AN: This is the first chapter of the sequel to 'A New God'. It's good to be posting again but I was definitely glad for the break. The last few chapters of the last story were much more challenging to write than the beginning, to say the least.
After rereading 'A New God' I need to retcon/change something. I haven't yet edited the original story chapters for this as of yet which is why I am including this section. I think when looking back that Percy having a "Roman form" doesn't make much sense. Both Greeks and Romans know him as Perseus Jackson, Hero of Olympus, so there's no reason for him to drastically change like the other gods.
Also, I have the end of the final chapter written already. Everything between here and there is not written but I know exactly how this story is going to end. That is not to say that I plan on rushing to the end but it is to say that this story is going to be kind of the opposite of the first story. I had the first part of the first chapter written well in advance of even attempting to write the rest.
As always I own nothing that you recognize from officially licensed/published works, only my imagination.
Chapter 1: A New Life
Trident struck Trident with a strange clang that was both sharper and more muted than it should be, at least if it were in the air. Here in the training grounds of Atlantis however it was exactly as it should sound. A small crowd had gathered to watch this spar as they so often did, which given the participants, made sense. The crown prince of Atlantis matching tridents with the newest Olympian was interesting enough even without the fact that Perseus Jackson had been born a mortal son of Poseidon. He had become a familiar face to the people of Atlantis over the last few years and quite popular, especially with the regular citizens of the city. The nobility of the city were at best ambivalent toward him aside from his father, his stepmother, and surprisingly his stepbrother. This was in no small part due to the fact that he had been born a bastard of Poseidon, or at least that was one of the insults some whispered only when he was definitely out of earshot.
Today however was not one of the days that Percy had to worry about the immortal politics of the ocean, and his face was set in a hardened mask of concentration. He may be the god of weaponry but Trition had spent well over two millennia honing his skill with the trident here below the waves. Percy warded off a particularly heavy overhead blow from Trition that drove him to one knee. This did not phase Percy, to the contrary he felt a surge of grim satisfaction. Instead of attempting to rise to his feet, Percy pushed himself to the side away from Triton's trident. He let his shoulder strike the hardpacked seafloor and using his legs he kicked out but not to make contact with Trition. The kick spun Percy around and accomplished two things. First, it allowed him to use momentum to regain his feet while sending a swirling loop of water at Tritions lower half. The loop struck home and only for a moment knocked Triton off balance but Percy only needed a moment. Leaping toward Triton Percy brought his trident down in a series of looping overhand attacks that when combined with the momentary hitch in Trition's rhythm ended with Triton's trident being hammered out of his grip. The central tine of Percy's trident was just below Tritions chin and was rock steady despite the heaving of Percy's chest.
"I yield. Where did you learn that trick? It was actually fairly effective. Though I believe that still places our count at six hundred and eighty-four to forty-five."
"Forty-six. I won two bouts when last we sparred not just one."
Triton waved a hand dismissively but his lips were set in a wide grin.
"Won't you tell me where you came up with the idea for that move Percy?"
Percy grinned sheepishly back at his stepbrother and felt the slightest trace of heat rise to his cheeks. How could he ever admit that he had gotten the idea while watching a kid's tv show? Though he had learned the fighting styles in the show were based on real-life mortal martial arts. Watching the brother and sister match red flame against blue was still one of his favorite moments of all the tv he had watched. He shook his head and grinned at Triton.
"Nah. Guess you'll just have to keep waiting for that answer. What fun would it be if I told you?"
He turned toward the palace and stopped as he registered the small crowd that was still clustered around the sparring arena. No matter how long he trained here he didn't think he would get used to the attention. Even at Camp Halfblood, he had always been surprised by how many people came to watch when he gave private lessons to the older campers. The quartermaster was hurrying toward them and Percy felt his face fall, and looking at Triton he saw his expression mirrored there.
"Now Abe..."
"All due respect my lord don't 'now Abe me', just how badly did you damage my equipment!"
Percy grinned as Abelone was glaring at Trition. but at the sound, he spun to face Percy.
"Oh don't think you're off the hook either. Now give me those!"
