21 Chapter 20: Discipline and Guidance

A/N

Hey everyone!

Thanks for the wait. This is a relatively short chapter but it felt right so yeah.

Shoutout to Yoshi and Fox as always! A huge shoutout to Ekto for doing the beta.

Please note, post next week, updates will be biweekly as stated earlier.

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Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or any of its characters.

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Chapter 20: Discipline and Guidance

~Hestia~

"What's wrong sister? Is everything alright? It has been a long time since I got an emergency message from you," Poseidon said with concern evident in his voice as he brandished his trident. However, he completely missed Hestia's fiery eyes full of anger. How he was able to miss something like that was beyond her.

"Yes, everything will be once I am done with you. Follow me inside. Now," Hestia said in a commanding voice which finally made Poseidon realise that he was in trouble.

Normally, the goddess never scolded anyone or interfered in matters unless it was important. This made Poseidon wary and concerned since her ire seemed to be directed towards him at this point of time. The six siblings bickered quite a bit but mostly got along with each other. However, when Hestia took matters into her hands, the other five would have to obey in one way or another. Even though Zeus, Poseidon and Hades were far stronger than their eldest sister, they loved her dearly and had a soft spot for her. Thus, they were rendered powerless in front of her as was the case currently. So all Poseidon could do was accept his fate and follow his sister inside her home.

...

~Percy, Camp Half Blood~

...

Another dummy was slashed in half as it met its end only to be replaced by another almost instantly, but it was all for nothing as Percy continued cutting them down one after another with Riptide. Soon, the entire area was cleared out with all the dummies in a heap on the ground. Percy frowned. He had been at it for the past two hours or so with the occasional break, but things just seemed to stagnate. The dummies didn't attack, which didn't give Percy the experience that he needed.

Percy required something more. He had thought that practicing here would help, but it seems like he was wrong. Maybe he could visit the dungeon near Zeus' fist to get some practice there. He could also speak to the Hephaestus cabin to see if they could come up with something more useful. He ultimately decided to do the former, since he still had quite a bit of time before lunch.

Once Percy reached the entrance to the Dungeon, a screen appeared as per custom.

...

Dungeon Available!

Zeus' Fist (Level 8)

Great Orcus Labyrinth – Locked (tap for details)

...

Curious, Percy tapped on it. He did not remember seeing this option before.

...

Great Orcus Labyrinth

The origins of this dungeon are unknown. It Is rumoured to host beings with various powers from a different world and is incredibly difficult to complete. There are an estimated 150 floors. Extreme caution advised.

Note: Dungeon only available at night.

...

Percy could only look at it with a stupefied expression. What the Hades? How in the world did such a thing exist in the first place? Not even the Fates knew everything about it.

...

~Void~

...

"Grandmother, is it really okay for him to go into that dungeon?" Clotho asked.

"Of course. You wanted him to get stronger and find some dungeons, right? I just gave him one for a small boost," Chaos replied.

"But to summon one from another world?"

"I just made a copy of it that only Perseus can access, unless he decides to bring someone with him. I do hope that he heeds the warning that I put in though."

"I understand, but what if he dies? Won't your plans be disrupted?" Lachesis questioned.

"]Death cannot interfere with what I want to do," Chaos said with power seeping into her words as the aura around her intensified a little. "It knows that I am the one who created it and it won't do it any good if it went against my wishes."

The Moirai started trembling as soon as they felt the sudden spike in power. For them, this power was far beyond what they could ever comprehend. There were times like this that reminded them how insignificant they were in front of the Creator and what it would mean if someone managed to upset her.

On the other hand, Chaos was oblivious to their plight since the amount she leaked was barely even 1% of her power.

Thus, a grandmother and three of her shivering granddaughters stood in the vast emptiness, waiting to see the events unfold.

...

~Percy, Camp Half Blood~

...

Percy looked at the screen floating in front of him and opened another screen to check his stats. He desperately wanted to go in but he knew he wasn't ready yet. He glanced at his stats once again and with a sad expression dismissed the screen. He still needed to train but he had now found something more to work towards. He could only imagine what sort of things he'd experience and if he could learn something new.

He then turned around and returned to camp to speak to the Hephaestus cabin for better dummies since his first option was now out. Maybe Charles could help with something.

