Answers to reviews:
Guest02957: Thanks.
sniperbro1998: Jakob doesn't have the best view of my father. He was abused and neglected physically, emotionally and mentally for most of his life in being raised by his father.
Guest: Shit.
eziouzumakiauditore: I had to Google translate your review, but... damn.
ghostdog2AD: What?
BIRD0FHERMES: Yep.
Bromega2477: Damn right.
3bodyjaa: Thanks.
Disclaimer: I do not own God of War or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I only own the OC Jakob Thorsson.
In a way, it's nice to know there are Gods out there, because you have someone to blame when things go wrong.
For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monsters and struck by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.
So there they were, Jakob, Annabeth, Grover and Andromeda, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank. Jakob led the way for them, eyes glancing around for signs of any other threats.
Grover was shivering and braying, his big goat eyes turned slit-pupiled and full of terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."
Andromeda was pretty much in shock herself. The explosion of bus windows still ringing in her ears. But Annabeth kept pulling them along, saying: "Come on! The farther we get, the better."
"All our money was back there," Andromeda reminded her. "Our food and clothes. Everything."
"My pack contains money and everything else, we'll be fine." Jakob said firmly, cutting the conversation short before it could get going.
"How about a story to pass the time?" Mimir suggested, causing Annabeth, Grover and Andromeda to look at him. "I'm the Smartest Man Alive, and I've been around for a long time. I can tell stories and events involving the Gods, the Giants, and all creatures of the Nine Realms."
Annabeth smiled. "I'm okay with that. I'd like to hear more about the Norse pantheon."
"if it gets our mind off this quest for a bit, that's alright." Andromeda nodded in agreement.
"Right then." Mimir chuckled. "So what would you like to know first about the Norse?"
"Hmm..." Annabeth thought for a moment before she looked at him. "The Giants."
"Ah, starting off with the best then." Mimir smiled. "Then I'll begin with how it all came to be, how Ymir the First Giant came to be. In the beginning there was Ginnungagap, the great void. There were no realms yet, only primordial forces. There was Fire, and there was Ice, and there in the Void they met, and they produced..."
"Water?" Andromeda guessed.
"More than water—the mystic life blood of something entirely new. From this water, Ymir took form, and became a being of pure creation and chaos, mother and father to all that came after." Mimir explained.
"Even the Aesir?" Annabeth asked with eyes full of curiosity and awe.
"Aye, every god, man, and beast came first from Ymir's flesh. Though it was the Aesir who thought themselves so superior that they should hold dominion over the rest of creation. It was Odin who took arms against his creator, and spilled Ymir's life-blood with his spear. A necessary evil, he would say, to bring Order to the realms. From Ymir's torn flesh, Odin would fashion the realm of Migard for his own. Called himself "Allfather"—as if he was the creator, and not the creator's destroyer. A small… covetous…Tyrant…"
The two Greek demigods and Satyr shared a look with each other at Mimir's words full of disdain aimed at Odin.
"But... Chaos is the one that formed everything." Annabeth said, recalling the first Primordial who created everything.
"Every pantheon has their own version of how things began, how everything was crated and came to be." Mimir told her. "Truth is, there is truth to every story in the creation of the Universe. But Odin... Odin would rather make himself out to be creator of all."
"Is... Is Odin really that bad?" Grover asked nervously.
"Yes, he is." Mimir said lowly.
"So... what happened after Odin killed Ymir?" Andromeda asked.
"Ah, it's in the blood of Ymir this story starts." Mimir said grimly. " Ymir's magical guts poured out in a torrent so violent it threatened to flood all of creation. The Jötnar were unprepared, as the very last of them were washed away in the endless tide. Not just Ymir, but all of Giant-kind faced extinction. And so would Odin's victory have been complete. But… Ymir's kind did not all perish that day. Staying afloat in the hollowed husk of a tree, the Frost Giant Bergelmir endured, as did his lady wife. For weeks they sailed, until they came upon a new land. They called it Jötunheim, and there they would start anew. As father and mother they would multiply exceedingly, and as King and Queen they worked to make Jötunheim a land where Giants would know no master but themselves. Bergelmir never sought revenge for Odin's slaughter. His vengeance was to live, and prosper. He died at peace, a legion of his kin to mourn him. He would ever be known as Bergelmir the Beloved."
