Woah! Here's the new chapter for almost like 3 months. Damn! I had thought I would never be able to update my stories again, but I am once again somewhat back in track with my schedule. So, bear with me a little and I might update the stories as soon as I can.
/vJtaaaygvq Join my Discord server, it's fun. Nothing more to say.
All the chatting inside the throne room halted, as everyone present looked around the room to figure out who this individual that had spoken was. However, the elder 6 gods needn't turn around to recognize this person, they already knew who it was, just from hearing the voice. After all, how could one not recognize the voice of their mother?
The doors to the throne room opened slowly and a lone figure walked in, her hair was light brown, flowing down to her hips. Her eyes were as green as Gaea herself, the very similar shade that both Poseidon and Percy possessed. Her body and face were of someone in their late 20's, yet the gentle and kind grace of her, the intelligence and knowledge in her eyes gave away the many millennia she had seen. This was Rhea, daughter of the Primordials Gaea and Ouranos, Queen of the Titans and the mother of the elder gods.
No one moved faster than the elder gods, all six of them had immediately crowned around their mother. Enjoying her presence after many a decade, Rhea herself was smiling ear to ear and doting on each of her children. Then the rest of the Olympians followed suit and conversed with the Queen of Titans.
After everyone had settled back down on their seats again, Percy and his wives stood up. Like the retinue of royals among the immortals that they were, they walked slowly towards the Titaness, when they stood in front of her, all the deities and immortal from the future bowed their heads to offer their respect.
"Queen Rhea," Percy acknowledged his grandmother with a small smile on his face.
"Just Rhea grandson," Rhea smiled warmly at him, "I can hardly be a queen without a kingdom."
Percy cocked his head to the side, like he was perplexed and slightly surprised by her answer, but then his ever-welcomed smile was back on his face. "On the contrary I would propose that a King or Queen are King and Queen because of the respect they hold among their people, not the land they rule or crown they wear." His eyes gained a little mischief as he looked around the room, watching how nearly everyone was happy and smiling by the Titaness' presence. "And it seems you needn't hold any titles or crowns to be the Queen."
Rhea blinked in surprise at how well sounded that argument was, and it was certainly enough to make her eyes misty. "Well said," she replied and moved forward to hug her grandson fiercely, repeating the same process with Thalia, Nico and Hazel, she also said her greetings to the rest of the company present. Before her eyes travelled to the children of Percy. "Oh! And who are these little godlings?" She asked smiling widely.
Danae was the first to step forward and introduce herself, "I am Danae Jackson, daughter of Perseus and Hestia, Goddess of Peace, Fairness, and Guidance." Unsurprisingly, the little goddess went forward and wrapped her arms around her great-grandmother.
Sophia went next, "I am Sophia Jackson, daughter of Perseus and Athena, Goddess of Knowing, battlelines, maps and duals." Like her sister she too followed forward and hugged Rhea.
The twins moved forward after her, Penelope bouncing enthusiastically while Daemon maintained his composure, and introduced themselves, "We are the twin children of Perseus and Artemis, we don't have our domains yet." His face held a small smile even while he remained stoic.
Penelope rolled her eyes and shoved her brother to the side, "Cheer up little brother, no need to be so glum and moody all the time." She went forward and almost tackled Rhea to the ground with how fast she was moving, and how fiercely she hugged the Queen of Titans.
Dameon stayed back and scowled, "I am not moody, and I am the elder one. Mother herself said that she delivered me first." His voice held equal amounts of exasperation and fondness, though he tried to hide the latter.
Everyone from the past and future groaned at the twin's antic, they didn't need to suffer through the same drama again. Though it seemed that fates weren't on their sides, because soon Apollo was cheering after Penelope and Artemis was threatening her brother to 'stop being childish.'
Rhea smiled as she looked at her great-grandchildren. She cooed and wrapped all of them in a massive hug, making them promise to tell her everything about themselves. She hadn't felt this excited in millennia, these were her children's grandchildren and she would spend every spare moment pampering and spoiling them.
Then her eyes travelled to the small bundle in Percy's arm and her eyes went wide. Another great-grandchild, she couldn't hold back the squeal that escaped her throat as she moved her hands forward to hold the child. Taking the little girl in her arms, she could sense that the child was a goddess, yet she also gave the feeling of a Titan. Eyes mirthful, she looked at Percy, "And who is this?"
Percy smiled seeing his children so happy with their great-grandmother and how happy Rhea looked around the children. "That is my youngest, Catarina Jackson, daughter of Zoe Nightshade."
"Oh!" Rhea giggled as she looked down at the little bundle of joy. "A granddaughter of the general Atlas. I do believe that his face would be remarkable to see after he learns that he has a grandchild." Without waiting for anything else, she moved forward and took a vacant couch and gathered all the children around her. Fussing over them as she surrounded herself with her great-grandchildren.
Holding Catarina in one arm, she motioned with the other to hold the book. "I do believe that we should get started now?"
Almost in unison, the elder gods all replied, "Yes mother."
Taking the book Rhea opened it and read, I RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD BUS
Not even a second of the reading had begun before the interruptions started. "What did the bus ever do to you Perce?" Leo asked in a horrified tone, like he couldn't believe someone would harm such a great piece of auto-engineering.
"What is a bus?" Hephaestus asked interested.
Not taking his eyes away from his friend, Leo answered, "It's a large motor vehicle, kind of like a chariot, but bigger. It can easily hold dozens of passengers at once and travel."
When the explanation was done, Hephaestus too turned to Percy with a questioning look. His face similar to that of his son. Rolling his eyes Percy motioned for Rhea to start reading again.
It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack… Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored,
"You brought a book with you on a quest?" Piper asked incredulously as she looked at Annabeth. Out of all the things one could bring to a quest, a book would be the last thing she would've thought of.
Percy snickered as he saw Annabeth blush adorably and try to stammer out a reply. In the end she just huffed and sat back crossing her legs and not bothering with an answer. He could also see the amused expression of most, and the confused look of Athena, probably wondering what was wrong with bringing a book to the quest.
and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector. even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff 's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.
