22 Chapter 21: Whims of Fate
A/N
Hey everyone!
Was able to finish a chapter early so here it is! The next one will be released in two weeks as per my schedule now! This chapter is relatively short but important. Didn't want to add unnecessary stuff. You'll see why.
Shoutout to Yoshi and Fox. You guys are the best!
A special thanks to TheMeister7 for doing the beta.
Ps - Do join the discord server.
d i s c o r d . g g / P Z P b B 5 S f 7 2 (Added this link as a comment here)
Patr(e)on dot com / mhc007
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FAQs
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Q. Percy's Level / Powers.
Yes, I am aware Percy's level is quite low currently. Don't worry, I have planned things out since I needed to balance a few things in this span. You will be seeing a spike in the power very soon.
Q. Percy not standing against Annabeth.
Most of it is done for the lols plus Percy isn't quick to anger. Moreover, if something serious happens, he'll be the first one to show Annabeth her place.
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Disclaimer : I do not own PJO or any of its characters.
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Chapter 21: Whims of Fate
~Olympus~
"Wh-what did you just say?" Poseidon asked with a completely dumbfounded look on his face. His anger was long forgotten as soon as he heard those words.
"Exactly what you just heard. Percy is my champion," Hestia said slowly. She had managed to placate Vesta a little, but it didn't look like her roman counterpart was faring any better.
Poseidon remained quiet for a few minutes as he processed what he had just heard. His sea-green eyes were swirling with different emotions until they settled on one that would make most people run for the hills; a shade of green so dark that it could be mistaken as black.
"How dare you?! Who gave you the right? He is my son!" Poseidon screamed with rage building inside him steadily.
The hearth goddess didn't even flinch, her eyes narrowing dangerously as the flames in her eyes finally burst and turned green, surprising Poseidon. He had never seen this side of her, no one had but today, and today was the first and hopefully last time that she'd have to use this.
"You will keep your mouth shut, little brother, and listen to me. If you make the poor choice to not, well, I wouldn't hesitate to completely change or sever the bond between you and Percy," Hestia threatened. She would never do such a thing, but right now, she needed Poseidon to listen, and this was the most suitable way and it worked.
Poseidon grunted and nodded for Hestia to continue. He knew that Hestia usually would never follow through on a statement as grand as this, but seeing her current condition made him doubt that. He really did love Sally and leaving her and Percy behind was probably one of the hardest things that he had to do, but it had to be done, nonetheless.
The goddess of the hearth flared her power and brought her hand up, only for it to burst into Greek fire immediately. The flame cackled and moved in an erratic manner, wanting to spread as much chaos as it could and burn things until nothing was left but alas, Hestia had an iron grip on it that it could do nothing but be in one place. She put in some of her power into the fire, directed it towards Poseidon and enclosed his head with it. Poseidon, to his credit, didn't move one bit since he knew she wouldn't hurt him, yet.
The fire surrounded Poseidon until it soon covered his eyes as he felt his view change. He looked around to see that he was at the demigod's camp, or more specifically, at the hill that overlooked the camp. It was night time and rain was pouring down lightly. It was a serene scene until a roar he recognised cut through the night. The god of the seas whirled around to see his son and Sally with a satyr in tow running up the hill with the minotaur right on their heels. He watched with trembling hands and dark green eyes as his lover was caught and disappeared in a poof of yellow smoke right before his eyes. He felt the emotions of his son enter him. Grief. Dread. Anger. He watched as Percy's eyes turned a harsher shade of green just like his did whenever his emotions were in an upheaval. He felt power course through his son's veins as he formed a storm overhead. He watched as his son got beaten up. He felt that pain. He felt everything. The emotions overwhelmed him in such a manner that unparalleled rage and sadness coursed through every fibre of his being as he lifted his symbol of power and threw it at the minotaur with all his might; destroying the image altogether until it was replaced with yet another instance.
