18 Chapter 17: The Owl, the Deer & the Donkey
Important A/N
After the next 2-3 chapters, updates will be biweekly. I am currently doing in my internship which takes a lot of my time and essentially, I have the weekends to write in most cases. Hence, due to lack of time, I won't be able to update weekly. Moreover, by keeping a biweekly schedule, I'll be able to provide chapters regularly instead of having everyone wonder when the next chapter will be up. I hope you guys understand. Thanks you!
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Disclaimer : I do not own PJO or any of its characters.
x.x
Chapter 17: The Owl, the Deer and the Donkey
Hestia laughed nervously as she was still being glared by a pair of silver eyes. She didn't see a reason to lie since she was rather proud of her champion and would be happy to tell the rest of the world about it. She just didn't tell anyone for Percy's safety.
"Swear on the Styx that you won't tell anyone unless I say so", Hestia said. She knew she could trust her niece but she needed the assurance.
"I swear on the Styx", said niece replied as thunder boomed in the background.
"He's my champion", Hestia then said simply.
Artemis blinked once. Then twice. She was trying to process what she heard was right.
"WHAT?!", Artemis exclaimed, "Did you just say that this boy is your champion?!"
"Yes, what's wrong with that?"
"You have never had a champion in all these years. NEVER. But now you suddenly have one. Forgive me for being surprised and cautious. Are you sure he is not holding anything over you aunt? If so, tell me and I will slaughter him for you."
"You will do no such thing Artemis", Hestia said as her eyes blazed; surprising her niece. Artemis had hardly ever seen Hestia like this. Sure, she was protective of her family but she had seldom seen this side of her. For her to actually lash out meant that the boy meant a great deal to her.
"What is so special about this boy aunty? He's just another male and add on the fact that he is the son of Poseidon will just make him more cocky almost like all his sons before", Artemis spat in disgust particularly towards the end of the sentence as an image of a particular boy crossed her mind momentarily.
"He noticed and spoke to me at the campfire on the first day he came to camp."
That shut Artemis for a moment. No demigod had ever been able to sense or see Hestia due to her requirements. Only those who had a great sense of loyalty for family and a pure heart could ever meet the goddess at the camp. Hestia had set this up herself ever since the Olympians came to power and the gods started birthing demigods. To add fuel to the fire, she was the eldest child of Kronos making her much more powerful than most Olympians. If this boy was able to meet her meant that he passed her test without even realising it. Artemis also knew that Hestia wouldn't lie about something this big. Despite how much she wanted to deny this fact, the truth was, Artemis couldn't.
Finally Artemis said, "But that doesn't mean he has the right to be your champion." She wanted to know what caused Hestia to make him her first champion ever. Artemis loved her aunt dearly and so she always looked out for her. This was one of those times.
"I spent a lot of time with him", Hestia said as she brushed Percy's hair, "I observed everything about him from the way he was alone to the way he interacted with others. There was never any ulterior motive for anything he did. He just did what was right and cared for those around him. He thought he 'lost' his mother but when he got to know she was alive, he went to the Underworld itself just to get her back. Where do you see this kind of loyalty and love Artemis? Have you ever seen any 12 year old go to such lengths for those that he/she loves?"
Artemis was silent for a moment as she weighed what Hestia had just said. She couldn't deny what Hestia said since there were very few in history who did something so bold for those they loved. However, this one thing wouldn't change her view of Percy immediately. Decades of seeing men act the way they did towards women ingrained lots of suspicions in her mind when it came to the opposite gender.
Seeing the thoughtful look on Artemis' face, Hestia said, "Give him a chance Artemis and get to know him. You will see that I am not wrong."
Normally, Artemis wouldn't listen to anyone or place trust in any male but since this was Hestia, she decided to give the son of Poseidon very little leeway, nothing more than that. If he betrayed Hestia even once, she would not think twice before sticking an arrow in him. Sure Hestia would be mad but it would be for her betterment.
"I want to see how he interacts with you so I will be here to observe him. If I think it is fine, I will give him the benefit of the doubt only upon your insistence, nothing more than that but he better not betray it. Also, ask him to cover his tattoo if you don't want others to know about it. With the way his clothes are, it's a miracle no one has noticed your mark till now", Artemis said.
Hestia just smiled in response. She also summoned some clothes for Percy and covered up her mark. She hoped that he would be able to show it the world soon.
Artemis then realised something that she had forgotten to ask Hestia, "Do you know who erected a barrier around him or stabbed him?"
"No, I do not. I only felt he was in trouble when I sensed his emotions go awry."
"The barrier was powerful in its own right. Normally, it would be easy to break one but this time, it took a little more strength than usual to break it. This is not the work of some random person. Whoever it is must be more powerful than the minor gods easily to be able to erect a barrier like that", Artemis analysed. She was the goddess of the hunt so for her to be able to analyse situations was second nature to her, she just lagged behind Athena since the latter had wisdom and battle strategy as her very domain.
"Don't do anything rash", Hestia advised, "Let me speak to Percy first and ask him what happened and accordingly we will do something about it. No point creating a panic about things like these until we're sure what or who we're dealing with."
"You're right. On a side note, I am still staying here to see his behaviour towards you", Artemis said with finality. She then walked away from Hestia and hopped onto a tree which hid her from view and at the same time was close enough for her to observe Percy's behaviour and interaction with Hestia whenever he woke up. Normally, she wouldn't be one to stay especially for a male but since her aunt was involved, she had decided to make an exception.
