4th June 2005…
Camp Halfblood's Infirmary…
Percy Jackson's POV…
When I open my eyes, I see nothing but the blurry ceiling, and as my eyes readjust, I feel familiar fingers stroking my hair.
As my vision clears, I look up to my right, and smile as I see my mom asleep, her head leaning back on the chair she's sitting on, and her hand attached to my hair. I get up from the bed, despite how strangely comfortable it is, and take in my surroundings.
It looked a lot like the inside of our log cabin in Montauk, though there were loads more windows, and weird banners that had the sun drawn on them. Still, not the weirdest building I've been in. Decorated around the room were loads of equipment that I vaguely knew had something to do with hospitals. So I guess that must mean this is some sort of hospital?
When my eyes look around the room, I see a person my age on a bed at the other side of the room. Golden hair as smooth as silk, skin brown like bronze that shone in the light, and a chiselled jaw that I've never seen in other kids my age. Well, apart from Gill.
I walk over to my friend, though I used the beds and columns in the cabin as a support, who lies on the bed, unconscious. Not a scratch on him. If it weren't for the giant horn at his bedside, I wouldn't have believed that he had fought a 9 foot tall man-bull last night. I feel guilty, looking at him. For the past few days, I've had this gnawing feeling at the back of my mind. A suspicion that Gill was only pretending to be my friend. That he along with Grover were using me somehow.
But… Grover and Gill literally saved me and mom from a literal monster. If that isn't friendship, then I'm not sure what is.
"Oh, you're awake!" I look towards the slightly high pitched voice, and see a short kid, with blonde hair and blue eyes, though unlike Gill, he only had a slight tan on his white skin. "Great. That means you're ready for a check up!" There was something in the kid's eyes. Like I was an experiment of his. And, I really didn't like how he was holding that stethoscope around his neck.
"Uh… Maybe you should get the person in charge" I nervously chuckle, stepping back from the kid.
"Yup! That's me!" He grins proudly, "I'm Will Solace, and I'm the second best healer in the Camp!"
"You? You're like 5, kid!"
"I'm 9!" He argues, annoyed.
"Well…If you're the 2nd best, then bring the best." Yeah I probably seem like a whiny jerk, but I really didn't want to trust my health to someone who was just learning their time tables. Though to be fair, it's not like I'm some sort of math whizz.
"Sorry, but the best doctor is lying down next to you!" He proudly says with a smile. I look at the body next to me with shock. Gill? A doctor?
Taking advantage of my confusion, the kid pushes me onto a bed, and with a bunch of different medical equipment beside him, he begins putting his hands all over my body, making weird noises, and speaking a tone that's wildly different to how he spoke a few seconds ago.
"Hm…Looks like your heart is in rhythm, which is weird for being struck with lightning." I hear the kid mutter.
"Woah, what do you mean being struck with lightning?" I remember something… last night, there was a bright flash, and Gill ran to me. "Hey, uh Will. What exactly happened last night?"
The kid frowns, as he shoves an ice pop stick under my tongue, "You don't know? Huh, well basically after Gill killed the Minotaur, the King of the Gods sent down a bolt of lightning. Chiron said it was a last attempt to kill you. But Gill managed to save you with some pink shield. I'm not sure what it was, but from what Grover said, it weakened the lightning bolt enough to make sure that you barely got hurt."
"...So you're saying that Gill basically stopped a lightning bolt from Zeu-" However before I could say the name of the Lightning God, the boy covered my mouth with a free hand.
"You shouldn't say his name so easily," He says in hushed whispers, "Especially since he hates you apparently."
"Okay, Okay!" I placate, after getting the hand off my mouth, "But seriously though, is everyone in the camp strong enough to stop one of Z- the Lightning God's bolts?"
