A/N: This is simply an idea for a story that I've had for about four years now. It has been sitting on my computer unpublished since 2019. I've never had the time to commit to writing until recently, so I figured I'd give it a try.
I'm unsure whether I want to commit to this story long term. There is another that I will be starting soon and will commit to. That story will be a Harry Potter fanfiction. Depending on the response to this story, I may alternate updates between the two. This is my first foray into fanfiction so feel free to leave constructive criticism as you see fit. If this story receives no interest, I'll simply take it down and focus solely on my Harry Potter work that will be coming out in about a week.
I obviously own nothing. This is merely a fanfiction of the PJO universe.
Prologue
Sally Jackson walked home from her current job in New York city on a Friday evening glad for the weekend to finally arrive. As she walked the short distance to her small studio apartment, she couldn't help but feel like there was more to her life than what there currently was.
She currently worked in a small sweet shop that only provided enough money for her basic needs unless she worked overtime to have any amount of money for things that weren't the essentials. As she walked her thoughts drifted to her childhood. She always knew that she was… different. At least that's the way that her late parents always described her to make her feel as though she wasn't an outcast.
It all started at the young age of four. Not surprising when you think of the fact that four years old is generally when most humans have their first true memories. Her parents couldn't have been more confused when their little girl suddenly ran to them crying about seeing monsters on the streets of New York. Naturally her parents did what any responsible parents would. They explained to her that monsters don't exist and that it was her imagination that was making her see these things. Unfortunately for Sally, she kept "seeing things."
As it became clear to her parents that these incidents were not going to stop, they did the only reasonable thing a parent could do. That's how she found herself in the office of a psychiatrist at the age of nine. Of course, the doctor didn't believe her even after she desperately tried to explain everything for almost an hour. Looking back on the memory she still remembers the, from what her parents told her, intern from that day.
Sally had been explaining everything for at least thirty minutes when the intern had come knocking on the door to ask the doctor a question. Sally was sure that she had heard at least some of what she was explaining to the doctor at the time from the look on her face. Their eyes met and in them Sally saw the same obvious look of pity and almost sympathy that her own parents had given her over the years. It wasn't until Sally had grown older that she realized that there was something else in her eyes at the time that made the look different from the others that she had received. Looking back, she had realized that it was almost a knowing look that the lady had given her. She had once gone back to that office years later out of curiosity but the lady with striking gray eyes was no longer there. When she had asked the very same doctor where she had gone, he had stated that she finished her internship and opened a practice somewhere else in the country. Unfortunately, the doctor had no clue as to where her new practice was.
Sally had finally given up at that point and accepted that she may never have answers for the things that she so often saw. To this day she often saw things in passing that she couldn't readily explain. She would see creatures that by all rights should only live in lore or bedtime stories told by parents. This eventually led to her fascination with mythology of all types. She spent much of her free time as a young adult learning all she could about different cultures' mythology and their origins. Greek and Roman mythology became her focus one night at the age of seventeen when the descriptions of monsters in the books started to roughly line up with the things that she would sometimes see on the streets of New York. as far-fetched as it seemed to even her at the time, she started to consider the possibility of these things being a reality. The only issue with her theories was that she couldn't explain how only she could see all of these things.
Nevertheless, she refused to let go of that theory and continued to study as much as she could throughout the years. She focused heavily on Greek mythology as it seemed to have the most correlations with her life and what she was seeing. Also, she was a bit biased by the fact that she personally found them to be the most interesting of all the cultures that she had studied. As a result of all her studies she had become quite the self-taught expert on the subject and could rival the knowledge of some college professors if she so chose.
As these thoughts drifted through her head she almost didn't realize when she walked up to the door of her small apartment. Shaking her head clear of a life-long series of thoughts she unlocked the door and entered, ready to relax for the weekend. After making a simple dinner for herself she crossed the room to her favorite chair that looked out over the city through the one window in the common area. As she gazed out, she couldn't help but feel saddened by the fact that she couldn't see the stars while within the city limits. The tranquil night sky had always been a comfort for her whenever she managed to leave the city for any length of time growing up. It was truly a shame the way humans had disregarded their environment over time. As she read her most recent instalment of knowledge on the ancient Greek world, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
—-
Sally woke up in her apartment what felt like just a moment after falling asleep. As she peered out of the window next to her looking at the streets of New York her eyes widened. As she looked at the city below it appeared as though time had simply stood still. No cars were moving and people that should have been walking down the sidewalks were actually stopped mid-stride. Panicking slightly, she turned to the interior of her apartment and yelped at what she saw. Sitting on her couch, calmly sipping on what appeared to be a cup of tea, was a man she had never laid eyes on before. Sally was about to scream before the logical portion of her brain came to the only possible conclusion for the situation. She was dreaming. None of this was real. As she came to this conclusion and let out a calming breath, the man spoke.
