A/N. I forgot to answer reviews last time. My bad. So I'll answer all the reviews until now. "Interesting story. Was not expecting this but anything involving either Lucifer and/or Pertemis is welcome to me. The first 2 chapters are exceptional and can't wait for the next chapters." -GokuBlackSSJR14
Thank you! I hope this continues to live up to your expectations!
"Ερις chapter, loved it! Hoping for more ASAP!
Keep it up. Defo wanna read more, especially after seeing the pairing (:" -eesamaster1
Thank you man, means a lot!
"lit" -q1234567
thanks
"Neat concept so far! Interested to see where it goes!" -PhantomFuryJP
Thank you, so am I!
"Keep it up. It is an original plot. It got a ton of possibility" -AmWRAZ
Will do. I'm very excited for this story!
And that's reviews!
Chapter Four
Percy stirred slowly. The first feeling he felt was the touch of soft fabric over his body. It was a nice, expensive feeling material, which is how he instantly knew that it wasn't his own. He couldn't open his eyes yet, but he could start to move his body parts. When he finally opened his eyes, he was struck by how grand the room he was in was.
It was a room fit for a king. The ceiling was so far above him, with a large chandelier hanging in the center, providing soft lighting. To his right was a large opening, leading to a balcony. He sat up, and saw that he was in a large bed. It was larger than a king, probably called emperor or something. The blankets were like a sea, with the edge of the bed being as far as the edge of the world.
'How did I get here?' He wondered, before memories struck him like a bat. The fight with Lucifer, the explosion that knocked him out.
He got out of the bed. As the cool air met his chest, he realized he was fully naked. "The fuck?" He muttered. He examined his body and noticed that there were a bunch of burn scars. None of them pained him, which means he must've been out for a while to heal them. Either that, or Hell had some special healing medicine, which he highly doubted.
The door opened and Percy whirled around, covering himself. Standing in the doorway, dressed impeccably, with his hands folded behind his back, was Mephistopheles. "You're finally awake."
"Where are my clothes?"
"I'm afraid they were burned in the explosion, as was most of your body."
"How long was I out?"
"Two weeks, give or take."
Percy's eyes widened. Two weeks had passed. Plus however much time had passed before the fight. His mom was probably so worried about him. She was the last time he disappeared and was gone for eight months. She was gonna kill him when he got back. "When can I leave?"
"Leave, Lord Perseus?"
Percy paused. "I'm sorry? What did you call me?"
"Lord Perseus."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, why are you calling me Lord? I am no Lord."
"Yes, you are, Perseus. By Section 1 of the Luciferian Articles, you have been named King of Hell through combat with Ex-Lord Lucifer. According to Law, you are the rightful King."
"Except it was a fake battle. You know that. So why would you honor this? Aren't you loyal to Lucifer anyway?"
"I am loyal to the throne, no matter who, or what, claims its rightful place upon it."
"Just, give it to someone else."
Mephistopheles laughed. "Lord Perseus-"
"Percy."
"-That is not my decision. By law, you are the King. The only way out is to lose a fight to a challenger."
"Okay, that's not so bad. So I'll just lose a fight, then leave."
"You misunderstand me, Lord Perseus. The fight is to the death."
Percy froze. "Oh." Was all he managed to say. "So, you're like my, what, royal advisor then?"
"Royal Advisor, Butler, Attendant, Valet, whatever you want to call it."
"Hm."
Percy turned around and walked out onto the balcony. It surrounded the room, allowing him to look all around the realm. He was high up, in one of the towers in the castle. He rested his hands on the balcony as he surveyed the land. His land. It didn't sound right.
Right in front of him were two separate sections. The one on the left was made up of a bunch of mansions, like it housed nothing but billionaires. The one on the right was similar, but noticeably different. While the one on the left screamed riches, the one on the right seemed to be more along the lines of a prideful bunch. There were a lot of similarities, but they were different.
In the distance to the left was a mountain that disappeared into the red mist. To the right stretched woods made up of dark, dead trees.
"We have a lot on the agenda today, Lord Persues. Please follow me." Mephistopheles spoke up from behind.
"Percy. Just call me Percy, please."
