Chapter 7: A Rather Persistent Preacher Ruins My Day

Magnus had been kind enough to pay for his ticket, which Percy really appreciated considering the fact that he had no money. In fairness he had been unemployed for over 20 years now.

Percy and Magnus said their goodbyes at the train station, with Magnus sticking out his hand to shake Percys.

"I'm glad you're alive. I know things are different now, but the world is a better and safer place with you in it. Watch your back bro, and if you need anything just give me a call."

Percy smiled, "Thank you Magnus, means a lot." He turned away and stepped onto the train, raising his hand in a salute, "Good luck finding Thor's hammer. Make sure you get to it before that gods damn goat eats it."

Magnus laughed and matched his salute, before heading out of the train station. Percy began to walk through the aisles looking for an empty seat but the first couple of carriages were full. The next one was less populated but had a couple of crying babies and Percy wasn't sure he wanted to subject himself to that for the foreseeable future. The next carriage he entered, however, was almost empty, with only a single man who was flipping through a newspaper. Percy sat on the far side of the carriage to him and settled into his seat. Magnus had given him a lot to think about, and he wanted to make sure he had all his thoughts in order before he made it to New York and was going to start coming into contact with his past.

Annabeth had married and had children with someone else, not that he could blame her but he couldn't help the pain in his chest that the love of his life had moved on. He would prefer that she was happy than permanently depressed after his death but the little selfish part of him ached that she hadn't waited for him. He knew 20 years was a long time but they had gone through so much together, he had jumped into Tartarus for her, quite literally going through hell and back. He thought that meant they were bonded for life.

He subconsciously began playing with the grey streak in his hair from where he held up the sky. They had gone through so much together, saved the world together twice. Was she really able to leave all of that behind? Maybe he could understand if she had wanted to forget everything about him but the fact that she had named her son after him, so she would have a permanent reminder of him for the rest of his life. That was something he just couldn't get his head around. How many people name their kids after their exes? He wondered if her husband knew that he was named after him. He could only imagine how awkward that conversation must have been.

Nevertheless he was going to have to come to terms with the fact that Annabeth would not be waiting for him when he returned. He briefly considered whether Annabeth would leave her husband if he came back but quickly swatted that thought away. He wasn't a homewrecker, no matter how intense the pain in his chest was. Percy had never been through a breakup before, and had never really understood what a heartbreak could do to a person. As the train chugged out of the station, Percy gazed out of the window, watching as the city began to slowly fade into the countryside. He couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sadness and loneliness. Annabeth had been the person he could always talk to about issues, someone whose sound judgement he knew he could rely on and someone that wouldn't judge him for being him.

The rhythmic clack of the train on the tracks was hypnotic, and with the midday sun's rays warming his face Percy found himself being lulled to sleep. He thought about all the things he would miss about her: her laugh, the way she looked in the morning, the sound of her voice when she was excited. He also thought about the things he wouldn't miss though: dealing with Athena's disapproving looks, the long silences when they were both thinking about Tartarus, the feeling of never really being able to enjoy their relationship since they were always saving the world. They had never really gotten a chance at a peaceful relationship, but maybe that wasn't what he was destined for. Maybe he was never meant to settle down, maybe he was forever meant to be a pawn of the gods. Annabeth had outgrown her duty to save the world, she had a family now.

A jolt on the train brought Percy back to reality and he cast his eyes across the carriage, falling on the man whose head was buried in the newspaper. He wore a sharp grey suit and appeared heavily invested in the paper. He wore sunglasses, which Percy thought was a little odd considering that they were inside the train, but based on the fact that it was the middle of the day it wasn't the craziest thing in the world. The sunglasses put him on edge though, and he remembered how easy it was for monsters to blend in after all…they were the only people in the carriage.

Almost as if the man could sense Percy's unease, his head lifted from the newspaper and Percy could tell that they were looking directly at him even through the sunglasses. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and Percy's hand drifted towards his pocket, his fingers curling around the pen. Percy didn't want to make a move too soon in case it actually was just a regular passenger, but the man standing and throwing the newspaper to the side kind of answered the question for him. He jumped out of his seat and pulled Riptide out of his pocket, uncapping the tip and feeling the comfortable weight of the blade as it expanded to its full size.