He snatched the tridents from their hands and began examining them closely for any sign of damage. Percy and Triton both knew that he would find none but after the incident where Percy had accidentally charged his trident with his Earthshaker powers and obliterated it the quartermaster had never forgiven him. It didn't matter that Percy had simply replicated the weapon perfectly moments later. Percy had just learned to let the man be and not question his...eccentricities. Today however he seemed satisfied and scuttled off to return the weapons to the armory. Percy didn't really blame him for his overprotectiveness, because the practice tridents were not simple weapons. They bore an array of enchantments that prevented more than superficial injuries from occurring while not affecting the wieldability in the slightest. This was a fact that Percy was immensely grateful for especially when Triton had first insisted that Percy learn to fight with a trident. In the beginning, it was only thanks to the water and those enchantments that he did not leave the arena beaten bronze and gold.
Triton clapped him on the shoulder as they left the arena and headed back to the palace together. Despite the massive disparity in their win numbers both Triton and Percy were happy with the rate of his improvement, especially given that with any other weapon, Percy had the majority of the wins. None by as large a margin as Tritions lead with the trident but it was enough for Percy. He enjoyed having someone so close to his equal to spar with as it meant that he was able to constantly push himself beyond his limits and improve. Seeing Percy walking alongside his stepbrother no one would now question Percy's status as an Olympian. Percy had in many ways grown over the last few years. The most obvious, at least visually, was that he had grown into his body. When he had first become a god he had physically been seventeen going on eighteen years old and it had shown. He had been lean and rather skinny even for a swimmer, and though Jason had been an inch or so taller he hadn't been short. He hadn't gotten any taller though he knew he could be whatever height he wanted to be he chose to stay his natural height most of the time. He had however filled out, he was not massively muscled by any means but no one looking at him now would call him skinny. His neck and jaw had thickened as well as he had put on weight and his facial hair was no longer scraggly and patchy. He didn't let it grow even as long as his father but he certainly wasn't clean-shaven either. His hair was longer as well. Most of the time he let it hang loosely almost touching his shoulders but when fighting he tied it behind his head to keep it out of the way. He didn't mind the look anymore, but when Calypso had first suggested it he had been wary. She had turned out to be right, of course, and she seemed to love it so he didn't see a reason to keep it shorter.
It had been almost nine years since he had lost the other members of the seven and their loss no longer haunted him as it had at first. He would still occasionally find himself wandering forests of kelp or any of the countless miles of territory that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He would wander physically as his mind wandered down dark paths in his memory, paths that took him from the depths of Tartarus to the height of the Acropolis. It was not often that this happened anymore but he knew no matter how long he lived the memories of those he had lost would never leave him. He had created a monument, with help from Athena and Hephaestus, that memorialized the fallen heroes of every generation. There was a copy of the monument in several locations including Camp Halfblood, Camp Jupiter, and Olympus. They were linked to his power as the Patron of Heroes and the god of loyalty. Anyone who looked at one of the blocks of enchanted marble saw the names of all those they had lost without needing to search a list. They could also see a list of all those who had fallen in the endless fight to survive and keep the world from ending too soon.
Percy strode through the halls of the palace treading his path almost unconsciously it was so familiar at this point. He reached the stables in the courtyard and mentally called for Rainbow. With amazing speed, the Hippocampus raced from the sheltered building to join him in the courtyard. He stroked Rainbow's snout gently and asked aloud.
"Wanna go for a swim?"
Percy could easily flash himself to the villa his father had created for him but he still tended to physically travel for all but the longest trips, a habit he had picked up from Artemis. Rainbow whinnied and replied extremely happily that yes he wanted to swim. Percy knew that Rainbow knew where to go so he climbed on his friend's back and let the Hippocampus race through the water. It took Rainbow less than five minutes to reach his villa on the edge of the upper district of Atlantis. He had wanted to be close to the main bulk of the city but Poseidon had insisted his dwelling be in the upper district for security reasons. Percy had agreed but he still spent much of his time in the lower districts, at least this aspect of him did. Percy had mastered concurrent consciousness streams far better than he had nine years ago. He now had three full versions of himself at any given time. One was at each of the demigod camps and the third was his primary self. He could manifest more than that but even with his current skill, it started to become more confusing than helpful.
The version of him at Camp Jupiter was overseeing a game of death ball and the version at Camp Halfblood was in the middle of bellowing at an irresponsible camper who had almost maimed another camper a few minutes ago in Capture the Flag. He normally didn't like to yell, it just wasn't his style, but for some reason, the children of Ares just wouldn't listen to anything not in the form of a shouted command, at least in battle or at dinner. He knew he didn't need to devote more of his attention to either situation so he returned his attention to his third self. Rainbow had already started swimming in circles excitedly and Percy waved telling him he would see him soon. He watched as Rainbow raced back toward the palace stables before turning to his villa.
