A/N. reviews.
"Amazing chapter. Can't wait for the next one." -GokuBlackSSJR14
Thanks bro.
"Given that God typically considers humanity his children, I could imagine God giving Percy a lot of leeway, even as a demigod. He did create free will as a gift for humanity, after all. God is described as loving Lucifer as his son despite the rebellion, and let him live in hopes Lucifer might repent despite knowing he never would." -TheKaiSenpai
That's not the case in this story though. Free Will didn't exist until Percy killed Lucifer, remember?
(Note: These next reviews, I'm gonna post them one after another without break, because I have a response to them as a whole.)
"This is some B's all the others were agreeing zesu was a bad king and he just proved it by attacking his brother for pointing out. Yet they do nothing when they know he's wrong and agree he's the issue and annoyed Percy called it a pissing contest as he should be agreeing that zesu isn't a good leader"
"I don't see why he thinks Percy fighting zesus would be funny given he's fout titans and giants. Honestly Percy shouldn't trust anyone who is helping Zeus or sitting by while he's pulling this B's when they all know it's wrong"
"Hmm if this Percy has already meet Carter and Magnus maybe he should have went to carter and found out how they banished gods"
"Why is he saying his dad picked a fight what he did was defend himself and speak the truth?
Where's Nico and did Percy get anythjng besides the title when he won"
"Trash once again instead of standing up to and doing what's right they try to appease Zeus. So dissappinted that Percy is going to go along with this bull"
"Honestly at this point in the game hestia is annoying" -Guest
Okay, so I know that Rick didn't really do a good job of portraying it, and fanon has made it even worse, but Zeus is THE most powerful God in the pantheon besides maybe Nyx. And it's not even close. You're wondering why they aren't calling Zeus out on his bullshit? Maybe because last time they did, hera was hung over the edge of Chaos itself? Poseidon and Apollo were turned mortal and forced to create the walls of Troy? Remember? So yeah, they aren't exactly keen to repeat that.
On top of that, Percy didn't actually beat any of the gods/titans/giants by himself. He didn't beat Ares (i'll get into this in the actual story, just wait), he didn't beat Hyperion without help from Grover and the nymphs, Kronos kicked Percy's fucking ass, mutiple times, and he didn't kill nay of the giants singlehandedly either, because he needed the help of a god to do that.
My question for you is, at what point do you look at that and realize, 'hmm, maybe the author is trying to convey something here?'
"So how the hell does this work? Did Percy not get any power up on taking that position? If not then he would die in just a couple chapters." -Exodus12345
It's like becoming president of the US. You don't gain any power except political power. Which is why he keeps fighting. Luckily, demons seem to just be low level monsters, so he's fine. For now.
"Why would he still be mortal since he is now the King of Hell? Also why would he have to look away from her true from anymore? If anything he should be way above the Olympians with the amount of followers that religion has." -Exodus12345
Explained in the last point, it's purely political. As for the religion thing, it's a moot point, because no one worships the Devil, in fact, that's very frowned upon in said religion. (IAnd don't bring up Satanism, because that is worshiping the self, not the devil) Even if there were people worshiping the devil, they wouldn't be worshiping Percy. They'd be worshiping a dead corpse. So no, he's still under the Olympians.
"So based on your comments he is going to stay a demigod? Any of the princes could kill him then. No point in reading if you do not give him a major power up." -Exodus12345
He's going to get more powerful, just not right now, jeez. But where's the fun if Percy can't die? It's not as fun reading OP Percy. There needs to be stakes.
Onto the chapter!
Chapter Nine
The next week came and went in the blink of an eye. Whether that was due to the nature of time in hell, or rather that Percy was just busy, he didn't know. But despite his duties, he found that Annabeth was never far from his thoughts. Ever since his date with Artemis, (Could you even really call it a date, if they barely interacted?), he had felt kind of wrong, like he was cheating on Annabeth.
It was stupid, and he tried to tell himself so. Logically, he knew it was fine, Annabeth had broken up with him. But that still didn't feel real to him. He still felt attachment to her, despite the fact that they hadn't even interacted in three years. He knew that it was going to be hard to get over her. (You just don't get over a girl like Annabeth Chase.)
He lacked closure. He felt like that was the problem. Annabteh ended it through a letter, and he didn't get to say his piece. He didn't get to give his thoughts. It was a done deal before he even knew.
