Chapter 24: Rising Tide
A/N
Hey!
Thank you everyone for your reviews in the last chapter. I do apologise for the delay in the update. I was on vacation for a week and spent the next week catching up on all the work so yeah. Anyway, updates should be regular now. Chapter is fairly short but just read on.
Shoutout to Yoshi and Fox for helping out and e-luckarcher, Murph, theMeister7 and Maruf for the beta and proof reading.
Special thanks to Athena for the ending.
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Disclaimer : I do not own PJO or any of its characters.
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Chapter 24: Rising Tide
"Perseus," Poseidon greeted as he gave his son a nervous smile.
On any other day, if anyone ever saw Poseidon, one of the most powerful deities in the Greek world and ruler of the ocean, smile nervously, the person would have a hard time believing it and would deem it to be nothing but a mirage. However, now was not the time, since things were way too awkward for the god as he looked at his son.
"Hey, dad," Percy replied casually without showing any emotion on his face. Gamer's Mind was truly a good thing in helping him in keeping his emotions in check as well as a good poker face.
Sally saw the tension building in the air, so she decided to intervene. "Come in, Poseidon. We were just getting started on Percy's birthday dinner."
The god turned towards Sally and nodded as he stepped inside, and sat on the table beside her.
The demigod, on the other hand, sat impassively opposite his father, not wanting to engage in any conversation whatsoever. However, his face gained a small smile as soon as Hestia sat beside him, and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze with a warm smile which conveyed everything that she was feeling at that moment.
Dinner had been an uncomfortable affair for everyone. Poseidon had tried talking to Percy, only to receive direct answers with no explanations. Sally too tried building a conversation between the two, but hardly succeeded whilst Hestia sat back and observed things.
True to her (Vesta) word, she wanted to see how much of an effort Poseidon was trying to make after their conversations a few months ago, otherwise, she would have to follow through with her warning. She knew that it was merely a threat to Poseidon before, but after seeing how things panned out after that day, the threat had turned into a promise. The god of the seas was on his final leg now before he lost his son forever, even if Percy didn't know it.
Soon, dinner was over, making Sally breathe a sigh of relief. She had never had such an awkward dinner. The tension was so palpable that she winced at every interaction between her favorite people. She had decided to join Percy in cleaning the dishes since she wanted to have a word with her son, and explain a few things to him whilst Hestia stayed behind to have a word with her brother.
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~Poseidon and Hestia~
"Hestia, how has Percy been ever since I met him?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Vesta asked as she took control from Hestia.
"Vesta, I want to know about my son," Poseidon said with a little anger laced in his voice.
"I would keep that anger in check, brother. Or are you forgetting the conversation we had or the little warning I gave you?" Vesta replied with a dangerous glint in her eyes as the flames burnt brighter with power.
"Asking about my son is trying to get to know more about him. That way, I will have something more to talk to him about instead of the half-assed answers that I had been getting at the table, or were you deaf to the recent 'conversation'?"
"Where were you if you wanted to know what your son has been up to?" Vesta asked with narrowed eyes, making Poseidon shut up. "Or were you too busy to check up on your only demigod child?"
The god didn't have anything to retort since his elder sister was correct. He had not kept in touch with Percy at all after speaking to him on Olympus. Thus, he sat quietly pondering on the past and what to do next, as he tried to grasp at anything that could help him tonight in connecting with his son. He loved Percy far too much to lose him.
Vesta sat quietly on another couch, observing her brother and seeing what he would do next.
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~Percy and Sally~
"Percy, what's going on between you and your dad?" Sally asked, wanting to know what was going on in her son's mind at that moment.
"Nothing, mom. Everything is okay." Percy replied whilst not meeting her eye.
"Percy, look at me." Sally commanded.
"Everything's alright mom."
"Percy, look at me," she repeated.
Reluctantly Percy turned to look at his mother and asked, "What, mom?"
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
"Perseus Jackson, you'd better not lie to your mother. You know I can tell when you are lying, right? So why are you even trying?" Sally said sternly before she took on a softer tone. "Look, Percy, you and your dad are two of the most important people in the world for me, especially you. How do you think I'm feeling seeing the two of you at such odds? Tell me what's wrong, sweetheart, and we can talk it out."
Percy was quiet for a moment before he nodded and said. "It's just that it's the first time that dad has visited me on my birthday, and instead of acting like a father, he just comes in and says hi. It just looks as though he was forced to come here and we are nothing but strangers."
Sally couldn't help but grimace and feel saddened to hear that. Even though Hestia had told her the state of the relationship between the two, it was still something else hearing it from her son.
