The river raced toward me at the speed of a truck. The wind roared against me, searing my wounds, and ripping the breath from my lungs forcefully.
Steeples and skyscrapers and bridges tumbled in and out of my vision, which was rapidly darkening.
Was this really how I was going to die?
I wasn't a child of Athena by any means, but even I knew that a fall from this high was going to flatten me like a pancake. If I was really lucky, the force of impact would crush all of my bones in an instant, and I'd have a quick, painless death.
The dark, glassy surface got closer and closer.
Against the river's inky surface, I caught sight of that faint, pink glow still clinging to my torso, like a swirl of luminescent ribbons reflected in a darkened mirror. The light pulsed gently, creating a shifting halo that rippled whenever I took a breath. It seemed almost alive, wrapping and unwrapping around me in a slow, hypnotic pattern. A soft hum buzzed at the edge of my hearing, as though the energy itself was trying to speak—but I couldn't quite make out the words.
FLAAAAA-BOOOOM!
The pink glow disappeared within a whiteout of bubbles. As the shock and vertigo overtook my body, I sank through the murk, sure that I was about to end up embedded in a hundred feet of mud and lost forever. Any moment now, my vision would wink out forever, and I'd be the latest entry in a long list of dead demigods.
Wait.
My eyes narrowed.
Though I'd originally chalked it up to my deteriorating senses, or shock, or something—I realized that my impact with the water hadn't hurt at all. I was falling slowly now, bubbles trickling up through my fingers. I settled on the river bottom soundlessly. A catfish the size of my stepfather lurched away into the gloom.
Clouds of silt and disgusting garbage—beer bottles, old shoes, plastic bags—swirled up all around me.
At that point, I realized a few things: I was alive, which was good.
I hadn't been flattened into a pancake: which was also good.
Wait. I hadn't been barbecued, either. Zeus, now since I was really focusing, I couldn't even feel the Chimera poison boiling in my veins anymore.
A quick look at my [HP] and [MP] showed that they were refilling at an alarmingly fast rate—was this because of my dad?
I even felt the bones in my arm restructure themselves, albeit slowly. I lifted my arm and watched the white straighten out and get layered under a crisscross of red, lean, muscle. Tanned skin started twisting around it.
It wasn't the greatest feeling in the world—and far from the greatest sight—but at this point, I was willing to take what I could get.
Ignoring the fish that swam by me cautiously, I pulled up my status screen.
— - —
{Perseus Jackson}
[Son of Poseidon]
[Hestia's Favored]
[Echidna's Bane]
[LVL]: 17 [9900/10,000]
[HP]: 10,250/10,250
[SP]: 12,500/12,500
[MP]: 5250/5250
[FEALTY]: N/A
[STR]: 24 [+8]
[VIT]: 17
[DEX]: 32 [+20]
[INT]: 18
[CHA]: 12 [+5]
[WIS]: 15
[LUC]: 7
[AP]: 31
[PP]: 5
[$]: 46USD, 53D
[Info]: Son of the legendary lord of all seas, Poseidon, and Sally Jackson, Percy is the current [Child of Prophecy] and bearer of Olympus' flame. Despite his murky past, Percy is ready to take on his future with determination.
{Titles}
[Son of Poseidon]
- Permanently grants [+][1000][MP] and increases [Mana Regeneration] rate by [1%] per five seconds.
[Hestia's Favored]
- Permanently grants [+][750][HP] and [+][750][MP].
[Echidna's Bane]
- Grants immunity to all poison-based status effects and toxins, and reduces incoming damage from monstrous creatures by [10%].
— - —
You'd think I'd be happy, right? With the Medusa quest and the Chimera quest, I'd leveled like crazy—my stats were going to be off the charts!
Instead, all I felt was an icy feeling of disappointment coat my insides. After fighting against Echidna and Chimera, my entire world had flipped on its head.
I'd never faced enemies that strong before. Against the Minotaur, against Dodds (who claimed she was taking it easy on me), even against Medusa—I still felt somewhat in control. Like we were evenly matched opponents, or that I could somehow inflict damage on them.
Even if I wasn't sure I'd win, I at least felt like there was a chance.
I didn't feel that way against the Chimera. Hitting it did nothing, I couldn't outspeed it, and I sure as heck couldn't out-tank it either. With Echidna there, even our difference in intelligence meant nothing.
And to top it all off, I knew that by the end of my quest, I'd have to face someone even stronger than that.
How in Zeus' name could I do that? Forget Ares, how can I even survive in this world if my enemies were just going to keep getting stronger and stronger?