Percy had considered writing Annabeth a letter but he didn't want to be seen as clingy. He wasn't going to go on his hands and knees, begging for her back, that was the last thing he wanted to do, for himself and for her.
He wanted to see that they were separate. Maybe his heart could finally register that. But he didn't know how to do that. And so he would have to deal with this dull ache in his chest for a while more.
He had gone out more this week, explored more of his kingdom. Learned more about the realm he presided over. Courtesy of Mephistopheles of course. He would visit a ring while his Advisor would teach him about it. The rings weren't rings, but rather just a district in the shape of a trapezoid with a rounded bottom, and the seven wrapped around his castle, forming one ring.
Each ring was distinctly different from one another. Wrath was very reminiscent of the poor side of a city, where gangs would fight for territory, while the Lust ring looked like the red Light district of Las Vegas. (Too many Succubus's catcalled him for his liking. Although, it was better than the constant fights that he faced in the Pride ring.) Greed was made of large, nice looking mansions, except that they were all broken into and robbed. Each ring represented the sin it was based on.
Each Prince presided over their ring, and reported back to Percy in a boring as shit meeting. The most interesting thing was how Azazel would stare at him with cold, calculating eyes. Percy didn't like Azazel very much.
Outside the rings, which was the main part of Hell, it was mostly barren. To the west were the Sinner's Dunes, a desert of red sand where some souls were forced to wander for eternity. To the southeast were the Hanged Woods, where most sinners ended up upon being sent to Hell. No one knew what decided where you went, not even Lucifer knew, or if he did, he never thought it important to share that knowledge.
To the North, Mephistopheles spoke of some gates that had been decommissioned when Demons began to leave in mass exodus. As such, the only way out was the knife, shadow travel, or possession, which was only leaving in the most technical of terms and carried a huge risk.
To the Northeast was a large mountain, Mount Tchort, where Scoria had carved his workshop into the rock.
What surprised Percy most was that there was farmland. He didn't expect that. But then he remembered that the Devil was often depicted with a pitchfork and it kind of clicked. Also the animals they raised were hellhounds, so that put a damper on his day when he realized that they would probably kill Mrs. O'Leary. (He wondered how the ol' girl was doing. It had been a while since he had seen her.)
But what he found to be most interesting was the true reason he was here, the real reason Hell needed a King. It wasn't because Hell was a lawless land that needed to be ruled, (although it was indeed mostly lawless), or that Lucifer had decided that hell would be the perfect place for his kingdom. No, the King of Hell was nothing more than a title that covered the true position's purpose.
There had always been a King of Hell, even before Lucifer had taken office. The role had been given to an Angel by God himself, to make sure Demons and Sinners didn't run rampant on the Earth, causing sin and chaos until the rivers ran red with blood, and land black with ash. He wasn't so much a King, than a Warden, running a prison.
Upon finding this out, he felt he understood Hades more. It wasn't dissimilar to what his Uncle did, managing an Underworld to prevent the leakage of souls.
Percy returned to his castle and found yet another demon waiting for him, waiting to fight him. He often wondered how many demons he would have to kill before they stopped challenging him. And each time he would freeze and consider what he just thought. Hell was changing him, and he wasn't sure if he liked who he was becoming.
"False King! I challenge—"
"You for the throne, I know." Percy finished, drawing his knife.
The demon was a humanoid with gray flesh. He wore what resembled a black BDSM leather chestpiece and pants. A helmet covered his head, only showing his red eyes and sharp teeth. Spikes protruded from the helmet.
The demon charged towards Percy, who rolled underneath the demon's legs, came up and spun in a half pirouette, and plunged the knife into the demon's back. He placed a hand on the demon's shoulder, and brought the knife up along the demon's spine, black blood gushing from the long cut and splashing on Percy's suit.
The King pushed the demon forward, the demon's body landing face first on the ground. Percy grabbed one of the spikes on the demon's helmet and brought it back. He wrenched the knife from its back and brought it to the demon's throat, before slitting it quickly. He smashed the demon's head on the ground before getting up and wiping the knife clean of the demon's black blood. The demon didn't move.
"Mephistopheles! We got a dead demon!" He called out.
The Royal Advisor appeared, coming out of the dining hall. He took a look at the demon on the floor, bleeding all over the polished black stone. "Pity, Misran. Does he really have to bleed on the floor, it was just polished."
Percy put the knife in his pocket while sighing. "Whenever they stop challenging me, there'll be less blood on the stone."
"Indeed, Lord Perseus, indeed."
