I sat on my bed in the Poseidon cabin, reminiscing on the time I'd spent at camp.
A week had gone by already, and the place felt more and more like home by the day. I know that sounds cliche, but you have to believe me.
Have you ever had a piece of clothing, like a hoodie or I don't know, a pair of jeans or something, where every aspect of it feels perfect? Like, comfort, formality, color, material- all of that stuff?
I had a hoodie like that once. It was this maroon zip-up from Hollister, and I once wore it every day for a week straight, just because it felt so comfortable. I washed it, of course, but I just kept finding excuses to put it on. It worked for the school day, it fit in at the YMCA after-school academy, and no one raised any eyebrows when I wore it to the sixth-grade dance.
Well, Nancy Bobofit did. She was kind of a bully all around, though, so I took her reaction with a grain of salt.
Camp Half-Blood was kind of like my maroon hoodie. In just a few short days, I'd fallen in love with it. Every part of it, from the friends I was beginning to make, to the fun activities we go to do, just felt right. It felt right in a way that school, or anything else, for that matter, never had.
It was a shame I had to leave already, but I knew I'd be back someday soon.
Well, hopefully.
My days in the past week had fallen into the same routine, more or less. Each morning, I learned Battle Strategy from Annabeth, and we talked about all sorts of monsters and their weaknesses. Aside from that, we also talked about Greek myths in general.
She knew a lot about that. Like a frightening amount.
Annabeth tried to hammer home the fact that anyone could be a monster over and over again, but I wasn't too worried about that.
I had the ability to get someone's life story in a glance, after all. It would be pretty tough for a monster to sneak up on me, and even if they did, they'd be getting a one-way trip to the Underworld, courtesy of my sword.
After seeing and hearing my progress in swordsmanship from Luke during our mealtimes, Annabeth tried her absolute hardest to sucker me into joining her Capture the Flag team, but I wouldn't budge. I didn't have any time to spare!
A few days after my dad visited, I made a point to talk to the Oracle. I got a formal quest, and Chiron, despite really not liking the entire situation, said I was good to go whenever. Now, I could be wrong here, but the fact that two of the Big Three gave me the green light for the quest probably played a part in that.
He may have been comfortable stepping on Mr. D's toes, but going against the word of one of the Big Three was something even he didn't want to do unless given no other choice.
I didn't exactly feel like dying before I could get to my mom, though, so I took a week to prepare myself.
After my encounter with Hestia, I felt lighter and more peaceful. I felt like a weight had been taken off of me without me even knowing it was there in the first place. I could think clearly for the first time, but I still knew I had to leave for my quest.
I ranked up two more levels in my time, and I had a whole bunch of stuff to spend from various little quests and that one big one from Luke.
I sighed and leaned back into my bed. I felt pretty good about the quest all week, but now since it was the night before, I was sort of doubting my decision to leave so hastily.
I mean, I knew it was just those pre-quest jitters speaking, but I couldn't help but wonder if maybe I had been a little too hasty in making all of these decisions to leave and stuff.
Well, what's done is done. I can't change the decisions that have led me up to this point, nor would I really want to.
I have a quest to do- I can't let myself get sidetracked.
Trying to get my mind off of things, I decided to focus on the Game.
The notification in the top right of my vision pulsed again, reminding me that I had eleven stat points and four perk points to quickly allocate.
In general, I noticed that I got five skill points per level and one perk point per level. The extras were from the two long-term quests I had.
Objectively speaking, my stats were coming along nicely. Another thing I noticed was that despite my lower level, I could still fight and even defeat people who were almost double my level at times.
It was kind of like Skyrim in that aspect.
And well, a little bit of common sense, too. My theory from earlier had been correct- different demigods evolved in vastly different ways. The Demeter cabin, for example, had massive stores of mana, and their [WIS] was the highest I'd seen thus far. Ares cabin, on the other hand, had crazy high levels of [STR], even if their [INT] was nothing to write home about.
Obviously, you had your occasional outliers. Whether it was their mortal parent or their country of descent, some demigods differed from their brothers and sisters. It was an interesting thing to see.
Anyway, Skyrim or not, I hoped I wouldn't have to fight any dragons.
Well, no time like the present. I pulled up the perks list.
My eyes widened as I looked at the screen. Before, there had only been a few perks available to me. Now, though, the entire first quarter of the tree was glowing, meaning that I could pick and choose from what I wanted.
I zoomed in.
The tree splintered off towards the middle, where a black border outlined a group of around six perks. The border was covered by a translucent lock symbol that pulsed every so often, emitting bursts of light.
Hm. I hit the button.
The lock sunk under my touch, and the top of it popped open. It spun, sending out threads of white that flushed out the black border.
The Game sprawled out words in front of me.
|| [SPECIAL PERKS] are perks that can only be unlocked through experience and story progress. They offer many boosts that you wouldn't find in your base perks, at the cost of more than one perk point. Keep playing the game and improving to earn more! ||
Well, by that logic, wouldn't these perks be, like, way better? I mean, if I had to earn them, why would I ever choose a normal perk? I could just wait up and save for these. Unless, of course, the base perks leveled up as I did.
Frowning, I zoomed in on the perks. Their names glowed brightly, unlike the normal perks.
I started reading through them, one by one.
