-
Prologue
It has been fifteen years since I left. Fifteen years since I saved the world. Again. My life has ever been easy however it became worse when I was told I was a demi-god.
I was thrust into a world where I was forced to prove that I deserved to life. I was only twelve at the time.
Every year I had to do something that proved my loyalty to the deities that call themselves the Olympians.
Retrieve Zeus' master bolt. Retrieve the Golden Fleece to heal the Camps protection and inadvertently freeing Zeus' daughter, Thaila. Rescue Artemis from under the sky.
I held the sky in her place. Fighting and beating the Titians because of a stupid prophesy.
After all that I thought I was free. But it was not to be. Not even a year later I was thrust into yet another prophesy with six other demi-gods.
We had to face the Giants and their mother Gaia.
We won. I personally helped take down three Giants out of twelve before single handedly sending Gaia back to sleep.
After that I was asked, as a reward to become a God. I turned it down for the second time.
Annabeth did not. She broke my heart that day, and she didn't even realize it.
The other demi-gods and the Gods themselves gave me pitying looks but didn't say anything.
That wasn't even the worst thing.
During the Giants war I begged my father to protect my mom and step dad. I knew they would be targeted. My father's response? 'They'll be fine Percy. Monsters won't worry about mortals. I believed him.
After it was over I went to their apartment. He was wrong. My mom, stepdad and my little unborn sister were dead.
Gaia's last revenge. I screamed in pain and anger over their dead bodies. That's how Hestia found me.
She hugged me and held me as I cried. She told me that she was sorry. Not because they were gone, but because of the pain I was in because of it. She gave me her blessing before leaving me alone. I didn't find out till later what that truly entailed.
I headed back to Camp Half-blood.
The only home I had left. The next few weeks I went round feeling nothing. No pain. No anger. No grief. No one knew what had happened. I began to notice that the campers were slowly pulling away from me.
Giving me fearful looks. The only ones who stood by me were a couple of old crowd. Clarisse, Connor, Travis, Malcolm and Kate. They knew what I had done to save everyone and they were annoyed at how others had been treating me.
A new camper appeared the day I left.
His name was Drake. 12 years old and a son of Poseidon. My half-brother who may I add was an arrogant little shit whom believed that the universe owed him because he was a son of the Big three.
He was nothing special. His power over water was weak and hadn't even killed a monster yet. The Olympians decided to grace us with their presence that day.
I asked to speak to my father in private. He agreed and teleported us to his temple on Olympus.
As soon as he had released me I snapped. My rage came back with a vengeance and I began to scream at him. I told him that my mom was dead. I told him that it was his fault for not protecting her like I begged him to. He got angry at that. He told me it was my fault for being born.
It was my fault for being too weak to save her. And then he did the worst thing that he could have done.
He disowned me. He told me to leave his presence and never bother him again.
In shock at what he had done I did what he asked and ran.
I ran and ran until I reached here. Alaska. The land beyond the Gods.
I spent a year trying to sort out my new life. I got a scholarship and attended Alaska Fairbanks.
I majored in Earth and Marine science. I gained a PhD for that.
I got another degree for geology. I know I never came across someone who was smart.
There was two things to do with that. One I hid my intelligence. People underestimate a dumb person therefore that's what I did.
I came across an idiot. Secondly because I got a visit before I left to attend Fairbanks. Chaos found me.
Chaos was, is the most powerful deity in the universe. He told me he had watched me, my achievements, my heartbreak and my tragedy.
He bestowed upon me a gift. Well three gifts actually. He took away my dyslexia and boosted my intelligence by fifty percent.
I was now smarter than even the best of Athena' children. Secondly he opened a bank account for me with a small fortune inside.
Lastly he gave me the ability to master any weapon, that's including the bow. I asked him before he left why he gave me this.
He turned to me with a sad smile on his face and replied, 'because I deserved it' Chaos gave me something that I could use to help others and for that I am grateful.
So now here I am fifteen years later.
Two degrees. A PhD. And a large cabin on an isolated piece of land which I owned. Did I mention everything? Oh wait there was one more thing. My name. My name is Perseus Jackson.
-
Chapter 1
Camp Half-blood had never really been the same after they realized that their hero was gone. No one knew where he went or why.
At least no one who was talking. The campers who had stayed by his side glared at those who turned their backs on him. They understood why he had left and didn't blame him. Why they were still there? Simple, after Percy left the Gods decided to grant Partial Immortality to those who fought in the Titan war.
Annabeth now understood why she was on the receiving end of glares from practically everyone. She hated herself and constantly went off searching for Percy whenever she had time. Artemis and her hunters also were constantly on the lookout for him. Thalia having taken his absence the hardest.
"Any sign of him Chiron?" Annabeth asked on one of frequent visits to camp. Chiron sighed,
"No my dear. Nothing"
"Where is he? It's been fifteen years"
"Where ever he is Annabeth, just hope he is happy"
"But I need to see him Chiron. I need him to know that I'm sorry" Annabeth told him. She wanted to get back together with him.
"Enough Annabeth. If he hasn't been found by now, it obviously means that he doesn't want to be"
"Fine." Annabeth answered before storming off. Chiron sighed again before looking over the camp, thinking about his favorite camper.
(Artemis' Camp)
"Thalia, Lady Artemis wants to see you" a huntress called out to her. Thaila turned from where she was practicing her archery skills and waved the huntress off,
"Thanks Rebecca"
Placing her bow on her back, she made her way to her mistress's tent. She knocked on the wooden stake planted outside the entrance and waited for a response.
A few seconds later she was granted permission and she went in.
"My Lady you called for me?" Thalia spoke as she bowed. Artemis smiled briefly from where she sat.
"Yes Thalia, have a seat" she gestured towards one of the low chairs near her. Thalia did as she was bidden and took a seat.
"Zeus has finally given me permission to have an official quest to search for Perseus" Thalia brightened at once at hearing that.
"Finally, I've been asking him since he left" Artemis smiled at her lieutenant.
"I'm afraid it wasn't because you wore him down that he agree." She turned serious. "A new war is brewing.
A primordial is coming. Zeus knows we cannot win this without our greatest hero. He wants us to find Perseus to fight for us" Thalia first paled at the thought of a war with another Primordial before her face screwed up with rage. Lightening crackling over her body,
"Has Zeus lost his mind?!" she exploded. Thunder rumbled loudly above them. She faced upwards,
"Oh put a sock in it!" she yelled. The thunder ceased.
"Has our father even thought of the possibility that Percy will say no? I mean he left. For fifteen years, I don't think he will fight for the Gods again. Not when majority of them forgot him until five years after he left." Artemis agreed privately.
"Perseus may not like it, but he will fight. His fatal flaw won't let him do anything else" Thalia shook her head,
"Don't be so sure my Lady, he was betrayed by those he was loyal to. That loyalty may have already vanished" Artemis' face turned solemn and she prayed that what Thalia said was wrong.
"Well we will have to find him to find out either way" she informed her Lieutenant. Thalia sighed,
"Very well my lady, would you like me to get the girls to pack up?" Artemis nodded,
"Indeed Thalia. We leave at first light" Thalia bowed and exited.
"Huntresses pack up! We leave at first light" Thalia shouted through the camping ground.
There was several excited mutterings at the news before they hurried around, packing up.
"Whats going on Thalia?" Phoebe asked. Thalia smiled grimly,
"Zeus has ordered us to find Perseus"
"Well that's a good thing right? That's what you have wanted" replied Phoebe
"Zeus only wants him found so he can save the Gods yet again"
"Oh"
"Yes oh"
"Perseus is probably going to say no isn't he?"
"Yep. This is not how I wanted my reunion with my cousin to go" Phoebe put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently,
"At least you will get to see him" she said, trying to cheer her friend up. Thalia looked at her weirdly,
"Why are you being so nice towards him? You're probably the biggest man-hater aside from Lady Artemis herself" Phoebe chuckled,
"Perseus did a lot for us, especially Lady Artemis. He is probably the only male I have any respect for"
"I'm sure Percy will be proud to hear that" Thalia responded laughing a little.
"As he should be" Phoebe said snootily, "Anyway I should help with the packing" she walked off to her tent.
"So My lady, where shall we start?" Thalia asked.
"Anywhere near the sea would be my guess. How about you? You knew him the best, any favorite places he had?" Thalia thought hard for a moment,
"Not aside from the obvious places, I mean it's been fifteen years we would have found him in any of his known places" Artemis sighed,
"That's not really helpful Thalia"
"Camp Jupiter?" she offered helpfully. Artemis looked at her for a moment before sighing again,
"It's better than nothing"
(CAMP JUPITER)
"I really hope he is here" Thalia informed her mistress, "I don't fancy running round the entire country to find him"
"Me either Thalia" Artemis replied. They continued walking until they reached the entrance of the camp. Two teenagers were standing guard.
"Halt! Who goes there?" one called out. Artemis stalked forward and shimmered into her Roman form,
"Put you weapons down boy! How dare you point your weapon at me" she shouted at them in fury.
The Romans paled before dropping to their knees and begging for forgiveness.
"Lady Diana, forgive us, we did not recognize you at first"
"Let it not happen again boy or you will be spending the rest of your life as an animal! Now. Take us to your Praetors immediately. They bowed again,
"Yes my lady. This way my lady" the other teenager muttered, turning round and walking through the entrance.
"My Lady Diana, how can the Romans help you?" Jason asked as he bowed low towards the Goddess.
"Rise Praetors. I'm looking for Perseus Jackson, is he here?" she asked, getting straight to the point. Jason and Piper exchanged a look,
"No my lady. We haven't seen or heard from him in nearly fifteen years" Artemis was disappointed.
"Do you have any idea where he could be?" they shook their heads,
"No my lady. He may have even left the country for all we know" Artemis and Thaila paled slightly at that.
"If he has, I will kick his ass" Thalia muttered darkly to herself. Artemis overheard and smirked slightly.
"Very well. We shall leave;
we have a lot of ground to cover. Goodbye" she nodded at them before flashing herself and her huntresses out.
(TIME SKIP)
"It's been five months my lady. Where is he?" Thalia moaned.
