By the time I got back to camp, the campfire was raging on.
Aphrodite and I teleported onto the coarse grass of Long Island in a pink flash. I could hear the voices of the campers singing somewhere off into the distance, bouncing off the trees and ringing through the air.
Every part of Half-Blood Hill felt alive—the animals tittered above us, the insects buzzed in the warmth of the night, the trees swayed in a summer breeze—it was almost like the camp was yearning for me just like I was yearning for it.
Aphrodite walked me over to Thalia's tree, our feet crunching on branches and patches of dirt. We stopped as we reached the edge of the camp.
Almost as if reacting to the presence of Aphrodite, a small golden barrier came to life around the camp. A low hum reverberated throughout the forest, mimicking the sound of an electric generator that had just turned on.
Aphrodite looked at it distastefully. She raised her hand, and golden arcs of electricity crackled to life, leaping off the dome like fiery serpents. The air around her hissed and popped as the energy struck the ground, leaving scorched, smoking craters in its wake.
Sparks danced along her arm, and the golden light illuminated her face. Her hand began to blister, the skin turning an angry, raw red, but she didn't flinch. The current surged, wild and untamed, licking at her fingers and crawling up her wrist like it was alive.
The smell of burning flesh mixed with the metallic tang of ozone, was sharp and suffocating.
"Immortals are not allowed on the campgrounds without permission from a camper," Aphrodite explained at my look of confusion. She waved her hand in the air a few times, and the redness in her skin faded. Before I could offer to let her in, she continued talking. "Thank you for dinner tonight, Percy. Admittedly, that pizza wasn't the…worst delicacy I've had."
"Heh, I aim to please," I replied, smiling. The branches cast shadows across her face. "Sorry if it wasn't what you're used to."
"It was delightful," Aphrodite waved off my concern. She caught my gaze. "It's the company that matters. Not the place."
"So you didn't like the food?"
"We need to teach you when to quit while you're ahead, Percy."
I cracked a grin and leaned against Thalia's tree.
We stood there for a few moments, letting the quiet stretch between us. It wasn't an awkward silence; it was the kind of pause that spoke louder than words, a shared understanding that didn't need to be explained.
In the distance, the combined voices of the campers drifted through the air—a mix of laughter, shouts, and the occasional clash of swords from the training grounds.
The breeze carried the faint, comforting smell of the campfires, mingling with the salty tang of the sea. I glanced over, catching a flicker of movement as the wind teased the branches overhead. The pine needles whispered in response like the tree itself was part of the conversation.
I found myself glancing at Aphrodite again, unable to stop my eyes from wandering back to her. I still didn't know what to make of her.
On one hand, she was—well, she was Aphrodite. Gorgeous didn't even begin to cover it. Her beauty was the kind that felt unreal, like staring at the sun or trying to comprehend infinity. It wasn't just how she looked—though, trust me, that was enough to make anyone forget their own name—it was the way she carried herself, effortlessly radiant, like the world itself existed just to bask in her glow.
But on the other hand, she was a goddess. An Olympian goddess.
I had no business gawking at her like some lovesick mortal. It felt wrong, like stepping into a room you weren't supposed to be in. Sure, she looked human enough, but the energy she gave off wasn't anything close to normal.
It was magnetic, overwhelming, and just a little bit terrifying.
"I'll admit…I don't quite know what to do with myself," Aphrodite broke the silence. She exhaled slowly. "I have not had this much freedom in…well, a long time. There's so much I want to do."
"Like what?"
"Travel," Aphrodite answered instantly. I raised an eyebrow at her quick reply, and a small smile graced her face. "Percy, I've been trapped on Olympus for centuries, afraid to leave my palace. I could barely manage to send out little portions of my essence to interact with mortals. Now, I have freedom. Choice. I can do what I'd like. I would like to see Rome again. France, too. You see, I'm drawn to places like that. Places with a history shrouded in love and intrigue."