The suited man put his hands together and seemed to give some sort of prayer, before pulling out the hilt of a sword from which a blade sprouted. It was about 3 feet long and seemed to shimmer with a golden light. The man ran his finger along the length of the blade and seemed to whisper another prayer before he suddenly launched himself at Percy.

It was a chaotic scene on the train as the two men collided. The clanging of steel against steel echoed throughout the train car, punctuated by grunts of exertion from the combatants. Percy was surprised by the speed of the man, and despite the extra edge that his time in the ice seemed to have given him he struggled to keep up with the whirlwind of attacks that the man launched at him. The man's blade tore through the train seats on his backswings as Percy deflected the blows raining down on him. The man brought the sword down in an arc and as Percy blocked the blow he felt the force of it send a shudder through his arm to his shoulder, almost causing him to drop his sword. Whoever this guy was, he was strong.

While Percy was busy resisting the force of the strike the man kicked him in the chest and the blow sent him sprawling across the floor. He had enough time to register that the man was charging him down and roll out of the way of the blade heading straight for his head. Percy wanted a chance to return blows of his own but the man was too fast and left no room for an opening that Percy could exploit.

He liked to think that he was one of the best swordsmen of his generation, especially considering the fact that he had managed to best Luke when he was so young, and he had been considered one of the best swordsmen of their generation. This man was no Luke though, he was stronger, faster, and more vicious in his assault than he had seen from almost any swordsmen. It also wasn't the ferocity of his attacks that surprised Percy, but the precision of them. They weren't wild swings, they were aimed and measured, but despite that they still hit like a truck. If it weren't for the considerable strengthening he knew he had undergone in the ice Percy had a feeling his arm would have already broken under the force of some of the blows.

He was knocked out of his stupor by his opponent's sword whizzing towards his neck but managed to deflect the blow with the tip of Riptide and dive behind the man, earning him a few seconds of reprieve as the man repositioned. Percy took a breath and took stock of the situation, realising that his back was now to the end of the train, and out of the rear window he could see the train was now over water. Water…that gave him an idea.

He felt the familiar tug in his gut and willed the ocean to obey him and surge towards the train. His focus on the water almost cost him his life and it was only a split second twist to the side that kept him from being decapitated. He let out a roar and drove Riptide towards the man's chest, and his sudden aggression after being so passive in their earlier exchanges caught the man by surprise. He leapt backwards and dove behind one of the seats to avoid being impaled, giving Percy enough time to grab the emergency handle at the back of the train and rip it open. The door flew open and the sound of the train flying across the tracks filled the carriage. As the man recovered and drove towards him once more Percy pulled a torrent of water through the door and smashed it into the man's face, sending him flying into the other side of the carriage and causing the front of the carriage to crumple under the force.

Percy willed the water back and onto his person, swiftly solidifying it into his armour and, once suited and booted, decided to try round 2 in a sword fight. The ice around him seemed to sharpen his mind and his movements, increasing his speed and allowed him to finally reply blow for blow with the man. The sting of the man's attacks didn't seem anywhere near as hard as they had been, and Percy was finally able to force the man on the defensive. He set the rhythm as he forced the man to back up towards the front of the carriage. What he didn't expect was for the man to leap backwards and then jump off the wall of the carriage towards him, forcing him to duck and roll back towards the open rear door.

Fast, strong, and agile, Percy would have been impressed if it wasn't his life that was under threat from the man's attacks. Now the man had the momentum, driving Percy closer and closer to the edge of the train and next to the tracks. A feint to his knees caught Percy off guard, and when the man lunged towards his chest Percy was forced to jump onto the tracks, but kicked off from the tracks back towards the train and was able to grab onto the roof with his free hand. He pulled himself on top of the train and took the chance to catch his breath, safe momentarily. At least so he thought, as suddenly a blade shot up from below and began to carve a hole in the roof.

"Can you just chill for like 5 seconds dude?" Percy yelled in frustration, before cautiously standing and turning to face the hole. The wind whipped around him as the train chugged along and Percy knelt slightly so he was a little more stable.

