All rights belong to Rick Riordan
Chapter 15
The storm Arrives
(Percy)
I woke up in the morning to find Nemea now laying on my chest shredding my shirt whilst still asleep. Fortunately for me her claws were seemingly harmless against the flesh underneath due to the curse. Quickly throwing the cub off me and onto the floor, the startled cub hissed angrily at suddenly being awakened. For the time being I simply ignored her as she climbed back onto the comfy bed as I checked the clock and saw I had an hour and a half before I was supposed to meet the horse.
Deciding to stay awake and sort my affairs out. I quickly showered and got dressed before searching the room for any items I would need with me whilst I was gone. Short of a few drachmas there was very practical little of use in my mum's apartment. Sure, there were a few spare weapons in a cupboard and under my bed but they were 'basic' celestial bronze and paled in comparison to my new arsenal and would likely only provide unneeded weight on my journey. I removed the pictures of myself and Annabeth from my pack and reverently placed them inside my desk, except for the framed one of the pair of us, when we went on our first date to the beach which I left on the side.
Checking the time, I quickly raced down to the nearest mini-mart and brought two boxes of sugar glazed Krispy Kreme's for the pegasus and some Oreos for me earning a confused look from the cashier, as he wondered what a kid like me could want with enough doughnuts to kill half a dozen cops with diabetes at eight in the morning.
Quickly making my way back to my mum's place, I found them in the kitchen scraping leftovers from a two-day old roast chicken into a bowl, which Nemea quickly demolished ravenously bones and all.
"When was the last time you fed her?" My mum asked appraising the mess all over the cub's face.
"Well Annabeth fed her on the Argo, the night before last I think." I said thinking back to that last night we had together regretfully.
"No wonder she was in such a bad mood when you left, we could hear her scratching through the door." She said pointing at the open door my room and the long gouges in the solid wood.
"I would take it out of your allowance, if you still needed one but that doesn't seem likely now does it?" She stated and I had to agree, I would likely have little need for mortal money soon, other than to buy random things once in a while. However, the door was not a problem as I simply concentrated on it and retconned the damage to it.
"There you go mum, what scratches?" I simply said looking back at her with a smug smile.
"So that is your time power thing, it makes your eyes glow completely golden not only the pupils." She said looking at my face while Paul walked over and looked at the door in amazement, rubbing his hand across the now smooth timber.
"So, Percy are you planning on becoming diabetic or are they all for Blackjack?" She asked looking at the donuts with a smile.
"We have a three-thousand-mile journey; I think he may need them before we get there. Because I am not carrying him to across the Golden Gate Bridge when he complains of having low energy. Last time I didn't feed him he barely made DC without collapsing." I joked remembering him landing in the middle of the Mall. Which ironically led me to fighting the golden fluff ball for the first time and traumatising her.
"So, Percy please try to keep safe just this once and at least and keep in contact, you know we don't like worrying about if you are alive or dead or missing for months on end. Just give us a call either normally or Iris." She said worried and grabbing me into a hug.
"I will and I will try and get back for when the baby is born, I want to meet my little brother or sister. It will be nice to meet a normal one, who doesn't want to kill me like most of the other ones on dad's side." I said jokingly hugging her back.
Paul simply shook my hand before stroking Nemea's back causing her to arch her back and nuzzle his hand affectionately.
"Good luck with the Titans, you're probably gonna need it if you have to keep them in line." He said letting go of the cub who jumped onto the stack of cardboard boxes now in my hands, almost causing them to fall and likely damaging the contents.
"Don't remind me and now I have to put up with Atlas's moaning for a while about the weight. Hopefully his dad might shut him up now were friends, that is if Hades got him back out already." I said walking out the door into the passageway while they stayed in the doorway.
"If you need to contact me, call Chiron and he will relay it to me somehow. He probably knows about me anyway, so it should not be a problem." I said and they simply nodded, my mum had often been in contact with the old centaur during my disappearances.
I began to walk away before turning. "Bye mum bye Paul, I hope the three of you stay well."