After the cabin he had constructed for himself at Camp Halfblood, this was probably his favorite dwelling. He stepped through the archway that led to the interior courtyard and sighed as the sounds of the underwater city faded. He had gotten used to the peace and quiet over the last few years and though he would always love New York it was just too loud for him now. There was a fountain in the center of the courtyard and Percy stopped to look at it as he always did. Instead of spraying water as a fountain on the surface would this fountain released streams of enchanted bubbles that achieved a similar effect. After a few minutes spent watching the mesmerizing fountain Percy turned into the interior of the building. As he stepped through the door he also stepped out of the water as his home was enchanted to keep the water out.
He collapsed tiredly on one of the couches that surrounded the low table in the center of this room. Closing his eyes he went through the bout with Triton blow by blow as best he could remember. Every step, every mistake, and everything else he could remember, it all might be helpful. He knew that there were only a small handful of beings capable of matching him one on one with any weapon but he hated losing, especially to Triton. He would have heard about it for days had he lost the final bout and Triton loved to rub it in. Percy couldn't really blame him as it wasn't truly malicious and besides, Percy took every opportunity to rub it in when he did win so it was fair.
Percy sat up and found himself staring at a picture on the wall beside the door into the kitchen. It had been taken about three weeks after he had woken from his coma nine years ago and it showed Calypso sitting on the beach at Camp Halfblood. He had kissed her after waking up but their relationship had slowed down after that. He still needed time to heal and Calypso was nothing if not patient. Eventually, they had finally progressed past casual dates and the occasional kiss goodnight as he left her at her front door. Calypso had been his rock ever since she had come back into his life and now he could say without a shadow of a doubt that he was deeply in love with her. That made it all the more confusing that he struggled to say four words. He remembered how easily he had first told her he loved her. Now that he had a band of Olympian silver and moonstone burning a hole in his pocket everything had seemed to get so much harder.
Seven years ago - Atlantis
Percy knew joining the tournament was sort of unfair, and probably not the best idea but he didn't care. The Olympics were a thing in the immortal world just as they were in the mortal world but in the immortal world, they were much closer to the way they had been in Ancient Greece but with less death and nudity. There were things that had changed but many of the events had remained. The biggest addition to the classic events was the gladiatorial tournament, an addition that had come to be due to the Roman empire, but even with the Greeks, it was easily the most popular event. This year the events were taking place in Atlantis which Percy was thankful for though not because he thought it would give him an advantage. He was thankful because it meant that he would have a much easier time entering without being recognized. He had only visited the city a couple of times and most people didn't recognize him on sight like they did on Olympus and besides no one liked it when the games took place in the Underworld.
Percy had managed to enter with a pseudonym, Peter Johnson, and he had claimed to be a child of Hermes. Luckily for him, the arena like all the event grounds were in an enchanted bubble of air so that the surface dwellers could compete and the ocean dwellers would not have an unfair advantage. He realized that it would have been a bit hard to explain why he wasn't drowning as a supposed son of Hermes. It didn't matter now, he was in and he was excited. As his power and skill had grown he had found fewer and fewer opponents who were willing to match blades against him. Only Ares, Artemis, Hermes, occasionally Apollo, and even more occasionally his father would spar with him. He hoped he could have some fun and maybe find a worthy training partner at the same time.
The days began to fly by as he pushed himself physically as hard as he could in training. He had decided to only use his physical prowess for the tournament. That meant no godly powers and most definitely no using Riptide. Of course, because of his immortality and bloodline, he was physically stronger than most who would enter the tournament but he knew there would be some who could match him. He knew that a number of Hercules' demigod children would be in the tournament, and he had met a number of children of neutral titans who were his equal physically.
With only a day to go before the events would kick-off, he was laying on the floor of one of the training arenas on Olympus. He had won the last bout but only just, and that was because he had been able to outlast Hermes. He enjoyed fighting Hermes, his fighting style was so different than what he had been expecting. So much so that the first time they sparred Hermes had landed several touches before Percy had realized what was happening. Percy had been expecting him to fight like Luke, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Hermes fought almost like a fencer and he focused heavily on speed over power. Once Percy had grown used to it their matches had become much more even, but it was still a humbling experience every time. Hermes, Apollo, and Artemis all tended to focus on speed and quickness. They all fought with smaller weapons and tended to range all around the battlefield.
