"Be without fear in the face of anything that bleeds as you do."
The king of the sea was anxiously walking back and forth in front of his throne, desperately clasping his hands as he tried to take in the news that was just shared with him. He was told by an advisor that the ship that he put Percy and his friends on had sunk off the coast of Alaska. Blown up and split in half before sinking to the bottom of the Pacific ocean. The casualties were astronomical but he could only hope that his son and his friends had survived. Surely they did considering Percy was in his element out there and could save them but there was no way of knowing for sure as he didn't have any power, influence or sight out there to see if his son was still alive. That was what made him so anxious.
"Husband, calm down. A demigod as powerful as Perseus wouldn't die from a simple cruise ship sinking." Amphitrite tried to reassure but it did nothing. Unless he could know for sure that his son was alive, he would always worry.
"How could this have happened? I made sure that his journey was the safest it could be. What could've possibly gotten past me?"
The Queen of the sea rolled her eyes as she continued to watch her husband pace back and forth in worry. This was beginning to tire her. All Poseidon did was talk about his demigod son and while she held no ill will towards Perseus, it was beginning to annoy her by how much his name was brought up. Even more so that he has now left Olympus to start a new life. Every time she would visit Olympus to go visit a friend, she was constantly bombarded by minor and Olympian Gods alike asking her how Perseus was. How should she know? If Poseidon didn't know what made them think she knew.
As the two immortals were both in their own little worlds, they failed to realize the messenger God materialized in their throne room, watching them as if they were in a circus.
"Everything ok here?" Hermes asked, worriedly eyeing Poseidon. The king's attention shot up towards his nephew.
"Hermes? What brings you here?" Poseidon asked, quickly walking up to him. Maybe he had some information regarding his son?
"Zeus has ordered a council meeting. He wants you to be there immediately." Hermes replied, taking a step back from his frantic looking uncle. The king of the sea sighed sadly but reluctantly nodded his head. He waved goodbye to his wife who looked happy he'd be out of the palace for a little bit before flashing away to Olympus.
"Is he…ok?" Hermes asked, pointing to the spot Poseidon had just occupied.
"Not in the slightest." Amphitrite replied. Hermes nodded absentmindedly before he too flashed away to the throne room. Happy to get away from the awkward atmosphere. Reappearing back in the throne room, he was greeted by the sight of his fellow council members sitting on their thrones, bar Ares and Artemis who were still on their hunt for Jackson and his crew. The messenger God wondered how his cousin was doing. He hoped Ares or Artemis never caught him as he wanted Percy to have a good life. He deserved it after all the shit they've put him through.
"Ok since we're all here, let's begin." Zeus announced before getting straight to the point for the reason for this council meeting. "We've started construction on the temples at Camp Half-Blood which will eventually gain us more power. Athena, how goes construction?"
"Ahead of schedule. My daughter has decided to help oversee the construction so things should run smoothly in her care." Athena proudly replied, her head held high. Her daughter continued to make the right decisions and not be swayed by that demigod who would soon be hunted down and killed. She had given him a chance when they had last met but he decided that wasn't good enough and threw it down the drain. Athena's pride was hurt by Perseus' actions and now she held no remorse for what will happen to him.
"Good." Zeus nodded in satisfaction before continuing. "Now onto stage two of my plan."
The council gained an alarmed look on their faces at that comment. Stage two? What did that mean?
"Father?" Athena asked.
"We're going to turn Camp Half-Blood into a more militarized camp. Just like the Romans." Zeus
answered, causing some to gasp at the proclamation. Camp Half-Blood was never meant for that when it was created millennia ago. It was meant as a safe haven for Greek demigods to escape the Romans during their persecution. But seeing how the Romans and Greeks were on friendly terms now, it was time for the Greeks to pick up the slack.
"These past two years have shown just how weak our Greek demigods have been getting. Lazing about in that camp while the Romans hone in on their skills has been embarrassing and plain stupid to say the least." Zeus continued, earning some mixed looks. Some agreed with his plan, seeing the potential merit in it. The Greek demigods needed to get stronger in case another formidable foe charged the gates of Olympus like Kronos and Gaea tried to do. Others seemed to be on the other end of the spectrum, not liking to change the purpose of Camp Half-Blood. They've been doing just fine over the years.
"This is not because of Percy Jackson, right father?" Apollo asked.
"This is exactly because of Jackson!" Zeus growled. "I will not be blindsided by a son of Poseidon and let him accumulate strength while we idly sit by, waiting for him to attack."
