It's About to get Old Testament
Yep. That really happened. Percy's life as a Templar really was nothing spectacular. That's basically what the title was, too. Völlig Enttäuschend roughly translates to "utterly disappointing" in German, so I thought that would be funny. As for my hint about Lou Ellen in the previous author's note, she tells Annabeth that she knows the "important stuff" when it comes to people.
That's another joke.
The reason she couldn't see Percy's Sixth Life clearly is because Konrad wasn't that important!
Harharhar.
Anyway, things are ramping up this chapter as we move into the Last Olympian arc. Will there be a sequel to this story for the Giant War? It is very possible, but I still have the Chaos War on the table, and for the very longtime fans, there's still the Green-Eyed Ghoul and Son of Jashin sequels also on the table, and for those that might remember it, at one point there was a PJO/Star War crossover I was working on, but since deleted it because I didn't like where it was going.
And Voidwalker hasn't been updated in over a year (06/07/2023) now, as of this chapter, and Promised Year is about to have gone a year without being updated (07/19/2023).
In shorter terms, there's still lots of projects to be done.
In addition to the new novel I've started working on. More on that after the chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or AC
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Inspired by historical events and an over-active imagination, this work of fiction was designed, developed, and produced by a single-cultural team of one religious faith and belief, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
When Percy woke up, he was first feeling disappointed. That was it? That was his Sixth and final life? Some 20-year-old asshole kid that had zero impact on the overall quality of life in general? Wow.
Poetic, in a sense, Percy supposed. All his Assassin lives had varying levels of greatness, with Peter arguably being the least great, and Virgil being the greatest in terms of overall accomplishment. Husband, father, Mentor, disciple of Christ, leader, and more. Then there was Konrad, a Templar nobody in the end. Got shot in the head and didn't even know by whom.
As for Konrad himself, with his philosophies, outlook on life, and way of thinking—yeah, Percy wasn't impressed, and he was packing way too much experience in all the opposite ways to be affected by Konrad in any form or fashion. It almost made Percy sad, in a way, that his final life gave him almost absolutely nothing of value.
Almost nothing.
With Konrad's piece now part of him, Percy was finally complete. He was one. All fragments of his soul that had been frozen in time thanks to the Fates were once again assimilated. He was a full, complete human being again, something that he hadn't been since he was a newborn. With that came a sense of peace and fulfillment.
It was finally over.
No more trips through the past.
No more trauma from the past.
In that regard, Percy was happy that Konrad had been such an underwhelming last life. Just two decades of being a holier-than-thou little turd with delusions of grandeur. No girlfriend, no wife, no kids, no boyfriend, not even any kind of outstanding connection to some other pagan religion. Just a pathetic atheist worldview that most high schoolers in Sunday School could've corrected with two or three good conversations.
Anyway.
There was no point in dwelling over Konrad Richter. Percy had much bigger things to concern himself with right now. He was underwater, in a bed. He could feel what was going on, instinctively knew that he was in Poseidon's palace at the bottom of the Atlantic, and that the kingdom was under siege by those loyal to Kronos.
Per the words of the robed man to Konrad before he was sent off, Percy needed to lock this place down, and then get back to camp. He had a meeting to attend.
Rising from the bed he was in, feeling a slight bit of vertigo due to being underwater and having full 360-degree movement, Percy took off out the door once he got his bearings. Swimming through the shaking halls of the palace, shaking from the explosions further out on the battlefield, Percy briefly debated whether he should actually see his father or just go out and fight. He decided to go see Poseidon.
The god of the sea was still his dad, after all, and it was proper to say hello and give thanks for the rescue.
As for Lou Ellen, Percy didn't feel her anywhere nearby, but an instinct told him she was safe.
Percy made it to the main hall, just in time for the grand, opulent doors to swing inward and a large dolphin outfitted in heavy, golden armor with a sword attached to the underside of his snout like a bayonet to go shooting past, narrowly managing to avoid skewering Percy.
"Sorry, Lord!" the dolphin called, turning around enough to give his apology before turning back around and turning on the jets as he rocketed out of a hole in the hallway ceiling.
Percy blinked once before swimming inside the main hall.
Poseidon looked worse for wear as he poured over a holographic map of the battlefield. His hair was white, his face riddled with deep lines, and his eyes were sunk in and weary. Next to him was a merwoman that Percy presumed was his technical stepmother, Amphitrite. She wasn't looking too spectacular either, with her long turquoise hair being streaked with grey, lacking in luster, and was matted and limp. Then there was a merman with two tails instead of just one, with short black hair that exposed a pair of crab claws sprouting from his skull. Triton, Percy guessed.