Will chuckles, as he hits my kneecap with a hammer, "Nope. Big Bro Gill is unlike anyone in Camp. He's the strongest here, and as smart as someone from the Athena Cabin. There are loads of theories on what his deal is. Some say he's the next Heracles, others say he's the reincarnation of a great hero like Odysseus or Jason. Me? I think there's something more than that. Something that's greater than the pantheons." The way the 9-year-old is speaking, I can't help but take him seriously. And that made me more confused. Gill? Being someone as great as Hercules? The same Gill I saw spill soup on his shirt after walking into a pillar? That's… Too weird to think about.
But then, I remember last night. The ruthlessness and efficiency that he showed so easily. It was like watching a different person.
"Well, it looks like you're perfectly okay!" Will announces, reminding me that I was in the middle of a check-up. And almost immediately he skips out of the room, to god knows where.
I stare once more at the blonde lying down on the bed.
What have I gotten myself into?
5 Days Later… 9th July 2005
Gill's POV
As I open my eyes, I groan as the box that floats in front of me.
You have used a skill that required more MP than you have!
Instead of preventing you from casting it, a punishment has been placed upon you!
You will enter a Comatose state for [6] Days!
Dammit. I knew I was risking a lot when I casted Rho Aias upon Percy, and sure I was happy that it actually worked, but fuck, I hope nothing bad happened whilst I was in a coma.
I looked through a couple other notifications, until I found the one I was looking for.
Quest Completed!
Bullfighting 101!
After years of training, you have finally reached the first book that started your love for this universe! So make your mark and slay Asterion, the Monster of the Labyrinth.
Objective: Kill the Minotaur before it can touch Sally Jackson
Rewards: EXP, 1000 Drachma, Enlargement/Reduction Skill, +30 Levels in a Skill of Your Choice, Blink Skill, Boon of the Mountain Ape Skill
You Have Levelled Up! 76 to 81!
At least it wasn't all for nothing. EXP and money as usual, followed by a skill that made me either the size of a house, or the size of a cat, while I'm in my current form. And then 30 Skill Levels, which I decidedly placed into my Lying skill, raising it to 87. Out of all the skills that I used often, this Lying skill was weirdly slow to level up, which was pretty annoying. Anyway, after the free levels, was the Blink skill, which was a skill from the Dishonoured franchise. It was essentially a short range teleportation skill, though I suppose if I get it to a high enough level, it'll stop time while I'm deciding where to teleport to, just like in the games. And as for my last reward, well it's pretty simple, it just doubles my strength for 5 seconds. Not a bad haul.
But seriously though, what the fuck was Zeus thinking, sending down a bolt? At least with the Minotaur, he has plausible deniability, but the lightning bolt, sent right down upon the Son of the Seas. Well, it was a pretty clear declaration of fault. But honestly, imagine being that desperate, only to be incredibly wrong.
I jump off the bed, giving my limbs a light stretch. Of course, it's not like they needed it, but it was the little things like that which helped me keep my sanity.
I walked out of the infirmary, taking in the fresh sunlight. Ah, Midday, my favourite part of the day. The sun shining, the grass swaying, and the ghost boy phasing. Oh wait. I look over my shoulder, to see Yurei walk through the infirmary's wall and next to me.
"Good afternoon." He greets, "You've slept for far longer than I expected. Usually you only need a single day of rest at most" I notice that the eleven-year-old is wearing a Star Wars themed hoodie, merchandise I got from the release of Revenge of the Sith that happened in May. I'm not sure whether or not to be surprised that Yurei is such a big fan of Anakin, or rather, Darth Vader.
"Hey, I do my best to keep you on your toes," I grin, "But seriously, stopping Percy from becoming fried fish took a lot out of me. Speaking of Aquaman, how's he doing?"
Yurei looks at me with mild confusion before realisation and shock takes over, "He's the son of Poseidon, isn't he?"
That's… an odd reaction, "Duh. Last night was Capture the Flag. Percy got claimed… Right?" I added the last part, "He did get claimed, right?"
Yurei shook his head, "No. The Ares Cabin won the game, but other than that, nothing interesting happened. Jackson is still in the Hestia Cabin."
