Well, here we are guys, the final book of the fic. I won't make this author's note too long, I'll save my thanks and words for the last chapter, but for now, I'll just say, I hope I can deliver on a good finale! I'm excited to write this one and send the story off with a bang! Hope you enjoy this first installment.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except the OC's) Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or Trials of Apollo. All of that belongs to Rick Riordan.
Another Disclaimer: This chapter contains explicit sexual content, or in other words, a lemon. Just a heads up, in case you aren't comfortable with that sort of thing. I will place a star before it begins, and a star when it's over within the chapter.
Now then, with that out of the way, here's the beginning of the end!
Book Six: The Final War
1. The Wedding Goes Up In Flames
You know, I was having a pretty good day before the world ended.
In fact, it wasn't just pretty good. It was really good. I'd finally reached my eighteenth birthday.
The last time you heard from me, we were approaching New Years. Well, it's been two months, and I've finally reached the milestone everyone talks about. Eighteen. The age where you supposedly become an "adult."
I don't feel any older, though. I can't tell the difference between seventeen and eighteen. But that's how it was with the transition from sixteen to seventeen, or the year before that. Time moves slowly sometimes, and other times, it moves fast.
Kind of like these past two months. I know, you guys probably want to hear about all of the mind-bending tales we've been on since the Japan saga, but to be honest...there's not much to tell. I'm literally skipping over nothing. But believe me, it's not for a lack of trying. I was fully prepared to find Ouranos and confront him for the last time, ending this entire mess for good. But he's far more elusive than I thought.
After I talked to Zeus, he and my friends started a multiversal search. And when I say multiversal, I'm serious. Ouranos told me he was hiding in the bridge world between Universes, so that's where I spent my time. It was a good hiding place, I'll admit, because it offers endless escape routes. If he senses my energy coming, all he has to do is jump in a portal to a universe, and boom, he's home free.
Day and night, we tried our best, but we haven't even gotten close to finding him. The threat only grows, so I'm on constant alert.
Which is why, I hate to say that even today, I'm on high alert. I should be enjoying a big birthday, but I can't help it. The entire universe is at stake here. Every life on the planet, mortal and demigod, could be lost. If Ouranos were to show up in the next hour, I'd like to think that I'm ready to face him, but I can never be sure. Olympus knows that's the one guy you never want to give time to. He uses it very efficiently.
Regardless, I still wanted to at least celebrate the milestone the best I could, which is why I took Harper to see my mom today. For those that don't know (though you really should by now) my mom was attacked by the Chimera a few years ago, leaving her in a traumatic state. She stayed in a mental hospital for a long time, before being healed by Zeus. Now, she's as good as new, and she's very excited about me being eighteen.
I will say, that's one good part about the past couple of months, is seeing my mom come back to normal, and jump back into her old activities. After so long of seeing her sick, the pace finally changes. It was amazing to see.
I'd heard about blow outs and parties for eighteenth birthdays, but I hadn't planned anything crazy. I'd woken up a couple of hours ago and asked Harper if she wanted to go with me to see my mom. You know, since she's my girlfriend and all. Probably should mention that too, in case you forgot, or aren't up to speed.
She said yes, of course, and I didn't bother the others. I figured later, we could hang out and maybe do something fun at Camp, but I wasn't thinking of throwing a big party. Just casual stuff is all I need.
Harper and I had entered the apartment complex a minute or two ago, walked up the stairs, and now, headed to mom's door, walking side by side.
"So, you feel like an adult yet?" She asked, shooting me a side glance and a signature smirk. Harper always looks incredible, and today was no different. I've sort of gotten used to the fact that she looks so good, and she actually likes me, that I don't marvel at the fact that we're together that often anymore. But sometimes, it hits my brain like a truck.
Like now. She's wearing a goth getup, her trademark, as usual. But the Spring weather reduced it to a black t-shirt with the Camp logo on the chest, tight jeans that had little rips at the knees, and punk boots with little spikes at the end. Pale, smooth skin, full lips, and soft, raven black hair tied in a single braid come together to make Harper Pierce, the girl that makes me go nuts.
It's hard to pick out my favorite thing about her appearance. That could change at any given day, to be honest, but more often than not, it's the eyes. They're unique, in that her right eye is a normal, light blue color, but the left one is completely blank. Almost capped over in a milky white color, resulted from her making a deal with her mom, Nemesis, goddess of revenge, where she had to give up sight in that eye for information.
I love how most of the time, when Harper looks at something, or someone, her eyes are narrowed, calculating, and unforgiving. But when they look at me, they get really soft and tender. The change is immediate, and it's awesome to watch in real time.
"Not really." I said, finally responding to her question. "Just feels like another day, to be honest." I turned a bit to look down at her, "I mean, did you feel any older when you turned eighteen?"
Her birthday is in February, a month before mine. So she got to experience the magic before me.
"Nah. I guess you really start to feel your age when you get to thirty." She chuckled, "Glad that's still a long way down the road."
"It'll be here before you know it." I joked.
We finally reached the door we'd been looking for, and stopped in front of it. Just before I knocked, I heard a small noise from Harper, almost like she was holding back a laugh. When I glanced at her, she was smiling.
"What's gotten into you?" I said playfully.
She shook her head and threw her hand up towards the door, "Nothing, Matt. I just thought of something funny."
I lowered my hand, "What was it?"
"Well...would you look at that, I already forgot. Guess it wasn't as funny as I thought."
"You're acting weird."
She closed her eyes and grinned, "Tell me something I don't know."
I just snickered at her antics and knocked on the door as intended. Not three seconds later, my mom swung the door open as fast as she could, revealing my friends, Percy, Annabeth, Malachi, Sera, and Talon, all standing in the living room, with party decorations all around the apartment.
"SURPRISE!" Everyone yelled at once.
I was completely taken off guard, grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat. Everyone in the apartment started laughing, waiting for my reaction.
Harper nudged me, "Happy Birthday, Shark Boy."
I gawked at her, my eyes darting back and forth between her and the others. "B-But...how? I mean, you guys were at Camp! And the decorations! The...cake? Is that a cake? How did you guys do all of this?!"
Mom came out from behind the door and revealed herself, unable to contain a big smile. "It was all Harper's idea. She came to me and asked if we could have a surprise party here."
"Wasn't easy!" Talon said, adjusting his triangular party hat to fit the center of his head, "Had to sneak out after you left and set everything up before you got here! Talk about a rush!"
As the pieces started to come together, my face grew even brighter and my mouth dropped even more, trying to explain all of it to myself. "So that's why Harper wanted to have Argus take us! And...wait, did you guys fly on Kyros?"
Malachi nodded, scratching his neck nervously, "Guilty as charged, I'm afraid. I hope you're not upset, Matt."
"No! No, of course not!" My entire heart was swelling to the size of my own head, with an indescribable warmth in my chest. "This is amazing, you guys!" I turned to Harper to find her smiling expectantly at me, hands behind her back.
"And you...you did all of this? For me?"
She nodded, lifting her chin in the air proudly, "That's right. Surprised?"
I shook my head in disbelief, "Are you kidding? Come here..." I immediately scooped her up in a hug, lifting her off the ground so she could be flush against my chest. "This is so awesome, Harper."
She pulled her head back just enough to where we could touch foreheads and look directly into each other's eyes. I was about to kiss her, when Talon interrupted.
"Alright, I've been wanting to eat this cake for an hour straight! Ya'll come inside and let's get this party started!"
The party was awesome.
We laughed and told stories, ate cake, played weird games Talon came up with, and just all around, had a blast. I immersed myself in the moment and forgot all about our problems. Ouranos, the world's destruction, all of that had been tossed away for this brief moment. It was the best I've felt in a while.
I was so grateful for them; how thoughtful all of this was. Years ago, I never would've dreamed any of this would happen. That I would have people that actually cared about me, like a family, almost. No, not almost, we were. A family is exactly the right term. I never had these kinds of celebrations as a kid, it was just me and mom. The one time I did make friends, it got taken away, because of my demigod scent. From there on, I had to be careful, and stay alone.
But now, everything's different. I'm much freer, and happier than before. It truly feels like my life's turned for the better, despite the chaos, and the losses I've experienced along the way.
After about two hours, we'd finally died down, and decided to just sit in a circle and reminisce about the good times, past and future. Harper, Malachi, Sera and I were on the couch, Percy and Annabeth were on the love seat, and Talon sat criss crossed on the floor, even though their was a recliner right behind him.
Talon had been...a little down lately, since leaving Japan. We all knew he missed Amaterasu, but besides that night when we returned, he hasn't talked about it. I felt bad for him, us being all coupled up, and him being alone. But despite that, he seemed to be in high spirits for the party, chatting it up and laughing like always. But still, I have the ability to read emotions, and under all the stuff that makes Talon himself, there's a thick underlining of sadness and longing.
After a long silence that had fell from another one of Talon's epic retellings of our battle with Tartarus, I took a swig of the red punch Mom made for the party.
"Thanks for this guys, seriously. It means a lot that you'd go through the trouble of throwing a party."
"You deserve something to get your mind off of things." Harper said, "We all do. I mean, when's the last time we've actually had fun? Christmas? For like, two hours or something crazy?"
"She's got a point." Talon grumbled.
Malachi raised his cup, admiring it, "I've never been to a party before, so I have nothing to compare to. But this...was pretty fun, I have to say."
Sera agreed, tapping her own cup against his, "Oh yes. This really went off without a hitch, Harper!"
Harper was relaxed against the couch now, waving her hand at Sera dismissively, "I told you guys it would be fine. You were all so worried."
Annabeth shrugged from her seat, "I thought Matt would notice something was up. Or a certain Seaweed Brain would give it away."
"Hey! I'm great at keeping secrets!" Percy protested.
We laughed, and when it died down, I stared at the two beside me.
"I can't believe you guys are getting married tomorrow. It's crazy that my birthday is just a day before you guys' wedding."
Percy and Annabeth both blushed and intertwined their hands. "I can't wait." Percy said.
Annabeth looked more blissful than I'd ever seen her, "Finally, after all the planning, all the interruptions, we can have a day to ourselves. The best day."
I was really happy for them. As soon as they announced a few weeks ago that the wedding would be held on Olympus, a day after my birthday, I was overcome with joy. Percy and Annabeth are pretty much the model couple, and to see them finally able to tie the knot after all they've been through...it's going to be incredible to watch.
"You invited everybody right?" Harper asked. By everybody, she meant all of Camp, their personal friends, like Piper, Thalia, Grover, Hazel, Frank, etc.
Annabeth nodded, "Every invitation's been sent. It's finally done. Now we just have to go up there and make it official."
Sera giggled, "I still cannot believe you're having Talon marry you."
