Chapter 20: An Enlightening Talk

Hey guys!

Thanks for reading this fanfic and I appreciate your support! One thing I wanted to clarify is that. The only pantheon from the Riordanverse that will be in this fanfic is the Greek Pantheon. Otherwise, it would be way too complicated when you take into account the world of Marvel.

Thanks and enjoy today's chapter.

Peace!

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"The One We Cannot Touch nor See. Isaiah Sharpe." three old women said as they bore their eyes on the boy.

He didn't know what to say. He looked at his teacher who simply nodded. He turned his eyes back on the old ladies.

"Why did you want to meet me?"

The tension was so thick one could cut it with a knife.

"How..."

"-did you..."

"-do it?

"What do you mean?" asked Isaiah.

The fact that the Fates cut their sentences between the three of them kind of weirded him out.

"Your string."

"It never existed..."

"in the first place."

Isaiah looked at them before replying,

"I don't know."

It's not like he lied. He knew the cause. He just didn't know the How. Maybe the fact that connecting with the Root, a place outside of the multiverse, where only the concept of Knowledge exists, has affected my fate. Or is it the fact that he almost got erased from existing that caused it? Or maybe the fact that he could see the end of all things caused. There were so many possibilities that made his thread of fate non-existent.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" asked Athena who interjected.

"I don't know," Isaiah repeated with a shrug.

"you're lying, boy," Ares said.

"Maybe, he needs some cereal," added Demeter.

"Quiet." All three Fates said and the silence returned.

Isaiah was surprised by the amount of power the old women had on the Council. Not even, Zeus would dare oppose them and he's the king of gods.

They looked at Isaiah. The latter felt like their eyes were piercing through him and he couldn't help but give a small grin.

Suddenly, all three Fates let out a grin which freaked everyone out. It was something straight out of a horror movie.

"You-"

"Are-"

"Broken."

"How interesting."

"Huh, thank you?" Isaiah replied.

He didn't know what to answer. What do you say when someone tells you that you are interesting?

"A being on par with us Fates."

"A being who could destroy or create from its mere existence."

"An antithesis of us, Fates."

"What should we do? It's not like we could do anything." they finished together.

"Look at this," Clotho said.

The entire council watched as Clotho materialized a yarn ball before passing it to Lachesis. She then unravelled a string of the yarn. Finally, Atropos took out a pair of scissors and cut the string. A gasp was heard amongst the crowd when they saw the cut end flying back to the yarn and reattaching itself to the string that it was cut from.

"WHAT!" shouted everyone excluding the Ancient one and Isaiah.

"What is happening, Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos!?" shouted Zeus.

Clotho turned to him,

"You saw it."

"Fate has been denied." continued Lachesis.

"Because of him." Atropos finished before pointing at Isaiah.

The occupants of the room looked at him with a mixture of awe, surprise, fear, and many more.

"Do you know whose thread this is?" Clotho asked Isaiah.

The boy shook his head,

"It belongs to the one who was supposed to die. The daughter of the lord of the Underworld. Bianca di Angelo."

A shocked silence reigned in the room.

"What... is the meaning of this?" asked Hades as he gripped the armrest of his chair.

Nobody could blame him for getting angry. He just witnessed the Fates cut his daughter's strong effectively sentencing her to death. Luckily it regenerated.

"As you can see..."

"We no longer have control..."

"Over your daughter's thread."

"Because he decided to interfere," they said at the same time once more before all three pointed at Isaiah.

"The fate of your daughter is now in his hand as well as the Hunter," they said before turning to Zoe.

"Me too?" the latter asked shocked.

However, at that moment, they said something that shocked the council once more.

"It is amusing," they said with their ever-present creepy grin.

"Amusing?" asked Isaiah confused.

"Yes," answered Clotho.

"A being like you is an impossibility."

"Yet here you are."

"Your path will be an interesting one to watch since we can't see nor touch your destiny for you are outside of its a very concept."

Isaiah looked at them before he started to chuckle.

"Hehehehehe-"

"Huh, Isaiah?" asked Bianca was taken back by the boy's reaction.

