A/N. reviews!
"Closed every App and every other device I was near when I saw the notif that this updated OMFG I have yet to read it but Im sooooo DAM EXCITEDDD" -Sankarea396
Damn, lmao, glad you like this story.
"Oh Gods this marriage is cracking me up! From Percy insulting Poseidon on why he cheats to suggesting the implementation of Divorce to THE goddess of Marriage is comedy gold!" -Sankarea396
Thank you, i had a really fun time writing that chapter.
"Oh shit I should really read the whole chapter before leaving a review but I just can't help it! These review limits sucks! Fuk I can't stop laughing he wrote nothing? Also i expected hades to have their back and Artemis was more chill than I thought she'd be considering she just married the guy... And Percy's not gonna be made into a god? If Aphrodite suggested they'd bed before the wedding cause of the tradition thing wouldn't their child be a Demigod? Im soo damn excited for Artemis to find out about him being king! Gods wouldn't marrying him have her be the equivalent to being the Queen of Hell! I just realized smthng! The demigods except probably the Hunt don't know they're Married?! that's why none of them or his close friends were there?" -Sankarea396
Well, Hades doesn't know why Percy left the date early, so as far as he knows, Nico is just spreading lies about him not doing his job, which he takes seriously. Artemis is only chill because she doesn't know who is lying. We'll get to Percy becoming a God. That's a big plot point that's gonna come later. And yeah, if they did, it's probably be a demigod. Yep, she's the Queen of Hell, which she'll find out at some point. Yeah, the Gods kept it a secret from the demigods. Besides the Hunters who Artemis told, and the few Percy told.
"IM SOOO DAM EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER! (Chapter 13) Thisss ssooo good! lol I might hit the chapter review limit on most of the existing chapters but honestly gods i cant help but reread!" -Sankarea396
Well, wait no longer!
"I need to ask if this is how you intend to write Percys personality going forward? It feels like a sharp turn towards angsty and edgy, and that's just not something I can enjoy. I do wish you luck, though." -jfrost22792
For the most part, no. But I feel like you can't ignore how fucked up he is. But I respect your decision, I know it makes some people uncomfortable. Although, I do disagree with teh sharp turn part, considering Percy was contemplating suicide in Chapter 6 (That talk with Nico on Olympus). But yeah, for the most parts, no, but there will be some darker moments.
"This is great, just binged it all in one afternoon.
Looking forward to the next chapter." -MurphWriter
Thanks man! Here you go!
"This is great, really great! And I definitely get not going for the 200k stories cuz that would just take like decades... but I reckon you've missed out on a decent amount of potential through some ppl. Like him and Annabeth 5sec talk? Not even really including the hunters at all, I mean they are literally Artemis' family? My fav fanfic is one called "an ocean of stars" and honestly I could've seen yours almost surpassing that goated one if you had a bit more mphh in it.
Oh trust me don't get me wrong here, you have done amazing. And having those extra 25k words of introduction and character development of some really good new ppl to bring in would take ages so I don't blame you. Thx for the story ️" -Turtle
I totally agree. I could have done better with some character interactions, like Percy and Annabeth, and I don't have an excuse. It's funny you mention "In an Ocean of Stars" (I'm assuming the one by The Last Centurion1) because that story actually inspired this one! I was reading it and was like, "What if this happened, but Percy was the king of hell" and here we are!
It's not really that it would take ages, time is no object for me lmao. I've been working on RotDA for like, three years this September (I should probably update that lmao), it's just that i'm not that good lmao.
"damn the vows were perfect for their situation. as for the last review yes Artimas was stood up however pervy ad een trying to ughle alot of things. she may have been unaware of his situation but she was not very welcoming of the change. yes it is warrented but it cant al be on pervy to make it work.
now though she has been made aware of the lie but instead of immediatly calling him out on ot she is trying to help him. the intrigue is building and i cannot wait to see what happens" -Ragori Mitternacht
Thanks man. I will say, it's not that she's trying to help Percy, but rather, she doesn't know what the lie is, and that's what she's trying to find out.
