Author's Note: I dedicate this beautiful fever dream of a chapter to my bother in all but blood. We've spent way too much time hashing out several plot points seen in this chapter over the years of our friendship for me not to give him a shoutout here.
Chapter Ten: The Unseen Binds of Time
Percy shivered as the moon seemed to follow them as the group rolled down the road after leaving the hotel of deathless sleep in the rear view gladly. Something in Percy felt a minor connection to the moon as he looked at Artemis' chariot. Dad controls the tides completely, right? Percy thought in a bit of worry. As the son of Poseidon thought on the possible link between the god of the sea and the goddess of the moon. The young man sighed as he pushed the thought away and tried to find sleep. Unfortunately, as soon as his body began to relax, the young demigod's mind caught a new train of thought. How many events of the gods were never written down for shame? Part of Percy scoffed at the idea of the gods showing any embarrassment or indignation at the actions of themselves or other gods. Interestingly, nothing came immediately to mind. Percy blinked at the realization and found himself drifting off before he could pursue the line of thought in more detail.
Percy found himself in a place he didn't know right away. A quick look around answered the question as a young goddess decked in silver walked out of the woods and onto the beach where he now stood. Artemis had her bow at the ready as she turned and scanned the wood line. Suddenly, a beast broke forth out of the woods and charged her. Great wings and a dragon's maw snapped at her, but as it stepped on the sand, the creature seemed to writhe and shimmer into a new form. Another goddess jumped from the shallows and tackled the beast in a headlock. The young moon goddess cursed under her breath. Artemis looked up at the full moon and closed her eyes. A surge of power roared through the goddess.
One would think Percy focused on the Moon Goddess, but no, his mind focused on the lithe, athletic goddess who held an air of power that made Percy nervous. Her power didn't match the feeling Percy had begun to associate with his father. This goddess was older and noticeably more powerful. The goddess of the The Hunt spun and fired arrow after arrow at the thing without a wound in its flesh to show for her efforts. The creature snarled and spat. Its misshapen body: a mishmash of draconian skin, a gryphon's right wing, lion's paws, and a wolf's head; lunged at the goddess.
A trident rose out of the sea and few toward the woman in a sea green tunic. Power like the most intense hurricane ever created swirled in the woman's eyes. The trident cut through the beast before the goddess' hand wrapped around the weapon. As soon as the power flowed, Percy watched as Artemis put her hand over the Sea Goddess' and the combined power dragged the beast into the sea to die. Percy watched in shock as the Sea Goddess breathed and looked at Artemis with a hint of gratitude. Then, the form flowed like water on the face of a placid sea into three forms: Hades, the form Percy recognized: his father, and Zeus. Oddly, it looked as if the change made the Sea God (Goddess? Percy's mind questioned the address as he watched the pair.) ill after a sort.
"I'm still not acclimated to my rule of The Seven Seas alone," Poseidon frowned. "I was queen, and I was broken into three." For a moment he struggled to identify Artemis, much to the younger immortal's visible terror. The form shimmered and shifted as Poseidon and his female Mycenaean form attempted to overrule each other in vain. After, Poseidon groaned and held his head. With a pained look, he mouthed "daughter". Then, the Sea God grit his teeth as bile rose up in his thought as he felt the dynamic shift. "Claim Zeus. I trust you to keep this secret and never let it be known. As a sign of this pact, when the moon is full, water will rise. When the moon is new, water borders fall." The Mycenaean Sea Goddess came through a final time. "Never forget, daughter."
Percy shot awake and shivered at the dream Morpheus presented him. Questions swam like a school of fish chased by swordbills in his mind. "Am I the child of the sea's Mycenaean form?" The question made a shiver roll through Percy. After the dream, most of the history he knew now consisted of many question marks in a sea of unknowns. The thoughts unnerved him. Percy knew he presented as the most powerful demigod in recent memory. The fight with Ares sprang to mind back when he was twelve. I shouldn't have been able to do that. Percy looked to the driver's seat and watched the road fly by as the group road the interstate. His mind ran at a million miles an hour. An odd tug pulled at the young man's mind. "Hey, Jack?"