Upon reaching the forge, Percy opened the door only to be blasted by some air. To a normal camper, it would have been extremely hot but Percy felt nothing. It was just… air. He then walked inside to find lots of campers hard at work. The sound of fire crackling, metal clanging and tired grunts could be heard from all around him as a metallic smell invaded his nose. The air inside the forge was dense, making it hard to breathe but it didn't seem to be a problem for the others. Percy wandered around a little until he found Charles in the back. The son of Hephaestus was wearing a thin tee and sweating buckets as he worked on a lump of metal. Percy decided not to disturb Charles and observed the process with interest.

After a few minutes of working, Charles looked up to find Percy sitting patiently across from him.

"Hey Percy, didn't see you there. What brings you here today?" He asked with a bright smile which Percy returned.

"Hey! I needed some help with the training dummies but then I saw you forging. It looks pretty interesting," Percy replied.

"It is! You can literally make anything as long as you have something in your head and the process is always fun. You should give it a try!"

"I will drop by some time for sure."

"Good! Now, what did you say about the training dummies?"

"Do you have anything more challenging than the ones in the arena currently? They aren't of much use."

"Did you try adjusting the levels?"

"Huh?"

"So you didn't. Figures. There's a knob near each circle in the arena to change their level. They're all set to stay still currently. You can change them based on your preferences. It's sort of hard to miss," Charles said with a chuckle.

"Huh," was Percy's intelligent reply. He had not… considered checking said panel. He was far too excited to start his training to bother with that.

"Well, I gotta get back to forging this sword. Feel free to stay and watch if you want some indicators."

"I'll drop by again. Thanks Charles," Percy said with a smile. He waved the demigod goodbye and made his way back to the arena to start his training once again.

Upon reaching the arena, Percy looked around to see that it was empty which was good since he wanted to be away from all the gossip and attention that would ensue. He then made his way to one of the training circles and located the panel. Sure enough, it was on the lowest level possible which made Percy feel stupid. He could've progressed much faster if he had found it earlier. The levels indicated on the panel were: beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert with five sub-levels to each level which would make training easier since it was controlled, something that Percy appreciated. Thus, Percy moved the knob to beginner level 3 to begin with. He would gauge his performance and accordingly plan for the future. With the plan set, Percy was ready for an afternoon of training.

It was early evening when a haggard looking Percy walked out of the arena. His camp tee was torn in various places and his hair somehow in a bigger mess than it usually is. It made some people stop and wonder what exactly happened that would make the son of Poseidon look this way. On his way to cabin 3, Percy caught up with Annabeth who was heading in the same direction.

"Percy, what the hades happened to you?"

...

~A few hours ago~

...

Percy had just brushed through basic level five with ease and was feeling over the world and confident that he decided to head straight over to intermediate level 5 to try it out. The moment he stepped in the arena, the dummies became a blur, his body moved on its own accord and the next thing he felt was stinging pain on his side only to look down and see the crimson droplets falling on the ground where he was just cut.

...

~Present~

...

"Training?" Percy said but it came out more as a question which made Annabeth glare at him.

"What level did you try out without thinking things through?" Annabeth asked with a cold glare.

"Intermediate level 5."

"Did we not teach you to think things through before doing anything? Looks like we overestimated your abilities."

"Hey, that's rude!"

"Better that than seeing my friend die and by a dummy no less."

"I concede. Anyways, I was looking for you. Can we start our studies once again? I want to learn more."

"Thought you'd never ask. But first go shower and change. You stink."

"Fine."

Thus began Percy's journey to become stronger.

...

~Olympus~

...

Poseidon inwardly gulped as he sat across from Hestia who was now in her adult form. It had been a long time since he last saw her use that form and usually, nothing good came of it for her victim, which he was currently.

"Brother, you do know what domains I control, right?" Hestia started. Her eyes were still blazing which indicated that she was far from being calm.

"Of course, I do. What kind of a question is that?" Poseidon replied. He still did not know where this was going.

"So I hope you remember that one of my domains is that of the hearth," she suggested.

"Did something happen in it? Tell me and I will slaughter the one who dared to cause you any inconvenience!"

"Poseidon," Hestia said in a warning tone, "Shut up and listen before I do something that could affect your health severely in the short term."