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~Big House, Camp Half Blood~
Chiron sighed tiredly. He had been searching the whole camp since the past two days but there was no sign of Luke still. Most of his belongings were still in the Hermes cabin. It seemed that the letter Luke had left for him was indeed true and that Luke was abandoning his life at camp for something else. Chiron wished that he had seen the signs before. He would've at least tried to talk to Luke about it, if not persuade him to stay. On the other hand, there was still the matter of what exactly happened on Olympus. He assumed that Percy's quest was a success since Percy had come back with his body intact which he doubted would happen if he was in Zeus' presence without the god's symbol of power.
Chiron briefly contemplated visiting Percy to know about what transpired but eventually shot it down. 'The boy had a long day. I knew that he was in the Underworld earlier for his quest and then was whisked to Olympus. Frankly, what he must've experienced in the past few hours would be more than what most heroes did throughout the ages. It isn't easy handling any of the children of the big three', Chiron thought.
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~Olympus~
"So that was what happened", Hecate finished. She was currently in the throne room with Zeus, Poseidon, Hades and Athena. Normally, Zeus would immediately shoot down the idea of calling Hades to Olympus but under Athena's piercing gaze, he eventually complied and reluctantly invited his eldest brother. On a side note, before Hecate had started recounting the events, Athena had chewed out Poseidon thoroughly for ruining the marble in the throne room which was quite entertaining in its own right.
"Hades, were you able to detect any foreign traces of power in your helm?" Athena asked. A god's symbol of power could only be compressed to its other form only when a great deal of power was put into it by another god. The symbol of power could be easily shifted to any form based on its owner's will but would be extremely difficult to do if someone else tried it and would only revert to its other most commonly used form. However, this knowledge was not widely known since gods were forbidden from stealing or using another god's weapon without their consent. The big three knew about this since they had their weapons built together and each had tried the other's weapon to satiate their curiosity. The only other person who knew about this was Athena since she was practically born from Zeus' head and thus possessed a major part of his memories; most of which she sealed away for obvious reasons.
"Yes, I can recognise Ares' energy anywhere", Hades said. He had felt traces of two energies in his helm – one of which belonged to Percy. He had not brought this up since there were no disasters and honestly, didn't care. Even though Percy was powerful, he would not be able to use even 1% of the helm's capabilities since he was a demigod and not one of his children.
"Same for my bolt", Zeus commented.
"And what of your son, barnacle beard? Has he gone and run his mouth in camp or to someone else? I wouldn't be too surprised since he is your son after all", Athena said off-handily. She really did not expect much when it came to Poseidon or his children. All of them were stupid and had no sense of tactics. Their only plan was to charge into things head on and worry about everything else later. The time at Athens was a prime example of it. How did it even get into the dumb god's head that a measly pond of water would be enough to win him the patronage of the people?
"I'd watch my mouth if I were you Athena. My son is smart and has a lot of sense when it comes to these things and needless to say, he has lived up to his promise and not told anyone about this incident", Poseidon said proudly. This was not a case of favouritism, not in the least. It was just his son doing the impossible and making him proud, yes, that was it.
"Hard to believe it when you're the one appraising others."
"Don't you dare test my patience Athena."
"ENOUGH!", Zeus yelled finally as he shot a bolt of lightning.
'He has been doing that a lot lately over the most frivolous things. Must be him being happy from getting it back', Hecate thought. She just sighed inwardly. Even after millennia, the gods didn't change. On the other hand, humanity had gone from one revolution to another and was still changing. Progress currently was… well she didn't want to comment on it.
Finally, Athena and Poseidon stopped their bickering and instead settled to glare at each other from across the throne room.
Zeus sighed. These two really needed to tone it down at times.
"Anything else Athena?, Zeus finally asked.
"No father, that's all."
"What are your thoughts on this?"
"It is pre-emptive to reach any conclusion but I'm thinking it is related to the prophecy."
That statement caused the big three to snap their heads in alarm. They were the ones who took the oath after all. Two of the brothers turned to a certain sea-green eyed god who glared right back at them.
"You were the first one Zeus", Poseidon pointed out.
"But it is yours who is causing this trouble now, I should have him killed before he goes against Olympus", Zeus shot back.
"Don't you dare lay a finger on my boy Zeus", Poseidon growled with his eyes glowing ominously.
"SHUT UP BOTH OF YOU", Athena screamed at them.
Zeus and Poseidon fell silent but still kept glaring at each other.
"As I said, it is too soon to decide whether it was actually due to the prophecy but we shouldn't dismiss it completely. So I propose we keep the retrieval of Zeus' lightning bolt and Hades' helm a secret and certainly not inform Ares about it. If he's working for someone, he might go and spill the beans. Right now, we hold the cards and I want to squeeze every bit of advantage I can out of it. If someone asks about the bolt, the three of you can pretend to fight which is not that hard given how much you argue. In the meantime, I will have someone spy on Ares and report to me about his days on a regular basis to see any irregularities. As for the son of Hermes, I want the Greek demigods to consult the oracle and see if they get a prophecy to search for his whereabouts. If not, I will speak to Artemis and have her mobilise her hunt. They are the best when it comes down to things like this. Out of the others on the council, I trust her to stay loyal. She cannot be swayed."
The three sons of Kronos kept silent as they contemplated Athena's plan of actions. Each had varying thoughts about this but in the end, they all agreed since said goddess' domain was battle strategy so who better than the goddess for it?
