Chapter Twelve (The Mysteries of The Sea)
There is a certain dynamism aligned with the sea… One that leaves you enraptured with one swell, and captured within its spontaneous Riptide…
Percy
A cold breeze tickled my face as it blew past me. It brought with it wispy whispers of the monsters we were on the trail of.
The trees rustled behind me as the breeze sifted through the leaves.
Our hunt had led us on a monster trail outside of the city. It was a relatively small group of monsters, but we weren't concerned about discerning between their kind; our blades wouldn't discriminate.
I let my eyes trail to my left, catching the gaze of Adrastea. Her eyes shivered with barely contained bloodlust as she wordlessly beckoned for my signal. My eyes shifted slightly to her hand, which held Helen's arm firmly in its grip. Marc was on the other side of her, his hand covering her mouth as the children of Ares held the daughter of Aphrodite in place.
I let my eyes slowly trail back to the clearing where a group of monsters were mauling a poor mortal… or demigod.
I let out a low breath as I felt the bubbling of anger stir within me. I let my hand raise and I could feel the tension seeping into the air around me. The eyes of the squads with me peered impatiently at the hold signal.
"We're all set, Percy."
The voice was soft, yet I nodded at Teucer's words as the boy shifted silently back to where he had come from.
I kept my eyes trained on the monsters; my right hand motionless as I continued to peer at the feasting monsters. I narrowed my eyes as the garbled sounds of the monsters grew agitated. The budding infighting of the creatures grew the anxiety of the demigods around me. I remained firm as I caught sight of what had instigated the sudden internal aggression.
A detached leg was being tugged at from either side.
The moment the Hellhound pawed at the Telkhine; my hand fell.
The shrill sound of arrows tearing through the air lasted about a second before they bit into flesh; only to be replaced by grunts and agonising wails. Before the first monster could comprehend that their comrades had been shot, I was in the mix of it.
Riptide slid through the stomach of an Empousa, the creature grasping as its intestines began to spill out. Its eyes widened in shock as its sensations burst alive with overwhelming pain. My boot crashed heavily into its knee, bringing it to the floor as the bone shattered from the impact. I spat at the downed monster, trodding on its leaking guts before moving onto a Hellhound which had been lamed by an arrow.
It whined as it tried to nip at the shaft of the arrow stuck in its hind leg. I cut off the hind legs, tipping the hound with my boot before driving my sword through its skull.
"No mercy for them! Let them suffer!"
My words cut through the sounds of battle before it was met with a thunderous roar of approval. I turned my heated glare to the next victim, a savage grin spreading on my face as I took great pleasure in avenging both my Vanguard and the tortured and mauled corpse which had been their victim.
The water lapped softly against the pebbled shore as the river water shifted in ripples around me.
It was almost an hour since we had returned from our last hunt, and I had been eager to slip away from the camp and have a quiet bath to gather my thoughts. A soft sigh managed to escape my lips as I let my eyes close.
Taking a deep breath, I poured my focus on the vapour in the air. It had become somewhat of a habit to use my 'Mist Sight' as often as I could. My range had increased such that I was now able to perceive up to ten metres around me outside of the water. As I was submerged in the river, I could easily stretch my senses up to one hundred feet around me.
I sighed in dismay as I felt the vapour being disturbed from the direction of the camp. I quickly sunk further into the water, cooing under its gentle touch as it kissed my skin, as I toyed with the idea of slipping away from whoever it was that was rapidly approaching.
"Percy!"
I cursed under my breath as I recognized the owner of that voice. He had been meaning to talk to me in private for some time now, and it wouldn't do either of us any good if I purposefully left the one-time things aligned for us to speak.
I waved at him lazily as I studied him with my 'Mist Sight'. He stripped out of his clothes until he was, I assumed, left in his underwear. He hissed as the cold of the water touched his toe, but he forged on. Taking pity on the boy, I slowly raised the temperature until I heard him sigh in relief and offer a small thanks.
I remained silent, instead focusing on the water as it pulled me off my feet, drifting me towards the depths of the river, the rapids easily ignoring me as they continued to sweep down its path.
"About the next hunt…"
I noted the peculiar difference in the way I was perceiving him as I continued to use 'Mist Sight'. Above the water, I could make out his outline based on the way his head and chest obscured the path of the vapour. Below the water, however, it was an indescribable sensation. Almost as if he were standing within arm's reach at all times. I clicked my tongue slightly at the observation, instead toying with the water around me as I made myself more comfortable.
"What about it?"
He paused slightly at my query. He seemed to be in thought as one of his hands left the water towards his face. After a few moments, he cupped some of the water and splashed his face.
"I want to take my squad back out to test a few new tactics."
A hum rumbled out of my throat as I let the water pass through my hair to clean it.
A palpable silence fell on us, the gushing of water quick to fill the lack of words.
"I've been keeping an eye on my squad and, after noticing the progress of Teucer and Jerome, in particular, I got some new ideas..."
The water shifted me, facing me towards the son of Ares before forming a seat beneath me. I sat, my elbow on the water, as I held my chin with my right hand. I opened my eyes for the first time as I studied Marc for a moment.
"You are aware that we aren't exactly in the best position to handle more casualties, correct?"
The son of Ares nodded.
"Are you also aware that recent events have severely dampened my mood?"
He nodded once more.
I stared at him firmly for a few moments longer, letting my eyes search his for any doubt which may have been lingering.
I nodded at him.
"Alert me when you have readied your squad and I will officially dispatch you."
He gave me a bright smile, but his words were lost on me as I sank beneath the surface, letting the undercurrent pull me along so I could remain undisturbed for the remainder of my bath.
The birds chirped their melodies, serenading the small gathering as I watched Squad Two leave for their solo mission.
I stayed until it was only the sounds of the birds which accompanied me and the configuration of trees the only thing before me.