"Love the story and the concept. I would've made it so that Percy slowly gets more powerful as time goes on, from the worship of the demon followers and from the power of hell that the warden surely must be able to access and use. If not just because he is learning hell magic from the demons. This would fix the unrealistic power levels you're trying to avoid while still not making him as underpowered or overpowered as he is as the king of hell and can be as controlled or as slow a buildup in strength as you wish without suddenly jumping from Demi-god level power to super GOD levels of power." -fugy
The demons don't worship Percy. They barely respect him as their king right now. I have plans for his power level and how it's going to rise, which should be interesting. Thanks for the support!
Onto the chapter!
Chapter Thirteen
Percy shifted and groaned. He refused to open his eyes, wanting to stay asleep for longer. However, he rolled over onto his back sighed, before finally opening his eyes. He was met with the sight of a ceiling made of drywall and was confused. He wasn't in Hell, his ceiling there was made of polished black stone.
He sat up and let out a deep breath. He looked around the room. He was back home, in his mom's apartment. As he looked down at himself, and saw the suit he was dressed in, the memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. He rubbed his face. What was he thinking, talking about his fatal flaw like that?
He got out of bed and stretched, his joints and bones making small popping sounds. He was far too young to have creaking bones, but since when did the universe care what he was too young for?
He stopped in front of his door, hesitating to open it. He looked behind him, at his window, where the fire escape beckoned him, telling him it would be easier to sneak out, use his knife, retreat back to Hell, with his family never knowing he was ever there.
But before he could make a decision, his door opened, the doorknob nailing him in the stomach. He groaned and doubled over.
"I'm sorry, honey, I was just checking to see if you were awake." His mom said, peeking around the door at him.
He looked up at her, confusion evident in his eyes. "You knew I was here?"
"Mmhmm. I saw some woman on the fire escape before she vanished into a bright then I saw you sleeping in your bed. Who'd you have over last night?"
Percy sighed. "We have to talk."
His mother frowned. "Okay. Well, um, make yourself some breakfast, we can talk afterwards."
Percy nodded. "Thank you."
He followed her into the kitchen and made himself a bowl of cereal. As he made it, she walked into Estelle's room, presumably to wake her up. He slowly ate it as he thought about how he would explain everything to his mom. Part of him just wanted to take the opportunity to disappear.
No. His mom deserved to know. Everything.
"Percy?" A young voice asked.
Percy turned around and saw his little sister standing there, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Hi, Ladybug." He said softly.
She rushed forward and hugged him. Percy smiled and wrapped his arms around her best he could. "You're back!" She cried.
Percy's smile turned sad. "Just for a little bit."
She looked up at him. "You're leaving again?"
"Yes. I have to."
"No! Please don't go!"
"I have to."
"Estelle, what do you want to eat?" Their mom interrupted.
"Ummm... waffle!"
Their mom nodded and walked over to the freezer. She grabbed an eggo from it and tossed it into the toaster. She leaned against the counter. "Is that a ring?" She asked.
Percy looked down at the ring on his finger and sighed. "Yeah." He said quietly. "Um, that's part of what I wanted to talk about."
His mother motioned for him to continue.
"Well, um, I guess it started with that last day you saw me. Hades—well, wait. The day started and I received a letter. From Annabeth. She, uh, broke up with me. Right after that, Hades summoned me and Nico, and told us he had a job for us. Someone had been sending monsters through his domain, but not Greek monsters.
"They were demons. Apparently God, capital G God, apparently he's real, and so is Heaven, Hell, angels, demons, the whole thing. So he sent Nico and I to Hell to meet with the ruler and try to get him to stop. So I met the Devil, and long story shirt, the whole thing was to get me down there so i could kill him? I don't know. I don't understand why, but after I did that, I was told of an ancient law they had. So I'm now... the King of Hell?"
His mother blinked. "Wow. That's..." She walked over to a chair at the table and sat down.
"Mommy? My waffle?" Estelle said.
"I'm sorry, honey." She told her daughter before walking back over to the toaster, putting the waffle on a plate, and walking back over to the table. She placed the waffle in front of Estelle and sat down.
