9 Chapter 9: Interactions and Blessings (Part 1)
Edit: I have created a discord server for this fic. It's basically for providing updates, providing feedbacks, chilling etc.
h t t p s : / / d i s c o r d . g g / P Z P b B 5 S f 7 2
(remove the spaces ofc)
Disclaimer : I do not own PJO or any of its characters.
x.x
Chapter 9
Just as Percy started to walk towards the hill, a notification popped up.
...
Ping!
Quest Alert!
Save Sally, find the Lightning Bolt and Helm of Darkness
Rewards -
5,000 XP
Your mother back and safer than ever
?
?
Failure -
Death
Sally's Death
Mass Destruction
End of the age of the gods
This quest has been auto accepted. Do you really need a reason to save the world and/or the gods?
...
Percy's eye twitched. He was so going to have a few words with the Fates when he met them next. If they were the ones giving him the quests, they really had a lot of free time in hand since they could be smart asses about things like this. What was this nonsense about the 'end of the age of gods'? He thought about it. What had the Fates told him? Kronos was rising. Did these events have something to do with the Titan Lord?
He sighed as he dismissed the notification and walked up to the small party that had assembled on the hill. He decided that he won't dwell too much on things or try to since it did nothing but raise more questions. Apparently, this change was brought about as his intelligence started to increase. He found himself more curious and questioned things much more than he would initially. Is this how Annabeth felt when she couldn't find answers or was curious? Something to ask her he mused.
He reached the hill to find Chiron, Grover, Luke and Annabeth waiting for him. Grover was chewing on a diet coke can as he stood nervously whilst the other three seemed to talk about quest or the news in general since their faces were serious.
"Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting", Percy said.
"Seaweed brain, didn't anyone ever teach you not to keep people waiting, especially a girl?", Annabeth replied. Ah wasn't she just lovely? However, she sounded more annoyed than before for some reason. Percy didn't think about it as Luke walked up to him with a box in hand.
"Open it", Luke said.
Percy complied as he saw a pair of sneakers that looked nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing his confused look, Luke took one out and said, "Maia!".
Suddenly, white bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling him. Just then, Gamer's Mind came to the rescue and saved him before he could drop the shoes. The wings flapped a bit before they folded and disappeared.
"Awesome!" Grover said.
Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days so you can have these."
Percy just thanked him but before he put them on, he decided to use Observe just to be on the safe side.
...
Talaria of Mercury
Obviously a cheaper imitation of the Talaria of Mercury. These are still effective, able to increase the speed of the user as well as gives the ability to fly. This pair has been cursed to drag the user to the depths of Tartarus itself once near its entrance.
...
'Great' Percy thought, 'just my luck'. He didn't have a bag since Annabeth had told him that the camp would be providing them with supplies and sure enough there was a backpack lying on the ground for him. Annabeth and Grover carried similar ones. He opened the bag and discreetly put the shoes in his inventory as he pretended to store them inside said bag. The camp had loaned them about twenty golden drachmas. These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. They had also been provided with a flask of nectar and an airtight bag full of ambrosia squares. Percy used Observe and sure enough the results were enough to make him want to raid the store wherever they stashed both items.
...
Nectar - drink of the gods
Nectar restores MP fully with no risk of burning up.
Ambrosia - food of the gods
Ambrosia restores HP fully with no risk of burning up.
...
This was gold right there. This practically guaranteed him having unlimited HP and MP. Percy made a mental note to raid Olympus once he delivered the bolt if he was able to in the first case. Moving on, Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which turned her invisible. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.
Grover, on the other hand, wore his fake feet and his trousers to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained, his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on. In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.
Before they left, Chiron called Percy to have a private word with him.
"Quite the trouble you caused Percy", Chiron began.
"What?", Percy asked. He wasn't sure what Chiron was talking about since he had quite a history of being a troublemaker.
"Gabe", he said simply.