"Blah!" Grover exclaimed indignantly, when they had said that they would be reading Percy's adventure and his thoughts, he thought that this would be a fun reading to tease Percy and embarrass him. He hadn't thought that they would both share equal amounts of embarrassment. "I wasn't that bad," he defended himself, and when none of his friends supported him, he asked again, "Was I?"
No one seemed to have the heart to look at his eyes and answer, until Thalia did, "Yes you were, no offense goat-boy. But your songs could make the furies screech and claw their ears out. You have gotten better though."
Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of Grover's friends snorted and started laughing, while the rest smiled amusedly at how the satyr's ears-tinged pink. Surprisingly, Pan was laughing the loudest, clapping Grover at his back and telling him, 'all goats start somewhere.'
We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and… "This is Argus," Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
Apollo and Hermes groaned in unison. They looked over at Chiron with disappointment clear in their eyes, before turning over to Percy. "Tell me his humor gets better in the future?"
Percy shook his head solemnly, an uncharacteristic seriousness on his face, "It doesn't. He tells that joke every time Argus drops a quester to the city." Even now, more than two decades later Chiron still hadn't gotten any better with his jokes.
Heracles and Theseus nodded along with the others who had the tutelage of Chiron, while Chiron just blushed at how none of his students seemed to appreciate his humor[SB1] .
I heard footsteps behind us. Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes. "Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."
Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.
Annabeth groaned in annoyance, how many times must this book make her look bad. First it was how she was with Percy, acting all high and mighty. Now it was reminding her of her little crush on Luke, on turning over to where the rest of her friends and Percy sat, she could see that they were all trying their best to now burst out laughing. Narrowing her eyes at Percy, she threatened, "I will make you pay for this."
Her threat made Percy gulp as he thought of all the ways in which she could enact her revenge. Piper giggled as she hid her face behind Percy's shoulder but the way her shoulders were shaking as she tried to hide her amusement gave her away, "You had a crush on Luke?"
Annabeth didn't dignify that with a response.
Percy smiled seeing his wise-girl get so frustrated. In their earlier years of being friends, Annabeth's crush on Luke had angered him severely. It was annoying, frustrating and damn maddening to say the least. Now though, having been married to her for more than a decade, he couldn't feel an ounce of envy.
Why would he? She loved him as dearly as he did her. They had spent the better part of last two decades together, along with the rest of his wives. Their bond wasn't so fickle that a mention of a past, a mention of feelings so distant in the past that it wasn't even worth mentioning would have him fuss.
"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me. "And I thought . . . um, maybe you could use these." He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal. Luke said, "Maia!"
As soon as the shoes' command was mentioned, the shoes Hermes was wearing kicked into action and the god had to take an unplanned trip around the ceiling of the throne room. Laughing Hermes lowered himself to his seat and looked at Percy with a wide smile, "Good shoes they are, always come in handy." His face suddenly got all thoughtful as he cocked his head to the side, "Though I don't think they would help you that much, with you being a son of Poseidon and not being able to travel in the air."
Percy laughed, a bitter laugh that no one aside from his wives could tell the difference from, "Yes they were really helpful," he lied easily, and turned to Grover, "Weren't they?"
Grover gave a mix of nervous bleat and laugh, "Very helpful indeed." This time the sarcasm was evident for everyone, and they wondered what had happened.
White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels… We shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.
Laughter rang through their friends as Percy and his wives all tried and failed to suppress their chuckles. A beat red Annabeth was scowling at Percy and muttering something about, 'idiotic seaweed brain and his thoughts.'
After Luke was gone, I told her, "You're hyperventilating." "Am not."
"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"
"Oh . . . why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"
"Oh gods!" Clarisse exclaimed in horror, "I had forgotten how annoying these two were before they got together."
The Greeks who had been present during the second titan war all nodded along solemnly. Despite the war that was in their future, the way Percy and Annabeth had walked on their tiptoes around each other, all the while oblivious that the other felt the same way had been exhausting.
Piper smiled to herself, while the others had known Annabeth and Percy while they weren't together and had seen them grow into love with each other. She had met them when both of them had fallen head over heels for each other, she remembered seeing them act smitten around each other and knowing that they were Aphrodite's biggest achievement. The love they felt for each other was immeasurable, and now she had the fate of loving both of them along with others. She still wanted to see how the both of them had started, and she would enjoy this reading to its fullest.
"So, they were always like this?" She asked their friends.
Grover snorted to himself, "It was both hilarious and exhausting. I have known Percy longer than anyone here, he and I shared an empathy link. Every time he was around her, his feelings would be so out of control and strong, that I sometimes had trouble processing them. Hope, love, possessiveness, annoyance, all of them bundled up together." He paused for a second then added, "Annabeth wasn't much better, she always acted like Percy was the most annoying person ever and she could barely tolerate his existence. Yet, as soon as some other girl approached him for anything, her nostrils would flair and her hands would move to her knife unconsciously."
All of their friends started adding their own tidbit about how Percy and Annabeth acted around each other, while the gods in question looked at each other with tinted cheeks and small smiles. Knowing that no matter what they had gone through, it led them to each other.
As soon as the chatting died down, Rhea picked up reading once again.
She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road… "Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van.
At once the room was filled with loud laughter once again. Gods of old and new all were chortling as the satyr's face went red and he looked down at his shoes, avoiding everyone's gaze.
Pan was laughing the loudest, "Satyrs aren't meant to be in the air. We thrive on the ground, among the wild."
As the laughing slowly died down and the room became somewhat silent, Leo panted from laughing too hard, "Man Perce, your thoughts don't do you justice."
Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy," he said… He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents. "Gee," I said. "Thanks."
"I can feel your gratitude from here," Thalia teased him, making Percy roll his eyes. His eyes roamed over to where his children all sat with his grandmother, and a small smile appeared on his face. His wives immediately understood what he was looking at and why he was smiling.
"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."
"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos."
"'Riptide,'" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.
