Chapter 5: Next Step Forward
Pointing his sword accusingly, Percy stared at the sea god with hate. A handful of Olympians reached for their weapons, ready to take aim at the glowing demigod in the center of the room. Zeus sat in his throne, silently processing Percy's words, but he hadn't moved for his Master Bolt. Artemis gripped her bow tightly while she pulled an arrow back on her bowstring and, to everyone's shock, leveled it against Poseidon. Even with the little she knew about the demigod, she was certain he'd never make a claim of this magnitude if it didn't hold merit.
Poseidon snarled and bared his teeth at Percy, rearing back with trident in hand. Artemis shot her arrow into the sea god's chest, but he only grunted as he continued his throw. Percy stumbled while trying to take cover, still recovering from the injuries he'd received just hours ago. It would be impossible for him to get out of the way quickly enough. Just as Poseidon released the trident that would impale Percy, Zeus leapt out of his throne with blinding speed. He caught the weapon by the spokes and unleashed bolts of lightning down the shaft, electrifying the sea god.
"You need this to imitate my brother's physical form, don't you?" Zeus asked in a steely voice, his eyes not leaving the trident.
The King of the Gods wrestled for the weapon, and a few of the other Olympians moved with him. The twin archers fired arrows with impossible precision, ensuring not a single one hit their father. Hades conjured undead spirits that tore against the grip of the deity that resembled his brother. The rest of the council was in uproar at the brawl happening before them, but nobody moved to Poseidon's defense. Zeus groaned as he dragged the duel to the back of his throne, an arm locked around the trident.
There, the King of the Gods used his free hand to reach his Master Bolt. Thrusting it into the gut of his opponent, Zeus ripped the trident from his convulsing grasp. As he let out a guttural roar, the imposter rose, and the disguise faded. His legs shifted from a tanned human surfer's to the tail of a merman. His body grew larger before the horns of a bull sprouted from his head.
The council erupted from their seats, all weapons trained on the Titan of the Oceans. Oceanus laughed as he recovered from the shocks, pulling himself upright. He ignored the gods in front of him, staring directly at the injured demigod that glared back.
"It is unfortunate you found out this early, Jackson," he spat, pronouncing the name with unbridled malice, "But it means nothing. You and these puny gods stand no chance against the ones that are coming. And boy, your father sends his regards."
Ares and Hephaestus rushed forward, wielding chains. The titan laughed again before he disappeared into the same black column of water, withdrawing to the darkest depths of the ocean.
(Line Break)
The room was abuzz as thirteen deities stood discussing exactly what had just happened. Athena barked orders to Hermes, and the God of Travelers vanished. Thalia sat by Percy, who still hadn't said anything, and she checked to make sure the wound on his back hadn't reopened. Apollo and Hestia took notice and approached the duo. The sun god conjured up some medical supplies, but the goddess reached the wounded demigod first.
Her hand glowed orange as she crouched and held it over the bandages. Percy's tense form immediately began to relax as the wound mended itself, and the warmth of the hearth spread across his body. Percy thanked the goddess with a small smile while Apollo rolled his eyes.
"Come on, you make modern medicine look like paste and leeches with those kinds of abilities. But anyways, Percy, how did you know your dad wasn't, you know, your dad?" Apollo asked.
Every deity debating the issue fell silent as they realized they could just get their explanation from the source. All heads turned toward the demigod seated at the foot of Hestia's throne. Zeus still held the trident in his hands as he waited for Percy's explanation. Quietly, the demigod thought about the things he wanted to disclose versus what he'd prefer to keep to himself, such as his Blackouts. But the throne room doors swung open and Hermes returned, followed by a trio that Athena had sent him to collect. Any prospect of keeping secrets was struck from Percy's mind when he saw who Hermes had brought.
Hecate, the Goddess of Magic, Dolos, the God of Trickery, and Medea, the Enchantress and potion master, bowed to the rest of the gods. Athena assigned them the tasks of screening everyone in the room to ensure there were no more disguised enemies among them. While the three "lie detectors" circulated the seated Olympians, Percy narrated his story from the beginning up until the night he'd disappeared two years ago.