Percy froze. He did not expect anyone to know about this so soon. He knew people would be after him eventually but this, this was too soon. However, seeing the look of panic about to set on Percy's face, Chiron moved to quickly placate his fears.
"Don't worry, I have taken care of it. The mortals believe what I led them to believe."
"How?" Percy sputtered. He was just about to freak out even more but Gamer's Mind kicked in again as he calmed down.
"Trade secrets", Chiron said as he winked at Percy.
At his questioning look, Chiron decided to explain.
"The Mist. Read the Iliad, it's full of references. In short, whenever the divine or monsters mix with the mortal world, Mist is generated, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-god, but humans will interpret things differently. I used it to change things at your apartment so people don't suspect either you or your mom. Everything is alright and you can visit it too if you want. Don't worry about it."
"Can I learn how to control the Mist?"
"Yes, but I will teach you once you're back. Take care and good luck Percy."
The three then walked down the hill, past the camp boundaries. They were going to be escorted till New York by the camp's head of security - Argus. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. They made their way to the white SUV where Percy sat in the middle while Annabeth and Grover flanked him.
The drive passed peacefully as everyone was occupied with their thoughts. It was sunset by the time they reached Manhattan. Argus dropped them off at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from his previous apartment. It was getting late; Percy turned to Annabeth and met her gaze. It seemed that they were thinking of the same thing as she nodded at his mental question.
"Percy lives in New York right? So why don't we settle in at his apartment for the night before we head to the bus station in the morning? This way, we can be alert during the day for possible attacks without straining ourselves too much", Annabeth explained. It was a logical plan and everyone agreed to it.
Soon, Percy made his way into the apartment with Grover and Annabeth in tow. The apartment was now clean of all the trash as well as Gabe's smell which Percy was glad of.
"Why don't you guys freshen up while I cook dinner?" Percy asked. In reality, he was just going to summon some food using his new powers but he didn't want them to know since he had promised Hestia not to tell anyone.
"Annabeth, you can use the room down the hall on the right. It's my mom's room. Grover, you can use mine, you know where it is", Percy continued. They both nodded and walked off thinking that he needed time since this was the very place which brought back bad memories. Percy had managed to keep a hold of himself as the memories of his last visit flashed in his mind – the way his mother smiled at him and hugged him, her smell and everything about her. He vowed that he would get his mother back regardless of the cost.
Putting those thoughts aside, he waved a hand and imagined a few dishes. They appeared before him in a flash of flames; ready to be devoured. They hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and all of them were famished. Percy's appetite had grown since he had discovered his gamer powers. He couldn't quite explain why this happened but as long as he didn't become unhealthy, he was fine. He couldn't get unhealthy too – perks of being a half-god. He then went ahead and set-up the table as he waited for the other two.
While Percy was in the kitchen, Annabeth walked into the room which Percy had told her was his mother's. It was extremely tidy and the bed was made. A wall was decorated with some pictures. She walked to one of them and saw that it was of a gorgeous woman who could give many people in the supernatural world a run for their money and the object of her interest - a certain sea-green eyed son of Poseidon. He was about seven years old in the picture as he had his arms around his mother from behind with his head poking out as he looked at her in an adorable manner. The backdrop was of the beach which Annabeth assumed was taken during one of their vacations. She moved and saw various pictures of the two of them. It seemed that they were extremely close which caused a pang of sadness in her heart as she remembered her own past. She clamped down on that feeling as she turned towards the shower and freshened up.
Soon, Annabeth found herself in front of a whole meal cooked by Percy. There were a few dishes and they looked mouth-watering. She felt bad that she couldn't help out Percy and that he had been practically looking after them even though they should be helping him out seeing that it is his house. It was just basic courtesy.
Annabeth took a bite out of the food and her eyes lit up. This was one of the best dishes she had ever had and that was saying something since the food at camp was delightful to say the least.
"This is delicious Percy", she commented.