I mean, to give you an example, even by the time I return to camp, I may not be halfway to Luke's level—and that's without trying to figure out the perks and titles he probably has. How the hell am I supposed to fight gods?
Well, whatever.
I shook myself.
I couldn't let myself get too caught up in all of that at the moment—I had to worry about surviving long enough to get to camp, first. Besides, complaining wasn't going to solve anything. Even if it did help me feel a little better.
It was like I told Piper. I just needed to keep powering through it. The hurt, the unknowing, the feelings of inadequacy—all of it. I had no choice but to keep going.
I opened up my perk tree, and unlike last time, I completely ignored the special perks.
Don't get me wrong—I loved the idea of amazing, game-breaking perks, but they were way too expensive at the moment. They were amazing at what they did, no doubt. [Godly Constitution] was a prime example of that—I looked and felt older than I was, and my physical stats were getting boosted into oblivion.
The downside, however, was that I got so caught up in it that I neglected even looking at other perks. It helped a little bit with defense, sure, but it was too passive.
I knew I needed some full-blown offense—I couldn't just escape every opponent I had to fight.
The fight with the Chimera showed me just how outclassed I truly was. In a fight like that where just my sword and some pyrokinesis couldn't do the trick, I needed some serious firepower. My toolbox of powers only had a screwdriver and an Allen wrench right now.
I needed a hammer.
Trying to shake that icy feeling again, this time I completely skipped over any perk that didn't seem offensive in nature.
I picked out the three that sounded the most helpful in a battle: [Hermes' Shadow], [Nike's Leap], and [Time Dilation].
— - —
[Perk]: Hermes' Shadow
[System Denomination]: Active
[Attribute Group]: DEX
[Level]: 1
[Description]: Drawing on Hermes' legendary cunning, you'll use any means necessary—no matter how underhanded—to secure victory. Swift flurries of strikes can briefly blind, stagger, weaken, cripple, cause bleeding, or even knock an opponent down.
[Leveling]: At [Level 1], this skill gives a [5%] base chance to inflict a temporary status ailment on each hit. Landing multiple hits within a 5-second window doubles this chance, up to an upper limit of [20%].
— - —
Look, I know, I know. It does sound kind of creepy…but you have to admit, the perk itself is going to give me some insane things.
Based on the fights I've been in so far, and Luke's two weeks of training, I've found that [Lunar Veil] is built toward speed, so if I want to maximize my efficiency with it, I'll need to build myself into a speed-first character.
So, assuming I can land a series of hits quickly—which I should be able to do if I keep upgrading my [DEX], then this perk will be super helpful.
Not only that, but this perk could also play a huge part in fights with lots of enemies and could even help me take down slower opponents with ease. It cost me two perk points, which seemed a bit hefty, but I was more than willing to part with some of those points if it meant survival.
— - —
[Perk]: Nike's Leap
[System Denomination]: Active
[Attribute Group]: DEX
[Level]: 1
[Description]: This perk harnesses the unstoppable momentum of the goddess of victory, allowing you to momentarily vanish in a burst of radiant wind and reappear above or behind your target. As you plummet toward them, your sudden warp leaves the enemy off-balance, and your impact hits with formidable force.
[Leveling]: At [Level 1], this perk deals [100 x STR] damage. Infusing this aerial ambush with elemental power further amplifies its destructive potential by an additional [100 x WIS] damage, though it raises the base cost of [250][MP] by a multiplier of [5] per element imbued.
— - —
Okay, I won't lie, I wasn't too sure about this one. The keyword there was reappear—at first, I assumed it would give me a burst of speed, which was something I thought I had until I fought the Chimera.
At a second glance, though, it seemed nearly instantaneous, which was fine by me.
Plus, if I could work some elements in there, I'd start doing damage in a hurry. Again, two points went down the drain in the acquisition of this perk, but to me, it's [PP] well spent.
Last but not least...
— - —
[Perk]: Time Dilation
[System Denomination]: Active
[Attribute Group]: WIS
[Level]: 1
[Description]: Invoke the primordial power of Chronos to warp your personal timeline, slowing the world around you and letting you move as though time itself has paused. Your body momentarily blinks from sight before reappearing—everything else crawls at a snail's pace in contrast. Each physical action (attacking, running, etc.) consumes the time dilation meter more rapidly. Standing still or performing minimal actions drains it very slowly.
— - —
Do I need to explain this one? Imagine being able to quite literally pause time for everything except for yourself. With that kind of ability, I could think things through in a fight, or maybe use it to escape, or subdue—the possibilities were endless!