"Wow... he really sounds like a Giant worthy of respect from his people and others." Andromeda said, getting nods of agreement from Annabeth and Grover. "So that's how Jötunheim came to be?"
"Indeed, and it's become one of Odin's most foremost obsessions next to Ragnarök." Mimir sighed.
"Why is he so obsessed?" Grover asked with a frown.
"He's convinced the Giants hold the key to changing his fate when Ragnarök comes. They are the Aesir's oldest enemies, after all—and it's their army that's supposed to do him in, in the end. But more than that, he covets their gifts of prophecy. He wants to know what they know, and see what they see. So much suffering could have been avoided if his insatiable curiosity was not so much stronger than his wisdom." Mimir said with disgust at the end.
"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked, feeling a sense of unease in her gut.
"Tell them that story later, Mimir." Jakob cut in.
"Aye, remind me later to tell you why they call Odin the Lord of the Hanged." Mimir said grimly.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, the silence is broken by a shrill toot-toot-toot, like the sound of an owl being tortured.
"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!"
He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff.
They kept moving and started to see a bright light up ahead: the colour of a neon sign. They could smell food. Fried, greasy food.
They kept walking until they saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and greasy smell.
It wasn't a fast food restaurant like they thought. It was one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that.
The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary. Jakob looked up at the neon sign and frowned a little.
"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium." He said, translating it. Jakob did not have ADHD or Dyslexia like his two fellow demigods. He supposed it was because they were of different cultures.
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.
Andromeda crossed the street, having food on the mind.
"Hey…" Grover warned.
"The lights are on inside," Annabeth said. "Maybe it's open."
"Snack bar," Andromeda said wistfully.
"Snack bar," the blonde agreed.
"Are you two crazy?" Grover said. "This place is weird."
"Stop thinking with your stomachs and keep moving." Jakob said with a frown, seeing they were letting their hunger take them off track. "You don't just walk to a stranger's place in search of food."
But they were already walking over to the place, causing the Son of Thor to groan and pinch the bridge of his nose before he followed after them.
The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, which gave Grover the creeps.
"Bla-ha-ha!" he bleated. "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"
They stopped at the warehouse door.
"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."
Jakob tensed at those words, nearly reaching for the Leviathan Axe but calmed down slightly. His eyes scanned around for any possible sign of the monsters
"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth told him. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"
"Stop thinking with your stomach, Annabeth." Jakob warned her. He could smell the food as well, but he was not letting it get to him. His instincts told him something was going on, something that wasn't as it seems. "We should leave. Now."
Neither Annabeth or Andromeda listened, heading for the door. Jakob groaned and shook his head. "Be on your guard." He told Grover before following the girls with Grover behind him.
Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of them was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, one could assume 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 guaze, but that was all one could make out. Her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well manicured and elegant, so one could imagine that she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.
Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too. She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"
"They're… um…" Annabeth started to say.
"We're orphans," Andromeda said. Jakob sighed quietly and shook his head.
"Orphans?" the woman said. The word sounded alien in her mouth. "But, my dears! Surely not!"
"We got separated from our caravan," Andromeda continued. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"
"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "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."
They thanked her and went inside.
Annabeth muttered to Andromeda, "Circus caravan?"
"Always have a strategy, right?"
"Your head is full of kelp." Annabeth pointed out.
"You could have at least gone for something more believable," Jakob said.
The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces. Seriously, you had to have some huge property to display these things.
They walked in and the group barely noticed Grover's nervous whimpers, or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow them, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind them.
They finally made it to the dining area at the back of the warehouse, 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.
"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.
"Awesome," Andromeda said with a smile.
"Um," Grover said, "We have some-yeow!" he yelped when Jakob kicked him discreetly. "I mean, we don't have any money."
