Hērmês wasn't sure if he was glad or sad that Apóllōn was back on the mountain. While he was happy that his brother was there, he was a bit irritated that it was only because everyone was walking on eggshells around him. He was feeling fine! He received more answers about his Leaneíras and even though he could still not feel her, he knew that she was alright. Of course, that was only after he had watched as Ártemis and Athḗnē and Aphrodítē and Kírkē utilized Kalupsṓ as a makeshift piñata.
He was fine.
His Leaneíras would be home soon. He was sure of it.
(And if not then, he would just have lower Kalupsṓ and the rest of their accomplices into the pit before dragging Peithō from his Father's kingdom and throwing her into the depths of Kháos.)
If he wasn't fine, then he would tell someone; probably, but since he was then there was no cause for concern.
Either way, at least his brother was there though the elder god refused to be anywhere near the screens. Hearing the way that Annabeth and Eliza screamed was distressing, he had to admit. Apollō instead prefer to watch the screens with the daughter of Bellōna as she raced across the world. It meant that he had been the first to notice the giant as he began his hunt. Ártemis' eyes had widened in horror; her hand going to her own kháos-mark.
They had known he long since escaped his prison within the stars, but he had hidden himself deeply. Now they knew how and then the twins took off to Dêlos where their Mother guarded them protectively. There was no doubt that the giant would attempt to use his mark against her.
Mercurius peeked at the screens, watching as the healers at Auster's palace tend to Annabeth; the girl had long since damaged her vocal box due to her screams. Her treatment was being handled with care especially once Drew had sent an IM to Camp Half-Blood so that the medics there could speak to those treating the daughter of Athḗnē. Truthfully, it was a waste of supplies because no matter what they did, there was always the chance that things could unravel so long as Perseus and Octavius were within the bowels of hell.
The rest of the time that wasn't spent tending to Annabeth was when they were fixing the ship. Medea had been utilizing a lot of magicka to replace things that were too heavily damaged, but she also spent a lot of time gathering magicka as she couldn't afford to have low reserves when she faced the sorceress at the Doors. And besides the things that she couldn't fix because it was too intricate had Drew going on an impromptu engineering course with Cabin Nine as she rewrote reality to have the tools to fix things.
The only good news to it all was that Leo was sailing towards the city of Valletta.
Hm, they would need to dissuade the boy from attempting to return to Ōgugía to retrieve Kalupsṓ for whatever reason he wanted to.
Though Hērmês wondered if Lea would like the island as a gift. She was very big on boundaries and a place where no one could find her and seldom received visitors to bother her seemed like her type of place. Of course, he would have cleanse the entire thing or she just might sink it.
And then something on the metaphysical plane exploded and he whipped his head around. Veritas was clutching at her chest as her form began to shift rapidly. Father had his head cradled in his hands. Eliza and Annabeth let out their loudest screams yet.
"Ve?" he asked as he rushed to her side. Her eyes were wide before her hand moved, covered in ichor.
One of her blessings?
He turned to the screens, but everything seemed fin—Oh.
Jason... Jason had no idea what he was doing. He was choosing to be greek when he was a roman. He was denying who he was at the core of his soul. Roma was reacting to the loss of her children, and there was no doubt that Octavian was feeling it. And if he felt then, his blessings felt it. It was no doubt made worse considering the bond that Octavian and Jason shared. Veritas could feel it affecting her bond; she was blessed to Jason, the son of Iovis and champion of Iūnō, but the boy... The boy was choosing to be something that he was not. Father could feel the spiritual connection that he had to his son dissolving as the boy tried to force it to be with his grecian form, and though they knew not where Iūnō was hiding, there was no doubt that she was feeling the repercussions also.
Did she feel guilt? Did she understand that the pain she felt was due to her hand?
"Very good, Jason Grace," Nótos said. "You are a son of Iūpiter, yet you have chosen your own path—as all the greatest demigods have done before you. You cannot control your parentage, but you can choose your legacy. Now, go. Lash your team to the prow and direct them towards Malta."
Why lie to him so? His legacy was stapled in the heart of Roma.
The Eternal City crumbled when her children abandoned her. Have he no care for that legacy?
All the demigods before Jason had never "chosen" their own path. They took pride in whom they were and placed their names into the stars. Fate chose their path. It was them who chose which way to take it.