"Needless to say, no one breathes a word of what transpired in this room. Is that clear?", Zeus threatened, "Athena, inform Poseidon's son about this plan since he's the cause for this. If he fails to carry out his duties, we will be forced to vote for his existence. I cannot stake the very future of Olympus and our survival on a kid who has failed this comparatively simple task."
"Father, again, this is all but a theory but yes, we need to be ready in case the prophecy comes to pass", Athena added.
Whilst Poseidon was angered by this, he knew that Zeus and Athena had a point. Thus, there were two sides of him battling each other for an opinion. The fatherly side would be depressed to have his favourite son killed while the godly side could understand Zeus' trepidation. Thus, he decided on a suitable plan of action.
"Zeus, if Perseus proves himself worthy, I want to personally train him in his powers. Whilst this is unprecedented, the situation calls for it. In the very least, if it is not related to the prophecy, at least my son will grow powerful enough to handle the prophecy should it come to pass. I would rather not leave things to chance", Poseidon said.
Zeus wanted to immediately deny Poseidon's suggestion but before he could say anything, Athena said, "It pains me to say this but barnacle beard used his brain for the first time ever and actually suggested a sound strategy. Father, you HAVE TO accept it."
Most days, the kind of the gods had his way with things. Turns out, today wasn't one of those days since he was practically driven into a corner by his favourite daughter and her making sense of things didn't help matters in the least.
"Fine", Zeus huffed, "You'd better live up to your word Poseidon and make a warrior of that brat. But make sure he doesn't go against Olympus or he will be the first one to face my wrath." With that warning, Zeus disappeared in a clap of lightning.
Hecate smiled inwardly since things were progressing quite well for her as well. Percy growing stronger would help her quite a bit since she too had plans for him.
"Anything you want to say to your son, Poseidon?" Athena asked with sudden gentleness for she too had borne the loss of many of her children in trying to fulfil a fate. She didn't like him but losing one's children was painful and she could guess what was going on in the sea god's head.
"I'll meet him soon", was all that Poseidon said before he vanished in a gentle breeze leaving the lingering scent of the sea in the air.
Before Athena could also leave, Hecate interrupted her by saying, "He's a good kid Athena, unlike any other son of Poseidon. Give him a chance and you won't regret it. The seeds have already been planted, it is up to us now how we water and take care of them."
"You have hardly been wrong about things so I will take this into consideration. But I will not believe it until I see it. You saying that has already set the bar high, let's see if he can reach it", Athena said before she teleported out.
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~Magnesia, Ancient Greece – Golden Age~
Percy found himself in a familiar place once again; to be precise, he was in the very same throne room where he had met Kronos earlier. As soon as he realised that and began panicking, Gamer's Mind clamped it down and a notification popped up.
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Ping!
Quest Alert!
Understand and experience Rhea's situation during the birth of Zeus.
Conditions –
No participation in real world events.
Rewards –
$10,000
XP : 10,000
?
?
Failure –
Disappoint the one who sent you here.
Accept / Decline?
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Just by seeing the rewards Percy was about to accept and get ready when he reread the quest. This was new, he had never gotten something like that. Seeing that he didn't need to face the Titan King or Atlas was enough of an incentive for Percy to quickly accept the quest. He didn't have any choice anyway. If he declined, he would have a chance to die since he was right in the middle of the Titan stronghold and well, he needed to go home so he just accepted it.
Just as Percy pressed accept, he felt something change around him as his senses seemed to dull. He looked around him, not finding anything unusual until he caught sight of his arm – it was completely transparent. He proceeded to look at his whole 'body' but to the same result. This wasn't what he expected but then again, the quest said that he won't be participating.
His attention was drawn from his musings when he heard a door being opened and soft footsteps echo throughout the place. Percy remembered that he was invisible so he walked to the main area where he saw the figure of Kronos sitting on his throne with lots of tablets around him. He then noticed a woman stood in front of him with dark curly hair that swept past her shoulders, eyes as green as meadows, and a smile that was brighter than the sun. Her stomach was swollen indicating that she was pregnant but she still retained an air of grace around her and didn't seem dependent on anyone to help her around.
"Rhea, what are you doing here?", Kronos asked whilst not looking up from his work.
"Husband, I come to ask something of you. Brother Koios, who's ever so clairvoyant, has advised that I give birth to our next child on the Island of Krete (A/N – Using old spelling) stating that it would be far easier for me compared to the previous births I have given. He says that the island's magical properties will help me in more ways than one", Rhea's sweet voice replied.
"Hmm? Is that so? Fine, go", was all that Kronos said before he lost interest and went back to his work. He completely missed the smile that Rhea sported as soon as he agreed to her wishes.
She then started walking towards the exit when Percy remembered that he had to follow and experience the Titaness' situation. He quickly ran after her, his footsteps not making even a single noise in the vast room.
As soon as Rhea stepped outside, she snapped her fingers and disappeared. This left Percy in a dilemma. How could he follow her now? The only way was through running all the way to Crete with Alecto's help. Just as he was about to summon the Resurrection Stone, his world blurred suddenly and turned upside down before he found himself in a new surroundings.
Percy looked all around until he saw Rhea standing in front of a cave at the base of a mountain. He quickly sent a quick thank you to whatever deity had teleported him because it would be a huge pain to run across Greece. The only motivation for him to do such a thing was to return home otherwise he wouldn't really bother. If he had to guess, it was the same person who sent him back in time. For someone that powerful, teleporting him would be quite easy.
He then walked towards Rhea when he heard her sigh.