Mephistopheles walked out of the room, ignoring Percy's request. Percy followed behind him. They walked a spiral staircase.
Mephistopheles made a turn to the left and opened a door. They walked into a room with a bunch of clothing on hangers. In the center of the room was a creature that resembled a large spider. It stood on two legs, having six arms. Its eight eyes watched as Percy entered the room while it fiddled with a measuring tape. The spider bowed. "Lord."
Percy waved him off. "Don't call me 'Lord', please." He was getting tired of repeating himself.
"Please come here " The demon said.
Percy walked over to the demon and stopped a couple of feet away. The spider reached over to a table and picked up some clothing before handing it to Percy. Percy put the clothes on, grateful to finally be covered.
The spider inspected Percy thoroughly. The demigod shivered under the demon's stare. Percy turned to Mephistopheles. "What is he doing?"
"He is going to measure you."
"Measure me? Why?"
"For your clothes."
"My clothes." Percy looked around and realized that everything around him was used in suits. "You're making me wear a suit?"
"A king must dress kingly."
"Kings don't wear suits. They wear robes and shit like that. Which, for the record, I also don't want to wear."
"It is customary for the king to wear a suit."
"Just because your only king wore a suit doesn't make it tradition."
"What is tradition but one person doing something and others following?"
"Do I really have to wear a suit?"
"It would be preferable. Especially for your introduction as king to the public."
"Fine."
What followed was thirty minutes of the spider walking around Percy, measuring different parts of his body and writing down numbers. Percy found himself looking around and moving, much to the chagrin of the spider. He couldn't help it, it was the ADHD.
When the spider was done, he told Percy and Mephistopheles to leave and he'd find them with the finished suit.
"What now?" Percy asked.
"Now, we set up your income."
"I get paid for this?"
"Of course."
Mephistopheles took him to the dining room and sat down, motioning for Percy to sit down as well. On the table was a stack of paperwork. Percy sat down.
"The usual rate for the king is 72,000 pain a year. However, we are open to a little negotiation."
"Pain?"
"Yes, pain." Mephistopheles pulled out a little vial of blood and placed it on the table.
"That's just blood."
"Is that what you mortals call it? It's quite the substance, isn't it?"
"So… is 72,000 pain a year good?"
"It is taken from five hundred damned sinners."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Yes."
"Would it be possible to pay me in dollars, or drachma even?"
Mephistopheles pursed his lips. "It may be possible. I would have to find out the conversion rate, as well as match it with your inflation rate."
Percy nodded. "Thank you."
There was a lull in the conversation before Percy spoke up with a question. "Why blood?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why use blood as currency?"
"Pain is powerful. Potent. Ingested, it heightens feeling, emotions. With this-"
"Ingested?"
"Indeed." Mephistopheles picked the vial up off of the table and uncorked it. He carefully poured the viscous liquid in a line on the table. He gingerly placed the empty glass on the table next to the line of blood. Then, in one quick motion, he snorted the blood. Mephistopheles' head kicked back. He turned to Percy, his eyes wide.
Mephistopheles started to change. His eyes shifted colors, his nose changed shape. His ears rounded before becoming pointed again. His skin color darkened and lightened.
"What's happening to you?" Percy asked, leaning back, wary of what the Royal Advisor was going for.
"My power is more intense. The effects of the pain. I didn't take much, it'll calm down in a few seconds."
"What's your power?"
"I can change my appearance at will. However, the pain is amplifying the ability so much that I can't control it."
Suddenly, Mephistopheles froze up before relaxing. His appearance settled on his usual look, pointed features, pale skin, red eyes and lips, making him look like a vampire with no fangs, especially with the older suit that he wore. The Royal Advisor fixed his tie, straightening it.
"And that has the same effect on all demons?"
"Not the exact same effect, but the same idea. For a demon from Wrath, it'd make their bloodlust stronger. For a demon from Pride, it'd, well, it'd increase their pride, making them fuckin' insufferable to be around. For a demon from Lust, it'd make fornication more pleasurable." A strange expression came across Mephistopheles' face as he breathed out slowly.
"You good man?"
Mephistopheles blinked before shaking his head. "Sorry, M'lord, just… reflecting."