"That sounds like fun," I said honestly. My family was poor growing up, so we didn't really get the chance to go on vacation much, but I saw the appeal. And if it made her happy, well it made her happy. I wasn't about to rain on her parade. "I'm really glad you're free now."
"Me too," She shifted on her feet. "If you weren't going to Atlantis this summer, would you have joined me?"
Whoa. I was not expecting that.
"I don't know," I answered. "Don't get me wrong—that sounds amazing. Going around the world with a pretty girl—"
Aphrodite smiled at me for that.
"—seems like something out of a dream. I'm pretty sure literally any guy would kill for an opportunity like that. I just don't know if I could. My fight with Ares showed me how truly outclassed I was. In a straight-up battle, I'd be demolished."
I didn't voice the entirety of my feelings. I assumed that telling her that I would feel pretty uncomfortable traveling around the world with a goddess at the age of twelve wouldn't do much good for either of us. I was still in the mind frame where even going to the movies with a girl was daunting. Going around the world with a goddess?
That's out of the question.
"Which is why you're going to Atlantis," Aphrodite finished for me. I nodded at her—she was right on the nose with that part of it, at least. "I see. Well, Percy. Just know you've done me quite the favor. If you ever need me—and I mean, ever—please do not hesitate to call out for me."
"I won't," I smiled. "Really, I won't. Just don't vaporize me if you think it's a stupid call."
"Vaporize you?" Aphrodite's lips curled into a slow, tantalizing smile. Her gaze lingered on my face, her eyes shimmering with a playful, almost predatory gleam. "You mean, like this?"
My vision heated up as wisps of mana trailed up from her fingertips. They started churning and swirling, rotating together like the world's smallest whirlpool.
Pretty soon, there was a small ball of pink mana rotating in the palm of her hand, bathing the dark forest in a luminescent pink glow. It lifted into the air a few inches.
SHWOOM!
I started panicking as the ball sped towards me.
As it traveled, it grew in size. Doubling, tripling—I swore I heard the damn thing humming with pure energy, even when it was a few yards away. By the time it reached me, it was the size of a car.
I prepared my legs, tensing to jump as high as I could. I felt the heat of the attack on my face. I started counting down the ideal time to jump and maybe even activate one of my powers.
One…two…three!
Even though my legs tensed, I didn't have to move. Right before it got close to me, it veered to the left and shot off into the sky. I watched in fascination as it exploded somewhere toward the city in a display of pink, like a firework.
Only, I knew that firework would've caused me to go flying into camp, horribly burned, and within an inch of my life.
I turned back to Aphrodite, my heart still pounding like I'd just gone ten rounds with Ares. Her smile hadn't faltered—in fact, it seemed even more amused now, as if my panic had been the most entertaining part of her little performance. She flicked her wrist, dismissing the lingering wisps of mana like they were nothing more than a faint breeze.
"Relax, dear," she purred, her tone light and teasing. "If I wanted to hurt you, you'd know it. That wasn't pain. That was just…a taste."
I stared at her, still trying to process what had just happened. "A taste? Of what? A heart attack?"
Her laugh was soft and musical, but it carried a darker undertone, something almost cruel.
"Of love, of course," she said, tilting her head as if the answer was obvious. "You see, love doesn't just heal and nurture. It burns. It tears you apart from the inside. Even when it feels beautiful, it hurts. Always."
I frowned, brushing soot off my shirt and trying to shake off the adrenaline. "You're saying love is a giant death ball you can throw at people?"
She chuckled again, her eyes gleaming as she stepped closer. "Not literally, darling. But the effects? They're not so different. Love consumes you. It leaves scars, even when it's kind. And when it's cruel… well…" Her gaze turned distant for a moment, her smile softening into something almost bittersweet. "When it's cruel, it destroys. Completely."
For a moment, the glow of her presence dimmed, like even she wasn't immune to the weight of her own words. Then, just as quickly, the moment passed, and her teasing smirk returned.
"But that's what makes it worth it, don't you think?" she said, her voice sweet again, like honey dripped over a blade. "The fire. The risk. The destruction. After all, what's the point of a love that doesn't challenge you?"
