AN: So hey everyone here is the next chapter, the support is still great, and the speculation is still ongoing, I haven't revealed the truth yet as I want it to be a surprise, though I will admit there have been some accurate guesses.
Other than that thanks a lot for all of the reviews, they are really appreciated, and I am glad you all seem to enjoy my story, I hope I don't disappoint with this next chapter.
Thanks a lot for reading, please do leave a comment or review at the end!
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson obviously.
Betaed by Arch_Angel in December 2022
( - )
(Last Time)
Apollo soon made his own way onto the bus after receiving a quick lecture from Artemis and smiled back at everyone on board.
"Today you're all in for a special treat. Thalia how would you like to have a go steering the sun?" Apollo asked with a big smile as he looked at a rapidly paling Thalia.
'Well this is going to go well...' Percy thought to himself as she saw Thalia slowly stand up, her already pale skin practically chalk white as she approached the driver's seat, her hands already beginning to shake.
( - )
Chapter 4
( - )
(Camp Half Blood)
It had been a peaceful evening thus far for the residents of Camp Half Blood. As the few remaining, full-time residents of the Camp, those demigods who unfortunately had nowhere else to go, either because they had no choice or because their worry for their families led to them staying away for their safety, puttered about doing their own thing.
Yes, these thirty or so demigods that were still in the Camp had been having a peaceful, tranquil day. Either by relaxing with their friends in the eternally pleasant weather the camp was blessed with, wallowing away the days until summer. Or by training their respective skills whilst they had the time and space to do so.
The peace that had previously permeated the camp was soon brought to a crashing halt, literally, as with a large explosion of fire what looked like a school bus exploded from the sky in a ball of fire.
With a loud splashing sound and an explosion of steam the fiery vehicle crashed into Camp Half Blood's lake, terrifying more than a few Naiads who called the lake home.
In response to the sudden intrusion, the reaction from the Camp was swift, something that was not surprising considering the type of Camp it is. The remaining campers were swift in their reply, as those that had them, drew their Celestial Bronze weapons and steadily approached the intrusion, already preparing to fight or retreat depending on the threat.
Those that didn't have a weapon retreated, or didn't have any offensive capability, not wanting to get in the way of those that did in case a fight did break out. With those that could fight heading for their cabins to grab their weapons, whilst those that couldn't already started preparing to support the warriors.
Their caution though was, in this case, unnecessary as because when the steam from the fiery objects impact into the lake dispersed, it revealed a standard looking school bus, but more importantly it revealed a number of familiar faces getting off of the bus.
These faces included Thalia, Grover and Theo, all of whom were well known and, for the most part, well-liked by the Campers.
A number of smiles and laughs came from the Campers as they saw the now drenched Grover and Thalia making their way to the lake shore, with a bone dry, yet pale faced, Theo easily appearing beside them. The laughs were partly due to the hilarity of their appearance, but also somewhat due to the relief of them coming back alive from their mission, even from the minor one that they had gone on.
Following behind the familiar figures were several others, only some of the present Campers recognized them, and those that did, their laughter was less than friendly as they saw the drenched Hunters coming ashore.
Noticeably, with the Hunter's was another boy, someone the Campers were unfamiliar with. But then again, they had heard how Thalia and the others had been sent out to contact some powerful, suspected demigods, which led many to the conclusion that the dark-haired boy was simply one of the demigods they had gone to Maine to collect.
Galloping up to the edge of the lake, Chiron the centaur, the Camp Director and the legendary trainer of heroes made himself known.
The centaur had a regular human looking upper body that was covered by a red sweat-shirt which was covered with a white hoof-print design. His face was also currently sporting a curly, somewhat tangled beard that covered the vast majority of his neck like some sort of scarf. His lower half though, his lower half was that of a white stallion, which was not surprising considering he was a centaur.
At the appearance of the centaur, the watching demigods all quickly moved out of his way as he trotted forwards and approached the new arrivals.
"Welcome to Camp Half Blood." Chiron said, a relieved smile on his face as he came to a stop at the edge of the lake and looked at the arrivals, his kindly eyes flickering to the God of the Sun, Apollo, as he also waded ashore, the blonde god looking completely at ease with his Sun Chariot's, currently in the form of a bus, condition as it wallowed in the Camp's lake.
The reason for his nonchalance soon became obvious, as with a click of the god's fingers the Chariot dispersed into golden light, getting a number of ooohs and ahhhs from the watching Campers.
