15 Chapter 14: Reunited
A/N
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...
Disclaimer : I do not own PJO or any of its characters.
x.x
Chapter 14: Reunited
"Uncle", Percy said as he bowed his head in respect.
"Ho. First time in a while since a son of Poseidon showed respect to someone. They usually run their mouth which more often than not lead to their untimely death", Hades mused as he regarded Percy.
Percy simply smiled since he didn't know what to converse about with a more than 3000 year old god who happened to be your absent father's elder brother.
"Eh forget about it. Now, I'm sure you must have a lot of questions, yes?" Hades asked.
"Yes uncle, I do", Percy finally said.
"Sit", Hades simply said and waved his hand. Just then, a chair spawned out of nowhere. The god sat atop a throne and looked at Percy, waiting for his first question.
Percy had a lot of questions and emotions running through his head but he kept it in check with Gamer's Mind also helping him out. He needed to keep a cool head otherwise things could go south very easily.
"Where's my mother?", that was the first and the most important question that he knew he had to ask. Damn the other things, well except the whereabouts of his friends of course.
Hades smiled, that's what Percy thought since it was pretty creepy in its own regard. Also, didn't it spell trouble when the lord of the dead smiled? I mean, why else would he smile? Percy kept building on his own line of reasoning. Very quickly, panic for his mother and anger for kidnapping her started swelling in his heart and his body outwardly reacted. Gamer's Mind activated quickly again and calmed him down before he messed things up.
"Don't worry nephew, I will send you to her in a while", Hades said ominously.
Percy started freaking out even more at that and growled in anger at Hades. Gamer's Mind was trying to keep his emotions in check but it was having a difficult time trying to placate the son of Poseidon who was as unpredictable as the sea and had such strong feelings for his mother.
"What have you done to her?" Percy growled in anger. Slowly and steadily, a sea-green aura of energy had started forming around him. It blinked in and out of existence but it was there, greatly scaring and surprising Hades. This had never happened when it came to demigods, not once had he ever seen or heard of such a thing. This was only attributable to gods and that too ranging from the more powerful minor gods all the way to the big three. This snapped Hades out of his joking mood as he immediately turned serious.
"She's perfectly fine. She's with Persephone at the moment, my wife really hit it off with her", Hades quickly said. This seemed to work on Percy since the aura disappeared from around him.
'What's the proof?"
Hades rolled his eyes but still complied. There wasn't an ounce of trust in kids these days. Nevertheless, he waved his hand again and sure enough, an image came to life that showed Sally and Persephone walking around the gardens that they had seen outside the palace gates with Grover and Annabeth standing beside the mortal protectively. Percy wasn't one to discourage others but he felt that it was unnecessary since those two didn't exactly have a chance against a goddess but the sentiment was there.
"Now that, we're done with that, can we move forward?"
"Why did you kidnap her?" Percy immediately asked.
"Humph. Can't we make this quick? Despite popular notion, I am quite certainly busy with managing this realm. You know how troublesome it is, dealing with some spirits?"
Percy didn't say anything but kept looking at Hades.
"Bah. Fine. Look kid, one of my symbols of power was stolen and so was Zeus'. Poseidon was the only one who had his. Then, we find out that Poseidon has had a kid who's grown up now and the Ancient Laws too are another thing. All the evidence pointed to you having the bolt and helm. I just wanted my stuff back and before you go yapping, this too is precious to me like your mother is to you. I just offered a trade. I did not plan on killing her or anything", Hades finally said.
"So if I return your helm to you, will you let my friends, mom and me leave alive?"
"Yes."
Just when Percy was about to reach into his inventory, a notification popped up on Percy's screen.
...
Ping!
Reminder!
Make Hades swear upon the Styx.
...
Percy didn't question this command since the Fates themselves had sent this message to Percy though he did make a mental note of asking them about this.
"Swear it on the Styx", Percy simply said.
Hades' expression changed from indifference to surprise before it was replaced by a mask of indifference once again.
"I swear on the Styx."
Percy winced when thunder boomed loudly overhead even though he was sure that there were no clouds in the Underworld to begin with.
"Any other questions?"
"None that I can think of", Percy replied.
"Fine. Now, my helm?"
