Authors Note: i have a short disclaimer i need to let you guys know. I have never read a Trials of Apollo book before, like ever. I know that certain events happen in it and what not but if there is at any point in my story where I reference or do a mythology segment, and it's not similar to the one coincidently done in ToA, then it's because I haven't read it. And I'll be changing some stuff when it comes to the mythology as well, like how Percy and Artemis defeated Python together, but it was Apollo in the myths who did all the killing. I'm anyways changing up the mythology by adding Percy in ancient times lol, so i hope that's alright with you'll. Anways, enough of me blabbering, on with the story!
Chapter 15: Apollo gets swindled by a baby, and manages to befriend it
Perseus was staring at the ground beneath him, as rocks were floating around him. He then let out a sigh, making the rocks fall as he sat on the ground, wondering about the events that happened three days ago. Why did a literal primordial god showed up from more or less obscurity, just because he was curious? Of him? And true to his word, Pontus did meet him soon. On the same day no less, when he was bathing. Not really how he thought meeting the primordial again would go.
Taking a deep breath, Perseus began to concentrate, this time making sure to do what Pontus had told him before. "Try lifting rocks from the ground by first cracking the ground beneath you. The rocks will be broken like that, making it easier to lift them off." Perseus managed to do that but he was still unable to lift them off the ground. Tons of breathing exercises and meditation didn't seem to help either.
"Are you still struggling over there young man? What sort of resistance are you facing?"
Perseus immediately scrambled up due to shock, and let out a groan when he saw Pontus through something that was definitely not an Iris message, giving out his infamous belly laugh. "You sound like a horse when you laugh you know Lord Pontus. And stop sneaking up on me." Perseus muttered.
"Oh! But I've been told I sound like a walrus when I laugh so a horse is more of a compliment. And I am not sneaking up on you, I told you that I would meet you tomorrow and here I am! And what did I say that day? Don't call me Lord Pontus, but call me..."
"There is no way I'm going to call you that." Perseus said in a deadpanned voice.
"Why not? Alright, if you don't call me by the name I have given, I will turn you into a sea cucumber!" Pontus replied.
Perseus scoffed. "There is no way you can turn me into a plant...right?"
Pontus merely grinned as his hand glowed orange. "You want to test that theory sonny?"
Perseus took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright...Grandpa P. There, I called you that."
"There you go, now that wasn't so hard, was it not?" Pontus said cheerfully.
"Not even my actual grandfather." Perseus muttered.
"Now tell me, what's stopping you with this branch of terrakinesis?" Pontus asked as he petted a nearby sea serpent swimming next to him.
Perseus shrugged as he sat down on the ground. "I don't know, I figured that this might be a piece of cake since I'm like, older now. My friend Artemis also told me that she was pretty sure she saw me manipulating pieces from the ground and launching them at a monster we were fighting. Must have been the adrenaline. But now it almost feels like the earth is...resisting me. Like it doesn't want me to like continue with what I'm doing I guess."
"The earth is resisting you..." Pontus muttered, a pensive look on his face. "My boy, listen to me. This power, it belongs to you. Maybe I know how you got it but I can't tell you because of reasons. But nothing should stop you from realizing your true potential, remember that. Fight the earth if you need to."
Perseus nodded, and pulled himself up. He then continued to do the same routine for levitating the rocks from the ground and was still met by the same force blocking it. But Perseus wasn't going to let it stop him as he pushed harder. "Back off, it's my power." Perseus thought as he felt the ground beneath him to tremble. Luckily, he was in a barren location down in the mortal world, so there wasn't any danger of anyone getting hurt. Large cracks were erupting on the ground everywhere, joining as they spread further. Perseus closed his eyes as beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. Letting out loud cry, Perseus as he raised his hands, the ground now shaking under his feet. He distinctly heard a female voice echoing in his head but ignored it, chalking it to his imagination and stress he was facing. Perseus suddenly felt a calming sensation surround him, and noticed that the resistance he was feeling was completely gone. Opening an eye, he was greeted with the sight of levitating rocks and boulders the size of a fully grown horse. It was definitely a far cry from the tiny pebbles Perseus was able to manage before.
"Lord P-, I mean Gran-, uh, Pontus! It worked, its actually working!" Perseus yelled in delight. But Pontus was nowhere to be found for he had already disconnected his call as he leaned against the wall.
"So he did manage to overpower her...this is a very interesting development. She is not going to be happy about it, I almost feel sorry for Nyx now. But it'll be alright." Pontus said to himself as he stared at the image showing a confused Perseus who was looking around and then later flashed away. "I wonder if it'll be worth it watching over him...I guess I have to just wait and find out."
Perseus teleported back to his home, walking around. "Pontus is not what I expected him to be that's for sure...and why would I even want to call him Grandpa P?!" He said out loud.
"Who's Grandpa P?" Hestia asked who was going over some papers.
"Mom! Um, what are you, uh, Grandpa P? Who's that?" Perseus asked nervously.
Hestia looked up at him. "I don't know, that's why I'm asking you? You mentioned that name before and just now as well so I was a bit curious.
Perseus was definitely cornered. There was no way he can tell his mom that the Pontus had shown up one day and demanded to be called grandpa. She would freak out, then put him under house arrest, then tell Zeus who would also freak out, put the full city of Olympus under lock down and then prepare for an unnecessary war on an 'enemy that has shown up out of the blue and thus equals trouble'.
