Hey everyone, Wolf here. I know, I know, I haven't updated in a while. I've been super busy irl, with the school year finishing up and my mom going through back surgery. She's doing great though, but I have had a lot more on my plate, and thus not had much time to write. I will say, I have had this chapter written for a bit, I just haven't gotten a chance to upload it.
As per usual, all rights go to Rick Riordan, other than any of my OCs.
Artemis POV
Just as the Hunters were about to start eating, our newly assigned guardian decided to join us. I saw the hunters staring at him, curious about how he would like their food.
He was about to say something when I cleared my throat. He looked at me, confusion showing in his eyes. Though that quickly went away when I motioned towards the food on the table. He quickly filled his plate with a variety of food, including venison, a salad, and a couple slices of Rye bread.
He sat back down, taking a bite of the venison. His eyes lit up, clearly enjoying the food. He started shoving bite after bite into his mouth, clearly hungry after he flew all the way here. After he had eaten about half of his food in record speed, he noticed that everyone was looking at him.
"What?" he asked, causing the hunters to burst into a fit of giggles. I myself was also chuckling.
"Nothing, it's just they've never seen how fast you eat. I swear, you could win an Olympian eating contest, and they are no joke. Gods will go weeks without eating beforehand, just to try and beat Zeus' unlimited appetite." I said, barely holding back a fit of giggles, " Now, I'm sure you girls have questions that you are dying to ask, so go ahead, one at a time." I said, wanting to give Percy a chance to be able to answer them.
Percy POV
"What are your domains?" a new hunter asked, as she probably hadn't had the time to read up on the newer gods that aren't in mythology.
"I have many, but to answer your question, I am the god of Heroes, Tides, Volcanoes, Weapons, Weapon Forging, Swordsmanship, Monsters, Loyalty, Leadership, Time, and Light." I answered, causing the hunter to drop her fork in shock.
"Holy shit, I knew you had a decent amount of domains, but I never knew that you had so many!" Thalia exclaimed, breaking out of her stupor.
"That I do." I agreed.
"What powers do you have?" asked one of the older hunters, Cara, I think her name was.
"You're Cara right?" I asked her, trying to learn the names of the people that I would be staying with. Receiving a nuetral nod, I continued, "Well, I have quite a few, considering my domains. I'll start with the less complicated and work my way up. I have Hydrokinesis, due to being the god of Tides. Pyrokinesis from Volcanoes. I can unleash bursts of light, from the domain of Light. This domain also gives me a couple other powers. One that I use quite often is Light Travel, and it is better for traveling large groups of people. It is similar to Shadow Travel. The other is much more dangerous, and I rarely use it, I think I've only used it one time. The domain gives me the power to travel at the speed of light, which can be extremely devastating to both me and my opponents if not used properly."
"I can control Time, obviously. I can summon any weapon that I want, but I only use that power if I am desperate, or have to arm a bunch of people. I can also forge and enchant any weapon. I am a master swordsman, I could defeat Luke Castellan, Ares, Chryasoar, Achilles, and all of the other top 15 swordsmen of all time, with a single blade, without suffering any wounds, and without breaking a sweat. Leadership doesn't really give me any powers, it's more of a title, but it has its uses, especially amidst battle. Finally, the domain that gives me the most powers, as well as allowing me to change physical parts about me. My domain of Monsters allows me to use the powers of every monster in the Greek pantheon, and I can take on a physical attribute from them, such as my wings. They come from a rare and not really known monster known as the Phoenix, specifically a Shadow Phoenix. I can also Shadow Travel, which I get from Hellhounds, I can grow a tail that can inject deadly poison from the Chimera, I can launch incapacitating spikes, from the Manticore, and many other powers. One might even say that I am slightly OP." I finished, and the hunters looked like they were about to pass out due to shock. Some of them actually did!
"Ok, I'll ask the question we've all been wondering, what do you look like underneath that mask and hood? You're probably ugly, just like the rest of the male population." said Phoebe, of course she would insult me.
I couldn't back down, so I decided to change my look slightly. My eyes became Heterochromic, one volcanic red and the other a deep sea blue. My hair became pure white, and my facial features rearranged themselves. I kept my Mediterranean complex, but darkened my skin some, as to not be recognised.