Annabeth's demeanor changed in an instant. She groaned, "Oh gods, don't remind me. Talon, you'd better not mess up!"
So, a little context. Percy and Annabeth were having trouble finding an officiator to marry them. So Talon, with all his bright ideas, decided to get ordained in the state of New York, via an online registration. To my surprise, he actually did it, and to my bigger surprise, Percy and Annabeth let him be part of the ceremony. Though if I had to bet money, I'd bet that Percy begged her to let him do it.
And whatever he said must've worked, because it's set in stone. Talon's going to be standing between them tomorrow, saying 'we are gathered here today' and 'you may now kiss the bride' and all that. We trusted him, but we also know Talon. He can go off the rails sometimes.
Talon threw his hands up in an easing gesture, "No need to worry, Blondie, Preacher Talon's gonna make it perfect!" He repositioned his hands to make a square, like a film director. "I'm thinking we let the doves out during the kiss. Then I can give a heartfelt speech that'll make even Hera burst into tears! Then-"
"Oh no." Annabeth warned, her tone dangerous, "You're not going off plan! Everything will happen the way we talked about, understood?"
Talon sighed, like a kid caught stealing candy. "Yes, ma'am." He muttered the next part, "I'll make your wedding as boring as possible..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!"
We snickered at the banter, and Harper suddenly leaned up on the couch and clapped her hands together.
"Alright, Shark Boy, I've got big plans for today, so I'd say it's about time we ditch the party. How's that sound?"
"Ditch the party? Where are we going?"
She smiled at me, took my hand, and gently pulled me up from the couch, leading me to the door. "You'll see. Just follow my lead."
Before reaching the door, I quickly grabbed the last slice of cake on the counter and shoved it in my mouth. "But what about the others? Are they coming?"
In my head, that came out in perfect English, but Harper probably heard it as "Buh wha abou da udders, awe day comin?" or some gibberish, since my mouth is full.
But somehow, everyone understood me. Guess that's how close we are.
"Nah, ya'll go ahead." Talon said, grunting as he got up, "We'll stick around."
I swallowed the slice of cake, "You sure?"
"Of course," Malachi said, "We will help your mom clean up."
"Have fun, you guys!" Sera cheered, waving at us.
Mom must've heard all the commotion, because she entered the room from the hallway, "What's going on? Are you two leaving?"
"Yeah, Mrs. Beckett." Harper said, respectfully. "Gotta give him his present...and the other thing we talked about."
I had no idea what she meant, but my mom seemed to. An understanding passed between the two women, and Mom slowly started to smile, remembering whatever Harper meant.
"Of course, dear. I almost forgot about that." She gestured for us to leave, "Go ahead, have fun."
I stood there, completely lost. "Present? Other thing? What's going on?"
Harper rolled her eyes and opened the door, "I'll show you. Just be patient." She craned her head around my body to say goodbye to my Mom and everyone, "Thanks for letting us use the apartment, Mrs. B! See you guys back at Camp!"
They all offered goodbyes, and with a tug on my hand, Harper pulled me out the door and into the next part of my birthday.
"Why are we going to Olympus?"
Harper and I were currently waiting for the elevator to reach beyond the Empire State Building, in front of the Olympus walkway. Both of us held ice cream cones in our hands, chocolate for me and strawberry for Harper. Before coming here, she bought it for me, saying it was part of her 'plan.'
I told her I already appreciated the party, and she didn't need to go through this much trouble just to make my birthday fun. Just being with her, and having that party was more than I could ever ask for.
But she insisted that was only the beginning, just like she insisted now.
"For the third time, Matt, I'm giving you your present!"
"My present's on Olympus?" I reared my head back, "What did you get me? A royal cape to match my armor?"
"No." She snickered, and bumped me in the side with her elbow, "Just shut up and be patient."
We'd eaten the last of our cones just as the elevator came to a stop. The doors slid open, revealing Olympus in all of it's glory, once again.
I'll say it as I've said it before, it's the most beautiful place on Earth. You'd never think that Olympus, home of the gods, would be sitting right in the city, above the Empire. But we've gotten used to it, in fact, we've been here several times now.
That still doesn't mean it can't take my breath away. The sheer size of the city, the architecture, the intricate weavings of the streets, and the warmth of the lights all speak to me in a way not even New York can. It gives off this ancient, majestic energy that can't be matched by another location.
Harper and I walked hand in hand down the road leading to the city. We calmly weaved through Olympus's daily traffic, consisting of minor gods and spirits, going about their day, and eventually reaching the gates of the palace.
I was about to question what kind of present needs to be stored in Olympus's palace, but refrained myself. Harper was probably getting annoyed with my constant bugging. I should just stay quiet and enjoy the effort she's put into making me happy. No need to fight what's already done.
The golden gates opened automatically for us, and we walked inside. The throne room was glorious, as usual. As vast and tall as the city outside, dwarfing Grand Central Station itself by a wide margin. At the very end of it, sat the thrones of the twelve Olympians, each one holding a specific design to its assigned god. Like for Poseidon, his is a fishing chair with a rod holder on the side, and for Ares, his is blood red, with spikes and weapons protruding from it. You get the gist.
The only god here was Zeus, to my surprise. He was standing at the foot of all the thrones, waiting for us with his arms behind his back, hiding something.
"Lord Zeus." Harper greeted, "Did it come in?"
He nodded, a smirk visible under his beard. Zeus has a regular form, and a fighting form. Right now, he's in the regular form, because his beard is black and he's wearing a suit. If he's about to kill or fight something, his hair will get white, and he'll switch to wearing a toga. Subtle stuff, I know. Very hard to tell the difference.
"It's here, Ms. Pierce. Would you like me to reveal it?"
As he finished his sentence, we stopped five feet in front of him. I tried to spot what was behind his back, but Zeus's shoulders were so wide, I couldn't.
Harper nodded, excitedly. "Yep, show him."
Zeus unfurled his hands from his back and showed me a shield. A dark gray shield with this metallic polish and look to it, perfectly crafted and shaped for a person of my size. Thick as concrete, yet it looked light as a feather. My eyes immediately widened upon seeing it.
"Woah..." It came out as a whisper, "It's...a shield."
"Yes, Matt." Zeus chuckled, "That's its correct name."
Harper was watching on, giddy, with her fists clenched out in front of her. "Go ahead and hold it, Matt. See how it fits."
I tentatively took it from Zeus and slipped its inward leather strap on my forearm, holding it close to me. It was perfect, and just as I thought, light as a feather to me, with perfect size, covering up the area from my knees to my shoulders. I lightly beat my fist against the middle of the outward side. It only took one tap to feel that this was no ordinary metal. This was incredibly durable.
"Holy crap...this thing's indestructible!" I glanced between both of them, my head like a garden sprinkler. "What's it made of?"
"Universal Titanium." Zeus informed, "I'm sure you're familiar with it. It's equal to Heavenly Diamond in durability, and only lacks the chaotic energy of offensive attacks. Other than that, it can protect you from any strike."
I moved it around a bit with my arm, finding that its mobility was excellent. It wasn't hard to move or too clunky, or anything at all off putting. I never was one for shields, but with some practice, I could probably master this thing.
My face fell on Harper, who was watching me like a hawk. "Is this the present?"
She nodded, "Yeah. You like it?"
"I love it." I smiled down at it, "Thank you so much. I'm just curious, how...I mean, who-"
"Hephaestus made it." Zeus said, saving me from babbling my words. "Young Harper here came to me a couple of weeks ago and requested that a shield be made for you. Apart from it being a birthday present, she insisted that it would come in handy against Ouranos. So of course, I gave the orders to Hephaestus, and within a few days, he had it delivered to me."
I couldn't believe it. Harper was really, really going the extra mile here, and I had no idea how to even put my gratitude into words. She was...the best, plain and simple. I loved her so much.
And just the way she was looking at me now. It's not often that Harper gets shy or unsure of herself, but right now, I can see that she's nervous.
"I mean, I didn't build it myself or anything, you know." She chuckled, unable to look at me. "But...it's the thought that counts, right? I figured you could use it in future fights. Especially against you know who."
I lowered the shield down to my side, walked over to her, and kissed her.
Not even caring that Zeus was watching. I used my free hand to cup the back of her head and pull our lips together. It was quick, but it was sweet and chaste, a perfect little display of my appreciation.
By the time I pulled back, her cheeks had gotten red. "You're really amazing, you know that?"
She regained her senses and smiled, "Well, duh, of course I know. And hey, it's not over yet. I've still got more planned for you."
My jaw fell open, "More? Seriously? Harper, you didn't have to do all of this!"
She put her finger on my lips to shut me up, "Ah, ah, ah. It may be your birthday, but it's my rules right now, big boy. I've got more stuff planned, so let's go!"
Zeus was long gone behind us, because Harper practically drug me outside of the palace. In the side courtyard, next to the balcony, sat the entire wedding of Percy and Annabeth. We'd already seen this at the rehearsal, so it wasn't anything new. But it was awesome to look at. The silky carpet that led up to the arbor, the arbor itself, the stage, the seats, the flowers, everything was all so beautiful and well placed. Annabeth clearly did most of it, but the parts that were Percy's...were clearly Percy's.
"What are we doing out here?" I asked, which soon turned into a groan, "Do we have to rehearse the wedding again?"
Harper playfully slapped me on the arm, "No, stupid. We're borrowing their table. You and I are gonna have a birthday date."
"Birthday date?"
I then noticed that she was pointing at the long table sitting twenty feet ahead of us. When I say long, I mean long, with a big white sheet draped over, falling on all sides. Empty plates, candles, little flowers, all as far as the eye can see.
But specifically, at the very end of the table, farthest from us, sat two full plates, and the wine glasses had stuff in them. Not wine, it looked more like soda to me.
"You had this set up too?"
She nodded smugly, "Sure did. And I may or may not have had Zeus boss around some minor gods to make your favorite steak."
My mouth started watering, "Filet medium rare?"
She grinned, "Hope that cake didn't fill you up."
From there, we sat down across from each other at the very end, and I wolfed down the steak. It was the most incredible thing I'd ever eaten. Which I guess is to be expected, if cooked by gods. But man, this was on a whole other plane of tasty.
Harper and I hadn't had a real date since...well, the fact that I can't remember should tell you what you need to know. So to have this, was an incredibly nice change of pace. It was so relaxing, just being present with her, talking about all kinds of things that you wouldn't expect from us. You'd think it's all business and strategy, discussing how we should take out Ouranos, and yeah, that does fill some of our conversations, but at least right now, there was none of that.
It reminded me of that time we visited the Paradise Inn on that first quest. How in the middle of the chaos, we found one night to express ourselves normally, and just be with one another, as two people. Not two powerful demigods with the fate of the world on their shoulders.