His father, Athena, and Ares all tended to be much less mobile and put much more power into their attacks though for vastly different reasons. Ares because he was basically all offense all the time, and he tended to behave as though he only had one gear like the Minotaur, forward. Athena was different, she fought incredibly slowly, and with her combination of spear and shield, she was incredibly deadly. She would wait for you to make even the smallest mistake and make you pay dearly for it. Her ability to read and track patterns within a fight was astounding and Percy had done his best to learn from her. His father was an entirely different beast. There were two reasons that it was hard to compare the others to his father. First and foremost was that as he was one of the Big Three, his power far exceeded that of the younger generation gods. Along with that power was much greater raw physical power as well. Poseidon wielded his trident with almost preternatural accuracy and speed, but there was also overwhelming force behind each blow that no one Percy had ever fought could match. The closest comparison had been Gaea, but she had fought with earth and not weapons.
Percy had found that he was somewhere between his father's fighting style and the Twin Hunters. His physical power meant that many opponents fell before him like grass blown in the wind, even the Twins, on one of the rare occasions he caught them off balance, had their weapons simply battered from their fingers. However, he was faster than his father and he did not rely on his strength to block and redirect blows, rather he did his best to deflect and dodge the heavier attacks aimed at him. Of all the gods that had been willing to practice with him only his father remained undefeated. Percy thought that he would likely never quite be able to beat his father or uncles but he wasn't going to give up any time soon. His style of fighting had grown from when he had been a demigod and he depended far less on acrobatics than he had before. His unique style encompassed various forms and techniques he had acquired from his partners and foes alike until he found himself here.
"You know you could just enter as yourself. Then you wouldn't need to try and hide your normal style."
"I know Hermes, but then no one would want to fight me. Besides, I'm not super popular down there."
Hermes shrugged and rolled his shoulders to keep them from stiffening up.
"So are you gonna get up or do I get to claim the day and once again regain the lead?"
Percy scoffed and jumped to his feet before pausing and thinking. He ran through a mental list of the weapons he could try and decided he would give the twin swords a try again. Artemis had spent almost a week the year before teaching him the finer points of the technique but he had never quite mastered it. The two gods reengaged one another, trading blows and doing their best to disarm the other. The bout was interrupted however when Hermes' phone began to glow blue and shake violently. Percy could have used the distraction to end the fight but he chose not to. Stepping back Percy smirked as Hermes silenced the alarm.
"Already been an hour huh? Well, you know how it is Percy. Messages to deliver, mythological events to help cover up."
"Mmmhmmm you sure you're not just avoiding losing so that we stay tied Hermes?"
Hermes smiled widely at Percy but didn't answer as he picked up a call and disappeared with the usual sound of flapping wings. Percy willed his weapons the disappear and watched as they faded into nothing before his eyes.
"Okay, Percy. Go get your armor for the games then go get ready for the opening ceremonies. Yeah. Should be easy enough."
He turned and walked out of the arena stopping to talk to a few minor gods he had been teaching to sword fight and one who had been teaching him classical wrestling, minus the nudity. After a few minutes, he managed to extricate himself from their enthusiastic conversation about who would win the gladiatorial games and head out. He got waylaid a few more times by various individuals who had gotten to know him over the last few years the most time-consuming being Hephaestus. As the god of the forge, he had become just as fascinated with Percy's powers as his children had in the months following his rise to godhood. Where his children had been glad to help him test his limits, Hephaestus wanted to find those limits and see how he could work around them. Percy had often left the forge with as much of a headache as he was exhausted.
Eventually, he made it back to his palace where he found a much more pleasant surprise waiting for him. Calypso stood outside his front door and it seemed that she hadn't noticed his arrival. He watched her knock on the door again a slight frown creasing her face at his refusal to come to the door. He had to suppress a laugh as he leaned against one of the wooden pillars that supported the eaves over the door. She looked as stunning as ever, wearing a very simple white dress that reminded him of what he had first seen her in on her island. Her caramel hair was in its usual braid and hung nearly to her waist after she tossed it back over her shoulder.
"Maybe I'm just not home."
Calypso jumped and spun around immediately. Her mouth was set in a hard line and her nostrils were slightly flared. Percy couldn't stop himself from laughing as she stalked toward him and hit him on the shoulder.
"Don't do that! You scared me!"
Percy tried to stifle his laughter and failing to do so reached out his arms to ensnare her. She tried to avoid him but he managed to wrap his arms around her and hug her tightly to his chest before she could escape. She pretended to resist for a moment but only a moment then returned the embrace gladly.
"I thought you'd left without me."