After the sword finished cutting the circle of metal was punched off and sent flying off into the water. The man jumped and, with all the grace of a ballerina, landed in front of Percy, grinning as he renewed his attack with vigour. Now that they were both free from the confined space of the carriage they were able to demonstrate more of their strength. The man danced around him, forcing him to twist and turn to keep up with the blows that appeared to be coming from all sides.

"I was just trying to take a nap! Can I not just have one moment in my life where something isn't trying to kill me?"

The man locked swords with him and then shoulder barged him backwards, dangerously close to the edge of the train. "You defied your king's will. Punishment must be exacted." the man growled.

Percy frowned, "Now listen here you little shit, I didn't do anything to Zeus. And if his fat ass thinks I did he's got it wrong." A low rumble of thunder across the clear blue sky suggested that Zeus did not approve of being called a fat ass.

The man scowled, "The Olympians are not kings, they are seat warmers. They are merely placeholders until the true king of kings returns to take his place."

"Jesus?" Percy asked, confused. He had only gone to church like once but he remembered that much.

That didn't seem to make the man very happy, his scowl deepened. "How dare you," he hissed, "How dare you mock your rightful ruler."

"Listen bro, I don't know who you are but this is a very aggressive form of conversion. You should try the whole Mormon thing, where you go door knocking. Feel like you'll get better results."

The man screeched and relaunched his attacks, but this time they didn't carry the same poise and precision that they had carried previously. He was angry, and his fighting style gave that away. Percy had no idea why he was so touchy about the whole rightful ruler crap, but it was working to his advantage. Percy was able to resist the force of his strikes and look for an opening, and when he finally found one he pushed forward, driving Riptide towards the man's armpit. He caught him, and was able to draw first blood in the fight as he made contact.

The man yelled and staggered back, clutching his side as blood poured down his flank. His sunglasses fell off, the fact that they hadn;t fallen off earlier was pretty remarkable to Percy, and revealed eyes of solid gold. A shot of fear rushed through Percy as he had flashbacks to fighting Luke, whose solid gold eyes were a sign of his possession by Kronos. But this gold was different, it wasn't as intense nor did it shine as aggressively. In fact, it seemed dull and lifeless by comparison, and would have done a great job of masking the man's emotions if it weren't for the fact that his face was twisted into a look of hate. That hate was, of course, directed at Percy, which wasn't really a new experience for him.

"You disrespect your ruler, you will be punished," the man growled, his voice laced with venom. He raised his sword and let out a yell before he charged at him, "For Enlil!"

Now that caught Percy off guard. He froze, his mind casting back to the tomb and his world collapsing around him. He tried to step out of the way of the sword but his movements were sluggish, and the blade tore through the ice plating around his stomach and shoved him off the edge of the train, with Riptide slipping from his fingers.

He didn't register the pain as he fell, his mind was limited to thinking of one thing and one thing only: Enlil.

Had he just fought an Annunaki? No, he couldn't have. He had been in the presence of a sleeping Hadad and it had been nothing like that. The man was strong but he was no god. Maybe a servant? He didn't know but he looked down just to see that he was about to hit water and couldn't help but sigh in relief that he wasn't about to be squashed into a pancake.

For a brief moment, he hung suspended in mid-air, his body weightless as he felt himself hurtling towards the churning waters below. Then he plunged into the ocean, the icy cold water enveloping him and seeming to embrace him almost like a hug. It was strange, but he almost felt as though his father was by him, his hand on his shoulder, lending him his support. His eyes shot open and he could tell they were glowing again by the reflection it made on the water. The water quickly worked at knitting together the gash in his stomach and soon even the scar disappeared. It felt like he had been injected with a shot of adrenaline, and the ocean churned beneath him, reacting to his will.

His armour thickened, and as rage replaced shock he felt two ice blades extend from his hands, and so with a roar he forced the water to propel him like a slingshot and send him hurtling back towards the train. He flew through the air like a bullet and locked onto the figure atop the train.

The man had already turned away and was heading towards the hole when he reacted to the roar from Percy. His golden eyes widened and he readied his blade, but it didn't matter. Percy slammed into him, his left ice blade catching the man's sword while the right pierced his chest. The man staggered, but to his credit recovered fast enough to block Percy's next swing. The force of the collision shattered his right ice blade but the left remained intact, and so Percy began to fight with his left. He knew Riptide would be back in his pocket before long, but he was determined to make sure this fight was over before that could happen.