Just like then, we laughed, and talked about normal things. How we hadn't seen a movie in forever, which led to our favorites, a top ten conversation, then music, which she led, since I know next to nothing about rock and roll, and a slew of topics that had my cheeks hurting from the constant smile.
When we were done, the sun had fallen from its peak, marking the time past noon. It's exact number, we didn't know. We were having too much fun to care.
Harper announced that the day wasn't over yet. By this point, I'd given in that she was just going overboard with this entire thing, so I had no choice but to go along with it. The fact that she cared so much made me feel a little guilty. I didn't deserve all of this, her thoughtfulness and effort, but in her mind, I did. So I would go along with it and enjoy myself.
I grabbed my shield and put it around my chest like a backpack, hoping the mist would hide it as such. From there, we continued our date, going to Coney Island just like we talked about when we first got together, walking on the beach and admiring the view, and lastly, ending up at some tattoo shop in Manhattan.
"Uh Harper, what are we doing here?" I asked just before entering the door. At first, I figured we were going somewhere else, but when Harper tugged me to the side, under the neon lights of Rico's Tattoo shop, I got confused.
She took in a deep breath, "Okay, so...you remember those times we talked, or well, joked about getting matching tattoos?"
I didn't even have to think about it. We'd laughed about it a few times, brought it up when lying in bed together, in the quiet moments, saying the first thing that comes to our mind. I thought it would be cool, but I never genuinely considered it.
"Yeah, I remember." I looked up at the sign, "Is that why we're here? You wanna get matching tattoos?"
My tone must've come off thinking it was a joke or something, because Harper's smile fell. "I mean...if you think it's stupid, we don't have to."
I grabbed her shoulders, "No! No, no, I'm down for it. But my mom, what would she think?" A little laugh came from my throat, almost nervously. "Me getting a tattoo?"
Her smile returned, "Well, her and I actually talked about that. You know, I obviously didn't want to do it behind her back, I wanted to make sure it was okay with her."
They talked about this? Damn, just how much stuff did Harper sneak by me?
I thought about asking when, but I remembered not four hours ago, when we were about to leave the apartment, what she said to my mom. "Gotta give him his present...and the other thing we talked about."
The 'other thing' must be this.
"I mean, if you don't believe me, we can go ask her-" Harper started, but I shook my head vigorously.
"No, no, we don't have to do all of that. I believe you." I squeezed her shoulders and motioned my head to the shop door, "Let's get some ink."
We entered, to find no one waiting around, just a big guy covered in tattoos, sitting behind a desk, looking at his phone.
"So how are we even gonna get them? My skin can't be pierced by normal metals, and I'm pretty sure you're the same way now."
"Talon knows this guy," She explained, "Says he uses celestial bronze for his 'special' customers."
The fact that Talon knew this guy didn't really make me feel better, but the celestial bronze part does. If I'm going all in on getting something that's going to permanently reside on my skin, I want it to come out perfect.
Harper placed her elbows on the counter. "Hey, Rico. Talon tell you we were coming?"
Rico looked up from his phone. Woah, he even had tattoos on his face. "He sure did. Tell me what you're interested in getting."
She told him the design we'd talked about before. He brought out a pencil from a holder on his desk and scribbled something down on a small piece of paper. Once done, he showed two very well-done sketches of a crescent moon, and the head of a lion. The "matching" tattoo ideas didn't necessarily match, but they coincided with each other, since we'd talked about getting the opposing symbol on our arm. So, I would get the moon, Harper's symbol, and she would get the lion, my symbol. Pretty cheesy, I know, but it's the best we could come up with.
I nodded, "That looks pretty good to me."
Harper grinned, "We'll take them!"
For about an hour, two hours, or three, I couldn't even tell you, I sat in this doctor's chair getting this crescent moon on my forearm, just under my wrist. It felt like it lasted forever, but Rico was taking his time, and he was doing good. As I watched him make out the design, it looked good and detailed.
Luckily, Harper's was getting hers done at the same time by one of Rico's associates, some girl, goth looking like her, with tattoos all over her arm in a sleeve. I know it's kind of a stereotype to assume all tattoo artists have tattoos, but most of the time, it turns out to be true. Guess they really love their craft.
Harper wasn't kidding about the celestial bronze thing either. With my aura suppressed, the little needle actually hurt, and managed to pierce my skin enough to give me that feeling of getting an actual tattoo. It wasn't unbearable pain, but it wasn't anything nice, and I could tell it would take all night to heal, even with my advanced regeneration factor.
It was close to dark when we got done. Rico placed these thin, almost transparent things that felt like silky tape on the fresh tattoos, so we couldn't see them in full. But still, I saw how it looked when he was close to being finished, it looked really good. I was unsure about going through with it at first, but to be honest...I kind of like it. Plus, Harper looks even better with ink on her forearm, if that's possible.
She told me that she didn't have any more plans, that the tats were the grand finale. So instead of walking all the way back to camp, or even getting a taxi, I decided to teleport us. Which yeah, is a little thing I can do thanks to Zeus's training.
We zapped back into Camp. I assumed the others had gotten here a while ago, but I didn't bother checking on them.
In my little trance, staring over at the direction of my cabin, Harper decided to flick my necklace. "Think Viribus could speed up the healing on these things?"
I smirked down at her, "Yours hurt?"
She shrugged, "It itches more than it hurts."
I laughed and obliged, gently unlatching Viribus from my neck and squeezing the lion pendant. Instantly, it elongated into an ash-colored wooden club. Removing the little tape over the tattoo and placing Viribus on Harper's forearm, I could tell the effect was happening already. Within seconds, the redness around the ink went away, and it looked completely normal. Still fresh, but healed.
Harper sighed, "Nice, that's way better."
"Yeah?" I quickly reached down and bit off the tape with my teeth, revealing the fresh ink. I placed Viribus right in the center of the lion's head, and the same thing happened. I felt the itchiness and stinging go away in an instant, my arm just the way it was before.
I smiled, satisfied, and switched Viribus back to its necklace form.
"Well, at least that won't be bothering me all night." Speaking of all night... "So uh, you wanna hang out a little more? You can come in, if you want." I was of course, referring to my cabin that sat about seventy feet away from us, yet I said it like it was ten. Smooth, Matt.
But she forgave the blunder, "Yeah, I'll hang." We started walking over to it, "Heh, bet you're glad to be like Percy now, aren't you?"
"What do you mean?" But as soon as I asked it, I knew what she meant. "Oh, the SPQR thing? That's more like a military tattoo than anything."
She held out her own arm and admired the lion head. "Yeah, I guess these are more professional. He did a really good job, you know?"
Now that I really looked at it, without the tape, it did look good. Better than I'd expect from somebody that Talon referred Harper to. The design was simple, but it looked almost like an intricate drawing with a charcoal pen. The crescent moon was black and white, with its outline being shaded and shadowed to perfection. I was pretty satisfied with how it came out, and Harper's looked even better.
"Yeah, he did. Guess Talon really comes through sometimes."
She raised a correcting finger, "Preacher Talon, you mean."
"Don't remind me," I groaned, "Gods, I bet his sermon will be lifechanging."
She snorted, "Let's just hope he doesn't drink before the ceremony."
"Got that right."
I opened the cabin door for her and shut it behind me when I entered. It was warm inside, warmer than it was outside, cozy in feeling and just the way it looked. This place was my home, within my home. Everything about it reminded me of my dad.
I walked behind Harper up until I reached my bed, spreading my arms out beside me, "What's mine is yours. Make yourself comfortable."
She turned over her shoulder to raise her eyebrows at me, "What's yours is mine? Then you won't mind if I take a shower?"
I froze stiff, and then that feeling quickly melted into a jelly like state, where my legs wanted to collapse under me and let the bed catch my fall. She knew the reaction happened, and she probably intended to get me going. That smirk and amusement in her cat-like stare says it all.
"Uh...you've never done that before, in my cabin."
She stared at me challengingly, "Well I can go take one elsewhere if it makes you uncomfortable-"
Don't screw this up! My mind screamed. "No!" I cleared my throat. Okay bud, that was a little too intense, dial it back. "I meant, no, no, it's fine. I don't mind at all."
She held the stare for a second, then busted out in a fit of laughter. "Man, you're easy to rile up." With a purposeful sway of the hips, her hand appeared over her shoulder in a little wave, "I won't be long. You can have a turn in five minutes."
I slipped the shield off my back and plopped on the bed, "Don't worry about it! I got one this morning!"
Just as I finished the sentence, she shut the door leading to my bathroom, the water turning on seconds later.
My thoughts drifted to a place they hadn't gone before. Just beyond that wall, that little barrier of wood, Harper's...
No, no, we're not thinking about that. Not now. There's no time for it. We've been through this before, buddy, you don't have time to be a normal teenager, because you're not. At least, not right now.
You've got to keep thinking about the task at hand. How you're going to stop Ouranos.
Or...maybe not.
Actually...no, I don't have to. For one night, screw all of that bullshit. It's my birthday, for Olympus' sake, and it's not even close to being over yet.
Absentmindedly, I reached over the side of the bed and hoisted the shield to hover over my chest. I admired it closely. Hephaestus was really no joke when it came to creating weapons and armor, he really lived up to the forge god title. There wasn't one dent, one scratch, or even one spot that looked wrong on the shield. It was perfect.
I spun it around on my finger, thinking about the last time I even used a shield. I had one that I wrapped the Nemean Lion cloak around, but that got lost in the fight on the Cursed Island, however long ago that was. Feels like forever now.
A shield wasn't usually part of my skill set, but one this durable would surely be a huge help in any fight, even if I'm horrible at using it. As long as I can hold it up and block, I should be okay. Doesn't mean I won't practice with it. Harper went through the trouble of getting this thing made for me, I wouldn't dare just toss it aside and treat it like a decoration.
I couldn't believe she'd done all of this. It was awesome, don't get me wrong, but if I'd have known she was going to do all of that stuff she did today, I would've told her to forget about it. I don't deserve or need any of that.
Which is probably why she kept it a secret. My stubborn self refuses big gestures like that, spouting the same 'I don't deserve this' crap all the time.
It's just hard to believe that I'm in the position I'm in, with her. With any of this. Again, I'll say it, I never thought it would happen. Not in my wildest dreams. The fact that I call this camp home now is crazy. To my fifteen-year-old self, that would've been impossible.
My life, as of the last few years, has been a crazy roller coaster. One that never seems to end. I guess all life is that way, but from my early years, it only seemed to be a downward slope. The drop after the peak. But now, it feels like the coaster is picking up again, hitting other hills, and going back down all the same.
A lot of parts haven't been easy, that's for sure. Dad's death broke me, completely. I never thought I would see the light after that. And of course, seeing Harper go through what she did with her brother, and that whole thing, that was horrible. The Tartarus quest, dealing with him, being mentally tortured by him, wasn't fun at all. I have nightmares about it sometimes, but I'm beyond thankful that they aren't as bad as they could be.