Only one [PP] lost for this one, surprisingly. Probably because it wasn't super useful on its own, seeing as moving with it would drain the meter faster.
Well, the deed was done. I was five perks points poorer, and I had a ton of new knowledge in my head.
I blinked. The top right of my vision was filled with a weird bar—it looked kind of like:
[XXXXXXXXXXXXX]
That must be the bar for the time perk! Might as well try it out right now—actually, why don't I try out all of my new abilities?
[Time Dilation] flashed to life.
Light faded. Sound and color drained away. A cold, heavy presence passed over the river, slowing time, dropping the temperature to freezing, and forcing every single fish in the river to stop moving.
I could even see the bubbles frozen in mid-air.
I started counting.
1…2….3…
15 seconds passed, and everything quickly returned to normal. I took another glance at the bar and saw that it was empty.
[ ]
So, I started with about fifteen seconds of [Time Dilation] when I was unmoving. Not bad, not bad at all.
Next up, [Nike's Leap]. I wanted to try an elemental version, but the fire was absolutely not going to work underwater.
I slapped my forehead. I was Poseidon's son. I mean, I didn't know if I could control the water…but then again, I'd never tried…
I looked at the water around me, trying to harness it like I harnessed Hestia's power by sneaking tendrils of mana out of my hands and into the water.
The water vibrated around my fingertips, and it began swirling and rippling.
I played around with it until I got the feeling down pat. It took a few minutes, but let me tell you—it was much easier to do once I got the hang of it. I should've been doing this all along.
Now, almost instantly, when I focused, I felt a tug in my gut. Water started swirling around my hands and fingertips until it coalesced into a watery trident. By now, every fish in the river was looking at me.
— - —
~ By using your god-given common sense and tapping into your father's domain, you've developed the skill:
[Skill]: Hydrokinesis
[System Denomination]: Active
[Attribute Group]: WIS
[Level]: 1
[Description]: By finally tapping into your father's domain, you've awakened the power to command liquid, bending it to your every whim. Whether drawn from a river, a soda can, a fountain, or the very air's moisture, it will now answer your call.
[Leveling]: At [Level 1], you can shape and move water as you see fit, from forming tendrils for offense or defense to creating currents that carry you—or allies—around. While at this level, finer manipulations (like crafting intricate shapes or massive tidal waves) may require focus and practice. The base cost for use is [20][MP/S].
— - —
My eye twitched. Okay, game, I've had a lot on my mind! I've been busy! Jeez…onto my 31 attribute points. I think I've decided that I'd like to focus more on offense than defense, so I'm going to distribute my points accordingly.
— - —
{Perseus Jackson}
[Son of Poseidon]
[Hestia's Favored]
[Echidna's Bane]
[LVL]: 17 [4900/9000]
[HP]: 13,750/13,750
[SP]: 16,000/16,000
[MP]: 8750/8750
[FEALTY]: N/A
[STR]: 35 [+8]
[VIT]: 24
[DEX]: 45 [+20]
[INT]: 18
[CHA]: 12 [+5]
[WIS]: 15
[LUC]: 7
[AP]: 0
[PP]: 0
[$]: 46USD, 53D
[Info]: Son of the legendary lord of all seas, Poseidon, and Sally Jackson, Percy is the current [Child of Prophecy] and bearer of Olympus' flame. Despite his murky past, Percy is ready to take on his future with determination.
{Titles}
[Son of Poseidon]
- Permanently grants [+][1000][MP] and increases [Mana Regeneration] rate by [1%] per five seconds.
[Hestia's Favored]
- Permanently grants [+][750][HP] and [+][750][MP].
[Echidna's Bane]
- Grants immunity to all poison-based status effects and toxins, and reduces incoming damage from monstrous creatures by [10%].
— - —
Alright, that's that. Time to go test out some of my new stuff. I looked around until I saw a catfish minding its own business.
The top right of my vision fluttered.
— - —
[Nike's Leap]
— - —
Sorry, buddy.
I started to encase my hands in water—but not the dirty, Mississippi kind. The moment the water touched my hands, it became instantly purified and it started swirling and churning as if I put it in a blender.
My eyes widened. My stomach dropped. It was like that feeling when you're at the top of a gigantic rollercoaster and you take a peek over the cart and see just how far you're going to go barreling down.
I disappeared in a blur. The river disappeared into a flash of darkness—I felt myself go blasting through the water and the next thing I saw was the poor catfish underneath me.
My hands snapped forward and blurred downwards.
— - —
- [270][MP]!
