"Percy," The centaur's voice was serious, "tomorrow I will send you on a quest on one condition."
Percy looked up, eyes widening. His mouth conformed into a small grin.
"What is the condition of Chiron?" He asked, excitement creeping into his voice.
"You must defeat Perseus in a duel."
"Defeat Perseus?" Percy asked. He couldn't believe what Chiron was asking. His one chance to go on a quest of his own and he had to defeat his best friend?
Percy looked at Perseus. Perseus had been his closest friend over the years and had helped teach Percy everything he knew. Perseus was the one who helped Percy truly get over the death of his mother and the demigods had become like brothers.
"Don't worry Percy," Perseus patted his friend on the back, "I knew this would happen and I hope you win." The son of Zeus winked at Percy, "But don't think I'm going to go easy on you."
Percy sighed in relief, he was worried that this duel would cause bad blood between him and his friend. He trusted Perseus, but he also knew that the demigod's had a lot of pride and tended to not take defeat well.
"Excellent!" Chiron clapped his hands together. "We will get some rest and the fight will take place in the morning." The centaur stood and began galloping towards his tent.
Percy looked at Perseus, "You're sure you're ok with us fighting?"
"Of course Percy," Perseus nodded. "You think I'm too prideful for one of my closest friends?"
Percy shook his head, "I just didn't want a quest to cause problems where there were none. Plus, I don't want you getting mad when I kick your butt." Percy grinned at Perseus as the older demigod laughed.
"I think it's time for you to get some rest Percy, we'll see if you still think you can beat me tomorrow."
Percy laughed, standing up from his seat by the fire. "Goodnight Perseus, I'll see you tomorrow."
Chiron watched as his two students departed for sleep. He wouldn't admit it, but the two were his favorite students that he had ever had.
His eyes lingered on the son of Poseidon as he entered his tent. The boy was on a dangerous journey. He, like the gods, had sensed the dangerous energy from Mount Othrys and to Chiron it meant that his father was making a move. He began to think about the conversation he'd had with Lady Hestia just a month ago.
"Chiron," the orange eyed goddess had greeted him, with a small smile on her face, "Have you felt it?"
"Yes my lady," Chiron responded, his hooves shifting nervously on the ground. "Something is happening at Mount Othrys, something evil."
Chiron unconsciously raised three fingers to his chest before pushing outward, an ancient technique to ward off evil.
Hestia nodded, "I am afraid our father is making one last effort to return." The goddess paused before continuing, "I have foreseen that Percy will be able to defeat him before he comes to power."
"Percy will go face to face with the king of the titans?" Chiron asked, eyes wide with surprise.
Hestia laughed, "Our father is not even close to full power and I don't believe he has a physical body. If Percy is able to stop him now then our father will not be able to reform his consciousness for multiple millenia."
Chiron sighed, Percy had a dangerous task ahead of him. This was why Chiron had told Hestia that he required Percy to defeat Perseus in a duel, to further prove that he was ready for the quest. The goddess had simply smiled and agreed before vanishing in a flash of fire.
Despite all the pressure on him, Percy slept like a baby. Normally, he would dream of his home or his mother but this time Percy's mind was focused. As Percy opened his eyes he felt like he had the best sleep of his life. Silently sending a prayer of thanks to the gods, Percy opened the flaps of his tent. Waiting outside by the burnt out campfire was Chiron.
"How did you sleep my boy?" The centaur asked, his eyes meeting Percy's.
Percy smiled, "I slept great Chiron. It's because I am ready for this quest." Percy stared into the eyes of his teacher, the centaur looked both proud and worried at the same time. Percy recognized the expression, it was the same way Chiron had watched Perseus leave for his own journey.
Percy approached Chiron before wrapping his arms around the centaur. After a moment, Chiron returned the hug.
"Thank you for teaching me Chiron. I don't know what I would be doing if you hadn't found me," Percy said.
"Of course Percy," Chiron responded, "It was an honor to train you for all these years. You have been one of my finest pupils."
Percy looked up at Chiron, "Even better than Perseus?"
Chiron pulled away and winked at Percy. "Speaking of Perseus," The Chiron started, "I think it is time for the duel."
Percy could feel Chiron's gaze on him. Percy did not turn to meet it. He would not allow anything to distract him. This would be one of the most important fights of his life and he did not want to lose. He loved Perseus like a brother but he knew that the son of Zeus was a powerful fighter who would not be holding back.
Percy wore light leather armor and held his sword in his hand. Five feet in front of him stood Perseus. The son of Zeus carried a slightly larger sword and a shield. He wore a bronze breastplate that covered his torso but left his arms free to maneuver. The two demigods stared at each other as blue eyes met green.