Chiron, however, didn't pay attention to Apollo's little display, instead the trainer of heroes smile dimmed as he realized that one of the number was missing.
Annabeth, the daughter of Athena was missing. A highly capable and skilled girl, one who had been at Camp Half Blood since she was seven-year-olds, and was a veteran of two other quests, was not here. To Chiron her absence meant only one thing.
"Theseus, Thalia, Grover I think we will need to talk in the Big House." Chiron said, calmly gesturing as he did so to the large house in the middle of the Camp. Seeing them nod, he then turned to the Hunters, a forced smile appearing on his face. "Once again welcome to Camp Half Blood, Hunters of Artemis. I take it you remember where Lady Artemis's cabin is?"
Zoe Nightshade nodded her head at that, gesturing for her fellow Hunters to follow her as she made her way away from the lake, heading towards a number of flamboyant looking cabins in the distance.
With each one the twelve cabins representing one of the Olympians and housing said god's demigod children, with the children of the minor god's all being put up in the Hermes Cabin.
Without a word to any of the Campers the group of Hunter's made their way through the surrounding onlookers, a couple of them making sure to barge those that got to close out of their way.
Clearly there was some bad blood between the demigods of Camp Half Blood and the Hunters of Artemis.
As the Hunters left the scene, this left only Percy and Apollo standing by the lake, the attention of most of the remaining Campers present, and those that had just returned, their weapons in hand, resting on them.
Chiron as composed as always opened his mouth, preparing to address Apollo, only for him to be cut off by the very same god.
"Don't worry about it Chiron, I will probably head off soon. Will drop in on my kids first though; maybe even give them a few pointers before heading off! The sun's not going to pull itself after all!" Apollo cut in with a short laugh and a large grin, sending a wink towards some nearby golden haired, blue eyed children, all of whom were watch him with looks of surprise and excitement.
Ignoring as he did so the fact that the sun was more that capable of moving itself, it had after all done so before he existed and would continue to do so long after he had faded.
Walking away from Chiron, Apollo beckoned towards his kids motioning them to follow him. After which, as he walked off, he could be audibly heard giving his kids a few pointers in archery, making more than a few references to 'showing the Hunters of Artemis how it's done' as he did so.
Seeing the focus of their attention disappearing, the other Campers also soon started to move off as well, some of them heading off to continue what they had been doing previously.
Whilst others, who like Chiron had noticed the absence of Annabeth, went back to their Cabins, no doubt to mourn the loss of one of their comrades.
Some however remained, maybe a dozen or so, all of whom were all looking at Percy in interest, with Thalia, Grover and Theo also hanging on, both waiting on Chiron, and keeping an eye on the ever mysterious Percy.
This in turn also left Percy standing alone in front of Chiron, the other demigods now standing behind Chiron. With most of them giving him a mixture of judging looks and looks of curiosity. Not that their curiosity bothered him, he'd been treated far worse than that upon first meetings.
Thinking about it, the Amazons had been far worse when he had first toddled into their headquarters. Even now over a year later he could remember the gleefully violent reaction from a pair of twin, Amazon sisters, both of whom had attempted to kill him upon their first meeting.
Raising his hand in greeting Percy said the first thing that came to mind.
"Sup."
Chiron blinked at his reaction to the whole situation, before shrugging it off with practiced ease. "Hello young one. I am Chiron the trainer of Heroes and the Director of Camp Half Blood."
"Yeah I had already guessed." Percy replied with a shrug.
Chiron blinked, once again taken aback by Percy's casual response.
Thalia, rolling her eyes took it upon herself to help Chiron out. "His name is Percy, Percy Jackson, no relation to Theo, and he already knows about the gods and demigods."
Around Percy the surrounding Campers started muttering at the name Jackson, some of them sending speculative looks at the surprised Theo, and then back at Percy, as if they were trying to compare their appearances.
A few moments later though most of them seemed to conclude that, like Thalia, had said, they were not related. Sure, they had similar hair, and skin tones, but their facial features were slightly different, as too were their builds, and most importantly their eyes; Theo had watery green eyes, whilst Percy's were almost black and had a hardness to them.
Chiron, however, continued to give Percy a speculative look, before eventually he nodded. "Well then, welcome to Camp Half Blood..." The centaur began, before he was caught off guard by a sudden pale light that surrounded the dark-haired newcomer, a holographic symbol of a spectral chalice appearing above him at the same time as the light appeared.
