A prophecy revealed too soon, a promise given. A hero's fear, a maiden's love, destiny is shattered as they find themselves washed upon a new shore. AU, Slowburn, Set before OP canon, Will be epic in length
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Chapter 1
This is actually the first fic I've written but kept it shelved for months until I rewatched One Piece. I dropped it after the Zou arc, but after months of avoiding it, I decided to just post it and see how it goes.
Might as well spoil that this will mainly be Percy/Calypso pairing set in One Piece before canon. How they will get there will be revealed in future chapters.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx. Do check out his awesome works on HP and ASOIAF.
This story is crossposted on other websites, and I will be releasing a chapter every once in a while, until I catch up.
August 17th, evening.
Percy stared out at the sea as he cleaned Riptide with a rag. Normally, he would have just willed some water to rinse and clean it to a shine, but the simple act of wiping the already clean blade with a piece of cloth was cathartic for the barely 15-year-old. It's been a few hours since what is being called the Battle of the Labyrinth, and the funerals for the fallen had just finished. So much death and misery, and for what? He wanted to blame the gods for not taking the threat of the Titans seriously and not sending aid to the home of their children, but… he was far past the point of throwing blame.
The gods will be as the gods have always been, whimsical creatures of unimaginable power. Perhaps the eternity they had lived had changed their perspective on the world around them so much that they had difficulty connecting with their mortal children. Maybe they were used to their progeny perishing after thousands of years, or perhaps the life of a demigod was but a fleeting moment for the divine?
A lifetime for a mortal was comparable to a minute of a god's time, let alone demigods who rarely lived past twenty. Perhaps the long millennia had truly twisted their perception of time? A dangerous prospect for their foe was the Lord of Time himself.
"Heh, since when have I been so philosophical?" Percy whispered to himself with a chuckle. It wasn't like him to ask such deep questions. He only needed to worry about three things; survive another day, make his mom proud by not getting expelled from his latest school, and make sure his friends survived whatever world-ending adventure they found themselves in safely. Not that he seemed to be doing well on that last part, as he had to burn too many shrouds this day.
At least he was doing well in the 'make mom proud' part, which was surprising as he thought he would get the blame for that Empousa attack. He already called his mom first thing after the battle to assure her that he was alive and well and to expect him tomorrow evening.
"I wonder if they will find peace in death? Elysium must be having a large influx of demigods," Percy talked to Riptide, not expecting an answer. "Such random ramblings… I must be getting hungry."
He finally put away the cloth and made his way to the dining pavilion to fill his rumbling stomach.
Dinner was a quiet affair as Percy sat alone at his table like usual. Not many had the heart to talk or joke around, not with all the deaths hanging above them. The battle had been a close one; Percy had lost count of how many monsters he had slain.
If it wasn't for Grover, the losses would have been even larger. The hero of the hour, some called him. A well-deserved moniker, Percy was happy for his friend, who even now could be seen arguing with Juniper about something.
"Must have something to do with the Council of Cloven Elders," a tired voice said behind him. Percy turned to see Annabeth watching Grover as well. "There's a meeting in ten minutes in the Big House. I'll see you there, Seaweed Brain."
She attempted to give a smile, but her face twisted into a grimace instead. Percy nodded back at her, and she walked to the other tables to call the rest of the counselors for the meeting.
He stared at his unfinished meal, half uneaten. Yet Percy had no appetite for more, so he walked to the brazier and was about to sacrifice the rest to his father when he paused. A random thought hit him as he stared at the fire. Could he perform sacrifices for other divinities? The first divine being that came to mind that Percy believed deserved the most gratitude from him was Calypso.
The Titaness had nursed him back to full health and treated him very kindly when she was not obligated to do anything for him. Hades, Percy fought against her father, and she must have cared for Atlas if Olympus decided to punish her with imprisonment. Percy promised that he would help release her from her prison, but he was not sure how to even begin doing that.
He wondered if Calypso would accept offerings? Would they even reach her on her island?
He looked around, it seemed the little girl who usually tended to the Hearth was not here tonight it . He sacrificed half of the remaining meal to Poseidon, "May you watch over me as you always have, Father," and the rest to Calypso, "Hope you like burger and fries."
He could almost imagine the fire burning brighter for a moment before he blinked and walked away, but not before being enveloped by a warm, blissful feeling that made the world seem a tad brighter, bringing a smile to his face.
As he walked through the camp, Percy decided to make a detour to his cabin to freshen up. Upon entering, his gaze was immediately drawn to the pot of Moon Lace he had placed by his bed. The gift from Calypso. Thinking of the pretty Titaness again brought a smile to his face. Sad, yet demure, lovely, and gentle, with a soft melodic voice and a starry beauty greater than Aphrodite. It was not something easily forgotten.
"I did promise to free her," Percy talked to the plant as if it would connect him to Calypso.
It did not.
He sighed, took a shower, and dressed for the meeting. His eyes landed on the additions Tyson added to the cabin a few weeks ago. A metal flock of hippocampi, undersea plants that glow and scrubbed anemones that glowed softly in the dark. Then his eyes landed on the badly dented shield his brother made for him, and he smiled fondly It was thought lost after he threw it at Kampe, but he later found it, albeit badly damaged. Percy hadn't spent much time with his half-brother either. A visit to Tyson was definitely due. He turned the shield back to watch form and strapped it to his wrist.
As he made his way to the meeting, Percy wondered if there was any way to convince the camp to free Calypso.
"We need to figure out what the Titans are planning next! Daedalus may have collapsed the Labyrinth, but that army of monsters is still out there and gradually gaining strength!!"
There was no mistaking the demanding voice of Clarisse, Percy looked at her as she fervently urged at the rest of the council as he leaned on the wall. The meeting had been going on for nearly half an hour now, and he was bored out of his mind.
Dionysus was supposed to be attending as well but was delayed in Olympus for some reason.
"We are doing the best we can to figure out where they are rallying, but a more pressing matter is the threat of Typhon awakening," Michael Yew stated.
The newly instated councilor of the Apollo cabin had replaced the deceased Lee Fletcher. As the son of the God of Prophecy, he had the unfortunate job of overseeing scouting quests and divining the future. Which meant praying to his dad for hints and clues. Somehow that translated to other campers expecting him to know the Titan's movements as well as predicting scratch-off results.
At Michael's words, some of the others looked at Percy warily but immediately returned to the topic at hand. It wasn't his fault that Mount Saint Helens had erupted.
Well, not fully, at least…
'A good deflection, though.' Percy thought wryly, as the Apollo Cabin counselor could barely hide his annoyance at all the inane questions that were sent his way.
"What news do we know of Typhon, Chiron?" Asked the soft-spoken Katie Gardner of Demeter's cabin.
Chiron remained silent and stared at Annabeth's open laptop that had a live news feed of Mount Saint Helens spewing smoke and ash.
"The Father of Monsters is stirring, but he is not fully awake just yet. It will happen soon. His powers are far beyond anything a demigod can muster, but worry not - the gods will deal with him, just as they did the last time," the centaur finally spoke up, and his eyes roamed around the room. Percy felt Chiron's gaze hold onto him for half a second longer, but it could have been his imagination. At least his words had calmed most of the councilors. "Now, is there any other topic we need to discuss before we call it a night?"
Nobody spoke up, and Percy even saw some preparing to move away from the Ping-Pong table that doubled as the council table. Annabeth returned her attention to Daedalus' laptop.
It was now or never.
"I do have something to say," Percy spoke up.
All eyes turned to Percy, and he found himself on the receiving end of gazes filled with surprise and veiled expectations.
Even Annabeth stopped fiddling with her laptop. Once he had every eye on him, Percy took half a minute to think how to phrase himself.
"Do we know if Olympus is doing anything to ensure the loyalty of the neutral Titans and the minor gods?" Silence, deathly silence, was all the answer he needed. He drove on, "I am sure everyone here can agree that Briares' aid against Kampe was instrumental for our continued survival," he paused as he looked at his fellow councilors. Plenty of agreeable nods met him. "Briares was forgotten by the Olympians. His two brothers faded away due to that neglect. Shouldn't we make sure the other minor gods and friendly Titans feel that they are still welcome on Olympus and make sure they are not persuaded to join Kronos?"
Some looked askance at him, probably due to the idea of there being friendly Titans. He waited for someone to counter his words but was inwardly surprised to see everyone giving him their full attention.
"We are doing the best we can, but a few Titans whom we have kept watch on have been unreachable lately," Chiron thoughtfully replied.