Artemis herself was annoyed at how long Perseus had managed to avoid her however she was secretly impressed at the same time.
Not many could claim the same.
"I don't know Thalia. Perhaps we should broaden our search to other countries,
it's looking more and more likely that's we he is." Thalia sighed.
"Kelp head.
You better be grateful for the effort we have put in" Artemis smirked slightly,
"Unless of course he doesn't want to see anyone then he will probably shuck us out."
"True" suddenly the air shimmered in front of them and an IM message appeared showing Hazel and Frank.
"My lady" they both bowed low, "We have an idea where he might be" Artemis and Thalia both stepped forward eagerly,
"Where!?" she commanded coldly,
"Alaska Lady Diana. The land beyond the Gods. We went there once to free Thantos;
Percy always said that he liked it up there. It was freeing"
"Right thank you both. Thalia will let you know if we find anything" she cut the connection.
"Tell the girls I will be back soon, I'm going to Olympus to tell the Gods that Perseus may have been found"
"My lady" Thalia bowed before sprinting back towards the camp. Artemis meanwhile flashed to Olympus.
Just her luck, the rest of the council was already there.
"Daughter, have you found something?" Zeus asked. Artemis nodded as she took her seat.
"Yes Father, I have reason to believe that Perseus can be found in Alaska" there were mutterings around the room,
"Alaska?" Zeus boomed.
"Why there of all places?"
"Probably so we won't go after him Father" Athena informed him, "It is after all the land beyond the Gods."
"Artemis, are you willing to go there?" Zeus asked in concern. Artemis nodded gravely,
"I am father"
"Very well. Select a couple of huntresses to accompany you. I declare this Council meeting at an end"
he boomed before flashing out, the other God's following. Poseidon and Athena stayed.
"I will accompany you" Poseidon told her before he too flashed out.
"I will go with you as well sister. Perseus may need a lot of persuading to come back"
"Thank you Athena. Nearly sixteen years. That's a long time to go without contacting anyone"
"Perhaps that's what he wanted" Athena informed her before flashing out as well. Artemis sighed before flashing back to her hunters.
"Perseus may have been found." She informed them as soon as appeared.
"I need two volunteers to come with me to Alaska"
"I will" Thalia said instantly.
"As will I" Artemis was surprised when Phoebe volunteered.
"Very well. We leave as soon as our two other companions arrive"
"Who else is coming?" Thalia asked.
Just then there was two flashes and Athena and Poseidon appeared.
Poseidon looked better than he had for the last fifteen years.
Finally he could tell his son how sorry he was.
"Amelia, you are in charge until we return. Don't hunt any major monsters without me otherwise you will all be at Camp Half-blood before you can blink" she warned them before turning back to her companions,
"Let's go" and together they all flashed away to the boarder of Alaska.
"Let the fun begin" Thalia muttered.
-
Chapter 2
Doctor Perseus Jackson sighed. He sighed because he had been dealing with a group of first year university students who could not give him any either chemical or physical properties of the ocean for nearly three hours.
He had agreed to give this lecture due to the fact that he had nothing else to do that day and now he was regretting it.
"Did any of you actually read the text book assigned for this course?" he asked.
Several students shifted in their chairs while the others remained silent,
"No? Well then I'll tell you all right now, none of you will pass your first semester.
Congratulations on being the first class in the entirety of this courses history to all fail." There were protests at that.
"I can't fail at this. My mom would kill me."
"Yeah right. They can't fail an entire class"
"What can I do?"
"This is not happening"
These were just a few of the comments he heard as the class continued to protests.
"So what I gather is that none of you actually want to fail, correct?" he told them when they finally quietened down.
There was a murmuring of affirmation at that.
"Well then my advice to you would be to read your text book thoroughly as well as do your own independent research.
Now, the main chemical constituent of seawater is salt (NaCl), a very simple chemical compound, that is found in the tissues of all living organisms. Why aren't you writing this down?"
There was a scramble for pens as the students rabidly began to scribble down what he was saying.
"Physical properties include: water is 800 times denser than the air we breathe. The further down you go, the heavier or denser the water on top of you is.
Marine plant life can only really be found within the top 20-50 meters. Can anyone tell me why? Yes?" he pointed to a girl sitting in the second row,
"Um the light from the sun can only reach down a certain depth?" she answered uncertainty.
"Yes! Correct" he answered her with a small smile, "Maybe there is hope for you all yet" a couple of students chuckled at that.
Perseus checked the time and found that the lecture was going to have to finish within the next five minutes.
"Alright guys and girls. Ideally you still have minutes left of the lecture but frankly there is not much else I can tell you without any background knowledge so leave"
the students packed up chatting to each other while Perseus pick up his bag and slipped it over his shoulder before walking out the lecture hall.
Walking out to his car, he climbed in before setting off towards his home.
Home being a large cabin in the middle of a couple of acres of land and forests.
He had a garage a couple of miles from his property to better throw people of the scent. Booby traps were strategically placed throughout the forests as well as his pack of hellhounds.
Perseus trekked the last few miles until he reached the cabin which had been his home for the last fifteen years.
He was different both in appearance and personality from who he was before he left.
He had grown to a respectable height of 6'4 and was quite broad across the shoulders however somehow managed to remain quite slim at the same time. His body was quite literally packed with muscle,
a clearly defined eight pack as well as hard muscle on both his legs and arms. His checks bones had grown a bit sharper and he had a bit of scruff on his face, not a full beard but some hair.
His eyes remained the same blue-green color however they had become brighter, almost glowing. His pupil, when angry burst into green fire- thanks to Hestia's blessing.
His black hair was short and spiky.
Perseus' personality was an almost complete contrast to what it once was. Gone was the happy, fun, outgoing personality;
replaced with a cold, hard exterior. The interior wasn't much better.
He was serious, almost obsessively so He rarely cracked a smile, let alone a joke.
He had no friends, rather acquaintances but only when necessary.
If anyone from his previous like saw him, they probably won't recognize him.
That reassured him. He had no wish to have anything to do with the Gods or demi-gods. Monsters were a necessity unfortunately since Alaska was filled with them.
The inside of his cabin was quite elegant. Simple but elegant. The walls were painted either white or cream.
The floorboards in some rooms were wood however in others there was brown carpet.
The furniture he actually had was of good quality and actually matched the décor.
The Cabin was two storey's, not including the basement.
The first floor held a large living area, a study, a bathroom, a dining room and kitchen;
whilst the top floor held two bedrooms (both en suite) and a large gym.
The basement had two rooms. The first was a massive training room. Weapons of all kinds hung on the wall whilst targets and automations were set up at one end.
There were mats covering every inch of the ground. The second room could only be described as a survival room.
Equipment to survive any environment, tinned food, more weapons, and a safe containing several thousand dollars was easily seen.
Practically everything someone needed to live off in case something went bad.
(First Person)
I walked towards the kitchen and fixed a sandwich to eat, thankful that I was no longer surrounded by bored idiots.
I know I know, they weren't that bad but still who goes to a lecture without at least skimming through the text book?
That's like asking to fail.
Still it was over now. I sighed as I thought about my life since I left.
I could say that it had been the best time since I was a small kid. I really could not thank Chaos enough for what he had done for me.
He visited me again once.
It was after I had completed my PhD about seven years ago. He sneakily granted me partial immorality whilst I was sleeping.
He came firstly during the day for an hour before popping back that night.
(FLASH BACK)
I was so tired yet ecstatic at the same time. I was done. Seven years and I had earned my PhD.
"Let me be first to say Congratulations Perseus" a voice spoke from behind me. I swirled round, pulling the gun from my waistband simultaneously.
My eyes widened as I took in who it was. Quickly I put the weapon down and knelt,
"My lord Chaos"
"Rise Perseus. Though I appreciate the respect you show me, you are probably the last demi-god who should bow to me" I offered him a small smile as I stood up.
"Thanks"
"Now I must say I am impressed with what you have done with yourself. Two degrees and a PhD.
That is impressive. And that is not including the numerous languages and skills you have developed." Chaos informed me.
I shrugged slightly,
"I did what I could"
"And it is very impressive I must say" there was a pause
"Would you like to take a seat?" I offered. He just chuckled and shook his head.
"No thank you Perseus, I only came for a short visit. I have a gift for you" I shook my head,
"You really didn't lord Chaos, you have already given me too much" Chaos laughed loudly at that,
"Dear Perseus, I haven't given you even a quarter of what you deserve.
Now if you don't want to disrespect me then you will accept what I give you" he told me sternly. Although I knew he was only saying that to get me to accept without an argument it still galled me to accept them.
"Very well my lord Chaos, I accept your gift graciously" I responded with a low bow just to make a dig back at him.
He laughed again before snapping his fingers. Landing on the table in front of them was a belt filled with sheathed throwing knives as well as two hunting knives.
"Now these sheathes will always replenish no matter how many knives you throw"
I looked at them in awe, running my fingers over them before taking out the two hunting knives.
They were both made with the darkest black metal I have ever seen.
"Ahh, now these are special. I know you do not wield Riptide anymore since it was given to you by Poseidon therefore I had these made for you.
Simply think of turning them into swords and they will turn into a pair of dual swords. To turn them back again just think of the knives.
Now these are incredibly rare because of the metal. They are made from my personal metal, chaotic silver.
It is the strongest metal in the universe and will work on both immortals and mortal alike."
I looked up at him then and whispered,
"Thank you" he smiled at me.
"You're very welcome Perseus. Now I will leave you alone to get acquainted with your new weapons.
Never if you ever need help, call for me and I will come" he promised me. I quickly bowed before he left.
I picked up the belt and for the first time in a long time I smiled a true smile.
(FLASH BACK ENDED)
I didn't realize that he had came back that night to grant me partial immorality until a year later when I noticed that I hadn't aged.
A 'pop' sounded around the room and a piece of paper appeared on my kitchen counter. I read it:
Enjoy the long life
C.
That was when I realized what he had done. I shook my head in disbelief before lighting the note on fire.
I then went about my life like nothing was different.