Percy nodded and opened his bag, pretending to take the helm out of it. In reality, he was summoning it from inventory since he had kept it there for safekeeping. The moment Percy took out the keychain, it started glowing and pulsating. Hades reached his hand forward and the keychain immediately floated towards him and burst into light. Just as the light died down, Percy eyed the helm which was now in its original form and hummed with power as though it was content to be back with its master.
"Now, mind explaining how exactly were you able to steal this from the throne room of Olympus itself?"
"It would be hard to believe, but I didn't steal it."
"Then who did?"
"Luke Castellan, son of Hermes."
"Was that the brat who had a scar somewhere on his face?"
Percy nodded.
"Anyone else?"
"Ares is also involved."
At that, Hades eyes widened in shock.
"Do you have any proof?"
Percy nodded.
"It isn't much except for the fact that he handed me your helm in its keychain form as a pretext to finding his shield", Percy said. Percy again reached into his bag as he summoned the shield from his inventory and showed it to Hades. The lord of the dead took it from Percy's hand and inspected it closely.
"You're right, this is his shield. But that still doesn't prove anything. You could've stolen this also whilst you had taken my helm", Hades said.
Percy rolled his eyes. Seriously, was there no trust in this family?
"You can ask my friends. They were there with me when Ares handed us the keychain to find the shield. If you don't believe them, then that's your fault."
"Boy", Hades said in a warning tone, "don't you go about running your mouth in my domain. You'd be dead even before you blink your eye."
"Then why are you being such a jerk about this? What would I get from lying about another god being involved in a thing like this? Also, didn't you just care about your helm being returned? Why would you want to know all this?"
Hades regarded Percy quietly for a minute. Even though Percy was annoyed, he was still fearful about what might happen and for good reason. Imagine his surprise when Hades burst into laughter, greatly confusing the demigod.
"I like how you think Perseus. You clearly didn't get barnacle beard's brain. His only response would've been to spout nonsense or declare war."
"Umm thanks?"
"Don't thank me yet demigod. I'm assuming you have Zeus' bolt in your possession as well since both our weapons got stolen at the same time."
Percy could've lied but something told him that it was fine to trust the god with this so he simply nodded in the affirmative.
"Don't worry, I'm not power hungry like that idiot brother of mine. In fact, I'm glad you were honest with me about this."
This surprised Percy once again. What was going on? Was he dreaming? Wasn't Hades supposed to be evil and cruel? Why was he being so friendly and … understanding?
Hades saw the look of disbelief on Percy's face and smiled inwardly.
"Go and take your mother with you. I don't hold any qualms with you anymore", Hades said and waved his hand.
'He is going to become strong in the future. He may just surpass a few of the Olympians themselves', Hades thought, 'He is a good lad. He has been respectful, honest and returned my helm without demanding anything else in return except for his mother. Almost no one would've let such a huge opportunity pass by but he did. I will keep a lookout for him in the future. He is easily my favourite nephew. Not that I have many to choose from", Hades chuckled.
Percy suddenly felt himself thrown upside down until he was back at the palace gates with his mother right in front of him with another lady standing beside her. Immediately, he ran towards his mother and engulfed her in an incredibly tight hug
"Mom, I'm so sorry", Percy started as he struggled to keep his emotions in check. It had been far too long since he had seen her and the emotions he had kept bottled up ever since that fateful day came pouring out.
"It's alright sweety, you did your best", the sweet voice of Sally rang out as she too hugged Percy tightly.
However, Percy kept repeating the same thing over and over whilst he cried. Sally simply held her son and kept rubbing his back until the son of Poseidon calmed down.
"It should've been me instead of you mom", Percy said as he wiped his eyes.
"No sweetheart, you're so precious, you have no idea. If I had to do this again in exchange for your safety, I wouldn't think about it twice. As long as you're fine, I don't care about anything else."
"I won't let this happen now. No one will dare to hurt you ever again. "
Sally simply smiled and engulfed her son in another hug.
"I'm sure you won't honey."
"My, what a touching scene. If only all men could learn something like this from their mothers, the world would be a better place", a voice suddenly rang out.
Percy turned around to look at the speaker. She was the one who was walking beside his mother. Percy recalled what Hades had told him and again, bowed his head in acknowledgement.
"Aunt Persephone", Percy said.
"My, your son is quite respectful Sally", the now named Persephone commented.
