AN: Everything is kinda weird for me at the moment and I feel like thats sort of obvious in the chapter but if I don't make myself keep writing Ill never get through this weird slump.
As always I own nothing you recognize from officially licensed/published works, only my imagination.
Chapter 7: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Calypso felt an all too familiar swell of power from beside her and it almost took her breath away. It was a wild energy that she didn't think she would ever completely get used to no matter how many times she experienced it. Turning her eyes to Percy she saw his mouth was set in a grim line and his eyes fixed on the garden's shadowy corner. She noticed that Artemis was looking as well and one after the other the other gods were too. Then she both heard and felt why Percy acted the way he did. A chilling, gurgling chuckle filled the night air, and a sense of ancient horror along with it. Then something moved in the shadows, something with horns sprouting from its temples, but it wasn't Moros or one of his abominations.
Instinctively she wanted to run or hide. Anything to get away from this creature, but she also felt like her feet were rooted to the ground. Her heart hammered in her chest and she felt as though her throat was closing up. Something was unnatural about the feelings, Calypso forced herself to take a deep breath and snapped her fingers. A ripple of her power pushed against something and she realized that this thing was exuding an aura of fear.
"I am impressed enchantress... It's been so long since any have perceived so quickly..."
His voice was almost worse than the aura of fear. It sounded as though his jaw and tongue were entirely mangled. Every sound was just not quite right, and above it all was a strange clicking, and clattering that almost made it seem like his teeth were jumping around as he spoke. Then he stepped into the pool of light and for just a moment Calypso thought she had been tricked. The being before them was gorgeous, or rather it should have been. He was over eight feet tall and his pale skin covered rippling muscle that stood out in high relief below intricate tattoos that stretched across the visible expanse of his arms and chest. His face much like the rest of him was perfectly sculpted and his eyes were almost as beautiful as Percy's. Though something felt wrong, as she looked closer she began to notice small flaws and inconsistencies with his form. The planes of his face were just a little off, and his arms were just a little too long. His fingers were tipped by short claws instead of fingernails and his teeth were just a little too perfect save his canines which were incredibly long and sharp. Then the final thing clicked, his pupils were slightly oblong and lay horizontal in his eyes almost like a Satyrs. Then he spoke again and her skin crawled as his mouth didn't move in time with his words and she could feel some ancient, wild magic at work.
"Hello, Olympians... it's been such a long time hasn't it?"
It was Poseidon who spoke, his Trident appearing in his hands as he stepped forward. She felt his power join with Percy's and the stars overhead were soon obscured by thunderheads.
"Cernunos. Do you remember what happened the last time you dared trespass on our territory?"
There was a flash of light in the sky followed by a rumbling clap of thunder almost immediately. Another flash and Zeus stood beside his brother, a hissing bolt of energy poised to throw in his hand.
"Begone from this place Cernunos or you will taste my bolt again."
Then Cernunos' lips stretched in a hideous approximation of a smile. The action pulled his skin tight across the bones of his face making him appear even more unnatural.
"Patience Skylord, Patience... You should not be so quick to threaten..."
At that moment Apollo clutched at his head and the smell of snake filled the garden. Calypso felt Percy move and saw him appear next to his friend just as Apollo straightened and began to speak.
In love's embrace, two hearts must be brave,
To save our heroes from doom and the untamed wave.
From the shadowed one and the wild's ancient call,
Or darkness shall descend, and kingdoms will fall.
Swords began to appear in the air surrounding Cernunos and Calypso watched as Percy stepped to his father's other side. His face was an emotionless mask and not for the first time Calypso knew she was seeing the darker side of Percy, a side that she knew he hated and even feared.
"I will hunt you both. Do you understand me? Nothing will protect you or Moros from me if you lay a hand on even a single demigod."
His voice was flat and cold, the sheer conviction behind the words however made it more intimidating than any scream of rage could ever be. A spear now appeared above Percy's right shoulder and it spun very slowly around its axis, the tip never straying from Cernunos. Normally another weapon appearing wouldn't give her any pause but this was different. She could see the telltale distortion in the air surrounding the head of the spear like a heat mirage. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who noticed because Hermes and a now recovered Apollo both paled and began to whisper to those around them. One after the other the gods in attendance began to flash away to do she knew not what. She was not afraid of Percy and though Zeus' bolts were far more devastating, the shockwaves that Percy's powers were capable of producing now would still be enough to destroy much of their surroundings and possibly shake Olympus itself.
Calypso moved forward despite her mother's brief complaint. She laid a hand on Percy's left arm, sliding her fingers down to entwine her fingers with his. His hand responded and squeezed her fingers gently but he didn't look away from Cernunos. The god-man creature just looked at them, his head cocked slightly with his terrifying smile still upon his lips.