"My son doesn't want war, brother. He just wants to be left alone. That's why he left." Poseidon interrupted, not liking how he was talking about his son. What made it so hard for Zeus to understand what Percy wanted? Was it his paranoia? Or just his plain hatred for Poseidon and his offspring?
"That may be for now, Poseidon. But who's to say that mindset won't change one day. We both know just how much influence your son has over the demigods and some of this very council." Zeus replied, sending a dirty look at some particular council members who he knew liked Perseus. Poseidon wanted to retort but reluctantly gave up. Now was not the time to get into it with his brother. This meeting still had a long way ago before it ended, and he'd rather not spend the majority of it arguing with Zeus.
"So, what do you suggest we do about Camp Half-Blood?" Demeter asked her brother.
"We have them train regularly, get them more familiar with tactics like the Romans, and build up their weapon arsenal." The king of the Gods replied, almost salivating at the thought of the future powerhouse obeying his every command. With these things implemented, Perseus wouldn't have the manpower nor supplies to even think about waging war against Olympus. Then the prophecy told to him long ago wouldn't come into fruition this millennia.
"I suppose you want me to increase weapon supply to the camps?" Hephaestus asked in which Zeus eagerly nodded. The God of blacksmithing nodded his head but felt almost disgusted in doing so. He held no ill will towards Jackson and didn't want to hurt him. He didn't want his family to go to war either but there was nothing that could be done lest he wanted to end up like Hermes in the last council meeting if he chose to deny Zeus of supplies to the demigods. "It shall be done then, my lord."
"Hermes, you will relay this to both camps. Up their production of both weapons and soldiers. Act as if we are at war." Zeus pointed at Hermes who didn't dare to say a word, only nodding his head in reply. It was as if he was walking on eggshells, avoiding his father at every turn. The king turned to his other son, Dionysus, who was in a drunken stupor. Rolling his eyes, Zeus gave him a light shock of lightning, startling him awake.
"H-huh!" The God of wine groaned, falling out of his throne.
"Son, you will go to the satyr's council of elders and order them to send all available seekers out into the world to bring in as many demigods as they can. Am I understood?"
"What? Why would we do that? That hellhole is already cramped enough with all those annoying devils." Dionysus asked, rubbing his drooping eyes. But that drunken stupor was quickly knocked out of his system when he saw how serious his father was, glaring at him as if he had just announced Poseidon should rule Olympus instead of him!
"Am. I. Understood."
"Y-Yes, father."
"Dionysus has a point however, father." Athena interrupted, seeing that there was a potential problem if they brought more demigods into that camp. Although they were expanding, it wouldn't be enough to house no more than a couple hundred demigods. If Zeus was planning to bring in a much larger force, they would need to have something like New Rome.
"Then expand the territory! Build bigger cabins! Do whatever you have to do, I don't care. Just being in more demigods so that we can build an army not seen since ancient times!" Zeus yelled, lightning flashing in his eyes.
"All this just so you can destroy my son!?" Poseidon finally snapped, fed up with Zeus's crazy plan. Forming an army and upping war supplies. What was this? A war against their father!?
"No! We've been needing to do this for ages now. How are we going to have a camp for demigods right next to Olympus but not even have them trained and prepared to defend it? It's a wonder Kronos didn't destroy our thrones!" Zeus yelled back, the room beginning to shake from the two God's powers rolling off of them.
"You're just frightened of my son, brother. That prophecy told to you long ago has made you so paranoid, you think that a demigod who wants to escape your reign, wants to go to war against Olympus!"
"Shut you're fucking mouth, Poseidon. Know your place and watch your tongue when speaking to your king." Zeus clapped back, dangerously gripping his weapon and waiting for Poseidon to make a move. The two brothers squared off against one another, each gripping their godly weapons and ready to fight to the death. Thankfully it didn't come to that as Hestia came to the day once more to stop her family from starting a civil war.
"Peace, brothers. There's no need to fight today." She said, radiating a peaceful aura across the entirety of the throne room, calming everyone down. The two brothers weren't swayed however and continued to release their powerful aura, staring at one another with pure hatred in their eyes.
"I'm sick of you always trying to pin the blame on my son, Zeus. Always trying to kill him with no good reason even after all he's done for Olympus."
"A hero he might once be for Olympus but now only a traitor. You'd be best to remember that or else I'll say you're an enemy sympathizer and banish you from Olympus."
The other council members could only sit in a shocked silence as they watched the exchange continue. This was beginning to get worse by the day and now not even Hestia can prevent their arguing. The Goddess of the hearth tried to release more of her aura into the room to prevent fighting from breaking out but nothing seemed to work. Her brothers were now at each other's throats, their weapons inches away from one another.