Percy was meant to be claimed at Capture the Flag! So what fuck happened? "Sorry, Yurei, I'll see ya later." I tell him, running off. Look, whilst my whole schtick was that I wanted to change and alter the canon timeline, I still want some semblance of normalcy so that things don't spin beyond my control. Mentally contacting Icarus (A recent development from his maturing alongside the System's Familiar feature), who was luckily quite close to me, I asked him to locate Icarus. Looks like he was with his mom and Chiron.
Running across the camp, ignoring the friendly greetings from the campers, much to their confusion. As soon as I see the trio, I yell out to them, "HEY! WAIT UP!" They look at me, and I notice a strange look of apprehension on Sally Jackson's face, but it wasn't too strange. Mortals always were unsettled around those with divine blood. Chiron once told me that it was due to an instinctual reaction of submission, of mortals knowing deep down that what they were looking for was a superior being, but personally, I'm not too sure of that. When I saw the faces of the students when I first entered the classroom at Yancy Academy, it was not reverence or awe, but closer to fear. Of course that changed the moment I gave my award-winning smile, and worked my charms.
"Gill!" Percy says, as I stop by him, "You're finally awake dude." Huh, I figure with his mom around he'd be more happy, but this is definitely different to his personality during the first week in the books. "By the way, I can't believe Mr Brunner is a horse."
"Centaur, Perce" I chuckled, noticing Chirons fed-up expression, but then I looked at Percy seriously, "So is it true? You didn't get claimed yesterday?" He shook his head, confused. With a sigh, I ask him "Where were you positioned during Capture-The-Flag?"
"Uh, by the creek. Why?" Ok, so Annabeth must've put him in the same place in canon, so that means the change was with Clarisse… Ah, I see. With a slightly nicer, and perhaps smarter Clarisse, she must've decided that it wasn't worth targeting Perce with his mom at camp, along with the fact that she too had mommy issues.
"Urgh. It's nothing." I sigh. I look to Sally, who is watching the exchange with mild confusion, "So, Mrs Jackson, you didn't tell Perce who his dad is?"
She shakes her head, "No. Chiron said it would be better to keep it a secret until his P- his dad claims him officially." I see. Chiron must have his suspicions, but would rather leave the timing to the Sea God. But frankly, I'd rather not have to deal with Poseidon's timing.
"I see. Fine." I turn to Percy, "Hey Perce, do you want to get claimed?" I ask. I had a failsafe for something like this if it were to ever happen, though it still did surprise me that it happened in the first place.
Percy gave me a weary look, clearly not too fussed about getting claimed, though I don't blame him. "I… Sure I guess." He says, unsure.
With a stunning smile, I exclaim, "Great!" As I grab him by the shirt, and activate my new skill, Boon of the Mountain Ape, I lift him off the ground with ease, and with a spin, I throw him to the air. I watch him scream as he flies off into the distance, soaring like a flailing Icarus.
"Oh my god! Percy!" Sally shouts, tears nearly welling up in her eyes. "Why would you do that?!"
I blink at the horrified mother, before realising that shit that I did wasn't really normal. I mean, of course I didn't throw people around but I suppose I did stuff that was similar, "Oh, it's okay. He won't take a scratch as long as he lands in his father's domain." I mean, he survived falling from the top of the St. Louis Arch.
Her tears turned into surprise, "You know? How?" She questions.
I simply grin as I hop backwards, "Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies." And with a single jump, I turn into my Dire Raven form, though using Reduction, I'm at the size of a normal raven, and I fly off.
I glance back as I soar through the air, and chuckle at the sight of Sally Jackson's bewildered face, and Chiron's weary look.
Halfblood Beach
Third Person POV
As the waves advance and recede, a young boy finally stops screaming from shock. After all, anyone would be in such a state after having been thrown a couple hundred metres. But what was more surprising was that he was completely fine. Frankly, he was the most fine he'd ever been. As he gets up from the sea water that most of his body had been beneath, he notices that he was oddly dry, and comes to a small realisation. Has he ever been wet? Did he even know of such a feeling?