"You too Percy and good luck." Paul said wrapping his arm around my mum's shoulder for reassurance and with that they were gone and I began the climb up the stairs towards the roof.
"Yo boss you got the good stuff for me?" Blackjack said excitedly, nuzzling the boxes in my arms almost throwing Nemea off, who responded hissing and taking an angry swipe at the Pegasus, narrowly missing with her short paws.
"Yeah, but next time may I suggest waiting a second before you lose an eye in the process." I said placing my load on the floor. I flipped the cub off the top and handed the first open box to the horse that began to almost inhale them within seconds. Not even bothering to chew and I briefly thought how ironic it was for him to question Arion's eating habits. The horse soon finished the first box and began to look at the other in my hand suggestively before I relented and lay it on the floor next to the first.
After he was done, I rewound the empty boxes back into my mum's place so she could throw them in the trash as I didn't want to leave the rubbish on the roof. Grover would have my head for littering if he found out. Unbeknownst to me this also had the unintended consequence of refilling the boxes. I grabbed the cub under my left arm before mounting Blackjack, backpack across my back and shield on my arm securely. We leapt forward and over the edge of the roof. For a few seconds we plummeted vertically before Blackjack eventually opened his wings pulling us into a glide for a few blocks, before we rose again when he began to flap at last.
"What the hades was that about, we don't want the mortals to see us remember?" I shouted at the horse leaning forward.
"I met this mare last night and she wanted to watch me leave but she could not leave the park. So I had to drop down so she could see us, you have to leave a lasting impression you know." The pegasus said looking back at me with a wink.
"So, this girl you met, was it an old acquaintance or someone you picked up just for the night." I asked the horse suggestively.
"As my dad says, you need to share the love around."
"Your dad is worse than Apollo, seriously." I said with a sigh leaning back.
"Yeah, but he loves you at the moment. Guido found him last night circling Olympus and told him that secret you told us. I could hear the laughing from the park and had to check it out." He explained causing me to pale, that was another god that hated me. And now I had to go see which of the surviving Titans did too.
"Let's try to avoid Camp Jupiter for a few months then, just in case he is there."
"Sounds like a plan, I don't want to be cannibalized." He finished and we carried on in silence out.
The states flew by beneath us as we travelled out of the state of New York, occasionally we would stop so I could stretch my legs or other compulsory habits and by lunchtime we were already over the state of Iowa. Arion may be the fastest but at least the speed of a Pegasus doesn't make you want to hurl up and is far more comfortable without the constant shifts in position due to terrain as long as you steered clear of the wings you were fine.
As promised the night before as we travelled, I explained everything that had happened in detail. Much more so than my stable side debrief from yesterday and the horse constantly simply looked slack jawed at the things I had done. Especially my soloing of Gaia whilst everyone else including the gods were incapacitated which almost made him fall out of the air in disbelief as he missed several wing flaps.
Eventually around three in the afternoon local time I could see the Pacific coast rapidly approaching. As it turned out my internal sense of time automatically accounted for the time zone differences. So, it was within only a short amount of time that we were met by the urban sprawl of San Francisco. To one side of the city was Mount Tamalpais and Orthrys, however we first had to go the other side where my first stop lay waiting. The house of Frederick Chase.
The next two hours were one of the worst I had ever experienced, as I broke the news to the grieving family. I told them everything that had happened from the return of the Giants. How she recovered the Parthenos in Rome and our fall into Tartarus. Before eventually telling them how she died defending her mother. Finally finishing with her incarnation inside the statue and her part in the slaying of the giants and how she helped save Olympus even in death.
I informed them of how she been guaranteed into the isles of the Blessed as special dispensation and how she was still able to contact Athena and carry on her planned architecture from the Underworld via her. This was of course little comfort compared to the loss of his daughter but I hoped it was enough to at least provide some solace.
Her father listened tearfully throughout the story before embracing me and telling me how proud he was of us, how he had looked forward to calling me son in a few years. This was the hardest for me to listen too as I had thought it too before this had happened. He was glad she would be forever remembered as a saviour of Olympus even if she was no longer around.