"What of the other gods?" Annabeth asked suddenly, "Morpheus, Hypnos, Nemesis, to name a few? I know for a fact that they have children here in camp, and many of them have gone missing lately. Have the Olympians approached them to secure their loyalties?"
Unsaid was that those missing demigods had probably joined Kronos.
Chiron sighed and rubbed his beard tiredly.
"I'm afraid not as much as they should be. Your mother Athena advocated for the same during today's meeting but was met with skepticism at best and disdain at worst from the gods." The centaur turned to Percy, "Lord Poseidon assured the Council that all minor gods of the sea are loyal to him, but old foes stirred in the deep. And the landed deities are the responsibility of Olympus, not Atlantis. Rest assured, though, that we are doing our best to secure them."
A few sighs of relief could be heard in the room.
This was good, but it wasn't good enough for his purpose.
"And the friendly Titans? Shouldn't we draw them to our side?" Percy asked loudly, silencing the now-chattering councilors.
"What friendly Titans, Prissy? They were cowards who didn't fight the last time and remained free by the mercy of Olympus. As for those who did, they were beaten once and have been punished accordingly. If they join Kronos, then they will be beaten again," Clarisse declared with a snort, eliciting a couple of chuckles.
Percy frowned, "Oh? Would you like to tell that straight to Zeus and Hades about their mother then?" That silenced everyone. "Or how about Hecate, Titaness of magic? She has absolute power over the Mist that we depend on so much." Annabeth, Silena, and Lee, the three who know the most about the Mist, paled while the rest grimaced. "We need to secure all the neutral Titans to our faction. My father speaks of old enemies. I may not be very good at the history of our Mythos, but didn't Oceanus remain neutral in the last war?"
Annabeth weakly nodded in confirmation. "He did. He and his wife Tethys even fostered and raised Hera when she was young. I'm sure it would be simple to open dialogue with them as Oceanus' realm expanded along with your father's. He gains nothing from joining Kronos, but it doesn't hurt to be certain," his friend finished thoughtfully and returned her attention to the laptop.
"That's all well and good, Jackson, but how do you suggest we even talk to them?" Connor Stoll asked, his brother Travis nodded along. "It's not like we can simply Iris Message them, and they would answer… can we?"
"No, it's not that simple, Mr Stoll," Chiron said. "Both Gods and Titans prefer not to be annoyed with IMs all the time. Aside from specific people who are allowed to IM them, the only way to reach them would be through your father, Hermes, in his role as the Messenger of the Gods."
"Even if we know of their location, we have no idea if they would be willing to talk, let alone help. They might even turn us to Kronos for all we know," Silena Beauregard of Aphrodite's cabin said with a shake of her head, swinging her luscious dark mane of hair around.
The Stoll brothers couldn't tear their eyes off her, much to Percy's amusement.
"I can think of a Titan who would most likely help us, provided we free her," Percy declared, as no one was adding anything new. "Some of you may know that I have been M.I.A. for a while following the eruption of St. Helens and have wondered about my whereabouts during that time." That definitely got all of their wandering attention again. "Well, allow me to clear it up. I was marooned in Ogygia and recovered from my ordeal there."
The Stoll brothers leaned forward so much that they risked falling off while Annabeth gave Percy a knowing look before returning to her laptop, and the rest were looking at him curiously.
"Calypso?" Chiron simply asked.
"Yes, Calypso," he nodded.
And for a moment, it seemed like Pandora's box was opened.
"Did our Percy get seduced?"
"What good would she be in battle?!"
"Is she prettier than Aphrodite?"
Before Percy could blink, Katie and Silena were arguing furiously, looking ready to tear at one another. On one side of the table, the Stoll brothers were dancing a jig as they inflamed the two girls' argument, while Michael Yew and Lee Fletcher were laughing boisterously.
Yet Percy firmly kept his gaze on the pensive centaur.
Eventually, the commotion got too far when one of the Stolls tried to throw his bowl of Cheez-Its at Silena, who had started arguing with his brother, only for Charles Beckendorf to grab the bowl from the air and throw it back at its owner.
"SILENCE!!" Chiron's shout quickly brought order back to the council. "I must ask this, Percy, do you want to free Calypso because of some promised aid to Olympus or your youthful infatuation?"
The trainer of heroes had a serene expression, like a still lake. Percy grimaced inwardly, it seemed that his motive had easily been seen through.
"I promised to find a way to free her. If I cannot keep such a simple promise to someone to whom I owe my life, then it just wouldn't be me," Percy simply said. There was no point to lie.
And maybe he liked Calypso. Just a little, tiny bit.
There were some knowing looks from the campers, and most of them seemed agreeable with Percy. Oaths and promises were important to keep, especially in their world.
"What do you know about Calypso, Percy?" Annabeth asked suddenly as she stopped typing on her laptop. "I mean, really know about her. Do you know why she was imprisoned in the first place?"
"Of course I do," he straightened up. "She is Atlas' daughter and fought alongside her father against the Gods in the first war. Out of loyalty for her kin."
"All the Titans who fought for Kronos did it out of loyalty," Athena's daughter said quietly. "He was their King. Yet, all of them were punished regardless." Percy stood there, flabbergasted, but his friend forged on, "But let's disregard all of that. What if she is just using you to free her?" The son of Poseidon bristled at the implication. "You need to understand that Calypso isn't a hapless maiden, Percy. She is the daughter of one of the most powerful Titans, and her mother is one of Oceanus' many daughters. She sowed devastation on the Olympian forces in the last war both on land and sea."
At that, Annabeth turned her laptop around to show images of… well, Calypso. Beautiful as always but fully clad in bronze armor with a deadly spear and shield in one picture and shooting an arrow in another really drove the point home. Calypso was indeed a powerful Titaness in her own right. He didn't even think to question how Annabeth found such high-quality images of something that happened four thousand years ago.
"Even in the tales when she kept Odysseus, it was against his will. He was married, yet she did not care, she desired him and felt entitled to keep a married man for seven years away from his family. What does that tell you of her character?"
"And?" If Annabeth thought this would shake him, she was mistaken. "What of it? This is all in the past. The gods were no different in that era, yet they mellowed out in time. As for her power, you can argue that this is even more of a reason to free her and enlist her assistance."
"It may also lead to her immediately joining Kronos," Chiron added quietly, taking the wind out of his sail. "You weren't there. Calypso truly loved her kith and kin. She cared not for Kronos himself and was quick to surrender when he was gone in return for her sisters' safety. There's no doubt in my mind that if her father could be freed from his burden, letting the Four Pillars bear the weight of Ouranos again, she would take it without a shred of hesitation." Percy paled. "No, better to leave her in her gilded cage until at least after Kronos is defeated. We can return to the subject then."
There was a hardness in Chiron's eyes, the son of Poseidon had to admit that… they had a point. The rest of the councilors seemed to agree with Chiron and Annabeth.
But so what?
"Has any of you seen even seen her?" Percy's words were met with silence, and he shook his head. "Indeed. The Olympians changed greatly in the last few millennia, and so did Calypso. Regardless, I made a promise, and I will stand by it."
Maybe it was the stress of weeks in the Labyrinth fighting for his life, or maybe it was the exhaustion of all the shit he'd had to endure and the earlier battle, but Percy couldn't care less but say what was in his mind.
"Percy–"
"Demigods seem to be joining Kronos and that cunt Luke on a daily basis. Even Gods who owe their loyalty to Olympus are defecting, yet you think it's too risky to start recruiting allies of our own?!" Annabeth looked affronted at something, but he was not sure what exactly. At this moment, he couldn't find himself to care either.
"Percy, that's not–"
"I call it as I see it." Percy interrupted again, his breathing hard, and he could feel a familiar tug in his stomach that was itching to be unleashed, as well as a roaring in his ears that felt like waves crashing on rocks.
He could feel the tension rising very high indeed in the room. Percy knew he was being unfair and that he needed to chill. He tried to calm his breathing and ignore his boiling blood, and he very well might have succeeded, but someone decided to pour oil into the fire.
"Did you fall for the bitch so hard that you are forgetting yourself, Prissy? All that bitching you are making sounds a lot like treason to me," Clarisse growled. The room went silent, and Percy froze. It took him a few seconds to acknowledge that she actually insinuated that he had been hoodwinked! "How was it then? Did she tend to you gently, or was she wanton like a whore as she seduced you to her side?"
"Clarisse!" Annabeth stood up, and several councilors began edging away from the table. "That's enough!"
