I stared at Malia for a moment, registering her words.
I guess I was right to have been looking into how strong Carcinus was- that information was coming in handy right about now.
He's strong, but this is doable. With just a little bit of smarts and a helping of luck, I know for a fact that I can walk away from this one.
I haven't been training for all this time just to get my numbers up, you know. My brain was already racing through different ways I could handle this situation.
"Give me a second," I said comfortingly, turning away from Malia. I didn't even care if she saw this- there were lives at stake! With a barely noticeable ping noise, I pulled up my status screen.
Yep, just like I thought. I had five points and a perk point left over from my other quests and whatnot.
I don't know why exactly I ended up saving these things, but I guess I can't complain too much about my past self. That sort of thinking might've just saved me right now.
Past Percy, if you're reading this- thanks, bud. You really did me a solid.
Now's the part where I need to think. Carcinus' weaknesses are his legs and his fire, right? Easy enough.
I put two points into my STR and three into my DEX. That way I have enough strength and finesse to hammer it home- right where it really hurts.
I banished the stats screen away and pulled the perk one forward.
Decisions, decisions. I ignored the notifications that kept popping up about some new special perks.
I didn't have the time or perk points for that, as interesting as some of them sounded.
I've got a couple of perks in general that I've had my eye on for some time now, specifically for situations like this.
If I had to give myself a build, almost, I'd say I'm still an all-around fighter at this point. I have some insane offensive powers, but at the same time, my defense isn't too shabby, either.
That being said, I like offense more, and that's probably what's going to help me the most in this fight, so…
Ping! You have selected [PYROKINETIC]!
PYROKINETIC (Level 1): Burns your inner flames…
(Active) Gain the ability to burn the flames inside your body like a furnace to increase your physical abilities with thermal energy! Continued use results in an upwards curve of mana usage in exchange for power.
(Passive) Boost your own flame abilities exponentially!
Warning: your emotional state will be subject to manipulation as you use this power!
MP COST: 20 MANA per SECOND!
Yeah, yeah, I know. It definitely isn't the most exciting perk. Honestly, I didn't even want to grab this one, but the fact that Carcinus is weak to fire is kind of forcing my hand…
I'm under no false qualms, here. I'm strong. I'm capable. Unusually so for a twelve-year-old demigod, yeah, but this is a monster of old. These are the kinds of things that made legendary demigods so legendary, the kind of fights that people would talk about years down the line.
I couldn't afford to get complacent- not with all these innocent lives at stake.
Realistically speaking, I don't know if I can beat him. I know I said I could survive earlier, but like, honestly, I don't know. He's a bit over triple my level, and if that isn't daunting enough, I also have to save everyone in here and fight the guards.
Yeah, winning alone may not be possible.
My best bet is to find the queen and send her home for help. I can make a stand for a little bit, for sure. Definitely, until reinforcements show up.
Plan in mind, I banished the game menu, feeling the effects of my spending taking place. The warm feeling of fire seared into my throat, heating my entire body and leaving my mouth tasting like burning tinfoil. I felt the blooming warmth build inside of me.
"Let's go," I said after a few moments, lightly grabbing Malia's shoulder.
She bit her lip and nodded. I could tell she had questions, but the serious look in my eyes was probably enough of a reason to shut up and follow me. I was vaguely reminded of how Piper acted when we first met, but I put that thought out of my mind for now.
We slowly made our way out of the closet. I was on the lookout for Carcinus or any of his men, but my luck made it so that I walked right into a group of nymphs coming back from the bathroom.
They stared at Malia and me with not-so-discreet looks on their faces.
My training with Delta instantly came to mind as I slipped into the façade of Perseus- the prince of the seas. The unassuming, charming man guy everyone expected me to be.
I might not be able to lie to him, but other people are a cakewalk.
"Sorry about that ladies," I smiled pleasantly, feeling the warm effect of my Flirt perk activating. "Malia here was just giving me a very personal tour of the palace."
I nudged Malia, who was still frozen in shock. "Oh, y-yeah."
Lying, LV-23 (50%)
This is your ability to lie to people! The higher your level is, the more convincing the lie is! It comes with a smaller chance of discovery!
The chance varies based on the context of the lie, but your lying is boosted by 1% every time you level up!
Lie passed!
Not the most convincing acting performance, but it was good enough. The nymphs left us alone after a few minutes of light conversation, and I grabbed Malia's hand. "Your father is looking for me. He was last seen with my stepmom, and now he said some woman is asleep. It doesn't take a genius to figure this stuff out. Where would he be hiding her?"
"P-probably the butcher room," Malia shivered, trying to hide in my shadow. She kept looking at the guards as if they'd swoop her up if she was left alone. "It's near the front of the palace. If he's got her under in that room, s-she probably doesn't have much time before the guards get to her."
Not much time, huh? I looked around the palace floor, noticing some of Carcinus' men starting to discreetly move toward us again. Looks like I've been found.
Well, you guys, I tried playing the part of the spy for as long as I could. I should've known better than to try to be something I'm not.
I started removing the upper layers of my weird Aladdin thing, stripping down to the base t-shirt I was wearing before. The light garment landed on the palace floor with a heavier thump than I was expecting.
You see, I don't know much about being a spy and being discreet and all of that good stuff. Well, I know it, like I know the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
It doesn't mean shit to me though.
Do you want to know what does?
Keeping my loved ones safe. I've said it once and I'll say it again- I'd do anything to do that. Rules be damned.
"Hold on," I urged, my eyes flicking to the clock on the brink of my vision. I waited for a few seconds, pausing as the hand reached the fourth section of the clock- the one with the symbol of a shoe.
Accelerate!
The ends of my vision blurred, and I felt my peripheral vision grow exponentially. I scooped Malia into my arms and took a deep breath.
Crack!
My feet smashed into the ground, the soles of my sneakers shifting with unbelievable force. The palace ground underneath my feet cracked, melting away like Play-Doh twisting around my shoe.
I exhaled slowly and- zoom!
Bits of clay and metal went flying everywhere as I went speeding down the palace, Accelerate supercharging my speed.
I went flying past the guards, careening through the archway that connected the main hall to the entrance hallway.
The wind whipped into my face as I blasted past the rooms, Malia still tucked carefully into my arms. I frantically navigated the hallway, leaving dents and scars on the floor as I kept moving.
Butcher room, butcher room- ah, there it is!
I burst through the door instantly, my eyes blurring from side to side, trying to commit every detail of the room to memory.
Amphitrite was laid down on the table, bound by some leather strips, and stripped down completely. Her dress was actually nowhere in sight. I ignored the burst of anger that seared through my body as I looked at her naked body, opting instead to look at the two men positioned around her.
Mereleus [PALACE GUARD]
LV- 20
HP-10,000/10,000
MP- 1,000/1,000
And…
Darius [PALACE GUARD]
LV- 22
HP-13,000/13,000
MP- 2,000/2,000
They barely had any health. Let's see…left, right, left, plan made! Alright- let's go!
I silently (but gently, I promise) dropped Malia and unsheathed Riptide, calling upon my powers instantly. I disappeared in a flash of fire, blurring through the room so quickly that neither man had any moment to react.
My full-powered Death Drop knocked Mereleus back a few feet, and I instantly followed up with a kick that he blocked. He jabbed at me with his sword, but I ducked under it and kicked the hilt hard, causing the sword to go shooting through the air.
Boosting myself up with a mana-infused jump, I spun, kicking his sword at Darius with force and easily beheading Mereleus with a well timed slash from Riptide.
One down, one to go.
The sword I'd kicked at Darius had barely grazed him, rewarding me with a meager 400 HP for my troubles.
