect: +50 DMG to monsters, gods, and titans, +150 DMG to werewolves
Tearing his eyes away from his new sword and wishing he could test it out, he huffed as he knew he couldn't. So he just sat there, bored out of his mind, listening to the nature around him. He could hear the sound of the running water of the creek, the crickets around him, the breeze through the trees above, the ocean in the distance, the gentle crunch of leaves, the chirps of birds…wait, crunch of leaves. Subtly, he strained his hearing to see if he could pinpoint the noise, slowly scanning the woods across the creek while making sure to show no outward signs of reaction.
His eyes darted to the right as he heard another crunch over the din of noise of the forest, catching a flash of metal in his periphery. Someone was here. Looks like he actually does get to fight today, but unfortunately for him, he was alone while whoever was on the creekbed on the other side was most assuredly not. He wracked his brain trying to figure out a plan he could use to defeat whoever was here. He remembered that a portion of the creek winded around a small cliff that made it difficult to see around the corner, and it wasn't too far of a walk from his current position. If he got up and pretended to return to his patrol route, he could likely surprise his attackers if they decided to follow him.
Son of the Seas Activated!
You have come into contact with water, and due to your heritage receive a boost in your attributes! You are now able to breathe underwater!
HP and MP have been restored completely, all status effects are negated, and your body has been healed completely!
+3000 HP
+3000 MP
+20 STR
+20 DEX
+20 VIT
Standing up, he stretched before taking one last look around and moving towards the bend in the creek. He barely heard the small crunch of the leaves that resulted from his opponents tensing at his movement, before they slowly started to follow behind him, likely hoping to surprise him. He walked further up the creek to the small outcropping and used mana sense in conjunction with his water abilities to form a sort of echolocation. He was sensing four figures following him, and they seemed to be pretty big. Either they were Hephaestus campers of Ares campers, but either one meant he would be at a physical disadvantage.
Rounding the bend, he suddenly crouched below the outcropping and waited for his targets to get in range. He felt one of them quicken their pace, and just as they started to round the bend he lashed out with the butt of his sword and caught the unsuspecting camper in the head.
Critical Strike! Camper knocked out!
He crumpled instantly; falling over onto the bank of the creek as Percy quickly brought his weapon to bear and assessed his tails. He instantly recognized the form of Clarisse under all the armor, wielding a spear as she brought it to bear on him. The other two campers he recognized from the unarmed combat trainings and he knew for a fact that they were Ares campers. Seems Clarisse wasn't joking when she said she would be coming after him tonight.
"Clarisse, how're you doing? I should've figured you would come after that not so subtle message you gave me earlier but it kind of slipped my mind, I would've cleaned the place up a bit if I had." He taunted.
She glared at him before grinning. "I should've figured you knew we were there, told that idiot to wait up but he just had to run ahead. Now that small talk is out of the way, ready for your beating?" She seemed really happy to have a chance at impaling him with her spear. He was friends with these people, right? Right?
Before he could respond, Clarisse charged him and attempted to run him through with a quick jab of her spear, to which Percy deflected to the side as he jumped back, narrowly avoiding a slash from one of the other Ares campers. He saw the third charging him, and quickly brought up his sword to block the strike, locking their swords together. Knowing he would not win in a battle of strength, he lashed out with a punch to the face of the girl, striking her and forcing her to stagger back. He pressed the advantage by lurching forward and sweeping her legs out, quickly hitting her over the head with his hilt as soon as she touched the ground.
Camper knocked out!
That was two down, two to go. Clarisse and the Ares boy watched him closely, slowly moving around him and circling Percy in the water. Before he could react, Clarisse swung her spear horizontally and scored a strike along his side that electrocuted him in the process. Capitalizing on her strike, the Ares boy landed a hit to his unprotected back when Percy stumbled.
Percy HP: 4,050– (200 + 25 shock) - 150 = 3,675/4,050
Ow. He steadied his feet and got into a ready position, slowly backing so that he wouldn't be completely encircled by the two campers. Clarisse, seeing his move, lurched forwards with her spear to which Percy barely deflected, before he quickly spun and scored a hit along the stomach of the other Ares camper. He held his stomach in pain before Percy quickly struck him with the flat of his blade, knocking the poor kid out.