Her words were slightly muffled by his shirt but he had been able to make the words out. He loosened his embrace and she looked up at him curiously.
"Is everything okay Percy?"
He sighed heavily before squeezing her again and kissing the top of her head.
"Same old, same old. It's better than ever though and I have you to thank for that."
He felt her smile against his chest and released his hold on her though he caught her hand in his. The doors to his palace swung open as he approached and they stepped inside together.
"Got your armor for the games Percy?"
He felt heat rise in his face and he avoided looking at her as he realized he had forgotten the original reason he had visited Hephaestus.
"I uh..."
"You let him sidetrack you again, didn't you? Well, I'm not getting it for you, last time I went there you had to stop my dress from catching fire three times!"
Percy suppressed another laugh before all but sprinting back to Hephaestus' forge. He collected his armor and managed to get out in less than half an hour which he thought must have been a record low. Percy pocketed the small enchanted case that contained the armor and thought as he did more often than he used to that being a god had its perks. He jogged back to his palace and found Calypso waiting outside for him again. She frowned at him and before he could say anything she started on him.
"Twenty-eight minutes? How do you do it I wonder. It's hard to believe you're not the god of poor time management."
Try as she could, Calypso couldn't quite keep her lips from turning upward as she spoke. He knew she wasn't really mad and he enjoyed teasing her just as much as she did him.
"In my defense, I got the armor in about thirty seconds, but Heph wanted to explain something about some sort of enchantment on the armor."
"Something about some sort of enchantment? Well, it certainly sounds as if that was time well spent."
He stepped forward and offered his hand to her still smirking as she took his his hand. Her eyes hadn't even finished rolling at him when they found themselves in Atlantis. Percy had also changed their appearances before they reappeared so no one would be any the wiser as to their true identities. It was still a few hours before the opening ceremonies would begin so there was no real rush to get moving. Calypso of course insisted upon dragging him to get checked in as soon as they arrived. For someone who had spent thousands of years on a timeless island, she was incredibly cognizant of the passage of time.
The hours passed quickly for Percy as Calypso dragged him around the city. He enjoyed watching the way her eyes lit up as she talked about all the people she had made friends with, or helped with one thing or another. It was also slightly comical that she was more familiar with Atlantis than he was, but he had spent the majority of the last three years both training demigods and training hard himself. Calypso had lived her whole life with her abilities and though she had discovered some different ways to use them she had a much easier time than him. As she dragged him through the main market street of Atlantis he caught a glimpse inside what he assumed was a jewelry store. In passing the only thing he had seen was a display of rings that he had little doubt were engagement rings. The slightly blue-skinned and fish-tailed woman behind the counter smiled at him before glancing at Calypso, but before he even had time to blush it was out of sight.
Soon enough it was time for the opening ceremonies and they passed in a blur for Percy. The only things he really remembered after the event were the lighting of the Olympic flame and the fact that as usual, Zeus had to give far too long of a speech. His other uncle and his father had managed to keep them short and to the point but Percy wasn't really surprised. After all the council meetings he had to sit through it was business as usual. Luckily for him, there was no parade of nations like in the mortal version as the immortal world competed for laurels. Often demigods would compete under the banner of their parent or in the legacies' case whoever they most closely related to.
The morning of the first day of the competition dawned blue and as clear as it could be underwater. He left Calypso to join the throng of competitors that was flowing into the Hypogeum. For the briefest moment as he walked through the doors a flash of memory of the last Hypogeum he had been in rushed through him and the image of Ephialtes and Otis standing over Nico was foremost on his mind. He shook the memories off and focused on the present, he needed to find the assignment boards and figure out when he was fighting. He figured it out quickly enough but when he found it he realized he was fighting earlier than he expected and rushed to get his armor on and get to the gate in time.
He wasn't in the first match but he was early enough that when he stepped out onto the sand of the coliseum there was a relatively sparse crowd. Were this the third or fourth day Percy knew they would have been overflowing already but he didn't mind, he wasn't here for attention. He pulled out the sword he had summoned especially for the competition, and the only similarity it had to Riptide was that the balance was perfect for him. It was made of imperial gold, a few inches longer, and the sides were dead straight unlike the leaf shape of Riptide. He wanted to challenge himself and didn't want his sword to get recognized. Starting with his wrists Percy began to warm up while watching the final pair of fighters. They were more disappointing than Percy had hoped, it seemed that they were decent fighters but neither possessed the raw power or uncanny skill to really contend with any of the heavier hitters that Percy knew he would find later in the competition.