But Perseus Jackson had little time to think, as shiver ran down his spine, and he instinctively looked up. There he sees a bird, with brilliant white feathers that glistened beneath the sunlight. Elegance seemed to exude from the creature. And then it exploded. In a burst of feathers, the bird disappeared, and instead in the sky was a boy, who looked as if he could be a couple years older than Percy, though the boy knew he was only a few months younger than the now-falling boy.
As Gill (Or rather Gilgamesh, Percy reminds himself) Ashford, soars down from the sky, Percy notices something. Gill had his fist raised, and Percy knew from his few training sessions with some of the demigods that when someone had their thumb outside on top of their fingers when making a fist, then it meant that the person not only knew how to punch, but fully intended to punch. And since it had only been a minute since Gill had thrown Percy across the camp, the latter's senses were on high alert, so at that moment, he did the only thing he could do.
He moved.
Diving to his left, further away from shore, Percy looked back to see Gill's fist crash down upon the shallow water, causing a geyser of wet sand and salty water to shoot into the air. Percy regains his footing, and looks at Gill. The boy steps back in fear as he sees the unfamiliar look of cruelty on Gill's face. But even still, he plucked the courage, and shouted at Gill, "What the hell was that for Gill! You don't just throw people around, dude!"
However, he was met with no immediate response. Instead Gill raises his hand, and from it a bronze shortsword appears. Now matter how much Percy tried to think, he had no clue how Gill was able to conjure it out of thin air. Percy noticed that the sword itself looked very familiar. It seemed… No, it is, the same sword Chiron had given to him in the museum. How had Gill gotten his hands on it?
Instead of just using the sword to attack Percy, Gill simply throws the blade, landing in front of Percy's feet. "Pick up the sword" The son of Apollo coldly commands. Percy looked at the bronze sword, unsure of what to do, as waves passed by. But, reluctantly, he does pick up the sword. It was then that Percy discovered a minor realisation. Despite his fight against Ms Dodds, during sword training at camp Percy would often disappoint much of the Camp with his… less than mediocre talents.
But it was at this moment in which Percy realised why. The swords that they gave him at Camp, they didn't feel right to him. They never did. But… this blade, that could turn from pen to sword, felt as if it were an extension of his arm. Could his father be the God of… Office Utensils? "Wow. That would be super lame." Percy thinks to himself, weighing the sword in his hands, "But with my luck, it's probably the most likely choice."
But that's where Percy's thoughts stopped, as the water seemed to whip around his legs, like it was warning him. He looks back to Gill, who was now holding a long blood red sword, with a slightly curved blade. Percy was pretty sure he had a sword shaped like that in a show or something, but frankly, Percy was not a big consumer of media.
Suddenly, in a burst of speed, Gill practically flies at the Manhattanite, and slashes at Percy, seemingly with the intent to kill. But, to the surprise of Percy, his body moved on its own, blocking the red sword with his own. There was a flicker of a mad grin on Gill's face, before he donned back his mask of coldness.
"Fight." Gill simply says, raising his sword, but Percy didn't move, still reluctant to hit his friend, who may or may not be possessed or mind-controlled. So once again, Gill attacks. And once more did Percy block it. Gill didn't give the demigod a break, as he lunged his sword forth, narrowly missing Percy.
"Dammit Gill. That could have actually cut me." Percy exclaimed, still thinking this was some really dumb joke by Gill.
Gill sighs, "It seems you don't understand." At a speed far faster than any move he had performed, Gill's fist connected with Percy's torso, and with a single punch Percy flew off several metres, landing face first into the sand beneath the water. As he sputters out the sand that had made its way into his mouth, he groans in pain. He wasn't sure, but perhaps a rib had cracked, but how would he even know how that felt?