"I did my best to raise him to be a gentleman, I do hope I did a good job", Sally said.
"Of course you did. On top of that, he even made my husband laugh which is something that I never thought would happen in a long time. That is no easy task", Persephone said, "Moreover, he seems to be in a good mood now. I think I will go and extract some promises from him. Gods know when was the last time I got something I wanted without any argument. It was nice spending time with you Sally, keep visiting from time to time, just Iris message me and I'll drop by or have someone get you. I could use the company and I have a feeling, so could you. Later", Persephone said as she teleported away.
Percy immediately turned to his mother and started looking her over.
"Are you fine? Did anyone do anything to you? Did they treat you well", Percy rapidly fired.
Sally held Percy's face between her hands and turned him towards herself.
"Sweety, I am perfectly fine. Persephone made sure to look after me throughout my time here so you don't have to worry so much. Everything is alright. Now my question is, how do we get out of here?"
"With my help of course", a familiar voice called out from beside the duo.
Percy and the others turned their heads to look at the familiar face of Hecate in all her glory. She was dressed the same way as Percy had last seen her.
"Lady Hecate!", Annabeth exclaimed, "it is a surprise to see you here."
Hecate ignored her and turned her attention to Percy.
"Looks like you made it out alive. Well, since I'm feeling generous, I will help you out of here", she said.
"But how are you allowed in the Underworld? Doesn't a god need another god's permission to enter their territory?", Annabeth asked.
"Girl, I guided Demeter through the darkest night with my torches, helping her search for Persephone when she was kidnapped by Hades. It was because of me Demeter could find her way if not, Persephone would be lost to her so don't you dare keep asking me stupid questions daughter of Athena", Hecate said coldly as she glared at Annabeth.
Annabeth flinched under her gaze and turned deathly pale. Seeing her state, Grover quickly tried to change the topic.
"We will be grateful for your help Lady Hecate", he said even though he was shivering in fear.
Hecate just hmphed and nodded her head. She then snapped her fingers and suddenly the surroundings blurred and it felt as though the world had turned upside down. However, the feeling vanished as soon as it appeared.
Percy looked around only to find himself in a peaceful and dark world yet again. He knew the goddess wanted to talk to him about something otherwise he wouldn't be the only one but first he needed to make sure of one thing.
"Lady Hecate, I hope my mother and friends are fine", he said.
"Of course Perseus, don't worry", Hecate replied.
"So what can I do for you?"
"Remember my warning?"
"Yes, you had told me that Hades would test me."
"Well, I am quite surprised that Hades gave you an easy way through for proving yourself."
"What do you mean? I didn't find anything out of the ordinary even though I made sure to stay on guard."
Hecate smirked at that.
"We're gods and goddesses, boy. We've lived for thousands of years and we know how to get things done without the other noticing. Even though Hades has gained a reputation of being ruthless and cold, he is quite calculating and practical as compared to the others. Why don't you recall what you've done?"
Percy was taken aback for a moment before he gathered himself and thought about his time in the Underworld. First there was Charon, then the battle with the skeletons, meeting Cerberus and finally Hades himself. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him.
"I don't understand. Everything seemed normal", Percy finally said.
Hecate just smiled inwardly at that. Each moment with the demigod kept proving that her choice was indeed correct. While most would be boasting about their feats in the Underworld, Percy was simply clueless about it and didn't even acknowledge anything.
"The test with Charon was simply to see your wits as to how you apply yourself to certain conditions. The battle with the skeletons was to test your combat prowess, strategic thinking and your loyalty towards your friends. Finally, the incident with Cerberus was to see how well you can understand others and your compassion. Even though these were simple, these had a much deeper meaning that one could reckon. Truly, as expected of one of the big three."
"But isn't he supposed to be, I don't know, cruel?"
"He's practical. If you had given him a reason to be angry with you, well you can imagine what would happen next."
Percy just nodded dumbly. It was true because he did indeed almost piss off his uncle.
"Is there anything else, Lady Hecate?"
"Don't forget to give Zeus the Master Bolt."
Percy widened his eyes but Gamer's Mind calmed him down.
"What do you mean?" Percy asked. He tried to play dumb but alas, that won't work against someone who's thousands of years old.