"Ah, yes. You are correct of course. You are indeed dreaming. But why, may I ask, does that mean that this is not real?"
As Sally registered that this figment of her dream had just roughly quoted Dumbledore of all people, she truly observed the man before her for the first time. He was clearly tall. As hard as it was to guess from his sitting position, she estimated internally that he would be somewhere between 6'2"-6'4" when standing. He was lightly tanned and vaguely reminded Sally of the people in the many pictures she had observed of Greek culture over the years. He was not as tan, but still held the resemblance of someone that was of Mediterranean descent. He had sharp features that were slightly gaunt, and a strong jaw. Unruly raven black hair was lazily pushed to one side, slightly obscuring one of his eyes. It was then she noticed the most striking thing about the man, his eyes. Sally found herself staring into endlessly black irises with specks of silvery-white littered throughout. The iris was so close to black that one could not distinguish between where the iris ended, and the pupil began. To Sally, the eyes she stared into were like staring into a perfectly clear night sky. Then she noticed the border of his irises. The border separating the iris from the sclera was a deep royal blue that seemed to slowly pulse.
Tearing herself away from his gaze she realized that she hadn't spoken in some time. Rather than being annoyed or frustrated, the man seemed to patiently wait for her to collect herself and find the words to speak. When she was finally about to respond, he spoke once more instead.
"Yes, I know, the quote may have been a bit much. Unfortunately, there is not a lot for me to do now that I am no longer able to take any type of physical form. Harry Potter was one of the more interesting things for me over the last century. Besides, I quite like Dumbledore and the demeanor that he has. Aside from the fact that he blatantly manipulates the lives of others, that is… I'd like to imagine that it somewhat reminds me of myself, aside from the manipulations of course, but I suppose that is something to be decided by others in the end…"
As Sally registered the words that he had spoken she finally realized something that she had been missing about the man. Looking at him she felt the same way that she did whenever she saw one of the creatures that didn't truly belong in the human world. She didn't, however, get the feeling that he was hostile to any extent. That coupled with the fact that she still believed wholeheartedly that this was just a dream, perhaps her brain trying to help her finally cope with all of the strange things in her life, gave her the confidence to ask the man a question. One she thought to be simple. Oh, how wrong she was.
"I'm sorry sir, but who are you and what are you doing in my apartment?" She tried to sound forceful with the question, but her own voice betrayed her. It ended up coming out simply sounding curious.
"Ah. Well, that is a much larger question than you may realize at the moment. We will get to who I am in good time, don't fret. I think we should start somewhere else, and possibly lead you to the proper conclusion once you have more information. How does that sound?" He said gently. He almost sounded hopeful, as if her decision carried great weight.
Sally pondered the man's suggestion for a moment. In the end she came to the conclusion, it is a dream after all… why not? "I suppose that will be alright…"
"Perfect!" The man exclaimed. His eyes were shining, and the specks of light gleamed a little brighter as he leaned forward to begin. "Let's begin with a question. I know that throughout your life you have seen things in this world that cannot be explained through logic alone. Given the amount of research that you have done in your spare time I'd even wager that you have at least some semblance of a theory as to what you experience?" He phrased the last part as a question, but the slight smirk on his face and the mirth shining in his eyes said that he already knew the answer.
Seeing that she had nothing to lose in this figment of her imagination, Sally decided for the first time in her life to vent all of her theories that she had slowly concocted over years of research. "Well… As you said, I see things every day that simply cannot be explained in simple terms. Creatures… Beings and things that simply do not or should not exist. My research that you spoke of led me to an answer that is as unlikely as the rest. That-"
"That the myths you so love to study are in fact real? Not only in the past, but in the present as well?" He finished for her. He smiled a blindingly white smile at the agape expression on her face at his proclamation.
"But that is simply not possible. There are so many reasons why it isn't possible." Sally countered as she unconsciously turned her chair to better speak to the man before her.
The man smiled serenely at her increased interest. He leaned back a bit now that he had her attention and sipped on his tea before he began once again. "My dear it is not that it is not possible for this to be true. In fact, it is true. You came to the correct conclusion, but the problem is you still don't have the full picture, or all the answers that you need. I will do my best to fill in the gaps for you in a way you understand. First, I'm sure that I know what is likely your most important question. Why you? Why can you see everything as it truly is when the others around you, even your very own parents, could not?"