"Um, Grandpa P is actually...Poseidon! Yeah, I call him that sometimes." Perseus replied.
Hestia frowned. "You are calling Poseidon...grandpa?"
"Not exactly." Perseus said nervously. "It's a joke you see, between me and Delphin. Because Poseidon is kind of like a fun loving and grumpy old guy combined right? Hence the nickname."
Hestia nodded slowly. "I don't see it...but then again I don't meet him all the time to really know.
Perseus nodded, glad that his mom bought the fib. "Yeah, you should see how he acts when he finds out the captain of a ship hasn't sacrificed to him before a voyage. He makes Hades look better.
Hestia stifled a laugh. "Hades is better than both your uncles when it comes to basic things. Now help me out with this"
"Sure mom. Oh, and don't mention the nickname to uncle Poseidon. It's an inside joke. But what are you doing anyways?" Perseus asked, joining Hestia on the couch.
"Zeus has asked me to update the nursery rhymes for the mortal children. He plans to share it with the mortals. And don't ask me why, I didn't even bother to find the over the top reasons my brother will give me. And leave the 'The gods favorite animals' for now, Zeus has something planned for it." Hestia said, passing a sheet of paper to Perseus.
"I can already imagine how it's going to go. The priests are going to announce an important announcement from the king of the gods, everyone is going to be there. And then the oracle will start spouting...nursery rhymes." Perseus said, laughing.
Hestia shook her head fondly, going through the rhymes. Her eyes suddenly light up. "Oh look, it's 'Incie-wincie Satyr'! You used to love this rhyme as a baby. Every night I would sing this to you and you would always go 'BA!' when I said 'satyr'. And then you would have this cute little smile with your eyebrows scrunched up and-"
"Mooom, stop." Perseus whinnied, shoving his mother playfully. "You're embarrassing me."
"Oh hush, if I can't embarrass you in public, then I'm going to definitely do it now." Hestia said, playfully ruffling Perseus's hair. "You need a haircut young man."
"No I don't, it's perfect as it is." Perseus said crossing his arms.
"You know, when it fully registered to me that you have like fully aged up, I really expected you to like move out, travel the world and what not. But it's nice to know that you're still a six year old who still comes back home before seven." Hestia said in a teasing tone.
"Mom, I'll move out for real if you don't stop." Perseus said with mock seriousness and the two bursted out laughing.
"Why am I here again, just to suffer." Perseus said as he stared at a clearing where a fresh patch of grass and leaves were laid out. Artemis was next to him unmoving, with an arrow already aimed at where the clearing was.
"Because four months Perseus, for four months I have been chasing that stupid hind and today is the day I finally hunt it down. And don't you want to see it happen since you're always complaining about it?" Artemis asked.
"Nope, I could care less for it. There are tons of deer out there and not just over here you know. Let the poor hind be." Perseus said.
"Shush! I think he's coming!" Artemis said, pulling the drawstring back. Moments later, the hind did come out, slowly approaching the patch of fresh grass and leaves, not noticing anything out of the ordinary as this was its regular feeding spot
"You remember plan beta, right?" Artemis said, her eyes trained on the deer.
"No, please enlighten me with it once again." Perseus said in a bored voice. "...Artemis, you're stepping on my foot."
"Hmm? I can't hear you over all the sarcasm you're spilling." Artemis simply said.
The hind was right over its feeding area when it heard Artemis speak. It immediately turned its head and stared at Artemis, who was also to shocked to move on seeing it staring at her.
Perseus merely sighed, and then flicked his wrist, making a shadow wisp appear. It then went straight for the hind but like the previous times, it immediately dodged it. It then started to bound away, with Artemis hot on its heels.
"No not again! Come back!" Artemis shouted, launching arrow after arrow. But the heavy dense forest and shrubbery made it impossible to land a shot.
"Why! I can hunt a wild boar down but a measly deer is so difficult to even hit with an arrow? I swear if this is Hera's work trying to mess with me, then I will-"
"Artemis, I caught it!" Perseus yelled, catching up to her. "I got in the shadow plane; all I have to do is to...oh."
"Oh?" Artemis asked confused. "Oh what? Did you manage to capture it or not?"
"Um...so I have good news, and bad news. What do you want to hear first?" Perseus said, as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Artemis sighed. "Give me the good news."
"Okay...so I did manage to capture the hind."
"You said did. I think I know what the bad news is."
"Well...the hind managed to get out through an opening, a dumb feature when it comes to beings that can't shadow travel if you ask me. If you can't enter, then you shouldn't be able to exit either. But yeah, that's what happened with the hind, it landed up somewhere else."
Artemis groaned as she dropped on the ground. "You go on Perseus, just leave me be. I want to drown in my self-pity."
Perseus smiled. "Cheer up arrowhead, the hind is still roaming the Greek mainland. So, once you're a fully fledged goddess, you can then hunt it down with ease. Now come on, you don't want to be late for Apollo's big day, right?"
"Funny, because that's the day Apollo is going to get a big head." Artemis muttered.
Perseus chuckled. "Better than that time he had two heads, gods, that day was so weird."
Artemis smiled and the raised her hands up. "Carry me." she said simply.
Perseus scoffed. "Come on, you're not serious now are you?"
"Ca-rry me." Artemis said again, this time making grabby hands.
Perseus shook his head fondly. "You owe me sandwiches at the concert then got it?" Artemis nodded and was then lifted up by Perseus, who carried her on his back. As they were making their way Artemis asked Perseus a question that was on her mind for quite some time now.
