Chapter 4: I Bear Witness to an Intense Friend-Zoning
(All characters are property of Rick Riordan)
Percy had sat by the window for a few minutes after Chronos left, sifting through all the information that had just been dumped into his lap. He still had a lot of questions, but it was clear that Chronos wasn't going to answer them tonight. He still couldn't quite comprehend the fact that twenty years had passed since he had gone into that cave. He wondered what had become of his friends, of Annabeth, of his mum, and his newborn sister. He imagined the pain his mum must have felt when they told him they had lost him, and a stab of guilt shot through him as he imagined her crying by his gravestone.
'His gravestone'. The thought of seeing his name on a gravestone sent a shudder down his spine. People had thought he had died before the explosion at Mt. Saint Helens being a perfect example, but twenty years was longer than he had been alive. He feared that perhaps when he got back to New York, there would be no home for him to go back to.
His train of thought was interrupted by a young waitress arriving to take the plates away. She couldn't have been older than twenty, and she had a soft smile and a warm face. She paused as she collected the plates and stared into his eyes. "You have the most beautiful eyes," she told him, before turning back to the plates and walking away. Percy tried to stop the blush that crept up his cheeks but knew he hadn't succeeded.
He immediately scolded himself, 'What about Annabeth?', but then he felt a wrenching in his gut like he had been punched. He had been gone twenty years, the chances of her moving on weren't just high they were all but a certainty. And how could he blame her? He had left her behind, he had abandoned her. He'd sworn he would never leave her again after Tartarus and then he did exactly that. A wave of guilt and shame passed over him and the blush that had adorned his face faded from his cheeks. He had failed. He had made promises, to Annabeth, to his mother, to his newborn sister.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, a shot of excitement shot through his veins. His sister would be his age. As much as he felt sick at how long he had been gone, he had always wanted a real sibling, and now he would have one he could actually talk to. That, of course, would require him to defeat whatever sea monster was out there lurking in the depths. It had been there for twenty years, and judging by the sailors in the market it was no small fish. Unfortunately, it would have the misfortune of going toe-to-toe with a son of Poseidon on a mission.
As Percy rose from his seat he felt the weight of his destiny, the destiny Chronos had foretold, briefly lifted from his shoulders. "One step at a time," he said, and for the first time since hearing about the Annunaki, Percy felt excited about the future. Strange energy bubbled in the pit of his stomach, and a feeling of confidence took over. As he headed back to his room the waitress passed by him again and smiled at him.
He grabbed her wrist as she passed by and she whirled in his direction. "Sorry," Percy said, "I just wanted to apologise. You complimented me and I was too stunned to reply. Thank you for what you said, but I promise, you have far more beautiful eyes than me."
The waitress turned crimson red and whispered a quick thanks under her breath. "Sorry about grabbing your wrist," Percy added, releasing her arm, "I didn't mean to startle you, I just thought you needed to know."
Her mouth opened and closed for a few seconds as she struggled to put together a coherent sentence in his head. Percy had never thought of himself as ugly, but he had certainly never thought of himself as a ladies' man. He had no idea what had come over him, so he wished her goodnight and continued back to his room. Closing the door behind him he sat down on the bed, collecting himself. Then in a start he shot up and raced into the bathroom, staring at the mirror intently, looking into his own eyes. His mum had told him his eyes reminded her of the ocean at Montauk, a green that was as restless as the sea. What stared back at him now was a pale blue, the colour of a sheet of ice. There was a hardness to them that felt foreign, but also a greater depth and confidence that Percy had certainly never felt before. He also finally got a look at his face and couldn't shake off how eerie it was to stare at a face that was supposed to be nearing its fortieth birthday. He looked as young as he had the day they had set off on the expedition, with even his hair still freshly cut, a product of a trip to the barbers just before heading out. He truly hadn't aged a day, but the world around him had moved on. Another wave of grief briefly overwhelmed him but another look into his eyes gave him a strange sense of confidence.
Regardless of how the world had changed, he was ready for it. It hadn't left him behind, it had awaited his return, and now he was ready. Percy couldn't put his finger on where this new confidence and energy had come from, but the thought of facing off against the sea monster no longer felt like a daunting task. It felt like destiny.
Percy left his reflection in the bathroom and got ready for bed. His future awaited.
Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep, and instantly teleported far away from his small room to somewhere he had never been before. He stood atop what appeared to a pyramid of sorts, with a large palace adorning its peak. A large bustling city moved energetically beneath him and beyond that a seemingly endless desert. The pyramid itself was impressive, seemingly carved of gold itself, but the palace took his breath away. He had seen the palaces upon Mount Olympus, but what stood before him now made them feel like a kids toy.
