8 DA : Chapter 8: Reclaiming Family II
'The process is almost complete,' Nyx thought as Percy seemed to study himself. There was one step left, for him to actually claim her domain as his but for now he had a partial link to his claimed domains and she needed to train him in their connection.
Once his training was complete, he would need to fully claim his domain which would lead to her finally fading and joining her husband in the realm of the faded. 'Though, he has an extra two steps,' she thought with a slight frown.
...
No new primordial could truly be born without the will of a council or king … and right now the thrown was empty. Another task is that Anake's heir needs to be chosen to give the full titles of each new primordial since the Fates could not control them.
Until then, no new primordial could obtain full control of all their domains leaving them limited like the Olympians and their dependence on Western Civilization. As of now Percy is roughly 75% primordial and his true power will come when he claims his domains and is name his titles by Anake's heir.
But for now that was more than enough and power wise Percy was an easy match for several Olympians or a major Titan such as Kronos at full strength.
"Great," Nyx said after noting that Percy finished inspecting himself, "By the way, try and see if you have a sacred animal."
Most protogenoi don't but then again, there's never been a primordial that started out as a demigod. In truth, Nyx and Tartarus were basically shooting in the dark with Percy and the generation that would follow.
How strong could they grow? What would happen to Earth and the other planets left by Chaos with differing gods and pantheons? It was all a mystery and Nyx couldn't help but be excited for it since she would always have a sense of her domain even after passing into the realm of the faded so she would know how it goes.
Percy looked at her and Tartarus with a quirked eyebrow for a moment before shrugging and closing his eyes. Nyx felt his power spike as his frame glowed in mixes of black and light blue before suddenly his form started to shift as darkness wrapped around him.
He fell to his hands and knees before his body started to change. His coat of darkness turned into fur, his nose and jaws elongated into a snout, and a tail grew out of his back … and then he started to grow.
Nyx's eyes widened as she watched Percy grow to nearly three meters in height at the shoulders before the darkness dissipated to reveal an absolutely gorgeous wolf. His fur was like a perfect night, black and smooth. His body was lean and collided with powerful muscle, his eyes still the same black flames with icy blue pupils and some of his fur had light blue streaks.
"Wow," Nyx murmured as Percy inspected himself while sitting in a typical dog fashion before looking at her. He tilted his head to the side while one of his ears twitched making Nyx have to suppress the most girly squeal and desire to pet him.
It seemed Percy caught on as he actually keened while giving her perfect puppy dog eyes. Her dam broke as she practically tackled him, burying her face in his surprisingly warm fur.
She quickly stood on her toes and hugged his large neck while cooing, loving the sensation of his fur as it passed through her fingers. She caught Tartarus chuckling but didn't care as she got her fix before finally stepping back. Percy gave her a wolf grin, gleaming white fangs and all, before he shifted back to his human form, still grinning at her.
"So, wolves huh? Can't say I'm disappointed at all," he said.
"It will actually make things easier," Tartarus commented making both Percy and Nyx look at him questioningly. "You were going to infiltrate the Hunt right?"
"Ah … not really?" Percy asked sheepishly. "I was thinking more along the lines of 'hi and die' before taking back my sister."
"But she's been with the Hunt for five years. Sure that means she's about six or seven but you don't know what kind of lies the Hunt has been feeding her. You'll need to gain her trust before taking her away from them … otherwise you might end up with your little sister hating you," Tartarus explained.
"You mean that filthy band of sexist murderers has to live for longer?" Nyx asked with disgust evident in her voice.
She'd watched them for a long time, seen how Artemis spread her own hate and misery into innocent girls who'd been hurt once by men.
Sure, a good deal of men were nothing but pigs waiting for slaughter but festering and cultivating that hate into emotionally fragile teens and children did nothing for them and only harmed others in the end.
Just how many wives had Artemis left as widows? Sons and daughters without fathers or next of kin all because they happened to cross Artemis' path without having done anything wrong. Brothers, younger and older, abandoned by their sisters regardless of how much they need them? The Di Angelo siblings were a prime example of that.
Percy growled in agreement, showing that with his animal's awakening he'd grown a set of fangs that remained in either form. Tartarus didn't even look phased though as he continued on.
"Look. Your form is perfect for infiltrating the camp as a wolf. Your sister is young so she shouldn't even have a companion yet. That will be your perfect chance to get close to her, bond, and slowly show her the truth. Then, when she is ready, bring her here and do with the Hunt what you will."
"But they'll be suspicious if a huge, pitch black wolf suddenly shows up out of the blue and gets too close to her too soon. Not to mention you can feel the power coming off him that already comes close to a minor god when suppressed," Nyx interjected.