And this... This was not it.
Soon, he would pay the price for his actions.
They met up with Leo soon enough where the boy was sitting at an open-air café, overlooking the sea, drinking a cup of coffee.
The group enjoyed a nice lunch though they couldn't stay long as they did leave Pranjal and Annabeth on the ship alone so they'd have to reiterate their stories afterwards. Though, Hērmês had to admit the idea of placing Eliza in a stasis with all of Leaneíras crystals had been a good idea though he was sure that his blessing was going to throw a fit for using all of her stock instead of charging up their own.
Annabeth had stabilized a bit while Pranjal looked over her for any side effects.
But then—
A streak of darkness shot into the air like black lightning—as if Nýx had cut Hēmérā in half.
They all overlooked the metaphysical plane before a rumbling sound echoed over the speakers.
Háidēs grumbled from his screen. "There are within my temple!"
"The House of Hades is open for business," Nico murmured.
In the next moment, he and Medea alongside the various other netherworld children stiffened, eyes momentarily turning black like shadows engulfed their pupils.
'It's begun,' Medea said.
"What has?' Leo asked.
"Gaia's final push," she said meanwhile giants and monsters alike were pouring into the world. Gaía was really aiming to destroy everything. "The Doors of Death are working overtime. Her forces are entering the mortal world en masse."
The gods could only curse. This was not the time for the demigods to be at war yet it was what the earth mother had been accounting for. Most of them headed for the camps while others chased after the Amazons and Hunters, and there was those that went after the Gargareis.
And they all sensed the moment that the barriers were pulled further around Dêlos when a certain serpent emerged from the depths of hell.
"We'll never make it,' Nico said. 'By the time we arrive, there'll be too many monsters to fight.'
Jason set his jaw. 'We'll defeat them and we'll make it there fast," Jason stated determinedly. "We've got Leo back. He'll give us the speed we need." He looked at his friend with a playful smirk. "Or is that just hot air?"
"Time to fly, boys and girls,' Leo said with answering grin. 'Uncle Leo's still got a few tricks up his sleeves!'
Black lightning ripped through the sky as they flew towards Elláda at top speed with Drew shooting down a few hárpuiai that attempted to attack them. Apóllōn's Champion stood next to Leo at the helm, her eyes dark in determination with Iūnō's Champion at their side. They looked ridiculously huge bodyguards Annabeth was walking on her own, every step that she took was sure and purposeful though Pranjal followed her just to be sure.
They hovered over the Akhérōn river where they could all saw tendrils of black ether curled into the sky, like a smoky squid peeking from its cave.
"Do your security cameras still work in there," Hḗphaistos gruffly asked fiddling with the controls. "I know it was destroyed by a few romans some centuries ago."
"I wouldn't place any bets on it," Háidēs commented. "I only kept them up to watch the ruins and make sure no mortal was poking where they had no business. There's no telling what Grandmother's forces have done."
A bolt of dark energy ripped through the air, rocking the ship and sending a cold shockwave across the landscape.
Hḗphaistos hummed before he and Athḗnē began fiddling with the control system until the screens began to turn on though they were even more staticky than those in Roma.
Jason squinted in the sunlight. 'I thought the Acheron was in the Underworld.'
'It is,' Medea said, staring as if she was in a trance at the ruins. "It starts here then flows underground, straight into the Netherworld. I actually need some of it for a spell or two..." She trailed off muttering, and Drew had to nudge her to get her attention. She shook her head. "Oh, yeah. Landing a demigod ship on those waters—"
'Yeah, let's stay up here,' Leo decided. 'I don't want any zombie water on my hull.'
Nico di Angelo raised the sceptre of Diocletian, the orb glowed with purple light, as if in sympathy with the dark storm.
"Have you learned how to use that," Annabeth asked Nico. The boy avoided her eyes before following Medea's lead in staring at the ruins.
"We'll find out." Nico stared at the tendrils of darkness undulating from the ruins. 'I don't intend to try until I have to. The Doors of Death are already working overtime bringing in Gaia's monsters. Any more activity raising the dead and the Doors might shatter permanently, leaving a rip in the mortal world that can't be closed.'
Coach Hedge grunted. "I hate rips in the world. Let's go bust some monster heads."
