All Right Belong to Rick Riordan
Hard Truths
(Perseus)
"Good afternoon, Perseus and to you too Chiron." The beautiful yet stern-faced blond goddess said as the centaur bowed a little towards her. With her drastically different hair to her Greek aspect, it was almost impossible not to notice the closer resemblance to Annabeth than her other self ever did.
That she also appeared at least a decade or so younger than Athena in perhaps her late twenties did not help matters.
"You know, I almost cannot remember the last time I came to the Greek Camp that did not involve me ranting and raving like an escaped asylum inmate." She mused suddenly with seeming amusement.
"Because that totally didn't lead to the deaths of dozens of your children." Lilith snorted rolling her eyes as I pinched my nose at her lack of tact.
"Despite my self-loathing and insane condition at the time. I am very much aware of everything I did during those times. As such the names of every single one of those Heroes who foolishly I branded with that accursed mark shall forever be etched into my memory." Minerva said with dejected sigh turning towards my sister.
"Soo... Anyway, what can we do for you?" I asked changing the subject from the depressing one. Having personally been affected by the repercussions in a way that had caused me to go into an emotional coma for the better part of a year, I did not want to discuss it any more than she likely did.
"To be honest, nothing in particular. I just wanted to get out of the temple while mother is rampaging about in it. So, I thought I would use the opportunity to investigate what had put her into such a mood." She said with a smile. Once again reminding me that the two aspects didn't even see each other as parts of the same being. But rather that of a dysfunctional parent and child who just so happened to occasionally share a body.
"So it was not because of Annabeth then Milady?" Diomedes asked causing most of the occupants of the room to flinch a little at her name alone. It was impossible to miss everyone's eyes glancing towards me.
"Believe it or not I have enough going on with my own crazy goddess, without needing to go berserk at the mention of her name you know. Still, I am happy that she has someone capable of standing beside her, even if I do want to strangle him on occasion." I said calmly looking at my cousin.
"Funny Percy said something similar." Nico said with a chuckle.
"As did I." Minerva said with a smile making the pale skinned boy do the impossible and actually turn even whiter.
"As did I, as did Nike and..." Diomedes added playfully.
"Yeah yeah, I got the memo. You can all have a tournament to see who gets to kick my ass first if I somehow mess this up... Which I won't!" He said proudly.
"Better not otherwise it is seriously going to suck for you if you do." Lilith said bluntly.
"Leave him alone, he knows the rules." Minerva said sweetly the underlying threat still very much there as the young man could only nod in affirmation.
"Back to the matter at hand. Perseus why do this now?" Chiron said finally shifting the subject away from the tangent we had shifted to.
"Because despite being the most powerful Titan Lord and marrying an Olympian, I am quite literally broke. I don't even have two dollars to rub together let alone two drachmas. I never got a proper education, so even if I could hypothetically get a job it would suck. I don't want to be serving fries for all of eternity, so realistically the only things I have to offer are an aptitude for violence and this." I told them stabbing my forefinger onto the bundle of pages.
"With due respect I don't want to end up like Diomedes over there. Remembered almost solely because of my ability to destroy all enemies placed before me. Circumstances outside of my control drove me into that lifestyle but now I can choose for myself, the life that I want to lead. It is not repeating the last seven years over and over again for all of eternity."
"I think we can all agree on that Perseus." Chiron said nodding his head.
"Would there even be anyone left to fight you in another seven years. I mean as you discovered there are only barely two Mesopotamian goddesses left. So, what other pantheons could you piss off to keep you going?" My cousin offered, Nico that is. It was always easy to forget that Minerva and by extension Athena were also my cousin. She was always so serious, especially compared to her siblings like Apollo and Hermes that you would think she was part of the preceding generation.
"Nico! The point is I do not want to keep fighting forever, not that I cannot. I am not a meathead like Ares who only gets satisfaction out of bloodshed and adultery." I mean sure it could certainly be fun for me, but even I had to say that there would always be innocent victims in any conflict.
"As noble as that sounds, do you seriously think that you can stop the cycles of bloodshed that are inherent to this world?" Minerva asked seriously.
"Have any of you ever actually tried?" I countered bluntly.
"..." Silence reigned supreme throughout.
"Of all the people who could have made done something about it. It should have been you, Anna Minerva. You had all the authority, the knowledge and the connections of Athena to enforce positive change on Olympus and the Roman empire without being distracted by her militaristic overtones and domain. Yet what did you do? You spent two thousand years driving yourself into insanity because you were not a war goddess like her."
"Perseus..." My former teacher said nervously.
"It is alright Chiron; he is correct and I can freely admit that now. For two millennia I was basically a worthless goddess who was useful for nothing. I was only still classified as an Olympian because of Athena."
"You know the biggest mystery to me is why anyone ever called you a fool Perseus? Sure, some of your strategies and choices may make it seem like you are a little touched in the head. But they always seem to work out in your favour and it cannot just be down to dumb luck and your opponent's complacence."
"To be fair anyone who is always seen working with Annabeth Chase was always going to appear as the dumb one in that group especially considering Grover was twice as old as me and actually had a complete education. Besides have any of you actually ever attended a modern high school, they are less interested in teaching pupils and more on using them as financial money pits. I have learned more from video games than I ever did there. No offence Chiron."
"None taken, Yancy was a middle school academy after all. Then again some of my fellow teachers did not have your best interests in mind." The old centaur said cracking a smile.
"Say what you want about Alecto but she genuinely can teach mathematics to a bunch of idiots."
"Don't I know it." Nico grumbled. Despite being a god, I knew that Hades had his kids still going to some form of school but never learned the details. I always just assumed he had some dead genius like Einstein teaching him and Hazel, not The Fury.
"ANYWAY." Lilith interrupted bluntly.
"Back to the matter at hand then. Even if you were to publish your memoirs as a couple of books and everyone on Olympus and even New Rome brought them all. That would not be a massive target audience and as Chiron said selling to the mortals had inherent risks to everyone mentioned within. Your escapades are not exactly subtle when you are triggering earthquakes and volcanoes and destroying entire segments of cities."
"I don't want a lot, I never have. There is just something I want to buy out of principle and the only tradeable commodity I have is this. If it causes people to stop judging me based on out of context quotes and other's opinions then so much the better." I said sincerely.
"Ok tell you what, I will give you an advance on one book. I would guess you would start with that first quest, correct?" Minerva deduced correctly.
"Pretty much."
"Then I would give you twenty-thousand dollars but I would want fifty percent of the profits on that one."
"But that would be half of my potential money."
"Alecto really did teach you." Nico snickered earning a glare.