"Enchantress you know as well as I that..."
Percy cut Cernunos off.
"Do not speak to her again."
Now his voice rippled with rage and Cernunos laughed again.
"Always the hero Perseus Jackson... A pity you could not save anyone who mattered in the end, isn't it? Especially now that of the five..."
Percy moved before anyone could stop him. With a blur of motion, Percy slammed into Cernunos and knocked him to the ground, the spear he had summoned pinning the god to the ground. Cernunos' blood seeped past the spear and Calypso saw that it was black just like the abominations Moros had created.
"Θα σε καταστρέψω εντελώς, μέχρι να μείνει τίποτα, ούτε μια ανάμνηση."
Calypso had rarely heard him speak ancient Greek as he was far more comfortable with English. Hearing it now so filled with rage, sent a shiver down her spine. Not out of fear of him, but for him. She had heard voices sound all too similar to his before, she had heard her father's voice filled with the same rage before he turned into the ruthless monster he was now. Before the end of the war when she had been imprisoned she had watched her father and many others lose themselves to anger, despair, hatred, and more. She didn't want to lose Percy the same way, she wouldn't. Cernunos' eerie laughter was enough to snap her attention back to the present as it filled the air again.
"Oh, it's far too late for that. I guess we will see if you are worthy of your name, or if even after I have destroyed everything you love, you cannot destroy me."
Calypso knew what was going to happen just before it did. Cernunos' physical form ripped itself apart as Percy released his power. The black blood hadn't even settled when Percy vanished into the night leaving nothing behind him.
"No no no no no... No no... NO!"
Percy struck a tree as he passed and the trunk splintered beneath the blow. He had visited New Athens last, unable to bring himself to face Nico and Will until he had no other choice. five locations and the same story repeated at each, when there was someone alive to tell it. Percy squeezed his hands so hard the nails cut into his palms. Ichor seeped out but Percy didn't even notice. Percy knew what it was like to be angry, after the Pit he even knew what it was like to want to cause pain not just defeat his opponent. In all of his time as a demigod and as a god he had always been wary of his power. Holding himself in check so that he didn't hurt those around him. He had only ever truly let loose twice and both times his father had stepped in to help contain the destructive force. Turning, Percy bolted for the coast. Trees began to blur as he accelerated and at least two more were sent crashing down when he ran through them.
When the water was in sight he threw himself into the waves and shot deeper. One hundred feet, four hundred feet, a thousand feet, soon a mile, then two. He soon lost count of the miles though he knew if he cared to try it would come to him immediately. He pushed himself hard, seeking deeper, darker water, water so devoid of life he was a danger to nothing. For the first time in years, he felt an all too familiar tightness in his chest, a gnawing worry that he had hoped never to feel again, and an emptiness that filled his stomach. They were gone, all five, taken by Something, the few who had been there to witness had little in the way of details. It wasn't just them either, a seemingly random collection of demigods had been abducted from both camps, totaling twenty-one demigods.
He sank to the ocean floor where he knelt for a long while struggling to control his breathing. Then he felt Calypso call to him and forced himself to take a deep breath. Now was not the time to lose control, now was not the time to lose focus. He had a job to do and he would see it done as he always had before. With that thought the trembling of his body faded, no more did he feel as though his heart was going to explode. Now all his anger, all his fear, all his pain was condensed into a white hot strand that was given form by the words that left his lips to race through the water around him. He summoned a sword graven with the same words he spoke moments later, his will absolute as he spoke, and stabbed it deep into the seafloor.
"I will rescue them, and destroy you both. Moros, Cernunos, I curse you. May your bonds of loyalty be shattered and may your weapons betray you when you need them."
The familiar surge of power that accompanied a promise rushed through him but this time it was tainted and bitter. Twisted by the curse he had laid on his foes, the first curse he had ever wrought. Not only that but had he been paying attention then he would have noticed the riptides he had stirred, currents he had affected, and more. As far away as the western coast of England and the eastern parts of Florida, mortals recorded an underwater sound of such intensity they worried there had been an undersea earthquake. None of that Percy knew and he left behind him nothing but the fading traces of his presence and the sword he had driven into the seafloor.
When he reappeared in their palace on Mt. Olympus, Calypso was on him so fast he couldn't react. She slammed into him and wrapped her arms around his waist despite his lack of reaction. After a moment he returned the embrace though he felt cold, as though he had carried the temperature of the freezing depths back with him. Calypso looked up at him her eyes full of concern and shared pain. She knew more than enough about what was going on, but her connection was not as personal as his.