"I looked at your destiny. At first it was normal but upon closer examination on one of them, I could see a touch of Fate to it. Now, in some circumstances it would've been normal but seeing how things are progressing at the moment, it was easy to deduct the path that was taken. So I know you have the Master Bolt Perseus and don't worry, I also know who's to blame."
Percy was out of words so all he could do was nod dumbly. The goddess in front of him was indeed more dangerous than some of the gods that he had met. He couldn't sense this kind of danger from Dionysus also even though he was an Olympian. He knew that the gods and goddesses couldn't be trusted but so far, except for Hestia, she was one who had given him some confidence. Percy did not easily trust people but he knew that even though she may have some agenda of her own, she was looking out for him as well since she did warn him about Hades beforehand even though he didn't realise it and got them to DOA Recording Studios. Now, she had also got them out of the Underworld. Based on all this, Percy decided to tell her the truth.
"You're right, Lady Hecate. I was blessed by the Fates with some powers."
Hecate smiled inwardly. Looks like he was truthful after all and was ready to face things head on. He just kept giving her more reasons to select him for what was to come soon.
"It's good. Use these powers to become stronger Perseus. I want you at your best and far better than what you are right now. Anyway, it's time for you to finish your quest. I'll take you to Olympus and help verify your story. Zeus doesn't trust people easily, not even his own family but he knows not to doubt my word. As for your friends and mother, they'll be at camp and a hotel respectively."
"Why's my mom in a hotel?"
"Do you want her back at the crime scene?" Hecate asked as she smirked at Percy.
Percy was taken aback momentarily but he shrugged it off. There was simply no point in being surprised anymore when it came to this goddess. She just somehow knew everything. So Percy just decided to drop the matter.
"Thank you Lady Hecate", he said as he bowed his head a little.
"Don't thank me yet demigod. You've got a long journey ahead, I'm merely helping you for now. You'd better not disappoint me", Hecate said.
Percy nodded his head in acknowledgement. He wanted to ask her more questions, but right now he needed to end this quest and spend time with his mom. The past few days had been troublesome to say the least, he just needed a little time off from things now. Moreover, he could always IM the goddess or pray to her. Who knows?
Hecate then snapped her fingers and once again, the world turned upside down. Percy closed his eyes since he was getting used to the feeling. Only when it went away, he reopened them. He gasped once he saw what was in front of him.
The place in front of him was, in short, a paradise, with golden palaces, parks, and bustling streets.
"Welcome to Olympus", Hecate said, "Come on, we don't have all day. We can go sightseeing later."
At that, Percy snapped from his gawking and nodded.
He followed Hecate as she started walking in a particular direction.
Percy kept looking all around him to see the city of gods. It was breathtaking to say the least. Words failed to describe how beautiful it looked. There were quite a few people around Percy which made him curious. He used Observe and was blown away by the different species present. He was surrounded by minor gods, nature spirits and others. He could never imagine something like this could ever exist.
They kept walking for a while until the crowd started thinning out. Soon, they reached another area which was even more beautiful than the area they passed. This had wider streets and humongous palaces made of varying materials. Each palace was different than the one next to it but they all radiated power and royalty.
Seeing the look on Percy's face, Hecate explained, "This is the area where the Olympians live. Naturally, they're the only ones here. Further up ahead, you will see the throne room where the council gathers for its meetings."
She pointed to a building in front and if possible, Percy was even more gobsmacked from its structure. In short, the throne room made the Grand Central Station look like a broom closet.
...
~Somewhere on Olympus~
A girl was walking through the streets of Olympus as she gazed at the different items being sold and the throng of people walking until she felt a familiar presence suddenly materialise. There was no mistaking it. The girl's face then broke into a huge and gorgeous smile.
She locked on to the aura and felt it move gradually. As soon as she deemed it was fairly alone, she disappeared from sight.
...
~With Percy and Hecate~
Hecate laughed at his reaction and was about to beckon him forward before she sensed a familiar aura nearby. She then turned towards it and sure enough, flames erupted randomly and out stepped a twelve year old girl with flaming eyes.
On the other hand, Percy saw the direction in which Hecate had turned suddenly so he too looked at the same place only to find a familiar figure walking towards him. The moment he saw her, Percy bowed his head completely and said, "Hestia."
"What did I say about all this Percy?", Hestia chided him.
Percy grinned sheepishly before he enveloped her in a tight hug making Hestia squeak in surprise.