But there's hope. It feels like we're finally reaching an end to this madness. We only have one opponent left, and the next time we see him, I guarantee that it'll be over. We'll defeat him. And I know I sound like a broken record saying that, but this time, it's true. No more games, no more elaborate escapes. He won't live to see another day.
In my thoughts, I didn't notice the bathroom door opening, until it closed with a thud. I stopped spinning my shield and looked up to find Harper walking towards me...in my bathrobe. The thick, fluffy brown one Talon made for me before he lost his powers.
I must've been in my trance for a while, because I didn't even hear the water turn off, or her blow-drying her hair.
Either way, I was planted to the bed from what I saw. Harper looked...completely different than any way I've seen her before. For starters, when I said she was wearing my brown bathrobe...I meant it. That's all she was wearing, from the way it looked. It was tied at the waist, and it had long sleeves, so those parts were scarcely covered up, but most of everything else, I had a very interesting view of.
The robe covered her shoulders and came down in a V, stopping just above her belly button, revealing a toned stomach, the middle of her chest and the beginnings of her breasts, just a glimpse of their bare shape, before the robe covered the rest. The skin there matched everything else, a pale, cream color that looked so smooth, it almost seemed artificial.
I'd only ever seen Harper with her hair down a couple of times, the last time...gods, it's probably been almost a year. But right now was one of those rare times. It had been taken out of its careful braid and fell down her shoulders, faintly tickling her neck. It looked so soft and thick, even though it was probably still a little damp from the shower.
I immediately set the shield down back where it belonged, and forced myself to swallow, but it came as a nervous gulp. "So...was the water hot enough?" Great, nice question, Matt. Gods, after all this time, you still can't improve your game?
But she just smiled and sat down in front of me, legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah, it was good. Your shower's so spacious, I'm kinda jealous."
I shrugged, "That's Leo Valdez for you."
She changed the subject by pinching the collar of the robe, "Hope you don't mind. After feeling how soft it is, I just couldn't help myself."
My heart was racing a mile a minute, and my face was completely red, no doubt. Harper was...naked under there, as in, nothing on whatsoever, and she was sitting right in front of me. Inches away. We'd almost gotten to a level like this a couple of months ago, literally before she left for that quest in Japan. We started making out, and things began to escalate, until we got interrupted by Aiden.
But...Aiden's asleep right now. He won't be interrupting us this time.
The notion only sped up my heart's pace. Man, I really gotta get control of myself or I'll be unconscious on the floor in a minute.
I'd already forgotten what she said, I was so nervous. "Y-Yeah...yeah, I hear you."
She snickered at my squirming, knowing full well what she was doing, and how it was affecting me. But she didn't comment on it. "So, did you have a good birthday?"
At that, my nervousness faded a little. I beamed at her, "Oh man, are you kidding? It was the best ever, Harper. I had a blast."
"Good. It was a pain in the ass to plan, I'm not gonna lie."
"Sorry you had to go through all the trouble," I said, "I feel kind of guilty, to be honest. I mean, you did all this incredible stuff for me, got me a new shield, and I just took you to a concert and baked a shitty cake." I was referring to last month, her eighteenth birthday, where I took her to this really loud, mosh pit type of concert that had rock music. I'll be honest, I was completely out of my element, but Harper had fun. And the cake...yeah, I tried to make it myself, with a little help from Mom.
Okay, a lot of help from Mom.
She shook her head and disputed my guilt immediately, "What are you talking about? I had a great time. And that cake was really good, don't sell yourself short. Anything with strawberry is enough to get my gears turning."
I shrugged, "Yeah, I know. It's just..."
She stopped me by putting a hand on my knee, "Matt, I know what you're trying to say, but you don't have to. You deserved everything I did today and more. I wanted to do all of that for you."
Sometimes, I think I often forget how much I've impacted her, because I think more of how she's impacted me. But sitting here now, I realize the truth. We've both come a long way, and pulled each other to the top, from the pits that we both fell victim to, whether it be a quest for revenge, or loneliness and isolation from the world. Just being in each other's lives helped cure us from our burdens.
She's a huge part of my motivation. Literally, often times when I think about what I could lose, and what I have to protect, she's the first thing that comes to mind, right along with my mom. I'm not sure I can even express into words how much I care about her. They've never been my strong suit.
I felt my face soften into a content smile, "I love you."
We'd said it to each other many times by now, but something about the way I said it now, in context, took her by surprise a little. She was probably expecting me to be stubborn again. But I couldn't any longer. I had to give in completely.
She stared at me, so intently, as if I would disappear if she looked away. "I love you too."
Instinct took over, and I slowly moved myself towards her, reaching out with my right arm and snaking it around her waist. With just the fabric of the robe in between us, I was able to feel the curve of her back right beneath my hand, and I liked it a lot, the way it fit comfortably in the crevice.
With a gentle pull, our bodies met, the warmth of her exposed neck and sternum radiating through my shirt like a heat wave. We kissed, slow and patient, not in a rush whatsoever.
As it deepened, she wrapped her arms around my neck and lifted herself onto me, prompting me to turn us around and crawl further onto the bed, finally stopping near the pillows.
Along the way, Harper temporarily unlocked her grip around my neck to latch on to my shirt, and pull it off as if it were a towel. Once free, she tossed it on the floor next to the bed.
We'd reached a new position now, where she was lying flat below me, head resting on my pillow, and arms bent to where her hands sat comfortably beside her ears. Meanwhile, I hovered above her, my own legs on either side of hers, straddling them, while my arms held me up in support, as if I were about to start doing push-ups.
There was something in the air that wasn't there before. Something different between us that I'd only felt once. On this same bed before she left for Japan, when things got heated. A tension that couldn't be cut with any blade, so strong and present that you could practically see it. I wasn't sure what it was, but I know she felt it too.
Harper's eyes had been glazed over, completely lost in the moment. Lost...
For a second, my consciousness returned, and instinct left the building. I had to make sure she was okay with this, that she was comfortable. If this was something she didn't want to do, we were stopping immediately. I know the seriousness that this could lead to, and I don't want any uncertainty, or any misunderstanding.
"Harper...are you sure about this?" I whispered, "Do you want to?"
She blinked, and the glaze disappeared for a second. It seemed she was in the same boat; her instinct had taken over as well. "Yeah...I'm sure."
"Okay." I breathed, "I don't want to do anything you feel uncomfortable with."
"I'm comfortable." She said, running her hands up and down my arms, from my wrists to my triceps. The sensation sent chills down my back. "I'm more comfortable than I've ever been, Matt. I want this. I want you."
*
The way she said that last part made me blush a storm. It ignited a fire inside, and that fire propelled me to lean down and kiss her, hungrily, and a bit harder than last time. She returned the intensity without hesitancy, fighting back for dominance. Our hands were all over the place, grabbing each other's hair, cupping each other's cheeks, our arms, our hands...everything got a bit of attention.
But at the same time, I knew we were just getting started. Nothing had gotten attention yet.
I tore my lips away from hers to kiss her cheek, which trailed down to her jaw, then her neck, and finally the soft spot next to it, before reaching the shoulder. I lightly bit the skin, and peppered it with kisses to make up for the action.
When my teeth made contact, Harper let out a sound that I've never heard her make. It sounded like something between a grunt and a moan, a quick peep of her voice that I could've easily missed, but I didn't. It only made me speed up and expand my kissing conquest.
My lips left her neck and found a new trail, leading down to her collarbone, and then her chest. When I got there, I could see the roundness of her breasts out of the corners of my eyes, they were right next to me.
I couldn't believe this was happening. I was literally one move away from doing something that, let's be honest, I've dreamt of doing a few times. The entire thing was surreal.
Harper's breathing quickened as I showered the middle of her chest with kisses, then reached inside the robe to grip her hips and gently trace my hands upward. I felt goosebumps form under the wake of my gesture, telling me that I was having an effect on her, similar to what she was making me go through right now, by just being here. She hasn't really done anything thus far in this little 'dance' we're having, just looking at her is enough to make me weak.
I wanted to see more.
In the way I steel myself before a fight, or before an attack, I steeled myself to make a bold move and progress the night. With a simultaneous flick of my wrists, I threw off the bathrobe and let it drape beside her, sprawled out like a fancy rug.
I couldn't help but stare, or even attempt to force down the intense blush that crept across my entire being. Harper was completely exposed now, naked below me.
I'll be honest, the only time I ever saw a naked woman was by accident. When I lived on my own, after mom got sick, I rummaged through the dumpster bin near our apartment for anything useful, only to find a rather interesting magazine, full of mature stuff. That, and the occasional stumbling through TV channels to find an X-rated show, that's my entire experience.
So to see it in person, especially the girl I love...had me stunned. The gravity of the situation started to really hit me, but not in a bad way. No, all of this felt right. Nerve-wracking, but right.
Harper looked way better than anything I remember from that stupid magazine. Her bare body mirrored how she looked clothed; athletic, lean, curvy, and perfectly shaped in every way, from her shoulders to her chest to her thighs...I found myself struck from it all.
She blushed crimson under my gaze, her arms twitching, as if instinctively wanting to cover herself up, but she made them stay put. I could tell this was an entirely new experience for her too, she'd never been this exposed to anyone before, let alone a boy.
But still, through the nervousness, Harper managed to retain her signature attitude. She smirked up at me, "Not bad, huh?"
Understatement of the century. I thought, and shook my head, a smile of disbelief forming on my lips. "You're so beautiful..."
That made the shade of red on her face get even deeper. Despite being in uncharted waters here, she seemed confident and ready to keep sailing, because she reached up and gently grabbed my hands from their spot on the bed, prying them away. To keep myself suspended and above her, I widened the distance of my knees and stabilized myself.
"Don't be shy, Shark Boy. I won't bite you." She guided my hands to her breasts, and let go once they were locked on in an almost non-existent squeeze.
I felt waves of heat go through my body, jolts of electricity shoot from my fingertips to my elbows. They were softer than I expected, like those squishy stress balls you can get from the doctor. Weird comparison, but that's what my mind came up with.
Finally, my instinct returned, and I realized I couldn't just sit here all night, I needed to keep this moving. I lightly squeezed her breasts and leaned down to give her another kiss. Doing both at the same time proved pleasurable, because Harper made that moaning sound again underneath the kiss.
From there, we fell into a rhythm of pure passion and hunger, acting without thought, only desire. Four hands moving around wildly, up and down each other's chests, feeling the intricate muscles beneath the skin, exploring absolutely everything possible, no area left untouched.
I learned some movements elicit a different reaction than others. For instance, whenever my fingers brushed across one of her nipples, she would throw her head back, close her eyes tight, and let out a louder noise than before.