Percy looked at her and gave her a smile.
Just a simple smile and she was already putty. Annabeth groaned inside her head. Why was she getting affected by him? If this was Aphrodite's doing, she was going to have a word with her – goddess or not.
Once they were done with the meal, Annabeth tried to help Percy clean the dishes but he waved her off. He wanted to try something so he just let her watch as she stood nearby. Grover had hopped off to bed as he was pretty tired. Poor Satyr was still trying to come to terms with the fact that they were going to the Underworld which wasn't exactly on the list of 'top places to visit' in general.
Percy soaked the dishes a bit in water as he willed one plate to rise and used the water on it to scrub it clean with the necessary fluids Annabeth had taken out. He didn't know the first thing about dish washing however, Annabeth was the smart one (for now) so he followed whatever she said.
Soon, he was able to clean all the dishes properly as Annabeth looked at him with a smile. She was certainly impressed with his power and control over water.
"Why don't you head off to sleep? I'll just stack the plates properly and sleep then", Percy said.
Annabeth agreed as she disappeared from view
Percy then picked up one plate and lit his hand on fire as he dried it thoroughly, killing all the bacteria and germs on it. He repeated the process until all the dishes were almost shining.
Just then, a notification popped up.
...
New skill unlocked!
Cleaning dishes (Level – Max)
Due to your control over water and fire, you're able to clean and dry plates properly.
...
This was an extremely useless skill! How was this even supposed to help him?! His real life had really turned into a game. Percy just sighed as he called it a night and went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a crazy day.
~Next Morning~
Morning was definitely not a quiet affair as the demigods bustled to get ready and scarf down breakfast, courtesy of Percy. They needed to leave for the terminal since the bus for Los Angeles would be leaving soon.
Somehow, they were able to make it in time as they stepped into the bus and headed towards the back seats. The bus was relatively empty save for a few people which was odd since morning busses usually ran filled to the brim. They would have left the bus and tried to board another one however, just before they could move, the doors shut and the bus lurched forward almost throwing the trio off balance. Seeing no other choice, they decided to sit near the emergency exit door at the back since that would be helpful in case they needed to make a quick escape without being noticed.
"Be on your guard, something is amiss", Annabeth whispered.
They huddled near the emergency exit and kept watch over the rest of the passengers. It seemed as though all of them were sleeping for some reason except for the bus driver and two old ladies. Just as Percy looked at them, both turned simultaneously and glared at him at the same time. Their seemingly normal eyes suddenly started to glow like barbeque charcoals. Percy didn't need to use Observe to know who they were. One was Megaera and the other was Tisiphone, the other two Kindly Ones. They got up from their seat near the front of the bus as Megaera waved a hand and made their way towards the three of them.
"Umm guys, I think we have some company", Percy began. Just then, a notification popped up.
...
Ping!
Quest Alert!
Kill the Furies.
Rewards –
1000 XP
?
Failure –
Death
Accept / Decline?
...
Percy quickly accepted the quest as he turned his attention back to the subject at hand.
Annabeth looked alarmed as she followed his gaze and locked on to the two old ladies who were just a few rows ahead of them now.
"Here's the plan. I will turn invisible and go behind their back whilst you two distract them okay?" Annabeth said quickly. Leave it up to her to come up with strategies on the fly. Both of them nodded as Annabeth quickly wore her cap and vanished from sight.
Just as the Furies passed a row, they suddenly stopped and looked around as though they were looking for something rather, someone. Before they could do anything about it, Percy decided to intervene.
"Hey ugly"
They turned towards him and hissed as they bared their fangs, slowly morphing into the familiar shape of a Fury. The bus driver though was still driving with no apparent care in the world. He didn't seem to notice the two monsters behind him in plain view. Must be the Mist Percy realised.
"Where is she?", Tisiphone asked.
"Who?" Percy knew who they were talking about but decided to grate them as much as he could.