"It is but with my help, you would have access to all of intricacies that you have never considered like printing and distribution networks. Never mind someone to type up and proof read your abysmal handwriting." She pointed out as I looked down at the top page I was holding. I mean I could read it... for the most part.
"Out of my own curiosity, say it is successful. What would you do with the profits on your end?" Lilith asked the goddess.
"Give them to Annabeth, that quest involves her almost just as much as you." She said verbally punching me in the gut.
How on earth was I supposed to refuse the offer now?
"Thirty-thousand." Lilith demanded having far less scruples.
"Twenty-five." Anna Minerva countered immediately.
"Twenty is fine." I told her simply accepting her first offer and making my sister pull a face.
"As I said, I don't want a lot. If I am just handed everything, I want then it would remove the simple pleasure of attaining success."
"I am always astounded by your modesty. As much as it pains me to admit, your mother raised you to be a fine gentleman. Of course, that is when you are not being an insufferable ass." She added with a wry smile.
"Says the one who has to share a head with Athena." Lilith countered causing the goddess to roll her eyes.
"Diomedes I would like you to contact Rick and let him know that Perseus will be requiring his assistance. Chiron, Grover thank you for the hospitality. Nico..."
"I know." The young god answered without any further words from the goddess.
"Perseus, Lilith I look forward to working with you in the future." She said before pulling the hat back over her head and like that she was gone without a trace. Considering the door was shut, it meant that even the brief burst of her flashing out was also hidden.
"I still don't know who scares me more, her or Artemis." Grover said taking a deep breath once he was sure she was gone.
"Artemis." Diomedes and I both answered simultaneously.
"That's a point, were you there when Arty got her ass slapped by Hera?" I asked the Greek.
"I am not stupid enough to answer that question." The giant figure said with smirk as he rose to his feet.
"That's a yes then." My counterpart remarked laughing.
"Chiron do you have a spare room I could use for a few days. It may take a few days for the historian to arrive."
"Of course, you will be staying as well then?" The centaur asked surprised by his former pupil.
"I have nothing else better to do and to be honest... I am in no rush to return to Olympus if Lady Athena is in such a mood." He said attempting to whisper but was still almost as loud as my normal talking volume.
"You know who is going to be telling stories by the fire pit tonight."
"That was how those stories used to be spread around. When I was but a boy, we used to request the tales of the Argonauts all the time. It is good to hear that Princess Atlanta is still doing well with the Hunters."
"Thanatos has as much chance of catching that girl as the rest of us." I responded earnestly.
"Hehe. That I do not doubt at all. Even swift Achilles could never hold a candle to her." Diomedes said reflecting on his past.
"Really?"
"It is true, even the greatest of us back in the day stood almost no chance against those girls. The Princess, the Hesperide and that vicious little redhead who was their Lieutenant back in the day..."
"You mean Delia. She was found just a few days ago."
"Aye, that is the one. She fought like a tiny demon when cornered. Left a scar on Ajax's face as a permanent reminder for our troubles. Of course, it was all for nothing when no one could get our flag back." He said reminiscing about events thousands of years ago.
"You say Delia was found; Lady Artemis searched for more than a decade." Chiron asked.
"As it turns out she was pulling a Pan. That is to say hiding underground, on a hidden island, in the middle of an unending storm. My other half stumbled upon it by more by blind luck that on purpose. Sure, she was a little maimed and half of her was missing but nothing that couldn't be sorted out. She even has a daughter now, who is a Lamia."
"A Lamia!" Grover exclaimed.
"You know I am beginning to think it is a good idea that you are writing down these events because if anyone was telling them back in my day. They would likely call him a drunk or a madman." Diomedes laughed putting a catcher's mitt sized hand on my shoulder briefly before leaving the room.
"To think that I only took him in as a pupil because I needed his father's coin." Chiron said with clear amusement.
"Everyone's got to pay the bills somehow teacher. Even us."
"I know how I can make..."
"The answer is no. You do anything with that body that could possibly make it back to her and it is my ass on the line with Harmony." I interrupted immediately cutting her off.
"Who is Harmony?" Grover asked confused.
"Artemis's stupidly overpowered new form. Somehow, she merged with Diana and became absolutely ridiculous." I summarised.
"Yeah. Ridiculously horny." Lilith added giggling.
"Pretty sure they didn't need to hear that sis." I said turning towards the grinning girl who was now lying sideways across her chair with her legs hanging over the edge.
"Putting that aside. I think we may have met, I believe she may have come here a few weeks ago." Chiron said after a short moment pondering.
"If it was after the New Year then it is guaranteed to be her. Gold and Silver heterochromia and hair that goes to her ankles? Maybe a dozen silver wings." I said describing the main tell-tale differences between then and now.
"I cannot say about the eyes and she certainly did not have wings but her hair was definitely longer. For some reason she was inside her cabin and was heard screaming and making a commotion..." Chiron answered only to be interrupted by the laughing hyena across the room.
"Oh, you sweet innocent centaur. Bet you didn't check to make sure she was alone in there." Lilith said after finally stopping to catch her breath. Unbeknownst to even me, most of my future in-laws were also in there.
"Which leads back to Lilith's earlier point." I said with a sigh as Grover could be seen clearly blushing as Chiron simply closed his eyes and exhaled.
"This is exactly why girls used to be forbidden..." He muttered quietly.
"I will go get the bottle." Grover said with a smile before trotting over to the corner of the room. Pulling a battle-scarred shield out of the way revealed a hidden cubby hole filled with several bottles and crystal glasses.
"I would say I am shocked Chiron, but what is more surprising is that the Stoll's haven't found that." I commented as Grover came back with the bottle of scotch and a stack of glasses.
"Thankfully they are going to college next year. Besides it is only with Mr. D's absence that I am able to keep alcohol around here again." Chiron said taking the bottle from Grover and cracking the top.
"They also said the same thing last year." Grover commented as he passed a glass over.
"As much as you all have created your fair share of problems for me over the years. I am still saddened when it comes time for you all to leave." He said pouring out an unmistakeably clear liquid into the glass. Once the glass was half full, the look of disappointment was abundantly clear.
"Of course, some of you are missed far more than others." He said putting the glass down on the table beside him as Nico started laughing.
"Don't know what you are laughing for cousin, you are stuck here forever too with Athena as your new boss." I told him as Lilith hopped to her feet and walked over to the cupboard.
"Water, water, mostly water, water and platinum label." She said merely by touching the top of each bottle, finally having good luck on the last bottle.
"They will get to live here a bit longer then." The centaur said as my sister came back with the intact bottle.
"Care to join me?" The centaur asked pointing towards the other glasses.