"Was she...?"
Percy simply nodded as he thought about his next steps as well as possible outcomes. Percy may not have been Athena, but he wasn't stupid and knew that the chances of saving the missing demigods were bleak at best. Despite his nature, all the changes from the last ten years had not all been for the better. Now he felt one of the changes keenly. When once he would have refused to acknowledge the all too likely possibility of failure, now it was the only thing that he could picture. Memories of his friends' broken bodies dragged up after so long brought the taste of bile into his mouth. He had thought he had been able to put that behind him and in a way he had. Their loss didn't bother him nearly as much as it once had, but there was more to it than loss.
They had been torn from him in a single horrific and bloody day. Now the other parts of his life reared their head in a way they hadn't before. He had been forced to deal with loss, with suffering, but now the violence, the blood, the horror, it all seemed to fill his mind. He smelled the metallic scent of spilled blood, heard the gut-wrenching screams of his wounded friends, and felt his heart pounding as it had that day. He wanted nothing more than to fall upon those responsible like one of Zeus' bolts from high. To lay waste to any and all who would harm those whom he found himself patron god. The only thing tempering his rage and bloodlust at that moment was Calypso. The feeling of her hands on his back, the feeling of her hair below his chin; She had kept him sane so many times, kept him grounded in who she knew him to be, and he was grateful.
The longer he was a god the more he realized just how very connected he was to his domains. Now that his mortal body was no longer grounding him he had begun to understand just how easy it was to allow his choices to be dictated by his nature. Not for the first time he remembered things he had thought and even said about the gods when he had still been mortal. With every passing year, he had begun to realize just how little he had known, not that it was truly an excuse for the god's behavior, but a growing understanding tempered his feelings and opinions. He sighed heavily and kissed Calypso's forehead.
"Thank you, and I'm sorry I left you like that."
She hummed against his chest, the same tune as his favorite of her songs.
"It matters little now. It changes nothing and you would not be you if you had not left."
Her humming continued though it did little to calm his racing mind. It kept his mind from racing and collapsing into memories of the past as he had been all too prone to do in the past. He wasn't sure how long they sat together talking but too soon for Percy lightning lanced through the sky and he felt the summons of Zeus. He wasn't really surprised, especially since he returned to Olympus the other gods would want and need to know what he had found. He gently extricated himself from Calypso's arms and steeled himself to deal with the council and their questions.
"I'll be back soon."
Calypso smiled sadly and met his eyes.
"Just don't go anywhere without me."
Percy felt like his heart was swelling in his chest as he was reminded just how much he loved her. She had saved him time and time again, and she had forgiven him for failing her.
"I said I'd never leave you again didn't I?"
CRACK CRACK CRACK
The sound of Zeus' master bolt striking the arm of his platinum throne as he called the meeting to order.
"Perseus has returned from wherever he went, though many of you know as well as I exactly what he has found."
Percy looked around and felt another blow to his heart. Athena, Hephaestus, Zeus, Aphrodite, and Hades would already know that the reincarnations of their children had vanished. They would have all likely guessed what was happening especially with their connection with Percy. His greatest surprise was that in all five faces, even Zeus', he didn't find any accusation or blame directed at him. His thoughts were interrupted by Athena who spoke next, her words directed at Percy himself.
"Can I assume that the others have been taken as well?"
Percy nodded gravely and Athena continued.
"Is that all or..."
Hermes interrupted her.
"You know that's not all, Athena."
Testament to the seriousness of the situation Athena did not react angrily to being interrupted, but seemed to be contemplative.
"I know. Though having Perseus confirm is likely unnecessary I will do it all the same. We must have as much information as possible to make the correct choices from here."
Hermes sighed heavily and Percy was all too familiar with what he was likely feeling. A combination of frustration and a feeling of inadequacy that had plagued him all too often from the time he was twelve years old and watching as the world seemed to be falling apart around him. Percy stepped off of his throne and approached the hearth in the center of the ring of thrones, kneeling before it. It had been so long since he had prayed that it felt strange to do so now but he needed to in that moment. Just as once he had gifted the pythos that housed Elpis to Hestia now he prayed silently to her. He knew that she would hear him, and he didn't care what the other gods thought of him, he needed her help in that moment. He could feel the other gods watching him and he could feel Hestia's keenest of all as he knelt before the original hearth.
'Once I said that you were the most important of the Olympians. That hope survived best at the hearth so to you I gave Elpis. Hold onto hope for me again, I need all the help I can get as only I am free enough within the Ancient Laws to fix this.'