Someone barged into the room, the large doors smashing into the wall creating a large crashing sound. In the doorway was a spider demon. Its body was covered in boils. Percy recognized the demon. It was the one that had passed by him when Lucifer had kicked his ass that first day of training.
"I challenge the throne!" The demon yelled. Behind him must have been a horde of demons because cheers of 'False King!' came from the hall.
Percy turned to Mephistopheles. "I have to fight him, right? I don't have a choice."
"Yes."
Percy sighed, before he stood up and faced the demon. "Where?"
"The front steps. I will see your body broken on the stairs before your throne, False King." There was venom in the spider's words.
Percy followed the spider demon out of the room, through the throne room, where a horde of demons split like the Red Sea for him. They eyed him as he passed, anger in their eyes. As he passed, a chant arose. "Down with the False King! Down with the False King!"
They passed through the garden. When they reached the stairs, Percy turned and faced the demon. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Riptide. He uncapped the pen, the sword springing to life in his hand.
Around them, the horde of demons surrounded them. Mephistopheles joined them, watching with careful eyes. Percy wondered what was going through Mephistopheles' mind. On one hand, he knew that the Royal Advisor was loyal to the throne, but what was the demon's personal feeling about this?
The spider made the first move, scuttling towards him on its eight legs, faster than Percy would have expected. Percy swung Riptide at the spider's leg, hoping to injure the demon. But when the sword met the demon's flesh, it met no resistance. The sword passed right through the demon. Percy was taken by shock, allowing the spider to tackle him and bite him on the neck. Percy felt fiery pain in his neck as the spider pumped venom into his bloodstream. He dropped Riptide and brought his hands to the spot where the spider's head met its body as he tried to pull the spider off of him.
Percy managed to roll them over and pinned the spider to the ground with one hand. With his other one, he began to punch the spider in the head, aiming for its eyes.
Black blood spurted from the spider with every punch, coating Percy's fist. As he hammered away, Percy realized that he wasn't fighting with the usual grace that he usually had, but rather, this was something more primal, he was fighting for survival.
When the spider stopped struggling, Percy stood up and looked down at the spider. The demon slowly got up and faced Percy. The demigod was breathing heavily, out of breath, while his neck stung. He could feel himself getting weaker, the venom starting to take its toll.
"Go, leave." Percy said, deciding it was enough.
The spider clicked its mandibles together. "To the death." It gritted out. "Mine or yours, False King."
"So be it."
Percy charged at the spider and reached out and grabbed the mandibles of the spider. He pulled in opposite directions, wretched the fangs out of the spider's mouth. More black blood spurted, landing on Percy's face. He stabbed one of the fangs into the top of the spider's head, drawing more black blood.
The spider, desperate, raked its legs across Percy's back, using the sharp nails on the end of its legs to cut open Percy's back. The demigod hissed in pain before shoving the other fang into the bottom of the spider's head. Using both hands, he pulled each fang forward, ripping the head effectively in half.
The spider collapsed on top of him. Percy rolled them over and shoved the spider away. The spider fell over the edge of the stairs and rolled down them before crashing onto the ground. There was no movement. The spider demon was dead.
Percy got to his feet. He was covered in black blood, still gripping the fangs in his hands, holding them like knives. He looked around. "Anyone else?" He asked slowly.
The demons eyed him before they all decided to leave. They walked down the stairs. The last demon in the line, before going down the stairs, turned to Percy. "This isn't over, False King."
Percy turned to Mephistopheles. The demon looked him over. "You need a shower. Go wash up, we'll introduce you to the council later."
"The council?"
"Don't worry about it for now. Just go get washed up. I'll have Rastr leave the suit in your room for when you get out."
Percy sighed and walked into the castle and towards his room. He stripped himself of his stained clothes and got into the shower. As soon as the water hit his skin, he felt relief. Slowly, the venom in his veins drained out, the water expelling it from his body.
He took deep breaths as he leaned against the wall, feeling the water fall across his body. He felt the cuts on his back slowly heal. After his wounds had healed, he started to wash off the black demon blood. The bottom of the tub was stained black.