Treasuring the small moments had become a growing necessity over the last few weeks. Things had been almost nonstop since the failed mission of Athena. Between constant monster attacks, whether we had set up the ambushes or were being ambushed, and searching for Henry, there was rarely a moment's rest.
Taking a deep breath, I turned back to the campsite.
I began moving towards the command tent, not allowing myself to overindulge in the amazing atmosphere for too long. It wasn't long before my path was crossed with the remaining members of the Vanguard. I exchanged small greetings with them, keeping our interactions brief as I couldn't seem to stretch my smile further than the persistent thin line which rested upon my lips. Besides, most of them were training and I had to meet with the other two squad leaders.
I paused at the entrance of the command tent, my small smile faltering a bit. Nodding to myself, I pushed the flaps open and stepped in.
The immediate chorus of shouting shut out the melodic canopy I left behind me. I stood still as the flaps of the tent gently closed on my back.
"Hello…"
My words were drowned out by the continued argument in which the pair was engrossed. I contemplated interrupting the pair, before shaking my head to myself and making my way to my seat.
"Yes, I know what Pelagios' theory says, but that can't be right!"
The table rattled as Chrysilla slammed her right palm on the table. Adrian, unfazed by her actions and her words, snorted before responding.
"Yes, the same demigod made immortal that's been alive for centuries, researching for centuries… Just left gaps in his work?"
I winced slightly beside myself at the sarcasm which dripped in his tone as I took my seat. Chrysilla huffed haughtily as she fiddled with the hem of the sling which held her left arm in place.
"I'm not trying to discredit him! I'm just saying that there are things that don't align with what we're seeing! Maybe it has to do with the fact that he only researched children of the sea for so long and it skewed his data!"
"A valid point… if he didn't hand write the books called 'Children of the Sky' and 'Children of the Earth'!"
I clicked my tongue, letting my eyes shift to the mess of papers before me, disorganized from Chrysilla's previous outburst. Sensing the devolving path of the conversation, I instead set about organizing them.
As I sifted through the papers before me, a particular sheet caught my eye.
A smile formed on my face as I noted the compilation of requests from the Vanguard. It had been an idea brought to me by Jerome a few months back after he noticed how often people were complaining about me forgetting what they wanted us to do.
Since then, Jerome would bring all the requests to me in a list format a day or two before I met with the entire group to discuss our next move. It helped the meetings move faster as we didn't need to spend extra time for each member to state what they wanted, and it also saved face as no one was embarrassed if they offered a poor idea.
Instead, Jerome and I shared a laugh at their expense instead of the entire Vanguard.
I smiled to myself at that, my eyes scanning the papers for anything left unchecked. It had been a while since someone had made a new request, meaning that we had managed to do almost everything that was still on the list.
I sighed as my eyes landed on the final three requests. They were what Jerome and I had deemed 'The Undoable'.
The first was to go to Olympus to see the gods. The second was to enter the Underworld and explore it and the third was to take a trip to Atlantis.
We kept these three on every list we made to remind us of what a truly ridiculous request was, a simple method to ensure that more requests were fulfilled, even if they seemed a bit far-fetched.
"Why are you discrediting my ideas!"
I glanced up as Chrysilla shook the table once more as she stood up.
"Because your ideas are shit!"
I shook my head, sighing as the words came out of Adrian's mouth. Chrysilla growled at him, reaching for her mug of coffee, and launching it at her half-brother's head in the span of two seconds. All Adrian could do was release a grunt of pain as the mug connected with his forehead, pushing him back onto his chair before he tipped it and spilt it onto the floor.
The clattering of the chair and the heavy breathing of Chrysilla filled the air for a few moments before the quiet groaning of Adrian joined the chorus.
The son of Athena slowly pulled himself over the edge of the table, his right hand holding his head, blocking his right eye from view as he peeked over at his half-sister through his squinted left eye.
"What about the pap…" He paused as his eyes landed on the floating mass of steaming coffee a few inches off the paper-laden table. He pulled his hand from his head revealing a red mark that would definitely bruise, as his eyes shifted in my direction. "Oh, hey Percy."
I nodded to him.
"Can you put the cup back on the table, so all this coffee has somewhere to go?"
Chrysilla gave a sheepish chuckle as she sat back in her chair.
A moment later, the coffee was back in the cup and in Chrysilla's hand, with Adrian on his chair again, a cool block of ice on his growing bruise.
"How long were you here?"
I shrugged at the boy.
"Long enough to know that you pushed her to throw it at you, even though she shouldn't have done it regardless."
The pair rubbed the back of their necks, suddenly interested in whatever papers were in front of them.
"You could've said something."
I turned to the grumbling Chrysilla.
"I did."
She stared at me in shock for a moment before she nodded, giving me a half smile.
"Percy… I know love is weird and all that, but if she treats you half as bad as she treats me… Tell Marc. He'll get Helen to do something about it."
"I'm right here you know."
I chuckled lightly at the pair's antics. I slipped the sheet of requests back into its correct spot, before returning my gaze to the son of Athena.
"We all know you're a masochist who loves the abuse, Adrian."
Chrysilla chuckled while Adrian cried out indignantly. I stared at the boy meaningfully.
"Besides, if you're receiving it, it means I don't have to."
"Hey!"
It was Adrian's turn to laugh at Chrysilla's expense.
"That aside, the monsters have already been doing one Hades of a job, no need to make their work any easier for them…"
I trailed off as a sombreness swallowed the atmosphere. Chrysilla had begun absentmindedly fiddling with the fabrics of her sling while Adrian sheepishly began sorting out the papers, which had been sent into disarray.
I shook my head as I glanced between the pair of them. I knew that the burden of the weight of their failure was heavy. Their own self-pressure was only intensified by their overly critical and analytical natures. A horrible combination for their first real mission alone.