The sound of shoes clicking against the stone reverberated through the room. "Damn, who's the poor sod?" Nico said, staring at the dead demon.
Percy turned to Mephistopheles. "Mirsan? Is that what you said?"
"Misran." Mephistopheles corrected.
"Hm." The son of Poseidon turned to his cousin. "Date night?"
Nico nodded. "Some advice, Loverboy, go change. I doubt Artemis likes bloody clothing, especially the blood of something she has no clue exists. I know Will doesn't."
"Wow, dipshit, didn't cross my mind to fucking change."
Nico waved. "What would you do without me?'
"Live happily, I guess."
Nico rolled his eyes. "I'll see you in a week, man. I got a date on my own to go on. Take care."
"You too, dude."
Nico vanished into the darkness. Percy turned to Mephistopheles and said, "I'm gonna go change and then I'll leave. I'll be back soon."
"Enjoy your date, Lord."
"I'll certainly try."
Percy took a shower first. Hesia's words about his smelling like sulfur rung in his head. After he was sure he got the stench out, (which he was also sure would return immediately), he got dressed, opting for a business casual outfit.
He grabbed the knife off of his nightstand and sliced the air, revealing the bench in central park he had sat at last time. He stepped through the rift and sat down, the rift closing behind him. The sun was close to the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant hues of pink, orange, and blue set against the black silhouette of the skyscrapers.
He hoped he wasn't too late. He didn't think that taking a shower would take that long. Although, he did not know what time it was when Nico came for him. He sighed and resolved to wait, just like the prior week.
He didn't have to wait long. Artemis walked up to him about five minutes later. She raised an eyebrow as she approached. "What's with the clothes?" She asked apprehensively.
Percy noticed she was dressed far more casually than he was. He cursed himself mentally before saying, "You're a goddess, forgive me for not knowing what I'm supposed to wear on our dates."
She narrowed her eyes. "Is that sarcasm?"
Percy almost spouted another sarcastic remark, but decided he would like to not have antlers sprouting from his head. "No." He said softly, almost defeatedly.
Artemis smiled victoriously. Almost like... almost like Annabeth used to whenever she won one of their arguments (like she did very often).
He shook the thought from his head. Past in the past, leave it.
Artemis sat down next to him. She was sitting straight up, not a single muscle relaxed. "What are we doing today?"
Percy looked off to the side as a jogger passed by, breathing heavily. "I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know."
"Great." Percy muttered underneath his breath. He sighed as he thought of things they could do. "You ever been mini golfing?"
"No What is that?"
"Do you know regular golf?"
"I... think so?"
"Mini golf is just a smaller version of regular golf."
"Huh."
"Do you want to go do that then?"
Artemis sighed. "I guess."
Percy looked around. "I think the closest one is—" He closed his eyes, and thought about when he was younger and his mom would take him mini golfing. "-Ward's Island, I think."
"Where's that?"
"Don't you live here? I mean, Olympus is right there." He pointed behind them at the floating mountain top that hovered just inches above the Empire State Building and disappeared into the clouds above.
"I only live there technically. I prefer the forests."
Percy sighed. "Do you have a car, I can drive us there?"
"You don't?"
"No. I don't. I spent the last three years in the underworld. And it's not like we could afford one anyway."
"Oh." Artemis said. "Yeah, I have a car."
They got up and Artemis led him to a silver convertible, the same one she had taken off in when their last date had ended. Percy got in the driver's seat. As soon as Artemis sat down, the engine came to life. Percy slowly pulled into the street and started down the road.
Artemis reached over and turned the radio up. Instead of music coming from the speaker, out came nature sounds. The rustling of trees in the wind, the chirps of birds, animals grazing. It soothed something in Percy's soul.
His hands relaxed on the steering wheel. He admired how well the car, which he assumed was the moon chariot, handled. It was so smooth, he almost forgot he was driving a car.
He drove over the Robert F. Kennedy bridge before taking a left onto Central Road. Only a few minutes later he was parking the convertible. They got out of the car. As he looked towards the entrance, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Nico!" He called out.
The Son of Hades looked over and he scowled.
Percy and Artemis approached Nico and Will. "Fancy seeing you here." Will said. "Who's your date, Perce?"
"Uhhh. You don't know?" Percy hesitated.
Will shook his head.
" , she's uh, she's your aunt."
A blank look crossed the golden haired demigod's face. A snicker game from the Son of Hades next to him. He turned to his boyfriend, who was trying to hide the shit eating grin on his face. "Death Boy..."