It was night time. Poseidon found himself in a clearing in the woods. This time, he saw Hestia and Percy sitting on the ground or more specifically, Percy's head buried in Hestia's embrace. Everything looked fine until he recognised the sounds. Sobs and a runny nose. His son was crying. Then the emotions hit him. Sadness. Loss. Pain. Hopelessness. Each and every emotion made Poseidon break down little by little. All emotions faded until only one was left. A lone tear made its way down the sea god's face and one thought remained, 'What have I done?'
Soon, Hestia decided that it was enough and willed the fire to dissipate and let Poseidon take a breath before she continued.
"Did you see what you have done to your son, Poseidon?" she asked with anger still laced in her voice. She was still not calm by any means.
He had no response but silence.
"Thought so. Just for your information, this is but just a part of what Percy went through ever since he was forcefully dragged into this world. Did you ever think about how he felt? The only time I saw you give any sort of attention was when you put on that spectacle when you quickly claimed him as your son. But what after that? The boy had been on the brink ever since he lost his mother. It was all I could do from letting him fall altogether."
By now, more tears made their way down Poseidon's face as he started realising the gravity of his mistakes.
"His smile, dreams, everything was gone for that brief period. All that remained was a small flicker of hope that continued dimming each day. Who could he turn to? The only family he had was his mother, who was 'killed' right before his eyes, and an errant father who never bothered to meet his son. A 12 year old, all alone, thrust into a world where gods and monsters are real with no one to support him. Still, he kept a smile in front of everyone, never letting anyone know how he felt. Do you think that this will be cured within a few days or weeks, Poseidon?"
"I never knew."
"And that's every single Olympian's problem. That's what all of you ever say until it's too late. When will any of you ever learn your lesson? Why birth children if you can't even do anything for them?"
"Watch your tone, sister!"
"Otherwise what, brother?" Hestia emphasised with her eyes glowing even more as the Greek fire intensified, "Will you hit me? Curse me? Or ignore me? Just as you solve all your problems? That's how you seem to be treating your 'favourite' son after all."
Poseidon's rising anger died down immediately as he was reminded yet again what the topic of the conversation was. He took a few moments to calm himself before he turned to Hestia.
"How did he become your champion?" the god of the seas asked.
"Remember the spell I had cast after the war?"
Poseidon nodded.
"He was able to see me," Hestia started, ignoring the look of shock on Poseidon's face, "He approached me on the first day at camp and we talked. Ever since then, he would greet me, send sacrifices or spend time with me every day. I, in turn was there to listen to him and eventually, I realised that he embodied everything that was required in my domain and fulfilled every criteria that I had set for someone to be my champion. That is when we offered him this and he accepted."
"We?" Poseidon didn't miss out on that small piece.
"Were you even listening to me before?"
The goddess then glowed brightly for a moment and in her place stood two goddesses who looked almost exactly the same. Almost all their features were the same except for the expression on their faces and the way they wore their hair. While Hestia had her hair open and sported a kind expression, Vesta wore her hair in a side French braid and sported a sterner expression.
"We," both goddesses replied simultaneously which made Poseidon even more gobsmacked.
"Wait. Did both of you make his champion?"
"What part of 'we' did you not understand?" Vesta asked with narrowed eyes. She was a little bummed that Hestia stole the show and that she was not able to say anything.
"Just making sure."
Vesta then turned to Hestia and asked, "Mind if I take over? You've had your chance."
"Go easy on him," Hestia sighed as she disappeared.
Vesta then turned towards Poseidon with a glint in her eyes that did not go unnoticed by the sea god this time as he inwardly gulped.
~A few minutes later~
"Sister, while I may not be happy that my son is your champion, I cannot deny the amount you have helped him. I will try to mend things with him but as you said, it will take time so for the meanwhile, keep looking after him," Poseidon said with a sad face.
After Hestia had merged back with Vesta, Vesta had thoroughly dressed down Poseidon for the way he had treated Percy. While it was true that the laws couldn't be broken, he could always send a gift or anything small for his 'favourite' son. There were many ways to make it up to him or show he cared if meeting Percy wasn't an option. Moreover, Sally living with Gabe didn't make things any easier for the demigod. Thus, by the end of it, Poseidon had somewhat realised his mistakes and accepted them which didn't really surprise Vesta. Even though Poseidon was a god, it was a known fact that he loved his children and was always up to care for them. Percy was even more special for the god since he was his and Sally's son.