The son of Primus acknowledged Percy in the rearview. "What is it, Percy?"
"Do the Primes have different forms in different parts of Cybertron?"
Jack shook his head. "The Primes have been and will always be who they are." He blinked, "Why do you ask?"
Percy blushed, "I had a dream about my Dad's Mycenaean form." Percy laughed nervously. He was NOT going to say that particular form was a goddess. "King of the Gods," Percy shivered as thunder rolled in the night loud enough to shake the car. Percy jumped when Thalia roused at the thunder. "Then, they fell during The Bronze Age Collapse. Thalia's Dad and Uncle syphoned power off to take their current positions."
"Reminds me a bit of The Fallen," Jack muttered. "He tried to seize power after Liege Maximo deceived him." Jack looked back at Percy to meet him eye to optic. "There's a thing about old stories; they change over time. Be aware of that."
Percy nodded and shivered as the sun began to rise at the group's backs. The son of Poseidon looked around in shock. They rode all night?! Percy could feel the Gulf of Mexico to their left. The sign that passed as they rode made Percy grumble as he tried in vain to read the sign. Context told him the group neared a city on the cost in Alabama. The signpost's font made Percy's eyes hurt when he tried to read it, but the picture marked the state as Alabama just the same. As Percy crossed the border between Florida and Alabama, the demigod son of The Sea could almost sense a…presence. This life-force felt like the Queen Anne's Revenge and also not. The soul, for that's all it could be, felt feminine, and she cried in his ears of prison and chains.
The demigod tensed and remembered he was in a car. A hand brought him back to reality. Percy started at the touch. "We need to stop at the USS Alabama in Grand Bay." Percy blinked. "I think some of our answers lay there."
Thalia woke with a slow smile as the realm of Morpheus slid away. I shall not be your pawn, father! A deep-set frown firmed on Thalia's face as the last vestiges of sleep left her. The first child of the Big Three after the Oath blinked and shivered at her anger during sleep. Then, she looked up and felt the last of the anger flee at sight of Percy. When she saw the border sign, Thalia registered the slight movement as Percy tensed. The daughter of Zeus could only guess he felt something to do with the sea. He could do many things with his powers that scared her father, but how far could that influence stretch? Thalia heard stories of his exploits since she came back to full life rather than a suspended animation of sorts within the tree. He used such influence to dupe and defeat the god of war during the quest in his first Summer at camp. There could be no doubt. Only a fool angered the demigod son of Poseidon because either he or Tyson would give quite a fight in return. Personal experience taught Thalia that much when she first met Tyson and tried to attack him on sight. She shivered at the memory of the flash of anger in Percy's eyes, and was it her imagination, or did the ground shake slightly when Percy warded her off of Tyson with only a look?
Thalia shook her head, yawned, and grounded herself in Percy's touch for a moment before she spoke, "Percy, what is it?"
"Alabama, she's important to the quest." Percy looked at Thalia in confusion. "I don't know how, yet," Percy nodded as they rolled up to the state park. "I just do."
Jack looked back at Percy oddly. It shocked Jack when he first picked up the signature in Pensacola. The ship was almost certainly a creation of Primus. At the very least, Jack knew the Spark within to share in the essence of The Lord of Light and Order. It didn't resonate with him as the Bots did and somehow seemed…older than most Cybertronians with the obvious exception in his older siblings. Still, a feeling of unease swept through Jack at the thought. Four…Dad stationed three others here to guard and monitor. Jack stopped. Why am I…? He trailed off and thought of Percy. /The King be wary should he snare/. Something tickled the back of Jack's mind as he thought of the prophecy line. Poseidon was once king. It was a Mycenaean epithet for the god, after all. Could this be a test for Percy?
Percy got out of the car and sighed as the sea air enveloped him. Sure, it wasn't exactly clean air, but the smell of the sea calmed Percy greatly. As the others exited the car and Sadie dismounted from her alt mode, Thalia saw a strange boy with forearm crutches, black hair, lightly tanned skin, brown eyes, and strangely a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. The boy laughed and slapped his friend lightly on the leg with a crutch. He whispered something to another boy that made no sense to her from what little she heard. The other boy laughed at whatever was said.