It was enormous, but it wasn't its size that stunned him, it was its beauty. White marble columns rose up all around him, all leading up to a ceiling of silver, engraved with stars, the sun and the moon. The floors glinted in gold squares that expanded out across the palace, and seated in the centre of the palace was a throne, not made of gold or silver, but rather bronze. Unlike the rest of the palace which radiated with brilliance and power, the throne felt dark and twisted. It was uneven and oddly configured, clearly made from the melting together of various weapons and armour. It was then that Percy realised it was not ordinary bronze. He had seen that kind of reflection hundreds of times before: it was celestial bronze. It was not the throne of a king, it was the seat of a warrior.
It took Percy a second to collect his bearings but he quickly realised he was in a dream. He had had so many vivid ones before that it shouldn't have really come as a surprise, but the majesty of his location had left him far more in awe than he would have liked to admit. It was then that he heard voices carrying over from a nearby room, and as he turned to see where they were coming from two figures emerged.
The first was a woman, tall and slender, and adorned in jewels and wearing a dress whose beauty all but put the palace to shame. Long silky black hair adorned a face that would've made Aphrodites jaw drop to the floor and put almost every goddess he had ever met to shame. She was the definition of grace and beauty, and her silver eyes glinted in the sun as she laughed without a care in the world. As Percy thought of how her voice made him think of angels he quickly snapped himself back to reality, or dreamality, whatever it was. She was gorgeous, that was clear, and she felt like a queen. Percy briefly considered bowing before he realised they couldn't see him or sense him, as the two walked straight past him in the direction of the throne. It was then that Percy managed to peel his eyes away from the woman and towards her companion.
He had a rugged handsomeness to it, with a thick beard covering much of his lower face and eyes that glowed with the same silver light as the woman beside him. But what caught Percy's attention was his size. The woman was tall, about as tall as Percy, but the man was a giant, easily reaching upwards of 8 feet. As they finally came in range of Percy he was able to pick up what they were saying. Whatever language they were speaking in certainly wasn't Greek or English, but he could understand it all the same.
"Oh Enki, you must not joke about these things. What would your brother think?" the woman asked, arching her perfectly trimmed eyebrows.
Enki rolled his eyes, "My brother is far too busy to care about something as trivial as settling down and finding love. He cares more about his legacy than the now. He is a king, I am but a man in love."
The woman's lips curled into a smile "You are far too humble my dearest Enki. But alas I fear you are right. Enlil has not returned to our bedchambers in months. Perhaps I should take you up on that offer."
Enki tutted, "You should know by now not to play with my heart Ninlil. It already belongs to you, do not toy with me any more than is necessary."
Ninlil came to a stop right in front of Percy and turned to face Enki. She reached up and rested her hand against his cheek. "Oh sweet Enki, you always know what to say. I only wish things could be different." She bowed her head and turned to move away but Enki grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him.
"We can do something," Enki pleaded, "We can leave this world, leave Enlil to his conquests. We can start anew, together, without the threat of my brother vengeance hanging over our heads."
Ninlil wrenched her hand away and turned away, hanging her head in shame, "There is nowhere we can go where he would not find us. He is as relentless as he is unforgiving. He would not stop until we were both dead."
The air of warmth and humour that they had entered with had quickly dissipated as they discussed Enlil. Percy looked over at the throne in the centre of the room and felt fairly certain that the subject of their conversation was the throne's usual occupant. The evil he had felt radiating off of it suddenly made sense.
Enki's face turned dark and he turned towards the throne. "He has everything," he growled under his breath, "I should just learn to accept that." And with that, he turned on his heel and marched out of the room. Ninlil watched him walk out but said nothing, instead staring at the throne, lost in her thoughts as tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Percy couldn't quite put his finger on how he knew, but he knew he was seeing the past. He was seeing a time when the Annunaki reigned supreme and Enlil ruled over the Earth. He didn't know why he was seeing it, but he couldn't help but feel that it was important. He remembered Chronos had said that Enki had created the First Men as servants for Enlil, but it didn't seem like Enki was all that fond of Enlil. Percy had a sneaking suspicion that Chronons wasn't telling him everything.
Before Percy could dwell on the thought any longer a deafening bang of thunder shook the palace and Ninlil quickly wiped away her tears and turned towards the entrance, putting a false smile on her face. Percy turned with her to see a large figure, as tall as Enki, emerge from the shadows. But before he could see Enlil for the first time Percy felt the world around him slipping away and knew he would soon be back in reality. He breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't ready to see Enlil, not yet.
In the blink of an eye, Percy suddenly shot upright in bed, with the reflection of the rising dawn on the ocean casting rays of sunlight across his small room. As he rose from his bed to get ready for the day he tried to shake the scene from his dream out of his mind, but the image of Ninlil and Enki was burned into his head. He had a lot of questions, and he felt like the ever-mysterious Chronos had some answering to do. The primordial had done a lot of talking last night, Percy couldn't shake the feeling that he was keeping things from him. A feeling that felt almost justified based on the scene of his dream.