"Coach," Annabeth said. "You should stay on board, cover us with the ballistae with Pranjal."
The boy and the satyr frowned. 'Stay behind? Me? I'm your best soldier!'
'We might need air support,' Medea chimed in. "Like back in Roma, and Pranjal, you know we don't bring more than one medic on the field. I'm already going. You'll be needed to cover Coach's back."
Neither one of them looked happy about it, but they agreed. The group quickly approached the ruins, moving pass a group of tourists as they climbed over an old retaining wall and down into an excavated trench until they arrived at a stone doorway leading straight into the side of the hill.
Nico faced the group. 'From here, it gets tough.'
'Sweet,' Leo said. ''Cause so far I've totally been pulling my punches.'
Nico glared at him. 'We'll see how long you keep your sense of humour. Remember, this is where pilgrims came to commune with dead ancestors. Underground, you may see things that are hard to look at, or hear voices trying to lead you astray in the tunnels. Medea, do you have the barley cakes?'
The girl grumbled, but she pulled out the crackers from their trip in Venice.
'Okay.' Nico said after they ate the crackers. 'That should protect us from the poison.'
'Poison?' Leo asked. 'Did I miss the poison? 'Cause I love poison.'
'Soon enough,' Nico promised. 'Just stick close together, and maybe we can avoid getting lost or going insane.'
On that happy note, Nico led them underground. They followed as best as they could on the screens, able to only catch the snatches of the conversations.
'A test,' Nico said at one point. 'Medea, would you do the honours?'
Medea stepped forward, the boulder glowed with her magicka before a doorway carved itself through it.
A set of stairs curved deeper into the earth, the barreled ceiling held up by more repeating arches, closer together and carved from polished black stone and painted on the walls were crude pictures of black cattle marching downwards.
On the first step of the stairwell, a golden chalice gleamed, filled with dark-green liquid.
Aphrodítē grimaced. "I really don't want my daughter drinking that."
"Apóllōn started her immunity training to most poisons on her fifteenth birthday," Huákinthos assured though if anything that just stressed Aphrodítē out more. The blessing of Apóllōn had stayed on the mountain to be a "representative", but they all knew that it was really Apóllōn's way to make sure that no one got to him or Dáphnē whom had also been ordered to stay.
Nico picked up the chalice. 'We're standing at the ancient entrance of the Necromanteion. Odysseus came here, and dozens of other heroes, seeking advice from the dead."
"Did the dead advise them to leave immediately?' Leo asked.
"I would be fine with that,' Drew admitted, knocking the wrinkles out of her visiting-Lord-Hades-house clothes.
Apparently, the name was still a work in progress.
Nico drank from the chalice, then offered it to Jason. 'You asked me about trust, and taking a risk? Well, here you go, son of Jupiter. How much do you trust me?'
Without hesitation, the son of... well, after his actions, it was hard to determine whose child he was now. The son of Beryl Grace took the chalice, and drank before passing it around to the others. When the chalice made it to Medea's hands, it turned into smoke when she finished.
Nico nodded, apparently satisfied. 'Congratulations. Assuming the poison doesn't kill us, we should be able to find our way through the Necromanteion's first level.'
'Just the first level?' Drew asked.
Nico turned to Medea and gestured at the stairs and they descended deeper into the ruins.
'Where are the monsters?' Annabeth wondered after awhile. She twitched every other moment or so, but the stasis that Eliza was placed in seemed to be doing a good job compared to whatever Percy and Octavian were going through. 'I thought Gaia had an army guarding the Doors.'
'Don't know,' Jason said, skin almost as green as the poison from the chalice. 'At this point I'd almost prefer a straight-up fight.'
'Careful what you wish for, man.' Leo summoned a ball of fire to his hand. 'Personally, I'm hoping nobody's home. We walk in, find Percy and Octavian, destroy the Doors of Death and walk out. Maybe stop at the gift shop.'
'Yeah,' Drew snorted. 'That'll happen.'
The tunnel shook as the doors opened once more. Rubble rained down from the ceiling as a group of monsters abruptly appeared in Venezuela.
'The Doors of Death just opened again,' Nico informed them
'It's happening like every fifteen minutes,' Drew noted.
'Every twelve,' Nico corrected.
"The number of cosmic order," Annabeth murmured.
"What do you mean?" Leo asked.