Seeing the symbol, a look of genuine surprise crossed Chiron's face. With the other Campers all starting to mutter among themselves as they saw it, all of them wondering which god or goddess the unknown symbol represented.
Luckily Chiron knew, though the last time he had seen it was over six hundred years ago. Still, despite his surprise he gave a slight bow to Percy, an action that the watching campers all followed. After which Chiron's voice rang out into the silence. "Hail Percy Jackson, son of Melinoe the Goddess of Ghosts!"
Percy blinked in surprise at that, before with a shrug he started grinning. "So that is my godly parent I suppose…"
"Indeed," Chiron agreed as he stood up straight again, ignoring the continued mumbling of the surrounding Demigods, some of whom looked disappointed, whilst others just confused, as if they had no idea who the minor goddess in question was. "And after a quick discussion with myself in the Big House you will be more than welcome to settle in at Camp Half Blood."
"Ok sounds awesome. I take it one of those cabins up there are mine?" Percy asked with a grin. Not that he really needed to ask, he was already well aware of what the answer would be.
"Well," Chiron mildly, even if outwardly he couldn't help but begin to look somewhat uncomfortable. "The cabins each represent one of the Olympian gods. As the son of a minor Goddess, you will be staying in the Hermes cabin, with the other Hermes Campers, the Unclaimed Campers and the other children of the minor gods."
"Oh, well that seems fair." Percy commented sarcastically. Taking note as he did of the uncomfortable looks Chiron and a couple of the watching Campers now had. It appeared the rumours he had heard were correct. There were indeed tensions over the lack of respect the children of the minor gods got, and the animosity some of the unclaimed held. "Well, no matter, I am sure the Hermes cabin will suffice."
Chiron looked slightly relieved at that, though he hid it well. "Very well then, as I said before after a small discussion in the Big House with myself and those who rescued you, you will be more than welcome to settle in."
"Alright then, please lead the way." Percy said as he walked away from the lake, following Chiron as he led Theo, Grover, Thalia and himself to the large, prominent blue house that was sitting in the middle of the Camp.
( - )
(A few minutes later)
Settling into a comfy armchair in the Big House, Percy sent an expectant look towards Chiron as he too entered the room moments later. The centaur now in a wheelchair after having somehow fitted his horse half into the chair. No doubt this was due to some supernatural trickery, probably something to do with the Mist.
Also noticeably in the room were Thalia, Percy, and Grover. All three of whom looked somewhat dejected as they waited for Chiron to enter.
Upon the wheelchair bound man entering, the three of them soon found themselves being prompted into giving an account of what had happened on the quest. Starting with Thalia, Annabeth and Theo getting picked up by Theo's as of yet unnamed mother and ending with Percy and the Hunters of Artemis intervening and Annabeth being dragged off the edge of the cliff by the Manticore.
Sitting back as he processed all he had just been told, Chiron's gaze moved onto Percy. The dark haired teen in question taking note of the mixture of wisdom and sadness in the old centaur's eyes as he calmly fixed his gaze upon him.
"It seems I have to thank you Mr. Jackson." Chiron began, getting a surprised look from Percy as he did so. "Were it not for yours and the Hunters' intervention I could have been mourning the loss of four instead of just one."
"We could have handled ourselves." Thalia muttered from where she was sitting on a sofa beside the upset looking Theo and Grover.
"No, no you couldn't." Chiron said sadly, his gaze moving to Thalia, making the Daughter of Zeus, the nominal leader of Camp Half Blood, cringe slightly as she saw the slight disappointment in the old centaur's eyes. "You all charged in without a plan, against superior numbers. Not even taking the time to access the situation, this led to you getting surrounded and almost overwhelmed by monsters."
Theo, the one who had been the one to get himself caught, looked down at that. Even as Thalia gritted her teeth. Not in anger though, no instead in disappointment, disappointment with herself for not having a proper handle on leading the group.
Seeing their reaction Chiron spoke up again, his gaze no longer disappointed, instead it was just sad. "But the loss of Annabeth was not your fault. She was a brave girl, and put her life on the line for her comrades. Her loss is no one's fault, and to say otherwise would be to disrespect her memory."
"But she might not be dead." Theo interrupted nervously; his lip noticeably quivering. "W-we didn't see a body; t-they could be keeping her alive!"
"They could, but at the moment we just don't know." Chiron replied as he moved his gaze onto Theo.