Once the changes were complete, I flipped down my hood, and slowly removed my helmet, adding some unnecessary suspense. Once my helmet was off, I set it down on the table, looking at the hunters.
"Any other questions?" I asked them.
"Where did you get your-" Thalia was interrupted by the hunter on border patrol sprinting over, out of breath, "Attack… here…" was all she got out before collapsing due to exhaustion. I slowed down time, catching her before she hit the ground.
Artemis checked on her, "Go, prepare for battle!" she ordered the other hunters in the process.
"Will she live?" I asked her.
"Yes, she just overexerted herself, that's all." Artemis replied.
"Contact Olympus, we may need backup," I said, "I'll hold them off until you and the hunters are ready." I left no room for discussion, flying away in the direction the hunter had come from.
When I got there, I counted at least 300 monsters, including the Minotaur, the Manticore, a Hydra, and worst of all, the Chimera. But they weren't even the worst part. The worst part was who was leading the army.
In front of the monsters were two figures. One was Gration, bane of Artemis, and the other was Perses, Titan of Destruction. Oh shit was all that I was thinking.
"Íroas, why are you here? Shouldn't you be off managing your domains or something?" Gration asked, obviously confused as to why I was here.
"I guess you haven't heard. I travel with the Hunt now. Which means you're going to have to deal with me if you want to harm the hunters or Artemis. This is your first and last warning. Leave now, and I might let you live. But if you go through with this attack, it will be your last battle. Lay down your weapons, and I will have mercy on you." Even though I knew they wouldn't, I still had to try.
"Hah, nice try. But it is you who should lay down your weapons and surrender. Join us, and you shall be rewarded beyond anything your council can give you. You shall command an army greater than anything you could ever imagine, you would have more power than anyone other than our master. Join us, or we shall not hesitate to rip you limb from limb." Perses finally spoke, trying to intimidate and persuade me into joining them.
"Hmm, let me think about it. How about… NO! I have something that you bastards don't. You ever heard of this thing called loyalty? It's when you trust someone enough to not betray them at the first chance. I happen to be the god of loyalty, I literally cannot betray them, even if I wanted to, which I don't. So you can tell your master one thing. Go fuck yourself!" I yelled, giving them the finger, before banishing into the shadows.
The area around us was surrounded by trees, which I used to my advantage. I started throwing Stygian Iron throwing knives at the monsters, picking them off and shadow traveling around. When I ran out of throwing knives, I pulled my necklace off of my neck, which turned into Midnight. and started shooting arrows into the mass of monsters, still teleporting around. I summoned an arrow with an explosive poison tip, and launched it into the middle of the crowd, watching as it exploded into a mass of acid, melting the monsters alive.
I felt multiple presences nearby, and teleported to them, "I've taken out about a third of the monsters, But some of the most powerful monsters are still alive, including the Minotaur, the Manticore, and worst of all, the chihuahua." I received a weird look from Artemis, "Sorry, the Chimera. And the army is led by none other than Gration and Perses, so we have our work cut out for us. Hunters, focus on the monsters, take out the smaller ones first, then split into groups and take down the larger monsters. Artemis and I will take care of Gration and Perses."
The hunters ran into the trees, some of them climbing through the trees. I looked at Artemis, "Shall we?" I asked, holding out my hand like a dancer would to his partner. She curtseyed and took my hand, as we vanished in a flash of light.
"So, you couldn't take us on on your own huh? Had to go running to your little moon goddess for help." I heard Perses taunting when we reappeared.
"Nah, I didn't want to hog all the fun. What do ya say, a fair two on two? We win, your forces stand down. You win, we surrender, and I join your forces." I said, and promptly got smacked on the head by Artemis, but before she could object, Gration and Perses responded in unison, "We accept your challenge and your terms."
The reason I did this is because, while Gration would cheat in a one on one, Perses is a man of honor, and would not break the terms. And since gration is with him, he wouldn't either.
We drew our weapons, Perses with his spear, Gration and Artemis with their bows, and my with my dual katanas, Tempest and Inferno. I also opened my domains of Volcanoes, Tides, Time, and Light. Volcanoes, Tides, and Light are obvious, but you must be wondering, why Time? Well you see, one of the things about my domain of Time is it gives me the ability to see what my opponents will do before they do it. So I literally know their next move.