[ACTIVE/PASSIVE][WIS]-[Sea's Pride]-[LV: MAX]-[PROG: 0%]
You're the son of Poseidon, through and through! While entering a body of water, your HP and MP regenerate 200% faster! Gain enhanced movement speed and the ability to shoot out of the water at incredible speeds! ||
[ACTIVE/PASSIVE][WIS]-[You Can Trust Me]-[LV: 1]-[PROG: 0%]
You just have this undeniable aura around you! When meeting someone new, instantly gain +10 REP. Additionally, you'll find it 400% to extract information from people due to your trustworthy presence! ||
[ACTIVE/PASSIVE][WIS]-[Elemental]-[LV: 1]-[PROG: 0%]
Bend the elements of the world to your whims. Take a reduced cost (30% MP) for all elemental abilities. For each element you can control, the effect is multiplied. ||
[ACTIVE/PASSIVE][WIS]-[Godly Constitution]-[LV: MAX][PROG: N/A]
|| Replace your insides with godly ones, kickstarting your body's growth, maturity, and durability. Take a flat +1000 to all physical attributes initially, with an additional gain of +500 each time your level increases. Advances [STR] by 1 SP for every level-up. ||
I blinked as the number underneath became visible. It cost four perk points! That made a lot more sense. I was starting to see how the Game balanced everything. These perks were a lot more passive. As opposed to some of the attack-heavy perks I'd seen in the base tree, these ones seemed a lot more tuned toward my body and had passive effects on how I interacted with other people or certain situations.
I zoomed back, honing in on that last perk. This was insane! How could a perk like this even be available? Those physical boosts would let me funnel stat points away from [VIT] and [STR] and let me focus more on other attributes.
I bit my lip. Four perk points seemed like a hefty toll, but the math I was running in my head made the perk seem pretty damn worth it to me. Especially cause it was just four points at the start of this whole thing. I'm sure later on, I'll get perk points even faster, so a little investment right now won't be the end of the world.
I didn't even bother looking at the other perks. Not as hesitantly as I would've liked, I clicked the option to buy the perk, and I instantly regretted it.
Yeah, I started instantly hating my life.
I dropped to my knees, my mouth open in a silent scream. The pain…was overpowering. It felt like someone snuck razor wire into my body without my knowing and ran a current through it. I felt something lighting up my insides, arcing from one side of my body to the other.
My muscles felt like they were melting into themselves. My knees began to lose feeling, and I slumped downwards even more. My shoulders and back burned with stinging pain. I felt explosions, little pinpricks of heat blooming across my back, as if an army of angry fire-ants began marching up and down, biting down on me as hard as they could.
My vision grew hazy. Having a grounded mental state kind of helped to keep me from fainting, but I was starting to wish it would just let me pass out. It would be easier than going through this.
After a few more moments that felt like an eternity, I gasped out a breath of fresh air and shakily got to my feet.
I leaned against my bed frame and looked in the mirror across from me. Already, I saw signs of the perk working in tandem with my other stats. It made me feel a little bit better, knowing that all that pain wasn't exactly for nothing.
When I first got to camp, I was barely five feet tall. Everybody towered over me, including Annabeth. And no, I never got to hear the end of that from her.
Now, though, things were different. If I had to guess, I'd say I was already three inches taller, and my face was starting to lose some of that baby fat.
My chest and abs were more defined. Not as much as someone like Luke, mind you, but there was still a distinct outline. My muscles were lean.
It was an odd feeling for sure, but I got used to the feeling of my muscles tensing and activating when I fought- my body was starting to feel like a well-oiled machine.
Wiping some of the sweat off of my forehead, I pulled up my stat screen.
[PERSEUS JACKSON]
[SON OF POSEIDON]
[HESTIA'S FAVORED]
[LVL]: 13 (0/3900)
[HP]: 7000/7000
[SP]: 10,000/10,000
[MP]: 2000/2000
[FEALTY]: N/A
[STR]: 24 (+5)
[VIT]: 17
[DEX]: 32 (+5)
[INT]: 18
[CHA]: 12 (+5)
[WIS]: 15
[LUC]: 7
[SP]: 11
[PP]: 0
[$]: 46USD, 53D
|| Son of the legendary God of the Seas and Sally Jackson, Percy is the current [Child of Prophecy]. Despite his murky past, Percy is ready to take on his future with determination. ||
|| The title [SON OF POSEIDON] permanently grants 1000 [MP] and boosts the rate of mana regeneration. ||
|| The title [HESTIA'S FAVORED] permanently regenerates your health by 30% and increases by a factor of 5% for every 1000 [HP] below half! ||
[REP] at [Half-Blood Hill]: N/A
Hm. Well, my [DEX] is really up there, given the boosts I got from training with Luke, and my [STR] is nothing to sneeze at because of some of the weight training I did. The major holes in my offensive game are from my [INT] at this point, seeing as [WIS] is mostly tied into mana and mana usage.
For now, though I shuffled seven points into [INT] and the remaining four points into my [CHA]. I noticed that was sort of lacking, too.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I need it, though!
While my perk from earlier makes it so that my lack of charisma isn't too much of a hindrance while talking to girls, I'll still be left out to dry if I ever need to get something off of a guy, so...
Alright. Cool. Perk and stat points allotted! I'm feeling good. Back to packing we go!
Eh, who am I kidding? The only packing I'm doing is shoving food and clothes into my inventory.
A few minutes later, I walked over to the Big House. It was near sunset. I knew most of the campers would be heading to the feast right now, but I figured this way, I could sneak out without anyone knowing.