After all true heroes live forever even if only in tales. Which as a professor of history I suppose it was good for him believe, after all everyone remembers the heroes of the Trojan War, even if most of them had died in it. If anything, it was those that survived with the exception of Odysseus that few remembered.
After two hours I excused myself, to leave the couple to break the news to their twins and to grieve in peace. However, not before asking them to contact me if they ever needed anything, I felt I owed them that. They may not have been my own family, but if circumstances had allowed perhaps one day they could have been.
After leaving the house I slowly travelled back to the local park, where I had left the two mythical creatures in patch of woodland. As much as I trusted the mist to keep them concealed from the locals. I was taking no chances around this city and monsters were supposed to be plentiful around here. But then again one of the two was technically a monster as well. I wasn't sure if monsters had a hierarchy as to what and who they were willing to fight, but if so, I was sure the lioness was pretty high up it.
Finally, with that taken care of and Nemea once again on my lap, I remounted Blackjack for the journey to my new home, the ruined palace of Orthrys.
Crossing the bay, we arrived at the mountain just as it was becoming evening, which was good as it meant the garden of the Hesperides would actually be accessible for the moment. The bad news was we still had to get past the guardian.
Ladon is one monster you cannot help but remember. After all, he has one hundred coiling serpent heads each of which has a massive plaque problem and horrendous breath. It had been one of those heads that had delivered the fatal venom to his former carer the ex-Hesperide turned Lieutenant of Artemis, Zoe Nightshade even if it was the blow from her father that actually killed her beforehand.
Before we entered there were somethings, I had to take care of. "Blackjack I need you to go hang out somewhere nearby, this dragon in there is not something you want to play with. I will send you a message when you should come back, so you might as well as you would say 'spread the love'."
The Pegasus nodded sombrely before suddenly becoming excited and started singing Katy Perry's California girls but with word girls changed to mares to himself, as he ran down the path and burst into the air. Leaving me standing there face in palm.
My second port of call was to make Nemea an adult again; I could do with the coming obstacle course not requiring me to hold a fidgeting lion cub in my arms. That was of course in case I had to fight the enormous dragon off, which I wasn't planning on doing if I could avoid it. With that taken care of and the enormous Lioness was restored to all her full glory. I drew my weapons, I decided more was better in this scenario and drew both Maelstrom and Riptide in each hand before we walked through the fog barrier and into the garden.
Seriously, it must be the greatest garden in the world with every conceivable manner of plant known to man and YET you cannot smell anything but dragon. How the Hades do the Hesperides stand it, no wonder Zoe wanted to leave. Perhaps it was designed as an additional punishment for Atlas, but if so that just seemed cruel if it was true.
Ever so slowly, we began to skirt around the outside of the garden. Careful to keep an eye on the sleeping dragon coiled around the apple tree in the centre, so much so I didn't notice the Hesperide until I walked into and tripped over her. Her surprise at being knocked over soon turned into anger as she saw who I was.
"You have some nerve coming back here after what you did to our father." She growled quietly not ready yet to awaken the dragon.
"I didn't do anything but come to rescue my friend and Artemis, he was the one who tried to kill me and your sister or have you forgotten her?" I challenged back lowering the swords a little.
"She was not my sister; she betrayed us and our father twice! First for a man and then for the Olympians now he is trapped again."
"That is why I am here, if your father behaves himself, I can have him released from his burden despite what he did to her and his helping of Kronos at the time. I have learned recently that even Titans are not above redemption."
"Lies you have come to attack him; I have heard whispers of the deaths of Hyperion and Krios. You are here to do the Olympians dirty work and destroy all the Titans. Ladon wake and destroy the enemies of the Titans!" She screamed causing a commotion as the great dragon stirred and began to unravel. Whilst I focused on the serpent the Hesperide scurried away to relative safety.
I watched as every head was raised seemingly blinking away tiredness in its snakelike eyes. I saw a hundred jaws yawn and stretch as if eager to taste my flesh. I watched as they all slowly focused on me before darting forward in one motion like a swarm of tentacles.