"Of course I will. He's my champion," Vesta said with a grin.
Poseidon could only nod, bid his farewell and returned to Atlantis, leaving the goddess alone in her palace once again.
'Back to camp?' Vesta asked her counterpart.
'Back to camp.'
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~Camp, Present Day~
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Percy and Hestia were walking in the forest after the campfire as was their custom ever since the demigod came back from his quest.
"Percy, would you mind if I asked you something personal?" Hestia asked, albeit a little reluctantly. She did not want to bring up this touchy subject but it had to be done.
"Of course, you can ask me anything Hestia," Percy replied with a smile.
"How were things between you and Poseidon when you met on Olympus?"
Percy would've reacted immediately if not for Gamer's Mind. He thought about it for a moment and decided to tell her everything since if he could not talk to her, who could he talk to?
"I was a bit nervous maybe to meet him for the first time. He was a bit different from what I had imagined him to be I guess but then again, I had never seen him before. I was happy when I met him and the way he protected me from Zeus during the meeting just as a father would. He even created a defensive sphere around me with his Trident to ensure that Zeus didn't try to blast me," Percy started happily but then, his tone dropped, "Once the meeting was over, he wanted to talk to me alone and at that time, I remembered all the bad things, that he was never there for us, he wasn't there when mom had to work almost all the time just to make ends meet, he was never there when Gabe abused us. He was never there, b-but mom still always loved him. Why would he leave us? Were we a burden for him? Was it because of me?" Percy asked with tears now forming on his face as years of suppressed emotions came crashing to the surface.
Hestia immediately engulfed Percy in a hug and sent waves of hope.
"You were never a burden for him, Percy. He loves you and your mom a lot. The Ancient Laws always prevented gods from interacting much with their children which was why he couldn't stay, regardless of how much he wanted to. I'm not taking his side but giving you the reason as to why he couldn't stay. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that he should've done something for you when he left or after that. He had 12 years yet he didn't do anything. I'm holding him accountable for that. I know things are difficult right now for you Percy but remember that I'm here for you," Hestia said fondly.
Instead of answering, Percy nodded.
"I didn't want to forgive him for what he made mom go through. Despite what he has done, he is still my dad and mom loves him. So for her sake and mine, I gave him another chance to make it up to us."
"I'm so glad to hear that Percy. It takes a lot of maturity and strength to handle that sort of thing. But don't feel that you have an obligation of any sort. If it is hurting you, tell me about it and we'll talk it out, okay?"
"I will, thanks Hestia."
"How was the meeting with Athena? Is she any happy with your progress?" the goddess asked as she easily changed the topic.
"She told me that my progress with sword fighting in the arena was impressive in its own right. Except for that, I think she's content with my progress."
"Hmm could be. Well, I know how hard you work so I'm sure you're going to become stronger."
"Yes, I have to if I have to capture Luke, I should get a quest."
"Yeah," Hestia said idly as the thought of Percy leaving her and going on another quest saddened her. Things felt lonely without him. Even though she had spent a better part of her life looking at things from afar and caring for her family, Percy somehow dug a special place in her heart and it made it difficult for her not to want to spend time with him. Moreover, the previous talk with Vesta was also not making things any better. They both knew the tell-tale signs of an attraction though it was the first time they had felt it and no matter how much Hestia tried to deny it, the facts remained the same. Before she could dwell more on it, Percy's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"I'll be back before you know it," Percy said with a smile.
"And safe," Hestia added, "Don't you forget the promise you made to me."
"I won't."
"Good, now go get some sleep. We've got a demanding training tomorrow."
"Good night, Hestia," Percy said as he hugged her again.
"See you tomorrow Percy," she replied as she returned his hug one last time before she disappeared in a burst of flames.
...
~5 days later~
...