As he paused briefly, Sally appeared slightly hurt at the reminder that her own parents could never believe what she told them. He gave her a sympathetic look that she had been given many times before. As she was about to tell him that she didn't need the look of pity, she recognized the sense of understanding in his eyes. She refrained from commenting and allowed him to continue.
"Well, your answer is that you are special. Before you interrupt saying that you have heard that before, I am not simply claiming that you have an overactive imagination like the many others before me." He gave her a pointed look as she scoffed, and it was clearly about to interrupt. "What I am saying is that you are gifted. You are mortal but you are a mortal that is able to completely see into a world of immortal beings. A world that is normally hidden from the eyes of all mortals. Most of what you have researched throughout your studies of Greek mythology is true, albeit altered here or there. The basis of most stories are factual, though the details may not all be correct."
Sally pondered the man's words and felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps she was finally getting the answers that, though far from logical, oddly made the most sense. "So, all of the gods exist? Even today?" She asked apprehensively.
"Yes, yes they are. I know that this is a lot to take in. It's also a lot to believe simply on faith, however, if you truly think about the compilation of abnormal things that you have seen throughout your young life, I believe that you'll come to the conclusion that it isn't as impossible as it may initially seem." He continued to explain.
As Sally's mind drifted back to all the seemingly impossible creatures, she had seen she saw the truth in his words. She looked up at the man who was looking at her expectantly. "Let's say for a moment that I believe you. What can you tell me about this world, and what makes me so special as you put it?"
He smiled gently and the cup in his hand simply disappeared into thin air. As she opened her mouth to ask the obvious question of the disappearing cup, he spoke first. "I'll answer that question in good time, Sally. Now to answer your initial questions, I can tell you a great deal about this world. To tell you all the knowledge I possess would take far too long. So, I will give you the most important information for you to get a basic understanding."
Sally nodded for him to continue. "To begin, the entirety of the Greek Parthenon is alive and well. During the time of Ancient Greece, they ruled in the open. They freely interacted with the mortal world because the mortal world strongly believed in them. It was the belief of the mortal world that gave them their power. Well, that and the domains that each immortal, or God as it were, held. They drew power from the belief and the prayers that were offered. As the mortal world slowly started to no longer believe in them, they shifted to drawing the majority of their power from the domains that they held. A simple example of this would be Poseidon. As the God of the Sea, Earthquakes, and Storms, he draws power from the vast expanse of oceans, or storms that ravage the world."
Sally listened intently to the information that was offered. "It makes sense that they would draw power from the things that they represent… but how do they exist without anyone knowing?"
"The simple answer to your question is magic. A type of magic anyway. In the world of the gods, it is known simply as 'the Mist'. It's a type of magic veil that separates the mortal world from the world that they simply wouldn't understand. It causes beings and events of mythological origins to appear as day-to-day things. For example, a creature such as a hellhound, which is essentially a pitch-black canine at least twice the size of the largest mortal dog, would simply appear to mortals as a stray dog on the street. The Mist is powerful. It is even able to mask large-scale cataclysmic events from the entirety of the mortal world. Including, but not limited to, Divine Wars, godly altercations, or dwellings of divine beings." He stated.
"That would make sense. If people saw any number of those things on a regular basis it would cause mass panic." Sally said. Thinking of the implications of day-to-day human interaction with the divine world made her head spin. Humans as a species crave control. Attempting to imagine their reaction to realizing that they have very limited control on what happens in the world as a whole was a scary thought.
Seemingly having read her mind once again he responded, "Yes, I see that you've come to the same conclusion that we did when we created the Mist. Humans do indeed crave control. It's better that they be left in the dark when it comes to events that they couldn't hope to make a difference in anyway. As to why you can see through the Mist, you are what we call a 'clear-sighted' mortal. A mortal, that for whatever reason, can see straight through the veil we created. Now it's important to note that there are varying degrees of being 'clear-sighted'. You, however, seem to be an extreme case. The Mist has no effect on you whatsoever. This is quite a rare occurrence to be sure."
As he explained her unique circumstance, Sally truly began to accept this as a genuine possibility. Now that he had begun to give her answers it occurred to her that she had yet to ask about the very man in front of her. She observed him once again, taking note of the entirely black outfit he was wearing. Black pants, belt, shoes, and a black dress shirt worn casually. He had one button undone and the long sleeves rolled up to his elbow. He was obviously muscular, but not overly so. He had a medium build of lean muscle. Sally then noticed something else about him. If she focused, she could almost feel him radiating an untold power that was laying dormant just below the surface.
"You are a god." Sally said it as a statement rather than a question. For the first time the now identified God seemed genuinely shocked. His eyebrows raised slightly at her observation.