"Honey, you know why your father couldn't visit you before. It wasn't his fault that the rules forbade him from actually staying. If anything, he was heartbroken that he had to leave the two of us, right after you were born. You have to realize that, baby."
"He could've at least visited us! Why didn't he ever visit? If he loved us, why didn't he ever come and help you? Why didn't he stop that monster from hurting both of us? Why, mom, WHY?!" Percy said as the first few tears started making their way out of his eyes. Gamer's Mind didn't activate, sensing that this was needed. The demigod had been holding these emotions inside of him for far too long without speaking to his mom about it. They had started building up inside of him and now, everything had started flowing out as soon as they started talking about it.
"Percy, your father wanted nothing but to stay beside the two of us. It had gotten to the point that he had started ignoring his duties as the King of the Ocean and God of the Seas. There were severe repercussions that had stemmed in the seas due to the absence of its ruler. Being one of the most important and powerful gods in the Greek world is not just about having power, there is a lot of responsibility that comes with it as well. Persephone too has stated multiple times that her husband works for many hours with people calling on him endlessly for some help. No wonder he is annoyed by the state of the Underworld. But coming back to the point, as a god, if he ignored his duties, it would be fatal for everyone. So despite wanting to stay, he could not."
"But what about visiting us, mom? Didn't he even have five minutes to visit us in twelve years? What about the time when we were suffering? Did he never keep a check on us; his 'beloved' family?"
Sally fell silent at that as she knew that she had no response to that. Indeed, Poseidon was to blame here, and regardless of what she said, the facts were true. Thus, she stood silently near her son with no help to offer for once.
As soon as Percy was done with the dishes, Hestia called him over.
"Everything okay, Hestia?" Percy asked as he approached the goddess.
"Yes, Percy. I just wanted to give you your gift. This is from me and your mom," she replied as she brought out a small wrapped up box.
Percy couldn't help but smile and cry a little since this was the first time anyone had ever given him a gift except for his mom. It truly felt good to know that he mattered to someone, who cared for him. They even went to the trouble of getting a gift for him.
Hestia, on the other hand, was a little sad to see that things had been so bad for her champion that even something as small as a gift meant such a huge thing for him. This made her even more determined to do whatever she could for her favourite demigod and be there for him.
"Go on, open it," Hestia encouraged the demigod.
Percy carefully unwrapped the gift and opened the box. As soon as his eyes fell on the object inside of it, Percy became confused. He held it up until his eyes widened in recognition, and a huge smile graced his face.
The object in his hand was a pendant in a silver necklace. The pendant had an ocean-like color and was shaped like a water drop, with the outer edges glowing red like an ember. It was by far one of the most beautiful things that he had ever seen.
Percy clutched the pendant tightly as tears threatened to make their way down his face due to the sheer gratitude he felt at that moment. As he kept a tight hold on it, he suddenly felt a warm feeling enter his being. The warmth spread throughout his body, easing his extremely rapid heart rateand calming down the demigod. It gingerly caressed his being, greatly comforting him. Percy took a few moments to compose himself before he turned to Hestia and engulfed her in a tight embrace.
"I can't thank you enough for this wonderful gift, Hestia. You are really the best. I love you!" Percy said with a smile on his face. However, it was wiped off momentarily when he felt Hestia stiffen briefly before relaxing back and hugging him tighter.
"I love you too, my champion. And you don't have to thank me for anything, I will always be with you." Hestia said with a light blush dusting her face, which Sally immediately noticed since the goddess was facing her at that moment.
Percy then dislodged from the hug and made a beeline for his mom where he brought her into a bone-crushing hug which the older woman couldn't help but return while sighing happily.
"My baby," Sally cooed. "We will always be there for you regardless of how things go. Remember that alright?"
Percy just nodded his head and buried his face deeper, wanting nothing but to be with his mom at this moment. They stood there for a minute before he slowly unwrapped himself from her and held up the necklace, silently asking his mom to help put it on.
"Hestia, why don't you put it on?" Sally asked with a little mischievous smile that Hestia easily caught on. The goddess, to her credit, kept her features schooled, unwilling to divulge anything with Poseidon around.
She walked towards Percy, turned him around, and strung the necklace around Percy with the necklace he got from camp. While the one from camp was short, the one gifted by her was slightly longer and formed a water drop almost right below the camp bead, creating a beautiful design and adding to the necklace's luster.
Meanwhile, Poseidon stood on the side, awkwardly looking at the family time the three of them were enjoying. A sense of shame and regret kept building inside him for all the mistakes that he made. It made him all the more determined to improve his relationship with his favorite child. The god of the seas then cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention to himself.