"Are you both ready?" Chiron asked, taking a moment to look at each demigod. The two warriors nodded without taking their eyes off of each other. "Very well. You may begin."
For a moment, neither of the two moved. They simply stared into each other's eyes. A tranquil silence spread throughout the clearing, as time seemed to stop.
Suddenly, it was Percy who made the first attack. A small cloud of dust was kicked up as the son of Poseidon rushed forward, taking a wild slash at Perseus's legs. The son of Zeus easily parried it with his own blade before striking back against Percy. Perseus's sword was aimed at Percy's shoulder in a stabbing motion but Percy easily ducked his shoulder down before swinging his own blade in an overhead slash. Perseus reacted quickly, raising his shield to block Percy's attack.
Suddenly, Percy felt the impact as the sword met the shield. The blow had reverberated through his arm, sending tingling pain all the way up to his shoulder. Percy knew that Perseus felt it too, and it probably had hurt the son of Zeus a little more. Percy knew he couldn't let the slight pain stop him as he spun with the momentum of his sword and slashed across Perseus's midsection.
Perseus was quick to block again, raising his shield and cursing as Percy put all of his strength into the attack. Percy smiled to himself. If he kept up his strength he would hurt Perseus's arm enough as to where he would have to drop the shield.
Percy was brought out of his thoughts as he brought his sword up to parry Perseus's sword and was then shoved by the large shield that his opponent held. Percy lost his footing and fell backwards but immediately rolled to his feet and held his sword in front of him.
"That was a good strategy, Percy," Perseus said, smiling. "It's a good thing I hate this thing anyways." With that statement, Perseus threw his shield like a frisbee at Percy.
Percy's eyes widened as he barely managed to duck away from the shield. He did not think that Perseus had improved in combat without his shield. When Perseus left for his quest he had always carried a shield with him in his battles.
Percy didn't have much time to ponder as the son of Zeus was on him in a terrifyingly fast assault. Percy was forced on the defensive as he blocked attacks aimed at his face, legs, and chest. Perseus definitely lived up to his name as 'The Destroyer' as Percy was forced to focus purely on defending himself, unable to find any openings.
Perseus was relentless. Percy was forced to only block the most dangerous attacks as he felt cuts appear on his arms and legs.
Perseus's eyes shined against the sun as he pushed against his opponent. "Come on Percy, don't tell me this is all you've got!"
Percy parried a stab before responding, "I'm just getting warmed up a bit before I kick your butt!"
Perseus seemed to not appreciate that comment because his strikes come quicker and harder than before. He also was becoming more confident in his attacks, putting extra force into the blade. If this kept up Percy knew he would lose. He also knew that Perseus would slip up eventually and Percy needed to wait for that exact moment.
Not just yet, Percy thought to himself, Now!
Percy ducked just under Perseus's blade. He could feel the wind from the force of the weapon and was glad that he had maneuvered his way out of danger. Percy swung his front foot behind Perseus's foot, sweeping the son of Zeus off balance. Perseus made a surprised yelp before stepping backwards to regain his footing.
This short moment of shock from Perseus was all Percy needed to secure his victory. Percy launched himself at Perseus with a flurry of attacks. Percy's sword moved like an extension of his body as he pushed forwards against his opponent. As Perseus blocked a low blow Percy moved his arm up to feint an attack towards Perseus's head before slicing downwards, catching his opponent's wrist with his blade. Percy felt a little bad for drawing blood against his friend, but he knew that Chiron was there to heal Perseus right after the fight.
Perseus cursed as he switched his sword to his left hand but it was too late. Percy was inside Perseus's guard and slammed his sword into the base of Perseus's sword. The power behind the strike proved to be too strong for Perseus as the sword tumbled to the floor and Percy held his sword to Perseus's neck.
"Do you yield?" Percy asked, sweat pouring down his face. He had done it.
Perseus smiled, "I yield."
Percy groaned as he ate his breakfast, "Perseus you didn't have to hit me so hard with that shield, my whole body is sore now."
Perseus shrugged, a light smile on his face, "You were the one who was trying to break my arm. If you'd kept that up I'd be the one complaining." The son of Zeus rubbed his arm absentmindedly.
Chiron sharply interrupted the two, "Enough debating about the battle. You both did very well."
The two demigods smiled at their mentor.
Chiron turned to Percy, "Now Percy, I believe it is time to tell you about your quest."
Percy's eyes widened, "What is it Chiron?"
The centaur laughed, "The gods themselves have decided that you are the one for this quest. You will be sent to slay two creatures who have been roaming Greece. One of them is the basilisk, a massive venomous snake." Chiron sighed before continuing, "The other is a monster who allied with the titans during the great war. The manticore. The manticore is a powerful beast who you should not take lightly."