- [5%] chance to blind, stagger, cripple, or bleed!
- [100 x 43] + [100 x 15] = [-][5800][HP]!
— - —
The catfish was obliterated. My hands melted through it like it wasn't even there, and then the two halves of it went rocketing in opposite directions, torpedoing through the water like heat-seeking missiles.
That was insane!
Sure, an attack like that wouldn't do much against higher-level opponents as it was right now, but I could definitely see myself working together with the rest of my perks to create truly horrendous combos.
On the top right of my vision, the [5%] quickly changed to [10%] which glowed for a few moments before disappearing.
Okay, it seemed like all of my skills were in working order. Time to get out of this dump.
I kicked up through the muck and swam for the surface. Swam was sort of an oversimplification—I burned through another twenty [MP] as the water churned around me and rocketed me towards the surface.
I burst through the river's surface right beside a drifting McDonald's bag. I glanced toward the arch, which was still shrouded in smoke and fire up at the top.
A block away, every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was posted up. Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded me of Times Square on New Year's Eve. Was that Piper waiting by the riverbank?
"Percy!" Piper screamed, wrapping me in a hug the moment I walked out of the river. I guess maybe she hadn't noticed I was completely dry or just didn't care. The thought made me smile as I pressed my chin on top of her head. "I saw you fall into the Mississippi from, like, all the way up there! How the hell are you still alive?"
"Son of the water guy, remember?" I smiled and flexed. "Going to take a bit more than a skinny dip from up there to do some damage over here."
Piper broke the hug in a hurry and scrunched her eyebrows. "Skinny dip? You were naked?"
"Yeah—wait, no. I was thinking about something else. What's that other thing?"
"The other thing?"
"The other word for, like, a specific jump. It sounds kind of like skinny dip."
"Swan dive?" Piper suggested.
"Yes! Swan dive. Going to take more than a little baby swan dive to do me in."
"How'd you mix up swan dive and skinny dip?" Piper asked incredulously. She pointed the Minotaur's horn at my head like it was an X-ray machine at the dentist's office. Her lips parted, and she made some beeping noises and she roved it around my head. "Did the jump give you a concussion?"
"Oh, ha-ha. I know that was crazy and all, but I'm lowkey a bit hungry. For, like, real food."
Piper shrugged, "I thought your magic food was pretty good. But yeah, I'd be down to eat before we get back on the train."
"I appreciate that. But, I'm feeling lazy. And, we have a credit card. We might as well use it."
Piper tucked the horn away. We began walking, and she cleared her throat, "You, uh, do you know you're not wearing a shirt, right? And your pants have rips in them. I can see your Spongebob boxers."
I didn't bother looking down. I was starving, "Your concerns are duly noted."
A few minutes later, we were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner, tucked against a wide window that overlooked the bustling street outside. Families around us chowed down on burgers and sipped malted milkshakes through huge bendy straws, while the neon sign above the entrance cast vibrant pinks and blues across the glass.
A waitress in a classic striped uniform glided between tables, balancing trays of fries and sodas served in oversized goblets.
My mouth watered. All of it. I wanted all of it!
Through the window, I caught glimpses of passing cars and pedestrians, the outside world seeming oddly distant compared to the cozy glow inside the diner. More police cars were mobbing the street—I wondered what the Mist was showing them.
Finally, the waitress came over. She looked at me first, and then over at Piper, who was sitting across the booth. Eventually, she raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"
"We'll start with two Root Beers," I told her with a big smile as I felt my [Gilded Tongue] perk activate.
Her demeanor changed a little.
Instead of looking down at us like we were little urchins off the street, she just looked done with life in general—there was no real hate towards us. I wouldn't call it much of an improvement, but I wasn't really in a position to judge.
"You kids here alone?" She asked. The look she was giving us made me wonder if she was even going to serve us.
Sheesh. What a ray of sunshine. She went to speak again when the diner suddenly got a little chillier.
Frost spread across the windowpane like an intricate tapestry of silvery threads, each filigree pattern glinting beneath the diner's neon light. The sign's pink and blue glow danced across the frosty vines, making them shimmer and pulse as though they were alive.
I could hear slight whispers. They were unintelligible, but I could tell someone was talking. It felt like I was stuck in Jell-O trying to listen, though. I was immediately on edge. It felt like one of those horror movie scenes leading up to a jump scare.
But where? I checked under the table. Nope. Looked above me. Nope. I started eyeing everyone in the diner, ready to pepper one of them with fireballs. I had my hydrokinesis, now, too...
