Welcome to Greek meets Roman! Sorry if this fanfic has mistakes. I will try to revise and edit as much as possible. This happens after the Last Olympian. Disclaimer: The characters and places that you know belong to Rick Riordan, everything else is mine.
Thanks for all the views, followers, and favorites!
Previously - Jason POV
I walked past the trees mentioned earlier and stepped out into the hidden world of the Yellow Fork Canyon.
And oh, was it beautiful! I loved it completely!
Jason POV
Salt Lake City, Utah
Hikes are tiring. No joke.
After walking two miles on the trail, I felt like I was walking through Tartarus. It was above 100 degrees outside, the sun was scorching me, and my t-shirt was soaked with sweat. I needed water.
It didn't help that every minute, a branch or thorn scratched against my leg. And these little devils of mosquitoes and bugs kept biting my uncovered arms! Give me a field of mowed grass to walk through instead of a trail that, in my opinion, wasn't even a trail! Who maintained this?
And I'm sure the others were feeling the heat too. Hazel kept fanning herself with her hand, Octavian did the same with a guidebook titled The Natural Wonders of Utah, sweat was running through Reyna's visage, and even Nico took off his aviator jacket.
I hope they weren't angry that I was the one to suggest walking along the trail.
Okay, there were a few good things about this hike. The scenery was beautiful. Ridges, the canyon, the nearby mountains, the colors! While I wish I could have taken some pictures, a camera on the phone would have attracted monsters.
"We should take a break, right?" suggested Octavian.
"Yeah, we've been walking for a long time. I could use some shade. There's a space with logs over there," added Nico, pointing to trees a few yards away to my left.
None of us raised objections, so we walked to the shade. Reyna sat down with me on a log, Hazel and Octavian sitting back on different trees while Nico remained standing.
"Does anyone have an actual fan?" asked Hazel.
"No, but leaves here are big enough and thick enough," replied Nico, ripping off a wide leaf from its stalk and giving it to Hazel.
"Reyna, you can use the book as a fan. I've cooled down enough," Octavian said, giving his guidebook to the daughter of Bellona. (Shocker: Octavian can be kind.)
Reyna fanned herself with the guidebook for half a minute, before giving it to me. Oh, the wind saved me! Otherwise, I think I could have had a stroke.
During those few moments of rest, I could hear the buzzing of the insects, the chips of the birds, and the waving of the trees as evening fell. It felt nice disconnecting from the demigod life and relaxing in nature. Demigod life could be so stressful. Especially as a son of Jupiter.
"We should go back. It's getting pretty late," Nico said.
"Our train is in an hour and a half. It'll take about an hour to go back. We should go," agreed Reyna.
"You sure? The nature is pretty nice, and it's more bearable since the afternoon is gone," I protested.
"We shouldn't be too late," Octavian objected. "Nature will still exist when we walk back, and I need at least three gallons of water to survive."
Hazel snorted.
"You sure?" I replied. "There will probably be delays on Amtrak. We'll have time."
"Better to be safe than sorry. Maybe some monsters will make us lose time, and I don't want my body to be red all over from bug bites," said Reyna.
"Fine. Let's go."
I got up and took my backpack. Everyone got their own supplies, and we started walking down the trail back to Salt Lake City. I would miss this non-trail trail.
Swish!
I turned my head around to see who or what caused the rustling, but I couldn't see anyone. It must be some wild animal. Who very well might attack us! Hopefully, the animal wouldn't harm us.
My mind journeyed through the world of the Yellow Fork Canyon for a minute or two, until I heard the same rustling behind me. The wild animal!
"Guys, I think a wild animal's preying on us," I warned. "I keep hearing the same rustling behind me."
Reyna frowned. "Well, imperial gold won't do anything against a wild animal. Guess we'll have to outrun them or use powers."
"Jason, if they attack, use your lightning," Nico suggested. "That can distract the animal so I can shadow-travel everyone away. And don't let the animal bite you. They definitely have rabies lurking beneath their teeth."
I calmed down and slowed my breaths. "Got it. Maybe my brain is playing tricks on me. It could just be the wind. Let's just go to the train station."
Swish! Swish!
"Oh, half-bloods, Salt Lake City is still a long walk away. Who knows what could happen," a being behind us said.