Noticing Malia's scared expression, I opted to end it quick. I blurred forward again, crisscrossing Riptide across Darius' chest and finishing it with a fireball to the face.
Kicking his corpse aside, I slashed through the bindings keeping Amphitrite hostage, barely affected by her naked body.
I mean, yeah, she's a MILF, but I've got way bigger things going on right now. I need her to be safe, awake. I need to get her out of here.
I reached into my Inventory and pulled out some of the spare clothes I'd brought along for Atlantis and one of the ratty camp daggers.
I tossed the dagger to Malia. "If anyone comes through that door, attack first and ask questions later."
Did I think she would? No, not really, but I can't leave her completely defenseless while I dress Amphitrite. It wouldn't do well for the Queen of all Seas to be seen naked by so many people.
I looked through the clothes I had, fitting Amphitrite into one of my larger hoodies and my favorite white and maroon Yancy sweatpants. Honestly, she better return these when this whole mess is over. I don't feel like going back to downtown New York just to buy some clothes.
Well, Yancy, specifically. Could you imagine the look on everyone's faces if I came back to school with Aphrodite on my arm? I'd be a legend- but anyway.
Naked goddess on a slab, murderous cannibal crab. Focus on the matter at hand, Percy, focus on the matter at hand.
"Malia, come here," I said, kindly but with a little bit of steel in my voice. She basically scurried over. The poor thing was shaking. I gave another hug, squeezing out all of the Serenity Inducement that I could muster at the moment. "It's going to be fine, okay? It's going to be okay. Can you tell me how to wake her up?"
"S-she should wake up in a few minutes," I repressed the urge to growl- that wasn't the answer I wanted. "But you should just be able to wake her up normally."
I bit my lip, running through my options. Time wasn't something I had much of. Sorry, Amphitrite!
I reached back and slapped her across the face as hard as I could. She reacted instantly, sputtering incoherently as she shot straight up. Her eyes were blazing with bloody murder, but that anger died down almost instantly.
She spent a moment blearily adjusting to the room, her eyes widening as they landed on me. "Perseus!"
"My lady," I replied, a not-so-small amount of relief coloring my voice as I reached out and lightly grabbed her hand. "I'm glad you're okay."
"How did I get in these clothes?" Amphitrite wondered aloud, grabbing my sweatshirt and pants like they were foreign materials. "The last thing I remember…oh Zeus! Perseus, Carcinus"-
"I know," I cut her off. "I know. I need to confront him."
"Perseus, I don't doubt your skill, but fighting Carcinus on his own ground might be a tall order," Amphitrite said, slowly regaining some of her regal demeanor. Maybe it was the fact that she'd just noticed Malia, or maybe that weird curse thing was just a version of sleep on steroids- not my place to speculate, though. "I hardly think that's a good idea. Heracles himself would have trouble defeating him. We should leave."
"My lady, are you not the queen of the seas? Everyone in this palace is under your protection," I replied, an idea forming in my head. "Wait- that's it! Is there any way you could begin to evacuate people?"
"No," Amphitrite said instantly. My jaw dropped. "Perseus, my powers do not lend me aid in any sort of offensive situation. It would be much too dangerous for me to fight or be actively involved in this. If I were to die or get hurt, the shields around Atlantis would weaken and many more citizens than just the ones here would be harmed. I cannot sacrifice the sanctity of my city for the small group of people in here."
"My lady, respectfully, I think that what you just said is"-
Malia gripped my arm tightly. "Percy- it's starting."
I stopped talking, pausing for a moment and turning my head back towards the dance floor, where the music had abruptly stopped playing.
"Zeus," I swore under my breath, looking back at the two women. "Fuck me. Okay- Malia, you stick with Lady Amphitrite. My lady, take the chariot and go back to Atlantis. Send help instantly."
"Perseus, as I mentioned before, fighting Carcinus is hardly a good idea," Amphitrite brought up once again. "There is no need to risk your life."
"I can't let all of these people die," I reached forward and lightly tapped her shoulder, activating the second tier of Death Drop. If things ended up going sideways, I could always teleport to her and explain my powers- but only as a last resort. "You're a priority target, Lady Amphitrite, and I was given a mission. I intend to see that mission to its completion."
She looked like she wanted to argue but ultimately decided against it. Amphitrite and Malia disappeared out of the room, and I kept my eyes on them until they got in the chariot and began moving back towards Atlantis.
Okay, phew.
I could breathe a bit easier now knowing that the two high-level people that I was supposed to protect are gone.
I think, best case, she would get back to Atlantis in half the time it took us to get here- and that was if the chariot was really pushing it. From there, obviously, she would send help.
Hopeful thinking. Even then, by the time help would get here, everyone involved could already be long dead. I couldn't take that sort of gamble.
I needed to make my move now.
I slowly made my way back to the main floor, blending in with the groups of people that were lounging around. That dumb mechanic from Assassin's Creed 2 had always seemed so farfetched to me- like how could you really just lose people by walking in a group- but I'll be damned because it actually worked out.
The palace guards were getting frantic. I could see them start to argue amongst each other, all of them yelling about one thing or another. Their heads must be on the line if they can't find me- literally.
I tried to focus on getting people out of here, but not that many were willing to see reason. Even when I laid down all of the clues and stuff, even telling them what Amphitrite said, they weren't willing to budge.
I felt like one of those weird Jehovah's witnesses, going door to door to spew nonsense at people while they looked at me like I was high.
I should know- there are enough bums in New York smoking weed all over the place, and that's the exact same look I give them when they offer me a hit.
Ugh, what a bunch of snobs.
This wasn't ideal at all. Atlantis truly was a paradise on paper, but the people were stuck up pricks half of the time. Compulsion barrier or not, you'd think they'd listen to someone they consider a celebrity.
How much more famous do I need to be? Am I really just not popular enough for them to- wait!
Thank you, Triton.
I jumped on top of the table, screaming at the top of my lungs, "Hey! Triton just called me and told me that the next fifty people who get to his concert will get free VIP tickets and spend the rest of the concert with him!"
Yeah. No, yeah, I'm a genius for that one. There were hordes of people that started screaming and running towards the door, pushing and shoving each other to get out. The dance floor was basically empty in minutes.
The guards tried to gently tell people to stay at the party, but even they had to get out of the way as the horde of people stampeded out of the palace.
I saw an older gentleman shove his wife's face into some punch on the way out- why did he even felt the need to do that?
My grin died almost instantly as I heard clapping behind me.
Carcinus stood in a mocking bow, blood dripping off of his chin and onto the ground. "Well, well, well. I was wrong to underestimate you. We can't have our guest of honor going hungry tonight, can we? Kill the rest."
The assorted guards in the palace instantly made their move, and I knew there was no way I was fast enough, even with Accelerate and Time Dilation, to save all of the people still dancing- not that I'd even get the chance.
Carcinus lunged forward, his arm twisting and transforming. His skin peeled back in a horrific unraveling of muscle and bone, revealing a metal-looking crab leg. I rolled as the partially formed giant crab leg came shooting over my head, hitting the wall behind me with a hollow thud!
I watched in horror as the dozen or so stragglers on the dance floor instantly exploded in a shower of blood and flesh.
"You won't live to regret that," A scowl started forming on my face. A deep vat of anger started boiling in my stomach, and I felt my skin crawl. This fight was going to be on a completely different level than anything I'd ever encountered before.
The guards, fresh from massacring the poor people on the dance floor, lined up behind Carcinus. There were about ten of them. They all stood stone-faced, staring at me as if they hadn't just killed groups of the innocent- as if their hands weren't stained with fresh blood.
Looking at each of their levels, I took a deep breath and removed Malice from my inventory, placing Riptide back into it. A spear would make fighting such a large group of people easier and let me keep a bit of range.