I didn't have the heart to tell any of my new friends I wasn't bringing any of them along. It wasn't that I didn't trust them, or something, but my dad had been pretty clear; this quest was mine and mine alone to undertake.
Chiron was waiting for me in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen around camp a few times.
I zipped up my jacket as I got closer to them. Even though it was summertime, the night felt cold for some reason.
My attention turned back to the guy with the eyes in weird places.
According to Grover, he was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face, and neck.
I tried not to stare too much. In hindsight, I don't know if I succeeded as well as I wanted to.
"This is Argus," Chiron told me as I got within earshot. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
I nodded at Argus, and he responded with a nod back. I guess he took that as me saying he I was ready to go. He jingled car keys around his finger and began to walk towards a white SUV that was parked alongside the grass by the road, a few yards away from the Big House.
"My boy, I must implore you to rethink your decision," Chiron urged. His fingers drummed against the handrest of his wheelchair every few moments, kind of like he was playing out my last heartbeats. "Walking into the world alone, with two of the Elder Gods baying for your blood…it seems foolish."
"I know," Believe me, I did. Hestia chewed me out for an hour last night when I told her of my plan- and she knew Hades was actually on my side. I could only begin to imagine how Chiron felt. "I can't let anyone else get hurt, though. Not when the quest is personally related to me. I'm sorry."
Before I could follow Argus, Chiron caught my arm.
"I should have trained you better, Percy," He said. "If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training."
"It is what it is," I tried to ignore the sad look in Chiron's eyes. I got the feeling that he thought this would be the last time he'd ever see me.
Alive, anyway. He probably wanted to get everything off of his chest in case I came back in a casket.
"I'll be careful."
Chiron nodded, a tear running down his cheek. "Good luck, child."
A few minutes later, Argus and I drove out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Argus and I sitting next to each other as if we were normal carpoolers.
If you gave us both baseball caps, I could almost imagine that a distant relative was taking me into the city for a Yankees game. We'd get some hot dogs, maybe one of those little souvenir hats, and he'd drop me right back home to my mom in time for us to eat some blue tacos.
Wishful thinking.
I tried to distract myself by looking out the car window.
After a week at Half-Blood Hill, funnily enough, it was the real world that seemed like a fantasy, not the world of demigods and monsters. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parent's car, every billboard and shopping mall.
These people just lived in peace. They had no idea that the gods existed; no worries that a monster could come to find them and kill them. They just lived their sweet, boring lives, going to school and work. I had been one of them. A few weeks ago, my only worry was passing my algebra test and trying not to get expelled.
Now, I was going to travel to the Underworld and hopefully find a thief capable of stealing two symbols of power from the elder gods.
I held back a sigh. This was likely going to be the toughest thing I'd ever done, but if it meant getting my mother back, it was more than worth it. The both of us were definitely long overdue for a few conversations.
Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan, it was midnight and starting to rain. Argus dropped me at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apartment.
I bet Gabe didn't even care about the fact that we were gone. He was probably just playing some more poker, eating dip as if we'd never even left. Maybe after all of this was over, I could go back and teach him a thing or two.
I was drawn out of my thoughts by a little nudge from Argus. He'd already unloaded my bags. A couple of minutes later, he made sure I got my bus ticket and then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch me as he pulled out of the parking lot.
I shook my head and boarded the bus, tossing my bags into my inventory. I had to bring a bag or two in case Chiron got suspicious- I didn't really want anyone finding out about the Game. I was just going to go to Jersey, catch a train, and then it would be smooth sailing to LA, where I was informed the Underworld was.
My plan? Well, I had a feeling I'd meet the true thief along the way. I'd bet you anything he or she was looking to frame me for all of this, so I'd definitely meet them along the way, and they'd try to be my friend so that they could pin all of this mess on me.
Whoever they were, they were in cahoots with Luke. It didn't take much brainpower for me to figure out Luke had a hand in all of this, but I'd deal with him later.
I walked over to the back of the bus and settled in my seat, my detecting skill popping up, a red light blowing up my vision from outside of the bus.
I deactivated my sight, waiting patiently to see who would board, and not a moment after, an old lady boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat.
It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but with the same, easily identifiable, and undeniably evil face. What the hell was a fury doing on this bus? I thought Hades was supposed to be on my side, for crying out loud!
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.
Three furies? Di Immortales, this was turning into a rough situation. I was confident in my ability to take out one, maybe two, but the whole trio?
Screw it, I'd do what I had to do in order to survive.
They sat in front of me.
Heart hammering, I leaned back in my seat. [Gamer's Mind] seemed tokick in, dispelling some of the nervousness I'd felt just a few moments before. Not all of it, mind you, but enough of it that a small sense of confidence actually started burning in my gut.
"Are you going to try to kill me, or do you finally know what's going on?" I said casually, staring her down.
"Do not be a fool," She hissed back at me. Her black eyes stared at me balefully, like she wanted to do nothing more than rip my throat out. "I always knew what was going on. I merely wished to test you."
Hey, look, I get it. If I got vaporized by a twelve-year-old that had no battle experience, I'd be pretty mad, too. I'd probably come up with some excuse like that. No judgment here.
"Your quest has been updated," Mrs. Dodds spat at me as if she could read my thoughts. She raised a wrinkled hand towards the front of the bus, pointing at a girl. "That girl, there. She will accompany you on this quest."