I swiveled around, flipping my coin into a gladius. The being had pale, wrinkled skin and eyes as dark as death. A thin black robe coated its small and skinny frame, and its long, sharp claws were holding a scythe, similar to the one Saturn used.
The deity smiled saccharinely, revealing its pearly, sharp fangs that could cut flesh. "You won't be going back to Salt Lake City."
"Nico, who's this?" I asked. "Looks like it came from under the bed or the Underworld."
"I'm a tenebra, a death-deity. I feast on dead bodies, their suffering, and their souls before they leave the mortal plane. And I have come to collect you: the daughter of Pluto," the tenebra rasped.
"Wait, I know you!" Hazel exclaimed. "I won against you in the casino."
"Yes. I confirmed you as my target in the casino. And now you will be mine."
"You wish." Nico frowned. "Tenebre do not have the power to kill beings. You'll have to beat and kill all of us in battle. And why are you targeting us? Tenebre live in the Underworld or in violent conflicts. Nothing about us is violent yet."
"I don't have the power to kill you, but my hands and scythe can do the job. I only need the daughter of Pluto. She broke the laws of natural death, and so she must come back to her true home."
"Like hell she will!" Nico shouted. "Nobody's going anywhere with you."
The tenebra laughed. "That's what you think, son of Hades. I know you brought the daughter of Pluto out of the Underworld, but you won't be killed. If you give her to me peacefully, I won't attack the others. I just need her."
"I'm so confused. Why do you want to take Hazel and only Hazel?" I asked. How did she break the laws of natural death? Did she bring someone back from the dead? But then why is Nico not punished?
"The daughter of Pluto was supposed to remain in the Underworld after her death, but she escaped. And now I've come to return her. Dead or alive."
"What do you mean, death?" Reyna asked. "Hazel isn't dead. And you won't kill her."
I turned to look at Hazel, who was surprisingly silent. Her eyes were wide open, like someone was spilling her secrets. What was she hiding? Who did she bring back?
The tenebra laughed hysterically. "She hasn't told you, and neither has the son of Pluto? Some friends you all are!"
"Told us what?" Octavian asked.
"I'll tell you guys later," Nico said. "But let's kill this monster first."
"Oh no," The tenebra cackled. "You will want to hear this first. Maybe after I tell you, you abandon your companion."
"Fine! I'll tell you!" Hazel cut in. "I was born in the thirties in Louisiana. I moved to Alaska in the forties and died. After the Titan War, Nico found my soul in the Underworld and brought me back to life. I joined Camp Jupiter, and the rest is history. Happy now?"
"Not yet. How about you tell your friends the circumstances of your death?"
"How about I don't? I died and was brought back to life, and that's all anyone needs to know."
"If you won't, then I will. Her mother was a powerful mortal and worked for-"
Nico brought his right arm forward and closed his fist, silencing the tenebra. Nice trick!
But the tenebra pushed her arms outwards in a breaststroke. "Nice trick," she said, "but you are only a demigod. I am a deity of death, and we cannot be silenced. Hazel Levesque's mother joined forces with the primordial Gaia and almost woke her up from her slumber. And the daughter of Pluto helped her."
"That was because I didn't know what my mom was doing!" Hazel screamed. "Stop twisting the truth! I sacrificed myself at the last moment to stop Gaia from awaking!"
"Hazel, you don't need to defend yourself for the tenebra," Nico whispered, furious.
Legion policy was that every incoming demigod started new, like a blackboard. Hazel's marks on that board were all exemplary: she was a great fighter and her powers are a great help. Even if Hazel died in the past, that didn't matter to me. And it shouldn't matter to anyone else at Camp Jupiter.
"Tenebra, if you're finished spouting whatever you want to say, let's start fighting," I said. "I'm standing by Hazel because she's proven her worth and integrity at Camp Jupiter. The past is in the past, and you won't ever take Hazel."
"Oh, I will. The dead are constrained to the Underworld and nothing more. Tales like Orpheus and Eurydice seldom happen, and it won't happen to her. Escaping even earns you the fields of punishment. Will your punishment be similar to the one that Sisyphus endures?"
"What's my father's position on it?" Nico asked. "Hazel's his child; he wouldn't send a lowly death spirit to retrieve her."