My left eye felt a bit hot, too. I had half a mind to rip my wrap off and turn everyone in this room to stone.
It wasn't worth it, though. It was pretty clear to me that Carcinus wasn't working alone, and if I opted to take the easy way out, I wouldn't get any information.
That sort of lack of knowledge could result in even more people dying.
I need to win this fight the old-fashioned way- beat his ass, get information, and go home.
"Do you see, Perseus?" Carcinus taunted me, strutting over to the dance floor and holding up the corpse of a woman. "Do you see what your actions have caused? This isn't even a clean-cut. She simply won't do. Her death was in vain."
"You're getting on my last nerve," Despite my building anger, I was still trying to keep a clear head. If I made a misstep here, despite my water-enhanced healing, I'd be a dead man.
Flame on.
Malice was engulfed in a sulfuric fire, the crackling noise of the metal being heated echoing around the empty room. The first bitch to step up was going to get turned into a fish stick.
"Oh Perseus, you honor us," Carcinus said, the horrific metal limb hanging limply against the floor, his arm still a distorted mess of blood and flesh. He tightened his claw, and the woman's body was cleaved in two. "Straight to the point already, eh? For your sake, I hope you can hang on."
Clang!
His metal arm deflected off of my spear. Sparks flew off of the impact, and I hardly even noticed the strain of parrying his attack.
What I did notice, though, was that five of the guards stepped forward, forming a V formation. Interesting.
"When we're done with you, we'll simply hunt down those who have begun to run," Carcinus laughed, his suit starting to bulge more. His chest was rolling and bubbling, like he'd started a wave pool of boiling water underneath. "And I'll have even more to feast on!"
"Why?" I couldn't even think of words to say as the guards began pushing me. I swung Malice in a wild arc, batting away their assault with a ring of fire. "Why did you do this to those innocent people?"
"Innocent people?" Carcinus scoffed, patting at his mouth with a dainty handkerchief. He lifted the half of the woman that was still laying on the floor next to him. "Look at her. Look closely, Perseus. There's nothing innocent about these filthy Atlanteans at all. I'm only giving them their divine retribution."
"This is all because of your vendetta against Atlantis?" I roared, punching the first guard in his stomach and driving Malice through his chest with a sickening crunch!
My newfound strength pushed my muscles to their limit, and I ran through the guard's armor like it wasn't even there. A surge of energy twisted my wrist, exploding the spear back out of his chest.
Shink!
He keeled over instantly, blood pouring out of him. The next guard kept the assault going as if his comrade hasn't just been skewered, knocking me back with a wild bull rush.
I'd expected him to at least pause at the sight of his friend dying so brutally, but I shouldn't have hesitated.
I held out my hand, and the water currents churned, shooting Malice out of the dead guard and firing it through the guard fighting me, ripping a hole through his throat. His hands shot up to the gaping wound, struggling in vain to breathe before he folded backward, dead.
I caught the bloody spear with ease, turning and bashing the closest guard, my knuckles splitting open as they made contact with his metal armor.
I growled, the sea already knitting my hand back together. As the fight wore on, my focus started shifting more from survival to straight-up beating all of the guards.
I'd underestimated my own combat ability, even if I was waiting to use my more mana-intensive techniques for Carcinus.
Carcinus smiled, "Precisely. All Atlanteans are dogs. Beasts. I have not forgiven your father for creating this inferior race- when I deliver you to be host, my true lord will return, and all of these filthy breeds will be eradicated."
"You want me to be host to Oceanus?" I scoffed, engulfing the tip of Malice in a richly red flame again. The guard closest to me tasted it firsthand, the conductive spear skewering him like a kebab. "Fat chance."
"Oh, you will, one way or another," Carcinus cackled, beckoning for more of the guards to come to fight. "Dance for me, boy. Once you're incapable of fighting, I'll feast on the tasty Atlanteans and make you watch. Come, now."
"Tasty? Killing them isn't enough to prove your point to me?"
"Of course, not," Carcinus laughed loudly. "I kill them because they're Atlanteans, yes, but I eat them because they're tasty. Why else?"
I was terribly angry. I'd been a demigod for a few months now, and I'd seen some truly evil things, but this was just…this was insane.
Carcinus was the embodiment of evil. There was no redeeming a man like him. This wasn't like Ares, who had been under a curse, or Zeus, who was blind with pride. Even monsters weren't inherently evil, well at least some of them.
Carcinus, though? This was a true monster. A man of no morals, who would spread chaos and kill the innocent…just because he wanted to. He wanted to kill people like it was a sport. He enjoyed it.
He wanted to hurt the people I'd lived amongst for weeks. The ones that waved to me on the daily, the ones that looked up to me as their hero. The people I'd sworn to protect.
Just beating him would never be enough, would it? No matter how hard I'd beat the living hell out of him, no matter how hard I'd dismantle him, he'd still be the same. The unspeakable evil would still be there, waiting for the perfect opportunity to rear its head.
Plus, how many of his victims did he show that mercy to? How many of the civilians that he'd slaughtered wished for that very kindness? How many people had to watch their loved ones get dismembered like cattle, only to realize that they were next up?
Oh, man, I was barely holding on.
The thought of the people I'd grown to care about getting slaughtered like pigs…it was rough. Gamer's Mind was trying its hardest to keep my emotions in check, but it usually crapped the bed when my anger started building.
Unlike my fight with Ares, I wasn't angry and nervous, so those two feelings weren't slowing each other down. I knew I was capable now. I knew I was strong.
And, I knew I was angry. Really. Fucking. Angry.
My spear was shaking with barely contained anger.
This wasn't even comprehendible. I'd read stories about evil dictators like Hitler, but seeing it firsthand was a whole other animal.
All of those innocent people…like the ones on the dance floor a moment ago. How many parties had he had? How many groups of people had become his dinner?
My blood ran cold. Amphitrite said she went to parties like this often…Malia had said she'd been trying to contact Atlantis for months. No way…
"All of those lives you took, for what?" Something inside of me snapped, and I felt blood roar in my ears. I felt like I could feel my heartbeat in my entire body. "You're sick. You're a sick fuck."
"Oh, Perseus, don't give me that," Carcinus gave me a wide smile as the rest of the guards came running at me. "You should have been a good boy and waited for me to serve you Amphitrite. The sweet taste of flesh- especially an immortal like hers-mm. You would have gained her power."
"You were going to kill her…" I stopped moving for a moment. The blood roaring in my ears seemed to get louder, and I could barely hear myself speak. "You…you wanted me to eat…"
"Why of course! Nothing more fitting than a prince eating"-
FWOOM!
That was the last straw. That was it. I'd been holding on for so long, trying to convince myself that this situation was salvageable, that Carcinus was salvageable, that maybe there was a better way to do things.
I screamed as my heartbeat grew louder and more frantic. My body exploded in a flash of green fire, encasing my entire frame in bright light. Fire poured out of my mouth and eyes, and I screamed again, letting the anger in my body fuel the fire.
The covering around Medusa's eye was burnt into ash. The cursed eye came to life, instantly turning some of the guards' arms and legs to stone.
I was stupid. At the start, I'd thought I was still dealing with someone that could be bargained with, that maybe the myths were wrong. That Carcinus had changed in his second life. That he'd ever change, ever be contained.
I chuckled to myself hopelessly. There was no bargaining with people like this- no point in trying to get them to see the light. Not that Carcinus deserved that chance- he only deserved one thing and one thing only.
Death.
And I was going to give it to him. His last meal would be from me, and I'd make sure it wasn't an enjoyable one.
A ring of green fire exploded outwards from me.