"Twelve primordial beings. Twelve titans. Twelve Olympians. It's the number of perfection."
Jason nodded in agreement. "Twelve is just everything. In ancient Roma, lictors carried fasces of twelve rods. 3, 6, 9, 12 were the most important numbers."
Drew hummed. "According to Hesiod, there were six beings at the beginning of creation. Gaia is covered on three sides by her three consorts: Ouranos, Pontos, and Tartara. She had three sets of children with the Sky."
"Then you have the six children that Ouranos imprisoned within Gaia," Annabeth added.
"Then Saturnus had six children. Three of which overthrew him. And the council of the gods are made of Twelve Olympians. And Lord Liber is said to have lived 3 lives."
Drew snorted. "You know he's actually Jesus so there's the whole died and rose again after three days."
'Enough of the history lesson," Nico hissed though he gave Leo an apologetic look. "Percy and Octavian are close. They're in danger. I can sense it.'
That shut the group up, and they travelled deep within. The corridors widened and the ceilings rose to six metres high, decorated with elaborate paintings of owls in the branches of white poplars. Annabeth grimaced as she looked around the place, sharing looks with Drew and Jason as their fingers twitched towards their weapons.
Leo held his fire close to the walls illuminating the Ancient Greek graffiti scratched into the stone, prayers to the dead and few trolling comments that Hērmês and Diónusos placed there when pranking the priests. The tunnel floor was littered with ceramic shards and silver coins.
'Offerings?' Drew guessed.
'Yes,' Nico said. 'If you wanted your ancestors to appear, you had to make an offering.'
'Let's not make an offering,' Jason suggested.
Nobody argued.
'The tunnel from here is unstable,' Medea warned. 'The floor might ... well, hold on to me tightly. I'm gonna float us over.'
Jason stopped in place.
'Jason?' Drew whispered behind him. 'Medea, hold up a second. Jace, what's wrong?'
'Nothing,' Jason murmured. 'I just—'
"The dead speak to him," Persephónē murmured.
'Jason, don't move.' Medea stressed, her magicka flickering under his feet.
'Lead where?' Jason asked aloud.
'Uh, big guy?' Leo said. 'Could you not freak out on us? Please and thank you.'
'I'm okay,' he managed while the rest of them look at him in concern. 'Just ... a voice.'
Nico nodded. 'I did warn you. It'll only get worse. We should—'
Medea held up her hand for silence. 'Wait here, everybody.'
She left before anyone could protest, though she came back just as fast to gather everyone, carefully strengthening her magicka beneath their feet to carry them across the unstable floor.
The cavern that they entered next was a circular in shape, with a ceiling so high it was lost in the gloom. Dozens of other tunnels led off in different directions, each echoing with ghostly voices. The floor was a gruesome mosaic of bones and gems—human femurs, hip bones and ribs twisted and fused together into a smooth surface, dotted with diamonds and rubies. The bones formed patterns, like skeletal contortionists tumbling together, curling to protect the precious stones—a dance of death and riches.
"Touch nothing,' Medea and Nico said even though the girl's fingers twitched.
"Wasn't planning on it,' Leo muttered.
"Which way now?' Annabeth scanned the exits, eyeing the structures in that familiar daze that led to Lea falling asleep on her sketch books. The look of an architect pointing out everything that they could have made better, and it certainly wasn't a good look to add on with Leo who also began muttering about the structural support. The two of them looked one second away from dropping to the ground to redesign the entire thing
'This should be the room where the priests invoked the most powerful spirits," Nico murmured, looking uncertain. "One of these passages leads deeper into the temple, to the third level and the altar of Hades himself. But which—?'
'That one.' Jason pointed. Mercurius tilted his head, and the world flipped as a shade appeared draped in roman armor. Behind him stood a long line of Roman soldiers dating all the way back to the Roman Kingdom under Romulus' rule.
Medea frowned. 'Why that one?'
'You don't see the ghost?' Jason asked.
'Ghost?' Nico asked.
"They're leading him," Mercurius murmured. "Despite what he's done, shattering the core aspect of who he is, they recognize him of roman blood."
"They probably recognize the bond that he shares with Octavius also," Dēmḗtēr commented. "They're leading him to it, but he has to prove himself."
"Prove himself?" Veritas said, her face nervous.