A warmth seemed to wash through him that reminded him of walking into a sauna or indoors after being outside in a biting winter storm. There were no words but he felt the same way he did when Hestia embraced him, just as he had felt when he had seen his mother again after being away at school for too long. He rose to his feet and returned to his throne before looking around again at the other gods where he was once again surprised by what he saw. He had grown used to apathy at best from many, and outright contempt from others, but today he saw none of that save from Ares. From Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, his father, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, and Hestia he saw the familiar understanding and support he had grown to rely on. From Hades and Zeus, he saw a reflection of his burning anger and drive to see his foes fall beneath the force of his arms. From Hera and Demeter, he saw a surprising amount of sympathy and even support. From Athena, he saw little emotion and he knew that she was busy devising plans and trying to find a way to make the situation work for them if at all possible. Of them all however, the most surprising was Dionysis, his face betrayed a combination of emotions that he had never thought to see when related to demigods: Pain and Remorse. Dionysis was the God he had the least dealings with after becoming a god and taking over as Camp director almost a decade ago. Hermes had always told him that there was much he did not understand about the god but this was the first time truly seeing evidence of it. Percy had wondered years ago if perhaps Dionysus' attitude toward the demigods was not all it seemed to be. Dionysus had once told him of how his wife had been used and abandoned by a hero as an explanation of why he held heroes in contempt but now Percy wondered if there was more to it than that. Like him, Dionysus was the only god present who had been born a mortal hero.
Percy was once again reminded of something he had told his father once. He truly believed that the gods could change, could grow, could be better than they were. He had held onto that hope no matter how far into the background it often faded and now he was seeing a reminder of why he believed it was true. Steeling himself and gathering his thoughts he looked around the throne room once more before his eyes settled on Zeus who looked as thunderously angry as Percy had ever seen him.
"They are all gone."
Percy didn't and couldn't say anything more specific and he knew he didn't need to.
"More than that though, sixteen more demigods are missing. Eight from Camp Half-Blood, and eight from Camp Jupiter. I can't think of any connection between them other than that they are demigods, heroes, but I was hoping you could help with that."
He directed these words to Athena who nodded her brow furrowing as she began to consider the implications. He knew that in all likelihood she had also created another aspect of herself to go and discover as much information as possible as to the exact identities of the sixteen demigods.
"Also I think you should know..." Percy exhaled heavily and his voice grew hard as he continued, "I cursed them both, Moros and Cernunos. I cursed their bonds of loyalty to break and their weapons to fail them. I've never cursed anyone before so I don't know exactly how it's going to affect them but I thought you should all know."
The throne room was silent and there was a palpable tension that was unrelated to the current crisis at hand. Percy had known that telling the others what he had done was going to elicit a variety of reactions, especially from his friends, but he had been unprepared for the sense of nervousness that he felt coming from some of the members of the council. Then it clicked, he had only been a god for nine, almost ten years now, barely a blink in the eyes of everyone around him. No matter how well they knew him, save maybe his father, the others would likely not consider him much of a threat when it came to godly scale threats. He knew that even he was guilty of underestimating his power, and that had been almost a decade ago. A sense of disconnection seemed to shoot through Percy as he considered the implications of what he had just told the council, and for a moment he understood why there was a sense of nervousness. He pushed it aside because right now twenty-one demigods needed to be his priority. Twenty-one heroes he was duty-bound to defend, and more than that he would have fought for them when he was a demigod, he would have fought for them if he was just a mortal with a sword.
The meeting continued as the other gods began to discuss everything that would need to happen, what they could do given the limitations of the ancient laws, and how they might be able to circumvent them when the time came. Luckily for them, as Cernunos was from beyond their pantheon when the time came they could much more easily bring their might to bear against him. Moros however was not so simple, he had allies in the dark places of their world, and he had the protection of the ancient laws. As of now, they had no proof that he had been involved with the abductions so they could not move against him or his allies openly. Percy had known that he would likely have to work mostly by himself but as the conversation amongst the other gods continued he was reminded of something that brought him a glimmer of hope.
"Not alone. My hunters and I will aid him. He has stood by my hunters, my brother, and myself time and time again."
When Zeus tried to argue with her Percy saw her expression darken further.
"This is not your fight Daughter. Leave your hunters and yourself out of it. We do not want to risk the Fate's ire if the Ancient Laws are broken."
"The Ancient Laws be damned. We owe him for all of the aid he has given us, and more than that I see no conflict with the Ancient Laws here. I will hunt these beasts as I always have. I will seek to aid the kidnapped maidens as has always been my right."