"Clarisse…How is Chris doing?" Percy asked slowly, trying to suppress his raging fury from erupting.
"What do you mean, Jackson?"
"I mean, how is he recovering after selling us out to Kronos? Do not delude yourself into thinking he was anything but a traitor and should be treated as such," he raised his voice and continued relentlessly without giving her a chance to reply. "Yet you seem delighted to be with him day and night since he was discovered. So, how is he, Clarisse?" A mocking smile found its way to his face, and from the edge of his vision, he noticed that most of the councilors had retreated toward the distant wall while Chiron looked… sad. Clarisse's face was so red it looked like it would explode.
"How is it to find someone actually willing to humor an ape like you, let alone hold you? Surprising how it only took an insensate traitor for you to finally bag a boyfriend. Does he drool when you kiss? Was he even able to get it-"
That's as far as Percy went before Clarisse flipped the table with a scream of rage as she charged at him with her dagger. It was beyond simple for Percy to sidestep her reckless charge. He had mentally prepared, so he grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, grabbed Clarisse's hair, and slammed her head into the wall. Percy slammed her head a few more times for good measure. A sweet feeling of satisfaction filled him as she dropped unconscious on the floor, bloody nose broken and front teeth chipped.
He couldn't even help but marvel at the few dents on the wall; those would definitely need to be repaired later on. It all happened so fast that by the time anyone moved to split the fight, it was already over.
His raging fury bled out like the waning tide, and Percy realized what he had done. Half the councilors gazed at him warily while the other half stared with disapproval. But he couldn't care less.
"Think about my proposal," Percy said as he turned to the door. "Otherwise, it won't be long before half the gods have defected. Olympus knows half of this camp has already done so." He made his way outside, nobody daring to stop him.
Percy slowly made his way back to Cabin Three. The hot embers of anger still shimmered, and his attempt to fall asleep on the bed failed miserably. The scent of the Moon Lace finally calmed him as it reminded Percy of her.
Had he really fallen for the Titaness? Was Clarisse right? A grimace formed on his face.
But no, Calypso had been nothing but kind and gracious. Her offer was fresh in his mind, the gentle Titaness had requested that he stay with her, and not once was leaving Ogygia mentioned in any form. It was Percy who had given the promise. And if Calypso was really so dangerous, would Hephaestus be so courteous to her? Would he gift her so many amenities?
He kept shuffling uneasily in his bed, sleep continued eluding him.
Eventually, Percy opened his eyes and gazed at his watch; there was only an hour to midnight. A sardonic chuckle escaped his mouth, the meeting had started at nine, so he had skulked for nearly an hour.
Giving up on sleep for now, he decided to get up and go for a dip in the Sound.
As he was putting on his shoes, his eyes settled on his empty backpack. His mom expected him tomorrow evening, so he decided it would be prudent to pack his things now. It was not like he had anything else to do. The now-filled backpack was left on his bed, and Percy finally made his way outside.
It was silent in the night. The Harpies were obviously doing night's watch, but contrary to popular belief, they couldn't care less about late-night excursions so long as you didn't try to visit other cabins or make trouble in the forest.
Though the nymphs and satyrs would still get you back, as the Stoll brothers would tell you. It also helped that as Cabin Counselor, he enjoyed certain privileges, such as telling them to buzz off if they felt like giving you a hard time. Still, better not to give them a reason to make your life hard.
Percy was about to make his way to the ocean when he noticed light coming from the Big House's rec room. Probably Chiron is still awake waiting for Mr D.
The son of Poseidon found himself sighing. He was very harsh earlier, and while he did not fully agree with the Trainer of Heroes, Percy could respect that Chiron had the benefit of hindsight and experience.
Maybe an apology wouldn't be remiss? He made up his mind and headed to the hill where the House was built. Percy stuck to the shadows just in case, as he didn't feel like arguing with a Harpy over why he was still awake, regardless of being a Counselor.
As he made his way to the deck, Percy noticed there was a slight light in the infirmary where the wounded from the battle stayed, but the rec room's light had turned off during his trek. Instead, there was light on the deck, and he could vaguely hear a conversation.
It looked like Chiron was speaking with someone on the deck. The overpowering scent of wine and grapes assaulted his nose from a hundred feet. Without a doubt, Mr D had finally returned and was being briefed by Chiron.
Yet, as Percy found himself approaching cautiously from their blind spot, he heard his name mentioned and paused. The clouds were hiding the waning moon, and his position in the shadows was well hidden. He could recognize the voices of Chiron, Mr D, and Annabeth. Curiosity gripped him, and Percy decided not to announce himself and quietly made his way from behind the house to crouch under the deck until he was close enough to hear.
"So Perry finally lost it, eh? Always knew he had a short fuse, but to think it would be over a woman," Mr D said with forced levity, but the drunken God was still upset over the passing of his son Castor.
"Percy brought up some excellent arguments over recruiting allies," Chiron replied diplomatically. "The fact that we do not know the stance, let alone the location of several of our own Gods, is quite concerning."
"Oh, worry not. The Big Man has everything under control. Or so he portrays," Mr D lazily waved and popped open a Diet Coke before gulping it all in one go.
The empty can was absentmindedly thrown on the lawn, where it turned into a strawberry bush that literally ran towards the strawberry fields. The god popped another can of Diet Coke but left it open on the table for now.
"Are things so dire in Olympus, Mr D?" Annabeth asked quietly, her laptop closed on her lap.
"Nah, it's not that bad. Believe it or not, all the points that young Peter brought up were discussed in the council after you left, Chiron. We really are doing our best to make sure our allies remain so." Percy was at least happy to hear this. "It's his infatuation with Calypso that is a bit worrying, but not overly so. Good lass, that one. Doesn't have a bad bone in her body."
Chiron frowned at that. "You were not alive during the war, Mr D. You do not truly know what she is capable of."
"Technically, I was alive, but I was old Hades' kid at the time, heh. If you believe the myths, at least" Much to both Percy and Annabeth's confusion. "Regardless, you have a point. It would not do well for our vaunted prophesied hero to be; what was the term? Led astray from his destiny," the god chuckled before taking a sip from his coke.
His heart skipped a beat. Prophesied Hero? So, it was confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that he was the one? Even if he wasn't, it's obvious that at least Olympus believes it so.
"It's not fair!" Annabeth cried abruptly. "Why does it have to be him?! Why not Nico, o-or maybe another child from the Elder Gods? It could be a daughter of Demeter for all we know!"
Percy was shocked at the outburst. What is that all about?
Chiron looked at Annabeth in pity. "You know as well as I, my dear, that there is no one else but Percy. Nico is too young to be the one, as Kronos' rise is indelible. All evidence points that within twelve months, a great battle shall soon be upon us to decide this war. In a year from tomorrow, Perseus would have fulfilled the second line of the Prophecy by turning sixteen." Percy's heart was hammering so loudly in his chest that he was surprised no one could hear it.
"Yes, poor Perry," Mr D agreed with a completely uninterested tone.
"As for the gender of the prophesied hero," Chiron continued, and he seemed to lose decades of his life in that one sentence, "'A single choice shall end his days.' His not hers." Percy could have sworn he heard something shatter. He was not sure what it was, but it may have well been his mind. He slowly started to make his way from the Deck. "Before Thalia joined the Hunt, we assumed it was just a gender-neutral term at the time, but with her choice, it has become obvious that Perseus is without a doubt the Child of Prophecy."
Chiron looked exhausted, Annabeth was shedding silent tears while Mr D drank his coke as he gazed blankly at the sky.
Percy wandered aimlessly through camp. He didn't even remember how he sneaked away without any of them noticing him. Hades, he did not even remember going back to his cabin, yet he was holding his backpack and the pot of Moon Lace.
The son of Poseidon had no idea what to do. Where would he go?
He was destined to die.
For all the times he would have willingly died for any of his friends, the fact that he was basically raised to be a pig for the slaughter hit very differently than him willingly facing death in battle with his head held high.
Percy did not want to die.
He did not fear it, but he did not want to die! There was so much to do, so much to see. He had to make his mom proud. He wanted to grow old, marry and have a family. Some grandchildren for his mother to spoil. The thought of marriage brought a wan smile to his face as he absentmindedly thought about who would want to marry a monster magnet like him.
Eventually, Percy furiously shook his head and broke out of his stupor. He needed to get out of here. Surely enough, his feet had already led him to the Pegasi stable, and he had to only walk a few dozen yards to reach Blackjack's stall.
