The Trojan War
Chapter 1 : Prologue
Hyperion
Hyperion was in agony.
Contrary to popular belief, your organs churning back into one piece was not fun. He cursed as he walked along the gloomy lands of Tartarus, trying to ignore the pain, his eyes fleeting across the terrain. Although the Titans have already spent a lot of time down here, the strength that the mere atmosphere was oozing with sent a chill down his spine. Tartarus was not their father, unlike the Giants, and even though Gaia might want them alive, Tartarus was the epitome of Immortality, probably one of the strongest primordial. So, he did wonder, how were they able to live.
He walked carefully as he soon reached a cave.
"About time, brother."
Hyperion moved his eyes towards the speaker. Oceanus was standing in a corner, the wall supporting his back.
The causal posture and tone of his voice was not fooling anyone. His eyes were continuously looking around at the gathered people. The mood was tense.
It was a family gathering, after all. Drama was in the tradition. The problem was, the family was not exactly normal, was it? Hyperion didn't really want to die again so soon.
A sudden shifting in the ground made him stand straighter, as did the other Titans.
A face a woman, barely visible, was soon seen forming. The lack of power after the recent defeat was evident.
"Mother. Good to have you here." Mnemosyne started sweetly. She had always been a sucker.
"I have be-"
"Silence." Gaia's voice was soft, but the anger behind it was still felt.
"Yet again."
"Yet again mere demigods, the filthy half-bloods, were able to stop immortals. Royalty born of myself."
'The giants are lucky', Hyperion thought as he shuddered. They had not yet been able to reform, and the Titans had to suffer all the consequences.
"They had strong forces, mother." Krios tried to reason, but his own voice didn't have any conviction behind it.
"Strong forces you say? Krios, my child," the grounds began to tremor slightly, as the Gaia's anger began to increase.
"But as far as I remember, it was really only one demigod, wasn't it. He was the deciding factor, and you couldn't even kill a single, foolish, child."
"Percy Jackson."
His name sent the blood boiling through Hyperion's veins, as he dug his nails in his palms, ichor fooling out of it.
Percy Jackson. He hated that name. He wants to kill him by his own hands. He wants to see him begging, pleading for his life. He wanted to kill his little girlfriend, his friends, he wanted to raze the whole of Olympus.
Hyperion looked around. The feelings were the same.
"He has been left to live for too long. He needs to die." Koios started, "We have suffered two defeats, which we wouldn't have suffered had he been dealt with. There are many possibilities that might not work in our favor if we let this drag on any longer. You know the Gods. They might offer him and his lover immortality, they might make them Gods, they might ask him to train a prodigy, he might even have children, perhaps as strong as himself. There are too many factors, he is too strong to be left alive."
The possibility of having an era of demigods as strong as Jackson was a little detrimental to their world burning plans.
"But killing him is difficult, as we currently stand, he is too strong for any regular monster to hunt down, The Titans have not yet gained their full power, not that we know if we can take him on if we had gained enough, and the Giants will take centuries to regenerate. We do not have a warrior strong enough to kill him." Tethys rambled in frustration.
Silence took over the cave, each dreaming about the ways they would like to kill Jackson.
"Perhaps…" Koios started, as he placed a hand on his chin.
"Perhaps, killing him in our current state is too difficult, maybe even in the future. As bitter as it may sound, we Titans are past the peak in our power." Koios raised his hands in peace as he was pinned with the glares of his siblings.
"Peace, brothers. That has been our mistake. We let our ego and ignorance guide our steps, leading us to failure. Yes, we are still powerful, perhaps more powerful than the Gods themselves, but we do not have worshippers, we do not have ways to influence events."
"The world has been in the grasp of the Gods for too long, they control more pieces than we do. We need pawns that we can influence."
"Get to the point, Koios." Hyperion said in frustration. He didn't want to hear how they were not strong enough to kill that stupid demigod.
"That sea-spawn has gained powers way beyond his capability. Not to mention, that incident in with Akhlys."
Koios paused as he let the weight of his words settle.
They all knew the incident. The air brimming with energy. The cold expression. The only goal to live. The unnatural hold on the power. The tug on the bloo-
Hyperion shivered. The implications of that incident were too severe. Perhaps it was a fluke. Perhaps the next time he won't be able to do it, at least not without dying. But….
The possibility lay hanging in the air.
Hyperion's face morphed into a grimace. He needs to be killed.
"There might be a way." Koios said, his words gathering everyone's attention.
"Speak, Koios." Gaia ordered.
"As I said, we are past the days of our peak powers and the Gods control most of the pieces. The battle is not just us Titans versus the Gods anymore. We need something else. We need pawns to control."
"And what do you suggest, Koios." Oceanus said with a gleam in his eyes. His defeat to Poseidon was humiliating. He wanting nothing but revenge. If it meant torturing and murdering his son, Oceanus was going to do it. He was quite sadistic in that way.