Third Person POV
Tensions were high, both the monster army, and the hunters were on edge, hoping that their respective leaders would win.
The four combatants watched each other closely, waiting for someone to make the first move. Gration, being impatient, fired a shot at Artemis, quicker than anyone could see. The hunters gasped, thinking their patron was dead. But when they looked back up, Íroas was standing there, holding the arrow. He simply handed it to Artemis and whispered, "Poison tip, use it on my signal." Artemis just nodded.
Once Perses had gotten over his shock, he launched at Íroas, unleashing attack after attack upon him. Meanwhile, Artemis and Gration were locked in an archery battle, and they were evenly matched. That is, until Íroas made an unexpected move. He blocked Perses' spear with one blade, and held out his other hand, unleashing a blinding beam of light right into Gration's eyes, "Now!" he yelled, as he summoned a throwing knife and threw it through Gration's skull, where it was soon joined by the arrow Gration had fired just minutes ago.
Gration started to disintegrate, and you might be wondering, how? You see, Íroas' domain of heroes gives him the ability to act as a hero or a god to kill a Giant. He can even act as both, by attacking as one, then as the other.
While he was disintegrating, his essence started to dissolve, as the poison is extremely rare, and has the ability to permanently kill an immortal. No reforming in Tartarus, no going to the Realm of the Faded. Just simply dead.
Íroas POV
I turned my focus back to Perses, just in time to see the butt of his spear slam into my chest, sending me flying into a tree. I quickly got up, just to see Perses advancing on Artemis. She was on the ground, disoriented, and about to die.
I felt a burst of rage and energy rush through me. He was NOT going to kill her, not on my watch. It was my job to protect her, and I cared too much to let her die. I felt something else sprouting from my back, three somethings in fact. The first two were a second set of wings, pure white, and about half a foot shorter than my pure black ones. They sat about halfway down my back, whereas my black ones sat by my shoulder blades.
The third thing was a tail. It was a beautiful silver, and the tip had a point which would inject a deadly poison. Both the new wings and the tail were also indestructible. I launched myself off the ground, landing in front of Artemis, Wings spread and Tail poised to strike.
"It's gonna take a bit more than your measly spear to kill me." I said, my voice distorted and a few octaves lower, sounding like a demon straight from hell, and I looked like one too.
Perses was trying to hide his fear, but his eyes gave him away. I wasn't holding any weapons, but I didn't need any. We stood there for a couple moments, me waiting for him to attack, and him not wanting to attack because he knew he would be defeated.
Soon though, his pride got the better of him, and he launched a strong thrust, aimed straight for my heart. There was so much force behind it that it blew up dust and dirt around us. All of the hunters gasped, thinking that I'd been impaled. But when the dust cleared, they saw something that shocked them even more.
I had caught the spear. I was holding it between the palms of my hands, the tip just inches away from my chest. Perses poured as much power and strength into the spear as he could, but it didn't budge. Then, quicker than the naked eye could see, I snapped the spear in half, unleashing a shockwave of energy, as the spear was Perses' symbol of power.
Perses was blown away, literally, right into a tree, the same one I had slammed into. I dashed over to him, and picked him up, throwing him into the air. I flew up above him, and started punching him around in the air, until I unleashed an extremely strong blow into his stomach, launching him up at Mach 1. I flew up and waited for him to reach 1,000 feet, where I unleashed the strongest haymaker I had ever done, right into his stomach, which blew him down into the ground, creating a crater that was 50 feet wide, and 15 deep.
I took out Dusk, walking towards him slowly, dragging the prongs along the ground behind me. When I reached him, he was slowly rising to his knees, head bowed, "I surrender, make it quick. I know when I am beat, and I am beat." he said, his voice conveying acceptance.
"Actually, I have a proposition for you. Join us, swear an oath on the river Styx, and on your name and honor to faithfully serve Olympus, and I will let you live, and in turn, you will become the protector of Camp Half-Blood, as their Guardian. I know you are not one to break someone's trust, and you value honor and loyalty. Well, you will receive more loyalty from us than you ever would from Tartarus. As soon as the war is won, he will kill you and all of the other Titans and Giants, and take the world for himself. So join us, protect yourself and the world, Perses." as I was speaking, everyone was shocked. I had just offered for one of their strongest warriors to join us. They were probably thinking that he either wouldn't accept, or he would betray us, but what he said next shocked them even more.