"And then, I guess the Olympians figured that they needed to end the war between Dad and Zeus. And they figured the only way to do that was through a marriage. Of course, they chose me, because why wouldn't they." He rolled his eyes, his voice layered with sarcasm. "The wedding was last night. The woman you saw, that was my... wife. Artemis."
His mother crossed her arms and leaned forward. "You're married. You're a king. I... I can't process this."
Percy sighed and looked down. "I didn't know how to tell you, so I just... avoided you."
"Well, here's what I want you to do. Come back here sometime, and let us meet your wife. Properly."
"I'll talk to her about it. We aren't exactly... uh, we're friends, at best."
"But you wish you were more?"
Percy was taken aback. "What, no, where did you get that idea?"
"You're my son. I know you better than you know yourself."
Percy remained a passive face but thought, 'That's bullshit.' He loved his mother, but that was just not true.
"Well, you definitely bring her here sometime."
"Again. I'll see."
Sally paused. "Artemis is the moon one, right?"
Percy nodded. "Yeah, that's her, among other things."
Estelle tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Want peanut butter on it."
Their mother rose and walked over to the pantry. As she grabbed the peanut butter and a knife, Percy rose too. "I'm gonna go, before the demons start freaking out."
"Be safe, sweetheart."
"I will mom. Love you."
"Love you too."
Percy bent over Estelle and bopped her on the nose. "Bye, Estelle."
Her face scrunched up. "Where you going?"
"Away."
"When will you be back?"
Percy sighed. "I don't know." He said softly. "I love you."
She giggled.
Percy stood up straight and approached the door. Before he opened it, he took one look behind him. He liked to believe he'd be back soon. Maybe he would.
He walked out of the apartment and down the hall. He pressed the call button for the elevator and waited for it. Once the doors were open, he waited for the elderly lady to get off. As she passed, he thought he recognized her. Then it hit him, the woman in apartment 308, the one who had conversed with him in the elevator the day he went to the Underworld three years ago. He got in the elevator and pressed the ground floor button.
When the doors opened, the elevator was empty.
LINE BREAK
Percy collapsed on his throne and let out a deep breath.
"How was the wedding, My Lord?" Mephistopheles asked from his palace beside the throne.
"Good." Percy nodded. "It was good. Went better than I thought it would."
"I am glad."
As Percy sat back, his eyes drifted to something sitting on the floor in front of him. A brown feather. Like one that matched the wings of the angel that had met with him about—what was it? Right, "The Revelation".
He stood up and picked up the feather, before returning to his seat. As he stared at the feather, twirling it by the quill between his fingers, he asked Mephistopheles, "You were in the room when the angel visited, right?"
"Yes."
"What exactly was he talking about? Regarding 'The Revelation'?"
Mephistopheles shifted uncomfortably. "Um, well, supposedly, a prophet of Yaweh was shown a vision of how it all ends. He documented it in what would become the final book of the Holy Book."
Percy raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
Mephistopheles bit his lip a little too hard, drawing black blood. "It's...it's kind of... well... A lot of death, oceans turning to blood, the sun and moon will stop giving light, plunging the Earth into eternal darkness, there's gonna be swarms of locusts that sting people. And you'll uh, you'll be chained to Hell for one thousand years."
Percy was taken aback. "I'm gonna be chained for a thousand years?"
"Allegedly, Sire. Then you'll rise, before being slain by God."
"Great." Percy muttered. "And when is this supposed to happen?"
"No one knows. Only Yaweh does."
Percy nodded. "So I could die before then, yes."
Mephistopheles frowned. "I suppose so."
"Hm." Percy looked forward and leaned back. "What would happen?"
"Pardon, My Lord?"
"If I were to die, like, of old age?" He turned back to Mephistopheles. "I'm mortal and I could die from, like, cancer or something. Who would take my place upon the throne?"
Mephistopheles pursed his lips. "I don't know. The Rule of Succession was never intended for a mortal. I don't think Lucifer ever intended to be bested by a human." he tilted his head. "Though, you are King, and thus, the law is in your hands. Mortal rulers name successors, correct? Oftentimes their spawn?