I was about to start hacking with my blades in self-defence when they all suddenly froze and began to look uncertain before eventually only one slowly approached. The smell off it alone made me wretch but the dragon head was unbothered by my reaction as it began to eye me up closer and began to sniff apprehensively. After a few seconds seemingly thinking it over it suddenly jolting backwards amongst to the greater mass and they all wound their way around the tree again. Clearly uninterested in me any further.
"Ladon destroy him!" the nymph screamed out from her hiding spot only to be ignored by the dragon.
"What is the meaning of this?" She asked confused throwing her arms down as if in a tantrum before turning back to me.
"It is rather simple really if you haven't worked it out. You ordered him to destroy the enemies of the Titans correct, then why would he attack a Titan?" I explained and watched her eyes widen as understanding hit her like a truck as she stood there with eyes like saucers looking past her and behind her to see her sisters also now there.
"He is the one grandfather told us of, he speaks the truth bring him to the palace." One of the sisters suddenly stated before doing a small bow. Her words gave me some degree of comfort, as it meant Iapetus must have made it back and had warned them of my arrival.
I followed the Senior Hesperide through the rest of the garden past the stationary figure of their father who looked at me silently but I noticed the flexing of the muscles under the weight. He looked ready to say something when a tall figure in armour appeared before our procession, causing us to halt.
"Do not mind my son, he has problems with others as I am sure you know Perseus. Thank you, my dears, you may return to your duties in the garden." Iapetus said calmly looking at his son Atlas with one of those fathers knows what is best faces, stopping him from getting into further trouble. The Hesperides simply bowed silently before turning around and going back to the gardens. Iapetus motioned for me to follow with a wave of his hand.
"It is good to see you were successful in defeating my bastard brothers and you even managed to killed my mother. Now that was truly unexpected Perseus." The Titan said as we walked. Well, he walked I had to almost jog being only half his size.
"It was not like she left us much choice after Porphyrion resurrected her, it was her or the whole world. As much as that makes no sense out of context." I answered not sure what he was getting back at.
"Do not be troubled, my siblings and I long since turned from the path she chose for herself. Only a few believed in her words of promised safety. We did not trust the Giant King." He answered to my relief. However, what is interesting to us is what happened after, you freed us from our shackles at your own expense. It is true we have to swear an oath but that is little compared to our freedoms and for that I thank you.
We came around once last hedge line and I found myself before the black marble walls of the palace of Orthrys. I had been expecting a destroyed ruin after the Legion's assault, not the immaculate structure before me. The massive palace in front of me would not have looked out of place on Olympus except for darker colour.
I had seen remnants of the place on my trip through the Labyrinth but to see it in its entirety was truly something else. The great bronze gates were carved with the names of the twelve Titan children of Gaia. The cardinal Titans were written at their respective points and the rest filling in the gaps between, Iapetus's as Titan of the East was on the left.
"Inside those of us left of our council are gathered, not all are happy you are among our number and not everyone agreed to the terms we were given. But know this you do have supporters here and know whatever they say, you are worthy of being a Titan." He said in support before placing his hand against his own name and the doors swung open.
After walking through a small entrance chamber with seal passages to either side, I found myself walking into a room reminiscent of the Olympian council chamber. With twelve thrones arranged in an inverted V with the arms toward me as I entered. Of the twelve thrones only six were occupied. The sevenths would be Iapetus's and three for the Titan Lords who had faded, which left two unaccounted for. One of whom I knew to be Oceanus as he was the only other Titan I had seen, albeit from a distance during the siege of Atlantis.
I waited alongside Nemea as Iapetus walked to his throne and sat down before all eyes were focused on me.
"So, my husband Kronos has faded and my grandson stands before us in his place. I will admit he may be a little young and small for a Titan but I believe his deeds speak for themselves." The furthest and oldest appearing Titaness began and I knew that this was Rhea, Queen of Orthrys.