Grover leaned towards Percy.

"Has he finally snapped?"

The son of the sea shrugged,

"I honestly have no clue."

Isaiah's chuckles soon turned into full-blown laughter as he put his hand on his face. If they could see his eyes, they would see a broken being instead of a child. It seems the Fates knew about that.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Everyone simply looked at him in horror and shock while his teacher looked at him with a smirk. Only she knew what the boy's true power was so it was amusing to her hear the talk.

The boy finally managed to calm down after a full thirty seconds of laughing. The Moirai simply looked at him with smirks on their faces.

"Yes, it's true. This situation is a very amusing one. But do you know?"

"What is it?" they asked.

"How small you are?"

Everyone looked confused at his question, but it seems like the three old women understood and, instead of getting offended, they let out chuckles.

"We know that very well."

The reason Isaiah asked them was that they were simply a divine manifestation of Fate born from the beliefs of humans. They were powerful, but they were not the Fates themselves just like Thanatos is not Death itself. They are simply the believer's view of something they can't comprehend. However, they are not the concept themselves. In Isaiah's case, the very concept of Fate does not affect him.

That was also the reason why the eye of Agomotto did not work on him when his teacher used it. It was also why her future was blurry now. This is the true power of the Rebel or the Wildcard. In the case of the Moirai, they can control the Fate of their believers which includes the demigods. They had full control over their very destiny. Now, someone that Fate can't touch arrives. It is the first time that they lost control of their part of Fate. It was something new, something interesting. It was dangerous yet exciting. This is why they decided to simply observe and not try to eliminate him. Not like they could. They would continue what they were doing. Their job was to simply let Fate run its course and influence the Greek Pantheon.

"Then I shall walk the path of my own making and you shall be its witness," Isaiah said.

"Very well."

"-We are looking..."

"-Forward to it."

"And we shall see the path you walk."

The three sisters said before melting into shadows and vanishing from the room. The Council was silent as they mulled over the conversation. They now looked at Isaiah in confusion, shock, apprehension and much more emotions.

"Well, this was an enlightening talk," Isaiah said breaking the silence.

'That's all you have to say!' his friends shouted in their minds.

'What the fuck was that?" cursed Ares.

"Language Ares." rebuked Hera, his mother.

"I agree with Ares though. What was all that?" asked Hermes.

"I believe Isaiah has gained the attention of the Fates," said Fiona with a grin.

It was amusing seeing the gods getting flustered.

"I knew it. He shouldn't exist." Zeus began.

Poseidon seeing his brother said.

"Brother?"

"If what they said is true then he could easily end Olympus. I can not allow someone like him to remain alive. The Fates themselves said that he shouldn't exist." the king said as he gripped his master bolt.

The tension began to grow as the Ancient One prepared herself.

"Father," Athena called.

"What?" her father asked.

"Although you are right. I believe we won't be able to do anything. We are already at war against the titans and their allies. It would not be wise to make the Order of the Masters of Mystic Arts our enemies too. On the contrary, we could use him to our advantage."

"No."

They all looked at Fiona who frowned.

"Just like I said before we are an organization that protects humans from mystical threats including other dimensions before anything. We will remain neutral in your war unless the humans are endangered. He has already helped you enough when he accompanied the children to save Artemis. We will not be interfering anymore."

"If he can't help us, then I can't let him continue to live," Zeus said.

"Would you be willing to make enemies with the Order O Zeus, King of the Greek Gods?" Fiona asked as the eye of Agomotto opened.

"I will not let you harm him, Brother," Hades said as he gripped his sceptre.

"Are you betraying us, Hades?" Zeus snarled.

The god of the dead shrugged,

"What's there to betray? He hasn't done anything to harm Olympus. In fact, he helped it. He also saved my daughter, yours, Poseidon's and Artemis's Hunter. If we harmed him, we would be no different than the titans."

"He's right, Father. He helped my lieutenant from meeting her death and I will not reward him with harm."

