Answers to reviews:
Guest: Hmm, well I have been thinking of ways to add Aphrodite, so it's possible she'll be added.
Sakra95: I'm not the best at making lines in prophecies, but I had to have some way to include Jakob. Wasn't sure on whether or not to include anything related to him as a way of the Greek Fates not expecting him, but the Norns (Norse Fates) do.
Guest02957: Thank you.
timbarney110: I'll think about it.
Bromega2477 : I went back and changed both of those things.
BeserkerJ12: Accurate.
BIRD0FHERMES: That was my bad.
Disclaimer: I do not own God of War or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I only own the OC Jakob Thorsson.
Jakob was packed and ready to go.
Katie (bless her soul) gave him a backpack with a toothbrush, ambrosia and nectar, ten gold drachmas, fifty U.S. dollars in mortal money, as well as some spare clothes.
The drachmas were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of several Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ancient mortal drachmas were silver, Chiron told him, but Olympians never used less than pure gold.
Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions. The ambrosia and nectar were given in the case of emergencies. It was god food, Chiron reminded him and the others. It would cure almost any injury, but lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a demigod very, very feverish. An overdose would burn them up, literally.
Jakob also received a new gift, courtesy of the Hephaestus cabin. They had taken his black hooded bomber jacket and attached a metal hook to the back, forged in the shape of the Greek symbol for war. It was for the Leviathan Axe, rather than have it at his waist all the time. Jakob had thanked them and told them to not strain themselves in working on his cabin, but they told him not to worry and declared they'll have it done by the time he gets back, filled with everything he wanted.
Jakob also said goodbye to Silena, who wished him luck and even hugged him and he couldn't help but hug her bac, ignoring the giggles of Silena's sisters.
Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told him had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mum.
She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. Andromeda said she was sure the knife would get them busted the first time they went through a metal detector.
Grover wore his fake feet and pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket were a set of reed pipes his daddy goat carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded like dying cats on reed pipes.
The questers waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.
Chiron was waiting for them in his wheelchair. Next to him stood a surfer-looking guy with many eyes.
According to Grover, the guy 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 he could only see on his hands, face and neck.
"This is Argus," Chiron told the kids. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."
"That was terrible." Jakob deadpanned after hearing that. The centaur looked sheepish at that.
The group heard footsteps behind them.
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. Jakob chuckled, getting her to glare at him, but he just chuckled heartedly.
"Just wanted to say good luck, and I thought…um, maybe you could use these." Replied Luke, handing the Daughter of Poseidon the sneakers, making her frown in confusion at what she could use them for.
"Maia!" Luke said, with Andromeda being surprised when white bird wings sprouted from the heels, dropping them on the ground, where they flapped around for a few moments until the wings folded up and vanished.
"Awesome!" Grover said, smiling in amazement at Andromeda getting flying shoes.
"Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" Said Luke with a smile before his expression turned sad, with Andromeda smiling and picking up the shoes.
"Hey, thanks." Andromeda said, with the Son of Hermes nodding with smile.
Luke turned to Jakob. "Couldn't get you a pair, but I doubt you'd need them given you're the son of Thor and all, capable of flying yourself."
Jakob waved it off. "It's fine."
"Listen guys…a lot of hopes are riding on you. So just…kill some monsters for me, okay?" Luke asked, as the ravenette nodded as they shook hands. Then Luke shook Jakob's.
Before he patted Grover on the head between his horns and hugged Annabeth goodbye, making the blonde look ready to pass out.
"You're hyperventilating." Jakob said bluntly.
"Shut up!" Annabeth said, blushing.
"You let him take the flag instead taking it yourself, didn't you." Stated Andromeda as she looked at Annabeth slyly, causing her to glare at the ravenette as well.
"Why do I want to go anywhere with either of you?!" Annabeth retorted before stomping down the hill towards a white van, with Argus following after her.
Andromeda then turned back to the flying shoes, looking at them with a frown, knowing she wouldn't be able to wear them, yet Luke gave them to her anyway. Jakob glanced at the shoes and frowned, bit for a different reason. Luke should've known that Andromeda couldn't go into the air, given she was Poseidon's daughter. That was like jumping into a troll's den, sow what was he playing at?
"Luke meant well, Andromeda. But taking to the air…that would not be wise for you." Chiron said, seeing her expression and guessed what she was thinking.
"Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?" Andromeda asked, turning to the satyr, making his eyes light up in excitement.
"Me?!" Grover said, not expecting her to give him the flying shoes, the ravenette nodding as she handed him the flying shoes.
Eager to try them out, Grover put them on his fake feet and tied them up.