"I have never tried whiskey before." I responded nervously even as he lay four glasses out and began to pour.
"You had never saved the world before; it didn't stop you from doing it again and again."
"Can I have some?" Nico asked optimistically only to be immediately handed the glass of water by Lilith.
"I really should have seen that coming." He said with resignation as Chiron handed a glass each to me, Grover and Lilith.
"To Camp Half-Blood." Grover started.
"To a great Teacher." I added.
"To Heroes, past and future." Chiron finished as we all touched glasses and took a sip.
Promptly causing me and Grover to start heaving at the unknown taste.
"What a pair of heathens." Lilith mocked happily taking another drink.
"It burns." Grover complained as he rapidly put the glass down on the side and instead picked up the other bottle filled with water to wash it down.
"Well at least someone enjoys the finer things in life." Chiron said to my sister as they again clinked glasses.
"Just so you know, the water tastes normal." Nico said sarcastically.
"Hey that's a point, how's it going with Ereshkigal?" Lilith asked.
"That depends on who you ask, Dad loves having her around. Persephone... not so much."
"Well, that is to be expected." I answered, I may have missed that entire turn of events but had been told the basics by Lilith then Percy during our brief catch up.
"As for the dead, well they are already petitioning to build her a palace."
"So, I take it she has become quite popular then."
"That would be putting it politely. Unfortunately, Inanna comes as part of the package and that woman doesn't understand the word modesty." Nico said all the while blushing.
"Could be worse, most half naked people in the underworld are getting boiled in cheese."
"They're not trying to sleep with me. Hence why I am here in the first place." Nico said as I felt myself being relieved of my glass by my sister who was clearly enjoying the drink a lot more than I was capable of.
"At least, you would know, what to do... When a girl is hitting on you." She teased between hiccups slumping against me.
"Lilith." I growled.
"Better than pining after a woman who currently... doesn't exist." She said and for perhaps the first time, I felt genuine anger, not at her directly. But perhaps more at the absurdity of the situation as a whole.
Of the two people I had ever loved, both were beyond me. The first because she had died and the second whilst very much alive was a constituent part of another greater being.
Harmony was is if someone had mashed down the upgrade button on the Roman goddess until sticky keys activated, yet at the same time she was not the same thing as the real deal.
"I am sorry Chiron, Grover but we need to be leaving." I said bluntly taking Lilith by the hand whilst hurriedly removing the glass from her other one and putting it aside. Despite the circumstances I wouldn't want to split up the centaur's matching set.
"Until next time Perseus."
"It won't be that long; I have a book to publish." I said with a smile before we were consumed by shadows.
Stepping out into my own chamber at Orthrys I looked down at the sorry state that was my sister. There was no way she was in her current state purely as a result of a few fingers of whiskey and certainly not this quickly.
"You mind telling me what the hell that was all about?" I demanded of the fragment as she refused to look at me directly.
"Fuck off." She screeched back as I could merely roll my eyes.
"Real helpful." I muttered letting go of her hand as she slumped to the floor, her head hanging low. Walking over to the dining table I grabbed a chair and dragged it back across the room before sitting down directly in front of her.
"Just leav-"
"Not happening. You try to leave here and I will hunt you down, until we have a talk. So, what exactly has crawled up your ass to put you suddenly in a mood."
"Everything. This entire situation is stupid. Not counting miss perfect, you are the most powerful being in two pantheons, yet you are out there begging for change."
"I don't want to be given money; it isn't about that. I want to be respected in the future not for what I have done but for who I am. Who it made me as a person."
"You threw that option away when you started carving up the Praetor in front of a horrified audience."
"Ok, maybe that one-time, things... Perhaps got a little out of hand."
"You don't get it, that story is not yours and it never will be. Like it or not, you are not Percy Jackson."
(Morganna)
"Kindly remember Clarent is a sword and not a plank of wood." Percy complained as I swung the blade and upon hitting nothing let the tip of the blade strike the rocky ground.
Of course, when he was refusing to let me use magic to enhance my strength. Just swinging the greatsword was a test of my strength in and of itself.
We had only been 'practising' for half an hour and already I felt drenched with sweat, my palms slippery on the hilt. No matter how much I wiped them down on my skirt. Even now the only thing stopping my muscles from screaming out in protest was Avalon doing its work to heal them.
"What is the point in this?" I asked bitterly yanking the blade off the ground.
"Humility." He said simply, raising a hand beckoning me to try again.
"I am getting less a sense of humility from this than damned humidity." I snarled as he casually diverted the lumbering sideways swing at his hip with my own simple hunting knife.
"Morganna. The point is, how you are now is exactly like ninety-nine percent of other female demigods would be in your situation. The only ones who could maybe swing Clarent with any form of ease would be some of Hephaestus's kids, Kratos's and probably Poseidon if around water." He explained causing me to frown instinctively at being compared to other 'normal' people.
"I am not like other people." I told him bluntly, bitterness clear in my voice.
"Your right, but there is strength in the illusion of inability. How else would I have managed to survive if people didn't underestimate me?"
"Because they were idiots who thought you were a bigger fool."
"I wouldn't suggest 'you' say that to the survivors faces but pretty much. If I didn't know anything about you and you. As you are now came out swinging Clarent at me, with your armour and free to do as you wanted. How do you think it would go down?" He asked causing me to pause.
"You would beat me." I conceded.
"No what I mean is, how would I defeat you? Do you think I would run straight at you and then we would duel to death?"
"Well, that is the honourable..." I said before he began to laugh.
"This isn't ancient Britain or the Middle Ages, chivalry is long dead. Just remember Galahad if you want to see where that ended up. If you think as an enemy, I would fight you in a fair duel you are insane. Think back to yesterday, did I fight Zoe fairly? No of course not, I dragged her around the arena learning her strengths and weaknesses and then I used them to defeat her. All without Zoe ever standing a chance at landing a single blow. You both have sets of armour but difference is that you are not as fast, strong or skilled as she is. You just have a big sword." He ridiculed as I gripped the hilt of Clarent with white knuckles.
"So, what am I supposed to do then? You have already made me not wear the armour."
"You master techniques, movement. Learn to be competent before you try to be exceptional. You want to fight Clarisse? You think you can beat her by just trying to brute force that battle. She will put you on your ass before you can so much as blink, just ask Zoe and Hylla how that goes." He said walking around me as I remained motionless.
"It is better to be initially perceived as a fool, who your opponent will carelessly drop their guard around. Than to be foolishly thought of as an expert who they will pre-emptively take every measure possible to stack the odds in their favour. Of course, if you disagree feel free to counter with your own approach." He told me challengingly flicking the borrowed knife so the blade imbedded into the floor.