"Yeah."
"Then I assume the best course of action would be to name a successor. A spawn of your own. Make sure they are strong, as they will no doubt be challenged just as much, if not more so, as you."
Percy scoffed. "I don't think I'm having kids anytime soon."
Mephistopheles frowned. "I was under the impression that mortals had children once married? And even before? And without? I was under the impression that mortals had spawn all the time, only it was more acceptable to do so after union."
Percy chuckled. "You're pretty right, but well, I'm not exactly married to a mortal."
"It's a pagan, correct? I inferred through our conversation after your engagement."
"Yes, you would know her as a pagan, I suppose." Percy sighed. "How much do you know about Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Wild?"
"Not much, I must admit. The name does ring familiar, however."
"There are three virginal goddesses." he paused. "Well known virginal goddesses. You can never be too sure. And she is one of them. She swore off marriage a long time ago, and yet, despite that, she found herself forced to marry me. The story goes that she was traumatized by helping give birth to her twin, Apollo. Took them seven days to get him out. And so she swore to never marry, and to never have children. Now, she revealed that that tale isn't the only reason she swore marriage off, but she never elaborated on the children. Though, I also didn't ask.
"The point is, I don't think she wants kids, and marriage isn't going to change that. And I'm not going to push it, she doesn't want kids, she doesn't want them."
"You do?" Mephistopheles questioned, an eyebrow raised.
Percy smiled slightly. "I did," he said, before sighing. "I had a girlfriend a while ago. She broke up with me the same day I came here."
"My condolences."
Percy waved him off. "Don't worry about it. It was the best thing for her. But that's not the point. While we were dating, very early into our relationship, six months, I was kidnapped and had my memory erased. Only thing I remembered was her. I was driven by this future I saw with her. We would go to college together, she would study architecture, I would... I don't know, but I would have figured it out. We would get a place together, get married, and eventually, have kids. We'd have a girl, she'd have my eyes, her hair." Percy laughed lightly, before letting out a deep breath. "I did. I wanted kids. But now, if I had a kid—" He sucked in his teeth. "Either I wouldn't be there, or I would raise them here. But here is no place for a child." A beat passed. "Forget it. It doesn't matter."
"I'm sorry for asking, Lord."
"You've no need to apologize, Mephistopheles. You did nothing—" he was cut off by the sound of growling mixed with maniacal laughter coming from the entrance to the hall. Shambling forward on two feet was a short werewolf. Red blood stained his mouth and teeth, his pupils super dilated. He fixed his eyes on Percy and snarled.
"Shit." Mephistopheles said. "He's had a lot of pain."
"What?"
"Pain, Lord Percy. The substance that heightens emotions and sensations and seems to be—"
He was interrupted by the werewolf charging forward and leaping towards Percy. Percy got up, but was immediately tackled and pinned against his throne. He grasped the werewolf's neck to keep him from biting. The werewolf's snout was mere centimeters from his face. He could smell the blood on its breath. The jaw snapped, trying to bite his nose off.
The werewolf's claws tore into his sides, drawing blood.
He pushed the werewolf off him, the claws tearing flesh from his sides. and sprang up, drawing his knife. The werewolf licked the blood off his claws. It's head shot back as if it had just done a line of cocaine. His pupils expanding and shrinking rapidly.
It charged at Percy once again, and it was fast. But Percy was faster. He ducked under a strike from its right arm and plunged the knife into the werewolfs side. He ripped the blade free as he continued past. He pirouetted and grabbed the werewolf in a headlock, before plunging the knife into the demon's throat.
He ripped the blade free once again and dropped the demon, leaving it to bleed out on the floor.
Percy looked up at Mephistopheles. "What were you saying?"
Mephistopheles moistened his lips. "The pain seemed to be amplifying his bloodlust."
Percy blinked. "You call blood 'pain' but use the word 'bloodlust'. Wouldn't you call it 'painlust'?"
"That is masochism, Lord."
Percy blinked, before looking down at his sides, which were staining his white dress shirt. "I'm going to go take a shower, and heal this." he said, hissing in pain as he touched the wound, drawing away with his fingers covered in blood.