"Pluto and Thanatos have redacted the order to bring Hazel Levesque back to the Underworld. But that doesn't change the laws of natural death. Hazel Levesque died, so she belongs down in the Underworld."
"Or maybe my father redacted the order because Hazel is needed to beat this enemy, which is more important than your mission," Nico shot back.
"Think about that, and leave peacefully," Reyna added. "Or we'll kill you."
"Oh, I will leave with Hazel Levesque, living or dead. And I brought some help with me," the tenebra said, gesturing to a thicket of trees behind her.
A tall man walked out of the trees. No, a god. He was broad and powerfully built, a bit like Hercules. His black t-shirt and loose black pants accentuated his muscles. His aura was powerful, much more than ours or even the tenebra's. But it felt a bit off, a bit non-Roman. Was he Greek?
He took loud and powerful steps and stood next to the tenebra, who was literally less than half his size. "You need to return to the Underworld, Hazel Levesque," the god said, his voice deep and gravelly.
"I'm sorry, who are you now?" Octavian asked incredulously.
"Hello to you too, augur. I am Februus, the god of the Underworld and purification," the god replied. "All dead souls must reside in the Underworld, including Hazel Levesque."
"I thought Pluto was the only god of the Underworld," Octavian brought up.
"He is a Roman god. I am Etruscan, the race of gods before Rome existed. Rome grew, it expanded, and it kicked my kind out. But my quarrel with you all is not because of that. Your parents will face the wrath of the Etruscans."
"But you're on the tenebra's side? And you want to kill Hazel?" I asked. His backstory didn't matter, Etruscan or Roman. If he wanted to kill Hazel, he was the enemy.
"My mission is to clear the world of all impure souls. The Roman gods have been lazy these few centuries, so I must take up the helm. And my first soul is Hazel Levesque, courtesy of this tenebra."
"And the daughter of Pluto cannot be killed if she is dead," the tenebra added.
Hazel whispered something into Nico's ear. He raised his eyes in anger and whispered something furiously back. The son of Pluto challenged my inquisitive stare with a whatcha looking at look.
"Well, this daughter of Pluto will stay alive, thank you very much," Nico said. "And if you can't accept that she won't go back to the Underworld, then you'll have to fight us."
"And what do you think you're going to do, son of Hades?" the tenebra asked. "Kill a death spirit and an Etruscan god? No demigod has ever done that."
"That's why there are five demigods here, not just one," Reyna replied. "And don't think we can't do it. We're all veterans of the Titan War, except Hazel."
"You call that a war?" Februus snorted. "It didn't even last a week. The original Titan War lasted ten years. And you'll die before even fighting the war for your current prophecy."
"I'm getting pretty tired of this chit-chatting," Nico said. "Can we skip the pleasantries and go to the fighting?"
The tenebra cackled. "If you wish so, demigod," Februus answered, a grin on his face.
"Hazel, Octavian, and I will deal with the tenebra," Nico ordered. "Jason and Reyna, hold off Februus until the three of us can help you."
I grimaced towards Reyna at the prospect of another battle, with an actual god. Monsters and spirits were different from actual immortals, who were extremely hard to beat. Imagine killing the god Mercury!
"Jason, just think of this as when you killed Krios," reassured Reyna. "Titans aren't that much different from Gods."
"I can assure you, Etruscans are very different from Roman gods," Februus seethed. "But you'll be dead before you discover the difference."
The Etruscan summoned a long black sword in one hand, which seemed to be composed of the same material as Nico's. Stygian Iron, right? Looking for possible weak points in Februus' stance, I unsheathed my gladius Ivlivs and held it defensively. Ancient laws dictated that gods couldn't attack mortals first, but did that apply to Etruscan gods? I wasn't going to learn the hard way.
Februus feinted an attack towards my right abdomen, which I easily parried away and stepped back. The god aimed a strike at my left knee, which I dodged and counter-attacked with a jab at his shoulder. He averted the strike by a hair's breadth, unfortunately.
Reyna attempted a stab from behind, but Februus must have sensed it because he sidestepped. His lack of balance provided me with a perfect opportunity to attack and hurt him, except that I tripped over a rock that suddenly appeared over my foot as I stepped forward.
Februus laughed. "I am still a god, with unimaginable powers compared to you. That rock isn't even a sliver of my power. You will hope that you gave up that daughter of Pluto instead of fighting, you foolish wrenches."