Percy looks up, to see Gill slowly walking through the water. No, the blonde was walking on top of the water. "You must be wondering, why I have brought you here" Gill says without emotion, "See, when I woke after stopping you from getting fried, I had expected you to have been claimed already. To have proved yourself to matter. Instead, I find that you are nothing but worthless. So it's my duty to rid this world of you."
"G-Gill. I thought we were friends!" Percy says through gritted teeth. It seems that the boy had finally gotten the idea into his head that Gill might actually be serious. He didn't really get Gill's reason, but all he knew was that between Fight or Flight, he's gonna choose fight. He grabs his bronze sword tightly, almost too tightly, and locks his eyes against Gill. Perhaps it was because Percy was finally in an environment where he felt truly comfortable, or because the feeling of betrayal was one of the most awful feelings he had ever felt, but Percy was truly, and assuredly, focused on goal. Victory.
Perseus rushes at Gilgamesh, his legs cutting through the water like a knife does to butter, and he thrusts his sword forward at Gill's chest. In his fury, Percy doesn't see a smile on Gill's face. A smile that seems to indicate that things were going to plan.
The sword makes a sudden stop, and despite Percy's strongest efforts, it wouldn't go further. The black-haired boy looked to the tip of the sword, trying to figure out why he couldn't do anything, and his heart skips a beat when he sees the reason. Gill's fingers, pinching the tip of the blade, not letting it move an inch. With a malicious grin, the blonde tells Percy, "You're. Too. Weak."
Gill raises his other hand, and the air seems to swirl around it, before it bursts out towards Percy. The younger boy is thrown back feeling as if a hurricane had just hit him, and even the seawater around him had been blown away by the extreme wind. However he didn't have much time to react, as Gill jumps at him, the katana drawn back. With every sense turned up to 11, Percy swings his own sword upwards, and a loud klang overtakes the sound of waves. The swords are pulled back closer to their owners after they clash, but once more Gill attacks Percy with his blade.
In a display of swordsmanship that Percy had never performed before, the Son of Poseidon managed to block every attack that Gill threw at him. From thrusts to slices and slashes, Percy stopped the katana from touching him. Deep down he knew that it wasn't really him that was fighting, but something else. Could it possibly be… the sea itself?
After a minute or two of nearly non-stop attacking, Gill stops, frowning. "Hmm… this won't do. Not at all." He turns his attention away from Percy, who was kind of weirded out by how he wasn't tired at all despite how worn out he would get during his scheduled sword training, and instead looks at the shore, specifically at the cliff that overlooked Halfblood Beach. There stood a large congregation of people. An adult, a centaur, a god, and over a dozen kids were watching, all with different expressions. Sally Jackson with a look of anger towards Gill, Chiron trying to decipher what was Gill's plan, and Dionysus had a look of bemusement.
A cruel chuckle fills Percy's ears, and Gill wonders aloud, "Hmm… Perhaps I should kill the mother once I'm done with the boy." It took a moment for Percy to register the words, but the sea began to swell, and the waves crashed with rage. Betrayal and then threatening to kill his mom? Percy didn't really know where he was getting this newfound level of skill, but he'd be damned if he wasn't going to use it to stop Gill.
The son of Apollo grinned at the sight of the wrathful sea that was mirroring the emotions of its prince. "Oh? Looks like it's going to be fun, finally. Perhaps your father has decided to assist you a little." However, Percy didn't listen to a single word.
Percy raises his bronze sword up to the air, and the water around the two boys begin to swirl around the sword, a whirlpool wielded by a demigod. Percy lets loose a furious roar (though as he is 11, it was most definitely not intimidating), and swings down his sword. The manifestation of Percy's wrath crashes down, splitting apart the water it landed upon. The ocean around Percy geysered up from the force, and poured down as rain. When Percy's view was no longer obscured by water, he took a step back in shock, as there was no sign of Gill at the place he was standing.
"Did… Did I just kill Gill?" He thinks to himself in horror. Sure he was enraged by the son of Apollo, but he didn't want to kill him. Just hurt him a bit.