"You make a good point Íroas, I had suspicions about Tartarus' loyalty from the start. He killed Hyperion just for simply asking a question. He does not care about us, he is merely using us as tools for his conquest. I swear on the river Styx, my name and honor, and on my mother and father's name to loyally and faithfully serve Olympus, until I shall fade, as guardian of Camp Half-Blood. I swear to protect the campers and the camp itself with my life, and to serve Olympus to the best of my abilities. Should I betray them, Let me fade in the most painful way possible, let me be thrown into the pool of the 5 rivers of the Underworld, and have my essence melted. I will not go to the Realm of the Faded, I will simply cease to exist." Perses spoke after a moment of contemplation.
"Then by the right of the Council, by the will of the Gods, rise, Perses, Titan of Destruction, Guardian and last line of defense of Camp Half-Blood." I spoke, placing the blade of Tempest on his left shoulder, then his right, then finally his head.
He rose, and a new set of armor appeared on his body, his wounds completely healed. He looked me in the eye, "Why did you offer me this? You easily could have killed me and taken my domain for yourself, but you chose to help me, and to have me join you."
"Because you are a powerful ally, and you can also help train the campers for the war. I also know that you would rather die than betray those that you are loyal to and that are loyal to you. I will personally deliver you to Camp Half-Blood, Artemis," I said, as she was standing to my side, "Inform the Council of this, and have them meet us in the Amphitheater."
I then placed my hand on Perses' shoulder and shadow traveled us to Half Blood Hill. We stood there for a moment, until I saw a flash of light in the Amphitheater. I turned to Perses, "I, Íroas, the 15th Olympian, hereby give Perses, Guardian of Camp Half-Blood permission to enter and exit the boundaries of Camp Half-Blood freely." motioning for him to follow me, we made our way to the Amphitheater, where I told him to wait outside until I called for him.
As soon as I walked through, everyone turned towards me, Artemis looking at me with a look that I knew all too well. It was the look that she got when Zeus overreacted about something.
"Íroas! Why in the flying fuck did you not contact the council about this decision!? I should revoke your godhood and send you to tartarus right now! Do you realize how dangerous recruiting an enemy Titan is? He could turn on us, kill us all, and take my throne-" I cut him off.
"And there it is. The only thing you fucking worry about. You're always so gods damned paranoid about someone taking your fucking throne, GROW UP ZEUS! HE SWORE AN OATH ON THE RIVER STYX, HIS NAME AND HONOR, AND ON HIS PARENTS NAMES. HE SAID IN THE OATH THAT SHOULD HE BREAK THE OATH, HE WISHES TO BE TRANSPORTED INTO THE POOL OF THE 5 RIVERS OF THE UNDERWORLD! HE FUCKING WISHED TO BE ERASED FROM EXISTENSE SHOULD HE BREAK THE OATH! PERSES IS A MAN OF HONOR, HE WILL NOT BREAK THE OATH! GROW. THE. FUCK. UP ZEUS! QUIT WORRYING ABOUT YOUR PRECIOUS THRONE AND TITLE OF KING, AND START WORRYING ABOUT THOSE THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR, AKA THE GODS, BE THEM OLYMPIANS OR OTHERWISE, THE DEMIGODS, BE THEM HUNTERS, ROMANS, OR GREEKS, AND THOSE THAT HAVE JOINED OUR CAUSE, LIKE PERSES!" I was yelling so loudly that everyone was covering their ears, including most of the Olympians, except for Poseidon, Hera, and Hestia, who were all used to screaming matches, and Zeus himself.
"Now listen here you insolent little-" I cut him off once again.
"WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, HUH? THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN BEING ON THIS DAMN COUNCIL AND HAVING TO LISTEN TO YOUR ARROGANT AND PRIDEFUL ASS GO ON AND ON ABOUT HOW GREAT YOU ARE, AND HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE, WHEN REALLY YOU'RE A FUCKING PARANOID BASTARD WHO CARES ABOUT NOTHING MORE THAN YOUR THRONE AND WHAT GODDESS, NYMPH, OR MORTAL YOU'RE GOING TO CHASE NEXT. SO GET OFF YOUR LAZY FUCKING ASS, AND BE A GOOD KING FOR ONCE. IF YOU DON'T, I'M NOT HELPING YOU IF SOMEONE ACTUALLY DOES TRY TO TAKE YOUR THRONE. YOU'VE DONE NOTHING BUT BE A THORN IN MY SIDE EVER SINCE I WAS 12. I HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT HELP AND PROTECT YOU MY ENTIRE LIFE, WHILE YOU SAT ON YOUR THRONE DOING NOTHING BUT BEING AN ASS. SO TAKE THAT STICK OUT OF YOUR FUCKING ASS, AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS WAR, INSTEAD OF PUSHING IT ONTO PEOPLE LIKE ME, LIKE YOU DID FOR THE SECOND TITAN AND GIANT WARS!" I was so pissed off that I forgot the demigods were there, and I had basically just revealed who I was if someone was smart enough to connect the dots.
Luckily, Annabitc- Annabeth didn't put the pieces together, she must have gotten more stupid over the years.
"Now, can we please get on with the real purpose of this meeting? Perses, get in here." I said, getting impatient.
As soon as Perses entered, spear in hand, everyone immediately drew their weapons and got into defensive positions.
"Stand down everyone, he's with us." I ordered, " Campers, meet Perses, Titan of Destruction, and the new Guardian of Camp Half-Blood. Perses, these are the people that you will be working with and protecting."
"I know what you must be thinking, a Titan, guardian of this camp. He's going to betray us at the first chance he gets. But, and you most likely heard Íroas say, is that I swore on the river Styx, my name and honor, and my parents' names. If I break my oath, I will die the most painful death imaginable, and I won't reform. I won't fade either. I will simply cease to exist. Perses, Titan of Destruction, will no longer exist. So please, give me a chance." Perses finally spoke, and the campers relaxed when I nodded to confirm it was true.
A figure stood up in the audience, and drew his sword, pointing it at me.
"Íroas, the 15th Olympian, I challenge you to a duel. All powers and weapons are allowed." Mark said, "If I win, I get to reveal who you really are.
Gods, he was so clueless about what he had just done, "I accept, this will be but a walk in the park. We shall be in the arena in 15 minutes. Artemis will referee." I said, before walking off.
I made my way to the stadium, as I already had all of my weapons and armor on me. I deactivated my armor, leaving me in my casual attire.
When the 15 minutes was up, I entered the arena, no weapons in hand. I didn't need any weapons to beat him.I made my way to the middle of the arena, and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Right when I was about to call it off due to Mark not showing up, he walked through the other entrance, wearing bulky armor, with dual swords in hand. He was moving slow and sluggish, due to the armor he was wearing.
He thrusted one sword into the air, expecting the audience to go wild. But the only people making noise were his followers, and that quickly died out when they realized no one else was cheering. I simply waved, and the crowd went wild, roaring and cheering in my favor.
Boy did this piss Mark off. Obviously, his little ego couldn't stand having his opponent cheered for more than him.
"Contestants! Approach the center of the arena." Artemis called out from the center.
We both approached, and I swear, if looks could kill, I would have faded from the glare Mark was shooting me. There was so much hate and anger in his gaze, I was surprised his eyes didn't turn yellow.
"Contestants, shake hands." Artemis spoke once we had reached the center.
We did so, and my hand would have been shattered by how tightly Mark was gripping my hand, if I wasn't an Olympian. The handshake finished, "Here are the rules. You win when your opponent is unconscious, unable to fight anymore, or if they yield. Perseus, no size changing, and no summoning monsters, as that would cause mass panic. Do you both accept these terms?" at our nods, she continued, "then step back 5 steps each, and ready yourselves."
Mark got into a stance, if you could even call it that. His legs were bent too much, he was holding both swords out in front of him, and his balance was way out of whack. Seeing this, I just simply stood there, hands out, palms together in front of my chest, legs slightly bent, and back also slightly bent.
"Contestants ready? Fight!" Artemis shouted, starting the match.
"Where are your weapons? Are you admitting defeat already?" Mark taunted.