(Line Break)
Hecate and Medea took a particular interest in Percy's explanation of his Blackouts. Medea first conjured then reached into a purse, and she handed the demigod a vial of purple liquid. Percy eyed it cautiously before raising an eyebrow at the enchantress. Medea rolled her eyes, realizing he must have heard about his friends' run-in with her. She explained to him that the gods had allowed her to remain on Earth after the war, as long as she swore loyalty to Olympus and had a monthly sale at her department store. Percy accepted her explanation. He slipped the vial into his pocket after she promised it was merely a stimulant that stopped mortals from dreaming. Hecate cleared her throat.
"It appears we have an ally on the opposing side, or at least this demigod does. That level of memory manipulation can only be the work of Mnemosyne, the titaness and goddess of memory. She has been neutral in every conflict before now, and with her actions here, she is likely not working with the enemy by choice. The darkness of your dreams must be Erebus pulling you into his domain, which we need to handle," the goddess determined.
"She could see his memories, huh?" Dolos cackled as he thought out loud, "That's how the titan-lovin' brother took all yer little buddies, demigod. Using yer memories with yer friends, he probly twisted 'em to make yew say hurtful things. And he guessed at ther insecurities too. Clever little bastard, ay?"
Dolos laughed again. The God of Trickery loved piecing together a good scheme, almost as much as he loved faking an American country accent.
Percy stood, shaking with anger; he finally had an answer to why he'd been abandoned by his oldest friends. He was about to ask Zeus to let him go deal with his traitorous half-brother when the King of the Gods shook his head.
"I know what you wish to ask, but no. Ares will handle the agent of Oceanus," he said.
Ares grinned evilly and flashed out of the room, excited to execute the task granted to him. Zeus continued,
"Perseus. Tell us about what happened with your mother. You referenced it in your retelling but did not go into detail. I believe it to be greatly important in your outing of the titan."
To everyone's surprise, Hestia vehemently denied his request. Percy, still sitting at the base of her throne, smiled another 'thank you' to the goddess, not wanting to recount the memory. Artemis eyed the two suspiciously. She felt an aura of closeness between them that she didn't understand, and it definitely hadn't existed when she last saw them together at the Giant War awards ceremony. But Artemis let go of the thought; why was she speculating about a man's relationship with a woman, let alone one who was a maiden goddess?
Zeus voiced agitation at his sister's denial. He genuinely believed the event was important if they were to understand what was going on. But the Goddess of the Hearth remained adamant to not make Percy talk about what had happened that night. Before the rest of the gods could take sides and argue, Hecate interjected.
"I could simply project the memory. I may not have Mnemosyne's level of control, but if the demigod allows me access, I can use the Mist to conjure up the memory myself," she offered.
All eyes turned to Percy. He sighed and accepted her terms.
"Thank you, Lady Hestia. But Lord Zeus is right; that night was really important to understanding all of this. I just didn't want to talk about it myself, and I think Lady Hecate gave me a pretty reasonable deal," he said, mentally preparing to even imagine it again.
The Goddess of the Mist created a screen projection visible to everyone in the room. Percy closed his eyes, and the scene shifted to the cliff in Montauk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Percy swung his legs over the cliffside, staring off into the horizon. It'd been four days since he'd come home, and he finally felt like himself again. Telling his mother about everything had been incredibly difficult, but her just being there for him had softened the burden. He'd laughed again for the first time today since the night on the beach; Paul had been making breakfast and had accidentally sprayed blue pancake batter all over his face. The demigod felt so grateful to still have this family here, separate from all of his complicated, overwhelming mythical business.
But he was leaving tomorrow morning to head back to Camp Jupiter, like he promised his friends he would. Percy hopped back to his feet, wanting to spend more time with his mom and Paul before he left.
In the throne room, the demigod couldn't help but have reservations about displaying the memory. The projection screen sputtered as his doubts seemed to reject Hecate's magic. Thalia gripped Percy's hand to steady him. She knew how hard it would be for Percy, but they both understood he had to do it. His breathing evened, and the memory continued.