Nico held his hands up as if to say he's innocent.
Will glanced at Artemis, who looked disinterested in what was happening. "Hi... Artemis?" He said.
"Hello." She said simply.
Nico looked at Percy, his wide ass smile still plastered on his face. "Aww, look who got all nice and dressed up." He said in a teasing voice.
"Shut up." He turned to Will. "You know what you've done to this man?"
"No. What?"
"This motherfucker, the other day, he fucking said, 'womp, womp'."
Will burst out laughing, hunching over and clutching his stomach. "Oh my Gods!" When he stopped he leaned over to his boyfriend and laid a kiss on his cheek, causing Nico to blush bright red.
"So, mini golf?" Percy asked.
They paid the entry fee, got their golf balls and clubs. Artemis frowned. "This is too short to be effective." She said, swinging it like a bat. "How are you supposed to hit anything with this?"
Percy had to step back to avoid getting whacked. Will snickered.
"You swing it like this, Artemis." Percy demonstrated how you swing the club.
Artemis mimicked him, swinging her own club. "Huh." she muttered.
They made their way to the first hole. "Who's good at putt putt? I know Nico sucks. I'm alright."
"I'm okay." Percy said, shrugging. "I don't play much."
Artemis turned to Percy. "What is putt putt?" She whispered in his ear.
"Another name for mini golf." He responded.
She nodded. "I have never played." She replied to Will, who nodded.
"This should be fun."
Nico went first, and true to Will's word, he sucked. It took ten strokes to sink the ball. The par was two, and it was a literal straight shot.
Will was a little better, just over par with three strokes.
Percy went next, sinking it in four. He had just missed the hole on the third stroke, having put too little power behind the stroke, causing the need for a fourth.
Artemis, newbie that she was, got a hole in one. Go figure. Upon seeing the confuzzled faces of the rest of their party, she shrugged, the look on her face portraying her discomfort.
They moved onto the next hole.
"So, Percy." Will started. "How'd you and Artemis start... this?" He asked, wiggling a finger between the two.
Percy looked confused. "Wait, you don't know?" He turned to Artemis.
"No, I know nothing. Olympus has been quiet, ever since the Sky-Sea War. It's just like the start of the Second Giant War all over again. I'm surprised to see Artemis out and about, in all honesty."
"Huh." Percy said, still looking at Artemis, an eyebrow raised.
She noticed him staring at her. "Some of the Gods are worried that some big threat is coming. I, personally, do not believe it. Monster roaming patterns have not deviated since the end of the Second Gigantomachy. So the council has made some decisions." She gestured to herself and Percy. "This is one of them. As is my brother's return to godhood."
"Apollo's back?" Percy asked.
"I noticed Dad had left. I didn't think he would leave without saying goodbye though." A frown settled on Will's face. Nico patted his boyfriend's shoulder, comforting him.
"I am sure he didn't mean anything by it. He probably wanted to." Artemis said, trying to save the demigod's feelings. Will didn't respond.
"I'm glad your brother is back where he belongs." Percy told Artemis.
"Thank you." She said. "I appreciate it."
Percy nodded. "Of course."
Nico sank the hole in five, twice as good as the first hole. Will sunk it on par, two. Percy matched Nico's five. Artemis, once again, sank the hole in one.
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Never played, huh?"
"I have not."
"Mmmhmm."
"Are you accusing me of lying?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm not saying that I'm not doing that."
"I am offended." She said, with what seemed to be anger entering her voice. Her eyes were glowing subtle as he fist clenched.
"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry. I... I was just joking around. I didn't mean to offend you."
"Oh." Artemis said, the light behind her eyes dying down.
"I was just joking how you've never played yet you're doing phenomenally."
She sighed. "It is physics, Percy. It is almost like archery in a way."
"What?"
"Aim, power, mental calculations, all used in archery. Same thing here."
Percy hesitated, "Huh."
They moved onto the next hole, but as they crossed the bridge over the waterfall, Percy felt like someone was staring at him. He looked around, having learned early on his demigod career that the feeling of being watched was right a lot more than it was wrong. He was proven right once again, as some guy was staring at him from across the course. He raised a hand and beckoned him over.
He subconsciously felt his pocket, where Riptide was resting, itching for action as it hadn't been used in forever.
He turned to the group. "Hey, I gotta use the restroom. Go on without me." He handed his club and ball to Artemis. "Can you?" He asked.