All three sea deities were wearing elaborate yet sturdy armor, Poseidon and Amphitrite having tridents in their hands, Triton having swords sheathed at his sides and a large conch shell horn at the small of his back.
Percy greeted them. "Hello there."
The three sea deities looked at him, Amphitrite and Triton with a mixture of nervousness and displeasure, and Poseidon with relief.
"Percy! I'm glad you are unharmed and safe."
There was an explosion that caused a small cloud of dirt to erupt from the high, domed ceiling above. The underwater equivalent of debris raining down.
"Safe is somewhat subjective here," Percy noted. "Anyway. I was told to help save your city. Where do you need me?"
"And who told you to help us?" Triton asked derisively.
"God."
"Oh."
"He is helping us?" Amphitrite asked with a wrinkled nose.
"Correct."
There was a brief pause amongst the family of three.
Poseidon shifted his trident in his hand. "Well…I do feel a bit better, then. Did Yahweh tell you what kind of help he was sending? Legions of angels? Michael?"
"He only told me, and I quote, 'aid your father and secure the oceans.'"
Poseidon blinked. "…okay. In that case, I need you at Sector Three. They're reporting heavy losses, and I've been trying to find available resources to send them."
"Yes, sir."
Percy had already looked at the map, conveniently sectioned off with numbers, so he didn't need to ask where Sector Three was. After respectful nods at Triton and Amphitrite that weren't returned, he swam off.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Percy arrived at Sector Three just in time. There were plenty of dead mermen floating about, dressed in golden armor with golden round shields and lances that fired bolts of magic energy from the tips, and only a handful of living mermen. The enemy force, from what Percy could see, was comprised of formidable creatures that had the torsos and arms of men, though with clawed fingers and webbed hands. The creatures had the heads of sharks and the lower bodies of octopi, and the composition of their bodies was leathery black, with chitinous plates on their chests, backs, and the outsides of their arms.
Percy identified no real leader amongst the force, and didn't identify any higher intelligence behind their beady eyes, either. They were just a massive horde of ravenous beasts, meant to overwhelm, not outthink or use tactics. Except for one.
Percy felt more than saw that there was a beast at the back of the swarm, one that was wearing robes, its eyes faintly glowing.
"We have to fall back! We're being overrun!" one of the remaining mermen cried.
"Hold, soldier!" Percy's voice boomed over the cacophony of combat. He had slipped into full Vergil mode. "You will stand your ground and defend your home, and I will defend you!"
The remaining mermen all turned to look at him, and when they saw him, their expressions became ones of awe.
"It's Percy Jackson…!" one of the mermen gasped.
Percy drew the Sword of Destiny, and attacked.
In truth, Percy would be lying if he said he wasn't a bit excited about this. The last time he actually got to test the Sword was with Atlas. Fighting this horde of sea monsters gave him the golden opportunity to really see what the Sword could do. Being the amalgamation of the Sword of Baron von Wolff, the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus, and the Spear of Leonidas, it could do a lot.
Energy blasts, of course. Percy could discharge bolts of golden energy with thrusts, and discharge arcs with swings. Explosive blasts, as well, charging the Sword and releasing the energy either with contact or at will. Short range teleportation was still on the table, too. Additionally, the Sword had a number of other niche powers, like a tactile time-warp that slowed time within what Percy counted to be about a ten-meter radius, another time-warping ability that simply made Percy faster than everyone around him in general, a flashbang-esque ability that did exactly what it sounded like, and even a physical enhancement where it gave Percy a golden aura that nullified all incoming attacks—somewhat of a moot point given he was still wearing the Nemean Lion pelt in the form of Cheyenne's black leather prowler coat—and turned the Sword into what basically amounted to a lightsaber.
A golden, extended blade that cut through everything like butter.
Hell, the Sword even buffed Percy's air rifle, enabling it to shoot golden energy bullets at semi and full auto speeds, either in a stream or as buckshot, fire bullets that tracked targets, fire explosive bullets, and even fire bullets that could harmlessly pass through objects in order to strike whatever was on the other side.
In summary: teleportation, invulnerability, energy attacks, and time manipulation.
In a few minutes of slaughter, Percy had completely wiped out the hybrid sea monsters, and he was already on top of the mystic/druid/shaman/whatever you wanted to call the one that was controlling the others. Percy lopped its head off, and like all the others, its body dissolved into an anticlimactic group of bubbles.
Percy returned to the stunned group of mermen that remained. "This sector is secured. Gather what dead you can so they can be counted and their families notified of their bravery. Do any of you have kind of communication device?"