Even unarmed as he was, I knew what he was capable of doing. Baiting me as he was, I knew that if I did strike towards him in any way, it would swiftly result in me with my back to the floor.
His lackadaisical attitude was because he knew what I was capable of, and no matter what I did. Clarent and armour or not, for the time being I was not a real threat to him.
And I utterly hated that.
Getting down to one knee, I place the crimson and silver blade across the palms of both of my hands. Offering my services to him.
"I Morganna Pendragon, Daughter of Uther Pendragon and the goddess Hecate. Offer my blade and myself in service to you Lord Percy as your squire." I proclaimed seemingly catching the Titan Lord off guard, however before he could respond I felt a chilling presence from behind me suddenly.
"I leave you alone for an hour and you are already out here stealing my Hunters?" A womans voice asked with a tone of amusement as I turned and looked at the silver garbed goddess.
"For the record, this wasn't my choice." He defended quickly and honestly.
"Milady, I will always remain first and foremost one of your hunters. But my pride dictates that I offer my sword to my teacher until my training is complete." I told her earnestly still on my knee.
"This was not how I expecting some of my hunters to try and offer themselves up to my husband. But I guess this way involves less necessary gelding, so I suppose I will allow it. Percy, see to it that this does not get in the way of your other 'duties'." She said with wry smile before beginning to walk off. Looking across to Percy, I found him staring at her backside, despite her long hair distorting his view.
Catching a flash of silver out of the corner of my eye, the goddess was gone and with that his attention slowly turned back to me.
"I don't know who I pity more, you or my first husband. Because neither of you could do anything without their wife finding out immediately." I told him playfully causing him to sigh before grinning once again.
Of course, with Lot that was because he was a truly awful administrator of our kingdom and so I naturally had to do all the business of governance. Which meant I knew exactly where 'our' coffers were being spent. Still, he was a competent fighter and figurehead for me to work behind. That he was also a satisfactory lover is why we had four children in relatively short order.
"Did he also get threatened with castration on a regular basis?"
"All the time, but when you are a queen and the competition has to spend all day rolling around with livestock. It makes it rather easy to keep a man loyal." I remarked chuckling at the memory of a time so long and so many lifetimes ago.
"He had better standards then Zeus then. Oh, wait you said WITH livestock and not actually with the livestock." Percy said laughing as distant thunder boomed.
"Besides are you going to leave me on my knees forever or will you take the sword? I may no longer be a queen but it is still rude to keep a lady waiting." I commented dryly. I was almost impervious to lasting damage but the jagged piece of gravel digging into my knee was still bloody uncomfortable nonetheless.
"Sorry I get easily distracted as you may have noticed. So what? I just take your sword?" He said lifting the sword with both hands, one under the flat of the blade and the other the hilt.
For a few long seconds, he stood there in silence just staring at the large silver and crimson sword. His face seemingly that of bewilderment before suddenly snapping back to reality with a shiver.
"Uh.. Rise Morganna Pendragon... I accept you as my squire... Is that good enough?" He said sounding terribly unsure of what to do next.
"I suppose it will have to do." I answered with a sigh.
It was easy to forget that although he had as much authority as he did. He had no actual experience using it upon others. When he did it was normally to knock someone down a peg that was acting above their station and not him having the higher standing. Nor was he using the goddess's authority over us Hunters, I was swearing myself to him."
"This is the part where you give Clarent back to me." I whispered as he suddenly thrust it back towards me, almost striking me in the nose with the ruby embedded pommel.
"Tell you what, you teach me to fight and I will teach you the etiquette befitting of your position." I told him in weary exasperation as I took back the offered hilt in my right hand. The weight of the sword forcing me to use my left to push back against the floor or else I would have pitched forward face first before finally lifting myself back up to my feet.
"I am just not used to people getting on their knees for me." He defended.
"Well, I can think of one person who probably does-". I remarked playfully before noticing that the surrounding was suddenly quiet, from the wind to the waves everything was silent.
"She is behind me, isn't she?" I told the Titan who could only let out a resigned sigh.
"Above actually." Came the answer bluntly.
"I guess I should have seen this happening Milady." I commented with a guilty smile tilting my head back and looking upwards at the goddess lazily flapping her wings ten feet above me.
"Need I remind you, MY Hunter. That considering that you slept with TWO of your siblings, both unknowingly in Merlin's case and very much knowing what you were doing in Arthur's case. You are in no position to comment on anything I do with my husband." The super powerful goddess remarked seriously.
For the second time in the last ten minutes I noticed that she referred to Percy as her husband despite the fact that they were obviously not yet officially married. Now obviously I had missed some things over the last few weeks but that was not one of them.
Now despite of the fact of how stunningly beautiful the goddess was now; it was her who was incredibly possessive of him and not the other way around.
"Of course, Milady, my deepest apologies." I told her suddenly back on my knees again as the goddess finally landed right in front of me.
"Remember your position daughter of Hecate, it matters little your history or your heritage. You are in no more place to make demands or deride me than Marina or the twins. I may entertain some words from Atlanta, Phoebe or my Lieutenants but they have earned that privilege over centuries or longer of service. I am already entertaining this folly of yours as it stands, so I suggest you do not take further liberties." She said bluntly before suddenly she was gone without a trace.
It was only when I noticed that Percy had moved further into my range of vision that I realised that she must have left while I was frozen in time.
"Don't take it too personally, she is under a lot of stress." The Titan said with a sigh.
"I thought that we came here as a form of vacation." I answered sarcastically. Sure, I had arrived late but I had still been speaking with the others about what I missed.
"So did I." He said sadly, his gaze looking off into the direction of the camp.
"Let's go back and get something to eat. We can carry this on tomorrow." He said abruptly putting a sudden stop to our training.
I wasn't sure how long I was out of the loop while frozen but it must have been long enough for the pair to have had a full conversation.
"Oh... Ok." I said simply before putting Clarent back away into the immaterium. Once upon a time I would have gotten angry that I was not the centre of attention or that I was not getting my desires seen to as much as I wanted.
However, Harmony had just kindly reminded me that I was only a big fish in the small pond that was Dark Ages Britain. Compared to the two true divines, despite all of my potential power from my heritage. I was no more an inconvenience for them to deal with than Tania.
(Harmony)
"Why am I being such a bitch?" I mused to myself for the third time as I stared at the unchanging ceiling of my tent.
I was now outright spending as much of my day spying on Percy as I was doing things myself. Then at the slightest sign of a joke from one of my hunters at my expense I had lost my shit.