"This will be a big step. On one hand I will be betraying my husband but on the other, the very same person devoured all my children. I cannot forgive someone so evil", Rhea thought out loud, "However, I just don't know whether I can do it. Will my child suffer the same fate as its other siblings?", she wondered as she rubbed her stomach sadly.
The sight made Percy sad. He couldn't even imagine how much Rhea had to go through. To see her own children devoured right before her eyes, no mother should ever go through it. He shuddered thinking what would happen if it was his mom in her place. She would be absolutely broken. Percy got dejected just by having the thought. Gamer's Mind didn't activate since it knew that sometimes it was good to ride out feelings rather than keep bottling them up. However, what came next was something that not even the Fates themselves had predicted.
Suddenly, Percy felt something bubbling inside of him. It was as though something which was locked inside had started shaking in order to get out. The feeling kept building until it went away as soon as it started. Even though Percy didn't see any physical changes, he felt that his senses had been heightened a bit. He was about to inspect himself more when he heard a heavy sniff from Rhea. She was now on the ground, holding her stomach whilst a few tears trickled down her face. Percy could sense that she still had a little hope which she was holding onto tightly. He could sense that she was not going to let go of it regardless of what happened. So on a whim, Percy closed his eyes and called for the blessings of Elpis which resided deep within himself and directed it towards Rhea.
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~The Void~
A woman sat near a small pit of fire as she looked at the events transpiring in Krete. Initially her mother had forbidden her to interfere in the events going on in that particular planet but upon her insistence, her mother had finally relented.
She could sense what her chosen one's intentions were and despite knowing that his actions wouldn't change the future, she still decided to help him out. She proceeded to scoop a little fire from the pit and blew it towards the image. Upon seeing him glow a little, Elpis smiled satisfactorily.
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~Krete, Ancient Greece~
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Ping!
As an exception, skill has been allowed to be used on someone at a higher level than you.
Skill Activated!
Makarios tis Elpis!
Ping!
Due to continuous use, skill has levelled up.
Level 2 + 1 = 3
Range: All levels below, 26 levels above.
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Percy ignored the notifications and kept his focus on the task at hand. He continued infusing Rhea with hope until he felt it rising quickly. After a few moments, Percy dropped down in exhaustion since he had used every ounce of strength he possessed. However, the effects were quite profound because when he turned to look at the Titaness, she was a different person altogether.
Rhea was now up, had dusted her clothes and wiped her face. She was now back in her visage as the Queen of the Titans. She then whistled loudly and waited for a moment before nine people suddenly materialised in front of the Titaness and kneeled in front of her. They were all garbed in armor and wielded a shield and spear. Curious, Percy used Observe to find out who they were.
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Kouretes
The Kouretes are gods of the wild mountainside, inventors of the rustic arts of metalworking, shepherding, hunting and beekeeping. They are also the armed and crested dancers who worship Rhea with drumming and dancing. (A/N – This is as per google and several websites that I referenced, I don't know if its 100% accurate)
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Percy had never heard of them but he was quite amazed with the description provided.
One of the warriors stood up with his head still bowed and said, "My lady, it is an honor for us to be summoned by you. We are blessed to be in your presence. Is there anything you require of us?"
"You're well aware of the fate that befell my other children", Rhea started with a sad face as she recalled their fate at the hands of her 'husband' and 'brother'. The Kouretes immediately raised their spears and clashed it onto their shields, creating a loud sound that reverberated throughout the world. They were angry. Someone caused grief to the deity who they pledged their very beings to. If she ordered, they'd go to war for her regardless of whether they stood a chance or not.
"Calm down all of you", Rhea said with a smile, "Your concern is more than enough for me."
The Kouretes were reluctant but they nodded nonetheless.
"My next child is about to be born and I need your help to shroud his/her existence from my husband. I will provide my husband with a stone to swallow to replace my child once I return home. However, until I come back, I want you to look after my child and teach him/her everything. Can you do that for me?"
"It is the greatest gift you can bestow us, my lady. For you to trust us with your child, we will protect him/her with our lives and make him/her a warrior worthy to be called your child", the same warrior spoke with his head bowed in deep gratitude. He then said, "My lady, forgive me for asking, but how will you be giving birth? Don't you need handmaidens to assist you during this time? I don't see anyone with you."
Rhea just smiled and said, "I can do it myself. Don't worry about it."
"This is not done, my lady. We will have the best and most trustworthy handmaidens to assist you. With your permission, let this one do something which will make it worthy of deserving your benevolence of helping raise your child."
Rhea knew that once they set their mind to something, even she would not be able to change it. They were just too overprotective for her. So she just gave them the permission.
Immediately the warrior whooped in joy and disappeared from the spot. A few minutes later, he appeared once again but this time, he was not alone. No, this time he had nine women with him who were more beautiful than any woman person Percy had ever seen. Though they were no match to Rhea, each one of them radiated beauty and elegance in their own right. Out of them, one woman stepped forward and kneeled in front of the Titaness. She wore a shimmering blue gown with glossy black curls pinned up with silver and gold brooches. Her eyes were gentle shades of blue and green.
"My lady, it is an honour to be in your presence. It has been a long while since I met your excellency", the woman said.
"Rise, Hagno. It is I who should be thanking you for coming here. I hope I did not cause inconvenience for you?", Rhea asked.
"Of course not, my lady. As our queen, it is our duty to assist you and fulfil your wishes in any manner we can."
"In that case, I do have one request from all of you."
"My queen."