[PIPER MCLEAN]
[DAUGHTER OF APHRODITE]
[LVL]: 5 (0/1000)
[HP]: 1500/1500
[SP]: 1200/12000
[MP]: 3000/3000
[FEALTY]: N/A
[STR]: 3
[VIT]: 6
[DEX]: 7
[INT]: 10
[CHA]: 15 (+10)
[WIS]: 8
[LUC]: 6
[$]: 70USD
Piper got her name from her Grandpa Tom, who noted her strong voice, and hoped that she would one day learn all of the great Cherokee songs. After learning of her mother's true identity, she ran away from home in search of answers.
|| The title [DAUGHTER OF APHRODITE] grants the holder the ability to use charmspeak and gain extra CHA per level. ||
[REP] at [Half-Blood Hill]: N/A
"What? You're insane! This isn't a fun Spring break-type trip to Los Angeles!" Now it was my turn to hiss. Here I was, on a quest to save my mom, a quest where I'd likely encounter multiple gods, and they wanted me to bring a demigod who was barely even aware of her heritage with me. "I can't do that. Why do you even care? Lord Had- your boss doesn't particularly have connections with the girl's mother."
"Silence, insolent boy," The Fury on the left snarled at me. My slip-up seemed to piss them off, though it was hard to tell. They seemed pretty pissed off already. "While he normally does not, he was approached specifically by the girl's mother."
My eyebrows scrunched together for a moment. Did Aphrodite visit Hades? But…why? Why would she do that?
Gods couldn't visit other gods' domains unless they were invited…but why would Aphrodite seek out Hades? Why would he allow her into his palace? I don't know much about Hades, but he isn't the type to do something like that unless he gets something out of it. I'm sure Aphrodite isn't dumb, either. She wouldn't go to Hades of all people unless she'd truly exhausted every other option she had.
My brain started to hurt. Whatever was going on here, it was huge- and I was thrown smack dab in the middle of it.
"I see now that your puny brain has begun to comprehend the gravity of the situation before you," Dodds taunted, revealing her yellow fangs. "We were sent here to inform you of the change. You can do what you would like, but the goddess of love would not make a good enemy. Our lord recommends that you heed our warning."
"Yeah, yeah," I said, rubbing my chin in thought. I looked back up to ask the Furies a question, and they were already gone, disappearing as if they'd never been there in the first place.
Great. Dodds was as useless as a Fury as she was as a math teacher. Actually, she was more useful was a Fury. Yeah, I definitely preferred her like this.
As the bus came to a stop, I shuffled up with the people who were beginning to leave and sat down next to the girl.
She was a very beautiful girl. She had tanned skin, with chocolate-brown hair that was cut choppy and unevenly, and had thin strands braided down on the sides. In a sort of deliberate way, she looked like she was trying to make herself seem way uglier than she actually was.
She looked at me, and her eyes seemed to change color like a kaleidoscope, going from brown to blue to green. I could tell she was prepared to be on the run for a while- she was dressed in a fleece snowboarding jacket, faded jeans, and hiking boots.
"Are you the one my mother said would find me?" Piper asked critically before I could even introduce myself.
Her stare was sort of intense. I've been stared at quite a bit in my day, but hers was nothing to sneeze at. I frowned to myself as I noticed the bags under her eyes.
I sneakily activated some of my powers from Hestia- I mean, it might've been a bit ethically questionable to use my powers on someone unknowingly, but I couldn't have her falling asleep in the middle of a fight. No offense to Aphrodite, but her daughter was already sort of a liability. I needed to boost our already flimsy chance of survival. I needed her to get her rest.
"That's right," I answered, trying to keep my voice level and devoid of the negative emotions I was feeling. It wasn't her fault I had to drag her with me. Plus, I could tell it was starting to work. "I'm told you're coming to do my quest with me."
"Yep," Piper replied, yawning loudly. I deactivated it. The [MP] cost was starting to get a little too steep. Plus, it already kind of did the trick. She blinked a few times as if she wasn't expecting to be tired. "I'm Piper. Piper McLean."
"Percy Jackson," I shook her hand.
"So, Percy, who's your parent?"
"Pos- the water guy," I said, before grimacing for a second. I forgot that I wasn't being protected by the camp borders anymore. "Hold on. We can't talk about this while we're out here. Names have power. Talking about our parents like that is like shooting up a flare for monsters."
She nodded at me, biting her lip. "Hey, is it cool if I nap? I'm kind of tired, and-"
"No problem. I'll wake you up in a few," I cut her off. I didn't mind the silence one bit. Plus, I wanted to relax my body and mind, as well. I had a feeling that my little Poseidon slip-up was going to attract something big, and I wanted to be fully, you know, mentally there for it.
"Thanks."
A couple of hours later, I shook her awake.
"We're somewhere in New Jersey," I informed her as I slung my backpack over my shoulder. I think we were in Rutherford, to be exact. I knew there was a train station somewhere nearby, but we needed to find a place to stay, first.
I remembered this town from when I was really little. My mom used to have some family that lived here, but they ended up moving out.
Hm. Let's see if I remember where some stuff is.
We both stepped off the bus. I did a quick scan of the area. No monsters yet.
"Any clue what we're doing now?" She mumbled in a sleepy voice, leaning on me slightly as we walked towards the exit of the bus station.
"Piper," I snapped my fingers a few times to wake her up, not that I completely minded her leaning on me like that. "You have to be alert. We could be killed."