"Hey Perseus. How does it feel being older? Anything different or no."
"I'm don't know for sure. My powers did fluctuate a bit again but it only lasted a day. Nothing much has changed except there are now lots of girls waving out to me, some guys as well. Accompanied by some jealous looks here and there. And I'm once again the forefront of peoples conversations again, this time focusing on when I will be an actual Olympian god with domains and all and take my place in the council. And my parentage is once again a big discussion once again."
Artemis smirked. "So what theories are being thrown around now regarding your parents."
Perseus gave a chuckle. "The most popular one is that I'm a byproduct of Hestia, Hades and Poseidon. The least popular one thrown around is that I'm a deity born out of Chaos itself, and given to the Olympians for safekeeping."
Artemis had a thoughtful look on her face. "A child of Chaos, like a primordial?"
"Yeah, but that wouldn't make sense since I would have to be the living embodiment of something important in this world, and there's nothing I can think that fits me with my slew of powers. Plus, I doubt Nyx would get well, you know, with Chaos."
"Perseus, you forgot the most important rule when it came to godly relationships again." Artemis said in a sing-song voice.
"Cut me some slack. I've literally gone my entire life referring people as mom, uncle, aunt, brother, sister, etc. And I thought uncle Poseidon reminding me was enough."
"That's ironic, since you are technically Poseidon's uncle in a sense." Artemis quipped.
Perseus stopped walking. "Artemis, one more word and I'll drop you down and leave you for good." He threatened, though his smile betrayed him."
"Mhhmm." Artemis hummed back in reply, and Perseus began to walk again.
"But what made you ask that question in the first place?" Perseus asked.
"I thought you said not to say a word." Artemis whispered.
Perseus let out a sigh. "You already spoke, but just humor me please."
"Alright fineee." Artemis said. "I guess I'm a bit worried that everyone will treat me differently. It's already happening with Apollo and now with you as well. I would be soon known by mortals, with offerings and prayers and duties and what not that would have to be undertaken. It's going to be really hectic. It might even jeopardize all the time we might spend together if we get caught up with our godly work. And also, the male gods. They are alright, but only some of them. But you should see their faces sometimes when a goddess or a random nymph just literally pass by them and they suddenly turn into rabid dogs. I don't want that to occur with me."
Perseus didn't say anything as he absorbed what his friend said to him. She had a really good point, people will treat her differently once she becomes a major Olympian, and their will definitely be a plethora of male gods chasing after her. And he never thought about the fact that they might actually get busy if their domains are too demanding which would require them to be away. Suddenly, Perseus didn't feel like he really wanted to be a full fledged god if this is what entails.
Artemis on noticing her friend's silence, gave him a quick kick on the shin in order to break him from his thoughts. "Hey, don't you dare start having second thoughts as well. I shouldn't have told you this in the first place." she muttered.
"Hey, what you just told me are valid points, and I'm glad you told me because that's what friends are for, we hear each other out and hopefully make the best of it. And I'm definitely going to make sure with the best of my ability that none of your problems will happen. And hey, it's not like you can't beat the ever living crap of those pesky gods that try to mess with you. You're already a force to reckon with as it is, they don't stand a chance against you." Perseus replied.
Artemis was too embarrassed from the praise to say anything so she just buried her face against the back of Perseus's neck. "Thanks a lot Percy, it really means a lot." she said, smiling, a distinct golden blush on her face. "And you're right, no god or goddess is going to dare mess with me once I take care of the idiots. If they don't get the memo, I'll just shoot an arrow where the sun doesn't shine!"
Perseus winced on hearing the last sentence. "I don't think they'll take it too kindly, let's just stick with arrows up their butts, okay?" "Fine, but I'm not taking any chances."
It was the night of the annual Olympian Artistic concert, where a number of beings, immortal or woodland beasts like satyrs and nymphs, would showcase their talent in the artistic field. It could range from music, dance, poetry and theatre. Sadly, no regular mortals were allowed. And as always, the nine muses would be the hosts and judges, while Zeus who was also the god of drama and theatre would bestow on the winner of each arts the gift of immortality. If the winner was already immortal, then Zeus would bestow another gift that would benefit the winner. A much better option than the time when the winners would choose their own gift which ultimately shut down when one of the winners wanted the goddess Athena as it's bride.
Speaking of Athena, she was present in the amphitheater, trying not to strangle Hera who was going on and on about the woes her poor tree which bore the apples of immortality had to go through every year, just so a measly being can become immortal. Ares was behind them, dozing off while Poseidon was talking animatedly with Amphitrite, who decided to come here with Poseidon as his date. Hades was with Persephone as well, and Demeter was glaring daggers at her 'pile of manure' of a brother, while also staring at Perseus with an embarrassed and oddly flushed look on her face. Perseus on the other hand was laughing his head off at Artemis who was wearing a very poufy dress and was repeatedly kicking Perseus on his knees. Hestia and Leto merely sighed as they stared at their children's antics.
"Stop. Laughing. Now! Or I won't get you your sandwiches!"
"Alright, alright I'll stop." Perseus wheezed, wiping a tear off his eye. "I'm sorry, it's just that...you totally look like a princess with the whole 'Daddy's little girl' thing going on. It's adorable."
"You even dare call me that, and I'm going to do what I will do to all the stupid immortals who dare mess with me. And I won't target your backside."