On some level this had been bubbling up for some time and unfortunately for the dragon girl, she was the one who had pulled drawn the short stick despite only just returning. Her compatriots had already plucked the ones containing the last of my patience over the last few weeks. Particularly the four most senior Hunters and Tania.
Of course, even there somewhat constant remarks were not what was stressing me out.
No that would be the namesake of this island.
After several days I still had no solution to the problem that was Delia.
Sure, she was going through the motions, almost as much as the other Hunters. But it was clear that her heart was not in it. Her thoughts were not focused and she was appearing more and more distant with each passing day.
Yet by contrast, the Lamia girl was thriving in her new setting, with the exception of her uncertainty around Percy. She seemed to be having the time of her life, enjoying the challenge of being with others that were of an equal or greater skill. However, it seemed like she was being held back on occasion by her clinginess to Delia.
The redhead would just randomly walk off on occasion with no warning and nothing but a blank expression. Leaving the Lamia to suddenly have to decide to carry on competing in whatever activity was going on or to slither off after her adoptive mother.
Even from afar when I watched the girl, idly wander around the dead husk of her former paradise homeland I could do little but feel guilty. Afterall, was this not technically my fault. Sure, Hera was the one who actually destroyed this land, but was my birth not the reason for it?
Add to this the fact that even now I could not work out how to politely 'unfuck' the situation, it was making me gloomy and temperamental. This combined with Percy being off helping Morganna and not serving as a 'distraction' was also not helping my mood in the slightest.
"Are you still sulking or should I come back later?" His voice suddenly said from outside the tent. Sure enough, with my focus being on wallowing in self-pity I had failed to even notice his presence being back in the camp.
"Being an ass doesn't suit you, so just get in here already." I responded back with a sigh as the tent door was pushed aside with his free hand. The other holding a tray of sweets, cakes and biscuits.
"I see we are eating healthy then." I commented causing a thin smile to appear.
"This is all for me, you are quite capable of going outside and getting your own." He said sitting down at the foot of our bed. Yet despite his comment he still placed the tray within easy reach of my right hand.
"Harmony, you are the most powerful and beautiful person in the world. So why are you hiding away in here, acting miserable?" He asked and I will be honest I cared more for the first sentence than the second one. I liked having my ego stroked a lot more than questioned.
"You know exactly why."
"But what is this accomplishing exactly other than making you miserable. Believe me I know more than enough about depression and anxiety to write a book about. But it will never result in anything positive unless you try to move on past it, and believe it or not sex is not the answer but a coping mechanism."
"So, what do you suggest I do then?" I asked bitterly, it now abundantly clear that was off the table for the moment.
"Go out and talk to people, having two Lieutenants does not mean you get to deal with them half as much as before. Speak to Delia..."
"And say what exactly!" I demanded angrily.
"Whatever comes out naturally. Just have a conversation, find out what the problem is before you try and fix it by brute force. Because at the moment the two of you not doing anything is probably hurting you both more than anything you could actually say or hear."
"I just want things to be easy..." I said with dejection slumping back onto the bed.
"Think about who you are marrying and the kids we will have in a few months. This should be the nice calm before the storm if you think about it." He said with a chuckle as I immediately sat up and glared at him.
"What? It is not like I don't have my own problems to deal with as well. I have to deal with Orthrys and who knows what those two are getting up to on their own?"
"Don't remind me of them."
"Be that as it may, I still try and deal with these problems when they arise rather than kicking the can down the road like you are doing."
"I know but I just don't want to think about what could change, I like things as they are."
"That because you are the Primordial of Balance isn't it." He said simply as my eyes shot open and stared at him as he sighed.
(Percy)
It wasn't as if her reaction to my statement was unexpected. I think she was just more surprised that I had chosen then to say it. Still the slight grimace that appeared on her beautiful face was sad to see.
"Percy, please... do not say that again." She said sounding almost pained.
"It is true then?" I asked again before standing up and moving to sit beside her and pulling her against me.
"Yes...No... Maybe...I don't know." She mumbled miserably.
"Listen, I don't care who you are or what you are. I love you regardless. But I also know that you cannot let a single word define who you are as a person. Do you remember how you were as Artemis before I came along and flipped the script?
"I was an emotionless, robot bitch of a goddess. By design!" She growled bitterly.
"Harsh but true. But remember you are no longer held in check by those threads of fate. The ring on my finger is proof that you are unshackled and free to do as you please. Which also means the only reason you are sitting here and wallowing in self-pity is because it is your choice to do so. Not the Fates, not Ananke and certainly not Chaos's fault." I told her as she buried her face against my chest.
"How did you..."
"It wasn't that complicated to be honest, between your name and the fact that you avoided that word like the plague in both English and Greek was a hell of an indicator. Also, the fact of the terms of your manifestation gave me some level of insight. You appear to be something of a cosmic failsafe, in case something goes drastically wrong."
"Exactly I am an abomination that shouldn't exist." She said miserably somehow burying her head further into my armpit.
"Less of that, you had no way of knowing any of this could have happened. Besides I don't think you are fully manifested as Harmony." I suggested.
"What?" Came a sudden word as her head shot up and stared at me.
"I don't think the current 'you' is what your fully capable of. As terrifying as it is, I think that you could do so much more. It is just that you are bala- scaling your powers off of mine, because I am the most powerful person you have interacted with."
"That is not a good thing!" She said almost horrified at the implication.
"Be that as it may, I suspect it is the truth. That is why your mind rejects it when you think about it."
"So, what if I was to meet the other Primordials I would be as powerful as them."
"No, I think you would be more powerful, every time. Harmony, I suspect is a failsafe in case of catastrophe. I reckon that if you were fully unrestrained or held back you would surpass even Chaos themself."
"That's insane, why would the Creator allow something to be more powerful than themself."
"So, she can deal with any issue perhaps even as insurance against themself. Besides you would always have one fatal flaw no matter how powerful you became. Your personality." I explained and immediately received a look that could have blown straight through Adamantium.
"What the fuck does that mean?" I was asked as I realised that her hand was not grasping the inside of my thigh just enough to cause discomfort if not pain.
"It means that you could never rule, you lack aspirations for power or responsibility. It is why you hide in your tent and delegate everything to others. If Chaos is the Lord of Creation and Change, you are the Lady of bal-that and stagnation.
"Wow I would rather you say the other word a dozen times than compare me to stagnation, sounds real flattering. Like I am being compared to a pond." She said pouting and rolling her eyes as she released her grip on my flesh.
"Still, it is all hypothetical, I could be completely wrong as with so many other things. You are enough of a handful to deal with as you are now." I told her before she once again lay down beside me and got comfortable.
"Who would ever want to rule the world?"