As Percy walked back towards the house, he heard the rumblings of a brawl and the crack of glass shattering. The demigod broke into a sprint when the ringing blast of Sally's shotgun went off. Percy tore through the side door, Anaklusmos primed in his hands. He found himself in the living room, surrounded by Hellhounds mindlessly tearing the place apart. They looked at him, stunned for a moment, before the dogs attacked.
Percy made quick work of them, blinded by the need to reach the kitchen where he knew Paul and Sally were. He dodged, slashed, and stabbed until no more claws existed to rip towards him. The demigod ran towards the kitchen that had suddenly fallen silent. With a terrified tightness building in his chest, he burst through the swinging door.
Nearly a dozen armored telkhines littered the wide room. A few were dismembered, holding their detached limbs, and several piles of golden dust sat where living ones had recently stood. What made Percy snap was the creature that stood a head taller than the demonic seadogs. Supported on muscular human legs was a being with massive pincers for arms and the head of a lobster. His sinewy chest and dark red color completed his hellish frame. And between thick pincers, he held a spear driven through Sally Jackson's chest.
Percy let out an inhuman cry and ran his sword through the first monster's face. Even before it could dissolve into dust, the demigod had already impaled the next one through the stomach. The rest of the telkhines finally reacted, and the freakish lobster lurched with malicious laughter as he pulled out the spear. Percy couldn't hear him. He couldn't hear anything as the roaring in his ears deafened him.
He ran another seal-dog through as he fought towards the kitchen island. There, he saw Paul's body lying limp with the shotgun at his side. Percy didn't even attempt to recover his sword after he launched it through the next monster's chest. The demigod found himself swinging unarmed at the dwindling telkhines. He beat them into dust with bare fists through his blood red vision. When he silenced the cries of the last one, he found himself next to his weapon again. Percy finally picked it back up and tore towards the lobster, endless hate visible in the demigod's darkened eyes.
The lobster jeered in excitement at the thought of a powerful opponent. He'd been sitting back, watching Percy slaughter his squad just to gauge his strength. But still, he'd underestimated the demigod. The two clashed, spear shaft against sword, and the lobster stumbled back. His pincers vibrated from the impact while Percy looked unfazed, already mid-swing again. The green aura surrounding the demigod singed the air as he raised his sword above his head. Excitement shifting to apprehension, the lobster lifted his spear to block the incoming strike.
Percy swung downwards and shattered the shaft in his path, the weight behind the strike carrying the blade deep into the lobster's collarbone and beyond. The monster roared in agony as his right pincer severed at the shoulder. Percy lifted his blade again, this time burying it into the monster's thigh and twisting it. The lobster screamed, begging for mercy, and Percy finally found his voice.
"Who sent you?" he asked, barely holding himself together.
"O-O-Oceanus! He sent us to 'break you'!" the monster sputtered, desperate to escape alive.
Now that Percy had his answer, he had no reason to keep this thing alive. He dislodged his sword from the lobster's human leg, ready to deliver the killing blow. But from behind him, he heard another voice.
"Percy," his mother whispered, barely audible.
The throne room was completely silent as the screen shook again before the feed vanished. Percy silenced the memory, desperate to not remember the rest. Thalia didn't have the heart to encourage him to continue while he was crying silently. She just squeezed his arm for comfort as a few tears leaked from her eyes. The gods watched quietly, in awe of the demigod's power. Ares had slipped back into the room as well, excited to report his capture of Cameron, but he'd quickly become transfixed on Percy's massacre. Not one of the Olympians had thought this kind of strength was possible in a mortal.
Hestia, shrinking to her human size, knelt at Percy's side. The goddess rubbed a glowing hand on his back as she whispered soothingly to him. Granting them time, a few of the gods spoke in hushed tones about the events they'd just witnessed.
"That was Crota wasn't it?" Apollo asked, referring to the strange creature.
"Yes," Athena said softly, "Oceanus' right hand from the First Titan War…"
"Dismantled like he was nothing," Ares mused.
Percy ignored their discussion, shuddering as he wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and brought the memory to the surface of his mind. The demigod realized his mother's words were the reason he needed to power through and face the memory he was so desperate to forget. The screen lit back up.