"Fat chance, you asshole," Reyna replied, pure determination plastered on her visage.
It was a game of fighting, an art of parrying the attacks coming from Februus. While Reyna and I were two extremely good sword fighters, Februus was a god with actual powers. All his attacks were diverted, while our attacks had no effect on him.
Reyna finally got a cut on Februus' collarbone, which seeped gold ichor. But he pushed his arms out to release a godly blast of power that knocked Reyna away by a couple yards.
Februus stuck his arm out and closed it in a fist, slowly bringing it closer to his body. A dusty, milky, intangible white ball was sucked out of Reyna's body, starting to drift towards the god. Was that her soul? Why did gods have so much power?
"No!" I screamed. I pushed my right hand forward, feeling the familiar pull in my gut, and summoned a bolt of lightning that hit Februus and threw him away by at least 10 feet. I pulled Reyna up to her feet and ran towards the fallen god to finish him off; however, a four-foot tall wall of dirt shot up that blocked our path from him.
"You cannot defeat me, demigods," Februus said, huffing and puffing. "I am the god of the world under, and you know nothing of it. I know all of your powers."
The Etruscan god struck his arms out, shooting pieces of the dirt wall toward me and Reyna. I reflexively summoned a shield of air to repel the dirt and to protect both of us. But the shield couldn't protect us from the wave of godly power that followed, blasting us close to where Octavian and the others were fighting.
Februus stomped towards us, grasping his black sword and a dagger in the other. Probably to be able to attack both of us at once. He whirled around our attacks and cut across Reyna's hip with his sword, blood spurting out. The god grinned evilly.
Reyna, face whitening and body thinning, lost grip of her javelin. No! I looked at her, wide-eyed. Normal swords didn't do this, but maybe Stygian Iron did something special to injuries. I screamed for help because I couldn't do anything about this.
Not that I could heal Reyna if I had healing powers. Februus was immediately on my ass, figuratively and literally, and pushed me back.
I was losing. Reyna was going to die, and I would suffer that same fate. I still tried to parry and dodge his attacks, but that could only get you so far in a fight against a god. I could not defeat Februus. Hopefully the others killed the tenebra and escaped quickly enough.
Hazel suddenly appeared next to me, joining the attack against Februus. She had more energy than me, that's for sure. "What are you doing here?" I asked, extremely relieved and thankful.
"You need me more than Nico and Octavian do," replied Hazel hastily. "And I'm a child of the Underworld. I know what he can do. Kind of."
"Oh, finally some familiarity," Februus boomed. "Hello, dead daughter of the dead."
"I'm not dead, and I won't die by your hands, Etruscan," Hazel sneered.
Februus took a deep breath to calm himself down and lunged forward. But Hazel was a better fighter than I thought, Trivia must have helped, and we both had powers (no offense Reyna!) The god's tricks with the ground were useless because Hazel could counter whatever he did.
We were able to back him up against the tree line. Februus sent spears of darkness and shadows towards us, but we could dodge them and Hazel decimated the ones that couldn't be dodged. We were actually winning!
Ivlivs flew away from my hands to the god, as did Hazel's spatha. "I am also the god of riches," Februus said, "and your weapons are rich with war and death. Wonder how you feel about the death you caused in war, slayer of Krios."
Februus snapped his fingers, and both weapons slowly folded and molded into a clump of imperial gold.
My eyes widened in shock. What the fuck? We couldn't fight anymore!
"We don't need weapons, Februus," Hazel shot back. She threw rocks and metals hidden underground at him, prompting me to summon shocks of electricity to knock him off guard. No bolts of lightning, or I would get over-exerted.
His counterattacks, as well as his power, slowed and became sluggish as our powers drained him. Februus couldn't use his soul-sucking or shadow powers without being distracted from our attacks.
The god vanished and appeared a few yards behind us. What was Februus doing? If he left, he wouldn't get Hazel and kill her (that's not a bad thing). His hateful eyes turned to gold as his body brightened, like when gods turned into divine form. Did Etruscan gods have divine forms?
Februus surged forward and grabbed Hazel's arm, who foolishly let her guard down due to his weird movements. "Good luck finding her dead body. Close your eyes, girl. I don't want your death to happen here, close to your friends."