"Someone who has no idea in what that would actually entail. Perhaps that is why the Pantheons were created in the first place, to decentralise power away from a single individual." I answered after a moment thought.
"Or because Chaos could not be bothered to do so." Said the only person who likely could call the oldest divine out.
"Well, if you were the Lord of Creation, would you rather play with your old toys or the shiny new ones you just came up with? I think that is more likely considering Chronos's words. I think he probably has the opposite problem to you, you are fixated on the status quo, whereas he bears no attachment to what has come before. Hence why no one has seen him in thousands of years."
"Does that make me a special kind of discarded toy then? Perhaps you will play with me?" She asked teasingly.
"Have you thought about how you are going to deal with Delia?" I admonished tapping her on the nose causing her brow to furrow.
"Fine." She said rolling off the other side of the bed and rising to her feet, straightening her auburn hair as she did, so that it once again trailed behind her.
To be honest every part of the goddess in front of me was incomparably beautiful but Harmony's hair was the only thing I had mixed thoughts on. It looked good when she was standing up and moving around, flowing behind her almost ethereally. However, when lying down or similar activities it seemed to end up EVERYWHERE and I always felt like I was accidentally going to pull on it by accident.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"If you were coming with me, I would not be leaving this tent anytime soon." She said with sultry amusement as I could smile and let out a sigh at having teed myself up for that one.
"Besides would you be coming as moral support or just to make sure I go. Besides it is not like I have much choice in the matter unless I want my sex life to turn stagnant." She teased throwing my words back at me.
"Yeah, well just like a pond you are still always wet..."
As it turns out, we were held up by an hour or so.
Afterall, I am a Titan Lord and I certainly never claimed to be a Saint.
(Perseus)
"-You are not Percy Jackson." Those words continued to echo around inside my head even several hours later.
At the time I had been so pissed off with my sister that I had just walked away. As much as I wanted to dispute it on some levels, she was right. We might look almost identical but out attitudes were two entirely different things.
It was alright for Lilith, she knew who she was in her previous 'life'. Sure, it was nothing glamourous but it gave her a sense of identity that I just didn't have. She was an amalgam of three different individuals, all completely different but she didn't rely on having the looks of Diana or the experience and some of the powers of Percy. She was still true to herself.
Me... I was now six-sevenths of my true being and yet I felt more fractured than ever.
Which is why I was wallowing in self-pity sitting at the bottom of my pool. Because as it turns out, Lilith does not have any form of hydrokinetic powers. So instead, I was just watching the yellow Lilo she was occupying float around the surface above me.
'You know this is pointless right.' Her voice asked in my head.
Unfortunately, she could still do that though.
'Leave.'
'What so you can throw yourself an even bigger pity party?'
'Fuck off.'
'If you don't stop being a little bitch, I am going to swim down there and fuck you.' She threatened as I watched her actually lean over the side of the inflatable and look down at me.
'I look forward to watching you drown in the attempt.'
'Someone's forgetting that I get a kick out of being choked and have no gag reflex.' Oh right, I actually almost forgot that she really was a freak under the facade.
'What do you actually want?' I asked with the mental equivalent of a sigh.
'The greater part of my being, to not be a whiny little bitch.'
'I was having a good time; you were the one who screwed it up!' I shot back angrily.
'That's because you are running away from your problems again. Until you deal with the goddess, everything else is irrelevant.'
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that-" I demanded pushing up to the surface rapidly and asking her directly only to pause in surprise.
"I knew that mentioning her would get your attention." She said with amusement and to be honest my attention was no longer on anything to do with Harmony but instead the naked woman in front of me.
"Where... where are your clothes?" I stuttered spitting out water
"Oh right, I don't really have a lot of clothes and I didn't want them to get wet." She said trying to make an excuse. Sure, she didn't have control over water, but she did over time. That much was certainly true.
"Go put clothes on, right now!" I shouted turning my back on her and sinking to the bottom under the weight of my shame. I knew why I was attracted to her; it was because she looked so much like the Roman goddess but damned did it make me feel dirty.
"Urgh. Fine" She complained before I heard her splash into the water. For a second I was genuinely afraid she was going to come towards me, but I could sense her moving away allowing me to let out a sigh of relief.
A few minutes later, I sensed her return and slowly rose to the surface. Checking to make sure she was actually presentable before pulling myself up onto the pools edge.
"Still can't believe you actually went swimming in a shirt and pants." She commented and sure enough I was completely clothed.
"I wasn't down there to go swimming; I was hiding from you."
"If you wanted to hide from me, you could have picked any large body of water on the planet. Not the one in the next room. You wanted to talk but you didn't know what to say like usual." She said picking apart my statements with expert ease just like usual.
"You know I wish you had been any part of me other than the one you are." I told her wearily looking up the ceiling not looking at her as she moved around the pool to sit beside me.
"So, what you mean is you would miss me?"
"Noo! Okay maybe a little, certainly more than the other five idiots anyway."
"That is because without desire, the rest of them are pretty much irrelevant. You are only left with feelings of Pride, Anger, Laziness and Gluttony. Which combined are not exactly the greatest driving forces for healthy living and without desires what is the point of Greed and Envy. You don't want anything and you don't care about anything. Sure, you get momentarily angry at being denied but then you move on, do you not?" She said pulling apart my entire issue in the space of a few simple sentences.
Sure, she had a few major issues, but she really was the brains of this operation. Probably because she was not working with just Percy Jackson's brain power and instead with a far more experienced mindset as well.
"I just don't know what things I do or want to do are because of left over mad ideas that he had and what is my own. It does not help I was only a true aspect for about a week before Chronos decided to screw with my head. The cabin at Montauk that..."
"...Was one of his." She answered for me causing me to sigh in dejection.
"If it makes you feel better the books though, that is you. Sure, it could be argued that they are not 'your' stories. But the truth is he will likely never do something like that, because he lacks the arrogance or pride to want to tell his story. You are in the unique position to write what is essentially a biography of his adventures, yet you have the complete knowledge of everything that happened. Not just what Percy would tell some random writer."
"So why did you complain then?"
"Because you are selling yourself short because of me. Your lack of desire just causes you to agree with whatever terms are offered. Athena apart from Hades is the likely the richest person on the planet without any of the overheads. Annabeth once said that her mother has patents for basically everything imaginable. Do you seriously think that Bill Gates is richer than his mother? Yet you ask for only twenty-thousand dollars. I know you say you don't want much but there is that and then there is being a door mat for everyone to walk all over. Last I checked you were prideful enough that you didn't let no-one tell you what to do."
"She brought up Annabeth what was I supposed to do?"