Or like now, both of her hips were in my palms, my head positioned between her legs wrapped around my shoulders, right in front of the pink flesh in the middle. As soon as my lips and tongue made contact, I felt her hand grab the back of my head and push it further into her.
"Matt!" She gasped, "Oh, gods..."
I plunged deeper into her warmth, and it only made her grip stronger, her breaths faster and heavier, her moans louder. Normally, I'd be worried about waking up other campers, or hell, getting caught, but right now, those thoughts never came close to entering my mind. I was too caught up in the new experience, and how I was making her feel to care.
As I continued, the flesh against my tongue only got wetter and wetter, which I guessed to be a good sign, because Harper started freaking out, gripping my hair as if she wanted to rip it off my head.
"Y-Yeah, Matt...just keep doing that...just like that...OH!"
Not a second after her "OH" the dam burst. She climaxed, and the wetness I mentioned intensified tenfold. In one burst, or wave, it came out against my mouth. Not like water, no, it was too thick to be called that.
Her tight grip on my hair, and the borderline jiu jitsu triangle choke she had on me softened. Each breath came out few and far between, each time controlled, as if they were a part of a yoga exercise.
"Oh my God..." She sighed, "That was amazing."
I didn't even bother wiping my mouth, I leaned forward and rested my chin on her stomach. "You alright?"
Harper craned her neck enough to look at me. She smiled wearily, "Hell yeah. You sure you've never done this before?"
I kissed her belly button, "I've done it a few times here and there with my side chicks." I couldn't keep a straight face after that one, which prompted her to thump my forehead.
"Shut up." The exhaustion quickly melted from her face and shifted to a sly smirk. She unwrapped her legs from my neck and tucked them under her, sitting upright to grab me.
She caressed my biceps, tracing the crook where the muscle met the shoulder ball. "You know, I think you're a bit overdressed, Shark Boy." Those delicate fingers quickly left my arms and immediately began working on unzipping my jeans, undoing the button, and placing her thumbs at the sides, ready to pull them down.
But I stopped her. "Whoa, let's just...let's take it a little slower."
Her eyebrows drooped a little, clearly concerned. "You don't want to? I'm sorry, I-I didn't-"
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that." I soothed, cupping her face with my palms, "I want this more than anything. It's just...a lot to take in, you know? Being here with you like this...it doesn't seem real."
She smiled slowly, thumbs coming out of my jeans to trace circles against my ribs. "I know...I feel like this is the closest we've been."
I reached down and pulled on her forearm to place it next to mine. They stood side by side below us, showing off the new matching tattoos. The crescent moon and the lion head.
Both of us admired the view for a second. They complemented each other.
"I trust you more than anyone," She said, "You know that, right?"
I nodded, "I feel the same way. You're everything to me, Harper."
She leaned forward and pecked me on the lips. "We do this, only if we both want it. You can tell me anything, Matt. We've gotten pretty good at communicating."
I chuckled, "I'd say so." Tucking a stray lock of black hair behind her ear, I let my finger drip down her jaw. "I want this. I'm ready."
She nodded, and slowed her pace a bit in undoing my jeans. My heart was beating against my chest, threatening to rip right through bone and skin. I thought back to when I pointed out that she'd never been exposed like this in front of anyone...well, I've never been either. Literally since I was a baby, and my mom changed my diapers, which I don't even remember, or taking a shower in gym class, but that doesn't count. This would be the first time in front of a girl, and in the second I realized this, I could feel myself starting to sweat, and get extremely self-conscious. Gods, what if she laughs? That would be the most horrible thing in the world. Forget getting tortured by Tartarus, this would be worse.
It was too late to turn back now. With a gentle tug, Harper pulled both layers of clothing off, revealing my hard member, protruding from my body for her to see.
There was a window where everything was silent, and I fought back the grimace on my face, preparing for the worst.
It took all of my willpower to look at her and see the reaction. Harper wasn't shy whatsoever, she was staring right at it, wide eyed and mouth open in a surprised expression. A faint tint of pink lined her cheeks, but the blush wasn't as intense as before, when I saw her for the first time.
"Woah..." She said, shaking her head. "Safe to say you weren't overcompensating with Viribus."
I didn't know how big it was supposed to be, or any of that stuff, but Harper seemed impressed. What she did next really took me by surprise, she reached forward and grabbed it with her hand, wrapping her fingers around the base and moving it up and down.
Jolts and tingles shot through my body at the movement, and I stiffened, feeling a foreign sensation, and a tightness take over that I'd never felt before. "Harper...what is that?"
She shut me up by kissing me, pressing her tongue past my lips and exploring my mouth in a way she'd never done before. It seemed that exhaustion from earlier was long gone, because she was in control now. She gripped my little friend tight and used her other hand to push me on the bed, switching our positions so she could be on top.
When she broke the kiss, she smirked down at me, her eyes hungry, and her entire demeanor like that of a victor, or a predator catching its prey. I'd never seen Harper look like that, not even in a fight. "You like it?" She asked, rather smug, but in a way that only fed the fire in my chest.
"Y-Yeah..." She stroked again, faster this time. "Gods, Harper!"
At the call of her name, she quickly bent down and bit my ear, then lightly kissed it. "Keep saying my name, Shark Boy, I like that."
"Harper..." It came out as a moan. What the hell? I'd never moaned in my life. What was happening to me? This was like a completely new side of life previously undiscovered, but it's always been there. Just waiting to be revealed.
I could feel her smirk against my cheek after she kissed it, "You love me?"
"Yeah, I love you." I closed my eyes as a wave of pleasure coursed through my body, originating from my groin. "I love you so much."
"How much?"
"M-More than anything..."
Her victorious smirk softened into a loving smile. She removed her hand from down there and brought it up to meet the other on my head, caressing my hair. "Good." Her lips found mine again in a quick kiss, which led to her softly sucking on the bottom one. "I'm glad."
At the lost contact of her stroking hand, I felt teased, like reaching the top of a roller coaster, but never experiencing the drop. "Harper..."
"Yeah?"
I made a grunting sound without looking at her, signaling that I hadn't finished yet, and that she needed to keep doing whatever she was doing. After a moment of raising her eyebrow in confusion, she got the memo.
And when she realized, she smirked yet again. "What's the magic word?"
I couldn't believe how Harper had really taken control here. Before, it was me making her weak and trembly, but now, the tables had turned entirely. She had me begging, actually pleading with her to continue.
"Please."
The look that came across her face was complete satisfaction. Instead of moving just her hands down there, she lowered her entire body down to my area, which puzzled me. Was she about to do something different?
Boy, did she. What happened next blew my mind. I lifted my head to look down at her, the question on the tip of my tongue, but halted when I saw her face right under my member, making eye contact with me.
And then...she licked it.
Not a light touch or a small lick, but full on dragging her tongue across the shaft and to the tip, leaving an incredible sensation behind that made me shiver and groan in pleasure. All this time, I never knew such a thing could feel so good.
Before I could even get over that wave of jolts, she straightened and hovered over me, lining up her area with mine, and then lowering herself to combine them. A warmth similar to the one felt on my mouth surrounded my member like walls as I entered her, moans left our mouths at the same time, Harper's more so than me. There was a second where her face scrunched in pain, but it passed just as quickly. It made sense, I'd heard it was supposed to be a little painful for women on their first time.
"You okay?" I asked, "You're not hurt, are you?"
She smiled, placing her hands on my chest to pillar herself, "I'm okay. Thank you."
That 'thank you' held a lot of depth. The little mask of hunger that she held faded away for a moment, and all I could see was appreciation. Gratitude that I cared, and even though I was shivering mess, I would still check on her.
"You ready?"
"Yeah."
We were both comfortable enough now to continue. Harper started moving up and down, bucking her hips, and I started thrusting forward, meeting her in the middle with harmony.
After her pain passed, she began enjoying it more and more, both of our breathing rates speeding up, which shocked me. We both have supernatural stamina, capable of fighting for days on end, yet here we are, both almost out of breath. Maybe it had more to do with emotional strain and intensity than physical, because right now, I was tapping into a part of my emotional vacuum that I'd never accessed before. It was eye opening, really, recognizing the connection I could share with someone, and how that is possible. Just how far we've come, individually and together.
"Let me know when you're about to finish, okay?" She requested through another moan.
"Okay." I managed.
We continued like that for a few minutes, perfectly in sync now, not an inch of separation between us. I didn't think about anything else, or anyone else, I was grounded in this moment, this experience. But it didn't last forever. I reached a point where the tightness in my groin reached its peak. I knew it was about to climax and release.
"Harper...I'm about to..." I warned, unable to even finish the sentence.
But she understood, and detached herself from me. As soon as the warmth of her walls left my member, the tension exploded and released a series of warm, white looking liquid onto my stomach. I had Sex Ed in high school, so I knew what that was, but seeing it in person was really weird. Especially with how much there was. But regardless, it felt amazing.
*
Just like that, it was over. The roller coaster had dropped, fallen from its peak, and entered the straight line.
Harper fell down next to me, her head landing on my chest in a fit of giggles, which ended in a happy sigh. "Wow, that was..."
"Awesome?" I wrapped my arm around her waist, "Tell me about it."
She started playing with my fingers absentmindedly, "To be honest...I don't even know if I did any of that right, but holy shit...that felt good."
"I know." I kissed her hair, "I love you."
"I love you too."
We laid there for a moment, catching our energy and just enjoying the post-coital bliss. When Harper decided it was time to end the night, she reached up to grab the covers and pull them over us.
But I stopped her, chuckling, "Wait, wait, wait. I should probably clean up first."
She stopped in her tracks and looked at the puddle on my stomach, blushing when she realized what I meant. "Oh...right."
"I think it's my turn to take a shower." I smirked suggestively, "Unless...you wanna join me?"
Her blush faded and she matched my mischief, "I'm down. Whaddya say Shark Boy? Round two?"
My eyes widened, "Wait what?"
It was a good sleep.
Despite the...rounds that Harper and I went on the roller coaster last night, I still had a great rest, a dreamless one, nether the less. Which is crazy rare for me, and demigods as a whole. Usually, there's some nightmare ready to pounce and plague the mind, so to have a rare night of peace was a relief.
I woke up on my side, facing Harper's bare back, concealed at the lower end by the white sheets of my bed. With her skin and her hair sprawled out in a black curtain, she honestly looked like an angel. I know that's so cheesy to say, but I mean it. Seeing her next to me, and remembering the incredible night we had, it feels like I did have a dream, and I'm still in it.
I closed the little distance between us and draped my arm around her waist, pulling her into me. At the contact, Harper woke up and immediately melted into my touch, turning her head so I could kiss her.
"Good morning."
"Hi." She said, "You sleep good?"