Immediately Artemis and her hunters sat up straight in attention. All of them knowing the story behind the blade known as Riptide. It belonged to their sister after all, the cursed blade that was the start of everything going downhill for their sister, that is until she joined the hunt. No one spoke about it, but they all knew that the past still bothered Zoë.
Zoë herself grimaced as the memory of the blade hit her again. The blade wasn't just a sword she had parted with, it had contained her immortality, her immortal essence. It was a part of her, and she had foolishly trusted it with a man that she should have never trusted. Looking ahead towards Perseus, her future husband. That thought was still queer to her and made her uncomfortable.
Yet, she at least knew that he was an honorable and good man. She was glad that the sword, a part of her was with him. She opened her mouth to speak, but someone she despised beat her to it.
"That sword is mine!" Heracles snarled as he stood up enraged.
A sudden chill shadowed inside the room instantly, knowing exactly who it was, all heads turned to Percy to watch his reaction. They were surprised when they saw the god looked calm, yet when he spoke, his voice was cold enough to send shivers down the back of them.
"I shall remind you, that sword belonged to my wife rightfully. She had given it to you with trust, in hopes that you will free her from her burden and protect her. You spat on that trust and abandoned her while she was at her most vulnerable, you lost any right to that sword after that." Percy took a deep breath, mentally composing himself, lest he lose sight of himself and harm someone. "Zoë gave away her immortality and the reminder of her betrayal, to the sea, where my father kept it safe. In hopes that one day, a child of seas shall wield Anaklusmos with honor the sword deserved."
His eyes softened as his gaze shifted from Heracles to Zoë, his voice calm when he spoke, "I have done my best to honor your sacrifice and your sword the best I could." He turned to Heracles again, "That sword was rightfully mine, the moment Anaklusmos returned to me."
His Roman friends all looked confused as to what sacrifice Percy was talking about, but the Greeks understood. After the quest of the Titan's curse, they all had caught him staring at his sword for hours, and he had explained to all of them the importance of the sword. Of what it represented, and what it meant to him that in her last moment, Zoë had found him worthy to wield her blade.
Heracles sat down on his seat in a foul mood, but he couldn't come up with anything in his defense. He had already apologized for what he did to Zoë, yet when he heard the name of the sword, all of that was forgotten. The only thing he could think was that Zoë had given it to him, and it belonged to him. He hadn't thought of what she would've thought of him wielding her sword after that.
Artemis and the hunters sat with smiles on their faces as they heard the future god defending the daughter of Atlas. While they would've liked that the sword had been lost to ages forever, in the end, it belonged to a person that would wed their sister in the future and honor her sacrifice, the way it deserved.
Zoe herself was smiling softly as she heard Perseus defend her honour against the son of Zeus. The words he spoke made her feel glad, gladdened by the fact that he understood her and what she had given up. Though, a thought lingered inside her head, "What happened to Anaklusmos? You said the sword was rightfully yours. Where is it now?" She couldn't imagine herself even in the future to ever wield that blade again.
Percy smiled at her as his eyes pointed in the direction of their daughter. Catarina was awake and looking around the throne room with rapt fascination. Every single little thing enchanting to her, but at this moment. She looked at her mother, and Zoë could see a small piece of celestial bronze bracelet wrapped around her tiny little hand. How she had not noticed the ornament until now, she didn't know. But there it was, Anaklusmos enchanted in the shape of the bracelet.
She looked at Percy questioningly and he answered, "Riptide once belonged to you rightfully, but later I inherited it by my father. That blade was in my hands as I fought monsters, Gods, Titans, Giants, Primordials. It belonged to me rightfully after everything I went through, both by conquest and your permission. When I become a God, I got a different symbol of power, yet I couldn't find myself being parted from it."
He stood up and walked over to where Rhea was sitting. Smiling he extended his arms to hold his daughter, and Rhea handed over the baby to him smiling herself. Percy walked towards Zoë and smiled down at his daughter, "When our daughter was born, I immediately knew. Anaklusmos is a part of you, and over the years, it had become a part of me. It was only right for our child, a part of you and I, to hold another part of us. Riptide belongs to her now."
As soon as Percy was done talking, the bracelet in their daughter's hand glowed and immediately transformed into the familiar sword everyone was hearing about. The sword demigods in the future constantly talked about, the sword that had fought and won against countless beings.
Zoë's heart swelled as she heard her future husband. How could her future-self have found someone so wonderful? She didn't know, but for the first time in the millennia since she had been born. Zoë looked forward to the future, to finding out, reading how she met this man.
By now both Percy and her were standing in front of each other, looking down at their daughter and the sword she would one day wield. The legacy she would carry of the greatest demigod that ever existed, and the hunter of Artemis that was spoken about in legends. She would live up to the legends of her parents.
Both Percy and Zoë walked up to an empty couch and sat down, with Zoë holding their daughter in her arms, her future husband gazing at her and Catarina with the most sincere and love filled expression she had ever seen from a man. Her daughter extended her arms upwards to touch her face.
Unconsciously, a burden she had carried for so long lifted off her shoulders, and she found herself leaning against the shoulder of the man who would one day win not only her respect, but also her heart.
The man, woman, and child were so lost in their own little world, that they didn't even notice when the reading resumed once again.
"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary… But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill.
Rachel huffed and sat back in her seat at that. She was a mortal once, and the sword had passed through her cleanly, it didn't mean that she wasn't important enough. That explanation made her upset, and Annabeth had to rub her shoulders to comfort her.
Zeus sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, he spoke after a very long time. "The future must be seriously apocalyptic for you to act this way Chiron. I might not take interest in the life of the mortals and demigods, but you have been given the task of teaching them and informing our children of our world. For you to give out half-truths or false information. It must be more severe than anything we have imagined."
Chiron himself nodded in agreement, ashamed of himself and what he was doing in the future. What must he be thinking if he was acting and teaching them this way, Perseus would never be prepared if he learned things that contain only half-truths.
"What do you mean Lord Zeus?" Reyna asked confused.
Zeus nodded and explained, "What Chiron explained to Perseus right now is not the truth, or the whole truth. Celestial bronze, Olympian Silver, these are all godly weapons. It's in the name, the weapons are meant to be wielded by gods or the children of gods. There is a reason the metals can carve woods but not mortals, it's not because they are not important. It's because the mortals have no drop of divinity in them."