Perseus clamped his mouth with his hand in order to stop a snicker from passing through. "Sure thing princess."
Zeus came running down, doing a headcount. "Alright, looks like everyone is present, we can finally begin the concert. Oh Artemis, you look absolutely wonderful. And quite royal too. You sure are my little girl that's for sure." Zeus exclaimed, positively beaming. Perseus couldn't hold it any longer as he bursted out laughing again while Artemis was seriously contemplating on starting her campaign today itself. Luckily, one of the Muses had already started of the show, prompting everyone to quiet down.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome, to the 268th annual Artistic concert of Mount Olympus! I am your host Thalia, a part of the Nine Muses!" Cheering was soon followed from the crowd. "And I'm pleased to announce that this year, we have the highest recorded participants in this year's event. A grand total of forty-five are joining us, seven immortal and thirty-eight are your partials. Only one of each of the events laid out can win so stay till the end to find out! Let us start with theatre, where a group of naiads from Crete have a special play, they want to enact to us..."
The show went on, and pretty soon the poetry event came up which Apollo is a part off. After a sniffle filled performance by Cletus the satyr, it was then Apollo's turn. He had the harp play as his background music and then began his poetry.
"There was a time I recall, when you first held me..."
Apollo's poetry was about his mother Leto, and the trials and tribulations she undertook in order to deliver her babies safely. It was a really moving piece, and single handedly brought everyone present to tears. Ares and Hades were both sharing a box of tissues while Persephone comforted her mother who was reminded about her trials when trying to find her daughter. Poseidon and Amphitrite were crying buckets, with Amphitrite comforting Poseidon though that part was purely intentional by Poseidon himself. Zeus was trying not to rush out there and apologize profusely to Leto for subjugating her to all those hardships. Hera left during the middle.
On the other side, Leto, Artemis and Hestia, mostly Leto and Artemis, were trying really hard not to breakdown in public. Artemis was already snuggled up against her mother while she unconsciously held Perseus's hand. Apollo then ended his performance and was immediately greeted by a standing ovation from the crowd who were cheering and crying together. He gave a full-blown smile to the crowd and then went backstage. It took a while, but the show moved on from there and it then finally reached its end.
"That was one amazing night folks!" Thalia exclaimed, wearing a fresh batch of makeup. "And now, the judging has commenced. This will take approximately half an hour so feel free to grab yourself a drink and snacks as this is the last time you can get those!"
During this time, Apollo finally met up with the Olympian family who each gave their praises on his performance.
"You don't know how proud I'm feeling right now, seeing you up on that stage was truly spectacular. You were really amazing son." Leto said, giving Apollo a bone crushing hug.
"You were definitely awesome up there. Heck you managed to make Ares cry." Perseus said patting Apollo on the back.
"Thanks a lot Perce. Aww, does my little sister look like a princess or not." Apollo cooed.
Artemis sighed. "If this was any other time, I would have kicked you silly. But...not today. You were spectacular out there Apollo." Artemis said. Apollo smiled and kneeled down to hug her sister. "Thank you for honoring mother." Artemis whispered in Apollo's ear, who smiled as he stroked her sister's hair.
"Alright folks!" Thalia called out from the stage. "It's time for our winners! According to the judges, we have two immortals who are winners while there are three partials or mortal beings who are winners as well. Now the moment we all have been waiting for. The winner for the best theatre group is...the naiads of Crete! with their spectacular performance of 'An Underwater Heartbreak'. Next, the winner for the best musician goes to...Ceilia the dryad! Who said that only satyrs can play reed pipes huh? Next, the winner for best dance segment goes to...Marius the satyr, who did a never before seen dance called 'tap dancing'. Something tells me we are going to see a lot of those next year. Next, the winner for our best stand-up segment is...Eunomia of The Horai! Also known as spring! That comedy skit really lifted our spirits up. And now, the final winner. The one who had deeply moved us with that splendid and tear-jerking piece of poetry. Someone I'm proud to call my pupil...Phoebes Apollo!"
The crowd cheered and roared in approval on hearing this, while Apollo fell cartoon style on hearing his full name. "At least it's not sunshine." he muttered, and walked up to the stage to receive his gold medallion. There was already a group of nymphs and minor goddesses holding a large Apollo banner, screaming his name.
"Well, time to suffer through an Apollo fan barrage for the next two months. Let's just hope it doesn't extend to me." Artemis muttered as she saw her brother give out autographs. "What do you think my father is going to give Apollo as his gift?" Artemis asked Perseus.
Perseus shrugged. "I don't know, a new musical instrument? Like a newly created one, I think that's a good option."
After all the guests had left, it was only the main Olympians that remained. Zeus soon joined them after checking with Hera and congratulated Apollo once again.
"That was a splendid piece my son. Here, this is not your actual gift but I was going to give it to you regardless." Zeus said, handing over a sack to Apollo. In it was a sword, a staff and a pair of flying shoes which Apollo immediately took a liking to.
"Thanks a lot father. But if this is not my gift, then what is?" Apollo asked.
Zeus laughed. "I'm glad you asked son. Everyone, follow me!" He announced and the group trudged over to one of the many fields used by the gods for livestock.
"Hey Perseus, why is Demeter looking at you funnily?" Artemis whispered, glancing at the agriculture goddess who was turning more golden in color as she stared at Perseus.