"Nótos told him that he could choose his legacy. Fate forces his hand to choose."
"The dead tells no lies," Háidēs added on. "And he draws closer to the doors, and his soul shall be laid bare; bereft of all his kin and having left behind on earth all that fine array, to the end that the judgement may be just. He will be Jason Grace and Jason Grace only, and he will have to decide at his soul what it means to be himself."
"He will quite literally have to be The Healer if he wishes to succeed," Persephónē stated wryly.
The cavern reverberated with monstrous roars—dozens, maybe hundreds of enemies coming from every direction as they hurried forward.
'Medea, don't stop!' Nico ordered, pulling the sceptre of Diocletian from his belt. Annabeth and Drew summoned their weapons as the monsters spilled into the cavern.
A vanguard of six-armed Earthborn threw a volley of stones that shattered the bone-and-jewel floor like ice. A fissure spread across the centre of the room, coming straight towards Leo and Medea. Jason tackled his friends, and the three of them skidded across the cavern, landing at the edge of the ghost's tunnel as rocks and spears flew overhead.
'Go!' Jason yelled. 'Go, go!'
Medea and Leo scrambled into the tunnel, which seemed to be the only one free of monsters.
Two metres in, Leo turned. 'The others!'
The entire cavern shuddered. Jason glanced back at Drew, Annabeth, and Nico as they stood on the near side of a new fifteen-metre-wide chasm, spanned only by two rickety stretches of bone flooring. They were surrounded by a ring of Kyklôps and hellhounds, and more monsters kept pouring in from the side corridors, while gryphons wheeled overhead, undeterred by the crumbling floor.
Drew shot off a mild explosion arrow to give the trio some breathing room, but even she knew that the ruins couldn't take too many of those.
'Nico!' Jason yelled while the bulk of the monster army was on the opposite side, howling in frustration and throwing whatever they could find, including each other. Some attempted to cross the bridges, which creaked and crackled under their weight. 'The sceptre.'
Nico raised Diocletian's sceptre, and the cavern air shimmered purple. Ghosts climbed from the fissure and seeped from the walls – an entire Roman legion in full battle gear. They began taking on physical form, like walking corpses, but they seemed confused.
Jason grimaced as he turned to Medea and Leo, he gave them one order: "You two keep going."
Medea's eyes widened. 'What? No!'
'You have to. Find the Doors. Save Octavian and Percy.'
'But –' Leo glanced over Jason's shoulder. 'Hit the deck!'
Jason dived for cover as a volley of rocks slammed overhead. When he managed to get up, coughing and covered in dust, the entrance to the tunnel was gone. An entire section of wall had collapsed, leaving a slope of smoking rubble.
His face crumbled in despair before he squared his shoulders and faced the army. His pupils sparked with lightning, and then... he charged towards the army.
Leaneira's eyes opened when Hermes gave her the okay and she took in the familiar sight of the path of floating stones led through the clouds up to Mount Olympus, hovering six thousand feet over Manhattan. She refused to look down below her because she was still terrified of heights despite her numerous times in the air and her various flight spells. Instead, she let her gaze move over the glittering gold and white mansions that were perched on the sides of the mountains. She breathed in the scented smoke that rose from braziers that lined the winding streets.
Circling the edge of the city were gates of gilded gold; different from her words, that stood as tall as she did back in Cordelia's universe. She took note of the various gatekeepers that lingered by the doorways that she could see.
All of that she took in for a split second before her sight was blocked by—
Lea flushed because she recognized that face from Livia's memories, and then something clicked in her mind, and she was flushing from more than just embarrassment.
" Oh..." she breathed, looking between Hermes and Mercurius. "So, not a planet."
Lea really wanted to pass out or better yet, go back to her world. She knew way too much about their anatomy. Damn Ariadnê and Livia for sleeping with them!
"She is very beautiful," Mercurius stated as he leaned closer into her space, and she leaned further away. "She looks almost exactly like my Liviana."
"Tis the eyes," Hermes stated. "They do not hold the same strength of anger."
"I suppose so," Mercurius hummed. "This one does not seem like her Mother abandoned her at birth."
Space Invader say what?
"When I get back home, I am giving my mom the biggest hug," Lea murmured because it was clear that she got the best one. "What the fuck is wrong with her counterparts?"
"Come," Hermes said. "The gods await."