Hazel had no choice but to close her eyes, otherwise, Februus' divine form would kill her. I summoned a bolt of lightning to hit him, but the god deflected it easily. I didn't summon any more bolts because they could hit Hazel.
"No! Fight him off!" I screameddesperately. Hazel kicked around wildly and uneven the ground so Februus would fall, but that bastard kept his balance. I eventually had to close my eyes because his body got too bright.
Hazel was going to get captured and killed, maybe not in that order, and there was nothing I could do about it. Fuck the gods and their stupid power! I ran forward blindly, trying to manipulate the air currents so he would fall down and lose his grip, but Februus had a strong, protective shield around him.
His shield disappeared.
The blinding gold light around my closed eyes dimmed completely. I opened my eyes to see Februus look around wildly, trying to figure out why his power disappeared. What the fuck happened?
Hazel took advantage of the disruption, grabbing a piece of gold from the ground and slamming it into his face, which instantly bled golden ichor. I called down a bolt of lightning and hit Februus, knocking him down to the ground. The wound from Hazel's gold wasn't healing at all. What happened to his powers?
Februus tried to get up groggily, but shackles of darkness captured his legs and arms that kept him grounded. I looked over at Nico, who nodded at my unspoken question about the tenebra's status. "Hazel, get your weapons," Nico ordered. "Stygian iron won't work on a god from the Underworld."
Hazel pulled the crumpled weapons towards us and untangled them, or whatever she did, while Nico knocked out Februus with the hilt of his sword.
"Do you want to do it?" I asked Hazel.
"You were the one actually fighting him and fending him off; you do it," she replied, handing me Ivlivs, its tip less crumpled than before. (Only the tip needed to be straight to stab him.)
Breathing heavily, I stalked toward Februus' unconscious form with my gladius. I lifted it above my head and pushed my sword down through his chest. Just to be safe, I severed his neck from his body.
Februus' body slowly disintegrated into small particles that drifted into the wind. I adjusted the wind patterns so the particles would eventually rest as far away as they could. Some of the particles were absorbed into my sword, which personally I found cool. Would it give me any new powers?
I breathed a sigh of relief. The tenebra and Februus were killed forever, or at least gone to Tartarus!
"Is he now in Tartarus?" Hazel asked.
"He won't be there because he's Estrucan," Nico replied. "He might have faded completely into the Void, or he might reform in a century or more. Who knows."
"I know he won't be our problem anymore," I added. "Nico, something's wrong with Reyna. She got cut with Februus' sword."
Nico cursed and ran over to Reyna, who was rambling on about random stuff. That was good; it kept her muscles, brain, and speech active. Her face was pale and thin, her wrinkles prominent like a ghost. She couldn't die! Nico could surely heal something that was from Stygian Iron, right? He had to heal her!
Nico, closing his eyes, rubbed his hands together and lightly pushed them on Reyna's chest, performing an underworld version of CPR. Even Octavian helped, murmuring a healing hymn to Apollo and pouring nectar on Reyna's hip wound.
Reyna's body convulsed like a seizure and her face returned to normal after a few moments. She finally opened her eyes and gave us a smile, albeit a small one.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. My heart was beating so fast, you could not believe how worried I was. Thank Apollo and all the other gods she was okay!
"Are-" Reyna coughed, preventing her from finishing her question. Octavian took an ambrosia square out of his pocket and fed it to her to accelerate her healing. I slowly poured some water into her mouth to hydrate her. "Take your time," I whispered.
"Are they dead?" Reyna murmured.
I nodded. Februus and the tenebra did not kill Hazel and would never do, and none of us would fall to them. Not even their attacks and powers of death could take Reyna away.
Nobody could separate us or kill any of us.
Unknown POV
Mount Olympus
Olympus hadn't changed.
It was still built of the same marble white, with a few traces of gold columns here and there. The sun shined all day long, and the halls were filled with plants and trees. A few effervescent nymphs were chasing after each other, and their parents were trying to reign in their energy. Kids these days…
A few minor deities walked through the halls. Some of them were good friends of mine, but we drifted apart in the last millennium. And I didn't bother talking to them because my mission was with the Olympians. Would their council room look the same as in the past?