"Stop." She desperately pleaded but to no avail. "Stop this! We're family!"
The two brothers didn't pay any mind to their sister, this time striking one another, trident against lightning bolt. The force from their attacks sent such a blast of force throughout the throne room that it shattered windows below in New York, caused the floor beneath them to splinter and crack and sent the other Olympians flying off their thrones.
"You dare go against your king!" Zeus furiously yelled, dodging his brother's trident before sending a blast of wind directly into Poseidon's chest, sending him skidding across the floor. Poseidon growled in annoyance as he settled his feet.
"Oh I dare, little brother!" He replied before sending a powerful torrent of water to Zeus, picking him up before he was sent flying into a pillar. The force of the attack destroyed the pillar and inadvertently the wall behind it. Poseidon smugly watched as Zeus's body was crushed under the enormous amount of debris and rubble. "You might be king." Poseidon muttered as he slowly walked towards the pile Zeus laid under, his trident skidding across the floor making an eerily noise. "But I'm the most powerful!" He yelled, raising his trident to send Zeus to Tartarus right where he belonged.
Before he could finish the job however, the throne room doors were harshly opened, revealing a beaten and ichor-soaked Ares. The sound of Ares screaming at Apollo for help stopped Poseidon in his tracks as he looked at the mangled form of his nephew.
"Help! Where's Apollo! Apollo….I need you!" Ares called out, spit and blood flying out of his mouth before collapsing onto the ground. The scene of Ares in such a ugly form stunned everyone in the room, even Poseidon who stopped his attack before walking over to his nephew. The God of the sea looked over Ares who seemed to have many cuts and bruises across the entirety of his body. Taking a closer look however, he noticed that most of the damage he had sustained was internal. His ribs broken, his lungs pierced and filled with ichor, even his heart was damaged but still functioning.
Poseidon watched as Apollo ran over to his brother before beginning to heal him with his powers.
"Oh Gods." Apollo muttered as he ran an analysis.
"What is it?" Poseidon asked in an anticipated tone. He had a feeling of what caused this to Ares, but he hoped it was wrong. If it was what he was thinking, then it truly meant war.
"Some of his blood is crystallized. I-Don't…I've never seen this before." Apollo replied in a shocked tone. In all his years he had never seen the crystallization of blood such as this. How Ares wasn't dead amazed him. It was like whatever caused this wanted, no. Made him stay alive so that they could inflict even more damage.
"What happened?" Zeus asked his son, finally appearing out of the rubble. The look on his face screamed of death but he held off on attacking his brother, whether it was because of Ares or scared of just how powerful Poseidon was, no one knew. Ares tried to answer but all he could get out was labored breaths, each one being released bringing a new spout of blood from his mouth.
"I'm trying, Ares. Just give me a minute!" Apollo grimaced, trying his best to put the God of war back together. He had to snap his ribs back into place, empty his lungs of ichor and remove the crystals from his bloodstream. Each action causing such immense amount of pain that it could be used as a torture method for the underworld. Every Olympian crowded around the scene as they watched the gruesome, broken body of Ares slowly but surely be put back together until finally after what seemed like an eternity, he was fully healed thanks to Apollo.
Ares gasped and coughed like a fish out of water as he slowly regained his bearings. Never did he want to be put through that amount of pain ever again. He was surprised he was still sane after the encounter.
"Ares? Son, can you hear me?" Zeus asked, kneeling down next to his son despite the large amount of ichor pooling on the ground below him.
The God of war slowly turned to his father, his eyes bloodshot and filled with uncontained rage. "Who did this?" The king asked, clasping his son's cheek.
"Jackson. Perseus Jackson did this."
~Line Break~
"And I said I have no sugar cubes dumbass! Just take me to Olympus so we can literally save the world!" Percy said, causing the entire group to laugh. They were currently sitting at the base of a mountain they had just climbed over and were taking a break from all the walking they had just done. Thankfully, they had plenty of water thanks to a small stream next to him and some leftover nuts and berries.
"That's crazy that you all had to deal with Kronos with that little amount of soldiers." Jason replied in awe at his cousin's display of leadership. To take on the king of the Titans with just that was almost Caesar level of tacticality. The Romans had only taken out Mercury's throne with their legion and even they had a rough time in doing so. How the Greeks did what they did was astonishing to say the least.
"Yup. It was certainly something else. Probably the hardest battle I've ever fought. What about you guys?" Percy replied, asking the other members that were there with him that day in New York. Travis, Katie, Nico. Will and Connor all shook their heads in exasperation.