"The earth is Gaea herself, it's Celestial. Every single being that is born from it holds a certain amount of divinity in them, they have a connection to the divine world. Every tree, every animal is connected to Pan the wild god, and my daughter, the Goddess of hunt. Every river, lake is an extension of my brother's domain. However, the mortals have no connection to the divine world. That's the reason it doesn't work on mortals."
At the end of Zeus' explanation every one inside the throne room found themselves in understanding. Rachel seemed much more understanding and send a glare towards Chiron that went unnoticed.
All of the room saw Zeus in a new light. He was an elder god, one of the [SB2] most ancient gods alive. There was a reason he was the king of gods. His knowledge was vast and he knew and understood a lot of things. Though he never used any of it, solely because he was a paranoid dick.
His siblings looked at Zeus with approval, maybe he wasn't so lost.
And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."… the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."
Hecate and the other gods more accustomed to magic in their daily life nodded to themselves. Finally finding a grasp on the mist. It was still weird to them to hear about the mortals not knowing their existence and not worshipping them. They were going to pay more attention to the books in hopes of knowing how it works in the future.
I put Riptide back in my pocket. For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead.
"So, what was it like . . . before the gods?"
"Horrible," Aphrodite's words cut through Rhea's reading and echoed inside the throne room. She had a look of terror on her face, "Anything beyond Titans were playthings to them. I hadn't even stepped in the mainland yet I had heard all sorts of their barbarism. They ran wild, abusing anyone they wanted to, torturing, killing, it was a game to them. Women served no other purpose than pleasure and breeding."
Rhea and Zoë nodded along with her. It was one of the worst times they could ever recall. The golden age? There was nothing golden about the rule of Titans. Blood, death, and tyranny was all they could describe the rule of Titans as.
Artemis looked at Zoë nodding and once again was made to remember that despite following her, Zoë was older than her. She hadn't been born during the rule of Titans and when the elder gods went against the Titans, but Zoë had been. She was the daughter of the general of Titan army, born before Zeus had ever become the King of Gods.
The demigods and gods from the future all visibly shuddered. They had fought and seen the ways of Titans, but still it wasn't anything like the original rule of Titans had been. Chaos forbid had the Titans won, they don't know what kind of atrocities they would have suffered.
Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals… When Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."
"I have a question," Travis asked in all seriousness, Katie was about to hit him to not make a joke, but he spoke before that, "There are some stories that say that Prometheus created the humans when the Titans ruled. Other stories say that Prometheus stole fire from the gods and created the humans. Which one is true?"
It took the future people by surprise as they all blinked rapidly wondering if it was the same Travis they knew or not. Even his brothers seemed to be in shock.
Hestia smiled as she answered, "Both can be considered the truth. Prometheus created the humans back when my father ruled, but mortals weren't what they are now back then. They served no purpose other than to exist for the sport or pleasure of the Titans. It was only after he stole my fire and gave them to humanity, that mankind began to advance. They grew smarter, solved their own problems. So in a way he did kind of breathe life in mortals, because before that they were just alive without purpose and mind."
Everyone digested that information and thought about it. So, in a sense they all had to thank the Titan of craft for their existence, he was their maker. Then they remembered what Percy had told them about him during his encounter and thought better. Still one doubt lingered in their mind.
"So, why was he punished so severely? Just because he stole some fire and helped mortals?" Beckendorf asked frowning. The punishment of Prometheus was one of the most known punishments to them. It didn't seem fair to him that he got punished such severely for that?
Poseidon sighed, like he knew this question was coming. His eyes glanced over to Zeus and he could've sworn that there was a droplet of guilt in his eyes, after all, Prometheus had been his friend once upon a time. "It wasn't just because he stole fire. As you can see, we gods don't particularly like change. Before they had fire, they use to worship us for every little thing. But after they began to progress and start thinking for themselves. They needed us a little less. And we gods don't like not being needed."
As expected, the gods of old could all see the various degree of disgust and frown on the faces of all the newcomers from future.
"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So… All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."
"Our destiny . . . assuming we know what that is."
"Ooof, Percy being philosophical is not something I had thought I would ever see in my lifetime." Thalia joked, causing the room to look at her amused and for her friends [SB3] to laugh and nod along with her.
Percy cocked his head to the side innocently, and the next second a cold torrent of water had hit Thalia full force in the face. Drenching even Annabeth and Reyna who were sitting by her side.
Thalia moved her hands up and wiped her face before glaring menacingly at Percy, her eyes were narrowed and a moment away from electrocuting her husband. Knowing what was coming fully well, Percy took hold of Catarina from Zoë and looked at his wife, "You wouldn't risk harming our daughter will you?" He asked with a smirk.
Thalia fumed in silence but sat back, not willing to even entertain the idea of harming the youngest member of their family for a second. Oh! She would wait and strike just when he wasn't expecting. Thankfully, Percy had the common sense of drying his three wives immediately, yet seeing their glares, he knew he would be getting their revenge later.
"Hiding behind your own year-old daughter." Clarisse snorted in amusement, "That's low even for you Jackson."
Percy laughed along with everyone and nodded, taking the joke in stride. After all, had quieted down, he mind-messaged Thalia, "I do like seeing you wet. Here and in our bed." His quirky remark was accompanied by a wink, and judging by the way Rachel choked on her laughter, she had heard it too.
"Relax," Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."
Poseidon who had been feeling the same anxiety as his son had been feeling in the book, grumbled, "I'm very relaxed hearing that."
"Relax," I said. "I'm very relaxed."
The occupants of the room all looked on amused, the father and the sons all were very similar.
When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute… "So far so good," I told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."
Every single demigod, and newly turned gods let out a loud groan at once. Eying Percy with something close to exasperation and annoyance.
"What?" Apollo asked looking around, "What happened?"
From beside him, Will Solace spoke up, "It's an unmentioned demigod rule. Whenever you are out on a quest or just out for anything in the mortal world. Being optimistic and speaking about it out loud causes the whole thing to be jinxed."