"Remind her whose fault it was in the first place that she is now as good as dead. Anna Minerva may not be as bad as Athena in general but she is still far from perfect. Her looking similar to Annabeth just screws with our perception of her. It is just like Harmony and Diana. They are not the same being in looks or personality so don't equate them together."
"Right." I answered bluntly, the mention of that Roman goddess in particular getting my attention.
"However, the difference is that Diana is part of Harmony and no one but you is disputing that fact. You are just so held up on what was, that you cannot see any different, that is why latch onto the closest thing possible which is me."
"Diana would at least talk to me; Harmony looks at me like something she would scrape off her shoe. Don't compare the two!" I growled angrily.
"Yes, because your actions have nothing to do with how Harmony would treat you. You are clearly forgetting the other constituent part of Harmony. From the moment of your incarnation, you did almost everything possible to bother Artemis in some way or another. You derided her, you threatened to kill her, you embarrassed her, you even threatened her unborn child. The list goes on, but when you needed saving, she was there for you and shook the earth to rescue you. How exactly did Wrath respond to that?"
"His actions were his own! That was the Eidolon side of him not... me." I defended miserably.
"Be that as it may, that is not how she likely saw it. Either way all the way up until the War Game you did everything possible to antagonise her in whatever way was possible because no matter how broken you were. You never saw Artemis as a serious threat, because she was not capable of doing anything to you without the feedback affecting Percy." She explained and I was forced to begrudgingly acknowledge the bulk of the truth in that statement.
"Then suddenly the goddesses are merged into one and everything has changed, except for you. You cannot acknowledge her for who she is now. You only see the fact that you lost your chance with Diana despite the fact that she is still standing in front of you in unarguably prettier packaging. Yet, you wonder why she then defaults to the Artemis mentality towards you as nothing but a pest. She is merely returning your own attitude from before back at you eleven-fold because she can. She doesn't see YOU as a threat to her and she can comfortably wipe us both of the face of the planet with nothing but a thought and some glowing eyes." Lilith explained and the truth of that threat was still very much on my mind.
"So, what exactly are you suggesting?"
"Just try and be nice with her, see if you can mend some of those broken bridges at least. Because this is only ever going to go three ways eventually. She is only going to stay as Harmony forever in which you are going to spend eternity pining over someone who is lost forever to you but is in reality staring right at your oblivious ass. Second said goddess gets annoyed with your shenanigans for the final time and factory resets you back to the default settings. Thirdly she does change back and you get your desire but you have to resolve how you are now that one punctured tyre on a car that is still quite happily driving along on three. Sure, they may notice something is wrong on the bends but they can easily ignore it for the time being."
"That analogy sucked."
"Shut up I don't care as long as you understood the gist it was fine." She said waving me off.
"Option two obviously is not ideal under any circumstances. But even if she stays as Harmony what can I offer her that she doesn't already get from that idiot? As much as it pains me to admit, he is better than me in every way."
"Why nothing of course, you said it... or alternatively you could say everything. You are the same physically but different in the ways you operate. Besides at this point he is infinitesimally more experienced with handling her than you are and you stand no chance of catching up." She said whilst smirking at me as I glared back at her.
"May I point out that you are just as much of a virgin as I am." I told her bluntly, well that was as long as you didn't include self-pleasure because I was pretty certain that she had done some weird shit with that body. I was always a good boy, mum said I would go blind.
"I would rock your gods damned world given an opportunity or are you forgetting my previous vocation?" The literal former whore boasted proudly.
"Let's agree to disagree, besides I think it is quite clear I have a thing for silver eyes and not gold." I told her causing her to pout.
"Yeah, as if you wouldn't want to have angry sex with Artemis?" She whispered into my ear as I instinctively swallowed. I guess it was also true that particular goddess's natural eye colour was gold and it was nothing to do with time control.
"That is not the point! Artemis isn't around either remember, there is only Harmony currently." I told her defensively as she giggled at my not denial. It was unfortunately true and she knew it that I was particularly attracted to the Greek goddess more when she was pissed off.
"See you are learning." Lilith said with satisfaction looking away and out across the pool with a content smile. For a few seconds I openly just stared at the beautiful woman next to me in awe.
Not because of her looks as you would expect but for everything that she had done for me.
We were two parts of a broken individual and the truth was both of us knew that we would stay that way forever without reconciliation. Yet even so, with her being the one with everything to lose in doing so she had stuck by me to help me deal with my multitude of issues. A more selfish person would have taken this offered second chance at life and run for the hills leaving me to suffer in my screwed-up state of incompleteness.
Sure, we had arguments but every time by the end we had seemed to make progress on the bigger picture by the end of it.
"Lilith. I appreciate everything you have done for me." I told her sincerely.
"I know." She said simply rising to her feet as I looked up at her curiously as she simply smiled back at me and a lone pair of golden wings appeared from behind her.
"Lilith?" I questioned in almost a panic as she began to walk away and I scrambled to my feet to chase after her. Even as I hurriedly followed behind her, I could see that the end of her wings was already starting to fade into fragments of light.
"Is that it? After everything, you are just going to leave me alone!" I demanded bitterly causing her to pause in her step as she spun around on her heels to face me. The line of ichor trailing down her face from her eyes was heart wrenching even to me.
"You idiot, you were never alone except when you wanted to be. Staying cooped up with nothing but fragments of your own psyche forever is not going to help you in the long run. You need to get out there and confront the issues not hope they go away."
"Listen to me for the last time. Your flaw isn't the same as his. You don't worry about loyalty to friends or if you can save the world. You are arrogant or rather sensible enough to know that you can do those things. Your issue is the same as mine you cry out for validation; you desire to be recognised for the things you have done." She explained as the last traces of her wings faded from view.
"I don't care about those things." I protested weakly.
"Sure, you don't." She said rolling her eyes before I was suddenly pulled into a hug.
"Do the things that Seaweed Brain forgets about all the time. Be a good son to mom, be a good brother to Andromeda. Be the best Titan Lord this world has ever seen. Definitely don't be a deadbeat dad like so many other divines and most importantly of all..." She said pulling away from me and sure enough there was not much left of the beautiful woman in front of me.
"... Fuck the goddess. Hahaha." She said finally laughing as she faded away completely into fragments of light as I fell to my knees and stared at tile stone floor.
For the first time in a month, I felt complete.
Yet then why was it that I still felt so absolutely hollow? I pondered blankly as I watched the burgeoning collection of golden drops pooling in front of me.
(Twenty-minutes later)
"Stop being a whiny bitch and pick yourself up you idiot." I growled angrily to myself before slowly rising to my feet and I began to walk. I had no destination in mind but I just had to get away from where I was.