Despite it all, we had yet to have been contacted by Athena. That and the fact that the constant hunting outings I led had yet to stem the influx of monsters was, at least, an indicator that Henry and the book were still at large within the city. Somehow successfully managing to evade both his pursuers and his hopeful rescuers.
At the very least, we assumed that the mission had yet to be cancelled.
The children of Athena, alongside their squads, however, had been confined to the campsite until Chrysilla was fully healed. I knew it stifled our abilities to see the mission out fully, but there were so many uncertainties about the presence of either book or mortal, and I placed the growth and security of the Vanguard in much higher regard than the success of one mission.
As well as ensuring that there were sufficient consequences to their actions…
I sighed softly, placing my elbow on the table, and resting my chin on my intertwined fingers.
"Alright, now let's hear this about theories and all that."
The response was instant as the pair began muttering under their breaths and searching through their books and sheets of paper to explain their work.
I had taken Athena's advice, partially out of pity for leaving her children with little to do in their punishment and partially because I would be a fool to ignore her counsel.
It had been a pivotal decision to introduce them to the books of Pelagios. It was utterly astounding how profound the books were as, despite having read them all, I still held many questions and failed to completely comprehend the majority of what had been written. So, my surprise was immeasurable to see that the duo had, not only finished the books within days but had also created theories which both countered and expounded on what was written by the immortal son of Triton.
It wasn't a rare occurrence for Marc and I to return to the half-siblings levelling, what could only be described as, a verbal war on varying sides of the battlefield. It seemed impossible for them to simply agree with any stance taken by the other, without first debating it into oblivion.
That being said, it was, sometimes, really fascinating to watch the two minds at work.
They had come to a basic conclusion that the Power held by demigods could be divided into two subsets of self and their parent's domain. Their idea aligned with Pelagios' in which the mortal soul and divine essence fuelled their enhancements and abilities. Upon this basic understanding, they built the foundation of all of their further theorizations and arguments.
To further understand the capabilities of demigods, under the new baseline they had been presented, they decided to run experiments. I had offered myself as the main test subject, seeing as I was the only one other than the pair of them, and Marc, who knew of the books and their implications. They had also convinced me to do some subtle tests, under their private observation, on the others with special abilities. They had argued that, if they knew of what we did, their inevitable change in actions due to observation could skew the overall data.
Honestly, the moment they had started getting technical and using terminology I had left in Goode, I had relinquished everything to their control. I wasn't overly concerned, with the enchantment in place and all, alongside the fact that even Pelagios himself had urged me to be open-minded in my exploration and understanding of the godly world.
Their experimentation resulted in the two major theories that they had been arguing over.
The first of which was put forward by Adrian. It was practically a hierarchical theory which put Poseidon at the top of aqua affinity abilities, at the very least for present and known deities. He suggested that, as my father was the embodiment of the seas, this meant that most of the water affinity abilities were merely a substrata of his will. Which meant that anything Poseidon could do, I had access to. The entire argument got intensely complicated after that point as they began to argue over which river or water deity could possibly rival or beat my father in the control of a specific aspect of water control.
Entirely beyond what I was willing to indulge myself in. So, outside of attempting to perform and master any new and random technique they found in the books, I steered clear of that theory.
The second theory, which was still much fresher and, seemingly, straightforward, was Chrysilla's.
From what I remembered of the last I had heard of it, it seemed to concur with the theory of Pelagios. It basically compounded on the basic theory of demigod Power and determined that those demigods with more Power had a great density of divine essence within them.
Eventually, Adrian had come to agree with her and they furthered the theory by stating that more divinity seemed to equate to greater access to their parent's domains, and the host of abilities which were associated with them. Ultimately, demigods like myself, Thalia, Nico, and Jason simply held a ridiculously large amount of divine essence in our makeup as opposed to others who were more attuned to their mortal souls.
But judging from the argument which threatened to spoil all of their documented research with coffee, it seemed that something had come up to alienate their minds once again.
"From what we've learned from the books, we've been able to establish a better indicator of a demigod's power. We have a better understanding of where that innate power is derived from, but the suggestions of the book are inconsistent. At least when compared to what we've seen and noted from the demigods within the Vanguard. That being said, the inconsistencies leave a lot of holes in terms of how demigods can grow, both physically and with their abilities."
I shifted my gaze from Chrysilla to her half-brother. Judging from the mischievous glint in his eyes, he was about to say something else to rile her up, so I quickly interceded.
"So, what exactly is the problem with Pelagios' theory?"
She flushed slightly, her eyes darting back to her brother before she hurriedly began sifting through the papers before her.
"Pelagios says that it's predetermined." She began, her eyes still scanning the papers which filtered easily through her hands. "That it's set and that only specific demigods can achieve the level to access specific, and a limited amount of, abilities. You mentioned from a conversation with him that some abilities were only possible for certain children of the sea and not others, but over the last six months, you've shown that you could do some of those things as well!"
"Chrysilla… I understand what you're trying to say, but that only proves that Percy is an anomaly."
I shifted my eyes back to Adrian, before reclining and letting my hands hang over the hand rests of my seat. It would do me no good to take a side, and any voiced thought I gave would only be seen, and used, as such.
"No, it doesn't!" Came Chrysilla's heated response as she paused from her shifting to send a glare which matched the intensity of her words.
"And where's the proof!"
Chrysilla huffed indignantly, muttering under her breath as she returned to her self-assigned task of searching through the mass of papers piled before her. After a few, quiet moments, she raised a paper towards Adrian, a large grin plastered on her face.
There was another moment filled with silence as his eyes roved over the paper, his expression quickly becoming flushed with shock.
I stared patiently, awaiting him to finish reading and hand me the paper. I felt annoyance tickle me as he, instead, stared off into the air in thought. I quickly grabbed the piece of paper from his hand, mumbling about the children of Athena and their ways. Much to the amusement of Chrysilla.