"We could issue a quest or send out a search party to find her!" Thalia cut in, shifting up in her seat, as if she were on the verge of standing.
"We could, but without a prophecy from the Oracle such a venture would be destined to fail. If Lady Artemis couldn't even pick up a trail, what hope do you have?" Chiron asked gently, shooting down Thalia's idea. Though not because he didn't want to find Annabeth if she was still alive, but because with things as they were, what with Kronos attempting to rise, such an attempt without a Prophecy would be foolish.
Theo seemed to crumble in on himself at those words, whilst Thalia looked ready to speak up again. However, before she could she was interrupted by a slight jab to her ribs courtesy of an uneasy looking Grover. The red-haired satyr shaking his head, his face solemn, even as he motioned to Chiron with his dark eyes, making Thalia follow his gaze as she did so.
Upon doing so, and upon seeing the centaur's face, which now looked like it had been carved out of stone, looking down sternly at her, Thalia quickly stopped speaking and instead just nodded. Though noticeably, to at least some in the room, a hint of stubbornness remained in her electric blue eyes.
"Good." Chiron said after a few moments, after which he turned his attention back to Percy. "So from what I have heard, Percy, I may call you that can I?" Percy nodded.
"From what I have heard you have so far been living outside of the Camp for the last few years." Percy nodded at that. "I have to admit the mere fact that you could survive that long on your own certainly speaks to your strength and ability." Chiron then continued, giving Percy an appraising look as he did so. "If I could ask, how exactly did you survive that long?"
It was a question Percy had expected and one that he had already prepared an answer for. "It's quite simple really. I just kept moving, never staying in one place long enough for the monsters to gather. Scavenged a few useful Celestial weapons and armour on my way." Percy replied easily, an earnest expression on his face.
"I see, well I can't blame you for taking the initiative." Chiron said giving the 'Son of Melinoe' a nod. "As I said before, you are more than welcome to stay at Camp Half Blood for as long as you want. Whilst here you can receive training and gain a sense of safety from our protections!"
"Thanks I guess." Percy said, his smile waving slightly as he felt a sudden wave of uncomfortableness at the kindness and trust the centaur was showing him.
"If I am honest, I doubt I will stay here long." Percy then decided to add on. As he did so he saw Thalia sitting straighter, a look of surprise on her face, as she looked on the brink of speaking up. Before they could though he forged on ahead. "I am an adventurer by nature, I like to travel. I don't think I would be happy if I remained in one place for too long."
Chiron merely smiled in response to that statement. "You're free spirited, I have met others like you, and just like them you will be welcome at Camp Half Blood when you need it. It is the least I can do to repay you for looking after some of my Campers!"
Percy smiled at that. "Thanks Chiron."
The centaur only smiled at him. It was a sad smile though, melancholy in a way, a smile of someone who had lived too long and seen too much.
( - )
(Sometime later)
Leaving the Big House soon after, Percy quickly found himself being confronted by Thalia, the dark haired girl giving him an accessing look as she stood in front of him, blocking his path. "So you're an Underworld kid..."
Percy shrugged at that not sure what else to say. "Yeah, so it appears…"
"So you didn't know?" She asked an eyebrow rising as she looked at him. "I have to say for the son of the Goddess of Ghosts you looked surprisingly tanned... and you know, not ghostly…?"
"You say that like that's a bad thing?" Percy commented dryly, a slight smile on his face as he nodded at her, and then started walking again, Thalia noticeably following along next to him.
"Eh." Thalia shrugged before giving him a sideways look. "So that invisibility thing you can do, is that something to do with your mother then?"
"Maybe." Percy shrugged, a slight smile tugging at his lips as he heard what Thalia said. "I have been able to do it since I was nine; I always used to think it was a superpower or something, like one of the characters from those old X-men cartoons. Ha, I guess it was my godly power manifesting!"
"Is that the time you went on the run?" She asked.
"No, it was a few years later than that." Percy responded with a shrug. "But it was the beginning of the end for my life of peace, soon after that I started seeing the monsters, and then started running away. It was only a couple of years later, when I began to manifest more powers and drew the attention of more monsters, that I finally decided to run away properly." Percy continued with a shrug, his gaze flicking over to meet Thalia's as he did so.