The whispers kept getting louder and louder. I was about to lose my mind, and then, suddenly, the door to the diner opened, and a man walked through.
All conversation in the diner stopped. All the people rose as if they were hypnotized, but the man waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations.
The waitress blinked as if somebody had just pressed the reset button on her brain.
"Is it just you and your sister here?" She asked, getting her little notepad out with a huff. "No mom and dad coming?"
"Well, uncle," A smooth voice said behind her. The man was standing behind her now—he was abnormally tall—her head was barely up to his collarbone. He looked like he was in his twenties and possessed a pale complexion, tousled black hair, and warm, melting brown eyes. "Sorry, didn't mean to send the tykes in here without adult supervision, but you know how it goes. Parking and all. I trust that won't be too much of a problem, mm?"
The waitress didn't answer. The man took a seat in the booth, right next to Piper, and clapped his hands. At the abrupt sound, the waitress turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.
The man wore black jeans, combat boots, and a ripped T-shirt—not the kind of rip you'd get from fighting a Chimera, mind you, but the designer kind that somehow made the shirt more expensive.
A gold chain shaped like a skull was hanging from his neck, and he topped the look off with a faded leather jacket.
"Lord Hades," I bowed my head respectfully. I mean, come on. It's obvious. "It's an honor to meet you."
"Oh please, there's no need to stand on ceremony," Hades said good-naturedly, waving his hand. He had a warm, inviting smile—the kind of smile that made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Before I realized it, I was smiling, too. He snapped his fingers, and my pants sewed themselves together. My ruined shirt was switched out with a plain black shirt that had a skull on it. "None of that 'Lord' stuff with me, little nephew. My ego isn't as big as the big drama queen up there."
Thunder sounded outside, rumbling the whole diner. The lights flickered for a moment, and everyone in the restaurant continued eating as if nothing had happened.
"See what I mean?" Hades shook his head, leaning back into his booth and fiddling with one of his rings. I grinned at him, and he rolled his eyes. "Between you and me, my little brother has always had a flair for the dramatic. Your pops? Pretty cool for the most part, but he's got his moments, too. We all do."
For the god of the dead, Hades was pretty lively. On my list of Olympians, he was easily at the top of the list in terms of relatability. My dad was, too. Then, Hestia and Aphrodite—they were both nice, but Hestia was still a bit too stiff, and Aphrodite was too hot for me to focus.
Hades reminded me of that one uncle everyone had that was just chill. You know, the one that was a little too old to hang out with the kids and a little too young to hang out with the adults—the one all the kids wanted to be around anyway.
Piper was staring at him, her mouth agape, "Piper, you okay?"
Hades snapped his fingers, and Piper suddenly slumped against the wall of the diner, softly snoring. "Sorry, bud, but she doesn't have to be awake for this part."
"Aw, man," I complained, anticipating her future reaction. "She's going to grill me about this when she wakes up."
"I've heard she has a temper," Hades agreed, and we both shared a grimace. He cracked his neck, "Now, then. Onto business, little nephew."
I got serious. "What is it, uncle?"
Hades didn't beat around the bush. "I'm sure by now, you've got an idea of who the thief is."
"I have an idea or two."
"Smart boy," Hades complimented. The waitress came back with heaping trays of food—cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes. Hades grabbed a tinfoil-wrapped burger and a helping of onion rings.
I nabbed a vanilla shake for myself—a tall, frosty glass brimming with thick, creamy goodness. The swirl of pale white rose like a snowy peak beneath a small mountain of whipped cream, and the sweet vanilla aroma practically shimmered in the diner's neon glow.
One sip, and I could taste that comforting, old-school ice cream parlor sweetness dancing on my tongue.
Hades was having a similar experience with his food. "Fuck, this burger tastes good. When the cook back there dies, I'm hiring him as a chef."
I looked behind him to the kitchen, "How do you know he's going to hell?"
"His hard drive," Hades spoke around the food in his mouth, "Anyway, I know what our little thief going to do with you."
That got my attention. I looked up from my shake. "What?"
"My two cents? He's going to give you the lightning bolt," Hades said. "Then, he'll try to kill you and your friend. Bringing your dead body with the bolt to Olympus would solidify my brother's belief that you're the thief and cause a war on Olympus. Zeus doesn't even truly believe you're the thief—there's virtually no evidence to suggest that—but your body would be proof enough. He'd rather a war start on Olympus than admit he's wrong, trust me on that."
"I always thought that the thief would be in league with the god of war, but after a, uh, conversation I had, I got the sense that he was deeper into this whole thing than I could've imagined," I didn't know what else to say. I looked down, my shake no longer seeming as appealing as it did before.