A few older nymphs gathered their young and walked fearfully away from me, while minor gods glared at my presence. It was bound to happen. I shook my head, which was uncovered and revealed my un-godly features to the world. Those people did not have a good experience with my kind, and I do not blame them.
But I wasn't here for the minor deities. I had important news worthy of the Olympian gods, and if they didn't want to listen to me, it would be their loss. Probably even literally.
"Hello! I haven't seen you here before! Who are you?" a green dryad asked, coming up to me.
What was she doing? Did she not recognize my kind? The nymph was quite short, wore a white frilly dress, and had large eyes, ones that weren't corrupted by this world. A child dryad, then.
"Oh, I'm just a visitor to Olympus," I replied cheerfully. No need for this dryad to know my real name. "I hope the gods will grant me an audience for what I have to say. And who are you?"
The dryad stood up straighter, more proudly. "I'm Alyssa, a dryad of a sycamore tree. I would show it to you, but my mother said that our trees shouldn't be shown to strangers."
"Your mother is right. The tree is your lifeforce, and you don't want anyone to know where it is. Who knows what they could do to you and your tree. How old are you?"
"I'm half a century old. Pretty young for a dryad, I know. People call me a boomer. How about you?"
I laughed. "It's impolite to ask a goddess her age, but I will tell you something," I said, leaning down to her ear as if whispering a secret, "Apollo and Artemis are younger than me."
"That's old!" Alyssa exclaimed, quickly covering her mouth in fear afterward. "No offense, though."
"None taken. But don't act that way towards the Olympians. They will pay attention to every word you say, and their punishments are severe. Have you ever heard of Niobe and her children?"
"Yeah, they were killed. Why are you talking to the Olympians? Did they grant you an audience?"
"I hope so! Just some interesting information I acquired a few days ago. It should interest them." It better interest them because I did not go to Olympus to be welcomed with closed minds and closed doors!
"Ok. My mother's over there, so I'll be leaving. Bye!" Alyssa said, pointing to an old dryad who was glaringat me.
The older nymph hugged her child, checking her for any harm or injuries. As if I would harm that naivety, that innocence. But I could understand the concern. As I said before, my kind treated nymphs worse than the Olympians.
The mother covered Alyssa's ears and growled, "Don't talk to my daughter or any other nymph on Olympus again. You may feel that you can flaunt your existence here, but I bet you could easily join the rest of your ilk in Tartarus. Olympus never and will never be yours. Go back home."
My eyes narrowed. "You are only a dryad. And now you're threatening me? I could easily snap your neck or teleport you to the original Olympus and you would die instantly. Should I poison your tree and make it a slow death? You're lucky I'm not here to punish dryads."
The dryad harrumphed and said, "Just don't talk to my daughter." She uncovered her daughter's ears and, with a final glare towards me, let Alyssa drag her to a small garden.
Dryads. Always thought they were wanted and superior even if someone could kill them with a simple chop of an ax. Just because satyrs and mad gods (ahem, Dionysus) lusted for them didn't make themspecial!
I cleared my head of murderous thoughts and walked to the gold-adorned white doors that opened to the Olympian council. I let myself stay at a mortal size so the Olympians didn't feel threatened and shoot me down when I opened the door.
I opened both doors.
Oh.
Only Hermes and Athena were in the throne room, and they were playing a game of cards. A bit underwhelming, right? I hoped for all the Olympians to be present, but that thought was a bit foolish. Did these young gods even know who I was?
"Hello! Who are you today and what do you want from the Council?" Hermes asked, not looking up from the game of cards.
"I'll just wait here," I replied. "Finish your game." It looked very intense; even the goddess of wisdom didn't address me! What if I was a threat ready to destroy Olympus? Such informality and insecurity.
Athena slapped down her cards and erupted into cheer. "Take that, you loser of a son of Zeus! I practically invented the deck of cards!"
Hermes crossed his arms and shot back, "Not my fault you know how to win all the games! Lucky for being chosen as the goddess of wisdom and strategy. But there's someone in the throne room."
The two gods stood up and finally registered my presence. "You give off non-godly vibes. Who are you?" asked Athena.
"That is because I am not a god. Titaness here, as your mother should have taught you. But I am not here to avenge my brothers," I quickly put my hands up in defense at their wary expressions. "I have some very interesting pieces of information for you."