"You see, I am due to give birth very soon. For that, I will be needing some help with it as well as taking care of my baby and ensuring his/her safety since I cannot stay here all the time. You know my reasons for this after all."
Hagno nodded sadly, "Yes my lady, we are aware of it. Rest assured, we are eternally grateful to have this opportunity to be able to assist you during the birth of one of your children. We will do all we can to take care of your child and raise him/her as our own."
"I am counting on all of you", Rhea said with a smile as she entered the cave.
Seeing that their conversation was over, Percy decided to use Observe ideally. He knew who these women were but still.
...
The Nine Nymphs
The Nine Nymphs helped bring up Zeus after his birth by Rhea, in order to hide him from his brutal father Kronos. They are loyal to both mother and son and are treated with a high degree of respect in the Greek world.
...
'Seems like I was right', Percy thought, 'now what do I do? Do I wait here or what?'
Percy's answer came in the form of another distortion which turned his world upside down yet again. He was pretty much used to it now. However, as soon as the feeling subsided and Percy opened his eyes, he was greeted to a lot of commotion. The Kouretes were running about and fetching weapons one after another from a neatly piled stack whilst some Nymphs could be heard screaming at the warriors from inside the cave and some scampering outside as they gathered different ingredients. It took a few seconds for Percy to realise that he had actually travelled forward in time and was now witnessing the birth of Zeus. He had enough sense to not go inside the cave so he opted to stay outside to look at the Kouretes. After all, it wasn't every day that one got to experience an era defining moment like this.
Just as the Kouretes had gathered in formation, a small cry erupted from within the cave. As soon as they heard it, the Kouretes started banging their spears against their shields. In fact, banging would be an understatement. The noise they made was enough to shake the sky and ground itself. Whilst some opted to stand and create a cacophony, several warriors started dancing with various instruments in their hands and created a huge spectacle out of it.
Eventually, one Nymph came out of the cave and whispered something in a warrior's ear. Upon hearing it, he started whooping in joy and passed on the message before running into the cave. Intrigued, Percy also went close by and heard the message.
"It's a boy. Her highness has named him Zeus."
Percy smiled at that and then followed the warriors excitedly. Who wouldn't want to see the king of the gods as a baby? Percy wished he had a camera though, the stuff would've made for some good blackmailing material. As if hearing his thoughts, a camera materialised in his hand. He assumed it was the same woman who sent him here and silently thanked her for it.
Percy then entered the cave and stood a little far off to first let the others look at baby Zeus. He needed the best points to click the pictures after all.
~A few minutes and hundred pictures later~
'That should be enough', Percy thought happily. Whilst this didn't come anywhere close to what Zeus said about killing him, this would come in handy down the line. He could always think of some ways to make do with it. As soon as he walked out of the cave, his world turned upside down once more before he found himself in a familiar space.
...
~The Void~
"So how was your time in Krete, Perseus?", the voice asked Percy.
"Thanks for the camera, the pictures turned out great", Percy replied cheekily. He knew what the voice was talking about but still decided to play around a bit. He knew that whoever it was didn't mean any harm since the deity was looking after him throughout the while so he trusted her a little.
"Oh? Do show", the voice replied unexpectedly. Percy raised an eyebrow at that. He would've been surprised but Gamer's Mind had clamped it down.
"So umm, should I just leave it here or what?"
The answer to his question came in the form of the camera disappearing. After a minute, the voice started laughing a little.
"Those are some good pictures, I am sure you could make several uses off of it. Also, you can keep the camera, I have enchanted it so you can use it without worrying about anything."
"What do you mean by worrying about anything?"
"Just ask Chiron later. We have something more important to talk about", the voice said as it suddenly turned serious, "Do you know why I sent you back in time?"
At the same time, Chaos had discreetly switched off Gamer's Mind so that Percy could feel his emotions properly and understand what she was going to teach him.
"To learn?"
"Correct. But why did I send you to this specific time?"
Percy thought for a moment. At first glance, there was nothing too profound about the things that he had experienced except for witnessing Zeus' birth. He surely must be missing something deep because this scenario was far too simple. He kept racking his brain until he drew blanks.
"I cannot think of anything", Percy finally said.
"Did you notice the amount of hope Rhea had when she was alone?"
Percy nodded.
"Taking your interference out of the equation, what do you think happened originally?", the voice asked.
"Rhea gave birth to Zeus, replaced him with a stone and gave to Kronos to eat. Later –"
"That's enough", the voice interrupted Percy, "now you see, she still gave birth to Zeus and rebelled against Kronos despite the amount of hope she held. How do you think she still had the courage despite her other 5 children being eaten in front of her eyes?"
"She wanted revenge?"
"Yes, that was one part of it but what's important is the fact that she still went on despite how much she suffered. Would you like to feel what she felt each time one of her children was eaten?"
"No no no no no", Percy said quickly. He knew he wouldn't be able to handle the feeling at all.
"But the point remains, despite suffering so much, she still persisted. She did what she could with whatever she had and look how history took a turn. Now, think about the spar you had right now with that skeleton. What did you feel after you lost?"
"Upset and angry with myself for being able to get defeated so quickly and not being able to harm it."
"So will you give up?", the voice asked with even more seriousness than Percy thought was possible.
It was true, Percy wouldn't deny that the thought did cross his mind multiple times and he was tempted to act on it and just give up.
Percy then said, "But what if I lose again? What if my mom or someone close to me gets hurt because of it? I don't want them to suffer."
"Don't want them to suffer or don't want yourself to suffer?", the voice asked in return.