The guards closest to me instantly withered in the flames, dying instantly. I ignored the tick of damage that popped up in my vision as their bodies crumbled into ash a few moments later.
I growled, a gurgling noise echoing out of my throat as more fire spilled out. I locked onto Carcinus and I disappeared in a haze of heat.
"You fucking bastard!" I roared, my flame-covered fist slamming into Carcinus, sending him blasting across the room. "I'll kill you!"
-4000 HP!
His body slammed into the adjacent wall, a low chuckle reverberating against the floors. "I see. Well, then. Gentlemen?"
The guards resumed their onslaught, but I'll be quite clear.
I don't even remember much of my fight with them. These feelings in my body…they'd never been there before. I'd never been so purely angry to the point where I lost all sense of myself, but that's what happened when I faced down Carcinus.
What I do remember, was that the rest of his guards were easy work- like I said, I wasn't even thinking straight at this point.
All of the finesse and training I'd spent the last few weeks learning went flying out of the window.
That cool and collected logic I'd tempered my blade of fighting in was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I felt something primal in my body roar. It really did feel like something snapped.
I leaped forward on the closest guard, pure animalistic rage taking over my body.
I ripped into his body with my flame-encased hands, blasting through his armor and chest with two jets of fire. I screamed again in a blind rage, tearing his body in two.
I was a monster.
The Reaper kept ticking in my top right, and I barely even noticed the damage numbers as I moved through the guards as if they weren't even there. For the first time, The Reaper actually ticked all the way up to 100%, and every attack I made was carried out with deadly force.
Every punch blurred through the men as if they were made of paper mâché. Every slash swam through their bodies like a hot knife through butter. Every jab shot through them like a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun.
The ones that tried to run became immortalized in stone, Medusa's eye taking their lives in mere moments.
Bloods and guts went spilled everywhere and I ravaged the group, literally ripping them apart like a cyclone of pure destruction.
Their blood on my hands and body steamed and evaporated through the aura of fire that was steadily building on my body. This type of fire…the green kind, was insane. I could smell the chemicals inside of it burning, and it was actually setting the air around me ablaze, as well.
"Face me yourself!" I yelled at Carcinus, blasting forward at him. "Your men won't be able to protect you from me!"
"You're beginning to annoy me!" Carcinus hollered, his suit buttons flying open. The skin began to dissolve and roll backward, revealing a metal, hull-like body. He seemed to get bigger as well, the suit completely shredding as he got larger and more hunched over.
What do you think this is, an anime? I'm not letting the fucker transform without a fight.
I interrupted his weird transformation, shoving a fire-encased fist into his hull, denting it heavily, and following up with an ax kick to the face.
-6000 HP!
His fully formed claw came shooting forward at me, snipping the air where my head had been a moment ago.
I skidded backward a moment later as I tanked his other arm's full-powered robotic punch with my spear.
Twin streams of green fire shot out of my hands, cascading over his body. The constant tick of 5000 HP was interrupted around thirty seconds in, as he screeched loudly.
I can't make this shit up- his head exploded.
I went flying into a wall as the explosion shattered the floor and ceiling, and rings of wind slammed into my body.
The support beams holding up the once ornate ceiling of the palace had begun to creak and wear from the battle, crashing one of the chandeliers against the wall. A shower of broken glass fell from the ceiling.
"Carcinus, you bastard!" I roared, propelling through the water at breakneck speeds. The weird green fire dripped from my body, sizzling against the ruined palace floor as the water shot me towards my foe.
"You insignificant pest!" I heard Carcinus yell, but his voice had dropped a few octaves. I watched, through my haze of anger, as a fully metallic claw came firing out of the smoke.
I dodged it with ease but was caught off guard by the pattering noise of little metallic impacts on the ground.
"No way," I said, disbelief coloring my voice. I…I just couldn't believe it. "What are you?"
Carcinus had disappeared. The portly man I had seen before was nowhere to be found- although I did notice a weird skin-suit-like thing floating away in the water, completely torn apart.
"This is what you made me do!" The robotic drawl of Carcinus rumbled. "Now you will perish!"
The smoke had finally cleared. Sitting in the impact crater of my previous attacks was no longer a man, but a gigantic metallic crab.
The body of Carcinus stretched long and wide, easily encompassing the entirety of the dance floor in a monumental shadow.
His hind legs were small by the standards of the rest of his body but were still terrifying. They were curved rods of metal, sickeningly sharp and deadly, the length of your average baseball bat but the thickness of a car door.
The half-developed claws I'd seen before were now fully grown, easily the size of flagpoles. They were as wide as school busses, behemoths of glinting metal.
His bright-red eyes stared at me balefully. "Behold, Perseus Jackson! The true anchor of the sea!"
I felt a little bit more in control of my emotions at this point. I lost myself for a second back there…I felt so mad that even Gamer's Mind had trouble completely dispelling the strength of the feelings that were going through me.
This form, whatever it was called, was horribly draining. The sea negated the brunt of its steep cost, but I was still losing around 500 MP every minute, and my stamina was taking some hits, as well.
I took a few more calming breaths- the rage was fading a bit, allowing me to reign in the power and regain my battle sense.
Carcinus was still around 750,000/1,000,000 HP which meant that I had to play this smart. I had power, yeah, but I couldn't just blast through Carcinus as I'd done with his guards. He'd be a little trickier than that.
Whatever he was, he wasn't human, or organic in nature at all. Medusa's eye was useless against him.
I was fighting a fucking robot.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Rings of energy exploded out of my hands as I countered each of Carcinus' strikes with my own punches.
I was losing 200 HP with each parry, but I noted that the fire covering my body was draining his HP at a much steeper rate- 2000 HP for each punch.
Man, this dude really was weak to fire.
"You entertain me, Jackson," Carcinus praised, his robotic drawl sending shivers down my spine. "It's been a while since I've been able to let loose."
"Oh, it'll be the last time," I replied, still matching his punches. I grunted, and some mana drained out of my body as fortified my body to be able to hang with this level of power. "Tell me…how did you manage to do this for so long?"
"Why, I had help, of course," Carcinus bragged, smashing his claw down on where I'd been a moment ago. "From your very own government."
I thought as much.
"Who helped you?" I demanded, my anger coming back. The Reaper had ticked back up to 100% and my punches had started to dent the metal lining Carcinus' body. The metal claws were starting to feel less like metal and more like wood, or even clay. "Tell me!'
"Someone very intimate with our Lord," Carcinus laughed. "You won't be getting much else out of me, boy. Come, now. Let's end this folly…it's almost feeding time."
Feeding time? Yeah, fat fucking chance. I swerved backward, the combat instincts taking over my body, letting the fight continue on autopilot as I began to devise a plan to put the murderous crab in the ground for good.
There were no more guards left. Good. I could focus my full attention on Carcinus. He had around three-fourths of his full HP left, which still wasn't too stressful.
I'd been training for weeks now, devising ways I could deal crazy numbers of damage in a short period of time.
I had a couple more…explosive ways to do that. I glanced around between blows, noticing the ruined state of the palace.
How did he die in the myths again? Hercules crushed him under his foot, right? Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I just don't have enough power in my body for that.
Still, though, if I played my cards right, I could give him a round two by collapsing the palace on him- and I had the perfect move in mind for some damage like that.
I felt the tug of power in my gut. The perk from earlier increased my powers from Hestia exponentially, which meant that this move I'd been working on would be all the more effective.
Carcinus was weak to fire, after all.
You see, after my initiation fight to join Delta's quadrant, I'd taken some inspiration from the moves the figure had used. Specifically speaking, the crystal-mirror attack.
