So turns out Void could transform. In hindsight, that was pretty obvious, Void had never been particularly shy about revealing what he could do but suddenly having a hundred-headed dragon before him was scary nonetheless. And the fact that Void was completely unhinged in his training also didn't help. Not at all.
And yet it worked. Percy could tell that he had gotten better at dealing with this form. Initially he couldn't think of a way to get anywhere near the creature but now he could force it into a real fight, get it to sometimes run from him. Sure, he couldn't defeat it, but he didn't need to defeat Ladon either. Just fight well enough to grab an apple. And that he could do now, he was certain of it.
His mind replayed all he remembered as he marched south. He had taken to a jog towards the border, though given his growing supernaturality his jog was more of a run even for an average athlete. As strange as it was now, he would miss Alaska. He would miss how carefree and…and meaningless everything was. How light his shoulders were compared to any other point in his demigod life. At least in the last few months. Was he being sentimental now? You are definitely sentimental, yeah.
Void's voice echoed in his head. Yeah, he was telepathic now, at least until the border. After that Void would only respond to him in dreams and prayer. He remembered his exact words well. 'Once you're among the Olympians again, I can't visit you like this anymore. Even just showing my face, saying a word or just a single facial expression will be an interference to those around you and I cannot do that. You are the exception given your deeds but no one else may see me. And if that rule is to be broken, then you must give me a reason to break it first.'
He knew what Void meant. He had been lectured on it extensively over the last few days: Oaths. If someone swore an oath to Void and broke it, the god could appear and punish them no matter the circumstances. Just like Styx could do to Artemis. He had quickly come to the conclusion that he had to somehow get rid of Artemis' oath to kill deserving children of the sea, her 'killing oath' as he had dubbed it. If he didn't she would very likely kill him eventually.
So Void taught him how oaths work, how they could and couldn't be twisted and most importantly how one could be released from an oath and what he could use to release Artemis of hers. Turns out all he needed to do was convince Styx of undoing the oath. Though that brought with it the issue of just what one could possibly offer the ancient river.
Well, time to say goodbye now…I'll see you once your life calms down a little again. Void startled him momentarily until he realized that he must be approaching the border now. He was returning to his homeland. 'Thank you…' He wanted to make a quib, a joke or really anything but in that moment all of it lost meaning in the face of the gratitude he felt towards the elder god. Void had helped him through some dark times and it just felt right to thank him for that.
Mere minutes after that he felt the air around him change. He was back. His senses were sharper, the air around him and the sea and river nearby brimming with energy calling for him to control. Everything seemed easier, his body stronger and his powers suddenly back to being subconscious, the waters all around at his command. He was back, truly.
For a moment he was tempted to just stretch out his senses and propel himself forwards through the sea, but he knew that he would be spotted then. Instead he just kept running, his destination clear in mind. Well, almost. He did want to stop at a town first.
It didn't take long for him to find a road and start running alongside it. There had to be a town eventually. Alas, fate had something else in store for him. Namely a pickup truck. And some monsters in a pickup truck. But a pickup truck. Honestly speaking, the monsters died in a heartbeat as they fell victim to his newly unleashed power honed in the depths of Alaska.
Given his change of vehicle he started going faster, speeding down the roads and making his way towards the mountain he so dreaded just a few years ago. With a car he could make it there much faster. And he could bypass traffic stops with the mist. It really looked like Ladon would see him sooner rather than later.
Artemis had had a rough night. She had many of those recently. The activity of monsters had gone up over the last few months which was usually a bad sign and she had to pay much closer attention to her younger recruits to make sure they stayed safe. Even now, when she was on her chariot high in the sky, she kept a lookout for any activity near her camp.
She had tried to find out why the monsters were suddenly becoming more numerous and formed groups of different species but she had remained unsuccessful. She trailed a group for nearly a week yet they never received orders or met with others. They seemed to just have decided to work together on a dime, across many different groups of monsters. It was bugging her but she couldn't quite figure it out.