Aunty Em seemingly smiled and said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."
Jakob narrowed his eyes. No way could anyone be this nice to strangers, especially kids, without wanting something in return. It's how the world works.
"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said politely.
Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old women relaxed just as quickly.
"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful grey eyes, child."
Jakob's eyes narrowed even further. How did this woman know Annabeth's name? None of them had even said their names. However, he could see he was the only one noticing since the others allowed their stomachs to think for them.
The hostess disappeared behind the snack bar and started cooking. Before the group knew it, she'd brought them plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes and XXL servings of French fries.
Andromeda was halfway through her burger, looking as if she didn't need to breathe.
Annabeth slurped her shake in happiness.
Jakob didn't so much as glance at the food, leaning back with his arms crossed and looking around.
Grover picked at the fries, and eyed the tray's waxed paper liner as if he might go for that, but he still looked too nervous to eat.
"What's that hissing noise?" he asked.
Andromeda listened, but didn't say anything. Annabeth shook her head. Jakob tensed at that.
"Hissing?" Aunty Em asked. "Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."
"I take vitamins. For my ears." He answered.
"That's admirable, dear. But please, help yourself." She insisted. "Jakob, you too."
"I'm not feeling hungry," he responded. He noted that she ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched the four children eat. It was a little unsettling, the way she stared at them.
"So, you sell gnomes?" Andromeda asked, trying to start a conversation and break the silence.
"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 the road?"
"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built… most cars, they do not go this way. I must cherish every customer I get."
Jakob glanced around once more and his eyes landed on the statue of a young girl with an Easter basket looking at him. What was concerning though was the look of terror on her face.
"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "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?" Andromeda asked.
"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. That is why I make them, you see. They are my company." The sadness in her voice sounded so deep and so real that you couldn't help feeling sorry for her.
Annabeth stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters."
"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a… boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by 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."
Jakob paused, his mind connecting the dots instantly. Grover hearing the hissing... the statues... sisters... and the story...
Without a shred of hesitation, Jakob placed his hands under the table and pushed it directly onto Medusa, startling everyone.
"Jakob!" The group shouted.
"it's Medusa!" He retorted.
"Really?!" Grover asked hopefully before his expression turned to one of fear. "Wait, Medusa?!"
"Yeah!" Jakob shouted back. "Scatter! Try to kill her! Go!"
Jakob ran off, leaving the others behind him, trusting that they got the message quickly. He hid behind the remaining statues and leftover food dispensers. The sound of hissing was in the air.
"First the Furies, and now Medusa... what's next, Hercules?" Mimir asked sarcastically.
"Medusa's not that much of a threat unless you look into her eyes." Jakob reminded. He heard movement behind him and whirled around, swinging the Leviathan Axe. However, it seemed to hit air.
"Jakob! it's me!" A female voice hissed.
Jakob sighed and lowered his weapon. "Don't sneak up on me like that. I could've taken your head off."
"Sorry," she whispered, invisible. "Listen, we need to take Medusa out."
"I know." Jakob said, peeking out to see if there was any sign of the Gorgon. "There's two ways to do so. The easy way is to make her stare at her own reflection and turn her to stone."
"Like in the Clash of the Titans film. What Perseus did to her." Annabeth said.
"Yes. Or we go the hard way." Jakob said. "We rip off her head."
"It's going to be hard." Annabeth said. "I think the food was drugged. I feel sluggish."
"That's what happens when you take a stranger's food without even considering the possibility of it being drugged." Jakob said with a small smirk.
Even though she was invisible, Jakob could tell she was glaring at him. "Are you seriously gloating? Right now?"
Jakob shrugged. "Well, I did warn you. And you should have listened to Grover. So much for Athena always having a plan."
"…I hate you. So much."
"No you don't." Jakob said with a smirk. "Stay here, Wise Girl, I'm going to go get me a Gorgon's head."
Jakob was about to go, but he felt Annabeth's hand clamp on his shoulder. "Wait, Jakob. She's dangerous and can kill you just by turning you to stone."