"You love me though, read it and tell me how smart I am."
I rolled my eyes at her, a smirk forming on my lips at her playful banter before I glanced at the paper. I quickly scanned the words, but there was a part which was underlined that caught my eye.
While it isn't an uncommon occurrence for demigods to be able to wield a multitude of their parent's domain. It is uncommon for demigods, particularly of the gods beyond the Olympian council, to randomly gain access to further abilities. While a child of the big three is known to 'unlock' a new ability in times of stress, there is rarely an account of that occurring for a child of a 'lesser god'. That number dropped to zero if said demigod did not hold the eyes of an Olympian god.
Under this basis, the experimentation process has yielded peculiar results. As expected, Percy is capable of accessing all of his father's domains. The same, however, has been seen to be true with Zina. The daughter of Bia had, previously, only been able to access her mother's domain of raw energy. After a series of different classified tests, it was seen that Zina was able to mitigate attempts at angering her. Rather, it seemed that any form of anger was shifted into one of tranquillity. Whether that is an imperviousness to anger or rather the way in which anger empowers a child of Bia is yet to be known.
Further tests also show that…
"I can't believe it!"
I shifted my gaze from the paper to Adrian, who stared at the excited Chrysilla who nodded at him. I sighed to myself as I placed the paper on the table. I could sense that they were about to go on a tangent that I needed to be a part of to understand, and it appeared to be a rather major breakthrough.
"Isn't this just another anomaly?" I questioned, pointing out the underlined part.
Chrysilla was about to respond but her half-brother beat her to it, as he shook his head.
"No… the only reason you were an anomaly was because you were part of the great prophecy, the fates could have made you, specifically, to be able to carry out your task."
I chuckled, scratching the back of my head.
"I hate to break it to you bud, but I wasn't anything more than a timestamp in that prophecy."
Both children of Athena paused and looked at me in confusion.
"Come again?"
"One more time, please?"
I smiled softly at the pair.
"Sometimes I forget that you guys were new when we left camp. I was a part of that prophecy, yes. But in the end, it was Luke, a son of Hermes that was the main part of it."
They stared at each other before they stared at me in confusion. Adrian's eyes suddenly lit up in recognition.
"Of course! You told me about that when we started sparring in camp."
I smiled at him.
"And you were adamant that there were more falsities to my other stories because of it."
"To be fair, I didn't actually get to see you in proper action until we left. Kind of hard to deny it once you're seen in action."
There was a pleasant silence as we both reminisced about our last days at camp. Chrysilla was not as fond of the momentary lapse in the conversation, however.
"So why the fuck are you so powerful?"
I raised an eyebrow at Adrian, turning to Chrysilla to get some reading of what was going on, but her eyes just demanded I answer the question.
I sighed, shrugging as I leaned further into the chair.
"Because I'm a child of the Big Three?"
"Bullshit!" I turned to Chrysilla who had slammed her hand against the table. "That's bullshit and it just proves my point even more!"
Adrian grumbled as he began combing through the notes in front of him.
"Admit it!"
"Okay fine, yes it seems that you were right!"
"I fucking told you so!"
Chrysilla pushed back her chair and celebrated.
"Okay, are you guys going to fill me in?"
"There were a lot of children of the Big Three who had no elemental control."
Chrysilla nodded, taking her seat as a large grin remained stretched across her face.
"And a lot more who had abysmal or extremely minimal control over their inherited domains."
"But you…"
"You are an anomaly," Chrysilla admitted.
"But just not in the way that would go against her theory."
"Nope, you're exactly the anomaly I was looking for!"
She stood up and gave me a quick kiss.
"Thanks… You're welcome?"
She just gave a light chuckle in response. I stared at them, they seemed to be energized as if they were on their fifth cup of coffee each. I, on the other hand, was very much stumped. Realizing that they expected me to have been on the same wavelength, I sighed again.
Why was it always a daughter of Athena?
"Okay… just so we're on the same page here…" The pair paused from the discussion they had started and looked at me expectantly.
"I prove that demigods can use more than one of their inherited abilities?"
Adrian shook his head lightly, his eyes still teeming with excitement.
"No Perce, Zina proves that."
Chrysilla nodded, even more excitedly as she beamed at me.
"You prove that we can become gods."
I stood outside of the tent, staring at Apollo's chariot. It splashed its rays of light pleasantly onto my face.
Adrian had cleared up that I didn't entirely prove that we could become gods, but rather that, in Pelagios' theory of being more god than mortal, we could choose how far along that line we could walk. If we spent an excessive amount of time training and developing our powers, we'd stray further from our mortal side. If we slipped into the mortal world, we might stray from the godly side. They still had a lot to figure out, like what were the consequences of straying to either side and if it was better to stay balanced.
It was something I decided to leave to the children of Athena, and also something that made me content with my decision to offer the books to them.
I shook my head slightly, as I scanned the clearing to figure out what I should do next.
"Maybe a mission for one of your favourite gods?"
My eyes settled on the sandy-haired god who gave me a gentle smile. The earlier irritation began to worm its way back into my mind at the presence of Hermes. The thought of our ongoing mission being deemed failed without so much as an indicator of such played on my mind.
After a few seconds, I decided to humour the god before me. A low hum left my mouth, and I noted the look of caution which flared temporarily on the god of messengers' face. I stared beyond him for a moment to see if any other members would be able to overhear.
"Is it a mission only for me and my ears?"
Hermes gave me a coy smile, easiness wiping away the specks of caution which had emerged.
"I was told that it was only for you, whether it's only for your ears is up to you, Commander."
I rolled my eyes at his sarcastic salute before raising a finger to motion him to wait a minute. I slipped my head back into the command tent, flaring the temperature a bit to catch the attention of the children of Athena. They stared at me in shock for a moment as I mouthed for them to stop whatever it was they were doing. They quickly nodded and covered up their papers with random books and other papers.