And then there were the preceding long-term issues. Her relationship with her brother had been strained for years now, centuries even. Olympus had decayed from what it once was, many of the gods becoming more complacent and apathetic towards their subjects and the newest of them, the slim ring on her left hand. Hera's loving gift to her.
She wanted nothing more than to rip her stepmother apart where she stood when she was handed said ring but she couldn't. She was under oath, an oath she foolishly made and so she would have to go along with this. At least the boy had disappeared and left her alone. The news still hadn't left even the council since she concealed her ring with gloves she wore during archery. Even her hunters didn't know.
She looked back down on the world. Having a vantage point like this was nice, not just for the strategic advantage it provided but also for the view itself. The entire mortal world sprawled beneath her, all its chaos and all its problems drowned out by the sheer distance. She thought back to the urgent problem. Someone had entered the garden. Again.
This happened maybe once every 2 years. Someone would find their way into the garden of the Hesperides, either a clear-sighted or a demigod. Usually they would turn tail upon seeing Ladon but someone still had to check. Occasionally one would find the gruesome aftermath of the dragon's work. Whenever a demigod wanted to prove themselves or felt a particularly strong hubris their remains would litter the floor afterwards. Ladon knew no mercy.
She left her chariot behind as she reached her destination, her feet lightly touching down on the enchanted entrance of the garden. She shivered as she recalled her last visit. What that visit had cost her was still weighting on her soul. As she entered the thick mist however, she felt it. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
She didn't need to see the 100 heads recoiling and glaring together with the eternal maidens of the garden. Nor did she need to see the man at the garden's entrance. She could feel it in the air. The energy and power, the static that filled the air. Someone had eaten an apple.
She cursed herself a little. In her belief that no one could make quick work of Ladon, she had been too slow in getting here and had allowed for someone to eat a golden apple. Her eyes darted back to the intruder who leisurely faced the other way from her, eyes trained on the Hesperides and the dragon behind them while he was slowly exiting the garden. A chance for her.
She silently took out her knives as he slowly came towards her, still only having eyes for the obvious threat opposite of her. She waited patiently as he took another step, his back still facing her before a small ripple went through his body and she knew the gig was up. Artemis jumped into action, her blades aiming to incapacitate the intruder without killing him to allow for questioning at a later time.
At a speed she could barely believe from a new immortal, the man drew his own blade, deflecting both blades so that one missed him entirely while the other left but a small scratch on his arm. However with him turning around she was able to get a much better look at the man. He was taller than her current adult form and the brief clash of blades just now showed her that while she was a little faster than him, she held no advantage in regards to strength, not without her godly authority.
As her blades clashed against his once more, she was pushed back slightly and took another step back to gain a little distance. Instantly, her eyes drifted over the man as they separated, taking in his features for anything she may recognise. Someone capable of getting past Ladon couldn't have stayed unknown for so long. As she looked him over however, she froze at the sight of his eyes. Subconsciously she noted a similar reaction from him as he recognised her but it was toned out by the deafening silence in her mind, in her soul.
She knew those eyes. She saw them every time there was a meeting. And while this was another member of his family, she also recognised who was in front of her. She had, somewhat unwillingly, been searching for him the past years hoping against all odds that he just wouldn't return at all.
A sudden wave of nausea came over her, her arms falling limbly to the side and her legs giving in as she stumbled to the ground. Her entire mind was going blank as she frantically grabbed her own hair. She could duly note the clang of her weapons falling to the ground, the wetness that spread over her cheeks. She was only barely aware of what happened around her, how the man reacted. Maybe he would run away, disappear once more together with the problem he brought to her.
She was vaguely aware of the mixture of a cry and a laugh that left her at the thought. Running away was so alien to her, yet it was the best she could come up with. Oh how she had fallen, a far cry from the bravery she was commonly known for. She just wanted him to disappear back into the unknown where no god may find him, where nothing may bring him anywhere near her pantheon or her. A vague pain flashed through her, golden droplets covering her hands as they dug into her flesh.