The only other difference that had occurred throughout the last fifteen years was the increase of control and power I had.
Poseidon fixed my connection to the sea two years after he disowned me.
I hated that man with a passion but I wasn't not going to take advantage of the majority of the power available to me. And so I practiced. And practiced.
Until I got to the stage I was now. I able to create water out of the molecules in the air as well as from the plants.
My control over storms was so great that I could now summon lightening as well as hail. Tornadoes and hurricanes were also within my capabilities something that I enjoyed creating immensely.
The last thing I learned to do with my water abilities was the most dangerous ability of them all. I could control someone's blood. Literally. It freaked me out the first time I did that but then it got easier with time although I only use it on the rare occasions.
Creating earthquakes was also another highlight.
I literally can set off volcanoes if I wanted to as I can shift the tectonic plates. I don't do that very often.
There are a lot of volcanoes around here and I really don't want set them off and destroy Alaska.
With Hestia's blessing I found that I am fireproof. I can create any kind of fire I want which personally I find great. I can also heal others using it just not myself which kinda appeals to me but not very useful since I'm never around many people.
The best thing though is that I can summon any home cooked food on a limb. I now officially can never run out of food.
I know I sound super powerful don't I? That's because I kinda am. I mean I can literally control two of the biggest elements,
however I know my limits, big as they am. They can tire me out if I'm not careful.
Anyway I figured I might as well go and greet my companions.
Have I mentioned that I have a pack of hellhounds on my property?
Ms. O'Leary had met a male hellhound whom I named Shadow about two years after coming here. Together they managed to have two litters so now I have a dozen hellhounds running round the area. Walking outside I sensed them out somewhere in the forests.
I let loose a piercing whistle and waited. Ten seconds later all dozen hellhounds appeared out of the shadows. Ms. O'Leary and Shadow were the tallest at around seven foot tall.
The others ranged from 5-6 foot. Clapping my hands I made twelve large steaks to appear before them all. They snapped them up with ease. Chuckling I ran my hands through Ms. O'Leary's fur,
"Hey girl, how is everything? All quiet?" she let out a woof. I knew that meant yes.
"Good." I settled down on the ground. The hellhounds all laid down as well, surrounding me. Protecting me. I may not like or love a lot of things any more but I sure as hell love these big fur balls.
I used Ms O'Leary as a pillow as I laid there. Closing my eyes I feel into a peaceful sleep.
It seemed I only closed my eyes before several hellhounds began growling. My eyes snapped open and I was instantly alert.
"You hear something guys? Go!" I commanded them and they all took off fast.
I stood up and stretched before going back inside quickly and arming up. My knife belt from Chaos, two sigs tucked into the waistband of my trousers and two more knives in my boots. I pulled on my long black coat before placing my bow and a quiver of arrows on my back.
I lastly I picked up a semi-automatic machine gun before running back outside and tracking where my Hellhounds were.
When I got there. Let me tell you, I was shocked at who I saw.
They had found me.
-
Chapter 3
"How far till we get there?" Thalia asked as the group continued walking through Alaska.
"I have no idea Thalia, we don't even know if he is here let alone where in Alaska he is" Artemis answered.
"Why don't we just ask someone where he is?" Athena volunteered, having a plan as always. Poseidon shrugged his shoulders,
"I don't care what we do as long as we find Percy"
"That's the quickest way" Phoebe agreed.
"Then lets ask someone" Artemis gave the final word before stalking off. She was stuck in her fifteen year old form as she had forgotten about the land beyond the Gods bit.
The Gods could not change form and their powers were limited to those of a demi-god.
Everyone else followed the irate goddess.
"Excuse me" Artemis went up to the first female she saw.
"Yes?" the woman asked
"Do you know where we can find Percy Jackson?" the woman frowned for a moment,
"You mean Perseus Jackson?" she asked. Artemis nodded.
"Well he lives pretty far out of town, owns several acres of land that way" she pointed to the north,
"You'll have to get a car to take you as far as possible before walking several miles into the forests" Artemis thanked the woman before walking back to her group and relaying the instructions.
"Damn kelp head you really know how to avoid the neighbors" Thalia muttered.
"Come on let's find a taxi or something" Athena told them.
By some miracle they did actually manage to find a taxi that was willing to take them. It only took them three hours.
"So we just have to walk through the trees in a straight line and we'll get there?" Poseidon asked the cabbie.
The cabbie just shrugged,
"That's my guess; no one actually visits him unless he's with'em"
"Right well thanks for the ride" the cabbie waved at them before speeding back down the road.
"Well shall we go?" Artemis said before bounding away into the forest, Thalia and Phoebe right on her heels with Poseidon and Athena hurrying to keep up.
"Thalia watch your step!" a frazzled Artemis shouted two hours later. They were all on edge after discovering just how many traps Perseus had set for unwanted visitors.
Thalia froze, one leg in the air before stepping backwards with a sigh of relief,
"Thanks my lady"
"Come on!" Phoebe shouted in aspiration as she jumped over yet another bear catcher trap.
"How many goddamn traps has he set?" the others just shook their heads as they continued walking.
"I think I can see the end of the forest" Artemis called from where she was ten meters in front scouting the ground.
"Finally" Poseidon sighed. In their eagerness to get out, they forgot to look down again. Four simultaneous TWANGS were heard.
Ten seconds later all three gods and Thalia were hanging upside down by their ankle. Phoebe froze where she stood, too afraid to move, lest she joined them.
Just then they heard a loud howl in the distance, shortly followed by many more.
Out of the shadows more than ten hellhounds appeared snarling and growling at them as they surrounded the invaders.
"Phoebe, whatever you do, do not shoot them" Artemis warned her huntress.
"Um why not?" Phoebe asked quietly,
"Because I have a feeling that they belong to Perseus and that would not make our job any easier.
"Gottcha. So um my lady, what do I do exactly?" Artemis opened her mouth again to answer but was cut off by a cold, low voice in front of them.
"You can stay exactly where you are" five pairs of eyes swung round to take in the new comer and they were all stunned at what they saw.
Gone was the scrawny kid they knew, replacing him was a tall, very muscular man.
"Perseus?" Phoebe asked
"Indeed" Perseus answered coldly.
"Let us down kelp head!" Thalia yelled.
"Thalia shut up!" Artemis quickly shushed her huntress.
"And why would I do that?" Perseus asked slowly, "You are all trespassing on private property after all"
"Perseus, I know we're probably some of the last people you want to see right now but can you let us down so we can talk about this?" Athena asked him.
Perseus stared at her hard for a moment before nodding slightly.
"Any of you dare approach me or draw a weapon then my hellhounds will be eating humans tonight, understood?" he asked.
Nods were given all around. He pulled out one of his hunting knives and walked over to one of the trees nearby. He brought his knife up and cut the hidden rope making Athena drop towards the ground.
He repeated this three more times until everyone was back on the earth. He turned to them, after he sheathed his knife,
"This way" he said curtly before walking off. The others exchanged a look before following.
The hell-hounds followed them with Ms O'Leary and Shadow walking side by side with Perseus.
When they saw the cabin they were momentarily stunned.
Perseus smirked slightly before turning to the hellhounds.
Commanding them in Greek, ten of them ran off back into the trees to keep guard whilst Ms O'Leary and Shadow followed him inside. The visitors followed them.
Once more they were stunned at the décor of the place, even Athena was impressed.
"Sit and tell me what you are here for." Perseus told them curtly as he took a seat in one of his high backed armchairs.
The other cautiously sat down. So far the Perseus they had met was completely different from the one they were used to. Artemis had the sinking feeling that Thalia's opinion that Perseus would not help them was true.
The silence was almost overwhelming. None of them how to start and Perseus seemed to be content with the silence.
"Well?" he finally asked, "I assume you did not come here just to say hello". Athena opened her mouth,
"You see Perseus, Zeus has informed us all that a new enemy is approaching. One that we cannot defeat without your help" she was blunt as always.
Perseus rather than raging at them, looked faintly amused.
"Ah I see. So Zeus asked you to come and find me and tell me that I have to fight for the Gods again. Is that right?" he asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.
"That's right" Poseidon answered. Perseus shot him a glare.
"Well if that's all. You can all be on your way and tell the mighty thunder God that my answer is no" sarcasms dripping from his voice.
"What do you mean no? Perseus you are needed to fight otherwise we are all dead!" Poseidon shouted at him. Perseus glared at him coldly,
"I gave six years of my life serving you Gods. And you know the thanks I got for that?
I got something that should have been done centuries ago- minor gods being recognized. Then after that I got shit."
"Oh stop being dramatic. You were offered Godhood twice. It's not anyone else's fault that you turned it down.
It is your duty as a demi-God to fight for the Gods. We, I gave you life therefore you need to repay it!" Both Athena and Artemis looked at their uncle in shock, not believing he had just said that. Then they saw Perseus' face and both flinched.
"You. Dare." He growled loudly. "I saved this God forsaken planet twice." Poseidon flinched as he realized what he had just said.
"I saved your life twice. Artemis' three time. Every other bloody God twice or more.
And you still have the audacity to say that I need to repay you for spawning me!"
"Perseus… I'm sorry" Poseidon whispered. That's when he exploded.
"YOU'RE SORRY!?" He yelled at his ex-father.
"WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU APOLOGIZING FOR? WHAT YOU DID BEFORE I LEFT? FOR SAYING WHAT YOU JUST DID? COME ON POSEIDON.
TELL ME!" Poseidon faltered at the sheer rage aimed at him by his son.
He was mostly caught off guard by the glowing flaming eyes.
"Everything." He replied quietly. "I'm sorry for everything"
The other people in the room were switching back and forth from Perseus to Poseidon.
"Yes well screw you Poseidon!" Perseus growled before storming to the door,
"I expect you all to be gone by the time I get back. If not, then I will throw you out, with force if necessary" he informed them before he was gone, leaving silence behind him.
"Good job Poseidon, you have just ruined any chance we had of getting him to fight. We will be lucky if he decides to remain neutral, what happens if he decides to join the enemy? He seems to hate you enough for that" Athena told him.
"Be quiet Athena, please." He sighed as he sat down. "I know I was wrong.