The match ended with both still armed and was decided by points, a small smattering of applause followed though it was polite at best. The announcer then introduced the next two pairs to fight and Percy was up first. His opponent reminded him of the kids from the Ares cabin but he didn't recognize him. Then he moved and Percy spotted the slight shimmer that was a dead giveaway for those who were born below the sea. Percy grinned and moved forward to tap weapons before settling into a ready stance. When the horn to begin blew his opponent exploded into action and his spear forced Percy back a half dozen steps. Percy wasn't worried, he was simply swaying and stepping out of the way because he wanted to get a feel for the pattern of his opponent's attacks. He noticed a slight hitch whenever he thrust the spear from high to low and Percy waited. He saw it coming and stepped inside the range of the spear deftly avoiding the weapon and hammering the weapon from his opponent's fingers with a firm blow. To be sure Percy grabbed his armor and tossed him sprawling out of the circle that marked the boundaries.
He hadn't used any of his godly powers and it felt good just letting his body do all the work for once. He helped his opponent back to his feet and they squared off for the second bout of their best-of-five match. Each match ended with a different method of disarmament but as it was only three bouts it ended all too soon. Percy bowed to his opponent and gripped his forearm shaking it firmly. Percy might have felt worse but the tournament wasn't single elimination and points counted for almost as much as wins. After all part of the gladiatorial tournament was about being a gladiator which meant putting on a show. He knew he would lose points in that area but he didn't much care. He would fight with the same brutal efficiency that had kept him and the whole world from destruction since he was twelve.
He fought several more matches that day and to Percy's surprise, not every match was a clean sweep in his favor. Several times he encountered a trick or move that he had no experience against and it was his undoing for that bout. No move ever worked on him more than once, however. By the end of the day, the original number of contestants had dwindled from well over six hundred to just over one hundred and twenty. The heavy drop in numbers was due in part to the unusually large turnout this year. Many competitors were simply not good enough to make it and many chose to bow out rather than drag it out for themselves. When Percy was leaving the Hypogeum for the day he was fairly exhausted but in good spirits. He looked around just in time for a white-clad blur to slam into him.
He felt her pull his head down and felt her lips meet his. He knew it was Calypso just from her scent, strangely muddled as it was underwater, and little more. He opened his eyes and they were standing on the back porch of his palace on Mt. Olympus. Her disguise faded away and the setting sun blazed, painting her skin with dazzling colors and making her caramel hair seem to glow. She looked just like she had when he had first seen her in his delirious state after washing up on Ogygia, and he thought she had never been more beautiful.
"I love you Calypso."
He saw her eyes widen in surprise for a moment before her lips were smashing into his again. When she finally broke contact again their lips were slightly swollen and she rested her forehead against his.
"I love you too Percy. I've been waiting to hear you say that."
"I know. I'm sorry it took so long."
"Don't apologize just kiss me."
Percy knew he wasn't the most intelligent guy around but even he knew not to argue with that.
The Present
Percy reappeared in the center of the camp to dead silence and absolutely no motion. He froze every sense straining for any sign of movement or life. A minute passed, then two, and Percy felt the small voice deep inside of him getting louder. He tried to ignore it but now was not the time, anything was a possibility. He began to scan the ground and saw a confused jumble of footprints that to his untrained eyes meant little to him. The only thing that stood out was the lack of monstrous marks. There was no sign the huntresses had been chased from their camp or dragged away. He had started to expand his power and senses beyond the reaches of the camp when an eerie sense of deja vu began to creep over him. The forest was quiet and still, devoid of the usual sounds of life, even the air around him was still.
He knew this wasn't Moros, that feeling he would know anywhere. This was different, it was like the world was holding its breath rather than being deadened by unnatural power. Percy turned to look in every direction and then glanced up at the cliff he had been looking down on the camp from. Now that he was here the location of the camp seemed off, out of place. Artemis was the embodiment of the predator, she was The Huntress. He didn't think she would want to be pinned against a cliff like this unless there was a good reason, and why hadn't he been able to notice the lack of noise from there?
"Artemis... Where in Olympus are you?"
His voice sounded overloud to him in the dead silence that surrounded him. Then something shifted and he became aware of a feeling that he knew all too well. He pulled the very familiar pen out of his pocket and popped the cap off. Riptide sprung into his hand and gleamed with its usual gray-hued bronze metal reflecting the sun. He let his power loose slightly as well and the remaining untrampled grass surrounding him was flattened. Waves of power rolled off of him and it filled the air around him. The smell of a sea breeze driven before a storm wind filled his nose and he reigned in his power slightly.