Perseus on the other hand put his hands on his face as he groaned. "Let's just say that Demeter didn't get the memo that I had aged up considerably. So when she saw me in the marketplace yesterday buying vegetables, she thought she was...flirting...with a possible new god in town and not...me..."
Artemis had a look of pure horror and shock on her face. "What?!" she shouted loudly.
"Artemis!" Perseus whispered shouted. On noticing that all the gods present were staring at them, he then cleared his throat as he looked at Artemis. "Yep, you heard me. It's kind of weird hanging out with a twelve year old since I'm...older..."
Artemis just stared at him confused when she realized what Perseus was trying to do. "Oh...uh, I'll think about it." she muttered.
The gods looked at the two with confusion until they decided to leave it. They then reached a pen which had some cows in them. Zeus dramatically started waving his hands and then gestured towards the pen yelling "Ta-Da! Here you go son, this is all for you." he said as he gazed at the cows. "They have the best quality meat out there you know top of the line!"
There was something odd about the cows however. Instead of the usual white or brown cows, they were a bright cherry red in color, all two hundred of them. Other than that, they looked like regular cows.
"So... what do you think? Zeus asked.
Apollo just stared at the cows until a large grin started to form on his face. "I'm going to be a cow herder!" He shouted at the top of his lungs as he jumped into the pen and started to dance around the cows.
"Well, looks like he's content with it." Zeus said chuckling. "Oh, and that reminds me." Zeus said, turning to face Artemis. "You see, when I was buying the cows from the satyr, he also had a pack of hunting dogs at a discount. And since you're really into hunting, I decided to buy them for you, my daughter. They are back in your home in Delos, I made a nice large kennel for them to stay."
Artemis had a surprised look on her face and she immediately ran to hug her father. "Oh, thank you so much!" she cried out, immediately letting go and ran to her mother asking if they could go home now.
"Oh and Hestia? The nursery rhyme "The gods favorite animals; should be updated with cows for Apollo and dogs for Artemis." Zeus said.
"Hey Percy! I need your help in finding a place to keep these cows in the mortal world." Apollo yelled.
Perseus frowned. "Why in the world would you want to keep them down there?" he asked.
"Cause my cows need fresh air and fresh food, which they can only get down in the mortal world where it's all organic and all. So are you going to help me or not?" Apollo asked.
Perseus shrugged. "Well, I have nothing else to do...alright then. Bye everyone, I'll come back in like an hour mom!" Perseus and Apollo then teleported to the mortal world while Zeus transported the cows to Pieria. The two reached there soon enough and began to find a suitable location to keep the cows. In the end, they settled on a very well-hidden meadow, just at the base of a mountain and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
"Look at that. Now that's what you call a quality hiding spot!" Apollo said, admiring his and Perseus's handiwork.
"Yeah, this is a good spot. But are you sure these cows are going to stay hidden forever? Word is going to go out soon that a god has stacked like the most rarest breed of cows in this area and soon it will be overrun by thieves and dumb gods." Perseus stated.
Apollo laughed. "That is true, but I'm going to guard them 16/7. There is no way anyone will be stupid enough to come in the morning, and at night, this place is nearly inaccessible. Not even a baby is going to be stupid enough to try, you just wait and watch!"
For the first time since meeting the twins, Perseus was without them. Even when he was grounded, they still managed to come by to visit, and help him sneak out (which didn't go well with Hestia, that's for sure). Apollo was on a date with a muse, Ourania, which Percy couldn't believe when he first heard it from his mom. The two seemed to have really hit it off. Artemis on the other hand was pre occupied with her new hunting dogs, which she was testing them out to see how well they can hold up with her hunts. Which leaves Perseus alone, as he walked in the forest where he once trained his shadow powers in, the same one overlooking the city of Kichyros. Perseus sighed and contemplated if he should go meet up with Athena when he heard loud rustling coming from the bushes nearby. He then stilled himself, as he reached out with all his senses, immediately knowing that there were two figures walking towards him. Voices were soon heard, and to Perseus's surprise, Phoebe herself and another girl with black hair and eyes came out into the clearing and immediately froze when they saw Perseus. "Phoebe?!" Perseus exclaimed, grinning. "Man, it's been weeks since I last saw you, how are you doing?" he asked. Phoebe didn't respond however, and paled on hearing Perseus call out her name. She unsheathed a knife, holding it in front of her while the other girl who had a bow in her hands, aimed it at Perseus.
"Woah, woah, woah, hold on just a minute. I'm not here to hurt you guys, Phoebe come on I know it's been almost a month so you couldn't have forgotten me that easily, right? Perseus asked, but the girls didn't waver in their stance.
"Um...alright then. Phoebe, I did save you from those crooks remember? On the day your...sister died." Perseus said slowly, noticing the growing look of recognition on her face. "You were also given a pendant by my uncle, cause there was no way you could have told everyone a little kid saved you right?" Perseus said grinning. Phoebe's hands flew to her mouth as she stared at Perseus while the other girl had a bewildered look on her face.
"Oh my gods, it is you Perseus!" Phoebe cried, rushing towards Perseus and giving him a big hug. "I honestly didn't know if I would see you again!" she exclaimed.
"Truth to be told, I wasn't sure when the right time to meet you really was." Perseus said as he broke from the hug. He noticed that the girl with the bow was still staring at them with shock. "Hey Phoebe, are you going to introduce your friend." he asked.
"Oh yeah! Sorry, I forgot. Perseus, this is Celyn. She's been my friend for a long time now. Celyn, this is Perseus. He was the god I told you that saved me from Mados's men that day."