It was a pretty sick move. Not too complicated to understand, either. The whole basis had been the creation of a mirror that their mana, combined with mine had gone through, to boost their elemental attack.
Pretty simple.
Their mana + my mana + mirror = annoying crystal attack.
Of course, after seeing it in action, I had to have it for myself. I knew that with my fire and water powers, that sort of thing could go crazy.
As I'd come to learn from Delta, himself, the mirror wasn't just there for show. It was a way to compensate for a lack of mana by combining two sources and sending it through a creation known as Mirror of Venus.
CRASH!
I dodged as some projectiles came flying towards me from Carcinus- can the man let me have my fucking monologue in peace? I growled, slipping under another block of metal and throwing some of the rubble back at his little feet with a twirl of my spear and a burst of water.
Where was I? Right.
The Mirror of Venus.
You guys might need some background for this one.
As you may or may not know, the mirror is one of Aphrodite's greatest symbols, right up there with love itself and doves.
I know, I know. You can laugh- I'm not going to lie, I thought it was pretty lame at first, too.
What, my dad got a trident, all of the seas, a horse? Zeus had the skies, his bolt, hell, even badass eagles. Hades got a whole world to himself, not to mention a killer staff and helm.
Comparing that to a mirror and some birds, it definitely started off looking like she got the completely short end of the stick. Well, not really, though.
Over the years, people have come to think that the connection between Aphrodite and mirrors was there because of pride, vanity. I'm guilty of this myself- I always thought that that the mirror defined by the myths was like a make-up mirror or a vanity mirror, and that the goddess' symbols reflected her: a weak, fragile deity who had no desire that wasn't sexual in nature.
The mirror, obviously, seems kind of lame like that- like it's some sort of thing she just uses to her need to witness her own otherworldly beauty. That sort of idea was just exacerbated by that fucking stunt Ares pulled.
The problem with this, of course, being that the mirror that represents Aphrodite isn't anything like that. It isn't as shallow as people make it out to be.
"How much longer will you keep this up, godling?" Carcinus roared, his gargantuan body roving towards me. His claws bit into the palace as he pattered towards me, tearing apart the polished metal and leaving scars on the ground. "Unlike you, my stamina is immeasurable. My mana incalculable. This form, a gift from my lord, will be impossible for you to defeat."
"You're not the first person to tell me that," I returned, flashing on top of him with a deadly efficient Death Drop!
- (((47 *.2) + 47) x 100) + (100 x 25) = 5640 + 2500 = 8140 HP!
My foot slammed into the beast's head, cranking it downwards. I followed it up with another Death Drop to the legs, crushing one of the metal digits with a mana-infused kick.
- (((47 *.2) + 47) x 100) + (100 x 25) = 5640 + 2500 = 8140 HP!
-Cripple afflicted! The opponent will continually lose 5000 HP per second!
Carcinus' body folded, and the water propelled me backward as he lashed out, smashing through where the bathrooms had been.
Man, it would've sucked to be on the toilet right about now.
As I was saying before, the mirror's nothing like what people make it out to be. Obviously, the mirror does have some connections to beauty and the imagination – both of those things being heavily connected to Aphrodite- but saying that that's it is a major oversight.
I'm not going to lie, it felt really odd reading about someone that was supposedly married to me, but in the name of science, I powered through.
Aphrodite's powers had been revered by the ancient Greeks and Romans- way more than they were now. To them, she wasn't some whore or vain goddess- she was a goddess of life and order.
They'd described her kythereia- the love hidden within herself and her kypris- her effect on the virility and pregnancy- as a secret shattering pillar of light. In her mirror, all lies of love and sexual nature became obsolete. To them, her mirror wasn't a symbol of beauty, but a symbol of truth.
Aphrodite, gazing at herself in the mirror, was not a woman in awe of her own beauty, but a woman acknowledging the truth of all that resided within her – for, as they described, Aphrodite wasn't just the embodiment of love- she kept together the entire cosmos and continued the survival of all.
Crazy, right? When I'd originally found that transcript, I was absolutely shell-shocked to learn that my Aphrodite- the one that was in the hotel room those weeks ago- was a goddess of such magnitude.
It also put things in perspective. To go from being revered like that…to being treated like a whore and a disloyal wife…it would've ruined me. She was much, much stronger than I'd originally given her credit for. I could almost begin to understand why she acted how she did around me.
Fuck. I needed to talk to her soon.
Anyway! You're wondering why I told you that. What the myth of the mirror has to do with anything right now, why I even took the time out of this dance with death to explain a pretty out-there myth about Aphrodite to you.
I'm getting there.
I'll start off by saying that, in general, when two streams of mana intersect, they're either compatible or not compatible. Basic stuff, I know, but that's how the Greek world works.
There are checks and balances. Strong, but opposite forces. Zeus and Poseidon. Demeter and Hades. The existence of opposites holds great weight in this world-that's where true, unadulterated power comes from.
Like the Ophiotaurus, for crying out loud. Killing an innocent to gain power- that's a prime example of what I'm talking about.
The logic's pretty simple. The mirror, as I've hopefully successfully pointed out, is a symbol of truth and reflection.
However, in the right situations, it's a significant power boost.
There's a deep, profound power in being able to recognize your own faults. Similarly, there's a similar level of power in trusting someone else to aid you in your time of need- that's where the mirror comes in.
If you do it right, the mirror is supposed to play on your own feelings of self-reflection and your trust in your loved ones, consolidating any attack you put through it. No matter the compatibility of the streams you put through it, the mirror is supposed to combine them into one big attack.
That figure, for example. When I'd fought it, the combined mana of us both was smashed into a tiny crystal, all because of the mirror and the figure's own emotions.
Here's where things get a little tricky.
I can't create the mirror correctly.
I blasted forward through the air, the green fire leaving a burning trail in my wake. I let the water around me shoot my body up like a jet all the way to the top of the palace, right near the stained-glass depiction of Medusa.
The fire gleamed brightly. The stained-glass picture glittered around my aura, the ruby dress of Medusa bathing the room in a maroon light.
I looked down at Carcinus as he started tensing, getting ready to leap up towards me.
It was ironic, really. Despite the nature of my relationship with her, here I was, putting trust in her abilities, after all. I knew I'd die if this didn't work out…but I had faith, anyway.
I wonder if you're watching this, Aphrodite. I know you'll see me through.
I held up my hands in front of me, calling upon the monstrous anger I'd felt before. I felt a major dip in my mana stores as they dipped below half, a hefty chunk of my mana instantly coursing through my body.
"You'll die here tonight!" I vowed, a large, mirror-like screen forming in front of my hands. It was pitch-black, unlike the pearly white one I'd seen the figure use.
The Mirror of Venus (Corrupted), LV-2 (70%)
The mirror is one of the greatest symbols of your wife. Significantly boost the power of any attack going through it, but run the risk of losing control of the attack due to your corrupted version of it.
MULTIPLIER- (TIME x MANA x WIS x ORIGINAL ATTACK)!
MP COST- 1000 MP/MIN!
"Ha!" I roared, my aura of fire pulsing brightly. The screen glowed and cracked as small bits of mana went flying out of my hands. For a moment, a brief fleeting moment, I felt a feeling of warmth flow through my body, as well.
"You'll need more than that, boy!" Carcinus screamed, jumping towards me.
That's when the power kicked in. All of those small droplets of mana went through the screen, glowing pink, and all of a sudden-
HUMMMMMMMM!
Tremendous plumes of pinkish fire went shooting out of my mirror, melting and churning together into a singular column of flame that was easily the size of a skyscraper. Towards the end of the stream, I swear I saw the head of a dragon ram into the metal freak with the intensity of a semi-truck.