"Maia!" Said Grover, causing the wings to appear, only to yelp as he was thrown to the ground sideways, the shows flying around as they dragged him down the hill.
"Practice. You just need practice!" Chiron called out.
Jakob sighed and walked on, managing to grab Grover by his leg and pull him along to the white van where Annabeth was waiting with Argus.
Andromeda chuckled and move to join them, only to stop when Chiron grabbed her arm.
"I should have trained you better, Andromeda. If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason, they all got more training." Said Chiron, hating to send her off on such a dangerous quest with hardly any training.
"Jakob did what he could for me." Andromeda said, shivering as she remember Jakob's combat training. He had not been gentle or easy on her at all. "Though it would've been nice to own a signature weapon like he does."
"While I don't have a axe forged by Dwarves, I do have this." Chiron said, pulling a pen out from his coat pocket and handed it to Percy. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents. "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."
Andromeda raised a brow before she took off the cap and half a second later, she held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs.
"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told him. "Its name is Anaklusmos."
"Riptide," Andromeda translated.
"Use it only for emergencies," Chiron said, "only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."
The daughter of Poseidon looked at the sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?" Andromeda asked.
"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mt. Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature of the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply aren't important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."
"Good to know."
"Now recap the pen."
Andromeda touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. She tucked it in her pocket, looking nervous.
"You can't," Chiron said knowingly, smiling.
"Can't what?"
"Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."
Andromeda looked wary, but threw the pen as far as she could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.
"It may take a few moments," Chiron told her. "Now check your pocket."
Sure enough, the pen was there.
"Okay, that's extremely cool," Andromeda admitted with a smile. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"
Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Andromeda."
"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."
Andromeda nodded and placed Riptide back into her pocket.
"Just one last piece of advice, Andromeda. Relax. Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history." Said Chiron, with the demigod nodding while taking a deep breath.
Heading down the hill to the van, Andromeda saw Jakob sitting in the front while Annabeth and Grover were in the back. Looking back up the hill towards Thalia's tree, she saw Chiron holding his bow up in the air in a salute.
'Just a typical summer camp sendoff from your typical centaur activities director.' Andromeda thought as she got into the van.
The questers had arrived in Manhattan by the time the sun began setting and started to rain, with Argus dropping them off at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. Helping them unload their bags and making sure they had their bus tickets before driving back to camp.
With them waiting for the bus to arrive, until Jakob noticed Andromeda tearing a flyer off a mailbox.
"Problem?" Jakob asked, making Andromeda look at him before shaking her head.
"No, no problem." Muttered Andromeda before glancing in the direction of her old apartment, knowing that on a normal day, her mother would be back from the candy shop by now.
"You want to know why she married him, Andie?" Grover said, looking at his friend, with the ravenette turning towards him.
"Is that you reading my emotions or can satyrs read minds too?" Andromeda asked with a sarcastic edge.
"Your emotions. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?" Repeated Grover, with Andromeda nodding in response.
"Your mom married Gabe for you. You call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura…yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for nearly two weeks." Grover explained, much to Andromeda's disgust.
"Thanks. Where's the nearest shower?" Said Andromeda, not wanting any of Gabe's smell on her.
"You should be grateful, Andie. Your stepdad smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff of his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mother 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."
Andromeda just continued looking into the distance, thinking on what Grover said. Jakob put his hand on her shoulder. "A mother will do anything to protect their child, Andie." He told him knowingly "Be proud of that. We'll get her back."
Andromeda nodded, looking sad and determined at the same time.
The rain kept coming down.
They got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. Andromeda wasn't too bad herself. Jakob just stood back and watched, shaking his head in amusement.
At some point, someone at the bus stop questioned why Jakob had a head hanging from his belt on the back of his waist and if it was real. Jakob's response?
"Halloween decoration. It'll be on the shelves before October."
Finally the bus came. As they stood in line to board, Grover started to look around, sniffing like a bloodhound.
"What is it?" Andromeda asked.
"I don't know," he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."
"Never dismiss such feelings as nothing." Jakob advised.
Finding seats in the back, they stored their backpacks in the overhead racks, with Andromeda seeing Annabeth nervously slapping her Yankees cap against her thigh. While Jakob just looked calm and collected.
"Andie." Annabeth suddenly said, just as the last passenger got on the bus, making them look to the front.
It was an old lady who climbed onto 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. Though when she looked up, showing her black eyes, Andromeda paled at recognizing her. Recognizing her as Mrs. Dodds, looking older and more withered, but with the same evil face.
With her were two other old ladies, all of them looking identical, aside from the hats, with Mrs. Dods wearing an orange hat, while the other two were wearing green and purple. All three sat at the very front right behind the driver, two sitting in the aisle and crossing their legs over it.