"They'll ask too many questions and watch him closely. It'll be better if he just skins them alive."
"But what of his cousin?" Tartarus asked with his red eyes glowing under his hood intently.
Okay, what was going on? Since when did Tartarus advise against violence and death?
"What about her?" Percy asked with a frown.
"Well, you know Artemis and Phoebe were there but how do you know that Thalia was involved? She may be innocent and could be spared or even brought to your side," Tartarus answered making Percy slowly nod as he thought on it.
"Great," Nyx sighed in frustration, "So how exactly can he infiltrate them?"
Tartarus chuckled before he glanced to Percy, "Why not ask her to go with you?"
At the mention of her, Percy blushed slightly while rubbing his neck. Nyx smirked at the reaction, knowing what was going on in his mind.
They'd been friends for 20 years down here after Nyx freed her from her imprisonment … not that the Olympians would know considering Zeus is the only one that knew the location of her prison and completely forgot about her centuries ago … which also meant she wasn't freed with Percy's request.
The pair hit it off immediately and became the closest of friends. Percy would help her train in combat and she would teach him all sorts of history and other mundane things she enjoyed doing. It certainly made Percy a better cook, that was for sure.
However after a decade they started to get closer to the point everyone could see their chemistry except the pair in question … that and Percy had budding feelings for another. Problem was, he definitely liked both and with how similar they are, it would make since that he'd be confused about it.
"I'm not so sure, I mean …"
Before he could finish there was a flash beside the trio and they all looked to see their arrival. 'Speak of the devil,' Nyx thought while suppressing a giggle as Percy blushed more at the girl in question. She stood at a 5 foot'10 making her rather tall by girl standards.
Dark brown hair spilling over her shoulders with goldish hazel eyes with flecks of green, filled with warmth. Her skin was a coppery tone, flawless complexion, and a figure to die for dressed in a snug black and green dress that reached her knees.
Before them stood Rhea, Titaness of Fertility, Motherhood, and Mountain Wilds … and now, primordial heiress of the Earth thanks to Percy.
Also the mother of Percy's other crush making it hilariously awkward in Nyx's opinion. 'Oh I can't wait to see where this love triangle goes,' she thought as Rhea greeted Percy with her heart melting smile that got another blush out of him as he looked away with a hasty reply.
Of course that lead to Rhea trying to see his face, innocently wondering why he was so red. Nyx watched the pair do their familiar back and forth for a few minutes before she cleared her throat to get their attention.
"Okay then, now that everyone's here … or at least those relevant at the moment," Nyx muttered the last bit while thinking about some of her other siblings doing who knows what. "So Rhea, Percy needs your help for a mission."
"What is it?" Rhea asked with a shine in the eyes.
Rarely has she been allowed to visit the mortal world in these few years. Mostly under Nyx's shadows to get some information and remain hidden from the Olympians. So of course she would jump at the chance of an extended stay, especially if Percy was going with her.
"Percy is infiltrating the Hunt," Tartarus answer making Rhea immediately frown.
She'd heard and even seen the aftermath of the Hunt after their particular 'hunts' which were honestly purges of any man that happened to get caught when they were in the mood.
She even witnessed one family camping get tortured by some of the elder hunters because the mother and daughter tried to defend their father/husband and brother/son even though they were boys.
And the most sickening part was Artemis watched on with near indifference and even advised on how to make it more affective against the males. If anything, after her pride was hurt when Percy saved her in the Giant War, she'd become crueler and colder to any man she saw.
Rhea had gone straight to her room and cried after witnessing it and being forced to do nothing lest she reveal her escape to the Olympians. Luckily Percy managed to cheer her up with hugs, cookies, and snuggling while watching some cheesy movie.
However, now she would need to help Percy get in and have to socialize with the barbarians when she'd probably want to brain them with her bow staff.
"Do we have to infiltrate them? Why not just kill them?"
You know Rhea hates something when she suggests violence. Tartarus sighed at Rhea's question before giving her the same reasoning he'd given Nyx and Percy. She thought it over before nodding and then looking at Percy.
"So you'll turn into a wolf? Can you show me?" Rhea asked eagerly making Percy smile faintly as he nodded.
Soon he took his form again and looked at Rhea with that adorable tilt of the head. Rhea made a noise that sounded suspiciously like 'squeeee' before she gave Percy a flying hug and buried her head in his fur as well.
Tartarus sighed before muttering, "This will take a while." Nyx on the other hand just giggled. How she loved these two, making her happy for the first time in centuries.
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