Camper knocked out!
"Hmmph, looks like it's just you and me now Percy. Any last prayers?" She taunted as she spun her spear, looking for an opportunity to strike.
"Funny Clarisse, I was about to say the exact same thing!" He responded, before deciding to take the initiative with a strike of his own. Clarisse demonstrated her mastery of the spear, however, as she showed she could just as easily use her weapon for defense as offense. Spinning her spear around, she shoved his sword to the side and attempted to strike in the same move, but Percy spun around her lunge and brought his sword back to strike again while she was still extended. Unfortunately for him, it seemed she was just a bit faster as she quickly used the butt end of her spear and met his strike mid swing, cancelling his momentum.
Clarisse swung the spear tip vertically while using Percy's extended sword as leverage, scoring a nasty hit across his chest in the process.
Percy HP: 3,675 – (500 + 25 shock) = 3,150/4,050
Staggering back, he steadied his sword and feet before coming back in for another strike. This time he feinted to the left, but quickly changed his swing to the right as Clarisse moved to block the incoming attack. Clarisse wasn't a chump, however, and easily read the feint as she spun slightly with her spear and blocked his strike from hitting home before shoving the butt of the spear into his chest.
Percy HP: 3,150 – 50 = 3,100/4,050
This wasn't working, she was obviously more skilled than him. He frankly couldn't see much of a possibility of winning this fight; she had more experience, better mobility, longer range, and was stronger and faster. He couldn't beat her with brute force, technique, or attrition. However he did have an ace up his sleeve, what with his water powers, and they were currently standing in his element.
He waited until he could see her coiling her muscles to prepare for a strike, and stepped back as she started her swing, forcing her to move forward. As she did, however, he commanded the water to wrap around her ankles, making her stumble and completely cancelling any momentum in her attack as she started to fall. As she stumbled, Percy swung his sword towards her spear, carving off the spearhead and rendering it useless.
She stared at her spear before feeling his sword level with her throat. "Yield." He demanded.
She huffed in anger, pissed that she had been beaten due to her stumbling in the creek bed. "I yield." She muttered.
"Cool." He said, as he offered his hand, to which she accepted as she pulled herself upright. "Just for the record, I didn't win this fight, and I doubt I would have. You had me on the ropes for most of it, and I never even scored a hit on you if not for that unfortunate bit at the end. Hopefully we can spar more in the future, let's just call it a no contest for now." He remarked. It was true, he didn't really consider this a victory considering just how outclassed he was. Sure he had technically beaten her, but if the both of them were going all out and for kill shots, he had no doubt she would win.
Clarisse reputation: 19 +5 = 24/100
They both heard yells further up the creek, and walked further up to see Luke hoisting the red teams flag above his head on their side of the creek. They had won! Luke was being carried on the shoulders of his teammates as they were celebrating their victory, before Percy heard a growl behind him. Turning, he saw a fearsome black dog glaring and snarling at him, before it charged him and jumped. He barely had time to bring Liberator to bear, skewering the dog at the last moment but not before it got a nasty slice along his stomach.
Percy HP: 3,100 – 1,000 = 2,100/4,050
Bleeding! -50 HP/sec
He barely registered the shouts of the campers as he was in shock over what had just transpired. What the hell was that thing, why was it here. He laid there on the bank of the river as the golden dust of the monster settled around him. He felt a hand pull him up and turned his head to see Clarisse helping him up. He held his stomach in pain and heard some campers call for medics, trudging along with Clarisse as she was bringing him across the creek to a frantic Apollo camper.
Son of the Seas Activated!
You have come into contact with water, and due to your heritage receive a boost in your attributes! You are now able to breathe underwater!
HP and MP have been restored completely, all status effects are negated, and your body has been healed completely!
+3000 HP
+3000 MP
+20 STR
+20 DEX
+20 VIT
Percy HP: 4,050/4,050
Suddenly he felt a lot better, and felt Clarisse and him stop in the middle of the creek as she let go of him. He heard a bunch of gasps around him and saw everyone staring at him with wide eyes. No, they were staring above him? He looked up only to see a glowing trident lazily spinning above his head, as he widened his eyes as he realized what that meant. Dammit dad, he had really hoped to go under the radar for a little longer. He looked around and saw the wide eyes of Annabeth, Clarisse, and Luke, and looked to see Chiron walking up to him with an unreadable expression on his face.