However those thoughts were immediately dispelled, as Percy felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Still in battle mode. Percy turned his body along with the swing of his sword, but his sword stopped like it was before by only two fingers. By Gill.
The dark skinned blonde chuckles, his demeanour far, far more lighter than it was a couple seconds ago. "Ha! Not bad Perce. Definitely way cooler than what most of the campers have done. Very cinematic. Anyway, how about we head back." He pulls Percy by the shirt, walking him back to the shore, whilst the son of Poseidon was horribly confused, every bit of anger gone.
"H-HEY! Hold the heck up!" Percy shouts, causing Gill to let go of the boy. Percy lands in the water, and as he gets up, he asks Gill, "What the hell was that all about?! Why did you fight me? Why did you threaten my mom!? And why are you acting like nothing happened!?" The boy's anger was back, because now he felt like a fool who didn't know what was going on. But perhaps, subconsciously, it was partially due to the fact that despite Percy having defied the laws of physics to attack Gill, the son of Apollo didn't even have a single scratch on him. He wasn't even tired.
Gill gives an abashed smile, scratching his face in embarrassment, "Sorry about what I said your mom, Percy. I kinda got sucked up into the role." It seems he was being genuine, which both alleviated Percy's confusion, but also made him a little weirded out. "Look, I'll make it up to you. Anything you want, I'll get it for you." Percy's eyes go wide, causing Gill to grin, "Of course, you don't have to decide now. Even if it's when we're 80 years old, and you're a wrinkly old man, I'll still repay the favour."
Percy's mind was rushing. If it were anyone else saying such words, he'd think it a lie. But something about Gill told him that if he were to ask for a mansion, Gill would be able to get him one perfectly legally. Percy wondered if the Children of Apollo could let people know whether they were telling the truth.
As Percy's mind was thinking of a million things he could ask for, Gill made a sound as if he just remembered something. "Oh, and one more thing before Chiron comes! I've always wanted to do this" To Percy's surprise (For the 100th time this chapter), Gill goes on one knee. For a second Percy mind went to the thought that Gill was going to propose, before the blonde opened his mouth and said with a serious voice not dissimilar of how Chiron often talked, "Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of Poseidon, the Sea God, Earthshaker, Stormbringer and Father of Horses"
Percy could sense something auspicious about what was happening, and instinctively looked up, to see a holographic blue trident floating above his head. Meaning he got claimed. And his father was one of the Big Three. Just his luck.
Percy draws his eyes away from shore, and his eyes were heading down to look to Gill, he instead sees Chiron, his mom, and the rest of those who watched his fight come closer to the shoreline.
And as Chiron sees Gill kneeling and the trident above Percy's head, he says with false sadness, "By the gods Gill, can't you even let me have at least this?"
Author's Notes: Shit, it's been AGES since my last chapter. I swear it's only been a week. Yeah sorry about that. I've kinda lost track of all sense of time over the last couple weeks as I've done all my exams, and am ready to crashout. Plus I've been playing a SHIT TON of Baldur's Gate 3, and fucking hell is this game beyond goated. Btw should probably say this, but the most recent media I consume with a fanatic's delight, will often influence the abilities that Gill may get. I mean seriously, you think I gave Gill the Blackblood Tracer just because? NAW. I picked it because I was so fucking into Code Vein back then.
Anyway, the world's been so crazy lately. I mean, the Drake and Kendrick beef was INSANE, and I don't even follow rap.
Also, saw the trailer for AC Shadows. Though I'm still unsure whether to buy, I'll wait till the gameplay trailer. I really like Yasuke's design, so I'm hoping Ubisoft will surprise the entire fucking world and have the game turn out to be good.
Here are Gill's stats:
Name: Gilgamesh Ashford
Age: 12
Level: 81
Title: Apollo Cabin Councillor
HP: 15890/15890
MP: 19063/19063
Stats
Strength: 1000
Agility: 1000
Endurance: 1000
Charisma: 1285
Intelligence: 900
Willpower: 900
Luck: 1000
Stat Points: 0