Zeus nodded his acquiescence as he knew there was no arguing with Artemis at this point. For once Percy didn't feel as though Zeus' words were to spite him which was a refreshing change. All of the council had been affected by this and Zeus knew all too well how that felt as Jason's reincarnation was one of those at the center of the issue. Whether he would feel as charitable were that not the case was irrelevant and Percy refused to get bogged down in the hypotheticals of the situation. It was then that Percy felt a prayer and he stiffened as he recognized the voice, it was one of the Romans who had been found missing. The prayer felt strange, however, disjointed and out of focus like a badly tuned radio. He could barely make out the words 'help' and 'not all of' amongst the jumble of feelings and what could almost be described as static. Additionally, when he normally received a prayer he could tell exactly where the prayer came from, it was how he had found Harley as fast as he had all those years ago. Now however the only feeling he got was a general feeling of north which filled Percy with a sense of certainty as to how exactly their foes were choosing to evade them. Raising his voice Percy made himself heard over the other discussion in the throne room bringing all eyes back to him.
"I think I know where they are. One of the Romans just prayed to me but it was strange and hard to make out."
The room remained silent but Percy could feel Artemis' eyes most of all and he thought that of all the gods she was going to be the least surprised.
"I got the feeling that the prayer came from the north. At least some of the demigods are beyond our borders."
Everyone present knew that he had been to Alaska once before alongside Hazel and Frank when Hera had taken his memories from him, but now things were different. He was a god now and he had no idea where he would find the demigods. That and based on the other gods' reactions there was likely much he didn't know about what going that far north would mean for them all.
Harley was beginning to feel a growing sense of unease as the sun set over the hills of California. He had finished his training for the day and waited for Sera outside of the building he knew her last class of the day was in. When she hadn't come out he had gone back to his dormitory to see if maybe she had left a message for him only to find nothing. He had scoured New Rome for over an hour by himself before his worry got the better of him and drove him to ask for help. First with Terminus and then from Camp Jupiter, but when he entered the camp his worry was redoubled because of the atmosphere in the camp. Armored legionaries were hustling from place to place, a general air of nervousness seemed to hang over the camp, and Harley thought he smelled something that he recognized but couldn't quite place. A handful of the children of Vulcan that he worked with most days bustled past so he turned to jog alongside them.
"Hey, what's going on?"
A few of them glanced at him and then at each other before anyone answered.
"You haven't heard have you?"
Harley felt the sense of unease that had been building in his stomach congealing into a cold knot that was beginning to make him feel ill.
"Olympus has us on high alert, and Lord Perseus was here himself only this morning. Demigods have been taken, and now that I think about it you might want to go talk to the Praetors. You have some history with what's going on if everything I hear is true."
When he heard those words it clicked, the cold feeling, and even the all too familiar smell that he had noticed when he had first entered camp. The memories of the arrow embedding itself in his back, the chilling laughter, and even the hope he had felt when Percy had been there. Without another moment of hesitation, Harley turned and sprinted toward the center of camp where he hoped he would find the Praetors and get more information. He prayed that he was wrong, prayed to the Olympians, to the Fates, and anyone who might be able to help, but it was when he prayed to Percy that he felt something in return. It had been years since he had felt what he felt at that moment and he knew exactly what it was without a shadow of a doubt. Percy knew Percy was coming, and Percy was beyond angry. It was like hearing far-off thunder heralding a distant storm, and the feeling only swelled as he approached the center of camp. Then he realized why he could feel it, he had forgotten that at almost all times an aspect of Percy patrolled the borders of both camps, night and day, rain or shine. He was no longer invisible and it was immediately obvious that enough of Percy was here to fully manifest a body and take part in the goings on.
Harley saw Percy turn before he had even gotten within a hundred feet of him. As he approached the look on Percy's face did little to allay his fears for Sera and for any of the other demigods who had been taken. In fact, for the first time in his life, Harley felt a twinge of fear himself of what this version of Percy was capable of. He had lived more of his life than not as a part of the mythological world that he called home, and in that time he had become more familiar with Percy than any other god. Nearly a decade and Harley had rarely witnessed Percy do much more than raise his voice when the occasion called for it. He had heard the stories of course but he had never seen Percy fully roused and now he was fairly sure he didn't want to. His eyes which normally held a friendly, if melancholy light, were now dark with anger. The very air around him shimmered in the same way that Harley recognized as preceding the summoning of weapons, he had seen it more than enough times to recognize all the signs.
"Percy?"
As soon he spoke Harley felt a sense of relief as some of the darkness seemed to lift from behind Percy's eyes as he refocused.
"I'm sorry Harley. You prayed to me. Could you give me a bit more detail as far as you're aware? I am trying to get as much information as possible."