"You alright there, boss? You don't look so hot," his equine companion said as he rubbed his head with his own.
"I feel like shit, Jack. Can I ask you for a ride?"
"Sure thing, boss man. Just get me out of here, and I'll take you home."
Percy was surprised at how kind Blackjack was right now and patted his neck as he led him out of the stables.
"Not home Jack," he shook his head. "At least not this late at night. Mom is asleep and has a lot to do in the morning, and I'm not ready to face Paul yet after the fiasco in school."
He saddled Blackjack and hopped on his back. The Pegasus galloped away from the stable and jumped into the air, his great wings flapping powerfully and taking them a thousand feet in seconds. He didn't have any friends outside of camp, and he lost his apartment key when St. Helens erupted.
No, Percy did have one friend.
A friend who agreed to help him in his darkest hour without question. He owed her, but he would have to rely on her aid again.
"Take me to New York, Jack," Percy said, hoping she wouldn't mind such a late-night visit. "Take me to Rachel."
After the battle, the campers were all too tired. Nobody would notice Percy's disappearance until the morning.
You will notice that I have opted to change how the campers talk a bit, trying to have them act like grownups. Or what they think grownups act like. The books were written for children, so Riordan had to be careful with the language. There are no worries here, though, as we all know how much of a potty mouth we had as teenagers.
And now a word from my Editor-in-Chief…
Editor's note: Editing this shit has been wild af.
If you like my works and would like me to leave me a tip, or read a few chapters ahead, feel free to join me on Patre(on). My Patre(on) name is the same as my pen name.
Might as well spoil that this will mainly be Percy/Calypso pairing set in One Piece before canon. How they will get there will be revealed in future chapters.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx. Do check out his awesome works on HP and ASOIAF.
This story is crossposted on other websites, and I will be releasing a chapter every once in a while, until I catch up.
August 17th, evening.
Percy stared out at the sea as he cleaned Riptide with a rag. Normally, he would have just willed some water to rinse and clean it to a shine, but the simple act of wiping the already clean blade with a piece of cloth was cathartic for the barely 15-year-old. It's been a few hours since what is being called the Battle of the Labyrinth, and the funerals for the fallen had just finished. So much death and misery, and for what? He wanted to blame the gods for not taking the threat of the Titans seriously and not sending aid to the home of their children, but… he was far past the point of throwing blame.
The gods will be as the gods have always been, whimsical creatures of unimaginable power. Perhaps the eternity they had lived had changed their perspective on the world around them so much that they had difficulty connecting with their mortal children. Maybe they were used to their progeny perishing after thousands of years, or perhaps the life of a demigod was but a fleeting moment for the divine?
A lifetime for a mortal was comparable to a minute of a god's time, let alone demigods who rarely lived past twenty. Perhaps the long millennia had truly twisted their perception of time? A dangerous prospect for their foe was the Lord of Time himself.
"Heh, since when have I been so philosophical?" Percy whispered to himself with a chuckle. It wasn't like him to ask such deep questions. He only needed to worry about three things; survive another day, make his mom proud by not getting expelled from his latest school, and make sure his friends survived whatever world-ending adventure they found themselves in safely. Not that he seemed to be doing well on that last part, as he had to burn too many shrouds this day.
At least he was doing well in the 'make mom proud' part, which was surprising as he thought he would get the blame for that Empousa attack. He already called his mom first thing after the battle to assure her that he was alive and well and to expect him tomorrow evening.
"I wonder if they will find peace in death? Elysium must be having a large influx of demigods," Percy talked to Riptide, not expecting an answer. "Such random ramblings… I must be getting hungry."
He finally put away the cloth and made his way to the dining pavilion to fill his rumbling stomach.
Dinner was a quiet affair as Percy sat alone at his table like usual. Not many had the heart to talk or joke around, not with all the deaths hanging above them. The battle had been a close one; Percy had lost count of how many monsters he had slain.
If it wasn't for Grover, the losses would have been even larger. The hero of the hour, some called him. A well-deserved moniker, Percy was happy for his friend, who even now could be seen arguing with Juniper about something.
"Must have something to do with the Council of Cloven Elders," a tired voice said behind him. Percy turned to see Annabeth watching Grover as well. "There's a meeting in ten minutes in the Big House. I'll see you there, Seaweed Brain."
She attempted to give a smile, but her face twisted into a grimace instead. Percy nodded back at her, and she walked to the other tables to call the rest of the counselors for the meeting.
He stared at his unfinished meal, half uneaten. Yet Percy had no appetite for more, so he walked to the brazier and was about to sacrifice the rest to his father when he paused. A random thought hit him as he stared at the fire. Could he perform sacrifices for other divinities? The first divine being that came to mind that Percy believed deserved the most gratitude from him was Calypso.
The Titaness had nursed him back to full health and treated him very kindly when she was not obligated to do anything for him. Hades, Percy fought against her father, and she must have cared for Atlas if Olympus decided to punish her with imprisonment. Percy promised that he would help release her from her prison, but he was not sure how to even begin doing that.
He wondered if Calypso would accept offerings? Would they even reach her on her island?
He looked around, it seemed the little girl who usually tended to the Hearth was not here tonight it . He sacrificed half of the remaining meal to Poseidon, "May you watch over me as you always have, Father," and the rest to Calypso, "Hope you like burger and fries."
He could almost imagine the fire burning brighter for a moment before he blinked and walked away, but not before being enveloped by a warm, blissful feeling that made the world seem a tad brighter, bringing a smile to his face.
As he walked through the camp, Percy decided to make a detour to his cabin to freshen up. Upon entering, his gaze was immediately drawn to the pot of Moon Lace he had placed by his bed. The gift from Calypso. Thinking of the pretty Titaness again brought a smile to his face. Sad, yet demure, lovely, and gentle, with a soft melodic voice and a starry beauty greater than Aphrodite. It was not something easily forgotten.
"I did promise to free her," Percy talked to the plant as if it would connect him to Calypso.
It did not.
He sighed, took a shower, and dressed for the meeting. His eyes landed on the additions Tyson added to the cabin a few weeks ago. A metal flock of hippocampi, undersea plants that glow and scrubbed anemones that glowed softly in the dark. Then his eyes landed on the badly dented shield his brother made for him, and he smiled fondly It was thought lost after he threw it at Kampe, but he later found it, albeit badly damaged. Percy hadn't spent much time with his half-brother either. A visit to Tyson was definitely due. He turned the shield back to watch form and strapped it to his wrist.
As he made his way to the meeting, Percy wondered if there was any way to convince the camp to free Calypso.
"We need to figure out what the Titans are planning next! Daedalus may have collapsed the Labyrinth, but that army of monsters is still out there and gradually gaining strength!!"
There was no mistaking the demanding voice of Clarisse, Percy looked at her as she fervently urged at the rest of the council as he leaned on the wall. The meeting had been going on for nearly half an hour now, and he was bored out of his mind.
Dionysus was supposed to be attending as well but was delayed in Olympus for some reason.
"We are doing the best we can to figure out where they are rallying, but a more pressing matter is the threat of Typhon awakening," Michael Yew stated.
The newly instated councilor of the Apollo cabin had replaced the deceased Lee Fletcher. As the son of the God of Prophecy, he had the unfortunate job of overseeing scouting quests and divining the future. Which meant praying to his dad for hints and clues. Somehow that translated to other campers expecting him to know the Titan's movements as well as predicting scratch-off results.
At Michael's words, some of the others looked at Percy warily but immediately returned to the topic at hand. It wasn't his fault that Mount Saint Helens had erupted.
Well, not fully, at least…
'A good deflection, though.' Percy thought wryly, as the Apollo Cabin counselor could barely hide his annoyance at all the inane questions that were sent his way.
"What news do we know of Typhon, Chiron?" Asked the soft-spoken Katie Gardner of Demeter's cabin.
Chiron remained silent and stared at Annabeth's open laptop that had a live news feed of Mount Saint Helens spewing smoke and ash.
"The Father of Monsters is stirring, but he is not fully awake just yet. It will happen soon. His powers are far beyond anything a demigod can muster, but worry not - the gods will deal with him, just as they did the last time," the centaur finally spoke up, and his eyes roamed around the room. Percy felt Chiron's gaze hold onto him for half a second longer, but it could have been his imagination. At least his words had calmed most of the councilors. "Now, is there any other topic we need to discuss before we call it a night?"
Nobody spoke up, and Percy even saw some preparing to move away from the Ping-Pong table that doubled as the council table. Annabeth returned her attention to Daedalus' laptop.