"Yeah, yeah," Piper grumbled, rubbing her eyes as we walked by another one of the bus stops. I looked around and caught a man sitting behind a circular desk in the middle of the station with a gigantic neon question mark on top of him.
Help desk. Cool.
I walked over to the man behind the help desk. "Hey, my uh, girlfriend and I are looking for a place to stay tonight. Are there any hotels nearby?"
The man made a tsk noise. "Sorry kiddo. We have some big business convention in town, so all the hotels are overbooked."
Piper came forward. I narrowed my eyes- I could see a small concentration of mana forming in her mouth. "Oh, please? We've just been traveling for so long. Are you sure there isn't any place to stay, just for the night?"
Ah. That must be that charmspeak ability I read on her page.
The man's eyes glazed over. Wow. That actually seemed like a more useful power than I originally gave it credit for.
"Well, there is one place. Aunty Em's, I think it's called. Down the street. It's some middle-eastern lady who always welcomes visitors. Has a whole fast-food restaurant-style grill and stuff back there, too."
My stomach growled. Fried, greasy, excellent food. I realized I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. I needed a double cheeseburger.
"Thanks," I said to the man, and we both started walking out of the bus station and down the road. It was a rather long road, but the two of us walked in companionable silence as I tried to figure out what was bugging me about being back in Rutherford.
It cut through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank. The glow of New York City made the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeked in our noses.
I opened my [Inventory] and pulled out the Minotaur horn while Piper took a small break, sitting down and looking at the steamboats slowly tugging away on the river. I pretended not to notice some of the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Hey, Piper," I called, getting her attention, a few moments later, when I was sure she wouldn't be embarrassed. I tossed her the horn. "I didn't know if you had a weapon yet or not, so I figured I'd give you this one. Not the best, but uh, should poke a few holes here and there."
"I don't have a weapon already," She admitted, holding up the horn in the dim light provided by a barely functioning streetlight. I couldn't tell if she was disgusted or awed by it. Probably a little bit of both. "Thanks."
"No problemo."
"Hey, Percy," Piper asked, not a moment later. She pulled her knees into her chest, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," I replied, walking over to her. The summer night was in full swing, and a couple of fireflies buzzed overhead as I plopped myself down on the coarse grass, right next to her.
"You and I...we figured out about, well, all of this demigod stuff more or less around the same time, right?" Piper questioned, the glittering lights of the boats reflecting off of her eyes.
"Yeah, I think so. In the grand scheme of things, I found out some things before, at school, but it all became crystal clear when I got to camp about a week ago," I answered truthfully, a little confused about where she was going with that line of questioning.
Piper hummed, "How are you so, I don't know, okay with all of it?"
"Well, I guess okay is kind of a subjective term," I said, shrugging. "I don't know if my definition of okay is really okay, but I mean, it's sort of all I can do if that makes sense. I don't have a choice on whether or not I'm okay with all of it. I just have to be."
"Why?" Piper said, resting her chin on her knees. "Why is it that you're forced to accept this life given to you? Aren't you a little bit resentful at Po- your dad for leaving you to this life?"
"Well, that's just the way things are," I said after a few moments of silence. "I'd love to be normal, and be back at my old boarding school, only worrying about bullies, or my next exam, or something. That just isn't how things work, though. I don't know if your mother filled you in on the quest I'm on, but it has to do with trying to find something while two of the Elder Gods are on my trail."
Piper's jaw dropped, "Wait, what? The Elder Gods? You said your dad is, well, the water guy, so..."
"Yep. My uncles from up top and down under are 'baying for my blood,' as some might say," I replied, quoting Chiron. "That's why I was so surprised when the Kindly Ones, I mean, approached me on the bus and told me that your mother requested that I bring you along. No offense, but without any training, joining me on a quest like this seems kind of stupid."
"See, that's what I mean!" Piper said, her voice getting louder. "How is that fair? Neither of us asked to be put in these horrible situations! How are two twelve-year-olds supposed to go across the country with three gods after them?"
"A third god?" I said slowly, my brain firing into overtime. All of a sudden, Aphrodite's request to send Piper on this quest with me made sense. At first, I thought she'd be safer at camp, but there's no way she would've reached there in the first place if a god was after her. Buddying her up with me would give her a fighting chance, seeing as I technically had the favor of three of the elders on my side.
Smart move, Aphrodite. Smart damn move.
"The uh, the God of War," Piper said lamely, skipping some rocks across the water. "He's got some beef with my mom, or something."
"So he wants to capture you, get your mom to do some stuff," I guessed, to which Piper nodded sadly. "Well, hey, it happens."
"It happens?" Piper repeated incredulously. "It fucking happens? How are you so accepting of this?"
"I have no other choice," I replied, getting a bit annoyed at the conversation. Why in God's name is it that so many demigods feel that sense of unfairness? Maybe I'm just too wrapped up in my own problems to see it, but I've never felt that way. My mom did her best with me, and I was going to pay it forward and then some. "In this world, with the fate that was given to me, fighting would only hurt the ones I love. It's my job to make sure they're protected in the end, you know? To do that, I'll just keep moving forward."
Piper was stunned, her voice instantly dropping back to a whisper, "How long would you do that? How long would you live your life like that?"
"As long as I need to," I said, standing up. "Until every last threat to my mother is gone. From there, eh, maybe I'll go and chill at camp for a bit and plan my next move. Come on, now. We've been in the same place for a while. We can't let our scent concentrate in one area for too long."
I offered her my hand.