She looked at the club and ball. "Uh, sure." She said, grabbing the items.
"Thank you."
Percy took off, heading back down the way they had just come. He kept an eye on the man, who began making his way to the entrance of the park. When he got to the entrance, he saw the man. "Who are you?" He asked, his hand gripping Riptide.
The man bowed in a familiar way. "Forgive me for the interruption Lord Perseus." The familiar voice of his Royal Advisor came from the man.
"Mephistopheles, what are you doing? I thought possession was too risky."
"It is. But I didn't know how else to reach you."
"What's going on?"
"You've been challenged."
"I'm kinda busy right now."
"I know, but per the rules, you must accept the challenge."
"I can't schedule this one like Lucifer did with me?"
"You didn't challenge him."
Percy sighed. "This better be quick."
Percy pulled the knife out of his pocket. He stepped into the bathroom, the demon-possessed man following behind him. Percy made sure the coast was clear, before slashing the air, opening a rift to Hell, the Throne Hall of his castle.
The man's eyes widened and his mouth opened as black smoke erupted from the openings and flew through the air, through the rift, and into the motionless body slumped against the wall. Standing near the throne was a purple humanoid with two mouths, one in the normal position and onejust underneath it. It had long drooping ears with ring piercing in its earlobes. A small, black, pointy beard hung from its chin. It wore typical punk clothing, black, ripped, with chains.
"Choronzon." Mephistopheles said, getting up from the floor.
"False King." The demon, now named Choronzon, spoke.
"So you say." Percy said, brandishing his knife. He motioned towards the demon. "Come."
Choronzon charged, pulling a small metal knife out of the pocket of his ripped jeans. He brought his arm up, aiming for Percy's heart. The Son of Poseidon deflected the strike and countered with a quick swipe to the demon's wrist. The demon yelped in pain and dropped the knife. Black blood leaked from the cut, running down his wrist.
Percy took advantage of the demon's shock and plunged his knife in the demon's chest. He pulled it out and watched as the demon fell backwards, dead.
Percy sighed. "Can you clean that up? I gotta get back."
Mephistopheles bowed. "Consider it done already, Lord. I hope you enjoy the rest of your date."
"Thanks." Percy said, before cutting another rift and stepping through.
LINE BREAK
Artemis sighed as she got another hole in one. It was almost a curse being this good. She had gotten a hole in one on every hole so far, and now she got the same on the last hole. She looked down at the little booklet where they were keeping score. She had a total of eighteen. Nico had a total of one hundred and three, and Will was much better at a fifty seven. Percy's column was mostly blank.
"Some crap, huh?" Will asked.
"Hm?" She asked.
"Percy. That's some shit he had to take, huh?"
"He left, Will."
"I know. I was making a joke. I'm sorry."
Artemis sighed again. "It is fine."
They made their way to the entrance and turned in their clubs. As they turned away, Artemis noticed that a man was locking up the bathroom. Shewalked up to him. "Excuse me sir, there wasn't anyone in there, was there?"
The man shook his head. "Sorry miss, it was empty."
"Thank you." Artemis said, before walking back to the demigod couple.
"Well, we're gonna get going. Might get dinner sometime. It was nice hanging out with you. Maybe we can do this again. That is if you don't dump Percy's ass." Will said.
Artemis sighed. "I don't exactly have that luxury. But I am rethinking the part we have control over."
Will nodded. "Alright then. I guess I'll see you around." Will walked off towards his car.
Nico lingered behind, before turning to Artemis. He hesitated before saying, "Artemis, try to take it easy on Percy."
"What? Why, he left?"
"Look, my father has him running errands for him. He might've been called away for that reason."
Artemis didn't say anything.
Nico sighed. "Percy's talked to me about this. He wants this to go well, for both of your sakes. He wouldn't have left without a good reason, he's not like that. Just, give him another chance, please?"
Artemis took in a deep breath and crossed her arms. "Fine."
"Thank you." The Son of Hades walked away, following behind his boyfriend.
Artemis walked to her own car and drove away.
As the silver convertible pulled onto Central Road, a rift opened at the entrance. Percy stepped through and saw the car driving away.
"Fuck." Percy groaned. He sat down on the bench nearby and laid his head in his hands. He just screwed up the entire marriage. Artemis probably hated him now. They probably weren't going to have another date, and now both of them were trapped in a loveless marriage, doomed to become the next generation of Zeus and Hera.
'Fuck my life.'