"It is decided. All hail Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, The Earthshaker, King of Atlantis!" Chiron announced.
He watched as all the campers and Chiron kneeled around him, and as it was going on only one thought ran through his mind.
'Shit.'
Perseus "Percy" Jackson
Son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson
Perseus is the son of Sally Jackson and Poseidon. His ADHD and Dyslexia provide him battle reflexes and natural affinity to Greek due to his existence as a demigod. Due to his heritage, he has an ingrained affinity to the sea and is able to control water and earthquakes. Due to being a demigod you permanently receive +5 to STR, VIT, and DEX.
Title: Son of Poseidon
Race: Demigod
Level 11
EXP: 5,500/12,000
HP: 1,050/1,050 (+100)
MP: 1,000/1,000 (+100)
STR: 20 (+5) (Boost: +100 HP)
VIT: 20 (+5) (Boost: +10% HP Regen. | Current Regen.: 25 HP/min)
WIS: 22 (Boost: +10% MP Regen.) (Current Regen.: 22 MP/min)
INT: 20 (Boost: +100 MP)
DEX: 29 (+5) (Boost: +5% effectiveness to all physical skills)
CHA: 27 (Boost: +5% to all prices. +5% effectiveness to all speaking skills)
LUC: 11
Attribute Points: 17
Money: $85,670/D785
Status: None
Skills
Physical:
Swimming (LVL - MAX)
Running (LVL 10 – 54%)
Sneaking (LVL 2 - 80%)
Acrobatics (LVL 7 – 47%)
Archery (LVL 8 – 18%)
Unarmed Combat (LVL 4 - 84%)
-Sub Skills:
- Judo (LVL 4 - 38%)
Sword Mastery (LVL 7 - 89%)
Critical Strike (LVL 4 - 91%)
Powers:
Observe (LVL 5 - 95%)
Charm (LVL 2 - 88%)
Taunt (LVL 2 – 25%)
Lying (LVL 1 - 45%)
Water Manipulation (LVL 11 - 98%)
-Sub Skills:
-Water Spikes (LVL 5 - 95%)
-Blood Control (LVL 3 – 97%)
-Ice Control (LVL 5 – 30%)
Shadow Manipulation (LVL 4 – 95%)
Language:
Modern English (LVL 13 – 86%)
Ancient Greek (Level – MAX)
Equish (LVL – MAX)
Passive:
Gamer's Mind (LVL - MAX)
Lie Detection (LVL 1 - 75%)
Mana Sense (LVL – Max)
Reputation
Hermes Cabin: 10/100 - Neutral
-Patron God: Hermes – 5/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Hermes!
-Councilor: Luke Castellan – 7/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Luke!
Ares Cabin: 15/100 - Neutral
-Patron God: Ares – 2/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Ares!
-Councilor: Clarisse La Rue – 24/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Unarmed Training and ? from Clarisse!
Athena Cabin: 5/100 - Neutral
-Patron God: Athena – 1/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Athena!
-Councilor: Annabeth – 9/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Annabeth!
Dionysus Cabin: 5/100 - Neutral
-Patron God: Dionysus – 10/100
-Due to this reputation, you received wine from Dionysus!
-Councilor: Pollux – 2/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Pollux!
Hephaestus Cabin: 10/100 - Neutral
-Patron God: Hephaestus – 1/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Hephaestus!
-Councilor: Charles – 10/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Eleftherotís from Charles!
Forest Nymphs and Satyrs: 11/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Assistance from Forest Nymphs and Satyrs!
Chiron: 12/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Arrow Totem from Chiron!
Hestia: 20/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive ? from Hestia!
The Hunt: 1/100 – Slightly Antagonistic
-Patron Goddess: Artemis – 5/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from Artemis!
-Lieutenant: ? - ?/100
-Due to this reputation, you currently receive Nothing from ?!