"Percy?" She asked as I pulled her up.
"Yeah?"
"I think it's really sweet that you'd go through all of that to save your mom," Piper said shyly, pulling her arm back and resting it on the Minotaur horn.
"Thanks," I replied, still put off by the whole encounter.
We walked in silence down the road for a while, our shoes crunching against the gravel. I felt a little on edge. This part of New Jersey just didn't sit with me right. I was a city boy through and through. I liked the tall skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of cars.
I hated places like this. Not only was it completely silent except for the occasional animal cry, but it was also beginning to get dark, too. The city was never this dark, even in the middle of the night. Rutherford, though? It was like you'd taken the moon out of the sky.
Not to mention, I couldn't help but think back to my mom's relatives- the more I thought about that whole situation, the more I got the sense that I was misremembering something.
A few more minutes passed, and the road changed. Now, the two of us were on a deserted two-lane road that cut through the trees. On the other side, rested a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business- with a bright neon sign.
I could hear the neon humming from here. "Must be it."
Piper made a small hum.
I shook my head, and we walked towards the shop. It wasn't quite the fast-food restaurant I'd been hoping for, but for now, it would have to do. Honestly, it was more like one of those weird roadside shops that sold lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that.
You know, the ones you always see on those teen shows. The ones where they meet the stereotypical tribal lady who gives them some advice that changes their lives.
I wonder if we'd meet one too. Maybe she'd look at my hands and read my fortune.
I glanced at Piper, who was staring at the Indians intensely. Oh, right. All of a sudden, I felt a little guilty for thinking like that. This was her culture, being pretty horribly misappropriated. I'd be more than a little mad, too.
The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving as if they were about to get their picture taken.
As I kept looking around, Piper knocked on the door.
The door creaked open and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled.
Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old but well-manicured and elegant, so I imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.
Wait, how did she get to the door so fast? It was, like, two in the morning for Zeus' sake!
Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"
Piper took over. I could tell she was using charmspeak again. "Oh, this is my boyfriend, and we're just looking for a place to stay. The man at the help desk near the bus stop said he said you take visitors."
"Oh, my dears," The woman said, aghast. Her hand rested on her neck, "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."
[AUNTY EM]
[?]
?
?
?
?
That was….odd. Well, I mean, I was pretty sure that it meant that this woman just wasn't human. Maybe a monster? Eh, the few times I observed a monster, I saw exactly who they were at first glance. Maybe she's a goddess?
Her color was off, too. It was like, gold, but a tainted kind. Hm. So that means she's got some sort of godly mana in her? The goddess theory could have a bit of merit in that case.
Not good enough, though. In this new world, anything that I don't completely understand, including her, puts me on edge.
In fact, I was probably more on edge than I would be if she'd just been a straight-up monster.
New wasn't always good.
We walked inside. I lightly grabbed Piper's hand and pulled her close to me. From an outside point of view, it probably looked like we were hugging, but I was just whispering to her in a low voice.
My lips brushed against her ear. "I'm getting some weird vibes from this place. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something going on here. Keep your guard up."
"Dude, that's what I was thinking. Who gets to the door that fast? We're still hungry, though, so let's at least eat up, and then decide what to do after that." Piper replied to me, patting my shoulder. I felt a little more relaxed, but I wasn't sure if that was charmspeak or the way her warm breath tickled my neck.
The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. You'd have to have a pretty huge garden to fit even one of these statues because they were all life-size. The weirdest part? I could still see traces of mana on them as if there were actual people in there.
I mean, I guess it could've been residue from movers or just random people touching it, but I'm seriously doubting that. One coincidence can still be called a coincidence. Two, well okay, now it's getting suspicious. Three, though? I'm ready to pull out my sword.
We kept walking until we got to the back of the warehouse.
To my surprise, at the back of the warehouse, there was, in fact, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. Everything you could want, plus a few steel picnic tables out front.
Why would a woman living in such a desolate place need this much stuff? Even if it was a goddess pretending to be a human, why this…I was starting to doubt this woman had good intentions.
"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said. My eyebrows shot towards my forehead- I didn't even hear her come up, even with my slightly better-than-average hearing.
Now, the panic was starting to seep in a little bit. Everything about this situation was starting to seem a little too convenient to me.
"Awesome," Piper said, albeit reluctantly. "Um, we don't have any money, ma'am."
Before I could look at her questioningly, Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."
Oh, boy. My senses were going haywire. Aunty Em disappeared behind the door, and I started to scan my surroundings.
Instantly, my breath caught in my throat. Unlike the statues out in front, every single statue back here was brimming with mana. I'd never seen so much concentrated in an inanimate object- it was like before, except right now, it didn't just seem like residue from other people. Back here, it seemed like these were all actual people under that stone.
[STORY] Quest Alert!
{The Eye is The Jewel of the Body!}
|| You've noticed something peculiar about Aunty Em's. Uncover the secret behind this mysterious old lady and escape with your life! ||
{Rewards:}
- 100 REP with Piper!
- 5000 EXP!
?
{Failure:}
Both you and Piper die!
[YES/NO]
Welp. I accepted the quest.
After we were seated for a few moments, Aunty Em brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.
I ate slowly and carefully, looking between Piper and Aunty Em every few minutes to make sure she wasn't trying anything funny.
Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat.
It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at me when I couldn't see her face. Just who was this woman?