Harley could hear the strain in Percy's voice and he recognized that while he appeared calm on the surface the god standing before him was anything but. So he launched into his story telling Percy everything from the time he had gotten out of training until he had spoken with the children of Vulkan less than five minutes ago. As he spoke there was a new emotion filtering into Percy's eyes that Harley was far less familiar with but that he still recognized from the anniversary celebrations of the end of the war with Gaea. Seeing it made Harley falter as he realized exactly why Percy seemed so serious and his voice died in his throat. Based on the look that Percy gave him he felt all too sure that he was right and that Sera must have been one of the demigods taken.
"I'm sorry Harley, but don't give up. It's not over yet."
Harley looked up and saw that Percy's eyes were once more hard and his voice was full of steel that reminded Harley just how much more Percy had seen of life. Then Harley thought he understood something he had only heard tell of in the stories. A conviction gripped him then, a drive to not simply sit on the sidelines and wait. For the first time in his life, he wanted to fight, he wanted to be a part of the rescue effort. After what had happened when he was seven he had shied away from combat, from the front lines, but now with Sera's life on the line, he felt his blood burn. Looking up at Percy he saw understanding in his face and he received a nod in return.
"I told you I wasn't going to cut you out of this, didn't I? Apollo gave a new prophecy, and I think it might be about you. Tell me Harley how do you feel about Sera?"
"She's my girlfriend! I have to help her!"
"That's not what I asked Harley. How do you feel about Sera?"
Harley opened his mouth to respond but he found he couldn't say anything. He thought about it for the first time, he had known her for almost two years now but they had only started dating the month before. She was his best friend in New Rome, no she was his best friend full stop.
"She's my best friend. I have to save her."
A sad smile crossed Percy's face and Harley bit the inside of his cheek cursing his lack of thought. It may have been nearly a decade but there was no way the loss of his friends, including his best friend and girlfriend... At that thought Harley felt the burn in his veins redoubled and were his hands not shoved deep in his pockets he was sure they would have been shaking.
"I think we both know exactly what you aren't saying, Harley. I won't push you but I have been where you are. Listen to your heart, our... your life as a demigod is and only ever will be what you make it. That is true for mortals as well but you should know better than most just how much more true it is for demigods."
Harley felt his face burn and he cast his eyes out toward the horizon, searching for anything to look at aside from Percy's face. He thought he saw a pair of ravens land on the outer rampart on the north side of camp but he couldn't be sure. The possibility however forced him to return his eyes to Percy whose head had snapped around to face the north as well.
"Follow me Harley, but whatever happens, do not stray too far from the walls of camp."
Seemingly from nowhere, Riptide appeared in Percy's hand and Harley could feel the power radiating off of the sword. Harley followed suit and pulled a pen and pocket watch out before clicking both, the pen expanded into a spear and the pocket watch into a shield. Despite the seriousness of the circumstances when he met Percy's eyes again he saw that the god had a single eyebrow raised with the barest trace of a smirk on his lips.
"Oh shut up, my dad has a sense of humor."
Percy shrugged and started for the northern border of camp at a speed that Harley struggled to keep up with even without armor and the amount of training he still labored to complete most days. Soon enough they stood outside the gates of camp looking out toward the field of Mars and the hills north of the valley.
"What are we looking for Percy?"
Percy pointed with Riptide to a small rise almost a half mile from them. Harley looked but didn't see anything and told Percy as much.
"Look again, but look properly this time."
Harley looked out over the grassy expanse again, trying to force his eyes to see through what he could only assume was the mist obscuring his vision. As he swept his eyes back and forth he caught sight very briefly of a humanoid figure. As soon as he tried to focus on it however it seemed to vanish like a mirage that stayed just ahead of you no matter how fast you chased it. The next time he glimpsed it alarms rang in his head as the figure seemed much closer than before. Even as he turned to say something to Percy the god moved faster than he could comprehend, the ground looked like it had been struck by an incredible blow where Percy had been standing and the sound of metal on bone sounded moments later. Alarm horns sounded in camp and he heard the clash of arms and armor as legionaries manned the walls. Nothing could tear his eyes off of the combat in front of him, not even the sight of a legion assembling for the march as impressive as it was. Now that Percy had engaged with the figure he realized that to describe it as humanoid was at best a disservice. It towered over a foot above Percy and other than walking on two legs and having two arms there were few similarities between the figure and a human.