I opened my mouth to respond but couldn't think of anything that wouldn't make me sound either stupid or terrified. So I just stood there, my heart still racing, as Aphrodite turned away with a graceful flick of her hair.
"Don't worry," she added over her shoulder, her tone as light as if we'd been talking about the weather. "You'll understand someday. And, don't forget. You owe me a date."
And with that, she vanished into the shadows, leaving me alone in the forest, staring at the faint pink haze still glowing on the horizon.
I stood there for a few moments, staring at the spot she'd disappeared from.
Pushing the anomaly that was Aphrodite out of my head, I walked back into camp. Even though the campfire had ended long ago, I took a seat on one of the logs and stared into the dying embers of the fire.
Hm. What should I do? Well, I have a few minutes to myself right now, so I think I'm going to invest these allotted points, now.
Yeah. I nodded to myself slightly, pulling up my perk tree. My eyes widened at the sheer amount of perks that were available to me.
Those two major quests weren't playing around at all. Not only were there a ton of new perks, but there were also colors on some of the perks now.
Imagine a clear, translucent hexagon. That's what most of the perks on the tree looked like- but some of them now had color.
Like, this one, for example, had its right corner tinged light blue.
Curious, I zoomed in on it. It sort of looked like someone had dropped some food coloring on it but didn't let it fully disperse.
— - —
[Perk]: 柔拳
[System Denomination]: Active
[Attribute Group]: WIS
[Level]: 1
[Description]: 柔拳 allows the user to surgically inject a certain amount of their mana into the opponent's mana pathway system upon contact, causing damage to surrounding organs due to their proximity to the circulatory system.
— - —
Holy fuck this one was brutal! I narrowed my eyes at the cost—two points. Why was the cost for this perk two points, as opposed to all of the other ones?
"Help?" I mumbled under my breath.
Ping!
The perk tree dropped into the background, and letters began to come to life in front of me.
— - —
~ Due to your level surpassing [LVL][25], you have unlocked the first tier of attribute-oriented perks! While they tend to be more expensive than your base perks, skill-oriented perks tend to offer focused benefits in the attribute group they're related to!
— - —
Hmm. That opened up a whole new set of questions. What kind of attributes did I even want to boost?
I tried to push logic aside for the moment. It wasn't easy. Looking at my life like some kind of video game stat sheet felt…weird. Like, really weird.
So instead, I decided to approach it the way I'd look at any other demigod.
What were my weaknesses?
Honestly, long-range combat was a glaring one. Right now, my entire strategy relies on getting up close, and while I wasn't bad at it, it wasn't exactly the safest option. I needed something that let me hit my enemies before they could hit me. Something like archery.
That could be cool. I could swing a bow off my shoulders and let a few arrows fly at someone before blasting my way in and carving them up with Riptide.
But before I got too carried away, I had to rein myself in.
Tunnel vision—it's a problem.
If you're not sure what I mean, just think about it: I'd been wielding a sword for, what, two, maybe three weeks? And with that tiny sliver of experience, I somehow managed not to get vaporized by the God of War.
That wasn't luck. That was adaptability.
By that logic, focusing on just one skill or weapon seemed like a waste of time. If I used the time I had left before heading to Atlantis wisely, I could start mastering long-range techniques and still keep improving my close combat skills.
Why not be versatile?
Keeping that in mind, I managed to allocate all of my points without too much trouble.
— - —
{Perseus Jackson}
[Son of Poseidon]
[Hestia's Favored]
[Echidna's Bane]
[Always Sunny]
[Godhunter]
[Hera's Blessing]
[LVL]: 29 [6900/16,000]
[HP]: 22,500/22,500
[SP]: 27,500/27,500
[MP]: 17,250/17,250
[FEALTY]: N/A
[STR]: 45 [+20]
[VIT]: 29
[DEX]: 55 [+20]
[INT]: 34
[CHA]: 27 [+5]
[WIS]: 20
[LUC]: 7
[AP]: 0
[PP]: 12
[$]: 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%].