"Yeah." Suddenly, I remembered what day it was, and where we had to be at a certain time. "Oh crap, we didn't oversleep, did we?"
She chuckled, and pointed towards my alarm clock. "Relax, it's only eleven. Wedding doesn't start until one."
My little moment of panic went away, and I let go of my stiffness, sinking into the mattress and pulling her as close as possible. "Nice. Plenty of time to cuddle."
She spun around to face me, a big smile on her face, "Cuddle? Are you kidding? After last night, I know what we're doing from now on."
"Gods, Harper! You're gonna wear me out!"
She laughed and nudged my groin with her knee, "I'm just kidding. I wouldn't dare do that to little Matt."
"Oh no, we are not giving that a nickname."
"I totally am. You know me, I give everything a nickname."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't fight down the smile. "It's a force that can't be stopped."
She grinned and puckered her lips for another kiss. Before we could, we heard a knock on the door, and a voice behind it.
"Yo, wedding starts in two hours, guys!" It was Talon. "Annabeth wants us all ready to go!"
Harper flopped her head on the pillow and groaned, "Why is it him? Why is it always him that interrupts us?"
I jokingly gave her a once over, "I think right now he's saving me." She tried to slap me on the arm, but I shuffled out of bed before she could reach me, walking over to the door to hear Talon better.
I pried it open a crack, just enough to where he could see my eyes. "We'll be ready in a second, Talon. You don't have to worry."
I cringed before he could even point it out. He reared his head back, a smile creeping on his face. "We? Did you say we, kid? Hold up, Goth Girl, you in there?!"
Harper didn't respond, she just ducked her head under the covers to hide herself.
Talon started having a blast with the new information, pushing on the door to see me, but I held it in place. "What ya hiding behind that door for? You guys totally fucked, didn't you? You did! I can see it on your face!"
"Shut up!" I whisper yelled, "You don't have to let the entire camp know! And don't use that word, we didn't...we didn't do that. I wouldn't call it that."
Talon made a mocking awe face, "You made love? Aw, is that what ya'll did?"
"Yeah, that's what we did." I got a little annoyed that he kept persisting on it. "I care about her too much to call it 'fucking' Talon. Alright?"
He got serious, and lifted his hands in surrender. "Alright. I hear ya, kid. I hear ya."
I sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"No, no, I understand. And hey, that's good. I'm proud of you. But anyway, just trying to send a message from Annabeth. You got your suit?"
I nodded, "In the closet."
"Taking Kyros?"
"Yeah."
"Remember the rehearsal?"
I sighed, "Talon, I've got it. Everything's in my head. Tell Annabeth it'll be fine."
"I will. Hell, I'll be honest, I'm kind of nervous myself. I don't wanna mess the ceremony up."
That was a random, but shockingly vulnerable moment from Talon that I almost missed. He didn't joke about it; he was open about his doubts.
I opened the door a crack more so he could see my face, but nothing else. "You're gonna do great, man. We pick on you, but we all know you can do it. You're a great speaker, charismatic, and you've memorized what you're gonna say, right?"
"Yeah, every word."
"Then you can do it. Just be confident."
He smiled gratefully, "Yeah, you're right. You ain't so bad at sweet talking, Matt. I can see why she got in your bed."
I reached out and shoved him, "Go tell Annabeth I'll be ready in a few minutes!" Closing the door behind me, I let out a long sigh at the cowboy's antics.
Harper poked her head out of the covers, "That was sweet, what you told him."
"Yeah, well he needed to hear it. I could tell he was doubting himself."
She gave me the same awe look that he did, only hers seemed a bit more genuine. "You corrected him, too."
"I don't know...I just didn't want to call it that. Just doesn't feel right."
"Well, I can tell you one thing that feels right. This, right here. I could get used to this." Her eyes went from my face to the lower regions, lingering there. "And the view."
I rolled my eyes and yanked the covers off of her, "Get up. We need to get ready or Annabeth will have our heads."
From there, we finally put clothes on, for the first time in hours at this point. I got dressed in my suit, and Harper put on the clothes she wore last night to go change in her cabin. We were part of the ceremony after all, being a groomsman and bridesmaid, we needed to look good.
After about fifteen minutes, I met everyone outside. Percy, Malachi, Talon, Sera, and Harper were already standing in the middle of camp by the time I got there. The guys looked great, sharply dressed, and the girls looked incredible too. Sera wore a gray dress to go with Annabeth's color scheme, and Harper wore the same. Even though black is her color, she still looked stunning. I'd only ever seen her wear something like this once, to my dad's funeral. It's crazy how big of a contrast there is to that and now. A horrible, dreadful event, versus a happy, long awaited one.
I came up and clapped both Percy and Malachi on the back, they'd been idly chatting. "What's up, guys. You sleep good, Percy?"
He nodded, hands in his pockets. I could feel in his emotions that he was really nervous. "Not really. I'll be honest, I'm freaking out a little."
"You will be fine." Malachi said, "We already talked about this. You've faced death countless times, you can do this."
"This feels nothing like that, though." Percy argued, "This is way more nerve wracking. It's the most important day of my life."
"We've got your back man," I reassured, "Every step of the way."
"Indeed." Sera added, "You are about to marry the love of your life, Percy. You may be nervous now, but once you reach the moment, you will be beyond happy."
We all nodded in agreement, me wondering, "Where is Annabeth?"
"She's already on Olympus, getting her dress." Percy said, "Left this morning."
"The entire camp's coming?" Harper asked.
"Of course!" Another voice said.
We all turned to see Mr. D walking towards us, surprisingly donning a nice suit with a purple vest, the color of wine. Was he invited? Well, he was an Olympian, so I figured he'd be there. But he and Percy don't exactly like each other.
Percy furrowed his eyebrows in shock, "Mr. D? You actually look...well, decent. I didn't think you'd put in any effort."
Mr. D cocked his head and straightened his sleeve, "Let's be clear, Johnson. I'm going mostly for the wine. But...I'd be remissed to not admit that a small part of me is proud to see how far you've come. You and Anna belle, of course."
Percy cracked a smile, "Yeah, Anna belle and I."
"To answer your question, Ms. Piers-" The god continued, "-Johnson will be dragging the entire camp with him to the wedding. The gods will be there, his little demigod friends, and probably half the city on top of that. I wouldn't be surprised."
"Well, we probably need to get going." Talon said, checking his watch. Which...is the first time I've seen him with one, ever. "Better early than never, right?"
"It's still early," I shrugged, "But I guess we could go ahead. Hang around and catch up with other people."
Talon pointed at me, glad that someone backed him up. "Exactly! I saw we get the show on the road, yeah?"
His nerves were getting the better of him. It might've gotten to the point where he just dragged us to Kyros himself, but thankfully Aiden and Nico stopped us.
They were both in their suits, standing next to each other. "Hey guys, before you go, there's someone that wants to see Talon."
"See me?" He turned around quick, "Who the hell wants to see me right before I'm about to marry two of my friends?"
"I do."
Aiden and Nico moved out of the way to reveal the last person I ever thought would show up at Camp, and someone I didn't think I'd see again. Amaterasu.
Talon looked like he'd seen a ghost. His entire demeanor fizzled, and he stared at her, trying to gauge if she was real. When he determined she was, he ran to her without a word.
Amaterasu didn't see the spine crunching hug coming. He lifted her off the ground and spun her around, holding her close. He sat her down, but didn't let her get far.
"I can't believe it. I never thought I'd see you again, girl."
We all watched on with smiles on our faces. Like I said before, Talon hadn't been quiet himself for the past couple of months. But seeing her again brought that back. His mood changed within an instant.
Amaterasu looked different this time. At least, from the way she looked the last time I saw her. Now, she had cut her long hair and went with the short style again, like she did when hosting Asuka's body. And most surprisingly, she wasn't wearing ancient ninja clothes, she actually had on...relatively normal wear. Like someone you'd see in the city. A dark orange t-shirt (the color of fire, of course) jeans, and boots similar to what Harper wore last night, only without the spikes.
You'd have no idea that this was the head of the Shinto Pantheon, the goddess of the sun. If I didn't know her, I'd assume her to be a regular twenty two year old woman.
She smiled at Talon, "It's good to see you haven't gotten yourself killed, Cowboy."
He shook his head in disbelief, "What are you doing here? I mean, not that I don't welcome it, but I thought you had a pantheon to run."
"I left Inari to watch the Castle." She explained, "When I heard of it, I knew I couldn't miss the wedding."
Percy reared his head back, "Who told you?"
"Zeus notified me last week."
We were all a little surprised by that. Zeus has rarely mentioned the other pantheons, so we didn't assume that he had many meeting with them. To hear this was interesting news.
She backed up from Talon's grip and snapped her fingers, her clothes blinked from the normal wear to a red cocktail dress with heels. Her hair magically tied itself back in a bun, showing her face in full. Needless to say, she looked almost like a different person.
"Will this suffice?"
Talon was practically drooling. "W-Will it suffice? Hell yeah, I think so." He then realized we were staring and cleared his throat. "Alright, campers! Get your asses ready, cause I'm sending Kyros back on trips to get all of you! You ain't saddling up, you get left behind!"
Maybe half of them heard him, and those that did didn't even know what he was saying. I took it as an act to reassure his toughness, and to impress Amaterasu.
With all of that being said, we got on Kyros and took off towards Olympus.
Kyros dropped us off over the balcony.
We didn't even take the lobby or elevator this time. Apparently, if you can fly high enough, you can enter Olympus. Good thing we had a giant eagle.
Once he left us, he went back to pick up more campers, leaving us standing at the sidelines.
The entire wedding setup was beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking to even be around. The arbor had wooden carvings of a tide coming towards an owl, meeting in the middle, with rows upon rows of seats facing it. The long dining table where Harper and I sat at yesterday, an ice sculpture of Percy and Annabeth, and decorations as far as the eye could see. It would take me forever to name it all. For now, I could only look and be Thunder struck.
"Man, they really went all out, huh?" Talon said, even he was getting overwhelmed by the sheer size of the courtyard.
Percy nodded, "Yeah. We debated on having it at Camp but...we just figured it would be better here. For our parents and defensive barriers, that stuff."
Defensive barriers? Huh, I hadn't even thought of that, or considered that a certain someone might interrupt the party.
When Poseidon, Triton, and the rest of the merfolk spotted Percy, they pulled him away. So we started to mingle too.
Everybody, and I mean, everybody was there, plus some people that Percy and Annabeth knew that I couldn't recognize. But the ones that I could, I recognized well. Piper McLean was here, obviously, she's Annabeth's maid of honor. Sera and Harper didn't take offense to this whatsoever. They knew the two had known each other way longer than she'd known both of them.