It was only when she felt a familiar and comfortable presence wrap itself around her that she felt her mind regain some clarity, the stinging across her face and hands slowly receding and her cries turning from loud wailing over to quiet sobbing. Oh how she hated fate.
Percy had to admit he was caught off his guard. Getting past Ladon had been more or less as he expected it to be. Not easy by any means but manageable given the training he went through. It took a little while but he got his hands on the apple in the end. He had started eating it while backing away, fixing the dragon with his gaze. He had to ignore the burning sensation all throughout his body as his mortal coil was discarded. At least until he had left the garden fully.
As he was retreating, he eventually felt a shiver down his back, his instincts suddenly on the edge. Only his instant reaction saved him from being skewered as he blocked Artemis knives and started trading blows with her. He was vaguely aware of who he was facing but her attacks were too quick for him to mull over that. Said attacks stopped however once she got a good look at him.
Her eyes had seemed to wither right there before him as he witnessed her breakdown, seeing the horror and fear overtake her as she started to cry before him. He couldn't help but flinch, a glimmer of sympathy suddenly growing brighter inside of him. Yet he stood still. He didn't know what to do. He knew himself to be the cause of her suffering so could he comfort her? Probably not. So what could he do?
He didn't know and so he watched her cry for a momentary eternity. He watched ichor bleed from wounds she inflicted upon herself as it covered her hands. Gold…suddenly his mind came back to working, a quick prayer already on his lips. 'Apollo, this is about Artemis. Come to the garden of the Hesperides immediately!'
A second prayer came right afterwards. 'Dad, I'm in the garden of the Hesperides. Can you come here?' He reckoned that having two gods against him would put him at a disadvantage if things went south so he called for backup. Also he missed his father. Unsurprisingly a golden light filled the entire space soon after, Apollo not hesitating to appear to help his sister. A single look at him made the god's eyes widen with recognition and realization of what his sister was grieving.
A mere moment later he had kneeled besides Artemis, one arm wrapped around her as he tried to soothe her. Percy decided to step away a little, as much as he could confined in the garden, to give them some space to talk. His father arrived shortly after and thankfully he saw Apollo and Artemis first before going to greet Percy. Or crush him, even with a now immortal body Poseidon's hug hurt.
And even more thankfully, Poseidon had the conscience and ability to take himself and Percy elsewhere so that they didn't intrude on the twins. It was an odd first time for Percy, teleporting without needing to worry about spontaneous combustion. He could keep his eyes open and not die. Actually, he might have been able to do that before too, Jason said it was possible for mortals if they were strong enough.
When the blinding light that accompanied flashing to another place died down, he quickly realized that he was now on Olympus. Despite that he was in a part of Olympus that he had never been to before in what he could only guess to be his father's palace given the interior design. His dad liked seashells apparently.
Percy's observation was cut short as his father engulfed him in another hug, muttering his name quietly. His tone was weird, laced on one hand with happiness and on the other with worry and regret. "I'm back, dad…I'm back." He knew he should probably talk to his father, explain things, all that. But in that moment he just enjoyed the feeling of home and familiarity that his father radiated.
It took a while before he was let go again, his father moving to take a seat with his face quickly darkening. "Percy, I'm sorry…you'll need to step before the council soon. I swore an oath not to hide you from them…"
"It's alright dad, I wanted to come back and I knew I'd have to deal with Zeus then." Percy's response came almost intuitively before he could even contemplate it. He and his father both knew Zeus and how unreasonable he could be so him having to appear before the council was a foregone conclusion from the start.