A veil seemed to lift from the world or maybe his eyes. The sun that he had not even registered dimming shone brightly again, the cacophony of the forest rushed back in, and the sound of a familiar horn sounded in the distance. Artemis appeared before him looking confused and then after seeing him, concerned. He faced her but did not lower his sword at first.
"Artemis?"
"Hello, Percy. A fine day is it not?"
"Where are your huntresses?"
"Off at the beach if you can call it that. They deserved a break, that was actually why I originally called you. I wanted to see how... things... were going."
Percy remained on the balls of his feet eyes flicking back and forth, alert for any and all signs of movement.
"Relax Percy, I did not call you here to ambush you. Not this time."
He relaxed somewhat, she enjoyed this game they sometimes played. Pitting herself and often the hunters against him in a vaguely terrifying game of cat and mouse, truth be told he had actually grown to enjoy the game somewhat as it meant he was able to spend more time with Thalia and Artemis herself in a less serious context than normal. He returned Riptide to pen form and then to his pocket. They moved toward the fire and sat beside each other for a long while and in the quiet, he realized the sounds of the forest had returned.
"It never gets easier. I know you know that but you asked how things were going."
"To the mightiest warriors go the most harrowing battles, and I know you would change it if you could. If you could take all their fights upon yourself I know you would, but that is unfortunately impossible."
She was right of course but he didn't want to admit it out loud. He told her she was right far too often for his taste. Over the last eight years, she had become like the older sister he never had just as Apollo and Hermes had become like older brothers. He was glad to be so close to all of them but it did mean that when stuff like this happened they knew what he was thinking sometime before he did. It was another stark reminder of just how young he was compared to many of the people he had contact with regularly.
"I... Well... Doesn't fate ever get tired of all this? Can't it just let things be peaceful for a little while?"
"Which fate Percy? The three? The primordial? Or perhaps you mean one of the other...fates."
He glanced at her and raised his eyebrows in surprise. It was the first time in a few years she had even alluded to the existence of the other pantheons he had become aware of across the world. Even as he thought of it the image of Carter drawing a symbol on his hand, and the memory of teaching Magnus the Einherjar to swim filled his mind.
"I guess the more general non-person fate. Like the concept, not the actual deities."
She raised a single eyebrow at him in return and he almost laughed. She was strangely good at making that expression despite the tiny number of times he had seen it.
"Does a tapestry tire of the pattern its weaver imparts to it, Percy?"
"I guess that depends on if the tapestry can think or not wouldn't it? Also what if the tapestry has many weavers that have different ideas for the tapestry?"
"You have ruined the metaphor, Percy."
"What? Come on I was just trying to say what I mean."
"Which given your grasp of the languages we speak is commendable but often futile. Percy, a metaphor does not work if you try to make it more and more accurate to the actual situation."
"Maybe you just picked a bad metaphor."
Artemis threw her hands up and glared at the sky.
"Why? Why have been saddled with yet another insufferable male that I cannot be rid of?"
"Who are you asking Artemis? Fate?"
He took off running as she whipped around glaring at him. The heaviness of the subject was momentarily forgotten as Percy struggled to run in a straight line from laughing so hard. That is until he looked back to see Artemis quickly gaining on him as she could move through the trees with practiced ease. He redoubled his efforts and soon came to open ground and he could hear more voices ahead of him. Not thinking he just kept running but soon enough he realized that he should have listened to his instincts. An all too familiar voice rang across the rocky beach.
"Do you need assistance, my lady?"
Before he could react a bolt of lightning slammed into him from the sky. When he had been a demigod it would have knocked him off of his feet for sure. He was not a demigod anymore and the bolt barely caused him to stumble. Unfortunately, it did enough so he did not notice the tripline that zipped across his path. His ankles hit the line and he sprawled face-first onto the rocky beach.
"Dammit Thalia. You always ruin..."
Artemis was upon him before he could finish speaking. Were this even three or four years ago he may have been worried for his safety but as it was he gave up trying to get away. She smacked him over the back of the head once and smirked at him with her back to her huntresses.
"What is that twenty-four to none now Percy?"
He groaned as he sat up glaring at her half-heartedly.
"Yeah, but you cheated! I never get outside help!"
"Please, we both know I would have caught you."