Or well, Annabeth knew Harper longer, but the two weren't close. Annabeth and Piper were best friends for longer, let's put it that way.
It was the same way when we found out Grover was gonna be Percy's best man. He told us all guilty, but we reassured him that it was perfectly fine. Grover was definitely Percy's best friend. Has been since they were twelve.
On top of that, several of Camp Jupiter's crowd showed up too. I'd never been there, but I could recognize Frank and Hazel from pictures.
Thalia, Reyna, Artemis, and her hunters were here, which I found surprising, considering they champion maiden ship and all that. But they were friends of Percy and Annabeth's, especially Thalia. They came out of respect.
Then you had Sally Jackson, Percy's mom, and Paul, her boyfriend. Frederick Chase, and Helen, Annabeth's dad and stepmom. They were a given, but it confused me. How were they able to be here? They were mortals. Wouldn't the mist block they're view?
Either way, I could go on and on about the guests. Rachel, the Oracle was here, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, Nico and Aiden would be here soon, you get the picture.
I had been talking with Rachel when Zeus found me, and pulled me to the side. His expression looked far more serious than everybody else.
Once we got out of earshot, I asked, "What's going on?"
His lips were tight, and even though we'd gotten away from everyone, he still kept his voice low. "We have a bad situation on hand, Matt. Where is Amaterasu? I feel her energy..."
I looked around for Talon, knowing he'd be easier to spot. And if he was around, she wasn't far, I'd imagine. I spotted the cowboy hat not thirty feet away, and Amaterasu beside him, talking to some minor god.
I locked on to Amaterasu's aura, figuring it would be best not to alert Talon. I didn't want to spike his nerves further than they already were.
Amaterasu, it's Matt. Can you hear me?
She was good at not flinching or letting the others know something was up. She just spoke to me as if nothing happened. Yes, I can. What is it?
Zeus wants to have a word. Can you come over here?
What's wrong?
I don't know yet. Just make it seem casual, though. I don't want to worry Talon.
Of course.
I saw her touch Talon on the arm and smile, probably saying some excuse. He believed it, because he nodded in a gesture that said go ahead.
She made her way over to us casually. When she cleared the crowd of people and saw Zeus, she greeted him with her chin in the air. "Lord Zeus. How long has it been? Two thousand years?"
Zeus's seriousness broke for a moment upon seeing her, probably for the first time in ages. He smirked, "Probably longer."
She gave him a once over, "You look different from our last meeting. I thought you had white hair."
"I do, normally." He shook his head, "That's not the issue. Come closer."
She did, and we formed a semi-huddle, where the words wouldn't leave our shoulders.
"Listen, you two. I'm notifying you of this because you're the two most powerful beings here besides myself."
Amaterasu couldn't help herself. She snorted, "It's refreshing to see your ego has remained intact over the eons."
"It is the truth and you know it, Lady Amaterasu. How did our battle go again? From what I remember, you called me the strongest opponent you'd ever faced." He said it competitively, like he was recounting a fun sports event. But he quickly shook his head again, "No time for reminiscing. This is serious."
"Well if you two stop comparing aura sizes maybe we can hear it!" I whisper yelled.
Amaterasu sighed, "I apologize. We will have to settle our curiosity in a duel later. Go on, Zeus."
Zeus gave her the side eye at the duel suggestion, but continued nether the less. "Yesterday, every single one of my gods went missing. Save for Poseidon, Dionysus and Artemis."
"Even the third brother?" Amaterasu asked, "What was his name again?"
"Hades," Zeus explained, "And yes, him too. I tried to trace it back to a source, but I couldn't find anything. It just happened so fast, and poor Annabeth...when she found out her mother wasn't here, she wasn't happy."
"What did you tell her?" I asked.
"That she simply hadn't arrived yet." He put his hands up, knowing I would blow up on him for lying. "I had to do it, Matt. She wouldn't be able to go through with the wedding if I told the truth."
"Well what happens when the wedding starts and Athena still isn't here?" I challenged validly, "And why didn't you tell me about this? I saw you yesterday!"
He pursed his lips, "It happened after you and young Harper left. I didn't want to bother you on your birthday."
I started to argue again, but upon hearing that last part, I shut up. That was nice of him. And remembering my thoughts last night while sitting on my bed, I wouldn't have wanted anything to do with the demigod world, at least, not in that moment. He was being considerate.
Zeus's eyebrows knit with anger, "Hera...she's been taken too. The entire world, I feel it falling apart from the imbalance. Something is very wrong here."
I looked between both of them, "Do you have any theories?"
Amaterasu's lip curled, "I think the answer is obvious. To me, at least. It is Ouranos."
"Yes. That was my first thought."
Just hearing that name on a day like today sickened me. It soured my whole mood.
"He always finds a way to ruin everything, doesn't he?" I spat. "But why? Why would he need the other gods? And why wasn't Poseidon, Dionysus or Artemis taken?"
"Perhaps they were too far to reach." Amaterasu guessed. "Poseidon is lord of the sea, right? Dionysus lives in Camp Half Blood, and Artemis doesn't congregate with the other gods most of the time."
"Nah, that can't be it. He got Hades. That's about as far out of reach as it gets."
She nodded, "Good point. I cannot say for sure, then."
"Neither can I." Zeus said, "Listen. For now, we just go with the wedding as planned. If anything looks suspicious, let me know-"
Before he could completely finish his sentence, Annabeth came running up to us, not in her wedding dress yet. Her father was chasing after her, but she was too fast, her entire face slack with concern.
"Lord Zeus!" She called and ran right up to him. "Where's my mother? Why isn't she here yet? Has she contacted you?"
We all stiffened at her abruptness, not wanting to face her.
Her dad tried pulling her away, "Annabeth, honey-"
But she tugged her arm from his grip, "No, dad! I want to know what's going on! The wedding starts in forty-five minutes, and mom still isn't here, yet." She looked around, "And most of the gods aren't either, including Hera. Don't tell me that's a coincidence, Lord Zeus."
Zeus tried to cover it all up with a nervous laugh, "There's nothing to worry about, Young Annabeth. My wife, well...you and her don't get along that well, and the other gods might've forgotten. Your mother is probably just running late. I'll try and contact her in a minute, after I'm done talking to Lady Amaterasu here."
Annabeth didn't look convinced, but she decided to let it go. Sighing, "Fine. But you tell me the instant she speaks with you, okay?"
"Of course."
She let her dad pull her out of sight, and Zeus's forced smile fell.
"Keep your guard up."
He walked away, head swiveling through the crowd, probably trying to find someone suspicious, leaving Amaterasu and I watching his back.
"I never imagined Zeus would be so nervous." She said, bewildered.
"Yeah, tell me about it." I turned to her, "But he's right. If something's about to go down, we need to be ready. We can't let anything happen to these people."
She nodded, "I agree."
Before I could say anything else, Talon walked over and put an arm around Amaterasu. "Matty Boy! You ain't trying to steal my girl over here, are ya? What would Goth Girl think?"
I reared my head back, "Have you been drinking?"
He looked offended, "No! Don't accuse me of such shit! I'm about to marry two of my closest friends, dammit!"
Amaterasu turned to him, "So I am your 'girl' now? I wasn't aware of this. When were you going to tell me?"
Talon looked flustered for a moment, but retained his smoothness, "As soon as I treat you to that sake. Then we can talk. Whaddya say?"
"I'd like that."
I rolled my eyes, "Alright, you two have fun. I'm gonna go throw up."
The next forty or so minutes were spent idly chit chatting. Harper found me at one point, but I didn't have the heart to tell her of my suspicions, and the current situation. She only commented on it being weird that Hera wasn't here, but when I reminded her that she and Annabeth don't like each other, she understood and didn't bring it up again.
We both found our spots on stage. The boys behind Percy, and the girls behind where Annabeth would be. Talon stood in the middle with his hands behind his back, one of his boots tapping the marble floor nervously.
Annabeth came down the aisle with her father in hand, and everyone rose for her. She looked incredible in the white dress. I'd never seen Annabeth look more like a goddess in the time I'd known her, and I always thought she looked rather intimidating and too wise to be a mortal with those gray eyes, and just the way she seemed to know everything. But now, it seemed like she was a little girl, giddy about her wedding day. Something she's probably imagined for years.
Percy, upon seeing her, lit up in a smile, and I noticed his eyes get watery, tears forming in the corners. I couldn't blame him. If it were me, I'd probably be tearing up too. This is probably the most important day of his life. That is, until he has a kid, probably.
Woah, did I just think about that? A child of Percy and Annabeth's? That's a mental image.
The sudden thought made me ponder a bit more. One day, we're all going to get old and have kids of our own. We won't be teenagers forever. Hell, the only teenagers left in the group are Harper and I, and we don't have long. Just a couple of years and we'll be in our twenties.
I hadn't thought of the future too much. Until Harper mentioned our future a couple of months ago, again, before leaving for Japan. That was the first time I'd really thought about my adult life, and what I might want to do. Secretly, I sort of wished I could stay at Camp Half Blood, and maybe teach classes or something. But I knew that was wishful, probably unrealistic thinking. There were too many factors at play for that to happen. Like, what if Harper didn't want to? What if my mom didn't want me to? What if I'm good at something normal, that pays actual mortal cash? You never know.
Either way, it's kind of scary, to imagine time flying by that fast. But it's true. Time really does fly that fast. It's the one thing I can think of that never, ever stops. Besides death. Equally scary.
To think that one day...I might have a son. Or a daughter. An actual child of my own, to teach and to raise. To love more than anything I'll ever love. Even Harper. Woah, what if the kids are with Harper?
Middle of the walk for Annabeth, the wedding's started, and I'm standing up here with my eyes wide, internally screaming at myself. Boy, I sure do pick the right times for this stuff, huh?
I couldn't help it. Seeing this, and being here, really got my gears turning. Kids...potentially with Harper. That sounded like a dream come true. I mean, this isn't me getting hopeful after one night of sex, but I genuinely feel confident in what she and I have. Sure, we're young, and probably don't know any better, but I feel like we've been through so much, that the only way we're broken apart is if something horrible happens. Something I don't even want to contemplate.
Happy thoughts, Matt. Happy thoughts.
Ouranos...
Captured gods...
Those aren't happy thoughts, Matt.
Annabeth's dad kissed her on the cheek and gently let go of her arm. With tears of joy in her eyes, she walked onto the little stage and smiled at Percy, who took hold of her hands.
The official ceremony began. Talon did well, not stuttering and keeping still, even forcing back his accent a bit to make everything articulated and clear. There were a couple of jokes, like "Bet you didn't expect me to be up here!" And "I ain't been drinking, I promise!" But it was all in good fun, everyone chuckled when needed, and I was proud of him.