Nico nodded from beside him, "Percy is just a kelp-head to understand that notion."
Instantly, Percy's 'Hey!' of indignation could be heard, and Thalia yelling, "That's my nickname for him."
Rhea smiled to herself, this bunch of immortals from the future were different. But good different. Some among them were major gods, minor gods, yet she hadn't seen any of them act like they were superior than each other. They all acted like family. Now, if only the gods from her time could be like that.
She gave me an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain." "Remind me again — why do you hate me so much?" "I don't hate you."
"Could've fooled me." She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look . . . we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals." "Why?"… My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."
Rhea stopped her reading to shake her head at both Poseidon and Athena, "You see how your rivalries cause rifts between your children."
Both Poseidon and Athena looked away to hide their reaction. Rhea and Hestia had the unique ability to make anyone see reason and feel guilty for things they'd done.
Percy smiled at Annabeth, remembering how the two had such a rocky relationship at start, but in this quest both of them would find a companionship that would grow up to be of legends.
"You do know, that is not the main reason behind their rivalry, right?" Percy asked Annabeth, his eyes trained at Athena with a soft smile. The latter of which immediately understood what he was talking about.
"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked confused.
"Not many know this but when Athena was born, Zeus wasn't able to raise a new godling on his own. He still can't, but that's not the topic," Percy said and the room chuckled while Zeus grumbled in anger and embarrassment.
"So, Zeus asked my father to take Athena to Atlantis to raise her. Obviously, my father being the King and having many duties wasn't able to fulfill the job, so he asked his firstborn son, my brother. Triton accepted the role and took charge of raising Athena, he taught her everything he knew. The goddess of wisdom might have been born wielding a spear, yet it was my brother that taught her how to swing that spear. Triton was Athena's father in all but name, he raised Athena alongside his own daughter, Pallas. Who would later become the closest friend of Athena, the one person who was at once the most important person to the wisdom goddess."
Athena, Triton, Poseidon and Amphitrite all had gotten tears in their eyes remembering the daughter of Triton. She was like no other, gentle, kind and a warrior. There was a reason she was dear to all who knew her.
Athena couldn't look at Triton, she was too hurt by him, and hadn't even tried to talk to him since that day. It was true, he was the father she always wanted Zeus to be.
Annabeth nodded; she had heard snippets of this story. Never the full truth, the children of Athena knew never to bring up the topic of Pallas to others, their mother didn't like people talking about it. However, right now, she could see the tears falling out of Athena's eyes like waterfall. Whatever must've happened had been too painful.
Glancing a look over at his family, Percy continued, "Triton might not showcase it, but he is the most efficient Trident wielder alive. Even I or our father, Lord Poseidon can't match up with my brother in terms of spear/trident wielding. He taught his skills, the arts of war to both his daughters. Pallas and Athena. They had become sisters in all but blood during this time and it wasn't unusual for both of them to spar against each other."
Percy sighed and breathed deeply, now the story would turn into a heartbreaking one. He looked at Athena and knew she was barely controlling herself from sobbing out wholly, his brother and father's face remained stoic. No one could tell what they were feeling. Yet, he could, they were like him, and he could see the pain they were hiding. His mother Amphitrite, had her face hidden behind her hands and her shoulder shook in grief. Rhode and Kym also weren't left far behind, both of them tear faced.
"During one unfortunate incident, Athena and Pallas were sparring against each other, and Pallas got distracted by something. She wasn't able to deflect Athena like she usually would've, and Athena's spear went straight through her and she ended up dying. Athena was inconsolable, wrecked with guilt and horror." At this Athena couldn't stop the sob that left her mouth. "And my father, well, you all know the rage of Poseidon. In his grief he blamed Athena for losing his granddaughter, while it wasn't anyone's fault. He banished Athena from Atlantis and the seas. He banished her from her home, because Olympus wasn't her first home, it was Atlantis."
Percy looked around the room, nearly everyone had tears on their face. Even the ever emotionless Zeus was gazing at his daughter with pain in his eyes, he wanted to comfort her but didn't know how. Athena was sobbing, the only thing holding her from breaking down completely was Sophia, her daughter.
Triton was looking at Athena from across the room, wanting to cross over and comfort her, but didn't know if it would be appreciated. So, Percy unloaded the last of the secret the seas held that had hurt both his brother and his wife.
Coughing loudly he gained the room's attention and spoke, "It didn't end just there, after Triton came and found out about the death of Pallas, he went looking for Athena, but was informed that Poseidon had banished her from the seas. My brother fought against our father that day, mother Amphitrite once told me that she was scared that both father and son might come to physically fight against each other. Later when she asked Triton why he was so upset over Athena, my brother replied, 'I lost one daughter to fate, and other to my father's foolishness.'"
At that, everyone inside the throne room blinked in surprise, never knowing just how much had happened that day. But none other were as surprised as Athena, whose head shot up fast. Eyes wide she looked at Triton, a man she once regarded as a father figure. All this time she had thought that he never fought for her, and that he held her as guilty as Poseidon did. To find out now, that it wasn't even close to the truth. She couldn't handle it and flashed out of the throne room.
Everyone stared at the empty spot where Athena was sitting and didn't know what to do. Rhea looked over at Percy with a soft sad smile, "Do you think you should go and talk to her?"
Percy shook his head slightly, "No, right now, she needs the comfort of the man she had once thought of as her father." He turned his head to his brother, who looking at the spot Athena was sitting in with tears in his eyes and a sad, heartbroken expression on his face. "Go brother, she will need to hear it from you."
Triton nodded and immediately flashed out to where he could sense her.
Triton found Athena sitting near a fountain in front of her palace. One hand was submerged in the water as she looked at the fishes roaming inside it. She didn't even look up when he walked near her. "You fought for me." She spoke, less of a question and more of a statement, like trying to convince herself of the truth.
"Of course I did, you think I would've held you guilty for an accident?" Triton scoffed, is that was she thought of him? All the time he taught her, he had been fair. But did she think he was like her other father? Coming to judgments without thinking?