"That does not excuse the fact he also killed my husband, your brother Hyperion and Krios while in Tartarus." Another Titaness spat her eyes trying to bore into me. Wearing a long black silk dress and veil, despite of which she was easily the most beautiful in the room. If my memory served me right Hyperion's wife was Theia Titaness of splendour.
"Our brother left him no choice and neither did Krios, if he had not killed Hyperion I would have. After all, he did try and kill me, Perseus saved me from his fate." Iapetus said defending me.
"What has happened is in the past and none know that better than him. It would be a great injustice if we moved to destroy the one who gave us our freedom. Kronos gave his blessing for the boy to become one of us and he was still our king even if he has now faded and I vote we accept his final acts." Themis the Titaness of Justice ruled and the majority of the council accepted it. Only Theia abstained but that was fair enough, there was little she could do on her own.
"Very well then this council is decided, all Hail Perseus son of Poseidon Titan of Time, Light and the Constellations." They all chanted at once the addition of the last two domains throwing me off.
"What do you mean Light and Constellations, Time I understand but they were Hyperion and Krios domains why are they mine." I asked in surprise looking around.
"Just like the weapons you now bare, the domains were also given to you upon their fading, it would appear you simply didn't realize. It has always been the same for us, if one Titan should beat another in single combat then he shall gain the others domains. It helped towards keeping arguments civil as you risked losing everything otherwise. However, we never actually did it in the past before the Titanomachy as you call it, it was only one of the ancient laws that we chose to abide by. The moment Kronos made you one of us, you gained the potential unfortunately for my brothers. As they found out the hard way.' Themis explained completing my ignorance of these matters, perhaps it was better than the Olympians eternally arguing over who has it better.
"The matter is what to do with Perseus here? Should we give him a throne? After all, he has replaced three of the former members of this council. Should we make him a Titan Lord in their place?" The only other male Titan in the room, Koios asked. Next to him was his wife Phoebe who seemed to be one of the few genuinely smiling at me. As far as I was aware they were the other grandparents of the two twin archer gods.
"The council then is to decide whether Perseus deserves a place amongst us all in favour raise your hands." Themis asked and once again all hands were raised but Theia's. I knew I would have to gain her trust at some point because this was annoying already.
"Very well this council is decided Perseus will have a throne among us." Iapetus stated. I watched as three of the thrones glowed before seemingly combining until the only one left was the centre chair beside Rhea that I guessed had been Kronos's. Something I sincerely hoped was not a sign that they wanted me to take charge of anything.
The new throne was of black marble that seemed to be imbedded with diamonds in the shape of the constellations that glowed with an intense light as if they were actual stars. The sides of the backrest were two enormous golden hourglasses, that slowly trickled by with golden sand visible through the glass. The final detail as if emphasizing my heritage was the slowly moving motif of waves flowing around the base. The best thing though was it had also shrunk down, so I could actually sit on it without needing a ladder.
The rest of the council chairs also spread out filling the voids left by the two missing thrones, I was glad for this. I didn't like being so close to my grandmother while sitting on what had been her husband/brothers' throne.
I slowly walked through past the others thrones before taking a seat, Nemea laying alongside my left-hand side. As I sat, I felt a greater connection to my domains than before. It was as if I could feel the passage of time around me. I could feel the stars overhead shining and annoyingly I suddenly knew the speed of light which made me feel like a nerd. It was good to see my ADHD mind still considered the stupid little things.
"Right then, now that is settled, we may proceed with the meeting. Perseus if you may, tell us what the Olympians said of what the policy is to be between our co-operation. We were simply told to swear an oath not to cause problems for them and we would be released and that you would be joining us, what else did they say?" Koios asked from my left.
"You are to limit the number of demi-titan children you have, that is if you choose to have them. This is merely a limitation as they are not bound by your oath.'
"Understandable we have the evidence before us of how much a half-blood can do after all. So, let's say a maximum of five that way it is not too many any for Zeus to complain, I understand the big three as you call them are released from there oath as well. It is likely this councils' children would be as powerful as theirs in all likelihood. Now then the next point if you please."' Themis answered before asking and I had to agree it was not a low number but not enough to be a threat.