I gave them a few more seconds before opening the flap and turning back to Hermes.
"Trying to keep secrets from the gods is a dangerous game, Percy."
I pulled the flaps down before the god could walk past me, stepping in front of him and catching him by surprise.
"Let's get something clear, Hermes." My voice was low, and I could see his hands clench in anticipation, his aura flaring slightly. "We aren't your little toys. These missions we're accepting aren't because we have no choice. Don't mistake us for the others you have cooped up behind walls that aren't even constructed yet."
Hermes stared at me for a moment, his eyes twinkling sadly as he unclenched his hands and smiled apologetically.
"It was meant as a warning for other, more intrusive gods. Nothing more, Percy."
I stared at him for a few moments longer, before nodding.
"And we both know that more intrusive gods don't appear and ask."
Hermes smiled at my words as I reopened the flaps for the god, nodding at him.
"It does seem that much has changed."
I quickly followed him into the tent.
"You either adapt to your environment or die to it."
Hermes paused at the foot of the table as I walked past him. A hush fell on the room as they awaited me to reach my seat.
"Please, summon a throne if you wish, make yourself comfortable."
Hermes nodded, summoning a modest chair behind him, one that matched the others we sat on. He shot me a curious look as he motioned at the children of Athena with his head, but I just nodded at him. The god shrugged before he pulled out a scroll.
"Your father sent me." He tossed the scroll over to me, which I caught with ease. I unfurled it and quickly scanned it before rolling it back up, much to the protest of the other demigods in the room. I smirked at being able to keep them out of the loop for once.
"You said that there was something for my ears as well?"
"I never mentioned anything about ears, you did. Everything you need to know is on the scroll. You can decide if it's for your eyes only or not."
The god winked at me before he stood up, his chair vanishing as he did so.
"Would it be an issue if I see my kids, Commander?"
I chuckled at him, despite the odd looks I received from Chrysilla and Adrian.
"Not an issue at all. Just don't be too surprised if you see them injured and leave their injuries for our healers to practice on."
The god gave a low whistle as he made his way to the entrance.
"That's pretty hardcore, Ares would be proud."
I shook my head, grinning mischievously at his retreating figure.
"No, Lupa would be proud!"
His form flickered for a moment, and he turned and shot me a glare.
"That's cold."
He left the room muttering under his breath.
"Love you too!" I called out after him.
"Even your relationship with the gods is abnormal."
I turned to Adrian, winking at him as I stood up from my seat.
"Aren't you going to show us the scroll?"
I turned to Chrysilla before shifting my gaze to the walls of the tent as I pondered her words.
"No… I don't think I will."
I walked past them, ignoring their indignant cries before pausing at the entrance.
"I'll be gone for a few hours… Maybe longer. You two are in charge until I return."
The pair nodded as I turned before something popped into my head. I turned back to Chrysilla.
"Make sure Cassandra is in bed if I'm not back in time for lights out and check up on her to see if she's 'lost' every few hours or so, okay?"
The daughter of Athena smiled softly at me, nodding before I left the tent.
I quickly made my way to search for the daughter of Tyche before I left. I didn't want to have her wrath against me for not telling her I was leaving.
The ocean glowed in a majestic orange hue as I stared out at the horizon.
I took a deep breath, a smile clawing its way onto my face as the waves of the ocean drew me in. The smell of salt filled my nose as a breeze washed over me. I stretched my hands, digging my toes into the sand as I basked in the small moment of bliss.
I clapped my hands, letting my smile fade as I focused on the mission at hand. Whether it was in my domain or not, there was still the underlying issue of Henry being at large… or not. The amount of uncertainty that tainted the Vanguard at the moment meant I would be powering through this one to return as soon as possible.
"I only took this one for you Dad."
My whisper got caught in the passing breeze as I waded into the water. Before long, I was beneath the surface and swimming as fast as I could towards Greece.
There was a certain quietness which perverted the typical serenity of the ocean.
I was accosted by little to none of what the aquatic life had to offer, and it all set my instincts on edge. There was very little which could alight my internal senses of fear once I was within my father's realm and this sensation was not a part of that minority.
Yet it irked me to no end.
There was also an odd sensation of senselessness which struck me each time my gaze peered beyond the sea's surface. I maintained my inherited bearing, of course. I stayed the course perfectly as the water propelled me at, what could only be defined as, godly speeds. Yet there was an odd disruption in my internal clock.
The sun was ever present in my, relatively, silent journey. It seemed as though Apollo and I were in constant pursuit of each other the moment one of us drew ahead of the next. It had been a humorous and thoroughly entertaining experience, all up until the duration of our competition became lost on me.
My arrival to the Grecian seas perpetuated the unnerving nuisance of my mission.
The waters were cold.
Not in their temperature, but in the oppressive and dense essence of divinity which further, though temporarily, clogged my senses. It was as though the currents of Greece were willing me to turn away and avoid it at all costs.
Something which didn't sit well with me at all considering the battle against the Giants which had occurred on the landmass before me.
Yet I persisted.
I pushed past the dense formation of divinity and willed the waters to guide me to its densest point.
The oppressiveness of the essence subsided the further I swam below the depths of the surface. Natural light gave way to demigod sight as I scanned the murky ocean floor in search of my quarry.
You'll know it when you see it.
Sometimes it was those closest to you who made your life the hardest. Where was my map which detailed exactly where I was supposed to go? Where was the direct message from my father himself? Why…
A golden temple sat nestled in a crevice on the ocean floor.
Sometimes words weren't always necessary with those closest to you after all…
The temple was small, a far cry from the run-down shack, which was placed in New Rome, yet humble in its own right. The four golden pillars stood firmly, their energy radiating off of them in waves. Yet, nothing could truly suppress the aura blasting from beyond the golden door in the centre.