"Sir! I do, sir!"
"What is the situation around the city?"
"Sectors Two, Four, and Six are secure for now. Lord Triton has reported to Sector Five as Phorcys has been identified as leading the assault there, and Lady Amphitrite is on her way to Sector Seven to meet with Keto, the sister-wife of Phorcys."
Percy's brow lightly twitched at yet another case of sibling incest in the Greek family. "Thank you, soldier. And Poseidon?"
"He is on his way to Sector One, sir." The merman grew quiet. "Oceanus and his main force are there."
"And soon so will I. Thank you."
Percy shot through the ocean without another word.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
'Well,' Percy thought to himself with a mental blink, 'amen. Thank you, Lord, for this weapon.'
Yes, Percy gave thanks to God for the blessing that was the Sword of Destiny.
'Please don't take it away,' Percy continued his brief prayer with something of a sardonic mental tone and internal smile.
Further ahead, he could feel the battle as the Atlanteans clashed with the forces of Oceanus. The water was hot and practically shaking from all the vibrations that stemmed from combat. Something of a childish thought crossed Percy's mind, that thought being that a single angel of God could come down here and lay waste to both armies singlehandedly.
Anyway.
Percy dove straight into the middle of the battle like he was the Arbiter in the Halo: Legends short film. Enemy monsters were butchered and blasted left and right with so much fervor that it actually brought a halt to the fighting as both parties craned their necks to see what kind of horror had been unleashed upon the battlefield, trying to determine if it was friend or foe to them.
"What in Gaea?" Oceanus muttered, his trident locked against Poseidon's.
The sea god's eyes lit up. "Oh, that's my boy!"
"But Triton is engaged with Phorcys right now."
"That's my other boy! That's Percy!"
Oceanus paled. "Oh."
Poseidon broke the weapon lock and smacked the Titan upside the head with the non-pointy end.
The two resumed their battle, and it wasn't long before Percy had sliced and diced his way to his father's side.
"Ah-ha!" Poseidon said. "Let's send him back to the deep, my son!"
Oceanus scowled at his predicament.
The sea god was poised to attack in the next second, but Percy said one word.
"Wait."
Poseidon rounded on him. "What do you mean wait? We have him on the ropes—now aid me in taking him down!"
Percy pointedly ignored his father in favor of staring hard at Oceanus. "Why are you here? You were neutral in the first war, and happily stepped aside when Poseidon became god of the sea. Why attack him now?"
Oceanus actually released a defeated and tired sigh. "Nothing new, original, or revolutionary, I suppose. The oceans are filthy now, polluted by mankind thanks to their industry, and their conservation and cleanup efforts aren't working. From what I have observed, Poseidon has done very little in cleaning and protecting our shared domain. That is my first reason, to reclaim what was mine and clean it up.
"The second reason is—and forgive me if this sounds cliché—justice. For centuries, I have watched as Poseidon's temperament has led to numerous catastrophes. An argument with his wife over his infidelity, a tantrum over not getting his way, a tsunami upon an island because someone said something mean about him—I've got a comprehensive list of events spanning over 4500 years. Waves that sank ships, storms that laid waste to cities, bastard children—no offense—and more.
"Between his brazen disregard for life, the mass slaughters he's committed, how generally unapologetic he is for the people he's killed and the places he's destroyed, how he's failed to control his children whenever they get restless and think sending a hurricane to destroy Puerto Rico is a great way to get attention—Hurricane Maria in 2017 that killed 3000 people and cost a hundred billion in US dollars, caused by Kymopoleia-"
"Who?" Percy asked.
Poseidon coughed. "Your big sister. Goddess of violent sea storms. I, uh, didn't invite her to Triton's birthday party on account of the fact that she tends to destroy everything everywhere she goes as is her nature, and she unleashed the hurricane in retaliation."
Percy stared at his father. "And you never…I don't know…worked with her on controlling her powers?"
"They were fruitless endeavors every attempt."
Percy's grip on the Sword and his air rifle increased to the point that if they were normal weapons, the hilt of the sword would've warped, and the wood of the rifle would've imploded.
"I rest my case," Oceanus said. "The oceans need an active leader, one that doesn't generate category five hurricanes whenever he gets upset over something, doesn't cheat on his wife, can control his children, and acts with a moral compass, instead of committing to indiscriminate slaughter."
"You talk very well," Percy conceded. "I've known many people that have delivered powerful speeches, most of them skilled liars. This plan of yours—it seems to me like there has not been any animosity between you and Poseidon all these centuries, so why have you not acted on your own, or presented your grievances with him and devised a plan to tackle things like pollution and conservation?"