War itself was bad—but a war with gods? I tried to imagine the sky and sea at war with each other. That sort of thing would result in countless deaths—we were talking millions, at least.
"I see you understand the potential threat, here. Don't worry, though—this idea hit me last night, in the middle of a How I Met Your Mother marathon, so I knew I had to track you down," Hades continued. A smirk formed on his face. "Simply put, fuck the thief—we aren't letting him finish his plan."
"How?"
"Gods can't steal each other's symbols of power. It's not allowed. That's an ancient rule. Sure, Ares could have just come across it, but I highly doubt that's the case. I suspect that with a little prodding, you can get him to admit to actively playing a role in the theft of my helm," Hades explained, his visage growing darker. A gleam started to form in his eyes. "Once he does that, he invokes the rite of battle, and I can fight the spoiled brat."
"Fight him? Won't Uncle Z—"
"My foolish little brother can't stop me from teaching that little shit a lesson he won't ever forget," Hades growled. He stabbed a plastic knife into his burger, and some juice seeped out from the sides, "The tough part here is that, well, you'll need to survive in battle with him long enough to pry the truth out from him. Once that's the case, I'll come to get the job done. Sound good?"
"I...well, in theory, I guess. I just don't know how I'll keep up with him long enough," I admitted with a frown, "What's the rite of battle, though?"
"I think you'll be fine, kiddo. You don't need to fight him, just survive against him long enough for him to mess up. Get near some water and you'll be surprised how long you can keep going," Hades dipped a fry in his shake. "The rite of battle…think about it like a prerequisite to fighting. Gods generally aren't allowed to go one-on-one for no reason. This was a rule instated a long, long time ago. Can you imagine if your dad and Zeus fought every time there was a problem? Earth would've been demolished millennia ago, easy."
"That's a good point. Does that apply to all of the gods and goddesses or just the major ones?" I asked curiously. I'm sure my dad and uncles could cause damage, but what about, like, minor gods? Could they really do that much?
"All of them. Every single deity adheres to the ancient rules. Anyway, under a certain set of circumstances, the rite of battle can be activated, and gods can fight," I listened with rapt attention. "That's what I need you to do. Theft of another god's symbol of power is one of the ways to activate the rite, so all you need to do is get him to admit he played a part in stealing my helm."
"I'm going to need your help in securing something in return," I said, hoping he wouldn't take offense to my request. Instead, he just smiled at me knowingly.
"You want him to swear to never touch Aphrodite again."
I started choking, coughing on my fries. "How do you know that?"
Hades rolled his eyes. "Perce, Aphrodite spends most of her time avoiding people. The fact that you're doing this gigantic favor for her is probably the nicest thing anyone's done for her, well, ever. She IMed your dad and me last night."
"Dad? My dad knows?"
"Yep."
"Great, just great. I was under the impression that our deal was private."
"Eh, we're close-ish," Hades waved his hand. "I would've found out eventually. So, you and Aphrodite, huh?"
"Uh…" Aphrodite flashed through my mind, and my mouth went dry. I imagined her looking at me again with those big blue eyes, "I…uh…"
Hades busted out laughing, "Relax, man. It's just not every day that Aphrodite talks about a guy. I'm just yanking your chain."
"Yeah, no worries," I swallowed. Now since I'd already started thinking about her, it was like I couldn't stop. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her smiling at me from across the table. "None at all."
"Right," Hades smiled at me again, the grin reaching his eyes, making them even warmer than before. "Well, hey, listen. Just a bit of advice from my side. Man to man. Regardless of your intentions, Aphrodite has taken your help as an act of affection, and believe it or not, that's already made her a bit stronger."
My eyebrows scrunched together. "Forgive me if I speak out of line here, but shouldn't she still be like, I don't know, strong, anyway? I get that the idea of love itself has sort of changed around these days and that her image is all warped, I do. Still, though, there are billions of people out in the world right now, which means that more people should believe in love than back then, even if they don't necessarily believe in her. Shouldn't that already make her more powerful?"
"Ah. I can see you've thought about this," Hades said, leaning forward and bringing his fingers together in a ball. "Tell me, Percy, do you know how much pressure your average human body can handle?"
I shook my head.
"Shame. The average human body, dear nephew, can withstand 50 psi—that's pounds per square inch—and that's if it's a sudden impact," Hades explained to me. "However, if it's sustained pressure, the body can withstand up to 400 psi if the weight is gradually increased. 400 pounds on every inch of your body…do you think you could handle it right now?"