Percy hadn't blinked once, and Annabeth seemed to not notice that Athena still hadn't arrived, which was good and bad. Good that Annabeth could be in the moment, and bad that Athena couldn't see her daughter get married.
When it was time for the vows, Percy began to speak, knowing them by heart. Which I found touching. Percy isn't the best at that sort of stuff, but he clearly took this seriously. That, or he was winging it.
"Wise Girl, from the moment we met...I knew you were special. I'll be honest, we didn't get along at first, and I kind of thought you were annoying." Everyone chuckled at that, and Percy continued, a grin on his face. "But even then, I recognized and respected your intelligence, your skill, and your bravery. Over time, as we got to know each other, I fell so deeply in love with you, and learned more about what makes you who you are. Your kindness, your depth for love, every trait only made me admire you more. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, and I know that even if we hit bumps in the road, you'll always have a plan worthy of the best strategists."
Annabeth laughed through her tears, and took in a deep breath to fight them, saying her own memorized vows.
"Percy, you're everything I ever wanted in someone. You're hopelessly cute, selfless, kind, creative, and not as smart as me. That's the best one." We all had a good laugh at that. "But seriously, I'm looking forward to being by your side forever. And I know we're about to agree to 'until death do us part' but to be honest, I don't believe in that. Tartarus wasn't able to separate us, so I doubt the underworld can. I love you, Seaweed Brain."
Sera was close to bursting into tears, and on our side, I heard sniffling too. Was Malachi crying? I looked behind me to see, but he was just standing there, smiling. Then I listened closer and found that it was Grover about to lose his water. Can't blame him, he's known these two forever, so seeing this happen is probably mind blowing.
The ceremony moved on. They got to the rings, the 'I do's' and 'speak now or forever hold your peace' to which Rachel jokingly held her hand up and Annabeth laughed at. A good callback to the love triangle between them I'd heard about.
Finally, it got down to the moment. Talon spread his hands out and beamed at them, "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Percy and Annabeth leaned in and sealed the deal. Everyone started clapping and going crazy, but soon, the sound was drowned out.
Half of the entire courtyard exploded into rubble, a giant, scaly, deformed hand burst through the marble and into the air, knocking pieces into freefall towards the city. Everyone's cheers turned into screams, and I knew right then that I wasn't high enough on my guard. We were being attacked.
Percy and Annabeth immediately parted, all of us looked to the giant hand in alert, but still unable to move.
"What the hell?!" Talon shouted, falling down from the rumbling.
"What's going on?!" Annabeth's eyes were as wide as saucers, "Percy, what is that?!"
Malachi's shoulder lightly bumped into me. When I looked up at him, his face slack. "That aura...I know that aura."
Before I could feel out with my sensing, another explosion came from our side of the balcony. We all jumped back and turned to see the face of the last thing we expected. Or well, things. Its head was a mix of every monster or animal imaginable. I saw a dragon, a bull, a snake, an imp, a chimera, and pretty much everything I'd ever faced and more. I'd seen it before, in visions and in person at the Cursed Island. This was Typhon, Father of All Monsters.
He placed his dragon-like hands on the side of Olympus and leaned forward, letting out a roar that shook the entire city, destroyed the wedding stage and threw us back several feet.
"Typhon?!" It came from my mouth, and suddenly I wished like hell I'd brought my new shield.
Out of nowhere, Poseidon came rushing forward and stood in front of Percy. "Percy, get behind me!" He summoned his trident from thin air and pulled his arm back to pitch it at the giant beast.
Percy tried to stop him, "Dad, no!" But it was too late. The trident was already in the air, and it was useless. Typhon's aura was far more powerful than it was when I met his avatar the first time. He didn't even have to blink at the trident. It bounced off his nose harmlessly, and he reached forward with a reptilian hand, swiping up Poseidon like he was a late night snack, and popping him in his mouth.
Percy freaked out, "DAD! DAD, NO!"
Upon eating Poseidon, I saw new heads form on Typhon's deformed mesh of a face. It was the Olympians. Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes, Apollo, and even Athena. That must be what happened to them yesterday. Typhon...forced their auras into his. He conjoined himself with them by eating them.
And Annabeth knew it too, "Mom? I-Is that her?"
Things had gone from peaceful to chaotic within seconds. People were screaming and running around like chickens with their heads cut off, unsure of what to do or where to even go. It was all happening so fast.
"TYPHON! FACE ME!"
All of us parted as soon as Zeus began to flex his aura. He was behind us, fist clenched and staring death at the monster.
But then a new voice entered the air, although I knew who it was in the first word. "On the contrary, old friend. I'll be facing you, today."
From behind Typhon's head, a figure jumped through the blinding sunlight and landed in front of the monster's mouth, standing straight and looking right at Zeus. It was Ouranos, holding the Heavenly Diamond spear.
He flicked his finger, "Dispose of him. I need a few more minutes."
I didn't know what he meant, until Typhon moved faster than light could dream of. His hand raked the courtyard marble in a swipe that hit Zeus in the side, knocking him off of Olympus completely and into the New York City sky, leaving shockwave trails in his wake.
Ouranos found my eyes, and smirked. "I told you to be prepared, Matthias. The day of reckoning has come." He teleported out of sight, his aura untraceable.
"Shit! We've gotta go after him!"
Typhon wasn't going to let me though. He roared again, and started to heave his chest over the side of the city. If that swat to Zeus was any indication of how much stronger he's become, then I'd need to give full effort. I prepared to release my aura and unsheathe the Master Bolt.
But just as I unlocked my aura, a yellow flash shone from beside Typhon, and grew into a giant pillar of fire, slamming itself in the cheek of the beast. His balance was knocked, and his head recoiled to the side. I even heard him groan in pain, a horrible noise that sounded like a pod of whales moaning above the water surface.
I looked closer, and saw that the attack came from Amaterasu. She was flying next to Typhon's head, preparing to deliver another attack.
"Go!" She ordered, "I'll handle him! Get Ouranos!"
"Amaterasu!" Talon shouted, starting to run after her. Luckily though, Malachi was able to grab him. In that moment, he probably thought he still had his powers, and almost got himself erased from existence.
"We have to catch him, guys!" I screamed, "He's going for the Adam Tree!"
Artemis, Thalia, Reyna, and the Hunters all began helping Amaterasu with Typhon, even the minor gods were stepping in, which was brave, because I could see the fear and terror in her eyes. Same with Grover. He pulled out his reed pipes, but I shivered at the thought of even trying to use that on Typhon.
Still though, any help was greatly appreciated. I knew we only had a few seconds to spare before Ouranos was able to merge with the tree. I pulled the others after me, and I ran like hell, remembering exactly where it was placed. At the far end of the city.
Using my full speed, I reappeared there in an instant. But even that...was too late.
Just as I stopped, I felt the aura of the Adam Tree shrink, and it started glowing right before my eyes. A bright, blue color in the outline of a tree. It had no texture anymore, no leaves, and no energy. Its power had been unlocked.
And it was all going inside of one person. Ouranos.
Like pouring water from a bucket, soon, the supply of energy ran out. The Adam Tree disappeared from its place, and it was gone forever. The others arrived and saw the same thing.
"Oh gods..." I whispered, "This is not good."
"For you, it isn't." Ouranos said, walking towards us casually from the road that led to the tree. I hadn't even spotted him. "For me, it's the best thing that could happen."
He let his aura be known, and it was incomprehensible. The Ouranos that I'd seen in Japan was like an ant to this. He'd gone through with his plan, taking the stored-up energy from himself and Gaea that was in the tree, and claiming it. The swirling auras were radiant in his body now, and hitting my senses like a truck, wave after wave sent chills down my spine. He was as powerful as Zeus now, if not more so.
He'd changed in appearance too. Going from looking like Malachi's older brother, to his father. Which he was. He'd gotten taller, bulkier, and his hair was now pure gray, not a shade of blonde in there whatsoever. He now wore a white and blue toga, only wearing one sleeve and covering half his body, while the other side's chest and arm were exposed. He spun the Heavenly Diamond spear around like it was a toy.
I should've been on my rear end, trembling in fear, begging for mercy. But I only felt rage. Rage at myself for letting this happen.
With a squeeze to my watch, I summoned the energy of the Master Bolt and ignited my own red aura, meshing the two together to give me my full strength. The light and power burst around me, giving a glow that created a ten-foot-wide crater.
I roared and jumped at him, aiming my fist right for his face. But the smirk on Ouranos's face and his casualness in moving told me everything I needed to know. This was a bad situation.
He caught my punch and forced me to the ground. I pushed against his grip with all I had, but it didn't even phase him. He just kept staring at me, smirking triumphantly.
"This is the day where you die, Matthias." He squeezed and twisted my hand. Sharp pains rushed through my arm and hit my chest, so great and intense that it caught me off guard and broke my aura, leaving me in my normal state.
"AGH!" I shouted, unable to keep it in. Ouranos just chuckled and let go of me, letting my momentum knock me on my ass.
"Matt!" Harper gasped, leaning down to check on me. I couldn't even look at her, or the others. I could only keep my eyes on Ouranos and take in the horror of what I've done. All of the failures. Thinking back to chances I had at killing him but didn't. All those times, lost, and now look where we are. He has the power he's always wanted, and we're all going to die for it.
"Nobody's going to die."
Ouranos's smirk fell, and his head twitched to look behind us. I did too, finding Zeus there, back from the initial swat Typhon caught him with, completely undamaged.
Zeus's words were aimed towards me, but he kept his head leveled at Ouranos. "Matt, whatever happens, I want you to protect your friends, and the mortals. All of the mortals in this city. Protect them with your life, you understand?"
I nodded at him, the words barely coming out, "I-I will."
"Good. This may be goodbye, grandson. I want you to know that I'm proud of you. Everything's going to be okay."
"Wait, what? Grandfather, what are you-"
I couldn't speak another word. Without warning, Zeus snapped his fingers, and I felt myself leave Olympus completely.
I felt my gut wrench, my insides turn, my eyes go through a kaleidoscope of color, before landing and returning to normal.
When I woke up, I woke up in Camp Half Blood, lying on the ground next to my friends, with no idea how much time had passed.
We weren't alone, either. As I lifted my shoulders off the ground, I saw that the entire camp was filled with not only the wedding guests, but the mortals of New York City too. Thousands of unconscious bodies just lying around. In front of the cabins, the pavilion, the amphitheater, the training arena, and even down Half Blood Hill and into the road.
If we're here, then that means that Zeus is by himself, still on Olympus...
He's fighting Ouranos alone.
(000)
Quite a packed first chapter, right? Ouranos is back, and it's time for the long awaited confrontation with Zeus.
Also, I hope the lemon didn't feel too 'off' from normalcy of the story. It seemed appropriate and in character, but some might not agree, and that's okay. You can always skip it!
Until Next Time.