"She didn't stay dead long. I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime." Andromeda said, trying to keep the quiver from her voice, since if Mrs. Dodds was a Fury and she was two other old ladies, then she really wasn't liking their odds.
"I said if you're lucky, you're obviously not." Retorted Annabeth while trying to think of any plan to get them out of this.
"All three of them, Di Immortales!" Grover said, freaking out that all three Furies were here.
"It's okay. The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows." Annabeth stated, believing they'll be able to get out of this.
"They don't open and we're currently moving." Said Andromeda as they were heading towards Lincoln Tunnel, making the Daughter of Athena mentally curse.
"We aren't running." Jakob said, causing them to look at him only to see the Son of Thor with his eyes on the Furies. "To run is the coward's way."
"But we can't take on the Kindly Ones!" Annabeth hissed at him.
Jakob gave her a look. "I can."
"Jakob's faced off against creatures that proved more of a challenge than Hades' chief torturers, this should be no problem for him." Mimir said confidently as Jakob gripped the Leviathan Axe. "Just follow his lead and trust him."
The three shared looks before nodding as Jakob kept his eyes on the approaching Furies, tapping a finger patiently against the blade of the axe.
As soon as the Furies were close, they shed their disguises and revealed their true forms. The old ladies weren't old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-guess they couldn't get any uglier-but their bodies shrivelled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat wings and hands like gargoyles. Their handbags turned to fiery whips.
Jakob burst from his seat and shoulder-bashed the middle Fury in the stomach, then clobbered the second in the face before spinning and sliced his Axe across the neck of the third one, taking her out instantly and she dissolved into golden dust.
The bus driver was trying to look in the rear view mirror to see what was going on while the people on the bus screamed. Who knows what the Mist was showing them?
The Fury knows as Mrs. Dodds, though Jakob knew that wasn't her name, hissed at the Son of Thor. "Where is it?! Where?!"
Jakob narrowed his eyes at that. "Whatever it is you seek, we do not have it."
The Fury growled and swung her whip, but Jakob caught it and pulled her in for a spinning kick to the face.
While Jakob was fighting off the Furies, Andrmeda snuck by wearing Annabeth's cap that turned her invisible. However, she wasn't just going to leave her friends to handle things and knew they needed to get off the bus. Looking around, she soon spotted the emergency handle brake and pulled it.
The bus screeching, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees, throwing many off their feet. Jakob slammed into a window, and the two Furies collided with the seats before falling down. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him.
The two Furies regained their balance, but Jakob kicked one in the face, swung his axe and drove it into the chest of the other Fury who shrieked and dissolved into golden dust afterwards.
Suddenly thunder rumbled in the sky, causing Jakob to glance up, feeling the familiar feeling of lightning coming... and it wasn't because of him.
'Dammit Zeus!' Jakob cursed silently before looking at his companions. "Get off the bus! Now!"
Annabeth and Grover rushed past him, joining up with Andromeda and they jumped off the bus. Jakob swung the axe and took out Mrs. Dodds, making her dissolve into gold dust as well. Hooking the back on his back, Jakob grabbed Mimir's head and his backpack before running and jumped out the bus just in time before a huge lightning bolt came down and struck the bus, blowing it up in a huge explosion.
"You'd think Zeus would be all happy we're trying to find his toy... but he just tried to kill us!" Mimir shouted, hoping Zeus heard.
Jakob just shook his head and clipped Mimir to the back of his hip and shouldered his backpack. "Let's move."
The questers rushed into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, nothing but darkness ahead. As they ran, Mrs. Dodds' words rang through Jakob's head.
"Where is it?! Where?!"
'If Hades has the Master Bolt, why would he send his chief torturers searching for it. I doubt he's misplaced it. Unless... he doesn't have the Bolt but has lost something else.' Jakob thought with narrowed eyes in thought. 'There's something going on and it's not just a simple thievery and threat of war between the Gods...'
Looks like Jakob's being smart and thinking, getting the suspicion something else is going on than what they are led to believe. Of course, he doesn't believe Hades has the Master Bolt since Hades is always made out as the bad guy so it's stereotypical, but he also thinks that going to the Underworld may in fact provide more answers than questions.
And yes, the hook on the back of Jakob's jacket is the same symbol as the hook Kratos has in God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök that he puts the Leviathan Axe in, so Jakob's now got the axe on his back rather than at his waist like Thor has Mjolnir.
Harem: Silena Beauregard, Thalia Grace, Katie Gardner, Annabeth Chase, Andromeda Jackson (Female Percy), Bianca Di Angelo, Zoe Nightshade, Thrúd, Freya, Artemis, Athena, Hestia, Skadi.