It was now or never.
"I do have something to say," Percy spoke up.
All eyes turned to Percy, and he found himself on the receiving end of gazes filled with surprise and veiled expectations.
Even Annabeth stopped fiddling with her laptop. Once he had every eye on him, Percy took half a minute to think how to phrase himself.
"Do we know if Olympus is doing anything to ensure the loyalty of the neutral Titans and the minor gods?" Silence, deathly silence, was all the answer he needed. He drove on, "I am sure everyone here can agree that Briares' aid against Kampe was instrumental for our continued survival," he paused as he looked at his fellow councilors. Plenty of agreeable nods met him. "Briares was forgotten by the Olympians. His two brothers faded away due to that neglect. Shouldn't we make sure the other minor gods and friendly Titans feel that they are still welcome on Olympus and make sure they are not persuaded to join Kronos?"
Some looked askance at him, probably due to the idea of there being friendly Titans. He waited for someone to counter his words but was inwardly surprised to see everyone giving him their full attention.
"We are doing the best we can, but a few Titans whom we have kept watch on have been unreachable lately," Chiron thoughtfully replied.
"What of the other gods?" Annabeth asked suddenly, "Morpheus, Hypnos, Nemesis, to name a few? I know for a fact that they have children here in camp, and many of them have gone missing lately. Have the Olympians approached them to secure their loyalties?"
Unsaid was that those missing demigods had probably joined Kronos.
Chiron sighed and rubbed his beard tiredly.
"I'm afraid not as much as they should be. Your mother Athena advocated for the same during today's meeting but was met with skepticism at best and disdain at worst from the gods." The centaur turned to Percy, "Lord Poseidon assured the Council that all minor gods of the sea are loyal to him, but old foes stirred in the deep. And the landed deities are the responsibility of Olympus, not Atlantis. Rest assured, though, that we are doing our best to secure them."
A few sighs of relief could be heard in the room.
This was good, but it wasn't good enough for his purpose.
"And the friendly Titans? Shouldn't we draw them to our side?" Percy asked loudly, silencing the now-chattering councilors.
"What friendly Titans, Prissy? They were cowards who didn't fight the last time and remained free by the mercy of Olympus. As for those who did, they were beaten once and have been punished accordingly. If they join Kronos, then they will be beaten again," Clarisse declared with a snort, eliciting a couple of chuckles.
Percy frowned, "Oh? Would you like to tell that straight to Zeus and Hades about their mother then?" That silenced everyone. "Or how about Hecate, Titaness of magic? She has absolute power over the Mist that we depend on so much." Annabeth, Silena, and Lee, the three who know the most about the Mist, paled while the rest grimaced. "We need to secure all the neutral Titans to our faction. My father speaks of old enemies. I may not be very good at the history of our Mythos, but didn't Oceanus remain neutral in the last war?"
Annabeth weakly nodded in confirmation. "He did. He and his wife Tethys even fostered and raised Hera when she was young. I'm sure it would be simple to open dialogue with them as Oceanus' realm expanded along with your father's. He gains nothing from joining Kronos, but it doesn't hurt to be certain," his friend finished thoughtfully and returned her attention to the laptop.
"That's all well and good, Jackson, but how do you suggest we even talk to them?" Connor Stoll asked, his brother Travis nodded along. "It's not like we can simply Iris Message them, and they would answer… can we?"
"No, it's not that simple, Mr Stoll," Chiron said. "Both Gods and Titans prefer not to be annoyed with IMs all the time. Aside from specific people who are allowed to IM them, the only way to reach them would be through your father, Hermes, in his role as the Messenger of the Gods."
"Even if we know of their location, we have no idea if they would be willing to talk, let alone help. They might even turn us to Kronos for all we know," Silena Beauregard of Aphrodite's cabin said with a shake of her head, swinging her luscious dark mane of hair around.
The Stoll brothers couldn't tear their eyes off her, much to Percy's amusement.
"I can think of a Titan who would most likely help us, provided we free her," Percy declared, as no one was adding anything new. "Some of you may know that I have been M.I.A. for a while following the eruption of St. Helens and have wondered about my whereabouts during that time." That definitely got all of their wandering attention again. "Well, allow me to clear it up. I was marooned in Ogygia and recovered from my ordeal there."
The Stoll brothers leaned forward so much that they risked falling off while Annabeth gave Percy a knowing look before returning to her laptop, and the rest were looking at him curiously.
"Calypso?" Chiron simply asked.
"Yes, Calypso," he nodded.
And for a moment, it seemed like Pandora's box was opened.
"Did our Percy get seduced?"
"What good would she be in battle?!"
"Is she prettier than Aphrodite?"
Before Percy could blink, Katie and Silena were arguing furiously, looking ready to tear at one another. On one side of the table, the Stoll brothers were dancing a jig as they inflamed the two girls' argument, while Michael Yew and Lee Fletcher were laughing boisterously.
Yet Percy firmly kept his gaze on the pensive centaur.
Eventually, the commotion got too far when one of the Stolls tried to throw his bowl of Cheez-Its at Silena, who had started arguing with his brother, only for Charles Beckendorf to grab the bowl from the air and throw it back at its owner.
"SILENCE!!" Chiron's shout quickly brought order back to the council. "I must ask this, Percy, do you want to free Calypso because of some promised aid to Olympus or your youthful infatuation?"
The trainer of heroes had a serene expression, like a still lake. Percy grimaced inwardly, it seemed that his motive had easily been seen through.
"I promised to find a way to free her. If I cannot keep such a simple promise to someone to whom I owe my life, then it just wouldn't be me," Percy simply said. There was no point to lie.
And maybe he liked Calypso. Just a little, tiny bit.
There were some knowing looks from the campers, and most of them seemed agreeable with Percy. Oaths and promises were important to keep, especially in their world.
"What do you know about Calypso, Percy?" Annabeth asked suddenly as she stopped typing on her laptop. "I mean, really know about her. Do you know why she was imprisoned in the first place?"
"Of course I do," he straightened up. "She is Atlas' daughter and fought alongside her father against the Gods in the first war. Out of loyalty for her kin."
"All the Titans who fought for Kronos did it out of loyalty," Athena's daughter said quietly. "He was their King. Yet, all of them were punished regardless." Percy stood there, flabbergasted, but his friend forged on, "But let's disregard all of that. What if she is just using you to free her?" The son of Poseidon bristled at the implication. "You need to understand that Calypso isn't a hapless maiden, Percy. She is the daughter of one of the most powerful Titans, and her mother is one of Oceanus' many daughters. She sowed devastation on the Olympian forces in the last war both on land and sea."
At that, Annabeth turned her laptop around to show images of… well, Calypso. Beautiful as always but fully clad in bronze armor with a deadly spear and shield in one picture and shooting an arrow in another really drove the point home. Calypso was indeed a powerful Titaness in her own right. He didn't even think to question how Annabeth found such high-quality images of something that happened four thousand years ago.
"Even in the tales when she kept Odysseus, it was against his will. He was married, yet she did not care, she desired him and felt entitled to keep a married man for seven years away from his family. What does that tell you of her character?"
"And?" If Annabeth thought this would shake him, she was mistaken. "What of it? This is all in the past. The gods were no different in that era, yet they mellowed out in time. As for her power, you can argue that this is even more of a reason to free her and enlist her assistance."
"It may also lead to her immediately joining Kronos," Chiron added quietly, taking the wind out of his sail. "You weren't there. Calypso truly loved her kith and kin. She cared not for Kronos himself and was quick to surrender when he was gone in return for her sisters' safety. There's no doubt in my mind that if her father could be freed from his burden, letting the Four Pillars bear the weight of Ouranos again, she would take it without a shred of hesitation." Percy paled. "No, better to leave her in her gilded cage until at least after Kronos is defeated. We can return to the subject then."
There was a hardness in Chiron's eyes, the son of Poseidon had to admit that… they had a point. The rest of the councilors seemed to agree with Chiron and Annabeth.
But so what?
"Has any of you seen even seen her?" Percy's words were met with silence, and he shook his head. "Indeed. The Olympians changed greatly in the last few millennia, and so did Calypso. Regardless, I made a promise, and I will stand by it."
Maybe it was the stress of weeks in the Labyrinth fighting for his life, or maybe it was the exhaustion of all the shit he'd had to endure and the earlier battle, but Percy couldn't care less but say what was in his mind.