[Always Sunny]
- This title makes your natural charisma shine even brighter, making you a beacon of positivity and influence and boosting your [CHA] by [2] every level-up.
[Godhunter]
- Grants [+][20%] damage to divine or godly beings (including minor gods and divine constructs). Increases critical hit chance against godly enemies by [+][10%].
[Hera's Blessing]
- Boosts your [Mana Manipulation] skill to [15] and unlocks techniques, allowing you to shape mana into intricate forms, such as shields, weapons, or traps.
— - —
Yeah. My physicals were up there, but I figured I'd still need major boosts to my tactical thinking and mana capacity if I wanted to be a true warrior. Based on what I'd read about attributes before, I needed to bolster my intelligence a bit.
I opened the perk tree up, and true to my hypothesis, there were dozens of multicolored perks there, just waiting for me to go through them.
Anyway, the boost to my [INT] was already becoming abundantly clear. Rather than rushing in, looking for the coolest ones, and spending my points on them, my brain worked on a more holistic level. Mastering a wide range of weapons was my new goal, right? That meant firstly, I'd have to put a huge emphasis on fine-tuning my muscles.
A huge aspect of swordsmanship was how lithe and graceful I was. [DEX] also played a huge part in my motor skills and reaction time, so it was only logical that I'd need to find a perk that could boost all of that.
My eyes roved through the branches of the lightly green [DEX] tree. It was a really weird sensation, but I could feel my brain absorbing the information and making decisions much faster.
There were some admittedly tempting ones.
[Opportunist] basically made it so that whenever I disarmed someone, my attacks became incrementally faster with each successful hit, capping at fifty percent increased speed. That sort of perk paired with [Hermes' Shadow] could do some damage in a hurry. I didn't want to sacrifice long-term success for short-term fun, though.
Next!
[Lunar Lullaby] made it so that I could increase or decrease the amount of gravity being placed on my body at any given time. Again, tempting because it would make me incredibly fast if I kept up with it, but for now, I could use weights to help with that. Two points seemed like a hefty toll to pay for that, even if it did mean I'd be able to recreate Goku's training trip to Namek.
[Deadeye] improved my ranged accuracy by the number that my [DEX] skill was at any given moment. For example, my skill right now is 25. That means every time I threw a knife or shot an arrow, it would have a 25% boosted chance of hitting the target. Not bad at all, but eh. Not worth it to me.
The last one I really paid attention to was [Enhanced Counter]. If I hit what the game deemed a 'perfect' parry, it would slow down time until I decided what I wanted to do. Meh. I already have a time-slowing power…
The perk I decided on, of course, was [Eagle's Rally].
I'm guessing that it's probably some sort of reference to the Roman goddess Bellona, the ancient deity of war. That makes sense, to be honest because the perk itself is busted in all offensive aspects.
— - —
[Perk]: Eagle's Rally
[System Denomination]: Passive
[Attribute Group]: DEX
[Level]: N/A
[Description]: For the first week in which you learn a [Battle Skill], your progress in that skill is raised exponentially for each consecutive day you train in it! For example, if your progress in training a [Battle Skill] is 'X,' then on your second consecutive day of training, you will gain experience for the skill at the rate of X^2.
— - —
At first glance, it may not be as flashy as the other ones but think about it with me for a second.
Let's say, on the first day, it's a multiplier of 2. That means, the next day, I'd start to master it 4 times faster. The day after that? 8 times.
This was perfect. I was tempted to spend another set of points on another [DEX] perk, but at the same time, I was a bit curious about the other Tier 1 perks, as well.
I don't want to get a [INT] perk. Not right now, anyway. I'll get one of those in the next cycle. I turned my attention to the strength perks.
I didn't have to look too far for the one I ended up getting:
— - —
[Perk]: Hecatoncheire's Onslaught
[System Denomination]: Active
[Attribute Group]: STR
[Level]: N/A
[Description]: This is a technique that uses mana and concentration to enhance one's strength to monstrous levels. This is done by storing mana in one's hands or feet and releasing it onto the target with pinpoint timing. With this strength, the user can decimate the ground or even kill opponents with a single strike. The loss of concentration, however, can easily reverse the effects.