"Chiron, why aren't demigods allowed to use gadgets?" Percy asked as he suddenly remembered about the camera in his inventory that the unknown deity had gifted him.
"Haven't I told you?" Chiron asked with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Nope."
"Well, somehow the monsters can track demigods from the rays an electronic device emits. Helps them pin point their location and hunt down the demigod. Hence, they are not allowed in the camp or allowed to use it in general."
"What about mobile phones for quick calls?"
"Even those can't be used, most of the time. I'd recommend you use Iris message in those cases. You'd be able to get in touch with anyone then."
"Iris message?"
"You still haven't used it?" Chiron asked.
Percy shook his head.
"Well, you just have to create an artificial rainbow, chant or think Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering and show me, followed by name of the person and his/her location. It's extremely useful, if you ask me."
"What do I give her as an offering though?"
"A drachmae of course!"
Percy nodded and remembered this information since he knew that this was bound to be helpful in the future. He thanked Chiron and then proceeded with his training.
...
~8 days later~
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Percy had finished his training session for the day and was lying on his bed. Tomorrow would be the day that he would visit the Oracle for his next quest. Gamer's Mind ensured that he was relaxed but his thoughts still ran amok since he didn't know what to expect from the quest. Luke was way better than him in sword fighting plus he had years of experience under his belt whereas Percy had just entered the Greek world. He had barely trained for a month or two and the strength disparity was truly astounding.
Percy couldn't help but feel that his chances of capturing the son of Hermes was low taking into consideration all the other factors. He was backed by Ares and some unknown person who had somehow swayed the two to his/her cause. Percy suddenly recalled a particular piece of information that he had completely forgotten about. The Fates had warned him about Kronos rising. If that was true then.
*KNOCK*
Before he could think more about this, his thoughts were interrupted with a knocking on his door. The son of Poseidon was confused as to who would visit him at midnight since almost everyone was asleep at this time.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Once again, it came, but louder. Percy silently summoned Riptide and kept the pen in his hand, to change its form at a moment's notice.
*BANG!*
Percy then moved to his door and cautiously opened it only to be greeted by a pair of grey eyes.
"Come Perseus, you have to visit the Oracle right now. Zeus wants to keep this under wraps, the fewer who know about it, the better. Moreover, Zeus doesn't want to cause any alarms in case the prophecy is foreboding even if a little," Athena said as she turned around and started walking towards the big house.
"Not like I have a choice anyway," Percy said as he walked with the goddess through the camp. Thankfully, it was night-time and no one was around, otherwise, the fact that Percy, a son of Poseidon, was seen roaming with Athena herself would have caused a huge racket not to forget a previous instance involving a certain blonde with grey eyes.
"You have improved quite a bit in the last 6 weeks and maintained your discipline Perseus. We have done all we can for now. Now, our next move is going to depend on what the Fates have in store for us. One way or another, we are going to capture that traitor and find out what is going on exactly."
"We will, Lady Athena."
They soon reached the big house where Chiron stood on the porch as his tail flicked nervously. He gave Percy a reassuring smile which didn't quite reach his eyes. Regardless of how long it had been and how many times it had happened, he could not come to terms with the fact that the children of the Big Three always lead extraordinary lives. They were always involved in the grand scheme of things be it good or bad. Percy was no exception. Even though he was twelve, he had already managed to do something that put him at par with many heroes of legend which was a big feat all on its own.
Chiron couldn't help but wonder what kind of destiny Percy was fated to have. If things progressed the way they were currently, he did not doubt that Percy would end up becoming the greatest hero the world had ever seen all before he became an adult. But for now, the boy had to put in his best efforts to survive and grow strong. He would ensure that Percy became a greater warrior than Achilles himself. Chiron knew Percy's potential and was determined to make him cross that mountain. But, for now, the boy needed to survive and train.
"Lady Athena," Chiron said with a bow. He then turned to Percy and said, "Regardless of what happens, remember that we're all here for you my boy. You will get all the help needed. Now go, don't keep Lady Athena waiting."
"Thank you Chiron," Percy said with a smile as he walked past him and up the stairs and entered a familiar looking place.