"How did you know that it was an accident? I could've intentionally killed her." She finally looked up from the fountain and stared him dead in his eyes. Wanting to see if he had held even a shred of doubt that she could've killed her friend, his daughter intentionally.
Of all the reactions she had expected from him, Triton laughing loudly was the last of it. "You kill Pallas intentionally?" The heir to Atlantis mused, "I would never believe that. Even if someone swore on the Styx saying it. Pallas was very dear to me; you will understand now with Sophia. A parent's love for a child is unconditional, I loved Pallas with all my heart, as I did you. Yet, I can say this confidently that not even I had cared for her as much as you did. You couldn't have even dreamed about hurting her, let alone kill her. So, no Athena, I never believed it for a second."
Athena nodded, looking down to hide her tears, the tears of comfort she felt. That someone she looked up to, loved and respected her as much as she did. They didn't speake anything after that and started walking towards the throne room, finally freeing themselves of a burden they had been carrying for a long time.
Percy smiled as he saw Athena and his brother walking inside. They didn't say anything, but he knew that both of them felt relief in a very long time. Zoë had walked back to the hunters knowing that Athena would need to be with her family right now.
Percy asked Athena to sit down with him, and the goddess complied. As soon as they had sat down Sophia trudged towards them, "I am sleepy," the little goddess yawned and laid down with her head on her mother's lap and her feet on her father's.
Percy laughed, knowing full well that she wasn't tired, but wanted to comfort her mother. Seeing the smile on Athena's face, he knew that his daughter had succeeded. Smiling at the both of them, he turned to the room, "Let's finish this chapter, shall we?"
"They must really like olives." "Oh, forget it."
"Now, if she'd invented pizza — that I could understand." "I said, forget it!" In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.
"I never saw that," Annabeth whispered, "Do you think he knew?" Her question was aimed at Thalia, who was sitting beside her.
Thalia snorted and patted her hand, "I think everyone except you two knew sweetheart. Even Artemis knew, and that's saying something."
Annabeth rolled her eyes and shoved her shoulder against Thalia.
Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. I ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice.
"We noticed," Both Annabeth and Grover said in unison.
Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot… Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"
I stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"
"He doesn't need to read your mind. Satyrs can read your emotions." Artemis explained to him, like he was an ignorant child.
Percy gave her a flat look, "Yes, I know that now. It's not like I was new to this world and no one would explain anything to me properly." He said to her in a dry tone. He was starting to get annoyed by all the condescending comments aimed at him.
Artemis went to retort at him, wanting to give him a piece of her mind, but she thought and agreed that he was right. No one had explained much to him, only given snippets of information that would keep him alive at the least.
"Just your emotions." He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"… Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy — if that makes you feel any better."
"Your mother's a saint," Zoë spoke up, "That filth isn't even worthy to be called a human. Just hearing about it makes me want to empty my quiver at him. To bear through his presence, just to protect you. She was an exceptional woman."
Percy smiled, a sad smile that gave away his true feeling. He still felt guilty up to this day that she had to sacrifice so much for him. Even her happiness, but he knew that she wouldn't want him to blame himself.
"Yes she was," He replied, "She was the best person I ever knew."
Everyone who knew Sally Jackson looked down to hide their own feelings. Percy had told them, that Poseidon once said, 'Sally was a queen among women.' Nothing truer had ever been spoken, everything she went through and everything she endured. It never dulled her heart or slackened her spirit for a second. She cared for all and treated even those that didn't deserve it fairly.
Looking at Percy they knew that she had raised her son to be a good man. They had seen this themselves, like his mother Percy Jackson's heart was open to all those who deserved it. At camp, he was important to everyone, even before he had become the King of demigods, he went out of his way to help them.
Sally Jackson's legacy would live on through him.
The gods once again wondered about the adoration and devotion all these people from the future showed for this mortal woman. They had never heard their children, godly and demigods, speak such fondly about them.
It didn't, but I forced myself not to show it. I'll see her again, I thought. She isn't gone… The truth was, I didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble.
Everyone had a different reaction to this line. The demigods were startled to hear that Percy didn't care about saving the world. He was a Hero. For as long as they knew him, he had been always ready when someone needed saving. He was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the world. But to hear opposite was a surprise. Hazel and Frank were thinking back about when they first met Percy, he was willing to do whatever was necessary to save the world. Yet, here they were, hearing that their friend didn't start his godly life thinking like that.
Poseidon kept control of his expression to not giveaway how he felt. He couldn't blame his son, he hadn't been there for him, so why would he feel the need to help him when asked?
Zeus' nostril flared as he looked at Percy like he was a petulant child that didn't understand what was important. "Finding my bolt is the important task here," he said in a loud voice.
Before Percy had even a chance to speak, Thalia spoke up, her voice coming out harsh and sharp. "That isn't what's important to my husband. Your petty little ego or insecurity at having your weapon stolen isn't Percy's fault. He was out on this quest to get his mother back," She took a deep breath and continued, "But as the prophecy spoke, he will get what was stolen back. So, sit down, shut up and listen to what happens."
Zeus and Hera looked crossed that someone would dare to speak in such way in front of them. Yet, they knew that they couldn't do a damned thing about it. So, they chose wisely to not antagonize the future goddess further.
The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done.
Poseidon flinched visibly, his son's words cutting him deep. He could feel Amphitrite taking his hand in hers to comfort him, yet it didn't help. Looking at his son with pained eyes, he went to speak but couldn't find his words.
Percy sensing his father's predicament gave him a smile, "Do not worry father, those were just the words of a child that had just lost his only parent figure. I do not feel the same way now, but I cannot assure you that similar things won't be spoken again."
Poseidon tried to smile, but it wouldn't come, knowing that he did nothing to help out his child and the mother of his son. He could've taken some actions to protect them without compromising the ancient laws. "I understand."
All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back… The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared — core, stem, and all.
The tension that had built up in the room until now disappeared, as everyone from the future started laughing at the image of Grover attacking an apple. The gods looked amused at the children and sat back and watched as they all teased the Satyr. Even Pan was busy making fun of the Satyr from the future whom he already found dear to him.
Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up. Finally, the bus came. I tossed the second apple I was holding towards Annabeth, who caught it at the last second as it came close to hitting her face. "Game time," I told her. As we stood in line to board…
Rhea's reading came to an abrupt stop as Aphrodite and both her daughters, Silena and Piper squealed in unison. The entire room turned their heads towards the Goddess of love.
Aphrodite was too busy staring at Percy and Annabeth in something akin to treasure, that it was Silena who spoke up. Her eyes were darting from both Percy and Annabeth, "You know what you just did?"
Percy looked confused and lost, Annabeth and the rest of the room seemed to be catching up with Silena's line of thinking. Smiles starting to form on all of their faces as they turned to face Percy who wondered what was happening.
Annabeth and the rest of his wives, (including the four from past,) rolled their eyes at him. "Percy, in ancient Greece, the time we are in now. A man used to throw an apple towards a woman he liked to propose marriage, and if she catched the apple it meant she accepts."
Understanding dawned on Percy's face as he looked at Annabeth with a wide grin. "So, you were always betrothed to me, huh Wise-girl?"
Annabeth gave him a mirrored smile, "Guess so Seaweed brain."
Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy — enchiladas. "What is it?" I asked… …
I scrunched down in my seat. Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise, they looked exactly like Mrs. Dodds — same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers.
Poseidon choked when he heard that and turned to send the most withering glare he could muster towards Hades. Making the Lord of the dead shrink back on his couch when his brother yelled, "You sent all three of them after my son?"
Hades shook his head as everyone turned their eyes on him. "I don't know why I would send my furies after the boy, alright!" His own voice raised as he looked at everyone, "I am hearing about what happens and what will happen, like the rest of you."
Meanwhile Nico was snickering hearing the furies being called 'Demon grandmothers.'
They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves… There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.
"Damn!" Leo whistled in appreciation. "There's bad luck and there's Percy level bad luck." His off-handed comment had most of the room chuckling as.
Annabeth sighed, the story of her life. Going anywhere with Percy when they were demigods meant attracting unnecessary attraction from monsters. Percy's luck never worked how they hoped for, worst of all, her stupid seaweed brain's mouth and his luck were never a good combination. It was surprising, how often they would find themselves in danger just because Percy couldn't keep his mouth shut.
Grover pinched the bridge of his nose and bleated in exasperation. "You don't know the half of it. Percy has a weird scale of good luck and bad luck, both of them weighing equally. The things he says and does, only someone really lucky could still be alive after that. You'll see, it's like Lady Tyche herself messing with his luck."
The goddess in question raised her eyebrows and refrained from saying anything. She wasn't sure if her future self was involved or not but she couldn't think of any reason why she would be toying with the demigod; he hadn't done anything to insult her or anger her. Yet.
The minor gods were all just observing the reading without making any unnecessary commentary. They were however, feeling good that someone was showing the Olympians their wrongdoings and being vocal about it every chance they could. For far too long the Olympians had pushed the minor gods into the shadows and beneath them.
It felt nice to see them feeling like that too.
"They won't attack us with witnesses around," I said. "Will they?"
"Mortals don't have good eyes," Annabeth reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."… "So do I," said the second sister. "So do I," said the third sister.
Thalia involuntary shuddered, even after all these years, the furies still managed to make her feel like that helpless girl who had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She could still hear their whips cutting through the air and coiling around her skin.
"No offense father, but they are really creepy." Hazel said, just imagining those winged creatures was enough to send a shiver down her back. Unlike Nico, she didn't like visiting the underworld for any reason. She had spent enough time there as it is, and didn't desire seeing the fields of Asphodel again. She didn't realize that she had lost herself to her thoughts and had tears pooling up in her eyes. Thankfully, Frank did and rubbed her back, whispering words of comfort. He always noticed her little reactions and made sure to be there for her, she loved him for that.
"I agree with Hazel," Chris Rodriguez chimed in.
"So do I," said the first Stoll brother.
"So do I," said the second Stoll brother.
Hermes and Apollo snickered seeing the brothers' antics, while most of the room rolled their eyes at their childishness.
They all started coming down the aisle. "I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat." "What?" "You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle… "I can't just leave you."
"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"
Rhode cleared her throat and spoke, "I haven't known my little brother for long, but from what I have seen, he wouldn't leave his friends to risk the wrath of the furies while he flees." Her voice was tinged with fondness as she looked at Percy, at least one of my brothers is likeable. She thought to herself.
I know right? Kymopoleia agreed with her sister. She too liked this brother of hers from the future and wondered what kind of relationship they had in his time.
I heard that! An angry voice swarmed inside both the sisters' heads, and they turned to see Triton glaring at them. Both of them shot him apologizing looks, but it was clear that they weren't sorry at all.
My hands trembled. I felt like a coward, but I took the Yankees cap and put it on. When I looked down, my body wasn't there anymore. I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past…
Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it.
"I don't think a tin can is going to do much against a fury goat boy," Thalia's word were laced with humor as she shook her head.
Grover blushed as his friends started teasing him again. It was the only thing he had in hand, what else was he suppose to do? Sing the furies to sleep? Thankfully, Apollo interrupted before they could start teasing him further, "Wait a minute, why are they calling Percy it? He isn't an it."
Hades leaned forward to hear the answer too, a horrible realization starting to form in his head. First Alecto at the start, then the Minotaur, and now the three furies again. His future version was really adamant about either hurting Percy or getting something back from him, and with Zeus' bolt being stolen, it wasn't that much difficult to figure out that his own symbol of power might have been stolen too.
The entire room had turned to Annabeth and Percy in question. The former of whom shook her head and said, "We can't tell you anything right now, you would have to finish the books to get your answers."
The gods looked like the veins in their forehead might pop, not used to being denied. Still, they couldn't do anything so they sat back and listened as the reading began once again.
What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.
"Going after my spot there a little Percy," Leo shook his head at Percy in mock exaggeration.
The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror. Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left.