"You know who son of the sea. Ever since she was sent to spy on you, she hasn't come back nor can we sense her. What did you do to her?"
Welp. Percy needed to do something fast before they spilled the beans. This was bound to raise some questions from Annabeth if it went too far.
"I killed Alecto. I think you're getting too old to sense her or something", Percy joked. He couldn't stop himself from blurting out whatever came to mind. Grover just looked at him in exasperation as he momentarily forgot the situation they were in currently.
This seemed to work since they hissed as Tisiphone lurched at him. However, before Megaera could also do the same, her face concerted from rage to confusion to finally pain as she vanished into thin air; leaving behind monster dust.
Tisiphone didn't notice this as she was focused on Percy at the moment. She brought her claws down, trying to rake Percy across his chest but Percy was quicker than before as he ducked down immediately with his enhanced speed. The seat took the brunt of it as three jagged claw marks appeared behind him with the stuffing spilling out.
Just as he ducked, Percy summoned Riptide and stabbed her in the abdomen.
Damage : 200 + 25 = 225
Anaklusmos Monster Bonus : 225 x 2 = 450
Sword Bonus : 450 + (450 x 19%) = 535.5
Critical Strike : 535.5 x 330% = 1767.15
She was far from dead as she bent over, crying out in pain.
"This isn't over Perseus Jackson", she said as she spread open her wings; ready to fly out.
"Percy! Stop her, she may have some information about the location of the Underworld!" Annabeth exclaimed from somewhere around him. Percy already had Alecto to give him the information however, if he suddenly knew about it well, you get the idea. It would be a cluster fuck. Seriously, he was basically treading on egg shells at every other moment. This power was giving him more problems than advantages. Was it seriously a blessing?
Before she could jump up, Percy swung his sword again and managed to sever one of her wings which affected her momentum as she crashed into one of the seats.
"My master will send more monsters after you once he gets to know about your puny little group all alone out of the camp borders especially you son of Poseidon", she said venomously even though she was still gasping for breath.
"Where is the location of the entrance to the Underworld?" Annabeth demanded as she materalised in front of Percy.
"As if I will tell you about it", Tisiphone spat.
"Perhaps this will help", Percy said as he took out some water from a bottle and directed it towards Tisiphone. He formed something like a big bracelet around her forearm and then commanded the water to start shrinking thereby applying pressure to the flesh and bone beneath. The effect was instantaneous as she started howling.
"DOA... DOA Recording S-S-Studios ahhhh... L-L-Los Angeles", she managed to say as Percy receded the water. By now, she was lying on the seat as she groaned in pain. Before they killed her, Annabeth spoke up.
"Swear on the Styx that you won't tell anyone about us or our quest", she said.
"I swear".
"Good", Annabeth said as she finally stabbed Tisiphone; letting her out of her misery as she was transported back to the Underworld.
She then turned to Percy, "You and I are going to have a talk later." Her eyes were swirling and became dark, promising pain as she looked at Percy.
Percy gulped and nodded his head frantically, wanting to be out of her ire as soon as possible.
Just then, a notification popped up.
...
Ping!
Quest Complete!
Kill the Furies.
Rewards –
XP : 1,711 + 1,000 = 551 / 2746
Level Up!
Level 12
Ability Points : 10 + 2 = 12
Mark of the Furies
Level 1 + 2 = 3
...
Percy skimmed through the information and dismissed the screen. He did not have much use of the Mark of the Furies at the moment so he didn't dwell on it.
They then turned to look at Grover only to find him unconscious from the whole ordeal. That explained the lack of noise and chiding from the Satyr's part. Percy hoped Grover hadn't seen him go crazy otherwise he would be in for a bad time though he felt that it would be easier with him than Annabeth. She still gave Percy an evil eye and he was scared of what was to come.
"We need to get out of here first. I doubt this bus or route is safe anymore", Annabeth said.