How dramatically foreboding.
She followed after them silently, running her hand over her hair to tie it back into a ponytail. She let her gaze roam around her, taking in the similarities that the place had with the Olympos that she knew. There was a lot, but there were also some major differences. It was two times bigger after all, so she figured that was to accommodate the Roman? gods. It reminded her a lot of Livia's memories of New Rome looked like when it hadn't been destroyed by a giant and Lea's own mageia.
She smirked at the statues that she walked by, and she could pick out which ones that had been there originally and the ones that Annabeth helped design.
It kind of reminded her of that small scale model that she created of Hermes' temple except Lea was there also. The girl thought that Lea either hid or destroyed it and she wasn't too far off the mark. It was in her pocket dimension; safe and faraway from the eyes of Hermes who would undoubtedly tease her about it.
When they made it to the doors, the gods—aliens! Interdimensional aliens, and she couldn't wait to go back to her world and mock everyone that claimed that she had been wrong... The Aliens' forms shimmered until they were dressed in chitons and togas before pushing the doors opened.
Lea had a moment to wonder if she was supposed to change clothes to, but decided against it as she followed them through.
The fraternal twins immediately flashed to her seat, leaving her to stand alone.
The gods stared at her.
She stared back.
Then she heard Percy's voice in the back of her head telling her that she needed to bow to their Uncle; though this dude was not her Uncle.
Lea bowed.
"I thought my eyes played tricks on me," someone said. "She does look remarkably similar to Livia and Percy."
"She is of Poseidon's seed," an grave voice grumbled, and Lea inwardly grimaced. They didn't have to say it like that. She peeked up at them as best as she could through her lashes and bangs, taking in the fact that the throne room she once beat up the elderly in had doubled in size, and there were a lot more gods around.
A lot more.
Almost triple the amount that had been there when Olympioi Major were handing out rewards.
Lea stood in a throne room of Olympos which was double the size of the throne room that she had been for the titan war.
…
She looked over all of them, scrunching her nose up when she realized the one that was her Father still wore that ugly shirt even in another universe.
How embarrassing.
"She is powerful," her Father's counterpart stated. Shit, that was going to get confusing. Livia's Father was the counterpart of Percy's Father, and Percy's father was the counterpart of Lea's Father, and... Lea wanted to go home. This was giving her a headache. "Her mageia pools are overflowing."
Lea didn't find it fair either that it was so many of them. She had enough trouble learning the names of her own gods, and now they wanted her to double it?
Just shoot her. It'd hurt less.
"She is very beautiful," came the soothing voice of Aphrodite and Lea let her shoulders relax. "You did well, brother."
She wondered if she could put a request in because she barely got to eat the food that Livia and Percy kept shoving at her before she was summoned to the High Heavens. She could really go for a honey ham on a hero with swiss, toasted with lettuce and tomato and green peppers. Did Usnavi's bodega even exist in this world?
"May I remind you that I am married, sister," Hermes groaned.
"According to the girl, you are married to her also," Mr. D stated.
She wondered if anyone would be mad if she just took a nap right there.
"She wears your ichor around her neck," Mercurius teased.
"She didn't even know that we were separate beings so that's your ichor also!"
Lea stiffened; head snapping up as her mageia manifested. The gods silenced as she looked around her before her gaze turned back to where her siblings resided. To where her siblings were fighting.
What the fuck happened?
Lea groaned, placing her hands in her head.
"Are you okay," Hermes called down to her and she raised her thumb.
"I'm fine," she grumbled. "I'm really just sick and tired of trying to save the world. I just want to spend my time being your girl. I mean Hermes. My Hermes. My blessing dammit!"
"Yes, blessings," came from someone that looked like her Aunt Hera, but was not her Aunt Hera. "What is that?"
Something that she wanted a damn refund on if it had bitches hating hard enough to send her to other worlds.
Then again, sike.
There was no way in hell that she was going to go through so much bullshit and not keep the guy in the end. No way in hell. She'd hang Peitho over that damn pit her self before she let anyone else get in between her and her blessing from khaos.
Lea sighed, activating a few of the charms that she snuck onto her siblings though with the way that Livia trained; blindfolded with ear plugs and weights around her ankles while her stepmother through axes at her, what the fuck?, she suspected that the girl had noticed her doing so.