"Percy–"
"Demigods seem to be joining Kronos and that cunt Luke on a daily basis. Even Gods who owe their loyalty to Olympus are defecting, yet you think it's too risky to start recruiting allies of our own?!" Annabeth looked affronted at something, but he was not sure what exactly. At this moment, he couldn't find himself to care either.
"Percy, that's not–"
"I call it as I see it." Percy interrupted again, his breathing hard, and he could feel a familiar tug in his stomach that was itching to be unleashed, as well as a roaring in his ears that felt like waves crashing on rocks.
He could feel the tension rising very high indeed in the room. Percy knew he was being unfair and that he needed to chill. He tried to calm his breathing and ignore his boiling blood, and he very well might have succeeded, but someone decided to pour oil into the fire.
"Did you fall for the bitch so hard that you are forgetting yourself, Prissy? All that bitching you are making sounds a lot like treason to me," Clarisse growled. The room went silent, and Percy froze. It took him a few seconds to acknowledge that she actually insinuated that he had been hoodwinked! "How was it then? Did she tend to you gently, or was she wanton like a whore as she seduced you to her side?"
"Clarisse!" Annabeth stood up, and several councilors began edging away from the table. "That's enough!"
"Clarisse…How is Chris doing?" Percy asked slowly, trying to suppress his raging fury from erupting.
"What do you mean, Jackson?"
"I mean, how is he recovering after selling us out to Kronos? Do not delude yourself into thinking he was anything but a traitor and should be treated as such," he raised his voice and continued relentlessly without giving her a chance to reply. "Yet you seem delighted to be with him day and night since he was discovered. So, how is he, Clarisse?" A mocking smile found its way to his face, and from the edge of his vision, he noticed that most of the councilors had retreated toward the distant wall while Chiron looked… sad. Clarisse's face was so red it looked like it would explode.
"How is it to find someone actually willing to humor an ape like you, let alone hold you? Surprising how it only took an insensate traitor for you to finally bag a boyfriend. Does he drool when you kiss? Was he even able to get it-"
That's as far as Percy went before Clarisse flipped the table with a scream of rage as she charged at him with her dagger. It was beyond simple for Percy to sidestep her reckless charge. He had mentally prepared, so he grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, grabbed Clarisse's hair, and slammed her head into the wall. Percy slammed her head a few more times for good measure. A sweet feeling of satisfaction filled him as she dropped unconscious on the floor, bloody nose broken and front teeth chipped.
He couldn't even help but marvel at the few dents on the wall; those would definitely need to be repaired later on. It all happened so fast that by the time anyone moved to split the fight, it was already over.
His raging fury bled out like the waning tide, and Percy realized what he had done. Half the councilors gazed at him warily while the other half stared with disapproval. But he couldn't care less.
"Think about my proposal," Percy said as he turned to the door. "Otherwise, it won't be long before half the gods have defected. Olympus knows half of this camp has already done so." He made his way outside, nobody daring to stop him.
Percy slowly made his way back to Cabin Three. The hot embers of anger still shimmered, and his attempt to fall asleep on the bed failed miserably. The scent of the Moon Lace finally calmed him as it reminded Percy of her.
Had he really fallen for the Titaness? Was Clarisse right? A grimace formed on his face.
But no, Calypso had been nothing but kind and gracious. Her offer was fresh in his mind, the gentle Titaness had requested that he stay with her, and not once was leaving Ogygia mentioned in any form. It was Percy who had given the promise. And if Calypso was really so dangerous, would Hephaestus be so courteous to her? Would he gift her so many amenities?
He kept shuffling uneasily in his bed, sleep continued eluding him.
Eventually, Percy opened his eyes and gazed at his watch; there was only an hour to midnight. A sardonic chuckle escaped his mouth, the meeting had started at nine, so he had skulked for nearly an hour.
Giving up on sleep for now, he decided to get up and go for a dip in the Sound.
As he was putting on his shoes, his eyes settled on his empty backpack. His mom expected him tomorrow evening, so he decided it would be prudent to pack his things now. It was not like he had anything else to do. The now-filled backpack was left on his bed, and Percy finally made his way outside.
It was silent in the night. The Harpies were obviously doing night's watch, but contrary to popular belief, they couldn't care less about late-night excursions so long as you didn't try to visit other cabins or make trouble in the forest.
Though the nymphs and satyrs would still get you back, as the Stoll brothers would tell you. It also helped that as Cabin Counselor, he enjoyed certain privileges, such as telling them to buzz off if they felt like giving you a hard time. Still, better not to give them a reason to make your life hard.
Percy was about to make his way to the ocean when he noticed light coming from the Big House's rec room. Probably Chiron is still awake waiting for Mr D.
The son of Poseidon found himself sighing. He was very harsh earlier, and while he did not fully agree with the Trainer of Heroes, Percy could respect that Chiron had the benefit of hindsight and experience.
Maybe an apology wouldn't be remiss? He made up his mind and headed to the hill where the House was built. Percy stuck to the shadows just in case, as he didn't feel like arguing with a Harpy over why he was still awake, regardless of being a Counselor.
As he made his way to the deck, Percy noticed there was a slight light in the infirmary where the wounded from the battle stayed, but the rec room's light had turned off during his trek. Instead, there was light on the deck, and he could vaguely hear a conversation.
It looked like Chiron was speaking with someone on the deck. The overpowering scent of wine and grapes assaulted his nose from a hundred feet. Without a doubt, Mr D had finally returned and was being briefed by Chiron.
Yet, as Percy found himself approaching cautiously from their blind spot, he heard his name mentioned and paused. The clouds were hiding the waning moon, and his position in the shadows was well hidden. He could recognize the voices of Chiron, Mr D, and Annabeth. Curiosity gripped him, and Percy decided not to announce himself and quietly made his way from behind the house to crouch under the deck until he was close enough to hear.
"So Perry finally lost it, eh? Always knew he had a short fuse, but to think it would be over a woman," Mr D said with forced levity, but the drunken God was still upset over the passing of his son Castor.
"Percy brought up some excellent arguments over recruiting allies," Chiron replied diplomatically. "The fact that we do not know the stance, let alone the location of several of our own Gods, is quite concerning."
"Oh, worry not. The Big Man has everything under control. Or so he portrays," Mr D lazily waved and popped open a Diet Coke before gulping it all in one go.
The empty can was absentmindedly thrown on the lawn, where it turned into a strawberry bush that literally ran towards the strawberry fields. The god popped another can of Diet Coke but left it open on the table for now.
"Are things so dire in Olympus, Mr D?" Annabeth asked quietly, her laptop closed on her lap.
"Nah, it's not that bad. Believe it or not, all the points that young Peter brought up were discussed in the council after you left, Chiron. We really are doing our best to make sure our allies remain so." Percy was at least happy to hear this. "It's his infatuation with Calypso that is a bit worrying, but not overly so. Good lass, that one. Doesn't have a bad bone in her body."
Chiron frowned at that. "You were not alive during the war, Mr D. You do not truly know what she is capable of."
"Technically, I was alive, but I was old Hades' kid at the time, heh. If you believe the myths, at least" Much to both Percy and Annabeth's confusion. "Regardless, you have a point. It would not do well for our vaunted prophesied hero to be; what was the term? Led astray from his destiny," the god chuckled before taking a sip from his coke.
His heart skipped a beat. Prophesied Hero? So, it was confirmed without a shadow of a doubt that he was the one? Even if he wasn't, it's obvious that at least Olympus believes it so.
"It's not fair!" Annabeth cried abruptly. "Why does it have to be him?! Why not Nico, o-or maybe another child from the Elder Gods? It could be a daughter of Demeter for all we know!"
Percy was shocked at the outburst. What is that all about?
Chiron looked at Annabeth in pity. "You know as well as I, my dear, that there is no one else but Percy. Nico is too young to be the one, as Kronos' rise is indelible. All evidence points that within twelve months, a great battle shall soon be upon us to decide this war. In a year from tomorrow, Perseus would have fulfilled the second line of the Prophecy by turning sixteen." Percy's heart was hammering so loudly in his chest that he was surprised no one could hear it.
"Yes, poor Perry," Mr D agreed with a completely uninterested tone.
"As for the gender of the prophesied hero," Chiron continued, and he seemed to lose decades of his life in that one sentence, "'A single choice shall end his days.' His not hers." Percy could have sworn he heard something shatter. He was not sure what it was, but it may have well been his mind. He slowly started to make his way from the Deck. "Before Thalia joined the Hunt, we assumed it was just a gender-neutral term at the time, but with her choice, it has become obvious that Perseus is without a doubt the Child of Prophecy."