I shouldn't have said what I did"
"Wait a minute" Thalia spoke up suddenly, making everyone look at her. She had an odd look on her face,
"What exactly did Percy mean about what you did before he left? Were you the cause for him leaving?" she demanded.
Poseidon looked down to the ground, ashamed.
"Yes. At least partially" he whispered.
"What did you do?" Thalia growled, sparks flying off her.
"I disowned him"
-
Chapter 4
Previously:
"CHAOS, I NEED YOU" Perseus shouted
(First Person)
The was silence for a few minutes before a black and white vortex opened in front of me and Chaos stepped out, a serious, stern expression on his face. I instantly knelt,
"My lord Chaos" I greeted him respectfully.
"Rise Perseus" he replied. I did as he bid me and rose gracefully to my feet.
"Tell me Perseus, why have you called me?" Chaos asked curiously.
"The Olympians have found me my lord" I answered, trying and failing to keep the anger and scorn out of my voice when speaking of them. Chaos' eyes widened slightly,
"Who came?" he asked,
"Athena, Artemis, Thalia Grace, Phoebe and Poseidon" I spoke, spitting out the last name.
"I see. What did they want?" he demanded, I smirked slightly,
"They want me to fight for them again" disdain clear in my voice, "An enemy that they apparently are unable to win against"
"Did they give a name?"
"No"
Chaos was silent for several minutes after that, personally I think he was trying to figure out who possibly could be planning to attack now.
"Tell me Perseus, for what reason did you call me, other than to reveal this?" he asked finally. I took a deep breath,
"I want you to hide this place my lord. I want this place to remain undetectable to everyone to do with that world" Chaos hummed slightly whilst he thought about my request,
"I will do as you ask Perseus but on the agreement that when I call for a favor, you will agree to it regardless of what I ask. Do we have a deal?"
That made me nervous. What could I possibly do for the most power deity in the universe? Thinking about it for several minutes I finally came to my decision,
"I accept my lord Chaos" I replied, bowing my head at the same time.
Chaos nodded and smiled at me before clicking his fingers,
"There you go, no one can find this place if they have even a drop of godly blood in their system.
Your unwanted visitors also cannot give any details to anyone about your whereabouts" he informed me.
I bowed gratefully to him and gave him my thanks. He just waved them off and told me that he will collect on his favor sometime in the future before opening up yet another vortex and leaving.
I took a deep breath as he left.
Finally I was now truly beyond the reach of those arrogant deities who called themselves Gods. The nerve of them, how dare they think they could come waltzing in here and demand that I give up my life and serve them again.
Sometimes I wish Chaos had gotten rid of the Greek/Roman Pantheon and replaced it with another.
Another that would actually take care and respect the mortals as well as the demigods. Men and boys wouldn't be turned into animals just because of their gender.
Mortals wouldn't be struck down by lightening because they had injured their pride. And no one would have to die needlessly whenever Poseidon would get annoyed or kill them just because he was bored by sending another flooding.
They are so selfish. I can finally understand just why so many had joined the Titans.
I sighed before heading back into the forest;
I needed to reset all the traps that my visitors had managed to set off. I smirked at the amount. There was a lot.
"Well Daughter, when will he come?" Asked Zeus arrogantly as though just because he said that Perseus will fight for them, he would.
Athena rolled her eyes discreetly at the pompousness her father displayed. She honestly now realized what exactly Perseus meant when he spoke of the arrogance of the Gods.
"He won't Father" Artemis informed him. There was a shocked silence for a minute.
"WHAT!?" Zeus roared. "HOW DARE THAT ARROGANT UPSTART REFUSE ME?" He continued.
"He hates us father." Athena cut in.
"he's had enough of being our whipping boy" they all looked at her. She shrugged,
"That's the impression I got of him. He's fed up of saving our lives only to be forgotten about"
"If he refuses to do my bidding then he is too dangerous to be kept alive. He must be destroyed before he gets too much power and tries to overthrow me." Zeus thundered across the room.
The rest of the Gods looked at him as though he had lost his mind, Hera included.
"Are you serious?" Apollo burst out. Everyone turned to look at him.
"From what I can gather, Perseus just wants to be left alone.
If we do that then he won't have any reason to go against us or join the new threat" the other Gods aside from Zeus nodded their heads in agreement.
"NO! I WON'T STAND FOR A DEMI-GOD THINKING THAT HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REFUSE US! WE ARE THE GOD'S.
WE ANSWER TO NO ONE" Zeus thundered once more.
"You do actually." A voice stated by the doors.
Everyone quickly spun round to face the intruder.
"WHO DARES INTERRUPTS THIS COUNCIL" Zeus shouted, a vein easily seen throbbing on his forehead.
"I do" the newcomer replied simply. Zeus readied his master bolt,
"AND WHO ARE YOU EXACTLY. SPEAK QUICKLY OR I WILL SMITE YOU WHERE YOU STAND"
he threatened.
The newcomer walked forwards with a confident stride before taking off his hood,
"I am Chaos, Lord of creation" he stated calmly with a dangerous edge to his voice which translated to 'don't piss me off more than you already have otherwise you're dead' every single God and Goddess quickly knelt before him, some more reluctantly than others.
"Lord Chaos, what can we do for you?" Athena asked as they retook their seats. Chaos looked at her in slight amusement.
"Well Lady Athena, you can start by telling me why you thought it was a good idea to antagonize the last hope this planet had from total destruction?"
his voice was almost conversational. Athena blushed,
"We er thought that it was our only option to get him to help" she admitted guiltily.
"I see." He said softly before his face twisted into rage,
"YOU ARROGANT PITIFUL EXCUSES OF GODS!" he roared at them.
They all flinched and paled as they felt the sheer power rolling of the creator.
"IN YOUR PRIDE YOU HAVE CONDEMNED THIS WORLD TO DEATH AND YOURSELVES TO FADE" he continued.
"Can't… can't you force him to? to help us?" Ares asked in a tiny voice.
Chaos turned his entire ire at the so called God of War.
"And why would I do that Ares? Hm? I am not like you prideful God's who use the mortals or your own blood for your own gain" he growled at him,
"It was your fault. Perseus may have helped on his own free will after he heard how bad things got.
But now" he paused, his eyes looking over every member of the council, "Now you have simply reinforced his belief that the Gods are selfish bastards" a couple of outcries greeted that sentence, most prominent was Ares and Zeus.
"SILENCE" Chaos roared at them. "YOU ARE LIKE CHILDREN, SQUABBLING AND THROWING TEMPER TANTRUMS WHEN THINGS DON'T GO YOUR WAY" they all pressed their backs against their thrones.
Chaos made a visible attempt to calm down.
"Now you will all begin planning how to combat this threat.
The threat by the way is Erebus" he informed them.
"What's the point of trying if we are just going to die anyway?" Ares are moodily.
"Because child" he spoke in a patronizing tone, "It is better to go out fighting then just roll over.
You above everyone else should appreciate that sentiment War God" Ares cringed and leaned back.
"Now then, organize your forces, demi-gods and peaceful Titans included. I will leave you now. Let it be known however that I will pop in sometimes to over watch your efforts, although you won't see me.
Good luck" with that last warning/encouragement he left.
"Alright let's get planning" Zeus said, trying to gain control back.
"What shall we do about Perseus?" Hades asked"
"Nothing for the moment" Zeus forced himself to say, "There is nothing we can do" and with that they all left the topic of their lost hero alone and focused on the upcoming war.
Thalia sat alone in the campsite, thinking about her cousin and how different he was.
He was no longer the dork she always thought he was. She sighed.
"You know all this sighing isn't good for you right?" Phoebe asked from behind her.
"It's not gonna kill me" she replied.
"Thinking of Perseus?" she asked sympathetically. Thalia sighed again,
"That obvious huh?" Phoebe gave her a small smile in response.
"He's so different Bee" she said, almost on the verge of tears.
"It's been fifteen years Thals, you couldn't expect he would stay the same person, especially after what he has gone through"
"I know that, it's just that I think I may have just destroyed any chance of having him back in my life" she whispered, tears now making themselves known.
Phoebe gathered her into a hug,
"We have forever Thals, if we survive this new war.
He can't stay mad at you forever" she whispered comfortingly. Thalia looked at her and smiled weakly,
"Thank you"
"You're welcome. Now we need to get back and organize strategies, we need all advantages we can get. "
she stood up and held her hand out to her sister in arms. Thalia took it and was pulled up,
"Damn right" she spoke, determination bleeding through. Together they turned round and walked away.
-
Chapter 5
Three months later…
"Thalia DUCK!" Artemis yelled as she shot the monster trying to kill her Lieutenant from behind.
Thalia looked around towards her mistress before making her way over, fighting monsters left and right as she went.
"Thanks my lady" she muttered as she took her position to the right of her.
Artemis just nodded, shooting arrow after arrow into the hoard of monsters surrounding them.
"We cannot hold them off much longer" Phoebe gasped out as she staggered up to the pair of them.
"There's too many" Artemis looked around at her struggling huntresses. Six of the twenty four she had had already died. Three more were grievously wounded.
"Huntresses look away!" she shouted.
They all knew what she was about to do and so obeyed instantly. Five seconds later, Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Moon and Childbirth took her Godly form and obliterated every monster around them.
A minute later she shrunk back down to her human form.
"You can look now" she informed them. The Huntresses did as she told them before helping each other over to their mistress.
"I'm sending you to Camp Half-blood" she held up a hand to halt the protests they began to form,
"I'll join you there shortly but I need to inform the council of what transpired here."
The Huntresses muttered their agreement albeit reluctantly. Artemis snapped her fingers and they disappeared before flashing out herself.
(Camp Half-Blood)
The Huntresses appeared at the top of the hill, near where the Golden Fleece resided.
"Let's get this over with" Phoebe muttered resigned. Thalia smirked,
"Come on the campers are not that bad" she commented. Rebecca gave her dirty look,
"They have boys there Thalia that is bad" she informed her, disdain evident in her voice.
Thalia chuckled before leading them all down the hill. Chiron was waiting for them as they approached.