"Yeah, that tends to happen. The more powerful a demigod becomes, the stronger their scent, and a demigod's power tend to manifest themselves in certain traits, abilities, and gifts that they gain. The stronger you are the more monsters pursue you, one of the reasons you're probably still alive is because your mum is only a minor goddess, if she were one of the stronger ones you probably would've been fucked!" Thalia commented bluntly, not meaning any offense with her words.
Percy cocked an eyebrow at that, before he shrugged. "Maybe, but I was no slouch though, I was able to hold my own even when I first started out. That said though, I was a lot more immature back then, a bit more naïve too. I mean when I first set off I still kind of thought I was a superhero..."
Thalia laughed at that. "You know I can kind of see it." Percy shot her a questioning look at that.
"A younger clueless version of yourself." Thalia commented. "I bet you were such a loser!"
"Ha! Looking back at it, I guess I was." Percy replied as he began to make his way to the cabins, Thalia following him. It was as he did so that he saw more than a few of the campers looking down. It looked like news of Annabeth, going missing, presumed dead, had gotten out. "So that Annabeth girl, were you two close?"
That comment wiped the smile of Thalia's face as she frowned instead. "Yeah, well we used to be. I knew her for a while when she was a lot younger. But then I... well I kind of died and was turned into a tree."
Percy had to hold back an amused smile at her words. He had heard her mention being turned into a tree before.
"Shut it, you! But yeah, anyway, I eventually was brought back a couple of months ago as you know, only to learn that the seven-year-old girl I had known was now a teenager, and that in fact I didn't know much about her any more. It made things a bit weird, but even so I still cared for her, even if my memories of her were of a scared child." Thalia said, a confused look on her face as she thought back to the massive gap in time she had missed and how, even now months later, she had not quite accepted it.
"Shit happens; sometimes the only thing we can do is get up and carry on." Percy said with a shrug as they made it to the cabins. A smile appearing on his face as he saw how odd they looked, with each one looking like it was designed to represent a different god.
"So true." Thalia said with a slight smile, before she noticed that they had made it to the cabins. "Alright, so that one over there is mine." She continued pointing as she did so at a large marble cabin, one that looked more like a temple than a cabin. With the symbol of Zeus, a lightning bolt, proudly and prominently displayed on the front.
Turning around she pointed to a smaller wooden one. "And that one is yours, the Hermes cabin."
Percy blinked as he saw that, before he looked back and forth between Zeus's massive opulent cabin that housed one person and Hermes's small wooden cabin that housed all his multiple children, as well as the dozens that were unclaimed or were the children of minor gods.
"Well that seems fair." Percy said with wry amusement.
"That's the gods for you, they are all dicks." Thalia commented with an expression that looked halfway between amusement and pity.
Thunder boomed overhead as Thalia spoke those words not that that seemed to bother her, as she instead gave the sky a mocking smirk.
"Well, it's true."
"It looks like you like to live dangerously." Percy commented as he saw this, a grin on his face as he saw Thalia openly mocking her father.
"This coming from you? The guy who has spent years travelling and adventuring around constantly on the run from monsters?" Thalia asked as she smirked at Percy, though notably, he could hear what sounded like a hint of jealousy in her tone.
Smiling and letting out a slight laugh, Percy just shrugged. "Well, what can I say, I like to live dangerously too, it keeps things exciting."
"How about we test that then, a spar, you verse me, tomorrow morning in the arena?!" Thalia replied challengingly. "I will even pass out the word and get an audience together to witness your defeat."
"You don't stand a chance." Percy replied already getting fired up. The mercenary life, though exciting and profitable, did sometimes get lonely. Plus, Percy would never back down from a fight, it was not in his nature. Percy Jackson never backed down from a fight, you could be a demigod, a monster, or even a god, and he would not back down, not if he had even the slightest chance of victory.
"We'll see." Thalia replied with a cocky grin that soon melted in a genuine one. "I'll see you tomorrow Percy, I have to say, I am glad I met you."
"Same thing here, I definitely made the right choice when I decided to jump in to save your pretty ass." Percy replied with a grin to Thalia.
"Oh, so you think my ass is pretty?" She replied, a mocking smile on her face as she saw Percy's cheeks pink slightly.
"Meh! It's alright." Percy replied lamely, his still pink cheeks showing that she had won that round.
"Sure, I believe you!" Thalia called over her shoulder as she began to walk away, putting an extra sway to her hips as she did so.
Something that Percy's eyes took note of as he watched her walking away. "Goodnight Percy!"