"So, you sell gnomes," I said, trying to sound interested. I deliberately asked about the gnomes, though, for two reasons. One, I was trying to learn a little bit more about her. And, two, I wanted to make it seem like we really were some curious kids who got lost and found their way here.
I figured that if it came down to it, I would have better odds with straight-up fighting the woman as long as I still had the element of surprise.
The whole issue with this situation was that I had no clue how strong this lady really was. I mean, I could try to draw from the fact that the Game couldn't give me any readable stats on her, but that didn't really mean much. It could just mean she had some sort of cloaking magic active or something.
I debated making my move but ultimately decided against it.
All fights tended to be 70% mental and 30% physical, though, so I'd have to be sure to gain as much information as I could before I made my move, or Piper and I would both end up dead.
"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."
"A lot of business on this road?" There's no way in hell anyone ever came down here. This place looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Not only that, but it looked untouched- as if it was a true slice of the past.
Tucked into the forest, too, like it was hiding from the public eye. Who knows what kinds of things could happen back here, where no one tended to look?
Wait- now I remembered why my mom's relatives had high-tailed it out of this town.
Back around the early 2000s, a bunch of little children had gone missing on the banks of the Hudson. No culprits were found, and no suspects were ever tried. The whole case was just buried in a way that rubbed them the wrong way.
So far, this had been the only operational place I'd seen anywhere close to the Hudson. Why would this woman stay in the one part of town where no one dared to go? Either she had balls of steel, metaphorically speaking of course, or she was involved with the damn disappearances.
"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."
My neck tingled as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl holding an Easter basket. The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues.
But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified. I knew I wasn't completely crazy when I saw the girl's eyes move.
The statues were alive? That was impossible…I felt like I was missing something really obvious.
"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly, noticing my intense glare at the girl. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."
"You make these statues yourself?" I asked. Maybe she'd drop a clue or something…
"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and sweet, old Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that I could tell Piper was completely under her spell.
I, on the other hand, was already starting to reach for Riptide. I looked at her confusedly and said, "Two sisters?"
"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children. You see, Piper, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed with me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually, they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived but at a price. Such a price."
Two sisters? A woman, a boyfriend?
Oh.
Oh fuck. How did I not see it? The statues, the veil. The insistence that she get visitors.
Aunty Em. M. Medusa.
She must've been the one to kidnap those children! She must've been the reason that the case got buried!
Surpise, Percy, surprise. Harness the element of surprise...
I grabbed the knife on the table, flinging it at Medusa's face with all of my might. Her hands shot up with frightening speed, slapping the knife away before I could throw the rest of my utensils at her. "Figured it out, then!"
"Perhaps," I flipped the table, uncapping Riptide instantly. The bronze blade sprang to life in my hands. "Piper, don't look her in the eyes! No matter what you do, do not look her in the eyes!"
"I'll make you stay with me forever," Medusa snarled, lunging forward. Her hands turned gnarled and warty, with sharp bronze talons for fingernails.
I ducked under her lunge and kicked her midsection with my sneakers, sliding across the table and flinging the tablecloth at her. Throwing the rest of my food at her for good measure, I taunted, "I'll take my food to go!"
Her claws came flying toward me, cutting through the tablecloth. In the nick of time, I noticed she wasn't even aiming for me- her hands were blasting toward Piper, who was frozen in shock.
Ah fuck, the first battle chills. I got them when I was fighting the Minotaur. Only for a second, of course, but still.
Throwing all caution to the wind, I pushed Piper out of the way, and I felt my left eye explode in pain. I felt dark spots dance in my vision, and Piper screamed out in horror as blood splattered against her arm.
Her adrenaline must've kicked in, though. Even though Piper closed her eyes and rushed blindly with her horn, she managed to get a solid stab in before Medusa brought her hands down on Piper's head.
She crumpled into a heap.
I lunged backward, knocking over the statue of a dog. One of the snakes on her head spewed venom into my injured eye.
"Argh!" I screamed, rolling low and slicing her legs cleanly.
With a groan, she started to fall backward. I closed my eyes and sent feelers out there. I could make out her writing body, outlined in wisps of blue, now, instead of the golden color, she'd had before.
So she had been cloaking herself. The gold indicated that a god was helping her, but what kind of god would want Medusa running rampant? Fuck if I know. I've got bigger fish to fry at the moment.
Hundreds of little wisps twisted off from her head. Two gigantic balls of yellow were wedged in her eye sockets- her cursed eyes.
I stood up and pinned her to the ground with my foot on her throat.
"Perseus, you don't have to do this..."
Shink!
I didn't even let her get the chance. Medusa's head rolled off her body, her face pointing downwards.
I sighed, pouring some of the water that was placed on the table on my face. With a little effort, I was able to open my left, but I felt my heart drop when I noticed everything was still black on that side.
My eye was mangled. It was fucking mangled. I sank to my knees, a hysterical laugh-sob wringing out of my throat.
I should've just gotten us out of here when I had the chance. I should've known it was Medusa. Who even owns so many stone things in the middle of nowhere? Who would even let random kids in during the middle of the night? I was right to have trusted my instincts, I just wish I could've trusted them sooner instead of letting myself get complacent.
I was dumb.
Annabeth was right. Anyone, literally anyone could be a monster. I knew that, I knew Medusa was suspicious, but I was tired and cold, and in the end, I even got cocky. And, now, well, Piper almost died and I did lose an eye.
Fucking great.