Celyn nodded slowly. "I thought that the god looked like a little kid, not a fully grown teenager." she said.
"Yeahhh, about that, what happened to that? I mean you start off with saying why I couldn't recognize you, when you weren't even in a form I could recognize you in! Like come on, I thought gods were smart." Phoebe huffed.
Perseus chuckled nervously. "I actually forgot about that, sorry my bad. But what are you doing here anyways, and alone that to. I mean, you're here with your friend but I would have figured that the general's daughter would have a couple of guards tailing her.
Phoebe had a look of discomfort on her face. "Probably, yeah. But my parent's are not...that caring right now. Though they weren't before so its not anything new really. Not to mention, I wouldn't have dared let a guard near me even if my father ordered them to. The main reason why I was captured so easily was because one of the guards was actually a spy sent by Mados. So I'm not that keen of them really."
Perseus nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, I get you. Though I do hope your parents will come around soon. I get that losing a child will be tough on them but you lost a sister too, someone you were really close to. They shouldn't just outright ignore you."
Phoebe nodded solemnly. "I hope they come around as well. Anyways, what brings you out here?" Phoebe asked.
"I could say the same for you two. As for me, I was kind of bored so I decided to pop here for a bit. I used to train here, developing my powers. Guess I was taking a trip down memory lane." Perseus commented, smiling at the looks of awe on the girl's faces.
"You used to train here? That's really cool and awesome. As for us, me and Phoebe sometimes hunt here. Phoebe is an excellent tracker; she knows all the spots of the wild animals and knows most of their behavioral patterns. But she's not that great with a bow which is where I come in. I'm pretty good with a bow if I do say so myself, but absolutely suck when I'm trying to find animals to hunt." Celyn said, with a grin on her face.
"That's good hunting duo if I do say so myself." Perseus said. "Say...you guys up for a small hunt? I can help with my powers if you'll want.
"What powers do you have?" Phoebe asked.
"Shadow manipulation, Terrakinesis, and I'm a bit stronger and faster than your beefed-up human. Oh, and a master of all types of weapons. And I'm not even a proper Olympian yet so there's probably more to come." Perseus said laughing.
Phoebe and Celyn both had confused looks on their faces. "Shadow and earth manipulation?! Who are your parents exactly?" Phoebe asked.
Perseus wondered if he should reveal what he knew but ultimately decided to stick with the basics. "I'm the adopted son of Hestia, goddess of the Hearth. I don't know my actual parents."
Celyn gave a low whistle. "Adopted son of Hestia?! That's something you don't hear every day. The priests will go mad once they hear about you."
"They will? Nice. So you want to hunt or...?" Perseus said and soon enough Perseus was hopping from tree to tree while Phoebe and Celyn tried to keep up with him. Over the course of time, Perseus found out more about the girls. He found out that Celyn was an orphan and had no clue about her parents at all. She pretty much lived more or less a horrible life with the caretakers of the orphanage treating the younger kids somewhat like servants, and blatantly ignoring the older ones and letting them do their own thing. Though if someone tried to complain, it wouldn't end well with the orphanage being run by the head criminal of the city. "While Mados owns like basically one-third of the city, that one-third is still powerful enough to make most things go his way. And while the king has tried to do something about this, Mados has men infiltrated everywhere, keeping up a charade. It's a bit difficult trusting someone politically nowadays." Celyn stated.
"This Mados guy sounds like a real piece of work. If only someone managed to take care of him for good." Perseus mused out loud, while Phoebe and Celyn stared at each other with knowing looks on their faces.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light emerged in front of the group, only to disappear to reveal a crying Apollo. On seeing Perseus, Apollo threw himself on him, making the two of them fall on the ground.
"Perrrcyyy!" Apollo cried, stretching out the name.
Perseus sighed, wondering if what he thinks happened really happened. "Apollo, don't tell me you screwed up your date with Ourania."
"It's worse than that!" Apollo cried out again.
Perseus frowned. "Did you ask her out and then she turned you down? Dude, you were the one who told me never to ask a girl to be your boyfriend on the first date!"
"That did not happen!" Apollo shouted. "Though I was really tempted to do it." he muttered. "Percy, it-it's my cows! They've been stolen!" he shouted again.
Perseus just blinked and immediately groaned. "Oh man, now I owe Artemis twenty drachmas. Stupid thief, you couldn't have waited for another three days!"
Apollo looked like someone stole his cows...which did happen. "You betted with my sister on how long till my cows get stolen?!" he yelled.
"Um, what is going on here?" Phoebe shouted, getting both the gods attention.
"Oh shoot, I didn't realize we had company. Hello ladies, the name's Apollo. A pleasure to meet you." Apollo said getting up, giving a small bow.
"Apollo over here is a god and one of my best friends as well." Perseus said, also getting up. "Do they need to add a lord before your name or no.?"
"Hmm? Oh no, none of that lord stuff, as long as you don't insult me, my sister, my mother, and Percy over here, you guys are cool to me." Apollo said.
"Why does he call you 'Percy'?" Celyn asked Perseus who sighed. "It's a dumb nickname he came up with because my name is too long. Honestly, I don't mind it that much, you guys can call me Percy as well if you'll want."
"Okay, enough chit-chat. Perseus, sorry if I'm interrupting or whatever but I really need your help to find the thief who stole my cows. And when I do, I'm going to go down to the Underworld and ask Hades if I can chuck the thief into Tartarus." Apollo said, almost snarling at the last sentence.