"I've faced much more dangerous than her and nearly died as a result." Jakob said firmly. "Compared to the monsters in my homeland, Medusa's not that challenging. Besides, I'm not stupid. I know not to look at her eyes. I just need her distracted."
They then heard Medusa's voice. "The Grey-Eyed One did this to me, Andie." Her voice sounded like that of a soothing grandmother. "Annabeth's mother, the cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."
"Don't listen to her!" Annabeth called out, seeing Jakob was moving around to a position where he could attack Medusa from behind. "Fight it, Andie!"
"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr. "You why I must destroy the girl, Andie. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Andie. You need not suffer."
'That's disturbing.' Jakob thought with an eye-roll.
"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Andie? What will happen when you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."
Seeing he was in a good enough position to attack, Jakob burst out and leaped onto Medusa's back, ignoring the fact her lower body was that of an snake and was writhing like one.
"Get off me!" Medusa shrieked as Jakob wrapped an arm around her throat before he got his hands over her eyes. Her snake half came up and wrapped around him, trying to pull him off and they fell down, rolling across the ground but Jakob did not relinquish his hold.
Freeing one hand, he grabbed the Leviathan Axe, swung and it sliced through Medusa's neck, her head detaching from her body soon afterwards. Jakob watched as the body dissolved into golden dust like the Furies had after being killed. Withut looking, he closed Medusa's eyes so there was no worry of accidentally being turned to stone.
Jakob held the head up by the snake-hair, then he grunted and lowered his arm as the others came out of hiding.
"You... you did it." Annabeth said with wide eyes.
"I did." Jakob nodded. "Now, let's find something to put this in. I've already got one severed head with me, I'm not carrying another."
"Hey!" Mimir cried, offended which made the others chuckle.
Together they made it out of the warehouse and back to the dining area.
They found some old plastic grocery bags and double wrapped Medusa's head. They plopped it on the now right side up table where they'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.
Finally Andromeda said, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"
Annabeth flashed her an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad."
Andromeda frowned and shot Annabeth a glare. "Oh, so it's my fault we met Medusa."
"Enough!" Jakob cut in firmly, looking between them. "You are both to blame for this. You listened to your stomachs rather than common sense after Grover said he smelled monsters. You should've trusted your instincts, not your hunger. We are on a quest to save the world, not to stop and satisfy our needs."
Annabeth and Andromeda lowered their heads, seeing he was telling the truth. "We're sorry." They said.
"Do not be sorry, be better." Jakob advised, and they nodded, taking his words to heart.
"So what do we do with Medusa's head?" Grover asked, bringing their attention back to the wrapped up head.
"Not our concern." Jakob said as he got up to leave.
"No... it is." andromeda said as she stood with a frown on her face before going off to somewhere in the store, while the others shared confused looks.
"What is she doing?" Annabeth asked with a sigh, rubbing her temples.
Andromeda came back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:
The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor
Empire State Building
New York, NY
With best wishes.
Andromeda looked to the Son of Thor. "You want to sign too?" She asked with a grin, knowing he was pissed about this too.
Jakob raised a brow. "Do I look like I want the Olympians more annoyed at me than they probably are?"
"Yes." Andromeda said with a straight face.
"Go for it." Jakob shrugged.
Andromeda poured the drachmas in, along with her note, and sealed it closed. There was a sound like a cash register, the package floated off the table and into the air with a pop.
Both of them looked at Annabeth, daring her to say something. She didn't. She looked resigned to the fact that Jakob and Andromeda loved pissing off the Gods. "Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan."
And that's it for this chapter everyone. Hope you all enjoyed it, and little references to the God of War games such as the way Kratos would take off Medusa's head... or the fact he referenced the easy way and hard way to kill her in God of War Ragnarök.
Harem: Silena Beauregard, Thalia Grace, Katie Gardner, Annabeth Chase, Andromeda Jackson (Female Percy), Bianca Di Angelo, Zoe Nightshade, Thrúd, Freya, Artemis, Athena, Hestia, Skadi.