"Yeah, goodnight..." Percy replied absently, still entranced by her rather shapely bottom. Soon enough however he was brought out of his trance when he felt a hand land on his shoulder.
Turning to look at the culprit he noticed that it was the boy, Theo Jackson.
"Look Percy, I just wanted to say again, that I am sorry, I was just upset. I didn't mean to attack you like that." Theo said a slightly guilty expression on his pudgy face.
It took Percy a couple of seconds to work out what he was talking about. When he did, he just gave Theo a shrug. "Look man, like I too said before, don't worry about it! Tension were running high, and you were clearly upset, so honestly let's just drop it, there was no real harm done!"
"Cool, I... well I just wanted to say sorry we got off on the wrong foot." Theo replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head as he did so.
"As I said, don't worry about it." Percy replied waving him off as he made his way towards the Hermes cabin.
"Ok man, good night." Theo said with a nod before he hurried off to a grey stone cabin that looked like it was made up of rock from the sea floor, its dull grey stone being notably peppered with seashells.
Turning around and heading back to the cabin, however before he could, Percy quickly found himself being distracted by a slight glimmer of silver light which seemed to be coming from the nearby forest.
Looking around and seeing no one else in his vicinity, Percy shrugged before going to investigate. Pulling his Khopesh out as he did so, the curved blade fitting comfortably in his hand as he headed into the forest, heading in the direction of the entrancing light.
( - )
Walking into the forest his blade held at the ready, Percy made sure to keep his wits about him.
Keeping low to the ground as he moved, he prepared to leap into action at any moment, whether that meant charging an assailant or retreating.
As he moved through the darks trees the familiar feeling of the divine energy pulsing through his body, available for him to use at any moment, comforted him, even as he brought that energy to the surface, his black eyes burning gold as he suddenly found himself able to see through the forest like it was the middle of the day.
This was especially useful as forest was still dark as he walked through it, the dawn having not quite reached the Camp, which was ironic considering the god of the sun had been here just an hour ago.
Shaking that amusing thought off, Percy instead focused on the matter at hand. This forest, he had to admit to himself, gave off an eerie feeling, a feeling of danger, almost like he was being watched by monsters. This feeling was made worse by the near absolute silence that surrounded him, with the only sound being made, being Percy's own feet as he walked. With him occasionally making a slight rustle in the undergrowth.
Even so, despite his doubts he forged on. The faint glimmer of silvery light he had been following was still present, only now it was closer, still not quite visible through the increasingly dense forest, but much brighter all the same.
Approaching it Percy made his unarmoured body completely invisible, even as he weaved through the tall trees, his blade held low so that the light did not reflect off the metal and thus give away his position.
Leaving the trees a few moments later the dark-haired teen soon found himself in a clearing, empty of all but a floating orb of silvery, almost misty light.
Cautiously approaching the light, Percy was not entirely surprised when he felt a slight shift in the air, before with a swirl the misty light twisted around, forming what looked like a pillar of silver mist.
With the pillar of silvery mist soon dispersing, even as he watched, to reveal a person.
At the sight of this newcomer, Percy nearly reared back in shock.
The person was a woman, no doubt a goddess.
Her appearance though was not what he had come to expect of divine beings. When deciding on her form this goddess had not picked a form of beauty like most gods and goddesses.
No, instead she seemed to have chosen a form of fear and terror.
Now normally the goddess in front of him could have been described as a great beauty, but the goddess had twisted that beauty into a thing of nightmares. The left side of the goddess's face was black and hardened almost like a mummy and her right side was pale and chalky as if she were drained of all her blood. And to add to her striking appearance, she was wearing a golden dress and a golden shawl, which in turn made her eyes, which were like empty black voids, stand out even more.
For Percy he found he was more unnerved by standing in front of this goddess than he was when he first met the God of the Dead, Hades, who had given off an aura of tremendous, and all but unrivalled power, which when added to the natural miasma of dark terror he gave off, made him a very intimidating being to stand before.
This woman though, she did not seem to give off any presence at all, despite her being a god, a being of power than transcended the strength of all mortals.
Not that that made Percy any more comfortable, instead it was that lack of presence that kept him on edge, as to him it was like he was looking at her, but not actually seeing her. His heightened and trained senses, honed through years of fighting and killing, did not pick anything about her up. No sound, no scent, no taste of her power, nothing. It was like looking at a ghost...
Percy stopped at that, a thoughtful look now on his face before a slight smile began to play across it.