I floated before the doors, eyeing them curiously as the unsettling cold bore down on me. If I wasn't as put off as I was by the entire journey here, I might've chuckled at it. Whatever was inside of this box was clearly not of the sea. Yet it was attempting to intimidate one of the sea, while in their domain!
Shaking my head clear of the thoughts, I placed my hand on the cool surface. The instructions which were written for me came to my head easily.
"As a Crown Prince of Atlantis, I hereby remove your sentencing within these confines."
The Greek words slipped easily from my lips. Not even a second later, the door groaned as it unhinged slightly, the water quickly filling in the small gap and keeping the door from opening fully.
I clicked my teeth as the rather unceremonious yelp which quickly transitioned into a gargled cry for help. Rolling my eyes, I pulled the water out of the box before forming a dome of air around the temple-like prison.
Whatever, or whoever was within the box started coughing roughly. The gnawing irritation continued to fester within me as I impatiently awaited the emergence of the content in the box.
"Lord Poseidon, thank you for deciding to revoke your sentencing."
The voice was as smooth as it could be after choking a few moments prior. It was quickly followed by a face which eerily reminded me of Pelagios. There were very distinct differences which ebbed my confusion, however.
The piercing grey eyes stood out the most.
"Why does everything have to revolve around Athena all of a sudden?"
The man before me stared at me curiously. I sighed, relishing the distortion of my whispered voice under the presence of the depths. Extending the dome of air, I dropped to the sandy floor beyond the temple.
"I am Perseus Jackson. Demigod son of Poseidon."
A scowl marred his features yet reminded me of another immortal being I knew all too well. Possibly because he had inherited it from her.
"Wasn't even worth his time even after all of these years huh."
He huffed indignantly, a few other quiet mutterings following as he shifted his platinum blonde hair from his eyes. I stared at him until he collected himself. Despite my anxiety to return to the Vanguard, I could at least offer him a moment to collect himself after being captive for Poseidon knows how long.
That thought sparked a question.
"Are you immortal?"
He ceased his quiet mumblings as he regarded me for the first time since my introduction. His eyes grew instantly disinterested as he instead began scanning the oceans behind me.
"Tell me, child, are we still in Greece?"
I pushed him back into the box and closed it.
The intense aura of the box once again grew overwhelming, though my body had already grown well acquainted with its pressure.
Taking a deep and calming breath, I let the water fill the air dome and swam around the temple. After a few laps, and with my emotions under much better control, I IM'd Pelagios.
"Percy? What can I do for you?"
I regarded the man for a moment, both to let my thoughts lose the rash emotions which muddled them and to scan his face. There were indeed certain similarities to the man, now returned to the box. They shared a rather similar jawline and nose structure, though most everything else was misaligned.
"I have taken a mission for my father to retrieve the contents of a box beneath the waves of the seas of Greece." His eyes widened slightly, recognition dancing in the sea-blue orbs of his, but I pressed on. "I have not been as fortunate enough as to be smitten by his personality and I was hoping you would be able to assist me."
Pelagios was doing his best to hold back a grin as he noted the tone of my voice.
"Perhaps I may be able to help your relationship grow more cordial, but otherwise this mission is yours and yours alone to be completed."
I groaned, staring away from the IM and back at the box. I was in no mood to deal with the mannerisms of an immortal unknowing of my accomplishments. I was far from one to brag, but I couldn't deny that I enjoyed being treated as, much nearer, an equal than little more than a bug or tool.
Turning back to my nephew, I nodded.
"Great, where is he?"
"He's…" I paused momentarily, a sheepish smile pulling at my lips. "As I said, he was being kind of a dick and I… I put him back in the box."
Pelagios stared at me blankly for a few moments as the words slowly began to register in his mind. The cold and pressing aura faded slightly as the sound of Pelagios' laughter seemed to travel through the currents rather than the IM.
"You imprisoned him again!"
He managed in between his laughter. I rubbed the back of my neck as I nodded, serving only to send him into another fit of laughter. It didn't slip past my notice that he was drawing a few curious looks from his side.
"This mission came at a bad time. The Vanguard was already on a quest for Athena which was not going as well as I'd liked. Things on the surface, coupled with the weirdest experience I've ever had in the ocean getting here haven't been doing wonders for my mood."
Pelagios began composing himself as my sombre tone seeped from my voice. A moment later, his cheeks still flushed and amusement dancing around the corners of his eyes, he cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry, Percy. The prisoner you just freed and then swiftly reimprisoned, is my cousin. From my mortal side obviously."
I stared blankly at him, my eyes drifting once more to the surface where the sun continued to beam down on me. I knew my abilities had grown exponentially, but beating Apollo to Greece? Did the sun even travel that way?
"No wonder he was such a prick."
The words had slipped out of my mouth without me realizing. A ruff response soon followed beyond the misty screen.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what you think it's supposed to mean."
Pelagios grumbled about moody demigods before shrugging it off.
"Like I said before. It is imperative that you deliver him to Atlantis. As long as you get him here, you'll have completed your objective."
I nodded at him and was about to cut the IM off curtly, eager to return to the Vanguard, but Pelagios quickly stopped me.
"Wait! Percy, my favourite Uncle! Could you just do me the smallest of favours?"
I stared at him pointedly, my impatience dancing across my face as the water around me rose a few degrees.
"When you let him out, can you please remind him of how his pet cat got eaten by the Nemean Lion?"
I felt all of my annoyance drain out of me as confusion took its place.
"His favourite, what?"
"Just tell him."
I shrugged, giving a curt farewell, and promising to pass on his message before passing my hand through the image.
Turning to the box once more, I recited the phrase once again. This time, only after I erected the air dome.
"If you even dar-"
Water instantly snaked from the ocean and slithered across his lips before freezing over. His eyes lit up in shock and trepidation.