He blocked a swing from the man with his left and landed a punch to the man's face with his right, being met with a sickening crunch. The man staggered again, and this time the sword slipped from his fingers as he tried to stem the blood now flowing freely from his nose.

Now Percy leapt on him like an animal, savagely beating him left and right until the man could no longer fight back. He slumped to his knees and his empty gold eyes looked up to Percy's pale blue ones. Not for mercy, but no longer in hate. There almost seemed to be a begrudging respect there.

Percy didn't care for his respect though and grabbed him by the throat, marvelling at how easy it was for him to hold the entirety of the man's weight in only one hand. "You serve Enlil?"

The man grinned, showing his bloodied teeth, "We all serve Enlil, some just don't know it yet."

"Why did you come for me?"

"You delayed our plans." the man responded, now gasping for air as Percy tightened his grip on his throat, "Hadad was meant to rise and bring about the return of Enlil. Now he sits at the bottom of the ocean because of a bottom feeder like you."

"Enlil sent you?"

He didn't get a response to that, just a spray of blood and saliva in his face as the man spat at him. Percy took a deep breath and looked back into the eyes of the man. Emotionless gold eyes stared back, and so with a flick of his hand Percy sent the man flying off the train. The ocean might have greeted Percy with open arms, he had a feeling it would pancake city for the man.

He patted his pockets and found that Riptide had found its way back to him. Wiping away the blood and spit from his face Percy willed his armour to melt away and jumped through the hole back into the interior of the train.

He slid back through the door to the other carriage and took a seat near the back. One of the babies cried out, but at least the baby wasn't trying to kill him. He thought about the implications of what it meant if servants of the Anunnaki were hunting him, but decided he could assess that issue at a later date. The fight had exhausted him and he needed some rest. He hoped the babies would prove capable fighters if any other Annunaki servants showed up. With a yawn, he settled into his seat and before long found himself drifting into the realm of Morpheus.

He had hoped that he might be able to get some sleep without having to deal with some reality shifting dreams, but alas he was disappointed. He found himself transported back to the pyramid, standing in the throne room overlooking the city. Its brilliance was as impressive as it had been in his first dream, but the occupants were slightly different. The woman was still there, Ninlil he remembered them saying, but this time she was with a different man. He was not a giant like Enlil, but stood at about Percy's height. He was incredibly handsome, with long dark hair and a clean shaven face, giving his faith a youthful complexion that was complimented by a mirth shining in his silver eyes.

The man seemed to be telling Ninlil a joke, as she giggled at whatever it was he was whispering to her. Percy made his way closer to them so that he was within earshot.

"...how fast he ran." the man was saying, "Straight through the desert, naked as the day he was born. Not a care in the world. I went to him and said 'I am Marduk, of the Annunaki,' and you know what his reaction to that was? He farted. Farted Ninlil! The audacity of the man. But I was so impressed with his nerve that I pointed him in the direction of Babylon and told him to enter under my name. Enlil keeps telling me that disrespect should be punished but it was too funny. They are such innocent creatures, Ninlil, so harmless and sweet."

"My husband would disagree with you, young Marduk." Ninlil sighed, the smile falling from her face, "It appears that the actions of a few have tainted the image of the rest for Enlil. He tells me he hates them, and wishes to see them wiped out."

Marduk frowned, "I certainly hope this is nothing more than bitter rantings. He knows my wife is one of them. She is with my child. If he intends to kill my wife and child he should prepare himself for war."

Ninlil put her hand on his shoulder, "Relax Marduk, I'm sure that not even my husband is brash enough to do such a thing. The First Men have been such an asset to us. What happened to our daughter is a tragedy, but it does not require genocide for it to be righted."

Marduk nodded, "My condolences by the way."

The two settled into a silence, the once cheerful mood now overcast as they both retreated into their thoughts. Percy turned away from them to look out across the city. Strange square pyramids rose at various intervals in the distance, while the city itself bustled with energy as people on the streets went about their day. From atop the pyramid they were no bigger than ants, and Percy was reminded that that was often how the Olympians thought of him and his fellow demigods. It didn't seem to matter which pantheon, they were all the same.