Carcinus screamed, raising his claws as he went shooting towards me, the fire powering against his metallic body.
SKREEEEEEEEE!
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead, as I strained against Carcinus. The stubborn bastard was holding on, despite the constant tick of 10,000 DMG my attack was doing.
The mirror was bucking, holding on for dear life. The fire kept gushing out, long after I stopped shoving mana into it.
SHUNK!
That damn crab!
He somehow made it all the way through, trying to grab my body with his claws. I screamed, pushing fire out of my body, blasting me away from the claw.
-10,000 HP!
Unfortunately, his second claw socked me in the face, and I went crashing through the walls, my body easily flying through the palace and falling down on the sand outside. I'd slammed through the palace with so much force that half of the support beams had fully capsized, and the palace had begun to creak and groan.
Plan...failed…successfully?
The palace had begun to collapse with a mighty roar, the expensive-looking dome being the first piece to collapse. Rings of dirt and soot blasted into the ocean as the beams gave out completely, and the entire palace rumbled as if an earthquake hit it.
"I'm not done with you yet!" I heard him yell somewhere in the ruined palace, his gargantuan body demolishing the top part of the palace, his monstrous claws breaking free of the rubble.
CRKKKKKKKKK!
With a shock, I noticed that the palace had almost been completely razed to the ground, and the light from before was snuffed out. The only light in the inky darkness of the ocean was the red that was coming off of Carcinus' eyes, and my aura of green fire.
I had marked Carcinus with the second tier of Death Drop around the start of the fight. Now, given the cover of darkness and his body's slow-moving pace, I had a decent idea of how I could deal some insane damage to him in a hurry.
The only problem with this was, well, I had to be sure that he wouldn't be able to fight back after. Chances were, if I went through with this, I too would be in immense pain.
I tried to do some mental calculations. My mirror did enough, I'm sure. I'd wanted to use it to deal damage to him and capsize the whole palace, and it had done just that.
Now, I knew he'd be low enough for me to run and gun him.
I opened my Inventory again, this time, pulling out twenty or so arrows- almost all of the ones I'd taken from camp.
My hand glowed blue for a moment as I activated the second tier again, this time marking every single arrow with a return point.
I cocked back my arm and threw the arrows, noting with satisfaction as the arrows dispersed evenly amongst the sand.
I'd tried to gain information out of him, but it was clear that he wasn't feeling too forthcoming. Fine. That's fine.
I even tried to give him a humane end by letting his own palace take him out. He didn't want that either, unfortunately.
It just meant that it was time to end it, my way.
I balled my hands into fists, pushing some mana into The Thousand Hand Technique and tensing my legs.
Carcinus, after powering through my full-powered fire attack and the collapse of his palace, was sitting at around 400,000/1,000,000 HP, which honestly wasn't too surprising.
I blurred through the darkness, instantly reaching the top of Carcinus' hull. I combined the power of my enhanced Death Drop with the Thousand Hand Technique and…
-(((47 * .2) + 47) x 100) + (1000 x 100) = 5640 + 100,000 = 105,640 HP!
- (((47 *.2) + 47) x 100) + (100 x 25) = 5640 + 2500 = 8140 HP!
My hands, covered in the green fire, crunched into the big bastard's head, the Thousand Hand Technique amplifying my power more than I could've imagined.
I teleported back to one of the arrows before Carcinus could even react. I looked down and noticed that my right hand was utterly demolished by the punch, but an idea slowly started forming in my head as I activated the Thousand Hand Technique in the same hand, again.
If I used any other part of my body and ran into trouble on the way home, I'd be leaving myself open to being attacked and being completely defenseless, to boot. It would hurt like a bitch, but I could only afford to lose the ability to fight with one hand, here.
Death Drop!
I slammed my destroyed hand down on Carcinus' head, enjoying his scream of pain as the damage ticked away again.
This time, I had to bite down on my lip to avoid a scream of my own- my hand was fucking killing me.
It was doing damage, though. Now that I'd decided there was nothing more to get from Carcinus, I had to make sure to dispose of him quickly, before he'd be able to call for help.
I glanced down at my arm. Sorry, righty.
Death Drop!
Death Drop!
Death Drop!
Death Drop...
I absolutely manhandled Carcinus, teleporting between the arrows, faster than his eyes could track, and then forcing every ounce of mana I could into my right fist, clobbering him.
The huge metal hull he'd had was dotted with craters, kind of like he was trying to cosplay as the moon. He'd run out of energy somewhere between my fifth and sixth hits, just taking the rest of them.
Eventually, his HP had ticked down to 10,000/1,000,000 and I stood in front of his metallic body, panting heavily.
I couldn't even move my arm at this point. The skin of my right fist had been mostly skinned off and was replaced by a horrible mess of bone and blood, with bits of skin still hanging on. My right shoulder blade was completely dislocated, and my forearm was shredded.
My bicep was twitching uncontrollably, and I couldn't help but marvel at my luck- of course, I'd get a charley horse when my fucking arm was barely intact.
I resisted the urge to throw up as I saw the sea slowly repair it, opting, rather, to walk over to Carcinus, who was taking shallow breaths.
"I told you I'd fucking kill you," I growled out, barely keeping myself from wincing. "What do you have to say now, you big bastard? Huh?"
Carcinus didn't dignify me with a response. His metal hull had been completely caved in, and the area right on top of his eyes was completely crushed. The red, glowing eyes he'd had before were now completely dull, barely even lit.
"Come on. Speak, you, sick bitch," I heaved, the sense of satisfaction I'd had before fading away. I kicked his eye angrily, my foot shattering the glass-like organ. I continued my kicking, "Come on! Come on!"
"You…you have no idea what you've done," Came the quiet answer. "You should've stayed on the overworld, boy."
"Tell me, then," I snapped, losing my patience. "Talking in riddles isn't going to help a damn soul. If you want any sort of redemption in the Underworld, you'd better start talking now."
Carcinus chuckled. "There's no redemption for a man like me. I did what I did, partially because I was told, sure, and partially because I liked it. I liked their taste, Perseus. The fear in their flesh."
"Who made you do this?" I asked, reigning in the horrible anger that was exploding like fireworks in my gut. "Why?"
"He…he bound me to an oath," Carcinus forced out. "He sees this ocean for what it is. I…may have been a fool to trust him, but he'll usher this world into a better age. I'd give my death a million times for that. Be warned, boy. The hunt begins."
I began charging a fireball in my hand. I held it up to his only visible eye, snarling, "If you ever come back, I'll make this fight look like mercy. I don't care about your friend, either. If whoever this mystery guy wants to take Atlantis, he'll have to kill me first."
"He will," Carcinus promised. "He will."
Sick of hearing his robotic heaving, I snuffed out his life with a couple of charged fireballs. I leaned back in the sand as his body exploded in golden sparkles on top of me, like a victory party. I closed my eyes.
I heard a pinging noise. What now?
Even in the darkness, the words, white this time, lit up my vision:
Congratulations! You have evolved the perk [GHOUL OF ATLANTIS] by continuing along with the story and completing the hidden mission(s):
The hidden objective CONVERT MALIA [X] has unlocked the [ROUTE OF THE ASSASSIN]!
The hidden objective FORCE CARCINUS TO TRANSFORM [X] has unlocked [THE ROUTE OF THE WARRIOR]!
The hidden objective USE HERCULES' APPROACH AGAINST CARCINUS [X] has unlocked the [ROUTE OF THE SCIENTIST]!
The hidden objective DESTROY THE PALACE [X] has unlocked [MEDUSA'S REVENGE]!
Once again, congratulations! To complete the evolution of your perk, please proceed to the remains of Carcinus and select your route.