"Lady Melinoe I presume," He said dryly, his smile turning into a smirk. "Or should I just call you mum?"
A smile appeared on the goddess's face at his question, her features twisting into an expression that was half way between a haughty smirk and a mocking sneer. "Oh very good, you are a smart one aren't you?"
"Observant more than anything." Percy replied with a casual shrug, his grip on the blade at his side not loosening, despite her not reacting negatively to his previous attempts at banter. "So if I may ask, what is with the impromptu visit?"
"Can a doting mother not drop in on her son occasionally?" Melinoe asked mockingly, floating towards Percy as she did so, her dress not making a sound, even as it brushed along the leafy ground.
"I have to say I am surprised, I never figured you Underworld god's to be the parental type..." Percy relied blandly.
"Is that not true for all gods, whether we reside in the Underworld or on Olympus?" Melinoe replied in amusement. "Though it may surprise you to know that I have had demigod children before, not many of course, only three. The last of which alas died over six centuries ago." Melinoe continued not a hint of sadness on her face as she casually spoke about the death of her children.
"Though I am not really your child though, am I?" Percy replied idly.
"No, or at least not yet." Melinoe responded, a coy smile on her face as she moved towards Percy, an ice cold hand cupping his face as she looked at him in curiosity. "You are indeed a mystery, normally a child's godly parent would be obvious, but with you..." She muttered to herself as she studied Percy's face closely.
Percy filed away her muttered comment for later, adding it as yet another piece of the mystery for just who is mysterious godly parent actually was, and why they had never bothered to show themselves, claim him, or even give him a sign that they knew he existed.
"So, is that you offering to adopt me?" Percy asked dryly, even as he remained still, trying to ignore the numbness slowly but surely spreading across his face from where the goddess's hand rested.
"Hmm, and why not. After all the only real family a person has is those that they choose for themselves. Their biological ones more often than not... disappoint them." Melinoe commented cynically, no doubt thinking on her own parents, Hades and Persephone. With Hades being a controlling and uncaring, and Persephone not having a maternal bone in her body, unless of course you were a plant.
"Wouldn't exactly know, after all I've never had any family before." Percy replied with a shrug, not really bothered about admitting that.
"Though I am curious about just why you want to adopt me?"
"Why do any gods have demigod children, the planned ones that is? It is because you represent that god, your achievements add to that god's prestige and position, plus you demigods do make exceptional tools for us gods. It's those pesky ancient laws you know, they stop us from fully interacting with the mortal world. But you my little half-breed, like others of your kind, are exempt." Melinoe replied, not sugar coating her response, no doubt because she knew Percy wouldn't believe her if she did, or maybe because she just did not care enough to bother lying.
"This whole adoption deal sounds like it would benefit you a lot more than it would me." Percy commented idly, his mercenary attitude rising as he looked for what he would get out of this odd offer.
"You know, you really could be a child of the Underworld. You certainly have the temperament for one. You, unlike many of your kin, at least know about way the world works, and more than that, you're happy to play the game. I think you would make a good son." Melinoe replied, that callous, sinister smirk back on her face as she looked at Percy with approval.
"You didn't answer the question." Percy said bluntly, not allowing the goddess to twist or manipulate him. He didn't trust this goddess as far as he could throw her, then again, he didn't trust any of the gods. Those beings were too alien, too ancient, too unnatural for him to understand or emphasize with, and if he couldn't understand their motives or what they were after fully, a part from their natural selfishness, then he wasn't about to trust them!
"Hmm." The goddess hummed as she looked at Percy. "The benefits for you... well there would be the abilities you would receive as my official child; they would only add to your existing abilities and power!"
"And those abilities would be?" Percy asked in genuine interest, having just assumed the goddess's adoption of him would be in name only. He had been angling for a blessing from Hades so he could use some of those cool Underworld powers, what the god's daughter was offering might be the next best thing.
"Oh you're interested now." Melinoe said with a sly smirk. "Well there would be the standard abilities of an Underworld child such as the ability to wield Stygian Iron, though from what I have heard that is a bit unnecessary for you. Which I'll admit, does make me a little curious. On a more personal level though, there would be the ability to summon and bind ghosts and spirits to your will, your control over ghosts and spirits would be greater than even a child of Hades. Then finally there would be the ability to enter the spirit world and take on a ghostly form."
Melinoe finished with a smirk, her lips curling upwards to reveal a set of black teeth as she saw the undisguised interest and greed on Percy's face.