"We need a new board. Send him back." Koios finished.
"What do you mean?" Hyperion asked, not quite understanding the implications.
But he was not met with an answer.
The air suddenly buzzed with energy as the hair on Hyperion's neck stood.
Such anger…
Hyperion gulped as they all looked at a dark corner of the cave.
There, sat on a stone was the once mighty king.
Kronos sat there, his hair white, his body shriveled and weak.
He was just a tiny part of himself. Afterall, he was the one most affected by the wars.
After the boy Luke had betrayed him, his soul had tried to retreat back to Tartarus. But the Gods were prepared, as Artemis was able to capture most of his essence using a contraption of Hephaestus. They had cut his essence into millions of parts and had spread it, just like they did during the first Titanomachy.
"Will you be able to do it, Kronos?" Gaia asked, but it was evident she knew the affects it might have.
"What will happen to him?" Oceanus couldn't help but ask.
There were some Ancient Laws, that all immortals had to abide. Sending someone back in time sounded too… draining.
"He is the Titan whose power presides over Time. His essence is a connected strand, one weaved so complicatedly that even I might not understand it. He will not fade, that's for sure. But trying to do this…he might not be able to reach his true form for many millennia. Although, his powers will come to use. His intents, our plan, will surely be perceived and relayed to 'us' by his past." Koios explained, not quite sure how to feel. On one hand, they might not be able to use Kronos' power again, even when they reach the current times again. But he will be conscious, still, and more importantly…
"Will that brat die?" Kronos breathed out. His fists were shaking as powers oozed out of his being. The air started to steam as the air came in contact with the king of the Titans. All the Titans stepped back in fear. They were strong, yes, but Kronos, he was the strongest.
"Yes"
Kronos started to shake, as laughter erupted from his body. The maniacal voice reverberated throughout the cave.
"Ο χρόνος τον καταριέται να υποφέρει.." (Time curses him to suffer.)
Kronos clapped, and the whole world dissolved.
Percy – I
Percy sighed as he felt himself gain consciousness after a short sleep, yet again.
He groaned as he tried to stretch his body and make his limbs work.
His bed felt weirdly hard, he realized, and he opened his eyes and –
The Hero of Olympus screamed like a little girl. He was ashamed of himself.
Two beady eyes.
He jumped up and backwards, riptide immediately out, cursing himself for sleeping carelessly, ready to block the attacker, looking ahead and already preparing himself for the big, bad, mighty, the usual 'I want to kill Jackson, I want revenge blah blah blah' monster-
The deer cocked its head sideward.
'Stupid human' The sentiment seemed to radiate towards Percy.
Percy was confused.
"Do you, uhm, also want revenge on me?" Percy asked, grimacing at the stupidity of his own question.
The deer shook his head disappointedly and walked away,
'Me too buddy, me too'. Percy thought.
Wait.
The jokes left his mind immediately as his eyes and senses sharpened.
He was in a forest. His eyes looked around, moving around quickly, trying to map his surroundings. He felt the familiar tug in his gut as he tried to get a feel of the water vapor around him and any other sources of water. He scanned the shadows, waiting for the monsters, his blood was beating faster, and faster, and faster-
Percy dug his nails into the palm of his hands.
'Snap out.'
'This is not Tartarus. This is not Tartarus.' Percy repeated in his mind, trying to calm himself down, but at the same time not losing the bearings of his surroundings while trying to think where he was. It was a habit he had picked up in Tartarus. To always be aware of everything. Afterall, he wanted to keep Annabeth safe.
Annabeth.
He looked around. he was alone. Percy felt déjà vu as he groaned and pointed his fist to the sky.
"Is this you again Hera? I swear why does your cow brain always wants to not let me be in peace." Percy cursed as he kicked a pebble while walking in the direction of the nearest water body.
Annabeth was going to kill him.
And then she would resurrect him and then kill him again.
Percy shuddered.
Percy tried to keep his feelings at bay as he walked, but it was not possible, it was literally against his nature.
Anger simmered through as he thought about his situation. Again, he was being used as a pawn for Olympus.
Again, he was away from Annabeth.
Again, his mother will worry.
Again, he will have to fight some wannabe evil family member who wants to 'destroy Olympus'.
Again. And again. And again.
Percy's fists shook as his frustration became clear. He was done. He had fought two wars. He had suffered enough in Tartarus. He had helped enough. He wanted to live the rest of his life with Annabeth in peace.
But no.
The fates liked kicking him back down when he was happy.
'Well, at least I have my memory this time, so I can curse the gods as I walk.' Percy thought. That was a plus.
After a tedious walk full of curses, he soon reached the end of the forest.
And as he broke through the border, the sight ahead of him confused him.