My eyebrows scrunched together. Hidden objectives? His remains? The big bastard had exploded, just like Minotaur had done when I killed him. I highly doubt any part of him remains here at all.
Still, sufficiently curious at what the Game said, I forced myself to stand up, letting the ocean carry me to where Carcinus had died. Sure enough, there was a little, marble-sized ball.
I picked it up, and the screen flashed again.
Woohoo! Please select your (one) power:
[THE ROUTE OF THE ASSASSIN]: Ghoulish Tendencies (LV MAX): Embrace your true nature, and revel in the destruction of your enemies!
For every enemy killed, gain a perk point!
[THE ROUTE OF THE WARRIOR]: The Eyes of Power (LV 1): Throughout Heaven and Earth, you alone are the honored one!
You're the first mortal to ever wield Medusa's eye, and as a result, something interesting has happened! As you experienced a powerful emotional condition in your fight with Carcinus, specifically with regards to a person precious to you, your brain released a special form of mana that affected the optic nerves of your borrowed eye, transforming the eye into one of the Eyes of Power.
At LV 1, this perk will grant the user granted incredible clarity of perception, enabling them to read lips or mimic something like pencil movements. In combat, this allows them to see fast-moving objects and can help the user anticipate an opponent's next move based on the slightest muscle tension in their body and act accordingly to dodge or intercept.
More abilities will be unlocked as the eye evolves.
MP COST: 50 MP/SEC!
[THE ROUTE OF THE SCIENTIST]: The Eyes of Heaven (LV MAX): A gift from the gods themselves…
Choose to relinquish your hatred towards Carcinus and pick the option of forgiveness, opting to let your positive feelings influence the transformation of your eye.
Individuals with the Eyes of Heaven have a near-360º field of vision around themselves, save for a small blind spot at the back of the neck above the first thoracic vertebra. The eye's vision can penetrate almost any object, allowing users to see through walls, peer underground, or even examine the contents of a person's body.
Users can focus their vision on anything and everything within the eye's range, allowing them to monitor individuals from afar or to quickly survey a vast area and pinpoint specific locations within that area.
As a bonus, this eye will also allow you to view the divine form of any deity without burning to death!
MP COST: 50 MP/SEC!
[MEDUSA'S REVENGE]: The True Ghoul (LV MAX): Allow Medusa a second life through your own mana, gaining the predatory capabilities of a monster!
Gain access to a fusion of your and Medusa's powers, resulting in a constant Limit Break.
This Limit Break, when released, will strengthen your physique, resilience, and mobility. A tail will form from your body, composed of Medusa's scales, which flow just like blood, and can become as solid as teeth.
LIMIT: 20 MIN/DAY!
Wow. Just, uh, wow. That…this…this is a lot to take in. A whole lot.
"Is there any chance I can make this decision, like, later?" I muttered under my breath. "I'm pooped right now."
REMIND LATER?
Yeah, sure. That works.
SET REMINDER!
What? Okay, fine, I guess it's like those annoying reminders you get when you're trying to put off updating your phone or something.
Uh, remind me in like, a day. Yeah, a day.
REMINDER SET! 23:59:59 REMAINING!
Okay. Cool.
I took a couple of deep breaths, ignoring the stabbing pains in my right arm, and turned, slowly picking up all of my marked arrows and putting them back in my Inventory for later. I got the sense that they'd come in handy if I ever needed to fight a slow-moving enemy again.
I turned back towards Atlantis, the mark I'd placed on Amphritite pulsing a pale blue. Tiredly, I felt the ocean currents pick up my weary body towards the mark.
"Perseus!" Amphitrite screamed loudly as I walked into the dining room, where she was sitting with my father, Delta, and three other people I'd never met before. "Oh my…Perseus, you idiot! What have you done?"
I'd taken great care to make sure no civilian saw me like this, and for good reason.
Even with all of my enhanced healing, my arm was getting back to normal very, very slowly. My hand was still a mess, my shoulder was still pointing in a way no shoulder ever should, and my arm was still demolished.
The undershirt I'd been wearing was covered in slashes and some blood, and for some reason, some of the fire from earlier had burned me too, leaving my skin a couple shades redder than I remembered.
"Hey," I said, lamely waving with my good hand. "How's it going?"
"Son," Poseidon said, his face going through a number of emotions. I saw him flash through disgust, anger, annoyance- basically the whole spectrum, before settling on one: pride. "How are you?"
"Honestly? I've been better, Dad," I laughed, gesturing with my mangled arm, which I could now move a little more. "I've been better."
"Percy, why don't you tell us what happened?" Delta joined the conversation smoothly, speaking before Poseidon could continue with our banter. "Start with when you found Lady Amphitrite."
"Perhaps our queen should leave," One of the men spoke up, and the rest gave their assent. Amphitrite nodded, shooting me a meaningful look and exiting the room.
"Well, I successfully identified Carcinus' daughter, Malia, and she came to me with some interesting knowledge…"
A half-hour and a tall glass of water later, I was done with my story, and almost everyone in the room was looking at me in awe.
Delta was the first to speak up, "Well…wow."
"Wow, indeed," Poseidon muttered, rubbing his chin. His eyes swept over the other three people I didn't know. "Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta- your thoughts?"
"It's troubling that our father is making a move of this caliber," The first man, Alpha, said. He stood tall, his chest and legs covered in a teal set of armor with a maroon cape. His hair was cropped, barely advancing to his forehead- but the weirdest part about him, by far, was that I couldn't see his eyes.
Oh. Whoa. Wait.
The realization hit me like a truck. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The first four letters of the Greek alphabet, the first four commanders of the quadrants, and, the four sons of Oceanus.
No way…
Alpha turned to me, his eyes covered in a black-linen wrap, similar to the original eyepatch I'd used- that's why I couldn't see his eyes. "It's clear he wishes to use the young prince as a host. After hearing about this fight, I must confess that I see the merit. Our fullest efforts should be placed in protecting him."
"Brother, must you always be so dramatic?" The shorter man, Gamma, butted in. He was wearing a Triton Rocks! t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans- he must've been at the concert. Like the rest of his family, he had black hair, but he wore it in a braid that came down to his upper back. "Yes, our father wants the prince, and while that is a concern, I'm more concerned about how a mission request from that girl went unnoticed for so long."
"Percy said that Carcinus had a man on the inside," Delta reminded the group. He was playing with a knife, occasionally sharpening against the stone slab he was sitting on. "Nonetheless, I'm with Gamma. The real issue here is this mole. If there's truly an information breach in Atlantis, our first order of business should be identifying it and swiftly dealing with it. Otherwise, these problems will simply compound, over and over."
"My younger brothers are correct," Beta agreed, waiting until the end to put in his two cents. He looked like a carbon copy of Alpha, clothes and all, but his hair was tucked into a headband, and his eyes were a brilliant shade of blue- out for everyone to see. "Perseus has shown himself to be capable of defending against threats. It would be a waste of resources to put extra detail on him. I say he continues training with Delta, and we put forth an effort to find the leak."
Poseidon hummed. He hadn't moved from his thinking position since the commanders had begun to give their opinions. A sigh escaped from his lips, and he looked at me. "And you, son? What's your take?"
I took a few moments to myself, composing my thoughts. "Carcinus said something that troubled me. He said, the hunt begins, right before I killed him. While I'm not concerned for my own safety, that sentence makes me think the citizens of Atlantis could be put in harm's way if we don't find the one leaking all of this stuff soon. I agree with them. This information leak has to be our main concern."
"It's decided, then," Poseidon rumbled, his trident glowing in his hands. "Track the leak. Once you find this…traitor, bring him to me, and I will allow him a taste of my trident. Dismissed."