Percy stiffened at that. He knew he did not want to face off the skeleton once again or anyone in fear that he'd lose. He did not even want to comprehend the effects that would resonate if he died.
"So you understand now, don't you? You have to keep going just as Rhea did and she went through much worse than you did. It's true you have had experiences no 12 year old should experience but you must understand, there's a lot more at stake than meets the eye Perseus", the voice continued albeit gently now.
"I… I don't know whether I can do it", Percy stammered. His confidence had taken a massive hit after the 'duel' he had.
"Let me tell you something Perseus. You have just entered the Greek world and have virtually next to no training. How do you expect to win if you don't get better huh? Train more, become stronger and use the Gaming System to your advantage. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye. Use your brain, I'm sure when it comes to you, you'd figure something out one way or another", the voice said amusedly towards the end.
"Are you sure?", Percy asked hopefully.
"Yes, Perseus. Do you realise how powerful the Fates are? If not, read a book. Learn how not even the Titans or gods could go against Fate itself. And now, you have been given a gift by the Fates themselves. Combine that with being the son of Poseidon and a champion of Hestia and think how powerful you can be. And don't be so shocked, I know everything", the voice said as Chaos saw Percy's stupefied face. She then continued, "You could be given the best sword in the world but with no training, it would just remain a lump of steel. That's how power works young one. If you train, even the most common sword can become a sword of legend due to your abilities. Show the Fates that they were not wrong", the voice said.
'And me', Chaos thought to herself, 'Prove to me that I was not wrong when I chose you.'
These words and explanations seemed to have an effect on Percy as he realised how lucky he actually was to have this power. He could become strong and be there for the ones he loved, especially his mom who he had promised to keep safe and Hestia who he wanted to make proud as her first champion. Emotions flared up within him and his eyes started glowing with power as his determination which earlier used to waver was now set in stone that not even the sharpest sword could cut through. This was the building point for Perseus Jackson, the foundation for which was established by Chaos herself.
"I will never give up. I will train and become stronger. No one and nothing can ever stand in my way now. I will defy destiny itself if it means to keep my loved ones safe", Percy said with seriousness. The children of the sea were always driven by emotions and as such, now that Chaos had temporarily blocked Gamer's Mind, Percy's emotions became his driving point. Chaos also decided to make a few tweaks in the Gaming System such that it would suit him and added a stronger emotion handling so that previous mistakes would not be repeated. She also added a small gift from her that would help Percy.
"Good answer Perseus. I have given a small gift to you, I hope you like it. Now go, Hestia has been taking care of you for an hour now and is getting worried", the voice said.
"Thank you", Percy said gratefully with a smile on his face and closed his eyes as he was enveloped in the familiar feeling of falling.
...
~Zeus' Fist, Camp Half Blood~
Sea-green flaming eyes started fluttering slowly before they opened fully to reveal themselves in all their glory. Percy was finally awake. Since Percy had been unconscious, his eyes had reverted to their natural state; the one filled with flames instead of the irises he usually kept.
"Percy!", Hestia exclaimed as soon as she saw that her champion was up again.
"Hey Hestia", Percy replied with a small smile adorning his face.
"Are you alright? Does anything still hurt? What happened?", Hestia asked in quick succession. She was extremely worried for him and for good reason. It had hardly been a month since he had entered the Greek world and he kept attracting trouble one after another.
...
~Artemis POV~
Artemis snorted in disgust. Despite Hestia vouching for that boy, she still did not believe him. Even though the facts were straight, she knew it was only a matter of time before he showed his true colors as was the nature of men and she would be there to kill him for leading Hestia astray and getting her power. He was just like them all, Artemis thought in anger. The flaming eyes didn't go unnoticed by her which served to piss her off even more.
...
~Zeus' Fist, Camp Half Blood~
"Just give me a sec", Percy said as he tried to lift himself up. He was still yet to realise that he was asleep on Hestia's lap – something that no one had ever done or think of doing. If Zeus was here, he'd surely blow a gasket. Even though the big three were younger to Hestia, they were overprotective for her, even more than Hera and Demeter.
Percy groaned a little until he felt Hestia's hands helping him to sit in an upright position. He flashed her a grateful smile and was about to ask her for some water to drink when she just summoned a few glasses for him. Immediately, he downed all of them until he felt his power and senses return to him slowly. He had exhausted himself to the brink so it was taking a little time for him to regenerate the lost power. Percy then touched his stomach to look for the stab wound only to find a white scar where the sword had entered and exited cleanly.
This action didn't go unnoticed by Hestia as she explained, "The bleeding had stopped when I arrived here so you were lucky. I used nectar to heal the rest of it."
"Thank you for everything Hestia", Percy said.
Just then, he felt his head tingle a bit before he heard Hestia's voice, "Perseus, you'd better tell me what exactly happened and how you ended up getting stabbed later. Don't answer because you have no choice."
Percy just smiled wryly since he knew there was no way out of this. He didn't want Hestia to worry too much about him but he knew it wasn't possible since she was the goddess of hearth after all.
Meanwhile, Hestia had decided to send him a mental message because she did not want Artemis to know what transpired and be alarmed. Knowing Percy, there was going to be some big trouble on the horizon soon.
Suddenly, Hestia and Artemis felt a familiar presence approaching the location and in a burst of light another woman materialised in front of the duo who were sitting in the clearing.