Percy walked forward towards the figure sitting at the back of the room. Just as he reached it, its eyes opened and a similar voice entered his mind.
"Sssson of Poseidon. What do you sssseek?"
Percy steeled himself before he asked, "Where can I find Luke, son of Hermes?"
A green mist started to pour out of its mouth and surrounded Percy as it entered his body. Its voice became even more pronounced than before as the first lines of the prophecy burst forth.
"The tides, the m…."
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Important A/N
Yep, I'm evil. You'll have to wait for the next chapter :p
Anyway, this is an important A/N.
I have decided to delete some skills and replace with others based on the story so far and what I intend to do with those in the future. I will provide my reasoning as well. I have also updated the list below.
1. Taunt (Deleted)
2. Water Spikes (Deleted)
3. Water Spear (Deleted)
4. Water Manipulation (Added)
5. Fire Manipulation (Added)
6. Ice Manipulation (Added)
- Percy already has an innate ability to taunt and anger people so why bother with it on the system?
- Water spikes and water spear have been deleted and replaced with water manipulation since it is basically water given form.
Before anyone asks, water manipulation and water control are different in the following sense:
Water Control: How much water Percy can summon / use and how well he can control its flow like keeping it suspended in the air or move along with him.
Water Manipulation: Ability to turn water into different shapes / forms.
Same can be said for Fire and Ice. Hence, the changes. I will set out the level for these in the next chapter.
So with that done, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
As always, let me know your thoughts.
Until next time.
x.x
Percy's Stats
Perseus Jackson
Species : Demigod (gives +2 STR and +2 DEX)
Title : Son of Poseidon
Perseus is the son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson. Blessed by Elpis, the spirit of hope, he has a natural affinity with water due to his heritage which grants him control over water, horses, storms and earthquakes. He is also Hestia's champion which grants him control over fire and lets him summon meals.
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Level - 17
Exp – 4,596 / 7,290
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HP : 950 / 950 (+ 2,000)
MP : 1,050 / 1,050 (+ 2,000)
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STR : 26 (+ 2 + 20) (Bonus : Weapon damage - Damage + STR | Unarmed damage - STR * 2)
VIT : 20 (+ 20) (Bonus : 50 HP per 10 levels)
DEX : 20 (+2 + 20) (Bonus : +10% HP regenerated / min)
INT : 30 (Bonus : 50 MP per 10 levels)
WIS : 21 (Bonus : +10% MP regenerated / min)
LUC : 26 (Bonus : +14% chance of better loot)
Points : 22
Money : $37,200 / D520
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Status : Demigod
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Skills
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Combat :
Sword Fighting (Level 20)
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Inherited :
Ancient Greek (Max)
Tongue of the Old Times (Max)
Modern English (Level 35)
Swimming (Level 11 - 13 km/hr)
Breathe Underwater (Max)
Akachan Shiru no Me (Max)
Running (Level 10 - 40 km / hr)
Storms (Level 4)
Earth Shaker (Level 3)
…
General :
Observe (Level 4)
Sneaking (Level 6)
Critical Strike (Level 7)
Mark of the Furies (Level 8)
Mage Armor (Level 6)
Summon Meals (Max)
Makarios tis Elpis (Level 3)
Battle Strategy (Level 7)
Bond Manipulation (Level 1) (Purple: Romance, Brown: Family, Red: Dislike/Hatred, Blue: Friends, Grey: Neutral)
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Chores :
Cleaning Dishes (Max)
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Passive :
Gamer's Mind (Max)
Son of the Sea God (Gives +20 STR, VIT & DEX as well as +2000 HP and +2000 MP when in water)
Battle Instincts (Max)
Champion of Hestia (to be declared)
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Abilities :
Water Control (Level 20)
Water Manipulation (to be declared)
Blood Control (Level 1)
Dimension Create (Max)
Ice Control (Level 6)
Ice Manipulation (to be declared)
Steam Control (Level 5)
Fire Control (Level 13)
Fire Manipulation (to be declared)