"I don't even want to think about it."
"It's a blur for me. All I remember is just fighting and killing. Fighting and killing is all we did on those roads and bridges."
"I remember seeing that hurricane you conjured up and fighting Hyperion. That was crazy." Travis said, causing the people that weren't there to see it, eyes to widen comically.
"Wait, you fought the Titan of the east!? Why am I now just hearing about that after all the times I've heard about you in Camp!?" Leo exclaimed, amazed that his friend was able to accomplish a feat such as defeating Hyperion. Percy rolled his eyes at the awed looks surrounding him. Why did the stories about him always get exaggerated?
"Yes, I fought Hyperion, but I didn't defeat him. Grover did." The son of Poseidon replied.
"Pshhh. You did most of the damage. Once that Titan was down for the count, Grover just cleaned up the mess." Connor said. The group laughed at Percy's abashed look, continuing to talk for a while longer before they needed to hit the road again. There was still about two hours of daylight left. That meant an hour of walking and another hour of looking for suitable shelter to hunker down for the night since they didn't have tents.
"Percy, can't you just, I don't know, sense that place you saw in your dream. You should be able to feel that waterfall, right?" Hazel asked, walking with him at his side as the group trekked their way through the Alaskan wilderness once more. Percy shook his head. He wished he could but for some reason he couldn't feel any type of water flow of that nature from his dream. Maybe that was a good thing. If even he, a son of Poseidon, couldn't sense the place where the Fates showed him to settle, then maybe that meant not even the Gods could if they chose to come after them.
Hazel seemed disappointed with his reply but nevertheless kept on walking. Percy admired that about her. No matter how disappointed or sad Hazel might be, she always pushed on. He had seen many examples of that like when they were in Alaska or sailing on the Argo two. She was always there to help somebody. That's why he was glad she decided to come with him to Alaska. He needed her for that support. Percy turned to look at her as she slowed down her walk to subtly walk close to Frank.
"Maybe there was one more reason why she came to Alaska with me." Percy smiled to himself as he watched the couple walk together. The sight reminded him of Annabeth and he in the old days. Walking closer to one another as they went on with their quest, each finding safety in the other's presence. The subtle touching of hands and the awkward side glances at one another. Young love. The son of Poseidon's heart ached in longing for that again. To see Annabeth.
Shaking his head to not be in that depressing mindset, Percy focused on what needed to be done first before he could see her again. Find the place in his dream, make a camp, bring in other demigods, survive and live. That was what was most important right now, not his desires. As he walked with his friends, the blacked haired demigod noticed a small entrance at the side of a mountain. Shelter, he realized. Something they desperately needed before nightfall in case of rain or monsters.
"We're stopping here for the night. No need to push on further and risk it." He said, pointing over at the cave. They were lucky to have stumbled upon this. Any further and they would literally be sleeping on the ground.
"I'll get started on the fire." Leo said, dropping his bag.
"Piper, Hazel and I are gonna go look for any food." Katie said, going deep into the woods with the girls, each armed with weapons just in case they ran upon any unwanted visitors. That left the rest of the guys who opted to try their best in making makeshift beds from leaves and grass. It was a tedious task and one they weren't familiar with, but it needed to be done lest they wanted to sleep on jagged rocks for the night. That definitely wasn't a pleasant experience they wanted to return to.
The group was silent, all occupied with their task. The sound of leaves and grass being bound was the only noise filling the cave. Nico was the first to break the silence.
"Percy. We need to talk." He said, making the son of Poseidon stop his task and look at him curiously. He noticed the others had stopped too and were all looking at him expectantly. It was like they were all in on some sort of secret that he was excluded from.
"What?" The son of Poseidon asked, feeling very aware of all the eyes on him. Nico sighed as he rubbed his forehead. How did he approach this question? He knew Percy probably wouldn't mind him asking it and he definitely knew the others wanted to know his answer after they all saw what his cousin had done that night. Maybe he should just not beat around the bush?
"We uhh…we saw you-" Connor stuttered out.
"We saw you snap a cyclops's neck without even touching it. Care to explain how you did that." Nico asked, rolling his eyes at the son of Hermes nervousness. Nico noticed that Percy's posture had stiffened, and his eyes darkened after he asked the question. Nico knew that the question had irked him. He suspected the newfound power of his wasn't discovered in a field of roses. Percy must've done some pretty gruesome things that even the underworld would cringe at to discover it.