"Have a good shower, M'Lord."
LINE BREAK
"There once laid a village at the base of a hill. They feared to travel up the hill, for at the top resided something. Neither Angel nor demon, but the appearance of an angel, and the soul of a demon—A Sin Eater.
The villagers would place their sins on a goat, and send the goat up the hill to be eaten by the Sin Eater. The Sin Eater would eat the goat and the sins, filling its hunger. But over time, the more sins it ate, the hungrier it became.
No longer satisfied by the sins it received, it decided to increase its meals.
It was spotted at the edges of the village, whispering. Encouraging the villagers to commit greater sins, and the people did. They indulged in the sweet juice of sin, over indulged even.
No one knew what to do, so the Elders traveled far to the ocean, where a wise woman, Ofra Ori resided.
"How can we kill the Sin Eater?" They pleaded.
And she said, "An immortal can only be killed by another immortal."
"He's the only immortal we know!" The elders cried.
The Wise Woman thought for a moment. "I suppose that the Sin Eater could be killed with a piece of himself."
The Elders left, confused with what to do. It seemed like they were doomed to indulge in sin until nothing remained, but just as they were about to give up hope, a great granddaughter of the chief came forward with an idea. A terrible, gruesome scheme.
A woman was painted and perfumed, dressed in linen and sent to the hill, to the Sin Eater. And he, he who loved sin so much could hardly turn away such sin dressed in a pretty bow. He laid with her for three days and three nights, and at the end, she was with child. Children. She had twins.
Their names were Natan and Calev. They were polar opposites. Where Natan was dark, Calev was light. Where Natan laughed, Calev was quiet. Where Natan was bold, Calev was afraid. Yet, they were raised with one singular purpose.
When the two became men, they were separated, and Calev was slain, his throat slit, his blood collected in a bucket. And from his blood, they forged a sword. They brought the sword to Natan and told him what he was to do. To go to the top of the mountain and slay his father.
And he did. He traveled to the top of the mountain and slayed his father. He drove the sword that was once his brother into the heart of the Sin Eater. Darkness spilled from the wound and the sword began to sing with a desire for vengeance.
The sins that had been consumed transferred from the Sin Eater to Natan. His head cloudy, his thoughts dark, he traveled back to his home. And the sword still sung, crying for revenge, for it was wrongly slain.
Natan traveled back, and he slaughtered the village. He cleaved the men in half, decapitated the women, and stabbed the children. As they were cut down, they did not call out to him, "Natan", no. They cried out the name of his father.
As they were slain, they called him "Azazel".
And as he killed, Natan he was no longer, for their sins burned under his skin. Everything his father was, was now he. For the sins that had been transferred had also contained all of Azazel's powers, all of his knowledge, his immortality.
And the Lord, watching from above, spoke to Raphael, "Bind Azazel hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness. Make an opening in the desert, which is in Dudael, and cast him therein. Place upon him rough and jagged rocks, and cover him with darkness and let him abide there forever, and on the day of great judgment, he shall be cast into the fire."
And so Raphael did." Lilith finished.
"Bullshit." Eve said, taking a sip of her tea. "So what, Natan just became his father?"
"Yeah. Basically. Personally, I think it's an allegory to the cycle of abuse. Should Natan have a child, he shall be slain and his child become Azazel."
Eve rolled her eyes. "You think there's a moral in every story. Sometimes, a story is just a story, told for entertainment's sake. Is this story even true? Is the Azazel that sits in Pride's throne truly not the original?"
"Who knows? I was down here before it would have happened. As was you."
"At least I didn't lay with demons."
Lilith narrowed her eyes. "At least I didn't submit to Adam. And my children are vast, they outnumber the Angels, and one day, they will take back what is rightfully ours."
"More like they'll tear it apart, brick by brick."
Lilith sipped her teeth. "Indeed."
A/N. Happy Mother's Day to all the deserving mom's out there! My gift for my mom is still in China, so that sucks.
A little slower chapter, just to take a breather, while also, once again, setting things up. The plot is starting to get underway though, so, exciting!
Thoughts?