"I missed you", Percy said as he hugged her. It was true, he missed the familiar warm embrace of one of the people who he treasured dearly.
Hestia, after the initial shock, recovered and hugged him tightly as well.
"I'm glad that you're safe", she said.
She disengaged from their hug and smiled once again as she saw Percy's eyes flash with their green flames briefly before they returned to normal.
"It looks like your quest was a success if you're here", Hestia said.
"Yes, it was. Lady Hecate also helped me a lot!", Percy said happily.
'Thanks for looking after him", Hestia said to Hecate mentally.
Hecate in turn nodded her head.
Hestia then turned towards Percy and said, "Tell me about your quest once you're done. I would love to hear about it."
"Yes!" Percy replied excitedly. Even though it had its complications, Percy still wanted to share everything with someone and naturally, the first person he thought about was Hestia.
"Come Perseus, let's go and wrap things up", Hecate said.
The trio then started walking towards the throne room.
As soon as they reached it, Hestia turned to Percy and said, "Percy remember to speak to them politely. Zeus has a temper and is easily offended. Just speak when necessary. I don't want anything to happen to you. Okay?"
"I won't", Percy replied.
Hestia smiled and then disappeared in a flash of flames which saddened Percy a bit. Hecate saw this and said, "this is just for appearances Perseus. You will understand this soon."
"As you say, Lady Hecate."
Hecate then snapped her fingers and the doors to the throne room started opening slowly. The moment Percy walked inside, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Twelve thrones built for massive beings were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at camp. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left. Percy didn't have to be told who the two gods were since he had a good idea about them.
The gods were in giant human form which was easily more than ten feet. Zeus, the king of the gods, sat on a simple throne of solid platinum while the one sitting beside him was Poseidon who sat on a deep sea fisherman's chair. But what was prominent about it was the bronze glowing trident sticking from the holster nearby. Its aura seemed to draw Percy towards it until he snapped from his stupor. He then approached the two and bowed to Zeus and then Poseidon.
Percy's audience with the king of the gods had begun.
x.x
Perseus Jackson
Species : Demigod
(gives +2 STR and +2 DEX)
Title : Son of Poseidon
Perseus is the son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson. Blessed by Elpis, the spirit of hope, he has a natural affinity with water due to his heritage which grants him control over water, horses, storms and earthquakes. He is also Hestia's champion which grants him control over fire and lets him summon meals.
…
Level - 15
Exp – 857 / 5,120
…
HP : 800 / 800 (+ 2,000)
MP : 900 / 900 (+ 2,000)
…
STR : 23 (+ 2 + 20) (Bonus : Weapon damage - Damage + STR | Unarmed damage - STR * 2)
VIT : 18 (+ 20) (Bonus : 50 HP per 10 levels)
DEX : 18 (+2 + 20) (Bonus : +10% HP regenerated / min)
INT : 22 (Bonus : 50 MP per 10 levels)
WIS : 18 (Bonus : +10% MP regenerated / min)
LUC : 16 (Bonus : +14% chance of better loot)
Points : 18
Money : $27,200 / D520
…
Status : Demigod
…
Skills
…
Combat :
Sword Fighting (Level 17)
…
Inherited :
Ancient Greek (Max)
Tongue of the Old Times (Max)
Modern English (Level 25)
Swimming (Level 7 - 9 km/hr)
Breathe Underwater (Max)
Running (Level 7 - 34 km / hr)
Storms (Level 3)
…
General :
Observe (Level 4)
Sneaking (Level 6)
Critical Strike (Level 5)
Taunt (Level 1)
Mark of the Furies (Level 8)
Mage Armor (Level 5)
Summon Meals (Max)
Makarios tis Elpis (Level 2)
Battle Strategy (Level 5)
…
Chores :
Cleaning Dishes (Max)
…
Passive :
Gamer's Mind (Max)
Son of the Sea God (Gives +20 STR, VIT & DEX as well as +2000 HP and +2000 MP when in water)
Battle Instincts (Max)
…
Abilities :
Water Control (Level 17)
Water Spikes (Level 4)
Blood Control (Level 1)
Water Spear (Level 3)
Dimension Create (Max)
Ice Control (Level 4)
Steam Control (Level 3)
Fire Control (Level 8)