She may be gone, but she was right. She was always right when it came to me. She knew my insecurities better than I did and that I was more than capable of throwing a pity party for one.
But what was the point?
I didn't desire a quiet life because I had never known one. The closest thing I (that is to say Percy) could relate to that was the year or so when I had first come to Orthrys. Which had unfortunately consisted of cursing fate, the world, Dark Souls and more importantly my own inability to end it all then and there. Fortunately, some unlikely 'friends' has managed to drag me out of this rut enough that I was able to do something with it.
I guess it had been easy for the most part by me to forget that everything prior to my incarnation was not just a part of my life to be forgotten about. I had friends at Camp, here at Orthrys and even Olympus. I could now even have a casual sit-down meal with former enemies and find out their perspectives on everything.
I had promises and pledges to people that I had left unfulfilled.
I had fractured relationships and bonds with people that needed to be repaired.
Maybe, just maybe when I was done, I just may even get a chance to fuc-
"-Crazy goddess bitch!" A familiar gruff voice called out in pain as Atlas stumbled around the corner leaving a noticeable Ichor stain on the wall as he slid against it. The cause likely the massive flamberge stuck through his shoulder up to the hilt. The wavy blade coming out of his upper abdomen.
I was almost glad to see that I was not the only one who had to worry about a pissed off goddess at all times.
At the same time, I was pondering this, the Titan finally noticed I was watching.
"You help me, your sister has gone crazy." He said stumbling towards me. I had never personally met Kymopoleia but I had heard things.
"She was always crazy and you should have known that." I countered bluntly as he dropped to his knees in front of me. Even so Atlas was still a full head taller than me as I was currently.
"Yeah, but I have never seen her go that crazy. Besides just get this damned thing out of me first." He complained pointing at the protruding blade.
"Fine but don't bitch at me if it hurts." I said wearily walking behind him and placing one hand on the hilt and the other against his massive back I began to slowly draw the undulating sword out of him without cutting him further. After a while and against his angry protests I realised that the blade was so massive that I had to use replace my arm on his back with my foot to get enough leverage to finally pull the tip free. Finally, no longer impaled Atlas cried out a roar of pain before swinging his left arm out and punching a hole through the solid marble wall beside us.
"Father's cock that hurt." Atlas cursed quietly after taking a deep breath. The curse was a new one to me but a terribly cursed thought came to mind in relationship to Iapetus's nickname.
Putting that horrible thought aside, I focused on the seven feet of ichor-stained bronze in my hand that looked particularly vicious. Just like its ten-feet tall owner who was now glaring at the two of us.
"Brother." She addressed bluntly looking from my face to the sword and then back to my face.
"I'm Perseus and this is yours I believe." I told her politely walking over and offering the pommel of the enormous blade to her.
"Oh, the other one? You're more polite than I was expecting." She said with surprise even as she took the sword from me.
"As for you... You are lucky I only stuck this through your shoulder and not up... your ass." She said bitterly sneering at the Titan General who had turned to look back at her.
"I still don't see what the problem is, it is not like you are still a virgin..."
"Shut up! You idiot meathead." She snarled as I suddenly took great interest in the ceiling.
"Good luck bro." I said simply choosing not to get involved further in this debacle. I had enough issues in my life without involving myself in whatever was going on here. Besides he was the Titan of Endurance, he should be able to survive whatever Kym was going to do to him, right?
"I thought we were friends?" Atlas's voice cried out from behind me as I walked away careful to avoid the ichor stains.
"And she is my oldest sister, so kindly work it out between you." I called back before waving over my shoulder as I disappeared into the shadows.
Looking below me, I couldn't help but sigh.
Delos, no offence to its namesake was as usual a dead dustbowl of an island.
With the exception of the silver garbed figure and the enormous lioness running laps around it, you would wonder why anyone would even want to come here. The ancient ruins themselves were unimpressive and similar were present throughout the region. So apart from its connection to Artemis the island really had nothing going for it.
Speaking of the goddess it was hard to miss her presence at the top of the tallest hill along with three other figures. One the only male on the island was standing a short distance away from the others and quite clearly staring right back at me despite the fact I was half a mile away and several hundred feet in the air.
The other two massively different figures were seemingly in conversation with the goddess as the small redhead sat or leaned against the Lamia's scaly flank whilst doing so.
Even as I turned back to my counterpart, he was suddenly missing before I felt his presence appear next to me.
"You've changed." He said as matter of fact even as I turned to look at him. The fact that I had twelve wings again now was a clear indicator of what had transpired.
"Yeah." I said almost regretful as he simply nodded.
"Come on then, we have got time so let's grab something to eat and have a chat." He told me before beginning to lose altitude and head towards the camp. Following on behind he turned and looked at me.
"Just please tell me you didn't sleep with her. I don't want those memories." He asked playfully.
"Nooo!" I protested indignantly.
"Harmony was certain you would. After all Artemis and Diana did before they merged." He whispered.
"Are you trying to get me killed?" I cried out as we touched down. Sure, she was out of view but that didn't mean anything to someone who was a walking WMD.
"Besides she cannot exactly deny it happened." He laughed heading into the mess tent.
"That is not the point, though if you could share those memories, it would be appreciated." I asked sounding less like a mature adult and more like a twelve-year-old discovering a mysterious magazine in an older sibling's bedroom.
"You aren't even close to being ready for the things that I have seen." He said laughing as he walked back out and handed me a cup full of a familiar fizzy blue liquid.
"At least now I won't be a stammering wreck in front of her." I told him sipping the coke.
"Ha, you say that but even I still become a stammering wreck in front of her sometimes."
"Yeah right, she cannot possibly be that bad?" I remarked only to feel a chill presence nearby.
"Perseus sit!" A sweet voice commanded.
"Yes Ma'am!" I shouted as I swiftly complied impulsively actually spilling half of my drink over myself in the process.
"Smooth bro." Percy said snickering as my head slowly turned towards the transcendently beautiful figure sitting on the side of a table with her legs crossed looking directly at me.
AN. So that only took checks the calendar. 9 almost 10 fucking years (3501 days to be precise) to resolve what I thought would be a simple plot point. For reference Obama was president when I had that idea. Lilith outlasted Trump's first term along with the entirety of Biden's. Then along comes Fucking Elon and he cuts her out of the story to make it more efficient.
So now that there is one less character again, I have to go about making one character back into two because Schizophrenia is fun. Everything must remain balanced.
Regardless that is one writer's block hurdle out of the bloody way, now it is time to deal with Delia.
Who want's to channel their inner USS Wisconsin and rearrange some topography?
All feedback is appreciated, I swear, don't be afraid, I need to catch Queen's Champion next and I need your help ;)