"He has helped my son and he's his friend. It would look bad on me if I blast his friend to bits."

"I say we kill him. He's too dangerous to be left alive." Ares said with a bloodthirsty grin.

"No! You can't kill him., Bianca said and the demigods agreed with her.

Zeus looked at everyone before backing down,

"Very well. No harm shall fall on him"

'For now.'

He looked at the Ancient One,

"But I don't want him interfering with our Pantheon anymore."

Fiona smiled,

"Very well. That can be easily done."

Zeus kept his frown, but he changed the subject,

"We will now discuss what we will do about the Ophiotaurus."

"Moooo." the creature said.

After a lengthy discussion, it was decided that the creature would remain in Olympus. Zeus wouldn't let Poseidon keep it with him due to his paranoia. There was also another twist where Thalia joined the Hunt. They also let Percy live when many gods vouched for him.

'I guess what happened with Luke changed her mind,' thought Isaiah.

The meeting had finally come to an end and it was now time for a celebration. Isaiah's teacher had to return to Kamar-Taj since she can't stay away for too long. Isaiah decided to stay for the party hosted by the Olympians in celebration of the quest's success.

The boy had procured some food and was quietly eating while observing the surroundings.

He suddenly felt a presence approach him and saw Hades walking up to him.

"Isaiah Sharpe."

"Hello, Mr. Hades."

The god looked at him,

"You are quite the interesting child."

The boy smirked,

"Well, I aim to please."

"Hmm." the man let out as he nodded.

They were both silent for a moment before Hades spoke once more,

"Thank you."

"Hm? What's that?" Isaiah asked.

"For saving my daughter," Hades said.

The boy looked at him,

"Oh. Well. You're welcome I guess."

"But why?"

"You're asking me why I saved your daughter?"

"Yes."

Isaiah looked at him and answered,

"She told me she was my friend."

"That's it."

Isaiah shook his head.

"That's the thing. I don't know what a friend is. Do you know I only have three years' worth of memories?"

"Really? How?"

"I was five years old when there was an explosion in Kathmandu. That explosion put me in a coma for three years. In the end, I woke up when I was eight years. However, my memories were not the only thing missing. I also lost the ability to feel some emotions."

"You're broken," Hades said.

Isaiah nodded as he looked at his drink.

"You could say that. Emotions do not operate on a specific set of rules. They're chaotic and they make no sense whatever. However, it is also very intriguing. Something that has no set of rules. It can even make miracles come true when it's only supposed to be chemicals in the body. It's something I can't wrap my head around."

He looked at the god,

"So you ask why I saved your daughter. I don't know since I can't comprehend it."

Hades frowned at stared at him,

"That accident, it took something more than just your memories and emotions didn't it? It also has something to do with your status as the Wildcard," he asked after thinking.

Isaiah looked at him and smirked.

Hades sighed,

"Well. I must still thank you."

"You know. I thought you would have returned to the Underworld by now." Isaiah asked.

"Why's that?"

"From what I heard. You hate coming to Olympus."

Hades shook his head,

"Oh, I still do. I only came here because of the meeting. Which by the way was one of the most interesting ones. The Sorcerer Supreme really is a fearsome woman. It's amazing, the power humans could wield if they put in the effort."

"It sounds like you are fond of humans, Mr. Hades."

The man snorted,

"I admire their impossible ability to adapt and their tenacity. I admire their creativity. Something we gods could never hope to have. Look at us, because of them, we can wield this power. Just look at my youngest brother. He's a perfect example of someone who can't change."

"Yes, I've read the stories."

The man let out a chuckle,

"Right, the stories. Let's not even talk about the stories," he said and Isaiah laughed.

"Anyways, I also came here because my daughter would come."

"I see. Have you met her?"

Hades nodded,

"I did."

"And?"

Hades let out a sad smile,

"She reminds me so much of her mother."

"What about Nico?"

"Bianca talked to me about him. I will find a way to see him."

"I heard gods can't interact with their children."

"It's true, but they're always loopholes," Hades grinned.

Suddenly they saw Bianca looking around as if trying to find someone.