He took a moment to examine his closet and decided to grab the Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. If he was going to be fighting a sea monster, he may as well fight in something that was comfortable. He went back and took another look at himself. The bags under his eyes were a new addition but the pale blue eyes were the same. Despite the eye colour being the only difference since he had been in the ice, it was a significant one. He looked angrier, there was less kindness in his face. He splashed water on his face and then headed out back to where he and Chronos had had dinner the night before.
The Protegnoi was sitting exactly where he had been the night before, waiting for him with a pocket watch in hand. "Got separation anxiety from that thing or something?" Percy asked as he took his seat across from him. He scanned the room for the waitress from the night before but it didn't seem like she had the morning shift.
Chronos raised an eyebrow, "I've always found keeping track of time to be a valuable asset. Perhaps you'll find it useful in some future endeavour."
Percy frowned at him, "I'm not interested in the future right now. I have questions about the past."
Chronos waved his arm, inviting Percy to ask his questions. "You said Enki created the first men for Enlil. But Enki resented Enlil, so why would he do something like that for him?" Percy started.
Chronos' eyes almost bulged out of his eye sockets, "What are you talking about?"
Percy didn't know how much of his dream he should reveal to Chronos, but he figured Chronos could make more sense of it than he could. "I found out in a dream that Enki loved Ninlil, but she was married or something to Enlil. You said Enlil killed the first men because they were too powerful, but I don't think that's the only reason. If they were created by Enki, maybe he killed them to get back at him for having the hots for his wife."
Chronos' eyes flashed with an anger Percy hadn't seen before, and for a brief moment, he wondered if he was about to get smited where he sat. "I don't know what you think you know, but you don't. Your dreams are just that, dreams. Keep them in your thoughts where they belong and don't stick your nose into things you have no business being a part of," he snarled. "What happened to the first men is of no concern to you. They are dead and gone, and unless you want to join them I suggest you stop spending your time with your head in the past and start focusing on your future."
Percy didn't know why Chronos was so defensive, or why he wouldn't even entertain the topic for discussion, but he knew he wasn't going to get any more answers from him today. He stood up and walked towards the exit. "I'll see you at the docks."
The morning air in the village was crisp and cold, but Percy couldn't have felt more comfortable. Anywhere felt better than sitting in that chair across from Chronos. He looked out over the village and saw that despite the early hours it was already bustling with activity. He turned to look at the docks and saw a large three-masted ship being prepared by a frantic crew. Considering it was the only ship larger than a fishing boat, he got the impression that was his ride.
He checked his pocket and upon confirming Riptide was still there he set off towards the ship. Technically it had been twenty years since he had used his trusty sword, and he wanted to make sure he wasn't rusty. As he approached the docks one of the crew members who had recruited him yesterday came up to him.
"Good morning lad, you have your coin?" he asked, to which Percy reached into his other pocket and revealed the gold coin he had been given the day before. "Perfect, mind helping us load some of the stuff on board. It's a wee bit heavy mind you."
Percy nodded and followed the sailor towards a stack of wooden crates piled up by the ship. The sailor grabbed one off the top and encouraged Percy to do the same. He lifted the first one, bracing himself for the weight, but it never came. It felt light, almost deceivingly so, and Percy found it required little effort to rapidly store the crates inside the hull of the ship. The speed and ease in which he carried them caught the attention of a number of sailors struggling with the exact same crates.
"Well, I guess you are stronger." A voice came from behind him as he tied the last of the crates alongside the others. He turned around to see Chronos eyeing up the stores along the hull. Chronos turned his attention pack to Percy and frowned, "I'm sorry about what I said. It was a… difficult time for me. But I understand that you have questions-"
Percy raised his hand, cutting him off. "Don't worry about it," He said, "It's not my place to pry. Truce?"
Chronos looked stunned but soon his face broke into a small smile. "Truce." he agreed, "You know, I underestimated you. I've never been fond of demigods but you… you're different."
Percy cracked a grin, "Maybe you've just never met a demigod with as much charisma as me."
Chronos raised an eyebrow, "Maybe. At any rate: you are stronger. Looks like your time in the ice did wonders for your strength."
Percy frowned, "What do you mean?"
"You have been trapped in ice for twenty years. Twenty years in your father's element, doing nothing except absorbing the power of your father's kingdom. It has affected your strength, I wonder what else it has impacted."
It actually explained a lot, far more than just the ease he had had with lifting with boxes. Maybe the sudden bursts of confidence he seemed to be having could be chalked up to his time in the ice. Regardless, the coming fight against the sea monster would be a good test of exactly what his new limits were. "I guess we'll find out later."
"I'm excited to see you in action!" Chronos exclaimed, "I've been told by my siblings you were one hell of a fighter twenty years ago. Let's hope age hasn't lost you that edge."
Percy rolled his eyes, "Fingers crossed my dentures don't fall out."
The two laughed as they headed back up to the top deck, as calls from the sailors signalled their imminent departure.