Anaklusmos clattered to the ground as Percy stumbled backwards. He disregarded Crota's broken form and bounded to his mother's side. Sally smiled weakly at him, trying to lift her arm. The demigod took her hand and pressed it against his cheek.
"Mom, I'm here," he said shakily.
Tears stung his eyes as the anger washed out of his body, replaced by a hopeless desperation.
"You've made me so proud, I love you," she whispered, looking at him through her dimming eyes.
"Please, mom."
"You've been so strong, Percy. I'm sorry to go, but please don't let this break you. You have so much ahead, and I know you'll find family again."
"Please, mom. Please."
He continued to repeat the word. He couldn't ask her anything to follow it. Just 'Please,' over and over and over again until she closed her eyes for the last time. He sobbed over her body, still holding her hand against his face, when the hair on his neck stood on end. Whirling around, Percy caught a glimpse of Crota's leg as he scrambled out of the house. A much darker rage overtook the demigod.
He felt his vision narrow until there was nothing but him and his feet before him and his burning desire to kill the monster. Outside, he saw Crota half-limping half-running towards the edge of the cliff, leaving a trail of pooling blood. With every step Percy took, the earth shattered beneath his feet. The cliffside shook violently, the ground shearing apart, as the ocean released waves reaching higher than the cliff. They crashed down on Crota as Percy drew nearer, conjuring a monstrous storm around them.
Percy's eyes glowed a green so dark that they could've been mistaken as black. Even the sky seemed to bend to his will, with black clouds unleashing torrential rains onto the cliff. Blinded by his unending anger, he ignored that water was Crota's element as well. The monster snapped out of his immobilized fear as the next wave rose above the cliffside. He dove straight into it, using the last of his strength to propel himself out to sea, escaping the wrath of the son of Poseidon.
At the edge of the cliff, Percy fell to his knees. Crota's presence had disappeared. The storm continued to surge around him as he felt a burgeoning cry in his throat. He released it, shouting into nothingness, and the intensity of the calamity rose with him. The demigod yelled until the pounding in his head overtook him. Percy lost consciousness as he tipped forward, falling like a rock into the roaring sea.
More silence encompassed the room. Percy had displayed elemental control on par with several major gods, though it had required the absolute limit of his emotional distress. But he couldn't care less about his show of strength. Although tears rolled down his face, Percy sat with a tranquil expression as Thalia cried into his shoulder. He realized he'd successfully taken the first steps towards overcoming that night.
Artemis hadn't spoken for the duration of the memory. She couldn't have fathomed that level of power existing within a demigod. But far more pressing, the goddess felt immense indignance for the fate dealt to the most selfless hero she'd ever come across. This is not fair. Her thought shocked her.
Zeus cleared his throat. Frankly, he was sorry to put his nephew through the ordeal but knew it was necessary to gather information about their oncoming enemy.
"Thank you, Perseus. I believe I speak for the council when I express my condolences for the fate that befell your mother," he said sincerely.
"I appreciate that, Lord Zeus. I hope you got some information you were looking for from my memory," Percy said as he and Thalia consoled each other.
Athena dismissed the three minor gods that had completed their tasks, and they promptly vanished from the room. Zeus nodded and retrieved Poseidon's trident. He brought up his earlier comment about Oceanus needing the weapon to maintain the sea god facade.
"You noticed it as well, Perseus; Oceanus frequently gripped the trident, especially while you would exert your power," Zeus said.
Percy nodded, grateful to change the subject. He'd reached his limit of emotional moments for a while.
"Yeah, it was one of the reasons I realized it wasn't my dad. It was because of something I remembered A–Annabeth telling me from her studying on Olympus," he said, realizing he still had a hard time saying her name, "From one of the books in the Library, she told me she learned about the importance of your symbols of power. She believed that, if they were taken from you by someone else, they'd also gain some extent of your power. I just had a random hunch that maybe it could apply to appearances too."
"Do not be modest, Perseus," Athena began, "It was not a 'random hunch'; that was an astute conclusion. And my daughter was more or less correct with the information she had available. Our symbols of power are tied, and even drawn, to us. Reasonably, when Oceanus kept grasping the trident, it would have been because he realized it would serve you over him when you released your aura. Your power, while naturally shy of Poseidon's, is largely similar to his and supersedes Oceanus' foreign potency."