"It seems that's my cue to leave," Hades said before downing his glass. You know. I like mortals like you. No godly parentage, no silver spoon to feed you. I am the god of the dead so I've interacted with a lot of souls. Humans and demigods. Once they enter the Underworld, I hear their stories. The good, the bad, the weird ones. I can confidently say that out of all the gods, I have the best understanding of humanity. And you are one of a kind."

Isaiah nodded,

"I see."

"However," Suddenly, a chilling atmosphere descended upon them and the nearby people shivered, "Should you hurt my daughter, I will find you and I will kill you. Before dragging your ass to the Fields of Punishment and personally oversee your punishment."

He said before the chilling atmosphere disappeared and he turned around before disappearing into the crowd. Isaiah looked confused at his last words,

'What does he mean by that?'

"Isaiah!"

The boy looked up and saw Bianca walking up to him.

"Hello, Bianca."

"Where were you? I was looking everywhere for you."

Isaiah spread his arm,

"As you can see, I was here."

Bianca sighed,

"Are you okay?"

her friend raised an eyebrow,

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Bianca cringed,

"Well because of the meeting, you know. The Fates, the threat of murder, etc."

Isaiah smiled,

"They wouldn't be able to do anything anyways."

Bianca looked at him perplexed,

"But they're gods."

Isaiah looked at her and gave a knowing grin.

"You have to remember something, Bianca. These gods are mere specks in the universe. There are worse things than them. Besides, you've seen my teacher, they can't do anything without angering her and in consequence the Order."

"Yeah, I saw your teacher. She's kind of a badass."

"Bad... ass. What does that mean? Why are you talking about her ass?"

Bianca resisted the urge to facepalm. She forgot that the boy in front of her had the social experience of a three-year-old. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"No, I was not talking about her ass. I was saying that she is awesome."

"Oh. Then yes, she is awesome."

The boy smiled.

Bianca then started to fidget in her place,

"What's wrong?"

"You know... I talked to my father."

"I know."

Bianca looked at him confused,

"What do you mean, you know?"

"I just talked to him. He told me."

"What!? When!?"

"Like a few seconds before you came."

"Oh."

"So how did it go?"

"It was weird." Bianca began.

"What do you mean."

"He was not what I imagined."

"What did you imagine him to be."

"I don't know. Dark. Covered in flames with horns on his head."

"Are you sure you were not imagining Satan?"

Bianca blushed,

"Shut up! What was I supposed to imagine? My father is the lord of the Underworld. In other words, Hell."

"And that's where you're wrong."

"What?"

"Hell and the Greek Underworld are completely different."

"Huh?"

Isaiah shook his hand,

"You don't need to know about that."

Bianca stared at him before shaking her head,

"Anyways, we talked." She then frowned, "Although, he didn't tell me anything about my mother. He said that it wasn't a story I needed to know for now."

Isaiah shrugged,

"Oh well. What can you do?"

"Hm."

They stayed quiet when Bianca looked at the center of the party. There was a dance floor for people to dance on. The music was magically programmed to broadcast anything any person wants at the same time. Isaiah didn't know anything about music so he only let the speaker play what he wants.

"Hey, Isaiah?" Bianca asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you know how to dance?"

Isaiah shook his head.

She smiled before taking his hand.

"Then come on. I'll show you"

She pulled him and dragged him to the dance floor. As she was pulled along, Isaiah stared at her in surprise. However, deep within the void called Isaiah Sharpe, a gentle ember glowed before fading away.

'What is that?' he thought.

He touched his chest and tried to remember the ember,

'I... kind of like it.'

"Come on, Isaiah! What at you waiting for."

He snapped out of his trance and saw Bianca on the dancefloor waiting for him. He smiled,

"Sure!"

Gentle music flowed to his ear as the girl started teaching him how to dance. Isaiah looked at the girl in front of her. He didn't know what those sparks or embers are. However, they had a hint of familiarity to them.

He shook his head and put the thoughts away. For now, he had to learn how to not step on the girl in front of him.