"Know. Your. Place. Immortal or not, this realm is not your own. Should you forget your heritage once more, you will remember mine for the rest of your insufferable existence in that box."
He nodded stiffly, his eyes betraying his lack of belief in my words. I resisted the urge to growl at him, severely upset at the lack of time on my hands. Otherwise, I would've been so much more meticulous with getting my point across.
I caught the thoughts swirling in my head and stared at the surface once more. Instead of the beaming sunlight, dark thunder clouds roiled overhead. Groaning softly, I began to reel my emotions under control.
There was just too much going on, from the apparent squabble the children of Athena had had, almost resulting in Chrysilla's death. The growing bloodlust in the Vanguard as they all were eager to get retribution for their own, which I had to quell. To the growing competitiveness which I was forced to carefully stoke in order to keep it from growing out of control. And to top it all off, the bizarre journey to free this, ironically, ignorant and, justifiably, grumpy immortal son of Athena.
I was used to things spiralling out of control. I was also used to having a reliable outlet and not being the one forced to stay calm and collected throughout it all. That responsibility usually fell into the hands of Annabeth, Jason or even Piper.
Emotional outbursts simply ran in my blood.
At least that was the excuse I had often leaned heavily on.
A sigh escaped my lips as I let my emotions drain from my body, instead refocusing on the task at hand. I had wanted this, and I put myself in this position. I would just have to see it through. Chiron had trained me well enough to be the leader I currently was and would eventually grow into. I wasn't outside of my depth. In fact, I was swimming well within them.
I could almost feel the mischief twinkly in my eyes as my smile set in its crooked grin.
"I could always reunite you with your pet cat… Oh, wait no… Your pet wasn't the Nemean Lion. The Nemean Lion ate your pet cat! Right! That's it!"
His eyes burned a heated glare at me, and I sighed, momentarily forgetting my anxieties. I condensed the air bubble to form closer to his body and attached a tendril of water to it and around my waist.
"Hold on tight! Or you just may see your pet cat after all!"
With a large grin stretching my lips, I shot off towards Atlantis; a small boom resounding around me at the speeds I reached.
"I suppose I may have been in a tad bit of a rush…"
I stood before Poseidon who, despite his poorly hidden amusement, was scolding me while the son of Athena profusely puked behind me. An Atlantean medic rushed to his side, injecting him with a dose of Nectar while an armourer removed the celestial bronze shackled around his wrists. Pelagios slinked into the room, a wolfish grin on his face at the sight of the ailing child of wisdom.
"Ah, cousin! It's so great to see you again, finally freed from your wonderful accommodations."
Pelagios only chuckled at the heated glare which was levelled his way. I couldn't blame my nephew though; it was terribly difficult to appear intimidating while covered in your own bile.
"I can assure you that that feeling could not be further from being mutual." The son of Athena sent me a wayward glance before returning his eyes to his cousin. "And keep that monster away from me!"
I pouted slightly at that, earning a smile from Poseidon.
"Now that's not very nice now, is it? Perhaps I can put you back on time out since you clearly prefer your little box?"
A thin cord of water roped its way around my waist before the other end snaked towards the son of Athena. He paled considerably as he scrambled back, his eyes glued to the tendril of water.
"That's enough, Percy."
There was no heat in my father's voice, rather it was positively leaking amusement, but I sighed regardless. The water dissipated, earning a sigh of relief from the Athena spawn. A pregnant pause polluted the Atlantean Throne Room as the son of Athena began composing himself. He rubbed his wrist gingerly as he straightened his posture. He sent me another watchful eye before returning his gaze to his cousin.
"So, he really is a crowned prince of Atlantis?"
Pelagios nodded.
"Is he immortal?"
Pelagios shook his head.
"How?"
"Because he defeated Kronos, went to Tartarus and back and was among seven demigods to defeat Gaea. Amongst other things."
"Oh."
Deciding that I had heard enough of their conversation, I returned my attention to my father. Amid the commotion, he had returned to his throne. He sat idly, watching with great amusement at the interaction of the three of us as he casually toyed with his Trident. He quickly noticed me and leaned over to better hear me.
"I can't help but feel like this whole mission was something that could have easily been done by someone of Atlantis instead. Why was I called upon for such a simple task?"
He stared at me for a few moments, his smile faltering for the first time since I had arrived.
"It was part of the arrangement that was made with Athena."
He seemed to want to let that be the end of the conversation, but I stood firm. My silent and persistent inquisitive gaze earned a sigh as he leaned back into his throne.
"You should remember that we are currently attempting to pacify our quarrels. Over the centuries, our disputes have resulted in many minor grievances which are currently being amended to ensure peace between us." He paused slightly, his eyes drifting to Pelagios and the son of Athena who were now laughing together over something. "One of those minor issues started a few centuries ago. After Athena's constant gloating over the fact that she had charmed Theseus, she had a charm placed on her children which made them immune, and even avoid me and my children at all costs."
I blinked rapidly, suddenly counting the number of interactions I had had with her children with a hefty amount of surprise. Poseidon chuckled at this, nodding slightly.
"Despite our arguments throughout your lifespan, we had begun making progress towards a healthier relationship a few decades prior to your birth. We took a few steps back after you were born, partially due to your position in the Great Prophecy, but also because of her spell weakening mysteriously close to your birth. She had assumed I was up to some sort of trick, but in reality, it was one of Hecate's attempts to stir strife amongst us in favour of my father's rising."
I raised my hands slightly as I shook my head.
"Okay, let's take a quick time out."
Poseidon chuckled but gave me a few moments to gather my thoughts.
"So, Hecate made it so that I would get closer to her children on purpose?"
Poseidon shook his head.
"No, she simply drained the charm of its potency, allowing you to interact with them. All of your relationships are completely natural. It would have only been unnatural had she intervened. It was only because of the established norm, where my children and Athena's rarely intertwined that your interactions were so flummoxing."