The four sons of Oceanus disappeared in a flash.
"Son…I'm sorry," Poseidon's face softened, and I saw that his forehead creased with worry lines. "I never meant for you to get involved in something of this nature."
"It's fine," I shrugged, meaning it. The Game was going to use all of this to boost my powers even more, and I was all here for it. Also, my dad was definitely more pissed off and stressed than I'd ever seen him- the last thing I wanted to do was add to that. "Stuff doesn't always go how you planned. I'm not going to sit here and complain about it, so let's just keep this going. We need to find the leak."
"We will," Poseidon snarled. He raised his trident. "I need to go make some inquiries. Rest tonight, Percy."
My father disappeared a moment later. Man must've gone to blow up some underwater cliffs, or something.
I exhaled slowly, sitting down on one of the chairs and closing my eyes.
Damn, that's right. I told myself I would talk to Aphrodite soon. She said something about being able to speak to her through our bond a while ago, right?
Okay, cool. Our bond. I can do that.
With my eyes still closed, I mentally thought:
Hello? Aphrodite?
Silence.
Okay, so that didn't work. Maybe I had to do something else?
Uh…call Aphrodite.
Nope.
Yoohoo!
Alright. This just isn't working. Maybe I need to actually try to call forth her presence or something?
I thought about Aphrodite. Long and carefully. I tried remembering what she'd looked like last time. Her blonde hair, the dress she had on. Her eyes. The smell of vanilla hanging around her. The way she strode across the room-
Percy?
I blinked a few times. Wow, I wasn't actually expecting that to work. I thought back, Aphrodite?
Hello.
Hey.
I fought the urge to smack my forehead. What the hell was I doing? Was I really getting nervous now?
How did your mission go?
Uh…well…I think.
Well, that's certainly good, There was a pause. I knew you could do it.
I smiled a bit at that one. Thanks. Is there, uh, some way we could talk face to face? Just for a bit.
There were a few moments of silence. Did I do something wrong?
No, I replied instantly. I just wanted to see you.
I felt a rush of heat through the bond. I noticed, with a small smile, that it was the same as the feeling I'd gotten when I used her mirror. She had been watching me.
Oh. Well, yes, I can bring you to me, if you'd like. I doubt your father would appreciate me coming there.
Yeah…he's on edge right now, for sure. I glanced down at my arm. I'm going to need, like, an hour tops for my injuries to heal to a point where they aren't terrifying to look at.
That's okay. Just tell me when you're ready.
Okay. Talk to you soon.
Bye, Percy.
I grunted, standing up and slowly walking over to where I remembered my room to be. While I'm waiting, I might as well change my shirt and pants, too. I don't need to go see Aphrodite looking like a bum. She may technically be my wife, but I still kind of want to impress her, you know?
As I turned the corner to my room, I was instantly taken aback on guard by a guitar noise.
Triton was sitting in front of my door, plucking some guitar strings and singing, "Watch you back up, know you're scared to love again…every time you try, part of you just dies, you're looking dumb again!"
He strummed the guitar harder. "It's so hard to trust again, so just like that you don't, uh, you gon' just get drunk again, roll up and fucking smoke."
"A Triton original?" I made my presence known, giving my half-brother a friendly wave with my non-mangled hand. "Sounds good, brother."
"Perce!" He shot up, leaving the guitar on the ground. He bounded over to me, his eyes wide with worry. "Oh, man. That looks gnarly. Mom came home looking shaken-up and said something about you fighting a monster, so I came up to see for myself."
Amphitrite must've gotten here like an hour or two ago! Did Triton really wait here all this time, just to make sure I was okay?
"Thanks, man, I appreciate it," I grinned, meaning every word. I walked over to my door and it slid open. "You should've seen the other guy. Come on, I'll tell you the story."
"Bro, really? Mom went straight to Dad, she didn't even bother telling me anything," Triton complained, stepping inside of the room with me. "Oh, what? We gotta get you some decorations in here, this place is dry."
I laughed, "We can do that."
Triton sat on my bed, looking at me expectantly. "Well, brother? You gonna leave me in suspense?"
"Hold on," I said, looking through my closet to find a shirt. Satisfied with my choice, I turned back to Triton. "Alright. So basically, we get there, right, and your mom takes me to meet this dude Carcinus. Real fat guy, honestly, and I thought there was some pizza sauce on his chin at first…"
AN: Well, well, well. Guess who's back, and fresh off of his college semester? Right before the one-year anniversary of this fic, too!
Man. I never would've imagined that the fic that I mostly just started out of annoyance at the lack of Gamer fics would do this well.
Almost 2k favorites, well over 2k follows, 186k views- holy shit, guys. It's been a good year, and I'm looking forward to the next one, and all the different ways I'm going to grow as an author. Thank you to everyone, truly. It doesn't even feel real.
You heard it here first, though. I'm going to see this story through past the HOO, so you can rest easy. My goal is to someday be compared to Percy Jackson and the Game, but I've got a ways to go.
On another note, speaking of improvement, I've begun to go back and change some of the things in the earlier chapters.
A lot of the stuff I changed was just stuff that made admittedly no sense.
Percy's promise to Aphrodite, his reveal of the Gamer abilities, his obedience to the gods, the Deus ex Machina Medusa eye, the dumb stuff in the Chimera fight- stuff like that.
A big thing that irked me was the obedience thing. I forgot how disobedient Percy really was- my man literally mailed the head of Medusa to Olympus a few days after learning of their existence.
Another big thing I changed was the levels and numbers. When I started this fic, I truly had no idea it would ever amount to anything. As such, I didn't pay much attention to stuff like numbers and damage and levels, kind of winging it the whole time- but I've gone back and completely revamped all of that stuff. I want this story to have re-readability. I don't want to be embarrassed by the earlier chapters- so I fixed a lot of the stuff I hated.
Other stuff, like continuity errors and tense problems, grammar and dialogue were changed as well. I've tweaked the characterization of some of the characters too, so please do let me know what you think of any differences that you notice.
Anyways. On the matter of this chapter, I'm curious to see which route y'all want Percy to take. Obviously, I already know which he'll take, but I'd love to hear your opinions/thoughts/reasonings on why he should or shouldn't take a route.
Onto my favorite part….
Silverfox72: I got a good chuckle out of that. Percy Jackson is officially an outlaw amongst the Catfish population.
ChiKuro010: Good catch! I think you're the first to point it out…
rdoglover5679: Of course! I still don't know why that false update thing was happening, but I knew that if it was me I'd be annoyed and a bit disappointed, so I figured I'd clear the air.
ArashiTyphoonus: Thank you so much for your kind words. Those are the kinds of reviews I love reading so much, and I hope you like this chapter.
Lionking712: Still the body of Amphitrite! Hmm, there's a decent bit of perodite in this chapter, so I hope that makes you happy as a result! I had another scene planned, hence why I originally said this chapter would be closer to 15k words, but I wanted to do more with that storyline, and the Triton part felt like a good part to end. Also, I'm almost done with classes, so once a week starting May is pretty reasonable for how frequently I'll be updating.
PotterheadParzival: What sort of omakes would you like to see?
A couple of things to note in general:
Percy does come off as a dick, and that's intentional. I'm writing him as a flawed character, but also an understandable one. Wouldn't you also choose your loved ones over a girl who's having a rough time at camp? Plus, as we'll see soon, Piper changes in certain ways as a result…
Wow. I'm really humbled by the fact that more than one person asked if I'd ever set up a Pat-reon (the site was being weird about me saying it straight up), but I'll probably never do that. This story is for you and me to enjoy, free of charge. I stand by that.
Anyways! Talk to you guys soon!
-Maroon