Chiron looked exhausted, Annabeth was shedding silent tears while Mr D drank his coke as he gazed blankly at the sky.
Percy wandered aimlessly through camp. He didn't even remember how he sneaked away without any of them noticing him. Hades, he did not even remember going back to his cabin, yet he was holding his backpack and the pot of Moon Lace.
The son of Poseidon had no idea what to do. Where would he go?
He was destined to die.
For all the times he would have willingly died for any of his friends, the fact that he was basically raised to be a pig for the slaughter hit very differently than him willingly facing death in battle with his head held high.
Percy did not want to die.
He did not fear it, but he did not want to die! There was so much to do, so much to see. He had to make his mom proud. He wanted to grow old, marry and have a family. Some grandchildren for his mother to spoil. The thought of marriage brought a wan smile to his face as he absentmindedly thought about who would want to marry a monster magnet like him.
Eventually, Percy furiously shook his head and broke out of his stupor. He needed to get out of here. Surely enough, his feet had already led him to the Pegasi stable, and he had to only walk a few dozen yards to reach Blackjack's stall.
"You alright there, boss? You don't look so hot," his equine companion said as he rubbed his head with his own.
"I feel like shit, Jack. Can I ask you for a ride?"
"Sure thing, boss man. Just get me out of here, and I'll take you home."
Percy was surprised at how kind Blackjack was right now and patted his neck as he led him out of the stables.
"Not home Jack," he shook his head. "At least not this late at night. Mom is asleep and has a lot to do in the morning, and I'm not ready to face Paul yet after the fiasco in school."
He saddled Blackjack and hopped on his back. The Pegasus galloped away from the stable and jumped into the air, his great wings flapping powerfully and taking them a thousand feet in seconds. He didn't have any friends outside of camp, and he lost his apartment key when St. Helens erupted.
No, Percy did have one friend.
A friend who agreed to help him in his darkest hour without question. He owed her, but he would have to rely on her aid again.
"Take me to New York, Jack," Percy said, hoping she wouldn't mind such a late-night visit. "Take me to Rachel."
After the battle, the campers were all too tired. Nobody would notice Percy's disappearance until the morning.
You will notice that I have opted to change how the campers talk a bit, trying to have them act like grownups. Or what they think grownups act like. The books were written for children, so Riordan had to be careful with the language. There are no worries here, though, as we all know how much of a potty mouth we had as teenagers.
And now a word from my Editor-in-Chief…
Editor's note: Editing this shit has been wild af.
If you like my works and would like me to leave me a tip, or read a few chapters ahead, feel free to join me on Patre(on). My Patre(on) name is the same as my pen name.
Chapter 2
I am uncertain about the exact timeline of PJO, but for the sake of my sanity and convenience, book 4 is set in 2008.
This chapter was edited by: Gladiusx.
Same day, almost midnight.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare stared blankly at her 90' TV screen as she flipped the channels to something that might grab her interest. Nothing did, really; her mind drifted toward what had happened the previous day. Who would have thought that the Greek Gods of old were alive and kicking here in modern America? Her adventure with Percy was both exhilarating and scary in equal measure.
Eventually, she stopped the channels at a news feed on Saint Helens. Even though it had been more than a week since the eruption, the volcano was still spewing smoke and ash. A feat supposedly caused by Percy. How a regular-looking human like him could cause so much destruction would forever baffle her. That he came to her for help regarding the Labyrinth flattered Rachel greatly, and made her smile at the thought. She couldn't remember when was the last time she had so much fun. An errant thought continuously twirled around her mind; maybe she had been an adrenaline junkie all along? Rachel did feel on top of the world when she nailed that Time Lord in the eye with her hairbrush. A giggle escaped from her lips at the priceless memory.
What was Percy doing now? They refused to allow her into camp, fearing for her safety, though Rachel later learned she would not have been able to step into it anyway. She still managed to figure out that an attack was imminent, and her newfound friends would be fighting for their lives. 'Friends, huh?' She thought glumly; there had not been any word ever since, at least none that reached her. For all Rachel knew, they were all dead.
Her insides twisted and churned uncomfortably at the thought. No, that couldn't be. Percy had shown strength and power beyond comprehension. Then again, he was fighting against mythical beings beyond her comprehension.
She yawned and looked at the time. It showed almost midnight, and she lazily stood up from her seat on the floor. The super expensive leather couch was surprisingly less comfortable than the Persian rug her father bought. Thoughts of her father brought an unconscious scowl to her face. She could not believe how he dismissed her concerns over his destruction of wildlife like it was some kind of joke.
"Environmentalism is pampering the Earth," he told her. The gall of him! Her meeting with Pan has truly struck a chord in her. The dying God of the wild's last words for her haunted Rachel. How could she be just as important as her father when she was powerless to stop him from his greed and destruction? Her mother wasn't any better. She worked for her father as his head of Human Resources. Even after he knocked her up and was forced to marry her, he did not shy from reminding her that she worked for him, not with him. And the woman didn't care; she got the leisurely life she always wanted.
'The Gold Digger,' Rachel thought as she stared at the only picture in the entire apartment. It was a picture of the three of them in Disneyland when she was three or four; she couldn't remember. Her father was talking on one of those blocky cell phones from the 90s while her mother was busy fixing her makeup. Only Rachel was staring at the camera, and even though she was young, she did not look all that happy. Rachel wished they at least gave her a brother or sister to play with, but no, that marriage bed had been colder than a butcher's freezer since they bought it eight years ago.
The Apartment was huge. It encompassed the entire top floor of the building and had its own Helipad on the patio. 'At least it had a good view of Central Park,' thought Rachel as she absentmindedly gazed toward the dark skies at a bird flying through the moonlit night.
She opened the patio door and made her way to the lounge chairs as she watched the bird flying around the city.
That was quite a large bird.
As if hearing her thoughts, the bird turned towards her and flew faster than she thought was possible. As it approached, she could clearly see that this was no bird. It was an honest-to-God (Or was it Gods now?) horse! A dark winged horse that could easily be mistaken for a mirage in the night. It even had a rider on it!!
As she stared with an open mouth at it, the Pegasus (For she finally remembered her mythology) landed on the Helipad, and its rider stared at her from atop. The boy of her thoughts appeared just like that.
"Permission to land, my lady?" Percy asked with his crooked grin, though she could see the smile did not reach his eyes, which were strangely rimmed with red.
"Permission granted, my noble knight, but it appears that you have already landed regardless of my wishes," She elegantly replied with an upturned nose at him.
Percy chuckled, and it evolved into a full laugh as he got off the Pegasus and approached her. He had a backpack with him full to the brim and a pot of a strange silver plant that she had never seen before in his hand. Percy dropped his bag on the ground and placed the pot on a table. The plant seemed to be blooming despite it being nighttime.
.
.
.
Before he could say anything, Rachel rushed and held him tightly in a hug. Her head rested in the crook of his neck, and her arms around his waist. Percy was frozen at the show of affection before he hugged her back and placed his chin on top of her head.
"You are a jerk; you know that?" Her voice was muffled by his neck as she squeezed him tighter. She could feel him rubbing her back through her tank top…she should probably let him go and dress in something less revealing.
"What did I do now?" Percy asked as they both let go of each other.
Rachel didn't reply straight away. She grabbed the potted plant and made her way inside. Percy grabbed his bag and bid farewell to Blackjack.
"If you need me, boss, just give me a whistle. I'll be there," and the Pegasus leaped into the night skies.
Percy smiled as his companion flew off to do what Pegasi did in their free time.
Probably chasing pigeons?
With a sigh, he shook his head and followed Rachel inside. She was placing the pot on another table near the patio door while looking at the plant with interest. At his footsteps, she twirled to face him with a scowl; the way her hands were on her hips reminded Percy of his mom, albeit in a quite amusing way.
"It's what you didn't do! I have not heard from you for over a day, and I know you were fighting for your life!" Rachel's voice was steadily rising, and it reached a crescendo near the end. "Do I not deserve to know if you were alive?! I thought we were friends. I was so scared that you died, Percy!"
A sob followed her final words, making him freeze. Percy was honestly lost and had no idea what to say. A voice that suspiciously sounded like his mom was saying go and hug her, but uh… He noticed how her tank top was a tad too tight for her, along with the fact that there was nothing underneath. It was definitely pleasing to the eye, but ugh, he was reluctant to think about stuff like that right now.