"Welcome back to Camp Half-Blood Huntresses." A few 'hi's' were muttered but the rest just glared at him.
"Hi Chiron, Lady Artemis sent us here ahead of her" her face turned solemn, "The war is heating up Chiron, we were outnumbered" Chiron face turned grave,
"How many did you lose my dear?"
"Six" she uttered heartbroken. Chiron bowed his head in grief, "Shrouds shall be made for your fallen sisters if you wish" he told her kindly. Thalia nodded,
"Thanks Chiron. We're gonna go to Cabin eight. Lady Artemis should be arriving soon" she informed her old mentor before leading the surviving hunt to their temporary new home.
"Phoebe, Kayla, Rebecca, can you three go to the Apollo's cabin and tell them we need six shrouds?" Thalia asked as they neared the bright silver cabin which was Artemis'.
"Sure Thalia" Kayla answered before they all went off to do exactly that.
"What we are we going to do Thalia?" Amy asked wearily as she sat on one of the beds,
"It's been three months already and we're constantly swarmed and outnumbered by monsters."
Thalia sighed and sat next to her, the other girls gathered round.
"We continue to fight Amy" she told her sternly before speaking again with a softer voice,
"It's the only thing we can do"
"We lost six sisters though Thals" another huntress protested, "Soon there's not gonna be any of us left"
"Don't say that Jess!" Irina shouted irritably, "We just have to be better. Be faster. We're gonna survive this" she said determinedly. Thalia smiled,
"Exactly" as she hugged the two sisters either side of her.
"Well I am happy that you are still this determined girls" Artemis voice came from the doorway.
The huntresses immediately jumped up and spun to face their mistress,
"Lady Artemis" they chorused.
"You may sit girls" she responded kindly as she moved further into the room.
"What happened on Olympus my lady?" Thalia asked. Artemis sighed as she thought back to the meeting.
FLASHBACK
She flashed in the council room and shot a silver arrow at the ceiling. As the arrow burst into sparkles, all the Gods and Goddesses flashed in immediately.
"Daughter what happened? Why have you summoned us?" Zeus asked instantly as he took his throne.
"The war has increased in intensity father. My huntresses and I were outnumbered earlier, I only managed to save the rest of hunt by taking my true form" there was a muttering of fear as the Gods heard this.
"How many did you lose sister?" Apollo asked his elder sister softly.
Although he may tease Artemis about being the eldest twin, he knew that he was not.
"Six" Artemis answered miserably. Apollo left his throne and hugged his sister.
"Where are all these monsters coming from?" Athena asked getting the council moving.
"I don't know. Hades, any ideas?" Zeus asked. Hades shook his head,
"Nothing definite Lord Zeus, I know
Tartarus has not joined his brother although I fear that he is not preventing the monsters from leaving the pit either" outcries occurred at this,
"Does he not realize that if Erebus should win then he will fade also?" Hestia spoke up,
"Somehow I don't think he has thought of that. He's situated in the underworld, perhaps he's thinking he will be safe down there"
"Just what we need, a blind Primordial. Hades, keep trying to persuade him to join us or at the very least to close the exits in the pits" Zeus ordered.
Hades nodded before flashing out.
"Artemis daughter I feel it would be best if you and your huntresses to stay at Camp Half-blood for the foreseeable future and help defend the camp when it needs it." Zeus informed her. Artemis slumped her shoulders but didn't protest, she had had enough of her huntresses dying"
"Yes Father" She responded. Zeus nodded,
"Good. Then if there is nothing else, I declare this meeting at an end" he boomed before flashing out with Hera.
The other God's followed suit. Artemis sighed before doing the same.
FLASH BACK END
"We are going to be staying at here for the foreseeable future. Now don't protest or complain I will have none of it" she informed them sternly.
"Camp half-blood will in all likelihood be attacked soon; therefore we are needed here to help defend it. Is that understood?" she asked them sternly.
The huntresses nodded their assent before leaving the cabin and splitting off to do various things. Thalia gave her mistress a small smile before leaving.
TWO MONTHS LATER- WITH PERSEUS
Perseus had gotten back into the routine that had become his life. He put out the visit he had had from his unwanted guests out of his mind.
He had become a frequent guest lecturer at the university as well as taking up a new role as a consultant.
He enjoyed it, not worrying about the Gods or the enemy alike trying to kill him. However he had a bad feeling that something drastic was going to happen. Something that he wasn't going to like at all.
He found out he was right a week later. He was sitting at his desk, writing up his report on the activity on one of the volcanoes when Chaos came for a visit.
(First Person)
As soon as I saw him I instantly stood up from my chair and hurried round the desk before kneeling in front of him. I know he always said I didn't need to yet I also did. He was the only one I could see that actually deserved the respect.
"Rise Perseus, I came for a specific purpose" Chaos told me seriously. My bad feeling came back with a vengeance.
"What can I do for you my lord Chaos?" I asked hesitantly. He gave me a small smile before turning grim.
"I was not going to do this Perseus. I am not normally like this however it needs to be done" he spoke cryptically. I opened my mouth to comment but he held up a hand and I instantly closed it.
"You are needed Perseus. I need you to fight my son" he closed his eyes like he was expecting what happened next.
"WHAT?" I exploded, "NO, NO! I AM DONE WITH THEM. I TOLD YOU THAT, THAT'S WHY I LEFT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
I would have continued to rant at him but he butted in,
"Enough Perseus" he told me sternly. I closed my mouth but it was a battle.
"I know you want nothing more to do with them and I don't blame you for that; however this has become a necessity.
If you do not then the entire earth will die." He smiled sadly at me when he saw my miserable face.
"This Perseus is my favor. You told me you would agree to what I ask. This is what I ask"
Every argument I had went out the window at that. I had no choice but to comply. Still I glared at him.
"After this, you don't get to ask anything else of me" I spat. Chaos nodded gravely.
(Chaos' point of view)
I knew I was asking a lot of him. I knew I probably had destroyed the relationship I had with him.
I prayed it was worth it, if this didn't work then I had just condemned his last days on earth as a living hell. Well a hell for him.
"For what its' worth Perseus, I'm sorry" I told him softly.
He just glared at me before spinning round on his heel and storming out the room. No playful banter, no bow of respect, and no goodbye.
Yes I most definitely had destroyed whatever relationship I had with him. Sighing once more, I clicked my fingers and allowed the armor and specially made weapons to appear on the desk before disappearing myself.
I hoped he could forgive me someday.
(Back to Perseus)
'How dare he' I screamed in my mind. 'how dare he manipulate me into going back to that world.
I roared and screamed out in frustration. In my rage I began blowing up the land around me with giant fireballs. Eventually I cooled down.
I walked back into the study and saw the armor and weapons.
Quickly I gathered them up and headed to my storage unit. I dressed in comfortable black combat trousers and a long sleeved t-shirt before placing the armor on.
Admittedly it was magnificent. The armor, I knew was made from Chaos silver. It was extremely light. Black as the shadows and incredibly tough.
I doubt many things could pierce it. A long black cloak appeared from the shoulders, I rolled my eyes at his gimmicks. I placed the quiver and bow across my back and put the knife belt around my waist. I also put a holster on either thigh before placing two sigs in them.
I grabbed my expansive bag also.
It was the size of a gym bag but had the capability to hold at least ten times as much and not weigh a thing. Packing was easy, money; both dollars and drachmas, ambrosia and nectar, bullets, other guns including two semi-automatic machine gun, a shot gun, couple more sigs, glocks etc. grenades and a couple blocks of C4.
A tent and sleeping bag was also added for good measure. Finally I placed my helmet on. It looked similar to a Spartan helmet except that it was all black and covered everything except my eyes, mouth and chin.
I walked back outside and called my hellhounds. I told them I was leaving but I would call when I needed them. Ms O'Leary barked and head butted me gently. I gave a sad smile as I stroked her before turning round. 'I will do it.' I thought murderously.
'The Gods can go screw themselves' I thought as I walked away.
'But I will do it my way' that was my last thought before I flamed away.
-
Chapter 6
Perseus appeared in a shady area of Camp Half-blood. A battle was already raging around him, campers and hunters alike were attempting to push the hoard of monsters back, or at keep them at bay.
They were failing miserably. He sighed as he realized that he would already have to fight. 'Damn Chaos and damn the Gods' he thought viciously. Just as he was about to step out,
he suddenly found himself holding a long black spear with a large circular shield on his other arm. He rolled his eyes at Chaos' attempt to placate him.
"At least these will be useful" he muttered before flashing away onto the hill top where the majority of the fighting was taking place.
The fighting stilled for a moment when he appeared in a flash of green flames.
Perseus ended the stalemate by leaping off the hilltop and into a group of monsters, lighting his spear on fire in the process.
Five monsters screamed briefly before turning to gold dust as soon as he connected with them.
He didn't pause for a second before impaling another and bashing a hellhound in the face with his shield. The campers thankfully got over there surprise at his appearance pretty quickly and leapt back into the fray.
Perseus, along with the campers and hunters, all fought viciously for the next hour.
He never stopped slashing and hacking and soon enough the monsters were running away from him in terror.
The campers stayed out of his way, afraid to turn their mysterious savior's rage onto them. He pursued them with an intensity that could only be matched by the Gods themselves.
At last the battle was finished. Campers and Hunters alike worked together to get the injured to the infirmary whilst the dead were laid side by side in the sword arena.
Thankfully deaths had been limited, with only a daughter of Aphrodite, a son of Apollo, a daughter of Nemesis, a son of Athena and two children of Hecate. One Hunter also fell. Perseus stalked up to the big House, ignoring the fearful and awe looks he was getting from the other campers.
Entering what he remembered at the council meeting room, he found the immortal campers, the heads of the other cabins, Artemis and Thalia and Chiron in a middle of an emergency meeting. Everyone went silent as he entered.
"Who are you?" Artemis demanded as she stood up to confront, what she now knew was a formidable opponent.
Perseus was not impressed or intimidated by her confrontation.
"I, Lady Artemis, am someone who does not wish to be here yet am regardless" he responded coldly.