"No, no way! There's no way I'm doing that right now!"
"I'm not asking you to," Hades deadpanned, munching on some onion rings. My cheeks felt warm. "The point, kelp head, is that what you're capable of and what you're comfortable doing are two very different things. The same goes for gods—we have a certain amount of power at our disposal, but it's up to us to do what we want with it. Oftentimes, a god's power is determined less by how much they have and more by how much they actively use."
Hm. That kind of made sense. I swallowed a bite of my burger. "So, some gods are just weaker than others?"
"Well, naturally," Hades said. He pointed at himself. "I'm an Elder God. Me, your pops, your uncle, Hestia—we were all Kronos' kids. We inherently have more power than any other Olympian, like Ares or Apollo, for instance. Hestia is a good example, actually. She has enough power to take on Ares and not even break a sweat. Instead, she tends to the fire at your camp and on Olympus."
"That makes sense," I agreed with him. "Her domains are family and the hearth, right? So, she plays to her strengths."
"Well, I suppose that's one way of looking at it. My older sister could easily flip her switch and be an offensive star, too. This leads back to my point—she's capable of truly monstrous power, but she doesn't use it because it isn't what she believes in."
I still felt confused. "Uh, but what does that have to do with Aphrodite?"
Hades sighed loudly. "You truly are your father's son. Okay, let's go simpler. Let's talk about your dad—does he look like he enjoys the water? Is he the kind of guy you want to go fishing with?"
I thought back to when Poseidon had visited me in my cabin. A small smile formed on my face. "Yeah, he does. When he visited me, he was dressed exactly like what I'd expect a fisherman to look like. I guess it could be fun, why?"
"Now, imagine if he didn't like the water. At all. What if he had rabies?"
"Can gods get rabies?"
"Godly rabies," Hades huffed. "Let's say he has godly rabies. Imagine him being scared of the water, wanting nothing to do with it at all. Do you think he'd make a good sea god? Is that the sort of dude you'd want even manning your ship, let alone controlling every single body of water in the world?"
"No," I said, scoffing. I tried to imagine my tanned and smiley dad without the fisherman outfit, pale and afraid to step in the water. There's no way a guy like that could have all of the seas under his command. "No way."
"That's Aphrodite's situation. Ever since she got to Olympus, she's been hounded after for her looks, belittled, made out to be whore, and treated like dirt. Percy, the woman is averse to the very idea of love," Hades stressed. "As a result, now she literally can't tap into her own domain. That well of power that she once had feels alien to her now. Not that I blame her, of course. In any case, you're right. In today's day and age, she'd be more powerful than ever. She just subconsciously chooses not to be. That's where you come in."
"Me?" I repeated.
"Gods don't go through childhoods. We don't grow up and experience life and gain new mental perspectives—not in the traditional way, anyway. So, for literally all of her life, Aphrodite hasn't experienced any form of love. Can you imagine that, even for a moment?"
I'll admit, I didn't like it one bit.
Trying to imagine my life with my mom wasn't fun at all. I didn't have a great childhood at all, but my mother made it all worth it. Even though we were poor, she'd always made me feel loved and had fun.
She'd worked multiple jobs so that I could always have presents, always have clothes on my back. I'd never once actually felt worried about our financial standing. I knew that no matter what, as long as we had each other, it would be fine.
My mom had always been and would always be one of the brightest parts of my life.
Imagining life without her left me feeling cold and hollow.
I felt like shit.
Hades nodded as if he wanted me to feel bad. "Imagine that, but with a constant ache. No one around you wants to ever give you that love…no one at all. Some say they do, but you know they just want to use you and throw you away. Now, take it a step further. All of history views you as the world's biggest whore. Not a single soul wants you for anything beyond a one-night stand. It's reached a point where you can't take it. Even the mental connections you make with humans seem fake."
"I…" I didn't even know what to say. Hades had just verbally checkmated me—I was completely overwhelmed.
"The weakening of her powers has been slowly happening for eons, nephew. It has already continued to the point where she was very close to being unable to fend off Ares' advances," He, on the other hand, was on a roll now. "As a new demigod with a week's training, you agreed to save her from the god of war, from a fate worse than death. You made a deal, sure, partly for your mother, but partly to save her or die trying, whether you truly meant to or not. Have no qualms, nephew, succeeding in this task would be more romantic and meaningful than any recent event in history—and she's on the receiving end of it, sort of. It's no wonder you've made her comfortable using even a modicum of her power. Deal or not, you've unintentionally made her start to develop feelings for you."