"Check it out, Firestorm."
At the words, the boy with crutches looked up. "Figures…" "Firestorm" muttered. "If I had my way, we'd be at the Pearl with Missouri. Fenrir."
A bolt ran through Thalia. For some reason, she wanted to look and make sure the sun was still in the sky for a split second but pushed the urge back. Instead, she marched up to the two of them, "Excuse me?"
Had Thalia paid attention to the boys rather than a quick glance away, she would have noticed Fenrir punch Firestorm. Firestorm grinned and shook his head, "Don't give me that. You want Yamato, or is it Bismarck?"
Fenrir glared lightly. Then, the expression turned to a smile and a laugh.
Finally, the pair turned their attention back to the group."We're under strict orders, princess." Fenrir's eyes glowed with a fiery light. "Only two particular demigods are allowed aboard ship."
"Rule 4 with possible shades of 15," Firestorm looked at Fenrir. "Right, bro?"
The other guard smiled, pleased, "Yep." For some strange reason he popped the "p".
Thalia nodded and went to charge ahead, but Percy looked at her. "Dad called me here, Thales." Percy looked back and saw Jack nod to Arcee before the son of Primus walked up to join Percy. Firestorm nodded to the Cybertronian and Greek demigod and walked up to the hatch and raised a crutch. The metal turned cherry red. Then, the lock on the gate and entrance hatch melted away. When the boys crossed the foremost cabin entrance, the door closed and rolled shut with a rattling Clang!
"Nice to see you, little brother," a feminine voice spoke. "I really hate being cooped up at port."
Percy drew Riptide on instinct while Jack drew his own blades. Percy blinked. There in front of him was a woman with gunboat grey hair in an American Navy Captain's Dress Blues. Percy's mind stalled, but then, he remembered something. "Shouldn't you be talking to Lord Ares or my half-brother if you and your sisters are looking to redeploy?"
Bama sighed, "For Dad's sake!" She said in irritation. "First, put those away. I'm not going to hurt either of you."
Percy bitterly laughed, Can't blame a guy for being nervous, especially when only two of my half siblings don't wish to kill me on sight.
"I would, but Primus didn't make the mutual protection pact with Triton, Ares, or even Zeus," she said. "He wanted to forge it with Egypt, but they're too concerned with detaining their own gods to be of any help should Uncle rise. Therefore, he went to the Mycenaean 'King' and made an alliance with 'him'." She blinked and smiled at Percy's anger. She watched as the child of Poseidon's form began to flicker and shift, like the true face of The Sea.
"She was Queen of the Gods before my uncles robbed her of her power and strengthened themselves with the stolen authority!"
"Very good, child," Alabama praised. "Drawing lots?" She scoffed, "Propaganda to save Zeus and Hades shame and make it look fair."
"You need us, as acting representatives of Mom and Lord Primus, to mobilize you and your sisters to vanguard positions because this evil Cybertronian god begins to stir on Earth." It wasn't a question. Percy's form settled with a determined expression on his face. "You shall have it."
Jack stared at Bama and Percy in shock, On Earth? Jack shook his head. Do you not mean "in Earth"? "Shouldn't you go to Optimus with this?"
Alabama shook her head. "He gave you The Key; you carry Father's…signet. He does not."
Jack shivered. The Key suddenly felt like a cinderblock around his neck. Thoughts of his dream that started this whole mess came back as fresh as if he just woke up after the nightmare. Jack saw all his friends incased in Dark Energon cocoons anew. Curse The Chaos Bringer to oblivion! Jack nodded to Alabama and pulled out The Key. "(By the authority of Primus, I release you, Yamato, Bismarck, and Missouri to patrol for The Chaos Bringer and his minions.)" Jack and Alabama touched The Key. Jack gasped when he felt three others join the "signing".
When it was done, Percy bowed to Bama and grinned, "Fair winds, following seas, and good hunting, Alabama. Pass the word to your sisters."
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