This made the sea god shut his mouth immediately and cut back a retort that had made its way to his tongue.

"You are well aware that I can tell the state of anyone's relationship by looking at the bonds connecting them and as such, I happened to glance at the one between you and Percy. To say I am disappointed and angry with you would be an understatement."

Poseidon's eyes widened in alarm as he immediately grabbed his sister's shoulders and said, "Please tell me what happened, I cannot have my own son hate me."

"I am very much inclined to leave it and let you figure it out all on your own but, knowing you, the bond will be long broken until realisation finally dawns."

Poseidon's eyes further widened hearing those words. He had never expected this to happen. He liked to think that he maintained a better relation with his children than most gods, but it looked like that wasn't the case after all.

"How is the bond between me and my son?"

"What would you do if I told you?" the goddess asked with her eyes squinted in anger.

"I would go and talk to him of course," Poseidon said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. His sister was really losing her edge.

"And force Percy to stop hating you? Or suddenly shower him with love, making him suspicious of you? Do you really think it is as easy as you make it out to be?"

"I-I-I"

"No, Poseidon. If you think you can make someone love you by force, you're sorely mistaken. Do you realise how much you have neglected your own son?"

"But-but the Ancient Laws -"

"Can be circumvented with a little leeway provided the god has some incentive which doesn't look like the case."

"Don't you dare–," Poseidon started before he was cut off once again.

"Dare what? State facts? The truth is right in front of my eyes. I can see Percy's bonds waning each day. How do you think he would be feeling?" Hestia asked harshly as the flames in her eyes started having flicks of green here and there. She was quite aware of her rising temper but knew that this needed to be done. To make matters worse, even Vesta was brimming with anger inside her head if her indignant shouts of switching out were anything to go by.

...

~Night time, 1 week later~

...

Percy stood in the clearing near Zeus' fist where he met Athena the previous week. He was supposed to give her an update on his progress on a weekly basis and as such, he had sent the goddess a silent prayer and sacrifice during dinner to remind her about it. He had now been waiting for the past two hours but there was still no sign of her until he saw an owl fly by and hoot. His eyes narrowed in suspicion so he used Observe only to recognise said goddess.

"Lady Athena," Percy called out to the owl with a respectful bow of his head. To an outsider, it would've been rather amusing to watch a boy bow his head to a bird and call it a goddess but little would they know that said bird could crush them as easily as humans crushed ants.

"Quite observant of your surroundings, I see." Athena said as she transformed into her usual form, "Now, how has your training been in the past week? I have noticed your frequent visits to my cabin so I know that you've been spending a lot of time with my children."

Percy gulped. So the rumours were true. Athena was really one difficult deity to appease and she was just as sharp as the myths had described her.

"You're right, Lady Athena. I have been spending time with your children to learn more. I realised that in order to become powerful, it is important to be strong physically as well as mentally. As the saying goes, 'Knowing the enemy is half the battle.' Thus, I have started studying my school curriculum as well as Greek history to increase my knowledge about this world."

"A worthy conclusion. Go on," Athena said as she nodded her head.

"So for this week, I tested my abilities and stretched myself to see my limits to give me an idea about my current strength and which areas to work on. It would help to focus on the more important aspects."

"Optimising your time and focusing on what's important. That's good and all but are you forgetting something?"

"What?"

"We don't have much time. The further you delay, the slimmer our chances get for catching the traitor. Under other circumstances your training regimen would be idle and noteworthy but you have not learned to consider all circumstances before reaching a decision. You forgot to account for the quest that you may end up going on should the Oracle declare one. Am I wrong?"

"No, Lady Athena."

"So instead of wasting your time doing all these things, think about the traitor's strengths and where you can gain an advantage. For example, he may be better than you with a sword but he doesn't have power over water which gives you a definitive advantage. Your smaller stature would help in being more nimble and thus deliver quick attacks before retreating which would help in getting around him. You see where I'm going with this?"

Percy nodded his head.

"Knowledge is always important but for you right now, it is important to brush up your physical stature. Anyways, back to the topic in hand, I suggest you start working on the more important skills such as sword fighting, your speed as well as your control over water. Who knows, it could be the deciding factor in your battle."

"Understood."