"So if he has the trident, he can physically imitate my dad because it, like all of your symbols, are essentially a part of you? And without them, the likeness can't really hold?" Percy asked, wrapping his head around the idea.
"Yes. When Oceanus was disguised as your father at Camp Half-Blood, he disappeared into black water because his facade was fading. He did not have your father's trident with him, so he could only hold the cover for a limited time, as he becomes 'no longer Poseidon,' without it." Athena simplified, only slightly speculating.
"Oh," Percy said intelligently.
Artemis thought it was time to move past the philosophical talk about 'symbols of power' and whatnot.
"Now that we have established there are no more spies in our ranks or traitors in camps," she nodded in acknowledgement to Ares, "Poseidon is missing, and we must decide what to do next. And I, for one, will not allow Perseus to disappear into the world again as the threat draws near," the goddess said, dragging the meeting back on track.
Surprised to be acknowledged, Percy met her silver eyes that stared back with an expression that he couldn't decipher. He looked away quickly, not acknowledging the tinge that'd creeped up his neck. In the brief periods they'd met, the demigod had always admired Artemis' intimidating nature. Percy instead shifted his gaze to the King of the Gods, who seemed to be pondering his next sentence.
The god locked eyes with his Olympian daughter, and they had a silent discussion. Artemis' eyes widened, and her face burned red, undoubtedly signaling anger. She seemed to shout internally at Zeus, who just furrowed his brows in response. After a few physical reactions that could only be described as momentary seizures, Artemis straightened in her throne and stared directly ahead with narrowed eyes. Zeus, presumably winning the exchange, addressed Percy.
"Perseus. I planned to assign the Hunt the task of locating your father, and I assume your next step is to do the same alone. But, as we do not know exactly when the next war will begin, we must be aware of your approximate whereabouts at all times for when Olympus requires you to lead the demigods. To accomplish both of these goals, Artemis will be allowing you entry within her own ranks as the only male hunter: the Guardian of the Hunt."
Percy looked at the moon goddess with his mouth agape. She begrudgingly nodded at him. Descending from her throne, Artemis approached the demigod at her human height. He quickly knelt before her. Percy understood her distrust of men, and realized how agonizing it must be to have to allow one into her Hunt. He considered his own lack of trust because of his relationship, realizing her own must be worse. And he remembered another idea Annabeth had learned about from Olympus' libraries, but it was much, much more dangerous than anything else she'd told him.
Artemis looked at the demigod kneeling before her. Even with the perception she had of Percy, she felt deeply uncomfortable letting him into her Hunt. What if this one betrayed her just as the only other man she'd ever allowed in did? The goddess felt she needed some universal guarantee that he wouldn't, which she knew was impossible. There was only one "universal" promise, and no demigod would have ever heard of the concept; Artemis barely knew of it herself. She was about to accept her uncertain fate when Percy spoke.
"Lady Artemis, I swear my loyalty to you on the Styx and over the Void of Chaos."
Every being in the room froze at the mention of the vow that not even gods dared to make. Percy closed his eyes, knowing full well that his leap of faith could result in a fate far worse than death. Artemis tried to articulate a response when she felt an overwhelming presence appear beside her.
I accept your contract, Perseus Jackson.
A/N: Sorry about 2 cliffhangers in a row but I really wanted this to be the stopping point. I'd like some feedback on the role you guys think this ancient entity should play in the story. I have an idea mapped out but I'm very open to suggestions in the reviews. Thank you for reading!
Darth Kyuubi kurama: Oh that's a interesting plot twist. I didn't expect that. What happened to Triton and the others, are they still alive
First off, thank you so much for being such a consistent reviewer for the story. I hope you like the development of the twist. Triton and the rest of Atlantis won't be relevant for a little while longer but we'll get an update on them soon as the war comes nearer.
Thank you all for the other kind reviews as well. Although I mainly reply to the reviews with some sort of question or suggestion, I love reading every single one that praises the story as well. (Also, please don't be afraid to criticize things so I can go fix them/do better in the future). See you all next time.