"That's not a proper response" Annabeth spoke up snottily, "You should give us your name and respect Lady Artemis whilst you're at it.
She is a Goddess after all" her head was held up high as if to show that she knew she was right. Perseus glared at her from beneath his helmet.
He spun his spear round and stabbed it into the ground before tapping his wrist where the shield was strapped which shrunk down into a watch.
The others in the room watched him closely.
He undid the strap under his chin before pulling his helmet off with both hands.
Twin gasped filled the room as Artemis and Thalia recognized him.
"Perseus" Thalia whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Perseus just stared back stoically.
"Perseus, is that really you my boy?" Chiron asked, tears shining in his eyes.
"PERCY!" Annabeth shouted, standing up and rushing towards her ex-boyfriend, Perseus simply sidestepped her and Annabeth went flying out the doorway.
A couple of campers snickered as she came back in stumbling.
"Percy, why did you do that?" she asked, tears streaking down her cheeks.
"My name is Perseus. And you don't get to act like you missed me. Not after what you did" he hissed coldly.
Annabeth stumbled back as though she had been hit.
"But Percy, I did. I really did miss you. I love you" she rambled. Perseus gave her a sneer before turning his attention away from her and looking towards Chiron.
"Hello Chiron. Long time no see eh?"
"Perseus" he whispered before cantering up to him and pulling his favorite camper into a large hug.
"How have you been? Where have you been?" he asked as he released him.
Perseus' face went back to an emotionless slate.
"I was in Alaska Chiron. Enjoying my life" he responded coldly.
"Alaska my boy, why there of all places?" Chiron responded.
"Because for the most part I was left alone" he growled. Thalia and Artemis flushed slightly at the veiled accusation.
"You said you wouldn't come. Why change your mind?" Artemis asked.
"It was not by choice Lady Artemis. A favor was called in."
"Who? Who called in such a favor?" she was curious. Perseus gritted his teeth,
"One being that I would not dare disobey" he responded cryptically,
"Now, I am here to fight Erebus and his minions. I am not here to make amends with anyone." Many of the campers looked down at their feet as they remembered how the camp had treated their hero.
"And you Lady Artemis" he turned his attention to the only Goddess in the room, "Make sure the Olympians are aware that I do not fight for them and that they have no control over me.
Is that understood?" Artemis swallowed slightly and nodded,
she knew that the Gods, especially Zeus was not going to be happy about this.
"Understood Perseus" he nodded sharply.
"Good. I will turn up when I am needed, otherwise, don't expect me to be around" he informed them coldly before he placed his helmet back on and walked back out through the door. exit,
"That's Percy?" Clarisse La Rue asked in disbelief
"It's actually Perseus now but yes" Thalia answered.
"Damn. He really doesn't like us does he?"
"He hates the Go
Silence greeted hisds and campers in general but I think there are some who he won't treat so harshly" Artemis answered.
"Lady Artemis, was he really living in Alaska?" Kate Gardiner asked. Artemis nodded,
"He was. He was doing well there admittedly" she responded, "He has a PhD and several other degrees I believe"
Laughter suddenly filled the room, everyone turned and saw Annabeth laughing her head off,
"Seaweed Brain? A PhD? I'm sorry Lady Artemis but there must be a mistake, Percy is an idiot"
"Shut up Annabeth!" Thalia snapped, "It's true. Perseus has a PhD in Earth and Marine Science.
Just because you always thought he was an idiot, doesn't mean he was" Annabeth snorted,
"He probably tricked you Thalia, Perseus couldn't think his way out of a paper bag without help" the other campers, mortal and immortal alike looked at her with disgust,
"You know Annabeth? You're not as smart as you think you are. Perseus was, is smart.
Just because you're blinded by your pride, doesn't mean the rest of us are" Connor informed her. There was a chorus of agreement from the rest of them. Annabeth huffed and stormed out when she realized she wasn't going to win.
"I will return shortly" Artemis informed them as she stood up, "I'll need to inform the Council what has occurred here today"
Everyone nodded and averted their eyes as she flashed out.
She arrived in the Throne room and found all the Gods and Goddesses waiting for her.
"Daughter, how fares the camp and your Huntresses?" Zeus asked as his daughter sat in her throne.
"Losses were a minimum Father, roughly six campers and one Huntress died" she reported.
"We had reports that a new player has entered the game?" Athena asked.
Artemis nodded and sighed,
"Perseus has joined the fight" there was silence for a moment before cheers filled the room.
"That is excellent news Daughter, I knew he couldn't stay away" Zeus boasted
"Perseus explained that it was not his choice to aid us Father" she responded. Silence greeted that,
"You mean he is not here on his own violation?" Poseidon asked. Artemis shook her head,
"He informed me that he owed this Being a favor and it was not one he was willing to disobey"
"Did he give a name?" Zeus demanded.
"No. he told me to tell you that he only came here to fight, he was not looking for amends and also that we the Gods do not control him." Zeus roared,
"THAT ARROGANT UPSTART, HE DARES TO DEIFY US"
"Father! Remember who he has protecting him" Athena spoke urgently. Every God paled as they remembered the visit they had received several months ago.
"Chaos." Artemis muttered. "He's the being that Perseus said he wouldn't dare disobey"
"Indeed" a new voice entered the conversation. Chaos appeared before them.
"I will not stay here long. I'm just delivering a warning to you all" he told them sternly.
"I used my standing favor with Perseus to force him to come fight Erebus, something that will forever strain my relationship with him, if not break if completely" the Gods were stunned at this information.
"He may not disobey me, however any trust he had in me is now gone much like his trust in you lot.
This is my final warning to you all. Leave him alone.
His power matches those of Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Piss him off and Erebus will be the least of your problems when he is vanquished. Understood?" the Gods gulped and nodded,
"Understood my lord" Zeus stuttered.
Chaos gave them one last nod before disappearing. Silence reigned in the room for a long time as each occupant thought on Chaos' warning.
"Inform your children not to antagonize Perseus, or even approach him without his permission" Zeus spoke up suddenly. "None of you are to approach him either.
We will take wise action with Perseus this time. He will be left alone" The Gods nodded to him and flashed out, leaving Zeus and Poseidon alone.
"We failed him brother" Zeus told Poseidon.
"I did worse brother, I disowned him" Poseidon admitted. Zeus' eyes widened,
"May Chaos be with us all if Perseus decides to exact revenge" he muttered before he too flashed out, leaving Poseidon to wallow in his self-pity.
Perseus stalked back out of the Big House before flaming away to a private clearing in the woods surrounding the camp. He muttered not so pleasant remarks about everyone as he set up his tent.
'If that bitch comes anywhere near me again, her head will definitely be as swollen as she portrays it to be.'
He muttered viciously to himself as he settled down to clean his weapons. He sighed,
"Why couldn't I just have been left in peace?" he whispered miserably.
He didn't get a response.
-
Chapter 7
Perseus stalked through the camp. He was not a happy camper. He had just been delightfully informed that his presence was demanded at the camper's council club.
Perseus was furious at their audacity. 'How dare they summon me like a well trained puppy!' He thought furiously to himself.
Campers, both Roman and Greek alike moved out of his way when they saw the large, fully armored, enraged demigod.
"Which one of you dares demand my presence!" he boomed as soon as he had broken the door down.
He glared balefully at them all, looking for the guilty one.
"That would be me" Annabeth replied bossily, "I'm lead councilor for Camp Half-Blood therefore you answer to me" the other campers looked at her both in fury and amazement.
"I answer to you?" Perseus repeated softly.
Annabeth nodded her head self righteously. Perseus stormed right where she sat and lifted her one handedly out of her chair and brought her close,
"Listen to me very carefully Brainless Head, I am not a camper.
I do not answer to ANYONE. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?" he snarled.
Annabeth went ghostly white as she nodded her head violently in agreement. He glared at her for another moment before shoving her back into her seat and moving over to the other end of the room.
Everyone watched the confrontation silently.
The man called Perseus in front of them was most definitely not the same person that they had known all those years ago.
"Well?" Perseus snapped after several minutes of silence, "Why am I here?"
"Oh! Um a group of monsters have been spotted ten miles out on the north side of camp" Travis spoke up. Perseus nodded,
"Any estimate of the number?"
"Our scouts put them at around 50" Clarisse replied.
"Right" He stood up, "The monsters will be eradicated within the hour" he informed them before water transporting away.
The remaining council looked at each other in shook,
"Is he about to take them all by himself?" Connor spoke up,
"Indeed he is" Chiron replied solemnly.
"Remind me never to get on his bad side" Katie Gardner. Many campers shared that sentiment.
Perseus appeared silently in a tree fifty meters in front of the group of monsters. He still couldn't believe the audacity of the girl he once loved; Annabeth was so arrogant now that it disgusted him to the core.
Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention back onto the job at hand and studied the monsters that would be soon returning to Tartarus.
Summoning up a huge fire ball in both hands, he threw them into the middle of the group, instantly killing six monsters.
Perseus immediately leapt into the fray as soon as the fire had left his hands. Swords in both hands, he became a weapon of death to all that opposed him.
Monsters shrieked and screamed in pain and anger as one by one they were dismembered by the wrathful demi-god before them.
Ten minutes into the fight there was silence.
Perseus slowly surveyed the clearing filled with golden dust as he lowered his swords and turned them back into hunting knives before sheathing them.
Summoning water from the ground underneath him, he flooded the clearing before flushing both water and dust away throughout the forest, making it even harder for the monsters to ever return.
Smirking under his helmet, he flamed away back to the camp.
"Monsters neutralized." He informed them as soon as he appeared in the room. The meeting was still going on.
The campers jumped at his sudden appearance, some even pulled their weapons out on instinct.
"WHAT THE!? WHERE IN HADES NAME DID YOU COME FROM?" Clarisse snapped angrily. Perseus smirked again.
"Out of the flames. Or did you not see them?" he retorted.
"I gathered that Perseus, my question is how?" she replied more calmly,
"There are perks of being Lady Hestia's champion" he answered. They all looked at him with wide eyes. He sighed,
"Now, if you excuse me I will be back at my tent until an actual emergency emerges."