"I am to report once a year at the summer solstice to inform them of our state of affairs here, and to inform them of any important news or changes that this council decides upon." I explained honestly, something that was a little easier considering I had just been made a member.
"That is fair, we trust you to be honest when you do so, but I would ask you to also inform this council of whatever they discuss as well. The path to co-operation is for us to trust each other, secrets will only lead to conflict and none of us truly want that." The last Titaness Phoebe stated from Koios's left-hand side.
"Very well I shall Lady Phoebe." I answered having to agree with her as it was fair.
"You need not call anyone here by their titles Perseus, you too are a Titan Lord. We are all your equals in rank. We are not like Zeus who demands deference from the others like they are his servants and not family." Rhea answered apparently, she regretted that about her youngest son.
"How many of your children, the minor Titans accepted the proposal for release?" I asked the assembled council.
"Most of the surviving ones who have not faded and who are not still bitter such as my son Menoetius and as you may have noticed by the empty thrones Oceanus and Tethys were not offered amnesty for their attack on your father. To be truthful Atlas has not yet been offered yet because we would need to find an alternative to bare the weight of the sky." Iapetus explained. Although I had ill feelings for the Titan of Endurance outside because of Zoe's death, like Iapetus's attempted escape from the Underworld. His actions had been before the war actually began technically and so too was liable for release.
"My children are with their father in the void." The veil wearing Theia said sadly to which I had to give pity to her. Selene and Helios had long since faded due to the Romans lack of worship. She may be free of her confinement but she had lost everyone that she could have shared her newfound freedom with.
"Krios's children are all still imprisoned except Astraeus who has gone to find his wife Aeolus. Perses as per usual just wants to destroy everything and so obviously he was left in the pit. As for Pallas it seems he is happy in Tartarus still with Lady Styx, though the offer was made if he chooses to accept at a later date." Koios added.
"Very well then I conclude this counc-." Themis began only to be interrupted when a strong wind blew into the room before swirling quickly and forming the figure of a large man with multiple bronze wings folded behind him wielding a bow.
"Lelantos, what can we do for you, my son?" Koios asked frowning at the uninvited intruder.
The figure simply pointed at me before saying. "That spawn of the gods murders my uncles and instead of punishment he is rewarded with a throne, where is the justice in that? We have all suffered for millennia in our various prisons and we are to forgive so easily. We may have been forced to swear loyalty to Olympus but he no longer is Olympian in nature, is he? He is one of us as you have all decided and so I challenge Perseus son of Poseidon!' He shouted drawing his bow from his shoulder.
"My son you do not want to do this, Perseus was given no choice by your uncles and they chose their fate, reconsider yours." Phoebe begged of her son.
"No mother I must do this and see if this sea scum is worthy." He said looking from his mother towards me as collectively the council seemed to let out a sigh.
"Very well then let it be so. Lelantos Titan of the Air and Hunters Skill challenges Perseus Titan Lord of Time, Light and Constellations to a duel. Winner takes all, battle is to the death or first to yield." Rhea stated calmly as I rose up from my throne petting the lioness's head as I passed.
"Perseus if you can do not make my son fade, I would be grateful. He is a fool, but he is still my son" Koios asked I walked past him and I nodded.
Very soon we were facing each other in between the widest point of the V made by the thrones. I had Riptide in one hand and the shield of constellations in the other as we at each other waiting for the other to make the first move. I needed to make friends on this council and I couldn't do that by killing two of the members son within an hour of arrival, which meant Maelstrom was out of the picture for the moment.
I watched as wind slowly curled around the Titan's feet before rising around him causing his clothes to flutter and his wings to flex slightly as he held the bow at the ready. I prepared myself to block the first arrow with the shield. What I wasn't prepared for was as a what seemed to be a dozen set of wings unfurled from behind him, a sudden buffet of wind shot out from him and threw me across the room. Unable to stop myself in any way I was tossed headfirst into a wall and my vision went black.