Frank and Hazel sighed as they remembered their own quest with Percy. It was good to know that he had always been this reckless and not just because of his memory being stolen.
Thalia looked over at Percy with a fake glare, "Why are you this way?" Her question was answered with only a shrug.
Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows. "Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey— whoa!"…
There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river. Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake.
"You're a hazard to society." Reyna commented towards Percy who looked at her with a hurt expression.
The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open…
"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."
"I liked you better as a math teacher," I told her.
"You really can't control your mouth, can you?" Athena asked tiredly. She didn't know how he survived their world if he ran his mouth like that. It was a known fact that immortals don't take it well when you talk back to them.
So far, her future husband had managed to make Dionysus mad at him, and now he was well on his way to make lifelong enemies out of the furies. She sighed as she imagined how his meeting with Hades or herself in future would go. She knew that she had perhaps the biggest pride on Olympus that would make Zeus pale in comparison. She only hoped that he would not feel the need to antagonize the future version of her.
Percy gave her a sheepish smile, "It's not my fault. Well, I mean it is, but I can't stop myself when I am faced with dangerous odds. It's like my mouth has a mind of his own." He rubbed the back of his head and tried for a charming smile, but the only thing he got was a huff out of the goddess.
Poseidon cursed under his breath as he heard his son's response. Why couldn't his children be like the others and think things through rationally? Triton was just the same when he had been born. The god of the seas had to go out of his way to make sure that his son didn't disrespect anyone when he brought him along to Olympus during some of the council meetings.
She growled. Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening. I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. The Furies hesitated.
Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again.
"I bet she wouldn't. She hadn't ever felt the blade before, no one till date has managed to slay a fury and to be bested by a demigod of 12 years, I bet her pride was wounded too." Nico mused as he remembered how much the furies hated Percy. "She particularly hates you. When we were just demigods she used to request father every month to give permission, so she could go out and get her revenge."
Hades felt like ripping his hair out, what had he done to deserve this? The underworld was always too much work on its own, he didn't need the furies to badger him all the time to go kill a demigod out for vengeance.
Percy laughed like he found the whole situation very funny.
"Submit now," she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."
"Nice try," I told her.
"Urghhhh…" The whole room groaned in unison. Their faces marred with exasperation as they all shot Percy tired looks.
"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me… she screamed and exploded into dust.
"That's two of my furies," Hades whispered to himself, "Two of my furies that the brat has now slain."
Persephone grabbed her husband's hand and tried to comfort him. But she was too busy trying to hide her smile. The furies were always so smug about being Hades' top executioners, they needed an ego check.
Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands. "Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"
The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide and she broke open like a pinata.
Pan hissed as he felt the burn of the furies' whips colliding against his skin. He could feel energy drain out of him and he found a newfound respect for Grover. Meanwhile Athena felt like her muscles were being stressed beyond normal and she realized that it was how Annabeth had felt at the moment.
"You have a way with words brother," Apollo joked as he looked towards his brother-in-law.
Percy snorted and looked at Apollo with a wide grin, "This is just the start Pollo, wait till I meet you. You would not be loving my words that much by then." The smile that was adorning Apollo's face disappeared at once as the rest of the room started laughing at him. It hadn't even occurred to him that at one point of the reading he would have to listen to Percy meeting himself.
The way Percy had reacted with Dionysus he didn't know what to expect when he himself was introduced to the story.
Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip…
"Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"
"Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled.
At once every god and roman from the future started laughing. Even the ever-stoic Reyna was smiling widely and chuckling at what was said. While the gods from the past and the Greeks from the future looked confused at the lot of them. Taking a breath Hazel tried to calm down and addressed the room, "Percy just told the furies to eat his pants."
This time everyone joined in the laughter while the lord of the dead looked like he would die out of mortification for his furies.
I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!" Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck… The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof,
Rhea put the book down for a minute and stared at her son, disappointment clear in her eyes. "Really Zeus? Trying to kill the boy that is on a quest to get you your master bolt back?" She shook her head at him, wondering at what point her sweet son that showed so much promise of being a better ruler turned out to be this person she was reading about and seeing.
Zeus flinched seeing the disappointed look in his mother's eyes aimed at him. She was the only person in the universe he never wanted to disappoint.
Thalia snorted and looked at Rhea in amusement, "Well, no one ever blamed your sons for using their brains."
Hades and Poseidon laughed loudly at that before the realization struck them and both of them shouted 'Hey!' in indignation. This caused the rest of the room to laugh at the brothers, while Rhea rolled her eyes at her sons.
but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead.
"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!" We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.
"Finally!" The immortal demigods all stood up and stretched, Leo looked like he was about to run out of the throne room to get a breath of fresh air.
"Let's all take a break and reconvene after lunchtime," Annabeth said as she stood up, she didn't look tired at all. Still looking as regal and queenly as ever she took command of the throne room and addressed the room with ease. Something that bothered Hera, but Annabeth didn't even acknowledge her presence.
At that precise moment Catarina started crying, and poor Zoë was having a hard time trying to calm her down. Annabeth made her way towards her step-daughter and smiled at both Zoë and Catarina. "Let me," she said extending her arms and taking the little bundle of joy in her arms, "it's time for her to be fed."
As she walked away with Catarina, Danae went out with her mother to look over the others and see where they could help out. Sophia followed Athena to her mother's palace to relax.
The twins came running towards Percy and jumped in his embrace. Percy laughed and caught his children and twirled them around, making the kids laugh loudly. Finally, after a minute he put them down and asked them what they wanted to do.
"I want to hunt," Penelope yelled enthusiastically and Dameon nodded too.
Percy smiled and ruffled their hair as he agreed to go out on a hunt. Lowering his head he whispered something in their ears, and Penelope turned to Apollo, "Would you like to join us for a hunt uncle Pollo?"
Apollo smiled and nodded, meanwhile Percy could see Artemis fidgeting in her spot. Obviously wanting to join them, but not knowing if she would be invited or not. Daemon smiled at his mother and spoke in a soft voice, "Would you like to come with us to the hunt too?" He paused for a second and added, "Mother?"
