FAITH

The auras continued to build up, intertwining and charging the air with such power that the ground began to rumble faintly.

CRACK!

Athos' eyes widened as a large crack split the mahogany table, perfectly dividing the carved and uncarved half. The ground continued to faintly rumble and he immediately took a step back before the surroundings blurred. Light curved and colours stretched, turning the wheat field into a mess of blobby patches that swirled around in erratic movements that would make any mortal hurl.

It took a few seconds for his surroundings to return to normal but the wheat field and the stone thrones were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a giant mountain whose summit seemed to have been swallowed up by the clouds loomed over him. Its sides were covered with greenery, so luxuriant, that he could practically smell the trees and plants. It would've been a normal sight - beautiful, but normal if it weren't for the two snow-covered peaks that were on either side of it.

Seeing the dichotomy in front of him made him frown. The snow seemed to magically avoid the mountain as though there was some invisible forcefield covering it, allowing the lush greenery to show.

He shook his head before looking at the mountain more carefully. Having a Divine Body also meant having enhanced eyesight - enough to spot an ant crawling on a blade of grass a mile away. Behind the walls of trees that seemed to swallow up the mountain were small bunches of glowing plan-no, Herbs. They were so numerous, that if it were not for the trees, the mountain would've shined in the dark.

He scanned the mountain once more, the multiplicity of the aforementioned herbs astounding him. They exuded immense vitality and spirit, far outshining the heavily guarded Apples of Immortality, and seemed to sway even in the absence of wind. They intertwisted and entwined with their neighbours, implying some form of consciousness and locomotive ability.

He took a step forward, in the hopes of getting a closer look, but his surroundings shifted once again, this time revealing a more magical scene.

He was on a cliff that overlooked a large and clear lake and on either side of him were towering trees that would put the Hyperion to shame. He could hear birds chirping and even spot a beautiful waterfall in the distance.

"RAM!", a voice thundered and he looked behind him in shock.

A being sat cross-legged with his muscular back facing Athos. His size completely dwarfed his own while long flowing hair cascaded down his back. A part of his lush locks was tied up in a bun on the top of his head while brown beads encircled his bulging biceps. Black earrings hung from his ears and he was covered in a saffron cloth from the waist down. Athos was sure it was not a human, as a long tail that could wrap around his body a couple of times waved about from its lower back.

His forearm suddenly trembled and he looked down in confusion, finding the golden word Vajraha humming.

"RAM!", the being boomed once more and his surroundings blurred.

He now stood on cracked earth - a shattered road. Broken buildings and uprooted trees filled his vision but his attention was grasped by the happening before him. A young boy, no older than 10, was cradling another kid's head while tears flooded his cheeks. The disturbing thing was that the kid he was cradling was obviously dead. Empty brown eyes stared at the sky while a drop of blood trickled down from his mouth, disappearing into the faint beginnings of a goatee. His chest was crushed by a fallen concrete pillar and pools of dried blood coated the road below. Athos' eyes sharpened as he looked at the kid's legs.

They were not human.

"Saytr", he whispered to himself.

The kid had a lower body of a goat, complete with a pair of hairy goat legs and hooves. The satyr's body shivered and morphed, turning into a small sapling. It was the sapling of a Juniper bush.

He looked at the bawling young boy once again and his heart sank.

The boy had dishevelled, jet-black hair and sea-green eyes that were reddening owing to his tears.

He was the famous seaweed brain.

The Protagonist.

Perseus Jackson.

***

Athos' eyes shot open for the second time and a translucent golden ceiling greeted him.

He sat up, his mind a little chaotic, trying to comprehend what he'd seen. The first vision he'd had clearly shown that there was something going on in Demeter's abode, or that something will happen in Demeter's abode. He had no clue what the mountain in the second vision was nor did he recognize the being in the third. He did seem powerful but why did Vajraha start humming in his presence?

He was so lost in his thoughts that he barely noticed the fact that he was fully healed. His mind wandered for a bit before going back to the visions.

'Grover Underwood is dead?', he thought, his face sombre.

The satyr was one of the most important characters in the series, being a source of motivation and friendship for the Protagonist. He was also the successor of the Fallen god, Pan and in the future would become a part of the council of the Cloven Elders. His participation in the Battle of Manhattan helped kill the Titan Hyperion and even delay Kronos enough, so that Percy could fulfil the Great Prophecy. He was one of the foil characters and a really important one at that.

Athos had always known that what he had done till now would drastically change the canon. He had even killed the main antagonist of the first series, but seeing the consequences of his actions with his own eyes really made things sink in.

Grover Underwood was really dead. How would this affect Percy's development? How many other characters in the series had died due to his actions? Did he even care if they did?

"You alright?"

Athos looked to his right at his father who staring at a pod of orcas in the distance. His back was ramrod straight and his hands were clasped behind him. Habits do die hard.

"Yeah...Just weird dreams", Athos sighed before standing up and stretching his arms and legs.

He looked down at them with wonder, the first time he'd really done so after the ritual. He now had the aspect of a man in his early twenties which felt great. He had gotten tired of running around in a twelve-year-old body.

His Divine Body was such an unfathomable boost to his strength that even his father couldn't contend with him anymore, but that would change if Divinity came into play. Perastos and Leviathan had evolved to become much stronger and he now had a new weapon that could probably contend with the Master bolt or even surpass it.

But the one thing that really confused him the most was his new powers.

CRACKLE!

Black lighting burst out of his palm, encircling his forearm. He tried his best to control its flow but it was in vain. Ribbons of lighting shot out in various directions, smashing into the insides of the golden bubble. It was chaotic and uncontrollable, but most importantly, extremely potent.

Faint cracks began spreading on the golden barrier before he was forced to retract his lightning.

"There are better ways to greet your father", Herakles chuckled and turned around with a faint smile.

He waved his hand, healing the cracks and forming two identical chairs made of light.

"Take a seat. We have a lot to talk about"

Athos nodded before sinking into the light construct.

"Do you really need a cape?", Herakles asked, frowning at Perastos.

"Not exactly..."

"Then why keep it? Let me tell you, it is inconvi-

"It looks cool. Isn't that reason enough?"

"It's not good in a fig-

"It's cool"

"Capes are a liabil-

"It's cool"

"Haah! Fine! Keep it!", Herakles huffed. "You wanted to ask me something, didn't you?"

Athos nodded and summoned his lightning once more.

"How is it that I suddenly have this power? It seems awfully similar to what the Sons of Zeus have. My hold over Aerokinesis is much weaker as it can only affect myself, but I can still fly!"

Herakles stared at the lighting with a melancholic look in his eye. Athos could see it reflected in his blue eyes.

"It's a long story...", Herakles sighed and leaned back. "Do you want the long answer or the short answer?"

"I just want to make sense of what happened to me. Gaining a Divine Body seems to be but one side effect", Athos clarified.

"I see", Herakles nodded but continued to stare at the ceiling. His attire flickered, briefly morphing into a purple toga before turning back into a greek tunic.

"The short answer is Faith"

***

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