I nodded slightly, slowly understanding.
"Alright, and what does this have to do with the box lad behind me being trapped and freed by me today?"
"Right. That was one of the minor issues which had arisen. Since Athena had intercepted all of my interactions with her children, I instead had them captured and immortalized so that they would spend eternity trapped from the world. I also drew in all of the demigods close to me and had them immortalized or provided them shelter and safety within Atlantis to avoid retaliation. This is also a major reason why I had so few demigod kids, to ensure that I can keep a watchful eye on them at all times."
"Huh…"
I stared back at Pelagios and his cousin, realizing for the first time that I hadn't even gotten his name in my hurried state.
"Minor issues you said?"
Poseidon waved his hands.
"Gods, remember?"
"Ahhh, right, my bad."
Poseidon chuckled lightly, one that didn't quite reach his eyes as he stroked his beard.
"Your part in freeing the son of Athena was simply a part of the terms listed by his mother. Most of her other children have already been freed, but she insisted that he only be released by you when she deemed fit. He is also to become an Athenian Ambassador within Atlantis to further move our relationship in the right direction."
I mulled over the words my father said as my eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
"That's a strang…"
My eyes widened as my mind reeled in shock as a scathing idea danced around my brain. My eyes darted towards the son of Athena, before returning to my father. Why now of all times? When she had already approached my group for a mission… When we were still in the middle of that mission…
"By chance, what time is it above the surface?"
My father gave me a sorrowful glance before he turned away from me. I clenched my jaw as the pieces of the puzzle began stitching themselves together.
"Fleecy do me a solid."
The words trembled out of my mouth with barely contained rage as I turned away from my father. The goddess shimmered into existence before me.
"What's up, Percy?"
"I need to speak with Adrastea please."
"Sure thing, one moment."
The feed flickered and suddenly Adrastea was before me.
"Percy! We've been trying to get onto you for days!"
"How many?"
She paused. The momentary silence alerted me to the fact that all eyes in the throne room were on me. Before long, I heard Cassandra's excited voice call my name and I felt my hardened glare falter slightly.
"Two full days. This morning is the start of the third day you've been gone."
I turned to the side, glaring at a pillar as I took a moment to compose myself.
"What's the status of things with the Vanguard?"
She paused again.
"A few hours after you left, we received news of Henry's location. I'm not sure how we got it, but it didn't take long for Chrysilla and Adrian to respond. They mobilized their groups and left before Marc and his squad had returned from their solo mission. We had no idea where they were, and they denied or cancelled all IM's that we tried to send. Any attempt to get onto you was also futile. Last night, we received an IM from them stating that they were outnumbered in Central Park, so Marc rallied everyone else to provide reinforcements. I stayed back with Cassandra, in case you returned to the campsite, and that's all that I know, boss."
I hummed, turning to my father. He refused to meet my eyes and I instead returned my eyes to Adrastea.
"Rendezvous with the rest of the squad immediately. You'll receive another IM when I'm en route to your location. That should give you enough time to either reach the others or inform them that I am on my way."
"On it."
"Before you go!"
Adrastea's face returned, staring at me with curious anticipation.
"Put Cassandra on for a moment."
She nodded and the bubbly face of Cassandra popped up.
"Percy! I've missed you!"
I smiled softly as she pouted.
"I know, I know. Are you alright?"
The daughter of Tyche nodded softly, and I smiled easily at her.
"Okay great. I need you to do me a huge favour okay?"
She stared at me, her large brown eyes narrowing in determination as she nodded in response.
"Keep Adrastea and everyone safe for me until I reach, alright?"
"I promise, Percy!"
I gave her another wide smile before saying a quiet goodbye and swiping my hand through the message.
"So… he's a Warlord?"
I turned to the son of Athena, before turning to Pelagios and my father.
"Am I needed beyond delivering him?"
Poseidon shook his head, and I clenched my fist tightly, closing my eyes.
"Very well."
I pulled Riptide from my pocket and let it elongate into its sword form.
"You alone on that council have my full trust and support, Father. Please let the council know that I will be taking a break from their missions after this unless I deem it to be very worth it for my group."
Poseidon nodded, sighing softly.
"We often do this with only consideration of our future, and for that, I'm sorry my son. I'll continue to do my best to protect you against the wishes of the other gods."
"Just the Olympians, Father. Just the Olympians."
"Are you sure he's a demigod?"
I ignored the son of Athena and sprinted out of the palace before using the water to propel me as fast as possible towards New York.
A/N: (Turns around in chair and faces you all) Hi again, it's me!
Big Announcement At The End!
It's been what? Like two weeks? Maybe a Month? You know what I love? A casual intense case of author block and a surge of anxiety. It really just puts it all into perspective. That being said, I can promise you all that the next time I post a new story on here, it will most definitely be complete before I start posting.
Unless it's a small one to three thousand word per chapter story that's more fluff than plot…
Was that a spoiler for something… who knows?
Not me at this point.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter; it took a lot of time to get right. I also very nearly made this chapter about twenty thousand words, but I decided to just add another chapter to the story.
If you're seeing this chapter, you should be getting another one next week. I doubt I'll post this without the next one to two chapters organized. Maybe I might. Not sure yet…
That being said…
I joined the Emerald Library!
This is a pretty big thing for me in my opinion. The Discord group is filled with some of my favourite PJO authors that I still read from today, and it lets me stay up to date with them. Now I can post more regular updates there and, if you're interested, you can stop by and get an update as to if a chapter is delayed or not without just staying in the dark like this time. The link to is broken because of fanfiction, so just remove the spaces, but here it is!
discord. gg/AsqJUDTqMG
Other than that, I'm looking forward to your reviews and your thoughts of what I'm creating here.
And that's all I have to say for this week. I hope you're all having a great day whenever you're reading this. See you all next time!
-ZedricSOZ