He informed them emotionlessly. He gave them a curt nod before flaming away again.
Perseus sighed as he took off his helmet before sinking down on the log outside his tent.
Even though he had only been back for two days max, he already wanted to leave. He truly could not care less if most of the campers died. Call him a cold, heartless bastard but that's how he felt now.
He was tired of being betrayed by everyone he cared about. Hell the only good thing in his life, Sally, had died fifteen years ago.
"You shouldn't think such thoughts my champion" a voice spoke behind him gently.
Perseus huffed slightly before turning his neck to look at Hestia.
"I know my Lady, but that doesn't mean I don't" he responded quietly.
She smiled at him sadly before sitting down next to him and wrapping an arm around his broad shoulders.
"I know you hate this. I know how unfair your life has been Perseus, but you must try to forgive.
You can continue hating them for the rest of your life, but the only way Erebus will be defeated is if you work with them.
Trust them" she explained. He laughed scornfully,
"Trust?" he asked bitterly, "Where was trust when they turned their backs on me? You ask much of me my lady, perhaps too much"
Hestia sighed and tightened her hold,
"Your life will never get better if you continue to hold such anger. You have to learn how to trust again." She argued.
Perseus stood up violently and stalked off a few meters away,
"My life will get better as soon as I can leave this God forsaken world of Gods and Demi-Gods!" he snarled. He spun round to look at her,
"Don't you get it yet! I was HAPPY in Alaska. I had a life, a life where I was in control.
Then I get dragged back into this bloody war because for some reason no one but me can defeat him!
Hell I've even thought of just joining him, just to be left alone!" he screamed at her.
Hestia was shocked. She could easily see how much pain and anguish being back, against his will no less, had caused him.
It hurt her to see her champion so, and if she could she would relieve him of it but she knew she couldn't.
"I'm sorry Perseus" she told him sincerely as she walked over to him and took one of his large hands in hers.
"I would hide you away if it didn't mean condemning the entire world to death. I'm so sorry my champion that this has fallen on you.
I know this is hard for you Perseus."
"I don't think I'm going to be able to do this Hestia. At least not without killing several people along the way" he admitted quietly.
"You can do this Perseus" she told him adamantly. They stood in silence for a few minutes, just looking at each other,
"I need you to do something for me Perseus, can you do that?" she told him, she felt horrible asking him to do more than what was being asked of him already.
"What?" he croaked, knowing that despite his anger and pain, he would do anything she asked of him.
She smiled sadly at him and placed a hand on his cheek.
"Be a hero again Perseus. Just one more time"
-
Chapter 8
It had been four months since he had reluctantly joined the war against Erebus and he had yet to actually fight the Primordial. Hundreds if not thousands of monsters had been vanquished by his hands.
The Gods had kept their word and had not interfered with him or his actions.
The campers learnt to ONLY call upon him if the need was dire and Annabeth had finally got the message that approaching him would only get her injured. Clarisse and several campers whom he parted with at least neutral terms were afforded a chance to actually talk to him, something that they appreciated immensely.
Hestia visited him often, something that although he refused to admit, was forever thankful far.
And the most astonishing thing yet was that he had yet to kill anyone other than monsters.
Granted that was probably because of Hestia's influence, but still it was an accomplishment on his part.
Perseus was once again in the thralls of battle, fighting against a legion of monsters, including hellhounds, empousai's and the manticore.
More often than not, he was seen fighting side by side with Artemis herself, her being the only one able to keep up with him when fighting.
That was unless he was storming ahead by himself.
Growing frustrated with the length of the battle, Perseus stamped his foot, making the earth tremble beneath the monsters before the ground split and hundreds of monsters fell into the chasm below. Stomping once more closed the gap up, leaving an empty field in front of him.
Everyone surrounding him looked stunned at the sheer power that he had displayed.
"Question Perseus" Artemis started. He looked at her with an eyebrow raised, which no one could see under his helmet, "Why in my Uncle's name did you not start with that!?" she asked in frustration.
"Because one it leaves me quite drained, and two I'm not the only one who is meant to fight.
I'm not going to do everything on my own" she rolled her eyes,
"We know that, but that trick of yours would save a hell of a lot of lives!" she snapped angrily.
Perseus stared in the distance and felt a flicker of shame within him; he knew that he had not even shown an eighth of his power,
he knew that he could be doing a lot more than he was to save the lives of the demi-gods and Hunters that were being lost in each battle.
He sighed, a hero. That's what Hestia wanted him to be.
Somehow he had to push away all animosity that he felt towards everyone around and be the man he was before all the shit happened.
To do that he actually had to give a damn about the campers. He huffed inwardly, 'as though my life didn't suck enough already' he thought wryly. He turned back to Artemis who was still looking at him with a stony expression on her face. He bowed his head to her,
"You are right Lady Artemis, I will endeavor to do what I can to minimize causalities in the future" he admitted quietly.
Artemis was quite surprised that he had even admitted being wrong that all she could do was nod sharply before walking away to check on her hunters. Perseus sighed tiredly before flaming away.
"That was well done my Champion" greeted him as he reappeared in his campsite. Hestia, it appeared had been waiting for him.
"I should have done it sooner" he replied, "That's what a hero would have done" he replied bitterly. Hestia took his helmet off gently before placing a hand on his shoulder,
"You are trying Perseus, that's all anyone can ask of you"
"But I should have done more!" he snapped, walking away from her, "Fifteen years ago, I would not have even thought about prolonging a fight just because I was doing everything"
"Fifteen years ago, you trusted and loved those campers with everything you had. Now, none of them have gained your respect nor do you trust them.
It is no wonder that you reacted differently" she comforted him.
Perseus opened his mouth to respond but was not given a chance as Hestia pushed forward,
"And in the future, you will do better" Perseus ducked his head,
"Just remember that even though I will do better, does not mean I will like or trust them anymore that I already do, which means fairly little" he muttered. Hestia chuckled in response,
"Get some rest my champion, tomorrow will dawn soon enough, and you will have another battle to fight" he sighed in response.
Hestia kissed his cheek gently before flashing out. Perseus stared at the spot where she vanished for a moment before heading inside his tent and settled down on his cot for the night.
The next morning, he awoke at dawn with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Sometime today, he knew that he would be facing Erebus.
Grimacing at the thought, he got ready for the day before exiting the tent. Letting loose a piercing whistle, he waited a minute before shadows around him exploded as a dozen hellhounds appeared before him.
"Hey girl" he whispered as he stroked Mrs. O'Leary. Mrs. O'Leary woofed happily as her favorite human petted her.
"Stay with me girl, I have a bad feeling about today" she gave an answering woof before he swung himself onto her back before they all disappeared into the shadows again.
Camp was barely awake when he appeared. He rolled his eyes at their lack of discipline;
you would have thought that nearly a year at war would be good incentive to being alert at all times.
He couldn't see more than two campers on guard duty. He got off Mrs. O'Leary before making his way to the Big House, hoping that at least Chiron would be up.
His prayers were answered as he saw the centaur in the War Room, pouring over maps and strategies.
"I must admit being disappointed at the lack of security the camp upholds Chiron" he informed the man as he leaned against the door frame. Chiron jumped slightly, having not heard Perseus approaching.
He glanced up and found his favorite student standing there.
"Perseus my dear boy" he hugged him before turning back to his maps,
"I know there are not many guards but the wards have been updated by the Gods themselves, nothing can get through them."
Perseus huffed at that in disbelief but let it go.
"Today's the day Chiron" Chiron glanced at him sharply,
"What?" he asked,
"Erebus will be making an appearance. Whether I fight him today and end the war or not is something that is unknown but the next stage of the war will be entered"
"Is this one of your famous gut instincts Perseus?" Chiron asked worriedly. Perseus nodded.
"In that case, why don't you help an old man to try and come up with a strategy that will give us an advantage?"
Perseus nodded and joined his old mentor over by the table.
"This is good Chiron" Perseus informed him.
Chiron looked at him curiously, "It means that the war is another step closer to ending" he elaborated. Chiron nodded,
"That's one way of looking at it.
However it also means that it is escalating which means more deaths" a sombre silence filled between them as they both though of the events that will shortly come about.
The mood was tense as the campers stood in silence in formation as they waited for the order to attack.
They had been told what they should expect today and they were not disappointed.
In front of them, outnumbering them by at least two to one was a giant army of monsters.
But they were nothing compared to who led them. Erebus. 'So Perseus was right' Chiron thought as he looked at the rouge Primordial. Perseus stood beside him staring at the enemy silently.
Erebus was tall in his human form, standing at 6'4 with broad shoulders and long dark hair.
His face held a maniacal expression of glee as he looked at the only force that stood against.
'Finally.' He thought, 'The Earth shall be mine'.
-
Chapter 9
The Battle for the Earth had started. Perseus hacked and slashed at everything that came within reach, trying to get to the one being that needed to be defeated in order to finish the fighting once and for all.
Erebus was content to just watch his army wage war with the humans whilst he waited for his only worthwhile adversary to make his way over to him. Artemis shot arrow after arrow alongside her hunters into the hoard of monsters in front of her.
Unfortunately, she was the only God who was permitted to fight in person however that did not stop the other Gods from cheerfully overpowering their kid's strikes when their children called for aid.
Perseus looked up and narrowed his eyes when he saw Erebus just standing there. Growling, he jumped into the air before punching his fists into the ground, creating a massive shockwave which knocked over every single monster as well as Erebus himself.
Smirking, he lit every monster in front of him alight with Greek fire before drawing his sword once more and charging at the God who had caused everything.
With a grunt he swung his sword in a powerful ark, fully intending to finish the fight before it even started. Unfortunately Erebus managed to block it with a clumsy defense.
Perseus however did not let up and began to unleash blow after blow, each as powerful as the last.
Erebus, who once was smiling was now looking extremely worried as he fought as best he could to parry the many blows being directed at him. Quite a few of which managed to land on him.
"You will not defeat me mortal!" he spoke through gritted teeth. Perseus smirked as he redoubled his attack.
The battle around them, which at first had been raging, had now come to a standstill as monsters and demigods alike stopped and watched as the duel between the leaders commenced.