"How interesting?" asked Athena, raising her eyebrow. "I doubt a Titaness would want to go to Olympus. And I doubt a titan would be welcomed on Olympus."
"Oh, I'm not staying here. Olympus feels repulsive, like the sound of nails on a chalkboard. But this information is essential to the current prophecy and the war you will fight."
"Right," Hermes replied doubtfully. "Titans normally wouldn't want to help the gods-"
"That's an understatement," Athena disguised as a cough.
"-but I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Tell us this information and I will tell it to the rest of the council at our weekly meeting," finished Hermes.
"No, no. I want all the Olympians here to listen. You all will want to hear what I have to say."
The god looked at Athena, and the two seemed to have a silent conversation about my demand. Did they think I was egocentric and narcissistic? Maybe. Did it matter? No. Athena shrugged, so Hermes snapped his fingers.
One by one, the Olympian gods teleported into the council room. First was Demeter with a bright flare of light green, and last was Artemis with her flash of silver. To be honest, I was a bit impressed and intimidated. So many gods compared to the Titans.
Zeus took one look at me and my aura and summoned his Master Bolt, pointing directly at me. "What are you doing here, Titaness?" he boomed. "Your ilk are not welcomed kindly here, especially one of the original twelve."
I sighed in annoyance. "I am not here to avenge my brethren over the First or Second Godly Wars. I am here for this war; information about this current war. And if you threaten me with that bolt, you sure as hell won't get the information."
Zeus huffed and hid his bolt. "Fine. Whatever you tell us must be good. Tell us this information that you acquired."
"You know of the recent empousa attacks on the Romans? I know who convinced the creatures to join the enemy."
Zeus groaned and clutched his head, as did the other Olympians. "Titaness, never say that forsaken word when I am in this form," he growled. "We are not like you, forgotten by the Romans for being too old."
"I am not too old," I replied quickly. "You are just too young. But I digress. The empousai's mind was protected by the enemy, but nothing like that can stop me. I read the empousa's mind and I know who convinced the monsters to switch sides." The deity didn't even use a pseudonym! Such inexperience.
"But is this god the real enemy, or one of their henchmen?" asked Ares.
"I doubt that the deity was the real enemy. If she were, then you should be able to beat her in a heartbeat."
"So one of the top henchmen. Get on with it," Poseidon said. "Who swayed them into the enemy's hands?"
"Not just a henchman, one of the enemy's generals." I took a deep breath. "The deity was the first lover of Zeus, and birthed and raised Athena in his head."
A deafening silence rang throughout the room. Zeus' and Athena's mouths were wide open, their eyebrows raised in disbelief.
"Metis," Athena whispered.
Here is your fourteenth chapter of Greek meets Roman! Longest chapter yet! Don't you like this cliffhanger? Guess who the narrator is in the comments.
Summary: The demigods refuse a tenebra's and the god Februus' demands for Hazel to return to the Underworld, so battle time. The tenebra is killed, but Februus manages to get Reyna injured before being killed by Jason with Hazel and Reyna's help. Nico and Octavian heal Reyna later. Before getting sidetracked by a young dryad, an old Titaness travels to Olympus and tells the Olympians that the mother of Athena, Metis, turned the empousa's sides.
I chose Februus because the heroes needed a different and unexpected foe to fight against. Life isn't always the basic mythic monsters that reform in Tartarus. Also, we need some non-Roman or non-Greek representation. His name is pronounced feh-bri-uhs.
Etruscan facts: they admired Greek art & architecture but did not copy the art. They buried the dead inside sarcophagi in underground tomb chambers. Sometimes the sarcophagi had two (married) people depicted on its lid! They're lucky Egyptians couldn't patent sarcophagi.
Zeus swallowed his pregnant lover Metis and swallowed her whole after a prophecy foretold that her son would overthrow Zeus. She raised their daughter (not son!) Athena who later erupted out of Zeus' head years later, and it is assumed that Metis faded before that. Obviously, she didn't.
Who took away Februus' power at the end of the fight? Was it another deity, and if so, why? Is Reyna truly healed? How will the heroes react to Hazel's secret? How did Metis escape her imprisonment inside Zeus' head? Was she revived by the enemy? How will Athena and Zeus react?
Have a great day and let's all Mystify!