He pouted until the scrapes on his arms and chest healed. After that, he bounced to his feet and did his best to brush off the melancholy that had stolen through him only minutes before. As he always did when he grew too sullen or morose he delved into the domains that had become a part of him, letting them wash through him and losing track of his surrounding momentarily. Returning to this part of himself he shook himself like a dog then grinned at Thalia and Artemis.
"Can I try again? Only Thalia gets to help though I swear if I see one more huntress..."
Without warning and without finishing his sentence he took off running into the trees, legs pumping he dodged between trees as best he could. Unfortunately, when he glanced back to see if he was being pursued he misjudged and ran through a towering oak tree. The trunk splintered and it began falling over his head.
"Again? I've gotta be more careful this always..."
-THUD-
His chest hit the ground again and he groaned in mild annoyance before rolling onto his back. Almost immediately he had to roll to the side as a bolt of lightning struck the ground where he had been laying only moments before.
"You are much too easy to track Kelp Head. I mean come on. How hard is it to just not run into a tree?"
"You should talk Pinecone Face, remember that time you face-planted in that creek over in... where was that again...?"
"Montana."
Percy glanced over and saw Artemis leaning against a tree in the direction he had been running.
"Thank you, how long have you been there?"
"Long enough to watch you knock down that poor tree and then trip over a tree branch. It will never cease to amaze me the degree to which you still have not acclimated to being a god."
"Hey, now I was a mortal for like eighteen years. Only been a god for like nine, old habits die hard. My normal senses got me through a lot you know."
Artemis rolled her eyes again and walked toward them.
"Yes yes, and it even got you through the Pit. Now let's go back to camp, I believe since you are here it would be good for you to start teaching my two newest hunters. One is a daughter of Ares and the other is a clearsighted mortal."
Percy perked up at that information, he loved helping train demigods. Getting to teach them was the most direct way he could keep them safe so he took it very seriously.
"What do you want me to teach them?"
"The daughter of Ares is strong, her father gifted her a spear after she managed to shall we say, eliminate, the threat to her and her best friend, the clear-sighted mortal. I know you Percy as do the rest of the hunt, but these two do not."
Percy sobered at that and nodded.
"How new are they?"
"Three weeks as of tomorrow. Not the newest you have met but still new enough."
"I'll see what I can do. Oh, the clear-sighted mortal. Any idea as to what sort of fighting I should teach her aside from the things she will learn from you?"
"None whatsoever, though that is one of the benefits of having the god of weaponry around. Im sure you can help her figure out if there are any weapons that will suit her. Oh and Percy. Audry and Claire."
He nodded a few times as they began to walk back toward the rest of the hunt they had left on the beach. This had become fairly normal for him as well, after getting chased around for a while he would help train any of the huntresses with weapons they had picked up outside of the traditional bow and hunting knives. Because of this, they were not nearly as vulnerable when an opponent got within melee range as almost half the huntresses were now proficient with additional weapons. He did what he could for more than just their skills while he was around as well, despite not belonging to one of the camps they were all still heroes. He would never assume to claim their loyalty above Artemis' but as he had before he always offered to help were there any huntresses that found themselves in dire need. As they approached camp a smile began to grow on Percy's face, it was times like these that he really, really loved his job.
AN: So begins the sequel to 'A New God' and as always thank you for reading. I wanted to do a decent time jump for two reasons, the first being it will allow me to write Percy without the immediate grieving process that was so heavily involved with the first story. There will still be moments and reminders of his past losses but not like the first story. Second, it lets me show a more advanced relationship between Percy and the other gods who are now his peers. He will still interact with the demigods but as a guardian, a teacher, and a patron, not as a friend in the same way as before. He will still be close to Nico, and Thalia, but outside of them he will have to be different. Nine years on is a long time in a demigod's life so camp will have almost entirely new mortal faces.
I am probably going to reference the past quite heavily at the beginning of the story as the relationship between Percy and Calypso is now going to be a bigger focus. I don't want to just skip to the end with their relationship but I am going to kind of do it backwards. As I'm sure many of you guessed he has an engagement ring but the only moments I've told are their first real kiss and the first I love you. I will show more later but there are plenty of stories about Percy falling in love. I want to write about Percy that knows he's in love and that he's in love with someone who is just as deeply in love with him too. If you're looking for relationship ups and downs in the form of drama for the sake of drama you'll likely be disappointed. I want to write something that isn't boring and one-dimensional, but so many of the usual things that I see used to add drama seem out of place given the life Percy and his friends have led.