"I have no faith or confidence that he would agree to anything I presented, or if he did agree, that he would stay true to his promises."
"Then why not act on your own? Surely you don't think Poseidon would stop you from cleaning up the oceans, unless your idea of cleaning up involves something you believe he would be opposed to."
"To that point, I have been cleaning the oceans on my own. Being a Titan, a being of divine power, I can manipulate matter at will. I have simply been deleting polluting material like spilled oil and literal tons of garbage, but I only have so much power to spend these days before I require rest. Being relegated to a mere being of myth has had its consequences to our power. As for why I am confronting Poseidon directly, I am here to hold him accountable for his numerous crimes."
"I see," Percy said. He looked to his father, who was pale, gaunt, haunted, and gripping his trident hard enough to turn his godly knuckles white. "And you? You haven't said anything to defend yourself. No outbursts or accusations of Oceanus being a liar. Why?"
Poseidon was slow to answer. "…because he is mostly right."
Oceanus snorted. "Mostly."
"I am not 'generally unapologetic,'" Poseidon said with a glower. "Many times have I regretted not being a better god, and that my actions have resulted in senseless death and destruction. Whenever that happens, I visit with Hades and ask him to be lenient in his judgements of the dead, so that the families may still be together in Elysium, unless they were truly heinous people who deserved to die in the first place, and I render what aid I can to the survivors in accordance with the restrictions placed on us gods regarding interaction with mortal affairs. As for the oceans, I have hoped that mankind would be able to do things themselves and not be subject to divine intervention, but…"
Oceanus was silent for a time before he looked at Percy. "What is your verdict, Man of God?"
If Percy still hadn't been in full Vergil/Mentor mode, he might've been too floored and stunned that a being like Oceanus had referred to him as Man of God to say anything. To Percy, this demonstrated that Oceanus knew the Lord, even submitted to Him in some capacity, and knew enough about His ways to identify a person that followed Him. It was also impressive that a Titan was willing to defer to a mere demigod, regardless of whatever faith they adhered to.
It was all Percy needed to make his decision. He looked at Poseidon, and then he looked at Oceanus, and then he rendered his verdict.
"This battle is over. The Lord Jesus is victorious here. Your armies will stand down at once, and the rebuilding of the city and the honoring of the dead will commence at once. The monsters will either be sent back to the depths, allowed to help, or otherwise executed. There will be no more fighting. Poseidon, you will monitor your citizens, and make sure peace is maintained, and Oceanus will do the same of his supporters that desire to rebuild. Both of you are hereby charged by the Lord through me as being the good stewards of the oceans. You have been given power, and you will use it in accordance with the Law. For you, Father, this is your chance at redemption, and your penance for your sins. For you, Oceanus, this is your chance to prove the validity of your words and the sincerity of your intentions. Do we have terms, then?"
Poseidon nodded. "We have terms."
Oceanus nodded as well. "We have terms."
Then Percy nodded, bringing the number of nods to an even three. "Very well. Father, it was great to see you. Please give Triton and Amphitrite my regards, and that I want to have dinner with them one day to smooth things out between the four of us."
"I can arrange that, yes. Where are you off to?"
"Camp. I was told that after I handled things here, I needed to get to camp. I have a meeting to attend."
Percy shot off, heading northwest towards Long Island Sound, leaving Oceanus and Poseidon to stand there in the water a little awkwardly.
"Well…" Poseidon said. "Let's get started, I guess."
"Indeed," agreed the Titan. "Do let's."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Percy popped up on the beach of Camp Half-Blood, the woods conveniently located right next to the beach. The morning sun was starting to creep over the horizon, bringing reddish orange light to the world.
Per his instructions, Percy started walking. He had already mentally prepared himself for this endeavor to be one of those "patience" trials, as in he would find himself walking for a seemingly endless amount of time, his patience beginning to run out in the classic human lament of, "Okay, God, sometime sooner rather than later would be nice!" and just as soon as he was about to give up out of frustration, the Lord would then pop up and congratulate him on his perseverance.
Or something like that.
Like, this walk into the woods until he found the Lord was going to be a metaphor for life in general, and about remaining patient in the Lord and trusting His word and His timing.
Not as if Percy didn't have lots of experience with that already, having lived two and a half lives devoted to God.
So Percy walked, praying for the sakes of Oceanus, Poseidon, and that they would cooperate with each other and work as a team to protect the oceans in a way that coincided with traditional ideas of morals and ethics. Percy really hoped so, because he had killed people for far less crimes than what Poseidon had committed.