Percy's eyes hardened. He hadn't expected to be sent to hunt down an enemy of the gods for his quest. "I will defeat them both, Chiron."
"I don't doubt it Percy," Chiron responded, "After you have completed your quest I believe the gods will have a final task for you, though even I am unsure about what it is."
Percy missed the worry in Chiron's eyes as he mentioned the last part of the quest. Percy's excitement was too high.
"I will leave at once," Percy stated, standing from the table.
"No," Chiron shook his head, "Spend one last day with me and Perseus before you leave. I would like to spend time with two of my best students before they move on."
Percy hated demigod dreams. After his day spent with Chiron and Perseus, Percy was plagued with nightmares. This time, Percy was in Corinth, on the outskirts of his birth city. He recognized where he was almost immediately. The home of his mother.
Percy didn't have many memories of his mother, she'd died when he was only five. One memory that he couldn't get out of his mind was the scene of her death. They'd been eating dinner when two hellhounds broke the doors down. Percy's mom fought back as hard as she could but she didn't stand a chance. Percy never could get the image of her bleeding on the ground out of his mind.
Luckily for Percy, Chiron had arrived in the last possible second, shooting both hellhounds with arrows.
This dream was different. The house was in ruins, the wood that had once held the building with strength was now cracked and burnt on the ground. Percy could barely make out where the rooms of the house used to be. Standing in the middle of the ruined building was Percy's mother. She looked the same as the day she'd died. Her outfit hadn't even changed.
"Mom," Percy choked out, he'd never been able to talk to her in these dreams before but this one felt different.
His mom smiled at him, "Hello Perseus, I hope you're doing well."
Percy ran to his mom but was pushed back by an invisible barrier. "Mom?"
"I can only talk to you, tell me how you have been while we still have time."
"I've been good mom," Percy began, there was so much to say. "I've been getting trained by a centaur named Chiron, he's a great teacher. I'm about to go on a quest given by all the olympians, even my father!"
"No!" Her voice seemed to cut through Percy, "Do not go on that quest. That is not what I want for you."
"But," Percy was shocked, this wasn't what he'd expected at all. "How can I not go? There are monsters that are out there. They're killing people just like they killed you!" That was when Percy noticed it. Her eyes. He'd remembered her eyes being a light hazel, with flakes of green speckled in it. The eyes that stared at him now were a dull gold.
"I see you're a perceptive little demigod," she said, the golden glow of her eyes beginning to glow. "That will not save you." Her voice had changed, growing deeper and less human. It sounded like knives being stabbed through Percy's ears.
Percy took a step back, "What is this? What have you done to my mother?"
Percy's mother's body began to morph. Her skin turned white, claw marks appeared on her neck and torso as blood poured out of her. The gold of her eyes began to take over her entire eye sockets.
Percy drew his sword from his waist, "What are you?"
She looked at him, golden eyes showing no emotion. "Not yet little demigod, all in good time." Upon hearing her last word Percy felt his body go flying.
He woke up with a gasp. Percy's entire body was covered in sweat and his water powers seemed to be useless to help. He struggled to catch his breath as he took a moment to process the dream. His mother had come back to deliver some message? No. This was not the same woman that Percy remembered.
Percy shivered as he remembered the cruel voice and those terrifying golden eyes. Whoever this was had tried to use Percy's mom to keep him from the quest. Now, he was determined to succeed.
Percy stood outside his tent with Chiron. He'd decided to keep his dream to himself. It had taken Chiron years to accept that he was ready to go out into the world and Percy did not want to blow it because of a nightmare. The centaur already was worried out of his mind. He had double checked all of Percy's supplies and made sure that the son of Poseidon had enough drachmas to last him for at least three months.
"Chiron I'll be ok you can calm down," Percy said, laughing a little.
"Oh please," Perseus interjected, "You think this is bad? Chiron nearly lost his mind when I left the first time." The son of Zeus had a smile on his face, remembering the moment.
"Boys," Chiron began, "Please allow an old centaur to look after his students one last time."
"Oh come on Chiron," Percy said grinning, "I'll be back before you know it."
The centaur sighed, "I hope you're right my boy. Before I send you off there is one more piece of advice I have for you." Percy nodded at Chiron, knowing how important the advice could be. "I have heard rumors of the basilisk being spotted on the outskirts of Athens. I believe that is where you are meant to start your quest."
With that last bit of advice Percy was off. His first stop… Athens.
A/N: Chapter 2 is done and Percy's quest has begun. Slowly remembering how to write has been fun and I'm starting to get back into the groove. I liked writing about Percy and Perseus and I haven't ever seen any interactions with them in any stories I've read so it felt like new territory. Drop a review because they inspire me to write more and slack less. I'll see you guys next week!