"Can you do that?!" Phoebe asked, a bit frightened.
"No...but he's been using my old horrible poetry as torture machines so he owes me something." Apollo muttered. He then held Perseus's shoulder. "Alright, let's move. Later girls."
"Wait Apollo, I di-" but Perseus was once again flashed away without saying goodbye, leaving behind a bewildered Phoebe and Celyn.
The two soon reached Pieria, the exact spot where the cows were hidden. They were still there but it was evident to Perseus that there were quite a lot of them missing.
"How many of them are missing?" he asked.
"Fifty out of two hundred are missing. They were all there last night, but when I checked this afternoon after my morning date with Ourania, BAM! Fifty of them turn up missing. And I found some stuff that could be clues to the culprit." Apollo said, gesturing for Perseus to follow him. Pointing at the ground, Perseus noticed large circular footprints that were not hooves but of someone else's. But what confused him was the fact that while the size was large, the depth of the prints was...small. One would obviously think that with a foot size that big, the person having them would weigh at least considerably to form deep prints.
"Ok...so the culprit is definitely masking his footprints." Perseus said to Apollo who was staring at the cows' footprints on the beach. "What makes you say that?" Apollo asked. "Simple" Perseus replied. "There's no way our culprit was barefoot as the design of the prints is very intricate in detail. Almost woven like. Plus, our culprit is light, like super light. And small to cause the footprints of each foot are very close to each other, like they are almost touching, and there's no way someone can accomplish that when the depth of the prints is so thin that once gust of wind would make them disappear. Good thing there's no breeze around."
Apollo nodded. "So our culprit is lightweight, is really small, and... that's about it? There has to be more. What about the cows, can you tell me about the cows?" he asked gesturing to the footprints on the beach. Perseus took one look at the prints and immediately scoffed.
"What's so funny?" Apollo asked.
"Our culprit would have easily tricked the average human, but he didn't know one thing. That someone who's been trained by Athena for almost two years in analysis and mystery problems would easily solve this,"
Apollo nodded. "That is correct. Wait,... are you comparing me to an average human?!"
"The culprit tried to fool us by making us think that the cows came out of the sea. What he actually did was make the cows move backwards until they reached the shoreline, and then proceeded to move them away while they were walking on land which the water is covering. Hence there are no sets of those tracks anywhere.
Apollo let out a sigh of relief. "At least that solves both the mysteries. But how will we find the culprit now?"
"Simple, we scope out, see if anyone was awake last night and saw something unusual. Then we interrogate, peacefully." Perseus replied.
The two then set out, each covering one half of Pieria. About two hours later, Apollo sent an Iris message over to Perseus, telling him that he got a lead.
"You'll never believe what it was that stole my cows." Apollo said, fuming when Perseus finally caught up to him.
"Well, don't leave me in suspense." Perseus chided.
"A baby. A freaking baby Percy!"
Perseus just blinked for a few moments and then started snickering. "Looks like a baby was stupid enough to steal your cows."
"Shut up. And I have a pretty good idea on who it could be." Apollo said.
"You do?" Perseus asked.
"Yep. So, I heard from Ourania, who heard from Calliope, who heard from a harpy, who heard from a wind nymph that the titan Maia has recently given birth to a baby. And if my sources are correct, then Maia and the baby and my cows are definitely on Mount Cyllene!" Apollo said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's go Perseus, it's showtime." and he sprinted away
Perseus sighed and soon sprinted as well in order to catch up with Apollo. "How are you even sure if it's that baby, heck how are you so sure a baby did it?" Perseus yelled over the wind.
"Percy, I literally started dancing and singing when I came out of my mother's womb demanding an instrument. This won't be the most farfetched thing to ever happen you know!" Apollo yelled back. They soon reached Mount Cyllene and found a cave where Maia was residing. The titan was awake, cooking something in the pot and on the other side of the room was a woven cradle. Maia immediately noticed her visitors an went to greet them.
"Hello, you must be Perseus and Apollo. It's a pleasure to meet you. How may I help you?" she asked politely.
"Your kid stole my cows; I'm going to check around. Thanks." Apollo said, already going through the various drawers and checking under the cooking pots.
"A cow won't even fit in there for crying out loud." Perseus said exasperatedly as he watched Apollo more or less turn the entire place upside down. "I am so sorry about Apollo. He gets a bit wound up sometimes and it's never a good thing." Perseus said to Maia.
"Oh, it's alright, I've been told everything about him before, so this really doesn't bother me. Though I wonder what made him think his...cows? His cows would be here." Maia said. On seeing Perseus's questioning gaze, she answered. "Leto told me all about him and Artemis as well. She mentioned you as well, and how you are a very dear friend to the two of them, especially Artemis."
"Oh! Um, thank you." Perseus replied a bit bashfully.
"The cows are nowhere!" Apollo yelled as he walked towards the woven cradle. "And if there's one person who knows where it is, it's the culprit. Wake up kid!"
"Apollo chill, the kid is still a baby." Perseus said. "And look, you've woken the poor kid up." Perseus said, staring at the blue eyed baby who had a tuft of brown hair on his head.
"Goo? Gahh, Ahhh!" the baby cooed, and then squealed with delight.
"Kid, last warning, where are my cows." Apollo said through gritted teeth.
"Coo?"
"Apollo, I really don't think it's this- wait." Perseus said frowning. "I can smell...oh gods, I can smell the beef on him."