If Poseidon had been any other human, and he had still somehow been responsible for so many devastating hurricanes and other aquatic natural disasters, then Percy would've lopped his head off on sight.
Yeah, being angry at something was not a viable excuse for the mass slaughter of the innocent coupled with tens of billions in property damage.
Anyway, as it turned out, Percy didn't actually have to walk for very long. Maybe ten minutes in, and he happened across a cave smack in the middle of his path, and coming from inside the cave was a soft, flickering light, like a candle was burning.
Percy went inside the cave and froze midstep when he found the source of the light.
As it turned out, there was a fire in the cave, coming from a burning bush that wasn't being consumed by the fire.
Percy stared at the bush with a perturbed expression. "This is…not right."
"How so?" asked Percy's voice from the flames.
"Because the last time something like this happened, it was because Moses was being given the responsibility of the prophet tasked with delivering the Hebrews from Egypt. But, in this day, with the Word complete, the Law given in full, and the perfect sacrifice having already been made, there is no need for any more prophets or judges."
"Do you not remember your encounter with Chaos in the Gateway Chamber under Thera?"
Percy frowned. Yes, he remember that day, the one in which Lou Ellen managed to teleport him and her under the volcano. That was the day that Kassandra died in his arms after she revealed that she and Jake had a son named Elpidios, and that Elpidios became the ancestor of Aya of Alexandria, wife of Bayek of Siwa, therefore meaning that Percy was technically the Grandfather of the Brotherhood in addition to being the Grandfather of America through Captain Jake Swallow. That was also the day that Chaos had forged for him the Sword of Destiny after giving him the very unsatisfying answer that the whole Isu-Greek god conundrum was just the mad god playing mind games with everyone.
And also some nonsense about Percy being the "Final Prophet" as foretold in the angel-specific version of the Bible, which was different from mankind's Bible.
"I don't trust that lunatic," Percy told the bush.
"You are wise to do so," the bush said, an undertone of amusement in its voice. "Regardless, like many before you, you have been chosen for more than your brothers and sisters. Something I'm sure you've already realized by this point in your life."
"Was that sarcasm?"
"Perchance. True, for the normal man, he has no need of any more prophets or judges like Israel did, but you do not live among normal men. You have done well in being a light unto the children, and now it is time to be more. Lead them into battle. I will be with you as I was with your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Joseph, John, Peter, Paul, and many, many others. Through you, I will smite the Titans with all my wonders!"
The fire flared and washed over Percy, but he was not burned nor blinded. He was comforted, loved, and his eyes opened to see something absolutely beautiful.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I hope that was enjoyable, because this might be the last chapter for a while. Shadow of the Erdtree drops two days from now (06/21/2024), and that will be taking up a lot of my free time!
As for the chapter itself, Oceanus, by Greek canon, is not evil or malicious in any way, so it was fun to write him not as some evil conqueror, but as a man pursuing justice. It's also fun to take the precedent set in Trials of Apollo and expand on it, said precedent being where the gods are massively irresponsible beings whose antics result in the deaths of thousands, and cause billions in destruction.
Like, Rick was being funny when he wrote that Ares and Hephaestus had a chainsaw fight in the nuclear reactor on Three Mile Island, but that's been a very serious detriment to the global economy and the power grid. Instead of putting more funding into nuclear programs, funding has gone into oil and natural gas, like that hasn't proven to be a disaster on numerous occasions.
Looking at you, Deepwater Horizon and every other ruptured pipeline since.
Anyway, it really is about to get Old Testament in the coming chapters.
Now, for what I said about this new novel mentioned above: It has begun. The groundwork for what basically amounts to my own retelling of Percy Jackson has been laid. Right now, this novel is being written in the style of transcripted video logs being made by my version of Luke that follow his "descent into madness," as it were. Who he is, where he came from, how the demigod camp is structured, the lore of the gods, and his burning desire to see the gods punished not just for their neglect of their kids and the way they treat their consorts, but for how their petty squabbles affect all mankind, and how his views on justice against the gods become coupled with justice for mankind.
In other words, the origin story of my arguable antihero who struggles to find the line that separates heroes from villains. As in, when a hero uses their powers in pursuit of making the world a better, safer place, where is that point where he's no longer a hero, but is now the villain?
I plan for this to be a novella in length, the skeleton of the world, and the book series with the reluctant protagonist comes later.
That's the plan right now, anyway.
Until next time, friends!
Please Fav, Follow, and Review!