"If I used weapons, this fight would be over in 3 seconds, flat. I thought I might actually give you a chance, you're already fighting the most powerful Olympian on the council." I spoke, and thunder rumbled, "Oh shut it Zeus, you know it's true. At least I don't brag about it like you!" I yelled towards where the Olympians were seated.
This statement seemed to piss Mark off even more, just what I wanted. An angry opponent is a careless opponent. Mark launched at me, well, not exactly launched, he more so jogged towards me, due to his heavy armor. He started slashing and hacking, but I simply redirected all of his attacks away using my palms. I didn't even have to use my powers to know what he would do next, he was predictable. He overextended on almost every swing, and he was unbalanced. A slight gust of wind could knock him over.
I decided to even the playing field a little. Slowing down time to where it was almost stopped, I removed his armor, placing it in a pile by the edge of the arena. I went back to my previous position, and sped time back up to normal. He fell over due to the change in his weight, but quickly got up.
"What did you do with my armor?" he yelled.
"I removed it, bulky armor restricts your movement. While it provides more protection, it still has all of the weak points of lightweight armor, and it slows you down, making it easier for opponents to capitalize on said weak points." I slowly explained, like I was talking to a baby.
This pissed him off even more. He rushed me, unleashing a flurry of attacks. I easily redirected them all. What? I never said they were good attacks. His form was shit, he obviously didn't inherit the skill that I did.
I quickly grew tired of embarrassing him, so I decided to end it. I redirected an attack, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off of the ground. I then punched him in the face, sending him flying across the arena. I used my wings to propel me over to him, and I repeated the process, speeding it up until I became a blur. I was using a power that I don't use often. I call it Lightspeed, I know, a bit on the nose, but it works by absorbing the light around me and using it to accelerate my movements, going faster and faster. I don't use it often, as it is extremely destructive if I lose control of it, so I usually only go to about Mach 0.5 to Mach 1, depending on my surroundings. In this case, I was going around Mach 0.75 when I stopped accelerating.
After repeating the process so many times I had probably gone way past him being unconscious, I punched him into the air, and jumped up above him. I whispered, "Typhon's Fist" and unleashed one of the most powerful punches ever. My fist was coated in a layer of air, and my arm was moving at Mach 1.5. On top of that, the air around my hand expanded, which caused Mark to go even faster. He was speeding towards the ground at around Mach 2, and when he slammed into the ground, the shockwave expanded for miles. I simply angled myself downwards, and used my wings to launch me down, and I drove my fist straight into Mark's stomach.
Artemis came over to confirm the fight was over, "Mark is unconscious, Perseus wins!" she announced. I simply stood over Mark, and waved my hand, using my domains of heroes and Time together to heal him, Heroes because he is a demigod, and Time to return him to the state he was in before the fight.
I turned around to leave, but I felt someone pulling on my hood. I turned around, and smacked them away, and saw it was Annabeth. But, I forgot to morph my face.
Everyone was staring at me, jaws on the floor, "Íroas! Your hood is down-" Annabeth cut Artemis off.
"P-Percy?" she stuttered, so shocked that you would have thought she had received one of Thalia's world famous Lightning Slaps.
"I am only Percy to those that I call my friends. And you lost that privilege the moment you betrayed me. To you, I am Lord Perseus. If I hear you refer to me as anything else, you will be on Kitchen Duty for a year." I said coldly, before walking away.
As soon as I was out of range, I flashed away, which was rare, as I prefer Shadow Travel and Light Travel. I usually only flash when I am extremely upset. I appeared in the only place that I knew I could release my anger and not harm anyone: The Mariana Trench. Due to it being so deep, and the water pressure so strong, very few creatures lived down here. I sent out a mental message to all sea creatures within the entire trench, Get out of here, unless you wish to die, for I am about to release my full power. Once I felt all presences leave the area, I went supernova.
Alright, that's Chapter 3. Again, sorry for vanishing off the face of the earth, I've been busy. I do plan to try to update again fairly soon, though I leave to go on a trip in two days, and I won't have access to a computer to update stuff, so I will try to when I get back. Thank you to those that have supported me, though I do get the occasional "Oh your writing is trash" Review, they are usually helpful or at least positive. So, if you have ideas, or feedback, leave a review or join the Discord server. I am trying to get it back active, so new people would be appreciated. Once again, thanks for the support, Wolf out.