"Percy, I know this is way overdue and probably won't account for much but I brought a gift for you as well," the god said as he summoned a small package wrapped in sea-green paper.
The demigod couldn't help but feel shocked by this since he had not expected Poseidon to get a gift for him. He was brought out of his thoughts as soon as Hestia nudged him and ushered him forward.
He took the gift from Poseidon and thanked him before he slowly and carefully unwrapped it. The box inside was small, just like the one Hestia gave. However, as soon as Percy opened the box, his eyes focused on the object for a moment before he got it out of the box and waved it in front of Poseidon.
"Any other color options available at the beach?" Percy asked sarcastically as he held a sea-green colored leather bracelet with the words PJ embossed in them, making Poseidon chuckle.
Percy narrowed his eyes at the god who realized that now wasn't the time to make jokes at his son's expense.
"That is an enchanted item for you, my son. Put it on and will it to expand." Poseidon explained cryptically.
Percy listened to his father and put it on. He closed his eyes momentarily and felt the bracelet on his wrist. He didn't feel anything from it but still decided to will it to expand. Within a moment, he felt something relatively heavy in his hand as he heard a gasp from Sally.
He quickly opened his eyes and was greeted with yet another beautiful sight. He was now holding a trident. The bottom was sea-green and ocean-blue blended together in an intricate manner and looked as though a tide was coming in. There were white highlights mixed in the upper portion of the design and looked as though a wave crashed. The prongs were a mix between sea-green and ocean-blue and emitted a white ethereal light as it was brought out of its concealed form for the first time for the world to see.
"Wow," was the only thing that came to Percy's mind as he looked at the trident in his hand. It was perfect for his height and didn't weigh a lot, which he was grateful for.
Poseidon, on the other hand, beamed with happiness as he was glad that his son liked the gift.
"I-I really don't know what to say," Percy said.
"Maybe a thanks and a hug would be nice," Poseidon suggested with mirth dancing in his sea-green eyes.
"Thanks, Dad," Percy said as he looked at his father in the eyes. He was apprehensive about approaching the god but when he looked him in the eyes, it was like he was staring at a mirror. Poseidon's eyes were completely sea-green and held nothing but sincerity and hopefulness in them. Percy finally relented and hugged Poseidon, greatly surprising all the occupants in the room.
Sally had tears of happiness streaming down her face as she watched their relationship take a small step forward while Hestia smiled. It looked like Poseidon was going to start making an effort now. While he was nowhere close to mending his relationship with his son, he had taken a step. She hoped things would get better here on out.
"This weapon is called φέρer του χρόνος," Poseidon said after disengaging from the hug.
"Bringer of tides," Percy said as he looked at the weapon in awe.
"It was forged in Atlantis, and thus, it has the essence of the sea itself and further enchanted by me. A fit weapon for one of the sea," the god said with pride evident in his eyes.
"Thank you for this gift, dad," the demigod said with gratitude.
"Oh, I'm still not done. How about I start teaching you about your powers every week? We can meet at the beach here and spend some time to brush up your control."
This made Percy happier as he nodded eagerly, ready to spend some more time with his father. While he still had not forgiven Poseidon, he couldn't deny the fact that he liked the idea of getting to know the god. He didn't harbor any hatred for his father but rather, disappointment and had slowly started detaching himself from the god.
"It will be very helpful for the quest," Percy said.
Poseidon, who had been smiling, became silent as he blinked and tried to comprehend what he had just heard.
"Have you been issued another prophecy?" the god asked as his tone became stiff and somewhat formal.
"Yes, if you remember the talk on Olympus you had with Athena and our brothers," Hestia interjected.
"What is the prophecy?" Poseidon asked as he braced himself.
Percy turned to Hestia, silently asking for her opinion. She nodded her head, knowing that it was not good to keep it from his father.
The demigod took a deep breath before he started.
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"The tides, the moon travel to the old dominion,
Each with their companion.
Flower planted in a grove,
The constellations bore.
To fight or flight have foresight,
Their fate decided by longest night."
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x.x
A/N
I hope you all enjoyed the surprise! Bet the short chapter made up for it.
As always, do drop your reviews.
Until next time.
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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 – 5,696 / 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 : $2,200 / 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)
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General :
Observe (Level 4)
Sneaking (Level 6)
Critical Strike (Level 7)
Mark of the Furies (Level 8)
Mage Armor (Level 8)
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 21)
Water Manipulation (Level 16)
Blood Control (Level 5)
Dimension Create (Max)
Ice Control (Level 8)
Ice Manipulation (Level 5)
Steam Control (Level 5)
Fire Control (Level 14)
Fire Manipulation (Level 11)