"Indeed I am. Though I am curious as to how you came to that conclusion. I had planned to tell you in due time of course, but how did you know?" He asked with piqued curiosity.
"I don't know exactly… It's almost as if I can feel it. You have an… aura about you I guess you could say. Almost like a power being actively restrained, waiting to be used." Sally tried her best to explain.
"Fascinating. In all my many years I've yet to see or hear of a clear-sighted mortal that could sense the aura of a god. You are truly special Sally. I wonder…" He trailed off, seemingly deep in thought. "Sally, I'd like you to try looking closer at this 'aura' that you sense. Focus on it, the feelings that it radiates. Then tell me what you find." He said as he leaned in, seemingly eager to hear her response.
Sally obliged, focusing on the aura the man was giving off. As she looked closer, she felt almost… a darkness about him. Not evil, not malefic, but a different kind of darkness. "It's dark… but not in a bad or foreboding way. If I had to describe it, it's almost like a tranquil darkness… like sitting on an empty beach beneath the stars on a cool summer night."
He beamed at her description, then smiled a satisfied smile, seemingly pleased by her description. "You are remarkable Sally, I must say. That description is almost exactly the one that I received many years ago by a goddess that I was very close to. For you to be able to provide a description like that shouldn't be possible, and yet here you are. The aura that a god or goddess gives off is a compilation of the essence of the domains that they possess, mixed with their innate personality traits. You can tell a lot by the aura of an immortal being." He explained.
Sally nodded, thinking about the aura of the man before her. "So based on the darkness that I sensed and what I know of the Greek Parthenon, the conclusion I should come to is that you are Hades, given his domain of the Underworld. But somehow… that doesn't seem right. It's not the right kind of darkness that I imagine Hades would give off. So that begs the question, who are you?"
The man seemed somewhat entertained by the prospect of his aura being compared to that of Hades. He smiled and laughed lightly, "Who indeed. Well, you are close. My domains do overlap with his in some ways, although that is common among the gods. For example, the Domain of War has many gods and goddesses that contribute to one aspect or another. Athena for battle strategy and tactics, and Ares for the more broad and violet acts of war. Back to the original question though, I am Hector Aegeus." He said, extending his hand.
Sally's face adopted a confused expression as she shook his hand. In her humble opinion, she possessed a vast knowledge of Ancient Greece and especially Greek Mythology, yet she had never heard the name before. Being curious as she was, she asked, "Why is it that I have never heard of you?"
He seemed slightly saddened by the question, a slight frown adorning his face. "Well, that is a complicated question. You know of the Titan War, correct?" He asked.
"Yes of course. The war between the gods, who were the offspring of the titans, and the titans themselves. The gods eventually overthrew their titan father, Kronos, and cut him up with his own scythe. Can't say as though I blame them, after all he did eat them simply out of fear that they would overthrow them. I guess that's what you'd call a self-fulfilling prophecy." Sally rambled.
"Yes, he was foolish indeed to think that he could avoid the prophecy that foretold his downfall. Fate is not something that you can simply run from or try to avoid. Fate comes for us all eventually; this I know better than most." He mumbled the last part, but Sally still heard.
Unable to contain the question, she asked, "What do you mean by that? That you know that better than most?"
"The very thing I was about to tell you, funny enough. Anyway, sometime after the Titan War ended, and the gods assumed control over this world, Gaea, the Primordial Goddess of the Earth itself, birthed a new race of immortals called the Giants. These beings were quite literally born to oppose the gods. This conflict was called the Giant War. It was a mighty conflict, with many losses. I was one of those losses. I was a very powerful god at the time, and Gaea was not overly happy with the amount of her children that I had slain in the name of protecting my family." He said. As he mentioned his family his tone changed to one of melancholy.
"Your family?" Sally inquired gently.
"Yes. The gods are my family. Well, in a way I suppose. I am the half-brother of the eldest gods. I am the eldest child of Kronos, Titan of Time. The other siblings, however, are all the children of both Kronos and Rhea. I was conceived prior to this and taken away to be raised by my biological mother. Even Kronos wouldn't be foolish enough to try and resist the decision of my mother." He said with a faint smile.
"Who was your mother then? Who could possibly strike that much fear into the King of the Titans?" Sally inquired.
"My mother is Nyx, the Primordial Goddess of the Night." He said, with a slight tone of pride, with his eyes growing a bit brighter.
Sally tried to think of any information she could remember learning of Nyx but couldn't seem to remember much. All she could seem to gather was that she was the 'Personification of Night' and Zeus himself feared her power. She told as much to Hector, and he laughed mirthlessly in response.