"But I am sure a mercenary and an assassin like you would have no interest in an ability like that..." She trailed off, her smirk widening even further.
"Those are some... useful abilities, there would have to be more to your offer than just getting prestige from my accomplishments though." Percy said suspiciously, his eyes narrowing as he locked eyes with the goddess.
"Can't a mother spoil her son?" Melinoe asked, before a wicked grin crept across her face as she saw Percy's stoic look. "Oh so suspicious... very well then yes there is slightly more to what I want. I am a minor goddess, and as you might have realized, when compared to the more powerful ones, the Olympians and major gods, we are... somewhat looked down on. As you might have also guessed, we don't appreciate that!"
An expression of unbridled, inhuman fury flashed across Melinoe's face as she said this. Though only for a split second. In fact, it was there and gone so fast that Percy had only been able to catch it due to him having been watching her so closely at the time.
Not that Percy mentioned the momentary loss of composure, as he instead nodded just nodded at her words.
He was more than aware of how being looked down on felt. He had after all been alienated, looked down and isolated all his life. This meant he could sympathize with the goddess somewhat, though that sympathy was very much overshadowed by his suspicion and mistrust, a feeling he felt about almost everyone he met, ever since he had run away from his orphanage.
Taking his silence as agreement, Melinoe continued, her terrifying face twisting into a rictus of cold fury. A look that would give even grown men nightmares. "Well, what I want is for you to more than just represent me and do a bit of dirty work on the side for me. I want you to make it so a minor goddess like me is no longer looked down on! How you do it is up to you, but I want you to make it so the minor gods are respected like we ought to be!"
Percy blinked at that, that request was not what he was expecting. "Wow that sounds almost selfless of you?"
The goddess laughed coldly at that, sending a shiver down his spin. "I suppose in a way it is, though don't forget, it will benefit me in the long run! You will find, son, that in this world of ours no one ever does anything just out of the goodness of their hearts. There is always an ulterior motive, remember that Percy."
"That." Percy said with a sad smile. "Is something I am very much aware of, it is a lesson I learned long ago."
"So what is it going to be, do you want to be adopted and have a real, if admittedly slight odd family? Or do you want to continue alone?" Melinoe asked, a strange, unreadable, expression on her face as she looked at the dark-haired demigod.
"How do I know I can trust you?" Percy asked, already aware of what his answer was going to be.
"Because I swear on the Styx that everything I have told you is the truth and that as long as you don't betray me, I won't betray you." Melinoe replied, thunder booming in the distance as her oath was accepted.
"Then yes, I will agree to be your son, and I swear on the Styx that as long as you don't betray me, I won't betray you!" Percy replied, thunder once again booming overhead in acceptance.
Melinoe smirked again at that. "Mutually assured destruction. I like it; it seems like you know how to play the game."
"So how do we do this? Blood transfusion or something?" Percy asked, ignoring her last comment as he instead just cocked his eyebrow and sent the goddess a questioning look.
"Oh nothing like that." Melinoe replied dismissively, moving closer to him so she was right in front of him. "It is just sealed with a kiss." Then without another word Melinoe closed the distance, her lips touching Percy's forehead.
For Percy it was like being struck by lightning, as he felt a sudden painful surge of foreign energy tearing through his body.
So much so, that within seconds he blacked out.
Every fibre of his being pulsating painfully as darkness overwhelmed him, with the last thing he saw before he passed out being the face of Melinoe smirking at him, even as she faded into silver mist.
"Do me proud Percy. Do me proud." Was the last thing he heard before he hit the ground unconscious, the Celestial Bronze blade falling from his now limp hand.
( - )
AN: And so the plot thickens, Percy is now at Camp Half Blood, what will happen now. He has his ongoing mission from Hades, and he has now been given a bigger, more open one to complete. Plenty of stuff yet to come!
Other than that I hope you all like what's happened so far, as you can see I have introduced a lesser used god, one whose motives are unclear, and whose presence could affect the direction and choice Percy makes going forward, especially with the ongoing issues that affect the PJ verse at this time.
Suffice to say a self-serving, mercenary, yet loyal to his friends only, Percy, will be quite an interesting character to write going forward. Which way will he go, which side will he join? How much chaos will he cause? Lots of questions and things to think on for the future!
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and leave a review! Please try out my other stories if you have the time. Catch you all later and thanks for reading.
Greed720.