Even from this distance, Harley could see that the creature's head looked more like the skeleton of a large deer or stag. Massive antlers sprouting from the skull that were twisted and warped by time or some evil magic. Its legs bent the wrong way and much like a Satyr was cloven-hoofed, its arms were far too long for its body and ended in fingers that looked as though the flesh was seemingly rotting off of it exposing the bones beneath. The scream of metal on bone continued and Harley studied the weapon the creature wielded. It was a massive implement that during a brief pause where it was locked at the hilt with Riptide, Harley recognized as having been carved from the jaw of a dragon. Razor-sharp teeth still extended from the back of the weapon and the leading edge was more like a club than a sword. Despite its massive size, the creature wielded it as easily with one hand as with two as he strove against Percy. The instant before it happened Harley saw that Percy was in danger. The heavy blow battered Riptide aside and threw Percy dozens of feet back toward Camp. The creature leaped toward his momentarily grounded opponent and though Harley knew Percy would surely recover in time he stepped forward. At the same time he stepped Harley dropped the shield and flipped his spear around in his hand in preparation to throw. As soon as the creature reached the pinnacle of its leap Harley heaved the heavy shaft of the spear skyward and he knew it would fly true.
The missile met the creature halfway between Percy and the pinnacle of its leap and struck deep into the creature's left shoulder just below the collarbone. It crashed into the earth even as Percy was regaining his feet wiping the ichor from the corner of his mouth. As the creature tore the spear from its chest it loosed a cry that chilled Harley to the bone, he heard more than one legionary behind him scramble away from the wall. The cry was cut off as Percy reengaged the creature his sword a blur of gray-bronze metal in the dying sunset. It seemed that Percy now truly had the upper hand as he began to land blow after blow. The creature was still fighting back however and even managed to smash the flat of Riptide hard enough to rip it from Percy's fingers and send it spinning into the shadowy fields surrounding them. Without missing a beat Percy lunged toward Harley's spear which lay discarded in the grass and used it to deflect the next blow directed at him by planting one end in the earth and using it as a lever to redirect the overhead blow to thunder against the dirt instead. Faster than the creature could react Percy stepped forward and stomped downward on its wrist breaking the bones and its grip on the weapon. Now unarmed it attempted to use its antlers and bony claws to deflect the blows raining down upon it to no avail.
Now that the fight had moved closer Harley could see the waves of power rolling off of Percy as he fought, and Harley would have sworn that Percy was only getting started. Then the weapons began to appear in the air around the fighters. Swords, spears, and even knives began to appear before burying themselves with uncanny accuracy in the creature's hide. Until under the onslaught it collapsed to the ground black blood running from dozens of wounds in its bone-white flesh. A gurgling demented laugh that Harley had heard in his nightmares began to fill the air as the echoes of the combat faded from hearing. The blood-chilling roars and bellows of the creature were gone, to be replaced with the chilling laughter that made Harley's skin crawl and only ended as Percy stood over the monster. Harley couldn't hear what passed between the two but moments later there was a flare of power from Percy and Riptide flew out of the growing darkness into his hand. He brought it down on the creature's skull and with a booming report the creature's body was obliterated, black blood and shards of bone covered the ground for almost ten feet around where it had lain.
Percy stalked back toward Harley and he held out the spear toward him. Harley reached out and took the weapon back. When he met Percy's eyes he found anger and worry there that he had not expected to see as it was directed toward himself.
"What possessed you to involve yourself? Do you have any idea what you just did?"
Harley felt his anger flare in response.
"I wanted to help you! I wasn't going to let him hit you while you were down!"
"I appreciate it I do Harley but do you understand what you just did? One of the most important tenets of the ancient laws is that gods cannot interfere with mortals directly. We cannot encroach on each other's territory, and we cannot use our powers unless we are attacked first. Demigods are different. You can go where you want, challenge who you choose, and with that freedom comes risk, When you challenge a god you open yourself up to retaliation, unmitigated and unconstrained retaliation."
"No offense Percy but everyone knows your story. You were twelve the first time you challenged a god. How can you stand there and tell me I shouldn't do exactly what you did again and again."
Percy's eyes swept over the walls behind him before his gaze returned to Harley, but despite the audience, it seemed like he had pushed just the wrong combination of buttons.
"Why shouldn't you do what I did? Why shouldn't you do what I DID?! Do you remember how the rest of my story goes Harley?"
His voice was barely more than a whisper as it hissed between his teeth.
"I survived. Again and again, just barely squeaking by as those around me died. Every victory I won is soaked in the blood of those I couldn't save Harley. Do not make my mistakes."
"But you're the greatest hero to ever live Percy. Isn't that why..."
"Do not call me that."
The tone of disgust and shame in Percy's voice was so out of place Harley wasn't sure how to respond. He didn't even react when Percy grabbed his shoulder and snapped his fingers. When Harley opened his eyes they stood amongst a field of sand and bare dirt that Harley recognized as the place the fallen had been burnt following the battle with Gaea. The grass had never regrown leaving the spot barren and a reminder of the death that had occurred there. Harley thought he knew why Percy had brought them here and he realized he didn't have an argument, not really.