He liked Marduk though, the way he spoke of mortals with such fondness seemed to stand in stark contrast to the way that Chronos had described the Annunaki. The unsettling feeling in his stomach that Chronos was not telling him everything returned.

He was snapped out of his stupor by the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. An older man burst into the room, his chest heaving and sweat coating his brow. "Lord Marduk, Lady Ninlil, you must come. We cannot stop him." he panted.

Marduk hurried to his side, "Stop who Chronos?"

Chronos? Percy squinted at the man but saw little resemblance to the man that had broken him out of the ice. He wore a toga, and his grey hair matched a beard that was neatly styled. But it was when Percy's gaze reached the man's eyes that he knew it was the same man. The same solid silver that had stared at him from across the table in the village.

"Enlil," he gasped, "He rounded up one of the outer villages. He killed them all. And not just the men, but the women, and the children too."

Marduk's eyes appeared to ignite, with silver flames biting at the air. "Lead me to them!" he urged, and followed as Chronos led him out of the palace.

"Marduk," Ninlil called, continuing when Marduk turned to face her, "Be safe. It is not worth losing your life over. He is angry and not thinking clearly. Reason with him, you must avoid conflict. He is unbeatable."

Marduk's expression seemed to disagree with that notion, but nonetheless he nodded to Ninlil's request before joining Chronos in their descent from the pyramid.

Ninlil slumped against one of the columns and put her head in her hands. "Please let his wife be safe. Please let us avoid war, I've already lost too much."

Percy started to wonder what the odds were of having two crying goddesses in his dreams back to back. This one, however, he felt much less inclined to comfort and apparently Morpheus agreed. He felt himself fading from the scene around him, and took one last look at the magnificent city spanning out beneath him before he found himself jerked back to reality.

He was shaking, or more accurately he was being shook. His hand flew to his pocket on instinct but relaxed when he saw it was a train official. She was a young woman who was looking over his shoulder, concerned.

"Um sorry to wake you sir, but I was wondering if you knew what happened to that carriage?"

Percy followed the direction of her finger to the shredded and partially destroyed final carriage of the train. The seats were torn up, the back door had been ripped off, and the roof had a sizable hole in it.

"Oh my gods," Percy said, "Looks like there was some sort of crazy fight back there." He didn't know how convincing he was but the official seemed to buy his ignorance.

"Well sorry to wake you then sir, but we're about to arrive in New York. Have a nice day."

Percy smiled and nodded as she walked back down the train. He peered out of the window to see the familiar skyline of his home city before it suddenly vanished as they pulled into the station.

As the passengers were filing off of the train he overheard officials talking to passengers about who had been in the back carriage. When one of them mentioned a young man with black hair Percy quickened his pace and before long found himself out onto the open streets. Winding his way through the city felt like second nature, and he appreciated the feeling of familiarity. He had walked these streets since he was a kid, and it seemed like some things never did change. One passerby on their phone bumped into him and cursed him out but all Percy could do was grin. Even the people didn't appear to have changed.

The fact that it was summer meant the sun's evening light lasted longer than usual, which Percy appreciated as he navigated his way to the apartment that his mother and Paul had moved to shortly after having Estelle. They had needed more space and since they had the money wanted to move to a nicer part of town. 20 years was a long time, but Percy had no idea where else to start.

As he came upon the apartment block he managed to slip inside the front door as another occupant left. Next to the mailboxes there was a list of tenants and so Percy did a quick scan. His eyes landed on Blofis and he almost yelled out in relief. He was about to take the elevator, but decided to take the stairs in order to give himself a moment to prepare. It had been 20 years since his mom had last seen him, and he wasn't sure how she or he would react. A mixture of excitement and nervousness churned in his stomach as he scaled flight after flight, before finally exiting on the 7th floor. He tried to remember what the apartment number had been as he made his way through the hallway.

707…708…709…710…711. Percy stopped, this one was it. He remembered Paul making a gas station joke when they had first moved in. He steeled his nerves and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. He waited for a second before he heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door yell, "Coming!"

There was a clicking of the locks before the door swung open and Percy found sea green eyes staring back at him.

"Hey mom."