Grover was still knocked out so jumping out of the bus wasn't an option. Percy spotted an emergency stop switch and pressed it. Almost immediately the bus screeched to a halt as Annabeth opened the emergency exit door and they were out in a flash with Percy carrying Grover over his shoulder. His enhanced strength worked wonders.
They ran in no particular direction for a while until they saw a two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie and one open business. It wasn't a fast food restaurant but it worked since they needed some place to rest and fill their stomachs before getting a move on. The building read 'Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium'. If he was his old self, he wouldn't have been able to read it due to his dyslexia. Thank the Fates.
Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.
"I smell monsters", Grover said even though all Percy and Annabeth could smell were hamburgers and fried food.
"Doesn't seem so plus I think your sense of smell is still not fine since you were knocked out", Annabeth reminded Grover.
"But out of all of us, only Grover can smell monsters. He might be right Wise Girl, let me go in and check first. Meanwhile, I have some food which I had packed. You can have that meanwhile. If I don't come out in 15-20 minutes, then start worrying. Percy then quickly summoned two tiffin's filled to the brim with mouth-watering food that would keep Grover and Annabeth occupied for a while.
He then walked inside. As he looked around, a door opened and a tall Middle-Eastern woman walked out – at least, he assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a pair of sunglasses, but that was about all he could make out. Her coffee-coloured hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant, so he imagined she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.
"And what are you doing here young man?" she asked as she looked at Percy. It felt as though she was scrutinising him, trying to figure out who he was. Remembering Grover's words, Percy didn't want to take any chances as he used Observe on her.
...
Medusa
HP : 10,000 / 10,000
MP : 5,000 / 5,000
One of the three gorgons, Medusa used to be a beautiful mortal until she was cursed by Athena for something that wasn't her fault. Her gaze turned anyone she saw into stone. But due to you being blessed by the awesome Fates, you are invulnerable to it.
...
Percy felt bad for her. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. It was so unfair.
"Hello? Are you alright here?" she asked again. There was a hint of concern in her voice as she looked at him. It seemed that there was a gentle person behind the tough exterior.
"Oh yeah hi, I'm fine."
"What are you doing here alone?" she asked.
"Well, I was travelling cross country, the bus sort of got messed up and I got lost"
"What's your name? Are you hungry?"
"I'm Percy. What about you?"
"You can call me Aunt Em."
"Can't I call you by your real name?", Percy asked innocently, "why don't we drop the act since we know who the other is?"
"And pray tell who am I?"
"Medusa."
"How did you know?", Medusa hissed as she got ready to attack him or take off her sunglasses.
"The very life-like stone statues, the sunglasses and your clothes were quite the giveaway. Not many people wear sunglasses at night and considering the world that we're part of, it was easy to deduce."
"So you know who I am and still approach me. Do you have a death wish demigod? I also smell the sea on you. This is not helping your case. You do know my story, don't you?"
"Umm, no not really. I am new to this world so yeah."
"Well perhaps I can tell you that before I kill you then."
Percy shrugged as he sat on one of the seats nearby as she took one in front of him.
"I used to be one of Athena's priests. I devoted my entire life in worship of her during the ancient times. But, one day, that horrible god caught sight of me", she basically spat the last words.
"He chased me throughout the area until he caught me in Athena's temple as he proceeded to have his way with me", by now a few tears were starting to roll down her cheeks. Percy tentatively reached a bit forward and swiped a few of them with his thumb. However, she flinched at his touch at first but then let him continue as millennia of pain started coming out.
"I prayed to Athena again and again to save me but, what did she do? She turned a blind eye as she cursed me. No one could ever look upon me without turning into stone. What did I do wrong except pray to her? Was it my fault that a god took an interest in me? Was it my fault that he was more powerful than me such that he had his way with me?" Medusa was now openly crying as she was able to strangely talk to someone properly in an extremely long time.