There was a river, flowing between him and a small village. But the peculiar thing was the village seemed, old?
The village was made in the style of medieval houses, and the few people roaming around the were dressed in clothes that seemed too old fashioned. A few were even riding horses.
He looked around for some camera rolling recording a movie, because the scene in front of him seemed right out of one.
As confusion took a deeper root in his mind, only one thought kept ringing in his head.
'Where the Hades am I?!'
He walked ahead and plunged himself into the river, remembering to swim normally and keep himself wet as there were a few people milling about.
He didn't need them to see him walking on the water and sacrifice a pig in his name. He cringed physically as he remembered that incident. It felt weird.
A fish saluted him with his fin.
'Hello, my lord.'
Percy nodded at him and tried to swim a bit faster.
He didn't need the fish fangirling around him right now.
He soon broke to the surface as he reached the other side of the river, and proceeded to walk to the edge of the village. The village seemed small, and there was already a small crowd gathering as they saw some stranger walk towards their homes.
Two armed men with drawn swards soon arrived upon noticing the crowd.
'Who are you and what business do you have here?' One of them asked.
Percy eyes instantly widened. They spoke in Greek. That was not good. The simple explanation was that he was somewhere near Greek.
But seeing the Greek armor and swords in both their hands, he knew there was some weird godly explanation here.
Percy raised both his hands in peace. He wouldn't need riptide for this. He didn't intend to kill anyone.
"I am just a traveler, friend. I have lost my way." Percy lied smoothly. At this point it was his unofficial power, if he was being honest.
The men looked at each other.
"He has weird clothes, but he doesn't seem armed what should we do Christos?"
"We could let him in, I suppose. I doubt he should be able to do anything. He is alone, after all."
Percy stared at them. Hard.
'Uhm, hello I am right here, you weird Greek cosplayers.' Is what Percy wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. He still didn't know the situation he was in.
He looked around.
Other than the small crowd of maybe six or seven, all the others seemed to mind their own business. Incoming of guests must be a common occurrence. There didn't seem to be any more soldiers in the vicinity, at least those not wearing full body armor.
"Hey you, weirdo."
That made Percy snap back his attention to them. Weirdo? Him? Pfft. The irony.
"What is your name, kid."
"Percy."
"Huh. Everybody is naming their kids after heroes as if their child is going to become one. Quite delusional, don't you think?" 'Christos' spoke as they burst into a small laugh.
Percy narrowed his eyes. He needed to keep his cool.
And, they spoke of heroes. Did they know about Perseus? That was not very commonly recognized.
"Come on then, child. You can rest here for some time. I am sure a fool like you might need some help. We can take you to the village priest. He might be able to guide you" One of them waved as they started walking.
Percy followed them as he walked in a mud lane, a few looking in his direction and then carrying on their own work.
They all wore chitons and other loose clothing.
Percy started to get more nervous. This was weird. It seemed like a running Greek village. There did not seem to be any car, any electricity poles, nobody seemed to be holding a phone. This place seemed devoid of any future devices.
"Excuse me, oh strong warriors, where exactly am I" Percy asked, trying to stroke on their egos.
He could visibly see one of them puff out his chest as a look of arrogance fell on his face.
"Since you are so respectful kid, I'll tell you. It is the magnificent village of Gravia."
"Doesn't seem too magnificent."
"Huh, what was that?"
"Nothing."
Percy walked as he racked his brain for the name of Gravia and he soon came to the answer.
He didn't know.
Of course. Geography wasn't exactly his strong point.
Who was he? Annabeth?
This instantly put him in a bad mood. Annabeth. He hoped she was not destroying the camp while searching for him.
The camp cannot go through it again, it was worse than the Giant War.
Well one thing was fixed. Casualties. Or, casualty, i.e., him. He was going to be laid down lovingly on a bed and then Annabeth was going to smile at him and go stabbity stab stab on his chest for disappearing again.
The knocking of a door jarred Percy out of the thoughts of his future demise.
'Concentrate Percy. Talk with this priest guy. Find out where you are, go back to New York, burn Hera's throne, go to camp. That's the plan.'
Soon the door opened.
Green smoke flooded out of the door as the two men stepped back in fear.
Percy just deflated in defeat.
A man in white robes came into the views, his eyes glowed with a small amount of power, barely there, but visible to Percy nonetheless.
"Come in, child. We have a lot to discuss."
Percy felt like this was the kind of situation which his mom clearly instructed him about.
'Do not follow a stranger into unknown places. No, not even if they offer blue cookies.'
Well, it didn't seem like Percy had many other options.
Percy thought carefully, and did the thing any sane person would do.
He entered the strange place with a man surrounded by weird green smoke.
Percy's smile dropped. He was sad. He was duped.
This guy didn't even offer him blue cookies.