And then she turned to the gods, and shrugged. "Blessed by Khaos and Eros. The first one. Phanes? I think that's his other name. They created soulmates. Match people's threads. Gods could only match with other gods or demigods. I got matched to Hermes. His name is imprinted on my skin. Literally. It's engraved there like a tattoo. Like those marks on Livia's and the others arms. And its the same for him. He has my name. I didn't really believe in soulmates, or blessings as that's the official name we all call them. Still don't if I'm honest. I only believe in Hermes. My Hermes. I was very disappointed when I got this mark. Really didn't want one but I would've taken it over learning that 'gods' were real."
Truthfully, she could show them her memories, but she was not messing around with deities and anything to do with mental spells after she had melded her mind to Hermes.
She snorted at the last bit and when the deities looked at her confused and offended, her eyes lit up. "Oh my aliens, this means I can show you my theory and it'd be right." She waved her hand, and a projector and screen materialize beside her. A PowerPoint showed in front of them: "How to Survive the Monsters and the Aliens From Space" subtitled "So, you met the interdimensional aliens".
Lea never claimed to not be a troll.
She never cared about trolling people, though she did on occasion. She wondered if she could convince the people of this world that she was a demon coming from hell. She sure was that she could find some fake blood somewhere.
"Hermes and Hyakinthos helped me with the color theory," Lea informed them before she started the PowerPoint. She didn't notice the way that Apollon flinched and stared. "And they edited a lot of the words. Dyslexia is a bitch, but let's get started!"
She'd go soothe Livia's ruffled feathers later, and stop whatever civil war that was going on after she proved her point to the very aliens that she was talking about!
"Slide One of Five Thousand Eighty Six."
WORD COUNT: 5609
THINGS TO KNOW:
1) Gargareis were an all-male tribe. They copulated with the Amazons annually in order to keep both tribes reproductive. The Amazons kept the female children, raising them as warriors, and gave the males to the Gargareis.
1A) So the whole male slave thing that Rick did doesn't work unless he's implying that the Gargareis have a bunch of female concubines.
2) The Twelve Primordials:
1) Kháos
2) Éros
3) Nýx
4) Érebos
5) Gaía
6) Ouranós
7) Póntos
8) Tártaros
9) Aithír
10) Hēmérā
11) Thálassa
12) Oúrea- The Mountains; they apparently counted as one entity in some cases.
2A) There's also Anánkē and Khrónos depending on the source.
1B) Hesiod, however, names Kháos, Gaía, Tártaros, Éros, Nýx, and Érebos then Ouranós and Hēmérā, Aithír and Póntos, and the Oúrea. Thálassa is considered to be Póntos' consort, but her first mention is in the Hymn to Dēmḗtēr so its not known when she emerged or if she the offspring of another; Hyginus, a roman (A CHRISTIAN) wrote that her parents were Dies and Akmon (Hēmérā and Aithír)
COMMENTS FROM AUTHOR:
1) It's the fact that in this verse, Percy lost his virginity in hell. Man is in literal hell and he out there slanging dick. Oh em gee. Get some!
2) "The gods hardly ever stopped by CJ to say hello."
2A) and then turn around and says that the gods were always visiting New Roma. If we're going to be anything, lets be forreal. Rick made a lot of contradicting statements.
3) I hate the whole Jason chose to be Greek thing. Like boy... where is your pride for your home? I get wanting to relax and not be looked at as a prince and expected to have all the answers, but you cannot choose to be another race.
3A) AND BECAUSE OF A GIRL? BOY I'LL SLAP YOU!
3B) and dude, you'd have even a lesser chance of meeting your Dad at CHB than at CJ. Ζεύς aint letting no more field trips happen to Ólumpos. That fight against the Giants was all you were ever gonna get.
4) Besides, I'm a big believer that Jason is a mama's boy. He is Iūnō's child. She raised him like she sired him and birthed him herself.
4A) Iūpiter: thats my son.
4B) Iūnō: no he's not.
4C) Iūpiter: no he's not.
4D) So, I'll just make his actions cryptically horrifying.
5) One chapter left in the HoH arc, one last part to the BFK/Pressured crossover, and then we're on to Lea's last adventure and the BoO arc which I need to start writing. Like the only thing that I have written there is the battle against the giants and Lea's return.