The woman in front of Percy had a beautiful and regal but also somewhat scary face. She had stormy grey eyes which were bright and full of fierce energy. Her dark hair cascaded down her back and reached till her waist. She also wore a golden armor over white robes. Percy realized through her startlingly, cold grey stare that she would make a terrible enemy. He quickly used Observe to confirm his suspicions since those eyes reminded him of a certain blonde and her entire cabin at camp.
...
Athena – goddess of wisdom, reason, strategy, warfare, crafts and arts.
HP : ?
MP : ?
...
"Lady Athena", Percy said as he bowed his head a little in respect now that his guess was confirmed. He really did not want to make out an enemy out of the goddess in front of him.
The goddess in question didn't acknowledge his greeting and instead settled on scrutinising the demigod in front of her. She had detected Artemis and Hestia as soon as she appeared in the clearing. For some reason, the former was hiding on a tree so she sent Artemis a mental message to stay and listen and that she'd speak to her later.
"Looks like that the two fools weren't lying when they said that you could recognise a deity almost immediately", Athena said. (A/N - Three guesses who the two fools are and the first one doesn't count.)
Percy knew that he could not lie his way through Athena so he just settled on staying quiet.
"What are you doing here Athena?", Hestia asked, taking the goddess' focus off her champion.
"I needed to speak to him about something important, aunt Hestia."
"What would be so important that you of all people would willingly come to speak to a son of Poseidon?", Hestia enquired. She did not like where this was going.
"I had been told by Zeus not to tell anyone about it save for two other people but there can be no hiding things from you. Moreover, your inputs have always been valuable so it should be fine", Athena said. As soon as she finished her sentence, thunder suddenly boomed loudly overhead. However, Athena remained calm and instead raised her head towards the sky and glared at it, daring it to boom again. She was met with silence.
...
~Olympus~
Normally Zeus won't bother about others but since Athena had used his name, his attention had been drawn towards the conversation and had reacted to it. It was short-lived since he then made as much distance as he could between the conversation and himself when he noticed Athena's glare.
...
~Zeus' Fist, Camp Half Blood~
"Go on", Hestia urged.
"Hecate and I were summoned for a meeting with the three brothers at Olympus a while back", Athena started.
"I expected them to have a meeting but not so soon. But given how Zeus is, I'm not even surprised", Hestia said. However, what surprised her was that Hades had been called too since Zeus rarely took his counsel. He was never invited to Olympus except during the winter solstice ever since the three had assumed divine control over the heavens, seas and dead.
On the other hand, Artemis was gobsmacked by this information. What would've prompted them to actually get together? Since she was unaware about the things that had transpired, she was quite shocked.
"On the success of Percy's quest and his story, we verified the facts and it was indeed true that Ares had assisted the son of Hermes in stealing Zeus and Hades' symbol of power since traces of his energy were still lingering within the weapons. As such, it has been decided that we are going to consult the oracle for a quest to find the son of Hermes since he has escaped camp. If none is issued, we will be relying on Artemis and her hunters to hunt him down. Any questions?", Athena asked before she continued with the rest of the information.
Artemis wanted to speak to Athena about this but she received a mental message that she'd explain things later so Artemis could only grit her teeth and listen in to the conversation.
"Lady Athena, will I be going to the oracle immediately or a little later? You see, I still need to train and improve if I am to go against Luke. As I am now, I don't think I will be able to beat him", Percy said.
This made Athena pause momentarily as she inspected Poseidon's spawn a little more closely. She could see that his physical condition was nowhere near idle and the boy desperately needed to train. However, she was surprised that he actually thought about the situation before asking for another quest. Barnacle Beard's children weren't exactly known to be the sharpest tools in the shed after all.
"Are you sure you're Poseidon's son?", Athena asked rhetorically.
"Yes, despite my errant father not being there my whole life. Any reason?", Percy replied with a knowing smile. He had caught on to Athena's underlying words.
Athena smirked at that. Looks like Hecate's diagnosis was spot on as usual. Even her initial assessment was looking good but that could all change. The truth was, she didn't hate Poseidon's kids. She was always practical and placed value on those who were capable and had good character which was sadly not the case for most of the kids of the big three.
"Very well. I will give you some time before you can go and consult the oracle. But you must update me with your progress every week via Iris Message. On the off chance a quest isn't issued, you will remain in camp and train. Any further instructions will be given to you then. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Lady Athena."
"By the way, I hope you have not mentioned anything about your conversation with Zeus and Poseidon to anybody."
"Of course not. The only other person who knows is aunt Hestia."
"Good, now isn't it time for you to sleep? It is quite late already", Athena suggested.
"Perseus, I need to have a word with you as well. Let's walk back to camp whilst we speak", Hestia said. She was aware that Percy had a long day and needed some time off but she needed to know who would dare to stab her champion.
Percy nodded his head and the duo soon disappeared from view.
Now that Athena and Artemis were alone, the latter jumped down from the tree and approached her sister.
"What is going on Athena, you'd better tell me everything", Artemis said with narrowed eyes.
Athena was not one to back down from things so she too matched Artemis' cold glare with her own and replied, "That son of Poseidon managed to retrieve the bolt, the helm and found out who was responsible for their theft. We had a meeting on Olympus and decided that no one must know about the quest's success until we find out who was behind this since Ares is too much of a bullhead to design intricate plans. At the same time, we will hunt down the son of Hermes who was the one who stole both weapons. If no quest is issued, you must track him down and bring him to Olympus for further questioning."
"Is that boy capable enough to lead a quest should one be issued?"