"You know, I thought after all the hype and whatnot, I thought this would actually be harder" Perseus commented as he proceeded to slice Erebus' left hand off.
Erebus howled in pain and anger as he stumbled back after the assault.
Perseus, never one to let off, followed. Erebus growled as he slashed clumsily at Perseus' shins.
By some obscene luck he managed to get through Perseus' defense and slice him shallowly making Perseus stumbled back. Perseus' eyes lit up brightly with green flames as he took in his own blood trickling down his shins.
Ignoring the pain, he let loose a battle cry that rattled many around him as made his way forward where his enemy was trying to escape.
It seemed to Erebus that the fight he just been part of had never happened as Perseus let loose strike after strike, each faster and stronger than the last.
Erebus found that he was actually scared.
No, he didn't believe that he would be destroyed however he knew that at this rate, he probably would be defeated. He snarled.
He was Erebus! A Primordial! He would not be defeated by a child! A mortal at that!
Artemis watched on in astonishment as the duel between the two heated up.
The amount of power that was being thrown around made her uneasy.
She never knew just how powerful Perseus had grown and that thought made her worried.
Especially regarding Zeus' reaction.
Artemis knew that Zeus would have a fit over having such a powerful demi-god out of his grasp and could only imagine just how that confrontation was going to end.
Erebus began to fight back. He swung his sword in a vicious ark, attempting to Cleve Perseus' head from his shoulders. Perseus ducked and sliced back, hitting Erebus in the stomach. Erebus ignored it and began to slash erratically. Perseus ducked and dodged, a occasionally sending a blow back.
He began to back a way, sending Erebus the mistaken belief that he was winning. Erebus, believing that the tide had turned began to push forward.
He was too ignorant to realize what was going to happen next until it was too late. Perseus suddenly stopped backing away and launched forward. He stabbed Erebus in the front with one of his swords before taking out his hunting knife.
Knowing what he had to do; Perseus disarmed him quickly before plunging the knife into Erebus' heart.
Erebus' eyes widened in disbelief as he looked down at the knife sticking out of him. He could already feel himself fading.
"How?" he whispered at Perseus, shocked and scared that he was dying with no way to come back again. Perseus knelt next to him and whispered in his ear,
"Chaotic silver. Lord Chaos says hi". He smirked as he watched the light in the Primordial's eyes vanish before the rest of him began to fade into nothing.
The demigods and Artemis could not believe their eyes as they watched Perseus kill the Primordial completely.
They began to cheer and clap as Perseus stood and surveyed the battle field.
"It's done." They quietened down as he began to talk. "Tend to your wounded and dead."
He told them before beginning to walk away, putting his sword back into its sheath. He turned once and looked at Artemis,
"I will be at Olympus in two hours. That will be the last time any of you will see me" he promised before flaming out of there.
Artemis and Thalia exchanged looks.
"He is going to disappear again isn't he" Thalia said sadly.
Artemis nodded regretfully,
"I'm afraid he is Thals. I just fear what our father's reaction to him will be" she answered worriedly.
They stood there quietly for a moment before setting off to work, attending to the wounded, both campers and hunters alike. The demigods were unsure of what had just happened.
They went about helping each other and tallying the dead.
Annabeth was inwardly thinking how she could get Perseus to forgive and marry her when she next saw him.
She knew that this was her last chance. 'you will be mine, Perseus' she thought to herself gleefully, 'you and the power you wield'. And so her delusions continued.
And so the battle of the earth ended.
OLYMPUS TWO HOURS LATER
Every God sat seated in their thrones. Each one had one or two of their children with them. Zeus had Jason.
Hades had Nico and Hazel. Ares had Clarisse and Frank. Athena had Malcolm and reluctantly Annabeth. Artemis had Thalia and Phoebe. Etc.
They were all waiting on the man of the hour, Perseus.
"Where is he?" Poseidon muttered, anxiously.
"Patience brother. Perseus said he will come and come he will" Hestia informed him kindly.
At that precise moment, the doors to the throne room opened and Perseus walked in, still in his armor. He nodded his head curtly at them.
"Perseus" Zeus greeted him.
"Lord Zeus" Responded Perseus, his voice void of any emotion. He looked round at everyone briefly before his eyes rested back on Zeus,
"This won't take long." Zeus raised an eyebrow at that.
"What did you want to say then nephew?" he asked. Perseus smirked slightly,
"Not your nephew anymore Lord Zeus, Fish breath over there saw to that," gesturing vaguely with his hand where he knew Poseidon's throne was, not bothering to even glance in his direction. Poseidon looked down guiltily, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"As to what I want to say, I wanted to let you know this." He paused and looked around at them again,
"Erebus has been destroyed completely. He won't be coming back so it looks like you won't need to call on me again" his words had an edge to them and many flinched.
"This will be the last any of you will see me. Anyone found looking for me in Alaska will be terminated on sight. I don't care what your reasons are. I am done with this world of Gods and monsters. Understood?"
Everyone stared at him in stunned silence. For many of them, Perseus and his new outlook was a shock.
"Perseus, please. Can't we not talk about this?" Poseidon pleaded with his angry son. Perseus gave him a disgusted look,
"You said everything already when you blamed me for my mother's death. I think not Sea God."
"My champion, can you not reconsider your choice?" Hestia asked softly as she approached him. Perseus softened slightly at her request.
"I'm sorry my lady but no. you, and only you are welcome to visit." He answered quietly. Hestia smiled gently at him,
"I guess that will have to do"
"Perseus? Cousin? Can I not too come and visit?" Thalia pleaded. Perseus glared at her harshly for a moment.
"Not right now Thalia.
You also joined in with the attempt to blackmail me into helping. That is not going to be easily forgotten or forgiven."
Thalia nodded and sobbed quietly as she realized what her actions had cost her.
Perseus looked round at them one last time, nodded once before turning on his heels and beginning to walk out.
"WAIT PERSEUS! A voice cried out from behind. He turned round and saw Annabeth running towards him, tears and snot running down her face,
"Don't leave! Or at least take me with you!" she told him.
He gave her a revolted look,
"Listen brainless head, I do not like you let alone love you. In fact I loathe your very existence.
Now next time you bother me, I will kill you. Understood?" he snarled the last bit in her face.
"You don't mean that. You love me. You have always loved me. We can be together now forever"
"Can you even hear the rubbish coming out of your mouth you delusional idiot?
I HATE you. The faster you comprehend that the longer you will live."
He shoved her hard backwards. He looked at Athena, "Get it through your spawns head that I want nothing to do with her or she will not be breathing for long" he demanded before flaming out.
Athena looked at her daughter in disgust,
"I will not blame Perseus if he kills you if you continue to act like you actually care about him Annabeth; you were one of the first to betray him." Annabeth looked at her in shock,
"but mother, I-" she started but was cut off,
"ENOUGH Annabeth.
You will stay away from Perseus.
You have done enough damage already" Athena ordered. Annabeth sobbed and ran out the room after seeing that she would be receiving no sympathy from anyone.
"I'm surprised at your reaction Father" Artemis commented, "I thought you would demand that he swear an oath to obey you" Zeus blushed slightly,
"I do not think that would have gone well daughter, do you?" he answered. The smirk on her face answered for her.
"Well, I think we should all do what Perseus wanted and leave him alone. All in favour?" Everyone but Poseidon put their hand up.
"Stop being so selfish Poseidon" everyone was surprised when Ares spoke up, "It was your fault that your relationship with him was destroyed.
You have no right to keep making everything about yourself, he wants to have no further contact with any of us;
you respect that." He snarled.
Poseidon looked ashamed before he flashed out. Zeus sighed,
"Well that's that. We will reconvene at another time to talk about what happens next" he informed them all before he too flashed out.
The other gods did the same after saying goodbye to their children.
BACK AT PERSEUS' CABIN
Chaos was waiting for him when Perseus flashed back into his home.
"Lord Chaos" Perseus greeted him curtly with a low bow.
Chaos inwardly sighed as he realized this was a good as he was going to get.
"Hello Perseus" he greeted him. Perseus nodded.
"I came to thank you Perseus" Chaos told him after a few minutes of silence.
"It's not like I had a choice my lord" answered Perseus bitterly. Chaos winced slightly.
"I know Perseus. I'm sorry, but I had no other choice.
The earth would have died had my son managed to achieve victory.
And you would have not fought under any other circumstances." Perseus glared at him before staring out of the window, not saying a word.
"I hope I can one day regain your trust and true respect Perseus" Chaos told him before a vortex appeared,
"Farewell"
"My lord" Chaos actually did sigh at that before he stepped in.
Perseus let out a deep breath as soon as he was alone. He looked round the cabin, making sure Chaos had not given him anything else to try and placate him. Finding nothing he went outside, where he found his hellhounds.
Mrs O'Leary barked at him and bounded up to him. Perseus smiled softly as he stroked her muzzle.
"We're home girl" he whispered quietly to her. "We're finally home."
-
Chapter 10
Epilogue
300 years since the last chapter.
Perseus looked up at the night sky from where he was lying, propped up on Ms O'Leary. He thought back over the last three centuries.
He had finally allowed Thalia to visit him every few years around about a century ago, much to her relief.
Hestia came to visit every birthday and Christmas.
He had found Annabeth trying to find him a year after he had left.
Lets just say that Hades did not appreciate her soul in the underworld anymore than anyone living appreciated her.
Chaos and him had a okay relationship. Perseus had not forgotten or completely forgiven what he had done therefore their relationship would probably always be slightly strained from that.
But Perseus had to give him kudos, Chaos was generally trying to make up for his betrayal.
Zeus and the other Gods kept their distance and never attempted to find him. Except Poseidon. He had become obsessed with trying to find him but never could. Everyone had given up attempting to reason with him.
Chiron made sure that the campers new and old remembered him. He told his story to everyone, as a piece of advice and a warning.
As for him. Perseus continued his education pursuit and gained numerous PHDs and degrees in any subject that caught his eye. He never married and probably never would. But he was happy. And that was the only thing that mattered in the end.
THE END