Still his father could only give him a weak smile. "No, it's not. He shouldn't be able to just boss me around like this. I failed to stand my ground and you're the one paying the price now." Poseidon looked guilty as a shadow crossed his face and despite this mood Percy couldn't help but smile as he realized that his father supported him fully. He was truly fortunate in that regard, especially considering he was a demigod.
"That's just how it is right now…you can't go against them all for me, dad. I know what happened and…I wouldn't have come back if I didn't think I could deal with it." Despite the joyous occasion of meeting his father again, his mood did dampen as he recalled all that waited for him.
A strong hand suddenly gripped his arm, his father's eyes steely and determined as they stared into his own. "I know, son and yet I regret it. No matter what happens from now on, the sea will have your back and I will stand by your side. I promise you that."
Before he could reply or even properly process what he'd just heard his father walked off towards the door, opening it to let inside another goddess he was unfortunate enough to be familiar with. Despite the good memories he associated with her blonde hair and gray eyes, the one before him was not Annabeth but her mother Athena. The very goddess who hated him most on the entire council.
Even though he couldn't see his father's face from where he was standing, his voice told him all he needed to know about his mood. "Athena. I don't recall you having permission to enter my palace." It was an eerie degree of coldness from the otherwise relaxed Poseidon, a clear strain audible with every word.
"Zeus summoned you and your son to the council, Poseidon." The coldness in Poseidon's voice was met with an equal amount of venom in Athena's. The two had never made their rivalry a secret but the tension and hatred between them right now made the stories out to still be understatements. Percy had to actively shield himself just to not get knocked over by the waves of power both of them were radiating.
"Is hiding behind my brother all you amount to, goddess? We'll be there." His cold tone, now almost dismissive, made very clear who was stronger between the two of them. Yet exactly this way of being dismissed was something Athena couldn't endure given her pride. "You'd best choose your words wisely, uncle, father might just think you're defying him with how you're acting. You wouldn't want your son to be caught up in your foolishness, would you?"
It was a poorly veiled threat, one Poseidon was ready to jump at regardless given how she involved Percy in it. He was beaten to the punch however. "Haven't I already been caught up in it when you decided that your petty pride was more important than your sister and the peace between Olympians? Or am I misremembering how you signed off my marriage despite better knowledge, oh wise one."
Every ounce of sarcasm he was capable of went into her moniker, his words otherwise, in contrast to his father, laced with poison accompanied by a quiet wrath bubbling underneath. He wasn't as cold as Poseidon but the effect was there regardless when Athena switched her glare from Poseidon onto him, fury shining in her eyes. "Tell me I'm wrong if you're so angry at it." This time his voice reached the icy tone his father had had. And Athena backed down. "You better be on time for the meeting, sea spawn."
As she disappeared in a flash of light a grin covered his face, mirrored on his father as they burst into laughter simultaneously. It wasn't every day that one could make fun of the wisdom goddess like that but Percy knew better than anyone just how detrimental pride like hers could be. He had abused the same characteristic on Annabeth to annoy her sometimes.
It took them a while to calm down, his father in particular howling at the embarrassment his long-time rival just suffered. Once they did however, his father quickly composed himself fully before looking over at Percy. "We'll need to go now, Zeus doesn't like to wait and Athena will only rile him more if we're late."
Poseidon's eyes betrayed his reluctance to go to the meeting at all, much less bring his son but he would respect Percy's decision. A single nod was all the agreement he needed from his son before the god of the sea flashed away, straight into the council chamber.
Before Percy's eyes came a sight he had longed not to see again as the arc of thrones came into his vision, some with their gods sitting in them, others still empty. The throne room had, unsurprisingly, not changed in the few years he was away. He gulped as he felt the gazes of all those present lock onto him, most laden with animosity. He really hadn't missed this room.
That's the fourth chapter done. I think I'm going to stick to not describing surroundings unless they become important eventually (hence the lack of description for Poseidon's palace). I just don't like writing these long descriptions and neither am I good at interior design.
That aside I hope y'all liked it and until next time, bye!
M