"You have done okay so far, nothing too noteworthy. It still doesn't justify the high praise you seem to be getting. Show me that I wasn't wrong to give you this chance and didn't waste my time on you. Show me the results. You wouldn't want to disappoint me now would you, Perseus Jackson?"

Percy gulped at the thinly veiled threat and quickly answered, "Of course not, Lady Athena. I will keep these points in mind and start training."

"Good, I will meet you next week now for the update," Athena said after which she disappeared in a poof of grey.

Percy sighed. Whilst the pointers she had given were extremely useful and would make a difference in his training, he wasn't sure how he felt about the goddess. Things were definitely going to get harder under her tutelage since nothing seemed to appease her. For now, he was going to keep his head down and focus on his training. He had to become stronger.

...

~3 weeks later~

...

"…. so that's about it," Percy said as he concluded his final report with the goddess of war strategy. It had been more than a month now since his first meeting with the goddess and the fourth weekly update with her.

Athena meanwhile was sitting on a tree trunk with a notebook in hand as she jolted down a few things which Percy guessed was his progress. The goddess didn't answer immediately as her intelligent grey eyes scanned over the pages rapidly.

She then finally looked up and said, "Your sword fighting seems to have improved quite a bit over these few weeks. You have gone up from intermediate level one to intermediate level 4 which is a 3 sub-level increase. I am slightly astonished with your progress. No one has ever been able to improve this quickly and as such, I'd be calling your bluff but ever since I saw your practice, I have to admit it is a little impressive in its own right."

"Wait. When did you watch me practice?" Percy asked.

...

~10 days ago~

...

It was night time and Percy was in the arena; practicing. Since he had Gamer's Body, sleep had become a secondary requirement for him. He was now able to go for a few days before exhaustion finally took over.

He was currently at intermediate level 3. His form and awareness had improved quite a bit ever since Athena had started giving out little pointers here and there which let him be more efficient. One of the pointers was to not waste his sword strikes and go for lethal points if it could be done. Again, it was all situational but it was best to not draw out most fights.

Out of the corner of his eye, a dummy came at him with a powerful overhead sweep, intending to impale him, but Percy quickly stepped to the side and stabbed it in its gut. His senses tingled as he rolled back immediately, just to see another sword go through the place where he previously stood. The moving patterns of the dummies were erratic and would throw him for a loop every now and then. The dummy then turned towards Percy and started a reckless barrage of attacks which put him on the defensive end. Percy kept defending, waiting for a moment where the dummy would slip up, and sure enough, it took a little longer to prepare for the next strike, Percy lunged in and with a quick stab to its throat, ending the barrage.

He turned around to see that there were several other dummies left and let out a blood thirsty grin. This was going to be fun. However, he completely missed the owl that was perched on one of the stands in the arena as its intelligent grey eyes bore into his very soul.

...

~Present~

...

"A surprise check to see how serious you are," Athena said, "Moving on, were you able to incorporate your water powers into your sword play? As I suggested earlier, you could disorient your enemies or even use it as a weapon in some situations. I have seen Poseidon use his power of water many times."

"Not yet, Lady Athena. I still lose focus whenever I try to combine them. Clearing out beginner level one is also difficult at this point of time."

"Understandable. It seems that your power over water needs to grow before you can perform these feats. And what about your body composition? Did you follow the diet that I had given? You need to be physically strong in order to handle the pressure of your powers and the upcoming quest."

That's right, Athena had designed a whole nutritional plan for Percy that he had to follow diligently. Thoughts of eating anything else were quickly given up as soon as her piercing eyes met his and promised unimaginable pain. However, Percy could not deny the results. His previously scrawny figure had now started filling and his muscles had become a lot more pronounced.

"Yes, I have, as I promised."

"Studies. What's going on in that front?"

"One year ahead of school curriculum."

"History?"

"Read the Iliad and the Odyssey."

"Other texts in the Athena cabin?"

"Starting soon."

"Okay, good. It seems that we have covered some of the important points. While your progress has been good, there's still room for some more improvement. Zeus grows impatient. I doubt we have much more time left now that we have extended things for a month. At most, I can give you another 2 weeks before you will have to visit the Oracle."

"Understood, Lady Athena."

With that, the goddess disappeared in a poof of grey once again.