"Aha! Your ploy is over kid, we caught you red handed."
"Aw poo." The baby said in a very deep manly voice. It then got up and smiled at the two gods. "Hello dear cousins, the name is Hermes. I see that you have actually managed to catch me for my second crime, and I congratulate you on that. I really wish to know how you managed to find your way here."
"Apollo, is it just me but the way the baby talks reminds you of a salesman doing that deep voice to sell you a product?" Perseus whispered.
"Kind of, yeah. But that doesn't matter! Baby thief, you are under arrest for thievery and slaughter of my precious cows. You will be judged by the Olympian council!" Apollo shouted, grabbing the cradle.
"Apollo wai-" "My name is Her-" But it was too late as Apollo flashed away to Olympus with Hermes in tow.
"Oh gods, I am so, so sorry Maia for all what has happened." Perseus said, apologizing to the open-mouthed titan. "I promise I won't let anything happen to your child, just...stay here only." Perseus said, slipping in a shadow and coming out in the outskirts of Pieria and doing the same process until he was able to secure a gateway to Olympus. Appearing at the town square, Perseus jogged all the way to the throne room and was surprised to see Artemis hanging around his house.
"Artemis!" Perseus called out, waving her over.
"Hey! Where are you off to?" Artemis asked, joining Perseus with his jog.
"Throne room. If I don't hurry, Apollo is going to chuck a baby into Tartarus." Perseus replied.
"What?!" Artemis said but at that point, they already reached the throne room. Inside, Hera, Athena and Poseidon were trying really hard not to laugh at the scene in front of them. Apollo was as golden as gold itself while the baby, Hermes had a shit-eating grin on his face. Zeus was staring at the two of them with a stern look on his face, but gave Perseus and Apollo a nod of acknowledgement.
"Enough, this is my son. And because of that, I know he is capable of anything. He-"
"WHAT! He-He's your...GAHH!" Hera cried out, immediately flashing away.
Zeus sighed. "And I just got her over that poem about Leto..." he mumbled. Zeus then straightened up as he addressed his Apollo and Hermes. "Hermes, you will show Apollo where his remaining cattle has been hidden, and face whatever price Apollo will give out. And it has to be fair!" He said directing the last sentence to Apollo.
The god and godling nodded and were about to move when a dull grey flash of light enveloped the room, revealing it to be the three Fates.
"Oh good, the messenger god is here as well." Atropos drawled as she stared at Hermes, who had immediately lost all the previous bravado.
"Zeus! In two weeks time, we shall commence with the inauguration of four deities into the Olympian council. Perseus, Artemis, Apollo, and Hermes. Make sure these four are present by ten I the morning, all our welcome if you so wish. And don't worry about age ups, fate will run its course." Clotho announced.
"Oh, I can't wait to see everyone's reactions on the various domains they are going to get." Lachesis cackled. "Especially Perseus, he's going to be so-."
"SHUT UP!" Clotho and Atropos cried, the former whacking her head while the latter covered Lachesis mouth with her hand. In another flash of grey, the three disappeared.
"That was interesting..." Zeus muttered and then addressed the rest of the gods present. "You heard the Fates! In two weeks', time, we will be welcoming four new members into our council, and not only that, they will also become fully fledged gods as well. An event like this should definitely be open to all!"
After another five minutes of speech from Zeus later, Perseus, Artemis, Apollo and Hermes were walking down the steps, thinking about what just happened in the throne room.
"So this is it huh, we're finally becoming gods." Apollo said softly.
"Well...we are already gods, but yeah I get what you mean." Artemis said, breathing out a laugh.
"Two weeks, it's all going to come down in two weeks." Perseus muttered.
"Indeed, my dear cousins, I for one cannot wait for the secrets and reveals that will happen. It's going to be smacking." Hermes yelled, raising a pudgy fist in the air.
Artemis stared at the baby. "Does he always talk like that or..."
"Probably, I won't be surprised if the little dude becomes some kind of sales god with that voice." Perseus said, shaking his head.
"Alright thief, it's payback time. I'm going to gut you so hard, you- what is that?"
"Oh this? This my dear cousin, is called a lyre. Tell me, would like to undertake something I like to call, bargaining?
I am so, so, so, so, sorry T_T. I had a really hectic day today(Yesterday?) which resulted in me posting this chapter way into the wee hours of morning. So yeah, this is chapter 15, a bit of a filler chapter but it's all going to go down in two weeks! Wait, did I say two weeks? I meant four days lol...unless. Nah, I'm not going to make you'll suffer for that long lol, next update is on Wednesday. And let me tell you, if I can write poetry, I can definitely write a poem instead of one line lol, but I can't. Also, I've been getting some requests asking if I can write in certain reaction like stories like the Gods reaction to Percy's various age ups, the talk Percy had with Hestia and so on. I was thinking of having them probably as flashbacks, or better- A separate story, chronicling all these events. It's up to you guys though if you'll want to see something like this, and then I'll maybe put up a poll asking whether you'll want it as flashbacks in the main story or as full on one-shots. Oh and the hunters are starting to shape up as you can see with the introduction of Celyn. And a very quick shoutout to LostHouse for helping me with Poseidon and Amphitrite's reaction to Apollo's poem (P.S. read his stories if you'll haven't, he does PJO as well) looks like I have nothing else to say so now I'll be going to sleep at...5:21...yeesh. Bye...\/