"Look around you, Harley. This is it. This is my legacy as a demigod. This is the result of my heroics, my deeds. Do not misunderstand me. I know all too well that had not done what I did then none of us would be standing here. I chose this fate when I was fourteen years old because I thought it was better that my life sucked than to let someone else's suck, and yet here I am. Almost every single person I chose to take that responsibility for suffered anyway."
"Again no offense Percy but what's your point?"
Percy seemed to draw back inside himself for a long while.
"You don't know what it's like. If it were up to me none of you ever would again." Percy sighed heavily again before continuing, "Just remember the cost, Harley. This life, being a hero, all the glory, the stories, the trophies. I'd give it all up if it meant I got to see the people I lost again. Remember that. Now we have some freaks to hunt."
Harley saw the rawness fading from Percy's demeanor as the final words passed through his lips like walls going back up to hide the truth behind them once again. He knew better than to keep pushing Percy right now so he let the topic drop. When they did Harley was once more reminded that despite the familiar way the Percy handled himself, he was not a mortal.
Now well past midnight, Percy returned to the outskirts of Camp Jupiter where his battle with yet another of the abominable experiments of Moros or Cernunos had ended. The massive weapon it had wielded was still embedded in the ground where he had left it. The ground around it showed signs that the Romans had attempted to move it with no success. Sucking in a deep breath Percy closed his eyes and laid his hand on the handle of the weapon. As his power raced through the weapon he understood everything there was to know from the makeup of the material to any tiny scratch or flaw in even the leather wrapping of the handle. His skin crawled as his power absorbed the knowledge as well as the traces of fell power that tainted the weapon to its core, and then the flashes of memory began to rip through him. Scenes like something out of a horror movie, long forgotten places that would be better to remain forgotten, and things better left unseen. It was an ancient weapon and Percy had little doubt that it was of Cernunos' make as he had seen nothing of the kind ever before in his time in the Greek world. He willed the weapon to vanish and it dissolved into nothingness as expected revealing no more surprises.
Shaking himself slightly as though it would rid him of the final traces of the memories that had only moments before shot through him he returned once more to Olympus to seek Hephestus and Artemis. The former because he needed a distraction and the latter because he needed to know everything she could tell him about the situation. His thoughts kept returning to his conversation with Harley, he knew he hadn't handled the situation well whatsoever, and he wished that he had chosen his words more carefully, but there was no use in regretting what couldn't be changed now. He had work to do and another damned prophecy to contend with. Olympus buzzed with activity despite the hour, and Percy had no desire to deal with questions or any other sort of interaction at the moment so he willed himself to appear in Hephestus' forge directly. Normally it was considered bad manners to do so without asking but he figured that Hephaestus wouldn't mind.
He was greeted, unsurprisingly, by the sound of a hammer on hot metal and the roar of the forge. What did surprise him was that it was not Hephaestus working but one of his assistants, a large automaton that didn't react to his appearance in the slightest. Turning on the spot he saw Hephaestus in the back of the workshop bent over a table with a tiny hammer and graving chisel. Percy walked over making sure to keep Hephaestus between himself and whatever the god was working on in case it was a private project. His discretion it seemed was unneeded as Hephaestus broke the silence moments later.
"If you wish to see I do not mind. It is a scar we share."
Percy approached the workbench and saw that the piece was an incredibly detailed image of a beautiful woman. Percy did not doubt as to whose image he found himself looking given everything he had learned over the past months.
"You're right. It is a scar we share. Though that's not why I'm here. I have something I thought you might like to examine. Before you ask, yes it is a spoil of war and I'd rather not discuss how I got it more than once so I will tell you and the others the story at the same time."
"No need. We know already. You forget that we watch the world as well. As soon as the combat started we knew and it was all Apollo and Hermes could do to stop Artemis from stepping in to help."
Percy wasn't sure how to respond to that if he was honest. So he just moved on.
"Well, I suppose that saves me some time. Want me to summon the things weapon then?"
"Oh absolutely but you should know that Calypso is less than pleased."
The slight smile that had been growing on Percy's face faded as he realized that he hadn't returned directly to their home as he had told her he would. His conversation with Harley had effectively derailed him that was for sure. Time to face the music I guess.
AN: Can only say I'm sorry so many times before it sounds kind of hollow. I will finish this story but it's probably gonna be slow. My motivation for writing in general has been at an all-time low for weeks and its extending to my DnD campaigns as well as this story.