When he was done, he sat down in the tub and once again, let the water wash over him as he reflected on the day. He couldn't believe that his life was real, once again. Now he was the King of a place he didn't know existed a couple of months ago. He idly remembered that Paul was making burgers for dinner the day he left. He wondered if they tasted any good.
Why did this shit always happen to him? All he ever wanted was to be normal. He wanted to be a normal kid, a normal teenager, a normal adult. He wanted to graduate, go to college with his girlfriend, live the picket fence.
But no, his Uncle and Dad had to pick a fight, Annabeth had to break up with him, and Lucifer had to trick him. He couldn't ever get one thing he wanted.
He stood up and clenched his fist. Feeling red rage within his chest, he punched the wall with all his strength. He didn't even register the pain as his blood splattered against the wall, the skin on his knuckles having burst open. He pulled his hand away and dropped his arm. Water rushed over his knuckles, healing the wound, the water, stained red, falling onto the ground below.
He turned off the shower and stepped out before drying himself. When he dried his hand he pulled the towel away to find his knuckles in perfect condition. He sighed heavily and finished drying himself off.
He walked into his room, and hanging on the bed frame was a suit. He slowly put each piece of the suit on, from the undershirt to the tie to the waistcoat. He looked at himself in the mirror and didn't like what he saw.
He raised his chin, looking at the image head on. If he was a king now, he needed to play the part. As much as he didn't want to, as much as he hated it, he couldn't show weakness to the demons, they would tear him apart. And if he wanted any chance at being able to go home, he needed to live.
How he would achieve that, he didn't know, but he would figure it out. He always did.
He stepped out of the room and walked down the stairs. Mephistopheles was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. When Percy neared him, the Royal Advisor bowed. "Lord Perseus."
"Please, don't. Just Percy."
"Of course, Lord Perseus."
Percy sighed before noticing the spider demon tailor standing behind Mephistopheles on two legs. "How does the suit fit, m'lord?"
"Perfect. Thank you."
Rastr bowed. "My pleasure." The demon stood up and walked away, having accomplished his duty.
Mephistopheles held out his hand, gesturing to the doorway to the throne room. Percy raised his chin. 'Confidence,' he thought to himself. He walked, almost marching, towards the doorway before approaching his throne.
He gazed at the throne for a moment. A simple stone chair before a large wall of fire. Carved into the seat, where his head would rest, was a reverse pentagram.
He walked up to the throne and slowly sat down. He crossed his legs and laid his arms on the armrest, looking out at his throne room.
Hell had a new King. May his rule be long and glorious.
LINE BREAK
Rachel Elizabeth Dare was sitting in her cave at Camp Half-Blood, painting. She brushed a couple of strokes of blue, adding the lighting. She was once again painting one of her visions. She was used to them now. Almost five years acting as the oracle made her accustomed to them. The same with the presence.
Ever since she decided to host the Oracle of Delphi, she had always felt like a presence had taken up residence in her mind. Always watching, and when it was time to give a prophecy, the presence would overtake her.
When Gaia was trying to wake, and she raised Python to overtake the Oracle of Delphi, the presence had weakened. But it had never gone away.
Until now. She dropped her paintbrush as she felt a clear head. A sinking feeling in her gut appeared, like an anvil had just materialized in her stomach.
She rushed out of the cave and to the Big House. She knocked rapidly on the door. A few seconds passed by before the door opened, revealing Chiron in all his horsey glory. "Yes, child?"
"Chiron, the oracle, it's gone!"
"Pardon?"
"The oracle. The Presence in my head, it disappeared!"
"Could this be Python's doing, perhaps? Apollo hasn't done anything about it because of the storm. Maybe this is a sign that he needs to finally act."
"Maybe, but I don't think so. Something happened.
"Something big."
A/N. The first half of this chapter bored me, not gonna lie. But it was important because it loads some Chekov's guns, as well as worldbuilding. The second half was a lot easier and more fun.
Next chapter starts Pertemis. So I'm very excited about that.
Lastly, since I'm probably not gonna update again within the next two days, have a very Merry Christmas, or if you don't celebrate, a very Happy Holidays! Much love!
Thoughts?