"Who was this god?" Percy asked as his eyes blazed with fury.
"Poseidon"
"WHAT?!" Percy exclaimed loudly as even Medusa was surprised from his sudden outburst.
"How could he do this to you? Does he have no shame?" Percy was seething now but before he could lose a gasket, Gamer's Mind kicked in as it brought him back on track.
"Why are you being so dramatic?", Medusa asked. Percy didn't know whether to tell her the truth or not however, he decided to go with the former if it could make things better between them with the honesty.
"I am his son", he finally said.
Medusa sat up as her eyes glowed with rage.
"How dare you enter this place and talk to me as though nothing happened son of Poseidon? Do you know how it felt suffering for something that was out of your hands? I had decided long ago that if I can't kill the god, I will kill every child of his that walks this planet. But, since I am reasonable, I will let you have this. Any last words?"
"I am sorry for what happened to you."
With that done, Medusa removed her glasses and looked at Percy. However, instead of turning to stone, Percy just stared back at her right into her eyes.
For the first time in a long while, Medusa gasped in utter shock and disbelief.
"What is this sorcery? How is my curse not working on you?" she said as she held him by his collar and brought him closer; staring into his sea-green eyes but nothing changed.
"I don't know" Percy shrugged, "but come on, can't we just talk for a while? We were getting along so well" he insisted.
"How?"
"Again, I don't know. Can't we just talk?" Percy said as he gave her the baby seal look. It seemed to work as she had a hard time glaring at him until she finally huffed and let go of his collar.
"As much as I would love to kill a son of Poseidon, you seem to be truly different and interesting from those pompous brats who dared to cross my path before. Sit Percy. I sense your friends are getting agitated outside so we have to make this quick. I don't want any troubles here."
"Well Medusa, I'm sorry for what happened to you. I know the past can't be changed but, I swear on the Styx that I will find a way to cure you from your curse" Percy said as thunder boomed in the background as the oath was sealed.
"Are you stupid? Do you know of any artefact or god who is strong enough to undo a curse made by an Olympian?"
"No, I don't but I will do whatever it takes to right this wrong. I will find a way to heal you from this misery so that you can live a normal life as you deserve", Percy replied as his eyes swirled with his emotions.
Medusa stared into his eyes as she looked for any deceit in his words however, all she could find was pure determination.
"Very well Percy, you will find me here if you ever find a cure for my curse", she said as a smile graced her face for the first time in years. In Percy's opinion, she looked prettier with it.
Just then, a notification popped up.
...
Ping!
Quest Alert!
Cure Medusa from her curse.
Rewards –
A new friend / ally
Failure –
Lifelong guilt
Repercussions for broken oath on the Styx
Accept / Decline?
...
Percy accepted the quest without any hesitation whatsoever.
"I will be back" Percy said as he got up to go.
Medusa suddenly grabbed his hand and turned him around as she gave him a hug. It had been a long time since she had any physical contact with another person, looked at someone or had a conversation. She would be thankful to Percy even if he was unable to find a cure for her. She was eternally grateful to him for all that he had done.
Percy hugged her back and promised to visit her as soon as he found the cure. Before he left, he asked her for the directions to the nearest hotel which was relatively safe from monsters. Turns out, the nearest one was nearly an hour away via foot so that was good.
He bid her farewell and walked out of the gate only to find Annabeth and Grover right in front of it as soon as he opened it.
"Perseus Jackson", Annabeth growled.
Oops.
"Umm sorry?" Percy asked sheepishly whilst rubbing the back of his head.
"You are digging a bigger hole for yourself. We ARE so going to have a word once we're settled somewhere for the night."
Grover looked at the two, utterly confused. However, he just ignored it since he knew Annabeth's temper and did not want to come in between. He just mentally prayed for his best friend's safety.
The trio soon started walking towards the hotel, all conversations were put on hold since they just needed some rest first and were too far out in the open to talk about monsters and the like.