Ping!
|| You have acquired an item. ||
[MEDUSA'S EYE] (X1)
|| Would you like to equip it? ||
[YES/NO]
Equip it? I stared at the words. Was the game going to fix my eye?
I clicked yes.
I blinked. Once. Twice. Everything seemed normal.
I looked outside one of the windows, where an owl was looking right back at me. I felt a tug in my left eye, and all of a sudden, it fell over with a heavy thud.
Oh, boy.
Okay, okay, I get it.
I whistled to myself as I ripped some of the cloth off of her veil and fastened it over my eye. I really couldn't afford that heavy of a [MP] cost all the time. Maybe, later on, I could get an eyepatch or something, but for now, this would have to do.
Quest Comp- Yeah, don't care. I have bigger problems right now. I gathered Piper into my arms and walked back towards the entrance.
I'm sure Medusa had a bed, a couch, or something.
After a few minutes, I found her bedroom. I plopped Piper on the bed and leaned against the bedframe.
For some reason, the game didn't give me damage updates this time around. A quick look at my screen confirmed my fear.
My [HP] had been cut in half. A nice rest in this bed would probably heal me up, but I couldn't sleep until Piper woke up. I was slightly disappointed that the Game wouldn't heal my eye, but it wasn't worth losing too much sleep over. I'd found a slightly suitable replacement.
Now, if only Piper would wake up...
As if on command, she shot up like a bolt. She looked around frantically before her eyes rested on me.
Listen. Honest to Zeus, I thought she was going to slug me in the face. Or, maim me. Maybe slap me or something. If you don't get it, the common theme here is that I thought she was going to inflict violence on me somehow.
Not that I blamed her. I was the more experienced demigod, here. I should've known what was going on. I should've been able to save us both without either of us getting hurt…but I couldn't. I didn't.
Instead, she wrapped me in a hug and began to cry on my chest, blubbering incoherently. I awkwardly rubbed her back. I wasn't that good at comforting people.
Oh, right. Magical powers.
Sorry, I'm still not as used to this Game thing as I thought I was. Or being a demigod. Or being away from sc- you know what, I'm just going to get on with it.
Piper's tears stopped. I still heard her sniffle a few times, but I couldn't tell what was going on with her face still buried in my jacket.
"I'm sorry," Came her muffled voice. "I couldn't get to her-"
"Look, Piper," I assured her. "It's okay. Don't worry. My eye will be fine, and no harm came out of it. We probably did a good thing, killing her like that. She won't be around to kill innocent people."
Well, not for a while, anyway. I wasn't exactly keen on telling her that monsters could come back to life. She was probably getting enough of a mental overload as it was. A little bit more, and her brain would snap like a twig.
I was trying to be considerate. I mean, I'll be the first to tell you how tough it's getting to think like a kid with the Game and all those responsibilities on me, but I think I'm not too far off of the mark in assuming that she, or any other kid in this situation, would be freaked the heck out.
"I guess."
A few moments passed. Then a few more. Soft snoring filled the room, and I realized with a shock that Piper was asleep.
After everything that just happened, you'd probably assume I'd stay up and keep watch for monsters.
You'd be wrong. I was willing to take the chance that this place was hidden from gods and monsters alike- there was probably a reason Medusa had been so under the radar for so long.
I closed my eyes, too, and drifted into the land of sleep.
[STORY] Quest Complete!
{The Eye is The Jewel of the Body!}
|| You've noticed something peculiar about Aunty Em's. Uncover the secret behind this mysterious old lady and escape with your life! ||
{Rewards:}
- 100 REP with Piper!
- 5000 EXP!
- [MEDUSA'S EYE]
AN: Hello, everyone! Sorry for the late update but I had my finals to study for and well, actually take. I'm all done now, though, so I'm thinking about updates every 3 days.
Sorry if this chapter seems a bit subpar, I'm just getting back into the swing of things.
As for the pairing race, here are my thoughts:
Pertemis is the fan-favorite. It's overwhelmingly in the lead, with most people giving really good reasoning for it. I like the effort, but Moon's Dance isn't related to Artemis at all, I can tell you guys that. You'll find out who created it later on.
Next up we have Percy x Piper. It isn't my personal favorite, but I planned on introducing Piper earlier in the story anyway, as you can tell. There isn't much reasoning behind this one, but people do seem to like it.
And my personal favorite, Percy x Hera. Just 'cause I can't remember the last time I saw one of those. Not only that, but it would be a challenge to write, and I think it would be super interesting.
I have gotten a few reviews about a harem, but I'll be honest, I'm not too good at writing romance in general, let alone a harem. I'd drive myself crazy trying to make it perfect…so…that's a no from me, sorry.
Anywho! As always, I'd love to hear what you guys thought- and yes, I do read every review. See you soon.
EDIT (4/16/21): I changed some of the dialogue, and updated the visuals of the game. I began the process of changing the characterization of a few of the characters. Aphrodite, rather than seeming like some damsel in distress that begged Hades for help, is now canonically shown to have made a deal with the Lord of the Underworld. Piper, instead of an annoying add-on, has her moments of reflection that show her overall feelings towards the world of gods so far. I also slightly changed the fight with Medusa and added a little bit of background to make Percy seem a bit smarter, rather than being more or less in the dark until the end. Gave him a funny one-liner, too.
EDIT (2/3/22): Overhaul.
EDIT (10/18/22): Dialogue changes to tweak the early relationship between Percy and Piper a bit, and visual changes. A bit of grammar, too.