"Sit down. All of you." He said in which they immediately complied. When Percy was serious it was best to stay on his good side. The son of Poseidon deeply sighed as he thought of the best way to explain this to them. He had to figure out how to explain without dwelling too long into those memories of that godsforsaken place.
"Where do I even begin?" He sighed. "I guess we can start at Tartarus."
The room grew cold, and the group shuddered at the name of the pit where not even the Gods venture into.
"Tartarus is a place where you will break. Mentally and physically. Annabeth and I…we went through so much shit down there; I didn't think we were gonna make it out alive. Constantly looking behind your back, your lungs and eyes feeling like they're on fire, the screams…it-it- I can't even explain the fear I felt."
"Hey, Perce. You don't need to tell us if you don't-"
"No!" Percy's head snapped. "No, I need to explain this. I've never told anyone what happened down there. I need to let it out. Maybe…maybe it can help." The son of Poseidon rubbed his sweaty brow before continuing. "We ran into Akhlys down there and she turned on us. I-I got so angry that I turned her own poison against her. I don't know how I did and I didn't really care. I just wanted her dead."
"Did you?" Nico asked, his arms crossed as he intently listened. Percy gave a pained smile in reply.
"No. Annabeth stopped me before I could. But here's the thing. I could've. It was so easy. I found joy for once while I was down there. I found joy in inflicting all that misery on that Goddess just so she could feel what I had been feeling. But Annabeth…she stopped me. The look of fear on her face was something that shook me to the core. I had never seen her with that face before."
The group laid silent as they took in his words. Truth be told, they too were scared of Percy's power. To control a Goddess's own power like that and inflict it back onto her was unheard of! Especially a demigod doing it to her. It made them wonder just how powerful Percy actually was? If he could control an immortal's power, what else could he do?
"I stopped using that power after that. I didn't want to break the promise I gave to Annabeth." Percy continued.
"I'm assuming that night was your first time using it since." Jason asked in which the son of Poseidon nodded.
"It was instinct, something I almost couldn't control. If I hadn't, my head would be clean off my shoulders."
"Now that you aren't with Annabeth anymore. Will you continue to use that power?" Frank asked. Percy gave him a squinted glare that made the son of Mars fidget.
"We are still together, Frank. Just because she's not here doesn't mean our relationship is over. I still love her. To answer your question though, I'm going to try to keep the promise I gave her. The power I hold at my fingertips could make a man mad. I need to limit myself, so I don't end up like that myself."
The cave was silent with only the crackling of fire filling the air. Now that the conversation was over, they've felt more comfortable. It had been nagging at the minds for days now. They all admired Percy for that though. To have all that power but not use it for glory and only to protect your friends took a special kind of man. That's the kind of man they would follow. Suddenly from the entrance of the cave, the group heard the running of footsteps and heavy breathing, breaking all of them out of their trance as they eyed a bruised and mud-soaked Katie Gardner running into the dimly lit cave.
"He's here! He's here!" She repeated breathlessly. The group of men immediately shot up from their seats, each grabbing their weapons as they prepared for the threat.
"Who!? Who's here, Katie?" Percy asked, grabbing a hold of her so she could settle down. The son of Poseidon could feel just how scared she was. Clinging to him like a lost animal and shivering with pure fear.
"Ares! He-he's got Hazel and Piper!" She wept. Percy's heart went still as he eyed the entrance of the cave, rain beginning to heavily pour from outside. So, the Gods had managed to find them. And so soon too. He was hoping to have more time, but it seemed fate had other ideas. He could feel Katie being taken from his arms as he watched Travis hold her weeping form. The sight making Percy's vision turn red. Why? Why couldn't they just leave them alone? They hadn't done anything to harm the Gods. All they wanted was to live the remainder of their days in peace. Why couldn't the Gods accept that.
"Piper and Hazel! Are they ok?" Jason and Frank asked in unison, both gripping their weapons knuckle tight in anticipation.
"They're still alive but he's got a hold of them. He let me run away so I could tell you." Katie responded before turning to Percy. "He's specifically asking for you." She said, making Percy's blood turn cold. A cold smile appeared on Percy's face as he realized what Ares wanted and he would be glad to deliver it.
"Get ready, all of you. We're going after him and getting Hazel and Piper back." Percy said, running out of the cave and into the cold, stormy night. It took no time to find the God of war who was only a couple feet away from the entrance of the cave, the sight of his blood red eyes being the only thing Percy could make out in the rainy darkness. The son of Poseidon could see Hazel and Piper kneeling in front of Ares, bruised and battered but still alive. The sight of the girls alive made his nerves lessen.
"Long time no see, Perseus. Let's have a chat."