I was completely silent. Hades calmly slurped some of his shake through his straw, as if he hadn't just shown me the intricacies of godly power—some of them, anyway.
— - —
~ You have gained a [+1] to your [INT] for sitting through Hades' lecture!
— - —
"Why…me?" I somehow found the words. All of this…was just overwhelming. I felt like having a breakdown. The game, the gods—hell, I was sitting across from one of the strongest beings of all time. Who decided it was my destiny to do that? "The deal, the quest...just everything..."
"It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born," Hades gave it to me straight, which I appreciated, if I was being honest. "People are watching you with great interest, nephew. Beyond that, let's not pussyfoot around this. Few heroes could accomplish what you have so far, given the timeframe. It's been a while since the gods have been this curious about a demigod."
I knew he was right. Hestia, my dad, Aphrodite, Ares, and Zeus—they'd all taken some sort of special interest in me. Even if it was for the wrong reasons, in some cases. "Thanks, uncle."
"Don't thank me yet," Hades warned. "Go to Santa Monica. Alecto told me she saw Ares there, waiting. I'm guessing he's hoping to intercept you on your way to the Underworld. Meet him there, get him to invoke the rite of battle by admitting theft of my helm, and we'll kick his ass. Deal?"
It sounded easy enough on paper. I steeled myself. I could do this. I would do this. "Deal."
"Ah, shit. I'm needed back in the Underworld," My uncle stood up. He reached inside his jacket and tossed a wad of freshly pressed hundred-dollar bills on the table. "That should get you there—you need more, just give me a shout. Literally. Just scream into a shadow or something. When he invokes the rite of battle, I'll know, okay? Just get over to Santa Monica in one piece. See you."
I blinked, and he was gone, almost like he'd never been there in the first place. Piper woke up and looked at me expectantly. "Did I dream that? Or…"
"Nope. Our quest has been updated," I said, staring at the wad of money on the table. "We're going to Santa Monica and I'm going to fight the lightning thief."
[Original Author's Note]
AN: Another day, another chapter! Also, after reading some reviews (that I agreed with), I updated the Chimera fight to be more realistic. I'm still not too proud of it, but that's okay- moving forward. I also revamped Hades, as you can tell. I've always liked the character, and my story is already AU so I might as well do what I want, now.
Posaitan: As always, I agree with your analysis. Percy himself is definitely stronger than in canon, but Ares is also the god of war. I have no idea how Percy in canon defeated him, even for a second, but I digress. My Percy will likely have a tough time surviving, let alone defeating him.
Xtreme King: Physical stats refer to the HP, SP, and MP. All of those are over 3000.
Ravage21133: You know what- I agree. Honestly, it was sort of a brain fart on my part. Anywho, I hope you like the new updates to his water powers.
NuclearPenStrokes: Set? You wanna beat me with Set? Come on man, you don't wanna see me on Bellona, or Skadi, or Anubis, or Nike…I play SMITE a lot…
King0609: Thanks, man! Means a lot
Oliversdtrange76: I'm not too sure who I'll be pairing Sally with just yet…Hades is interesting but no, I probably won't do him. He's got enough going for him as it is.
Falconfighter1427: Not exactly, but I like the idea of an item like that. I'll keep it in mind.
Glrasshopper: That's…intriguing. I'll have to research that some more, but I'm not opposed to it.
I hope you guys enjoy it! As always, I look forward to seeing your reviews.
[Patch Notes]
[9/18/21]: Not much to edit here. I updated the game visuals and made all the numbers make more sense, and be consistent. This chapter more or less goes the same way, with the exception of Percy and Aphrodite's relationship being a bit different.
[2/3/22]: I feel like I'm losing my mind. Changing visuals is so boring.
[10/18/22]: Minor edits, visual, and grammatical. Slight changes to perk descriptions.
[01/11/25]: I changed all of the visuals, and fleshed out the perks a bit more. I also gave them Greek themes. I edited Percy's thoughts about the perks, and I made sure the numbers made sense for everything. Furthermore, Aphrodite's blessing is what keeps him alive until he touches the water, which he acknowledges. The next change is his conversation with Piper. It isn't her just crying and him being a chad, but instead, them sharing a funny moment of growth together. After that, the conversation with Hades is largely the same, with the distinction that Aphrodite isn't like, full, head-over-heels for Percy at this point in the story, unlike last time. Moreso, she's just a bit flattered by what he did. On the other hand, Percy is a lot more into her this time around, due to her appearing as his age instead of as an adult. I also fixed tense issues and tweaked some awkward descriptions. Polish all around as well.