"He may not look like it but from my initial assessment and Hecate's words, he is capable. With the correct guidance, he has the potential to become powerful and intelligent whilst remaining grounded and loyal. It is too early but I'd like to see where this goes and aid him in his training initially. If he manages to even satisfy me, I will personally teach him to prepare him for the prophecy. He may not look like it but he is the sort of person who comes once in a lifetime and forges his own legend for the whole world to remember. But as I said, it is still far too early to say anything or reach any conclusions", Athena said with a ghost of a smile appearing on her face.
Artemis was stunned. What had this boy done to make Athena, of all people, have such high expectations from him? Not only that, even the errant Hecate had vouched for him not to mention the high praise Hestia held for him. This just kept making Artemis even more suspicious of him. No one, not even a single person in all these centuries had been able to do what he had done and he had just entered this side of the world. She needed some time to think.
"Very well Athena. But I will personally look into this boy before I can place a miniscule amount of trust in him", Artemis said.
With the conversation done, Athena nodded and flashed away; leaving Artemis alone in her domain.
...
~Percy and Hestia~
As they were walking back to camp, Percy brought up the boxes that he had been ignoring for the past few minutes.
...
Ping!
Quest Complete!
Understand and experience Rhea's situation during the birth of Zeus.
Rewards added.
$: 27,200 + 10,000 = 37,200
..
XP: 737 + 10,000 = 4,596 / 7,290
Level Up!
HP: 850 + 50 = 900 / 900
MP: 950 + 50 = 1,000 / 1,000
Points 20 + 2 = 22
..
Passive Skill Unlocked!
Champion of Hestia (Tap for more information)
..
Skill Unlocked!
Bond Manipulation (Level 1)
Manipulate the bonds connecting people in any way you desire. (Tap for more information)
...
Percy's eyes widened the moment he read the last message. What. The. Hades?
Hestia too sensed a sudden change in Percy's body so she stopped him making Percy visibly confused.
"Wait", was all that Hestia said as she closed her eyes and started using her divine energy and their shared connection to assess Percy. This went on for a few minutes until her eyes suddenly snapped open in shock.
"Percy, did you receive any other power recently?", she asked, almost dreading the answer.
"Yes, what happened?", Percy asked as his concern for Hestia rose seeing the look on her face.
"What did you get?"
"I got a passive skill as your champion and bond manipulation just now", Percy replied cluelessly. He still hadn't connected the dots.
Hestia's face turned into one of sheer surprise and a little horror.
"Hestia, are you alright?", Percy asked with concern evident in his voice.
"Percy, me being a goddess of family means more than people think. Now, think about this – people have bonds within a family. Correct?"
"Yes."
"Now, as a goddess of family, one of my abilities is to manipulate bonds. I can change the bond between people in any manner that I want, the only exception being those who are above my power. It is different than the dagger you wield. Rule Breaker's only ability is to destroy bonds whilst mine is to change those to my liking. Moreover, the Greek world is one big family and people are related to each other in one way or another as much as we try to deny it, thus, creating a bond. As such, I can influence everyone albeit with some difficulty due to the scale but it can be done. Here comes the problem now. When I made you my champion and gave you my blessing, I thought that you would only receive fire manipulation and summoning food as a power up but it seems that I was wrong. I never thought that the Fates would grant you this as well. This power of bond manipulation makes you even more powerful than I thought was possible. Do you realise the implications Percy?"
As soon as Percy heard Hestia's explanation, he immediately connected the dots. Before he could say anything, Gamer's Mind had taken control of Percy's emotions and was regulating it so that he could not go into an outburst and forced him to remain calm.
"How is this possible Hestia? Shouldn't it have been unlocked earlier?"
"I don't know. We can worry about that later. Right now, our priority is to regulate this power. I know you will not misuse it but I still need to train you properly so that you don't subconsciously alter bonds between people. And don't even think you're getting any rest right now Perseus. You still have to tell me what exactly happened earlier, I haven't forgotten. You're coming with me to Olympus. I will inform Chiron and ask him to handle things", Hestia said with a tone of finality in her voice. Percy could only nod at this. Looks like it was going to be a long night.
With that, the two flashed away.
...
~Artemis~
Artemis was still trying to come to terms with what transpired just now. Firstly, Hestia somehow ended up with a champion after millennia. Then, said champion found the thief who stole the god's symbol of power and returned it. Next, he also somehow managed to garner a high opinion in the eyes of Hecate and Athena – one she think wasn't possible and that too by a son of Poseidon. To her, it all looked like the escapades of Hercules or Jason all over again. The hero rises, only to fall spectacularly in one way or another.
Artemis couldn't help but think that there was more to the boy than met the eye. There was simply no way that a boy like that could exist. Males were nothing but scum who deceived and took advantage of women. She was going to find out more about the boy. Since Hestia, Athena and Hecate were involved, especially Hestia, she did not want anything bad to happen and thus was ready to take this task upon herself. One way or another, she was going to get to the bottom of it.
With that in mind, she disappeared in a flash of silver, leaving the forest behind.
x.x
Percy's Stats
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 - 17
Exp – 4,596 / 7,290
…
HP : 900 / 900 (+ 2,000)
MP : 1,000 / 1,000 (+ 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 : 26 (Bonus : +14% chance of better loot)
Points : 22
Money : $37,200 / 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)
Akachan Shiru no Me (Max)
Running (Level 7 - 34 km / hr)
Storms (Level 3)
Earth Shaker (Level 1)
…
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 3)
Battle Strategy (Level 5)
Bond Manipulation (Level 1)
…
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)
Champion of Hestia (power ups to be declared)
…
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)