Percy then looked around for a bit before he brought up his stats.

...

STR: 23 + 3 = 26 (+2 + 20)

VIT: 18 + 2 = 20 (+ 20)

HP Boost: 900 + 50 = 950/950

DEX: 18 + 2 = 20 (+2 + 20)

INT: 22 + 8 = 30

MP Boost: 1,000 + 50 = 1,050/1,050

WIS: 18 + 3 = 21

...

His main stats had gone up a bit especially his INT thanks to spending time with Athena and her children. They really grilled him a lot. He then moved on to look at his other abilities.

...

Skills

…

Combat :

Sword Fighting: 17 + 3 = Level 20

…

Inherited :

Modern English: 25 + 10 = Level 35

Swimming: 7 + 4 = Level 11 - 13 km/hr

Running: 7 + 3 = Level 10 - 40 km / hr)

Storm Bringer: 3 + 1 = Level 4

Earth Shaker: 1 + 2 = Level 3

…

General :

Critical Strike: 5 + 2 = Level 7

Mage Armor: 5 + 1 = Level 6

Battle Strategy: 5 + 2 = Level 7

…

Abilities :

Water Control: 17 + 3 = Level 20

Ice Control: 4 +2 = Level 6

Steam Control: 3 + 2 = Level 5

Fire Control: 8 + 5 = Level 13

…

His routine had been far more demanding than he let on in front of Athena. Truthfully, once he was in his cabin at night, he'd go to the Alternate Dimension and then walk out of his cabin to practice more with his powers. Out of everything, his most notable growth was in Fire Control which Hestia had helped him in. Of course, a goddess training another person in her powers was bound to yield some favourable results. Due to this, the goddess' visits had become more frequent and sometimes she'd just sit and watch him train. Moreover, her demeanour seemed to be the same in most cases except for when, every once in a while, she seemed to appear different and talk differently. He had tried asking her about her visits and behaviour but she just waved it off and said something about spending time with her champion which he accepted since he loved spending time with her as well. In that time, they had grown ever closer as he found himself talking to her about all sorts of things from his general thoughts to his life and what may come in the future. She too opened up a little and talked about her millennia as a goddess for which he was thankful. All in all, things were going well with his relationship with Hestia at this point of time. Despite all this, he couldn't help but wonder what happened that made the goddess decide to spend more time with him.

...

~Poseidon and Hestia's conversation from before~

...

At this point, Poseidon could barely control himself.

"Why do you care so much about him, Hestia? Since when did you actively engage with demigods rather than just observing them from afar?" Poseidon seethed.

"Since he became OUR CHAMPION," Hestia and Vesta shouted together.

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 : 950 / 950 (+ 2,000)

MP : 1,050 / 1,050 (+ 2,000)

…

STR : 26 (+ 2 + 20) (Bonus : Weapon damage - Damage + STR | Unarmed damage - STR * 2)

VIT : 20 (+ 20) (Bonus : 50 HP per 10 levels)

DEX : 20 (+2 + 20) (Bonus : +10% HP regenerated / min)

INT : 30 (Bonus : 50 MP per 10 levels)

WIS : 21 (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 20)

…

Inherited :

Ancient Greek (Max)

Tongue of the Old Times (Max)

Modern English (Level 35)

Swimming (Level 11 - 13 km/hr)

Breathe Underwater (Max)

Akachan Shiru no Me (Max)

Running (Level 10 - 40 km / hr)

Storms (Level 4)

Earth Shaker (Level 3)

…

General :

Observe (Level 4)

Sneaking (Level 6)

Critical Strike (Level 7)

Taunt (Level 1)

Mark of the Furies (Level 8)

Mage Armor (Level 6)

Summon Meals (Max)

Makarios tis Elpis (Level 3)

Battle Strategy (Level 7)

Bond Manipulation (Level 1) (Purple: Romance, Brown: Family, Red: Dislike/Hatred, Blue: Friends, Grey: Neutral)

…

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 (to be declared)

…

Abilities :

Water Control (Level 20)

Water Spikes (Level 4)

Blood Control (Level 1)

Water Spear (Level 3)

Dimension Create (Max)

Ice Control (Level 6)

Steam Control (Level 5)

Fire Control (Level 13)

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