"Yes, not much information on my mother is available to the mortal world. You see, there is a large difference between a normal god or goddess, and a Primordial. A regular god or goddess has control over their domains and draws power from them. Primordials… They are much different. They are the very personification of the domains that they represent. Nyx is the night, instead of simply having dominion over it. Technically they are the parents to the first generation of Titans as well. As a result of all of this, they are many times more powerful than gods, or even titans. They also do not bother themselves with interfering in mortal affairs or the day-to-day ruling of the world. Mostly, they stick to their domains and live a predominately solitary lifestyle." Hector explained.
"I see." Sally responded. She thought for a moment then continued, "So you are the half-brother of the six children of Kronos and Rhea. Hades, Hestia, Poseidon, Demeter, Hera, and Zeus."
Hector seemed to get a faraway look in his eyes as he thought about his family. "Yes, that is correct. I helped Zeus trick my father into throwing up my siblings and helped win the Titan War as well. Then we enjoyed peace for some time. Zeus was a better leader back then, before the Giant War. The peace between the two wars was a prosperous one. I helped raise my favorite nieces during that time…" He said more to himself.
"Your favorite nieces?" Sally asked.
"Yes… You see, even back then when Zeus was a better leader than he is now, he was still not particularly good at being a father figure. I love my brother as much as my other siblings, but I can't say that I agree with his infidelity to Hera, my sister. It doesn't help matters that he was never truly there for any of his children, but especially the ones that he conceived outside of his marriage. As you know, many of the gods and goddesses in ancient times were not faithful. They still aren't even today in many cases, but I'll get back to that. Due to Zeus not taking an active role in the lives of his children, I decided to be there for many of them. I saw it as a way to be another father figure to them. You see, much like there are maiden goddesses… well… I guess you could call me the male equivalent. So, I jumped at the opportunity to be there for my nieces and nephews. My favorite though, mind you I will deny this if asked because I can't be caught playing favorites, were Athena and Artemis." He said, smiling at the thought of his little girls.
"Wow… To think that you helped raise two of the most fearsome goddesses in existence…" Sally said in slight awe.
Hector gave her a blindingly white smile. "Yes, I am very proud. Although they have made mistakes since I was forced out of their lives… I daresay they have lost their way a bit."
"Yes… Some of the myths about them are quite brutal… But what do you mean 'forced out of their lives'?" Sally asked.
"Oh, don't take all the myths to heart. They tend to exaggerate things quite a bit. For example, Artemis doesn't just go around exterminating the male species due to her man-hating tendencies. She simply deals justice to the truly nasty ones out there. Those that would cause harm, or worse, to innocent maidens. Artemis is the patron to maidens after all, so she would be remiss if she did nothing to protect them. She does, however, hold no love for men. She believes almost all to be evil beneath the surface, believing that they think only of themselves or their carnal desires in the recesses of the subconscious mind. She is correct in many cases of course, but not in all cases as she believes."
"Anyway, back to the original topic at hand. I was forced out of their lives by Gaea at the conclusion of the Giant War. In a final act of vengeance against me and my family, she used the last of her power to destroy me. You see, gods cannot die. If we perish, only our physical form is destroyed. We then spend the next several decades in Tartarus, which is the deepest pit in the underworld, reforming. Tartarus is another Primordial force, but that is a topic for another day. Think of it as our 'hell' for lack of a better description. Monsters dwell there, and it is an uninhabitable wasteland for any being that is mortal. It is even a terrifying prospect for most immortals. Overall, not a pleasant place." Hector said while wincing at the thought.
"But Hector, if you cannot die, how did Gaea force you away from your family?" Sally asked.
"Well unfortunately Gaea is a being of immense power. She used her power to do more than destroy my physical form. In fact, she attempted to erase me from existence entirely. Had she succeeded, I would have faded completely from existence and would have been forcibly forgotten by immortals and mortals alike." Sally paled at the prospect of such a fate.
"So, if she failed… What happened?" Sally asked.
"At the time her energy was already nearly depleted. If it hadn't been, she most definitely would have succeeded with her plan. As it was, however, my physical form was permanently destroyed. I have a consciousness of sorts, but I can no longer interact directly with the immortal world. It appears that fate has a different plan for me. I should know." He said with a knowing look.
"What do you mean?" Sally questioned.
"Hm. I suppose I should formally introduce myself at this point. I am Hector Aegeus. Son of Kronos and Nyx. God of Night, Constellations, Storms, Tides and Fate. Also, much like Poseidon is the Lord of Horses, I am the Lord of Wolves." He said with a smile.