[BASE][COST]: [100 MP/S]!
[BASE][DMG]: [100 X MP] + [100 X STR]!
— - —
Pretty cool, huh? The real kicker here for me wasn't that it was a multiple of my [WIS] but instead, my [MP]. That meant that if I pumped in all of the mana I could muster at this very moment in time, I'd be able to deal 1,731,500 damage to someone.
Well, in theory.
I couldn't do something like that without training, or I'm pretty sure I'd crush my entire arm into fine dust. The amount of concentration needed for something like that could take a while to reach.
A part of me wondered: if these Tier 1 perks were this good, what would the Tier 2 perks look like? Eh, I'll find out sometime.
The mana perk was a little tougher to decide on, as they were some of the coolest and most creative ones around, but I decided on one pretty quickly.
— - —
[Perk]: Accelerate
[System Denomination]: Active/Passive
[Attribute Group]: DEX
[Level]: N/A
[Description]: Boost your attack speed! While active, accelerate yourself over time, allowing your body to move faster initially and gain speed over time. Activation of this ability also stops the Wheel of Fate.
[BASE INCREASE]: [+][10 X DEX] speed!
[COST]: [1000 MP/MIN]!
[Wheel of Fate]:
[Section I]: Heal 1.5% Max Health Per Second!
[Section II]: 100% Mana Refund On Abilities!
[Section III]: +25% Attack Speed!
[Section IV]: +35% speed!
— - —
There was a small circular dial in the top right of my vision. Just like the perk description reads, there were four sections of it, with a small little arrow constantly moving around between them.
Here's where the fun part comes in.
I activated [Accelerate] and the corners of my vision blurred. It felt like my vision was boosted—zoomed out if you will. My peripheral vision was suddenly much wider.
The waves lapping against the shore of Camp, yards away, became easily visible. I saw some of the harpies in camp dive bomb a burrito a few yards away.
The little arrow stopped moving in the second quadrant, and it bounced up and down a few times, before glowing blue.
I lifted my hand, and a ball of flame erupted, curving around my palm. To my delight, not a single drop of mana was being used. The only drain on my mana was from [Accelerate] itself.
I deactivated it.
Now then. Time for the godly perk.
This part was really tough. Godly perks were always incredibly hard to choose from, but then again, I remembered that I was going to be going to Atlantis, and the decision was pretty clear.
— - —
[Perk]: Sea's Pride
[System Denomination]: Active/Passive
[Attribute Group]: WIS
[Level]: MAX
[Description]: You're the son of Poseidon, through and through! While entering a body of water, your HP and MP regenerate 200% faster! Gain enhanced movement speed and the ability to shoot out of the water at incredible speeds!
— - —
Pretty easy. Five perk points, down the drain.
Welp. I pushed off the log and walked toward my cabin—that bed was calling my name.
[Original Author's Note]
AN: Not much to say here! Thank you all for your continued support- I don't know what I'd do without you guys! Atlantis arc coming super soon!
There were so many reviews, I couldn't possibly fit them all into here; but thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. I can only hope to keep cranking these out for you guys! I honestly just posted the PSA to let you guys know what was up...but the support I got on it was truly amazing.
I never realized how much this story was taking off. Rest assured, I won't be letting anything like that get to me again. Hope some people get the Wheel of Fate reference.
-Maroon
[Patch Notes]
[04/20/21]: Huge changes here. Mostly, the visuals and numbers of the game, but also, Hestia doesn't know about the game so she doesn't help Percy. He does everything alone. And also, no interaction with Hestia means no condition...which means no deus ex machina for the eye- it's just a normal tool.
[11/16/22]: Visual changes and grammar.
[01/19/25]: Changed a lot of the descriptions and the entire Aphrodite conversation. Made the descriptions better, polished up grammar, and edited all the visuals.