So instead, he opted to place an awkward hand on her elbow, "I'm sorry, Rachel."
And he truly was. He was very happy that she cared and saw them as friends. He didn't have many mortal friends. Scratch that; he didn't have any mortal friends, period.
"I'm glad you're fine, Percy," a sigh escaped Rachel's lips. "Although… you look like crap."
"I do, don't I?" He chuckled bitterly, and his voice lowered to a whisper as he stared into her bright green eyes. "There was a battle in camp. It was a very close thing. Many of my friends were killed."
The fact that he was close to dying was left unmentioned, but she seemed to catch onto it anyway, judging by the sad glint in her eyes.
"Oh, Percy," Rachel hugged him again, forgetting about propriety completely.
That was a far warmer reception than the demigod had expected, but he was not going to complain. Although he did feel kinda awkward, he returned the embrace.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important?" He asked as they finally separated.
"Not really," she snorted, then took pity on him, "I don't mind; feel free to stay for as long as you'd like."
"Thanks," he smiled gratefully, "I hope I won't bring you any trouble?"
"I don't particularly care," Rachel shrugged, and her gaze roamed around the room before looking down at her own attire, and he could see her face redden. "Check the fridge if you're hungry, I'll be back in a few."
As she disappeared behind a fancy oaken door, Percy dropped his bag on the couch and looked around. The place was huge; the living room alone was bigger than his mum's apartment, he realized.
As his dinner was interrupted due to the meeting, Percy was starving and decided to take Rachel up on her offer. Opening the fridge, he saw plenty of food and dessert. He ended up grabbing a can of Coke and some leftover pepperoni pizza. He was honestly half-expecting her to be vegetarian or something, but apparently, her quirkiness didn't go that far, he thought, as he placed the pizza on a plate and set the microwave. As he stared at the revolving plate, he started brooding.
Rachel returned to the living room wearing one of her color-stained T-shirts; she hadn't bothered changing out of her hot shorts. She found Percy staring blankly at the microwave, which had long gone dark.
"Are you alright, Percy?" She asked in concern, only for Percy to flinch in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…thinking about something," he deflected lamely as he grabbed the plate from the microwave and made his way to the kitchen table. Rachel started brewing some hot cocoa for herself.
"Would you like to share? Speaking of which, while I am very flattered at your late-night visit," she snorted lightly, which brought a small grin to Percy as he dug into his pizza; "I am sure that you could have contacted me someway. You did mention that you memorized my phone number." she continued as she filled the electric kettle and turned it on.
"Uh-mm," mumbled Percy as his mouth was full of pizza.
She turned around to look at him with a playful smile on her face. "It would have been…interesting to explain to my parents why I'm having a boy over in the middle of the night."
If Rachel did not pay attention, she would have missed the faint blush forming on his cheeks.
"Speaking of which, where are your parents? I never really thought about it before showing up here," Percy asked awkwardly as he looked around, expecting one of her parents to jump from behind the couch or something.
"Out of town for my father on a business trip, and mother is visiting family." Unsaid was how her mother had been regularly avoiding staying in the house more than necessary. It wasn't a lie that she was visiting family, though. Despite their rocky relationship, none of her parents had strayed from their marriage vows…that she knew of.
Percy looked around and noticed the only picture of the family on display. He frowned in thought, then noticed that most of the expensive furniture appeared to have been unused for some time. He looked at Rachel, who raised an eyebrow, clearly in warning, and Percy wisely dropped the question before he could even ask. He would be a hypocrite if he asked questions about someone's home life, considering until recently, he avoided speaking of his own.
Rachel, meanwhile, patiently waited for him while she poured hot water over her cocoa and made her way to the table, and sat across from her guest.
"Well, Percy? I would still like to know why you're here," she asked kindly, not trying to appear unwelcoming, for she truly was glad he was here. She was quite curious, though, "I wouldn't mind lending an ear."
Percy took his time to reply as he continued his meal; he really didn't know how to tell her or if he should tell her of his destiny. Rachel calmly drank from her mug and gave him a kind, encouraging smile.
Eventually, he finished his meal and had his hands around his can of coke, sitting still for what felt like an eternity as Rachel watched him patiently.
"I learned something disturbing today about my destiny," a grimace found its way to his face. "I'm not sure if you are aware of how prophecies work-"
"I do. I read all about them," Rachel looked in concern. "What happened, Percy?"
He swallowed hesitantly but after a moment, made up his mind with a shrug, "I'm destined to die when I turn sixteen, it seems."
While his face had become impassive and his voice was emotionless, Rachel could practically feel the despair radiating from him.
From there, she sat quietly as she listened to Percy pour his heart out over the prophecy that would end his life. She didn't disbelieve him but instead asked Percy why he thought he was the one the prophecy meant. This devolved into an abridged version of his life story. How he never fit in schools and all the 'normal' things that happen to demigods. How, since the age of twelve, he had constantly been fighting for his life as he fought monsters and gods and titans and other strange creatures that were well beyond her vivid imagination. How he held the sky for a cold-hearted goddess that turned out to be not so cold after all. How Percy had seen so many friends and good people die. How his latest escapade in the Labyrinth had landed him in Ogygia, and there she noticed to her envy how he talked about his time with Calypso and how it was some of the best days of his life. How she begged him to stay with her, she would have offered him immortality. A way to escape his destiny and strife-filled life. How he refused her because of his duty and loyalty to camp. But also how he promised that he would free her somehow.
There was a lull in the conversation, and by now, Rachel had finished her mug and opted for a refill. She wordlessly brewed another mug for Percy and heated some blueberry muffins from the fridge. Much to her amusement, any food placed in front of the demigod was quick to disappear, and soon, he resumed his story.
It all culminated in the battle and more deaths. Eventually, he arrived at the council meeting and his attempt to convince his fellow campers to help him free Calypso. How the daughter of Atlas would have been a valuable ally and a first step to reconciliation with other Titans and neglected Gods. Only to be rebuffed by them. When Percy reached the part of Clarisse accusing him of betraying them for a woman, she could see his knuckles turn white and feared for the mug in his hands.
Rachel gently held his hands in her own, making the tension bleed out of him and saving her cup, "It's okay, Percy. It seems they don't know you as much as they thought they did."
The story did not have a better ending, and Percy's shoulders sagged in defeat as he finished.
"I am still not sure if there is a chance for my survival or not, but all evidence points to the contrary so far," he sighed tiredly. Rachel squeezed his hands again, and he looked at her gratefully, "Supposedly, there is no doubt that I am the one the Prophecy entails. Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, was highly considered at first, but then she joined the Hunters of Artemis, forever remaining a day younger than sixteen."
"How sneaky of her," Rachel hummed with approval. She would probably have done the same thing if she was in Thalia's shoes.
Percy appeared to be looking everywhere and nowhere at the same time before settling to stare at her eyes again, "Annabeth mentioned that the Elder Gods don't necessarily mean the Big Three. They may also mean the female gods as well, yet the only viable option is Demeter, as both Hera and Hestia do not have any children for obvious reasons. Chiron specifically recited a line of the prophecy to refute Annabeth's theory." Percy gulped and looked lost for a moment.
Rachel brought his attention back with a hand squeeze, she's been doing that a lot tonight, and she couldn't help but notice how strong and calloused his hands were. 'Hands of a warrior' she thought, "What was the line Percy?"
Percy still appeared shaken, but he gathered his resolve; "A single choice shall end his days," he said with a quiver in his voice. "I needed to get away from camp, but I didn't want to bother my mother when she was busy attending interviews and job hunting. You know how crazy it is with the recession and all, she was already expecting me in the evening anyway." He finished with a slump in his shoulders.
Rachel could never have imagined that brave Percy Jackson could be so vulnerable. She let go of his hands and abruptly moved to his side of the table and hugged the living daylights out of him.
"Uh-mm, Rachel?" Percy squawked as she was almost sitting on his lap from her hug. She never struck him as much of a hugger.
Rachel let go of him before staring determinedly into his eyes, "I would not give up if I were you, Percy," Rachel put both her arms on his shoulders before continuing, "Worst-case scenario, you have a year to live. That means you have a whole year to live life to its fullest!"
"Right," he mumbled, not very enthusiastic. Percy did not truly fear death, but… he preferred it be on his terms, not some obscure prophecy. True, demigods did not often live a very long life, but having the choice taken away from him felt infuriating.
"Besides," she continued, "From what I know, prophecies are fickle things. Who knows? Maybe whatever choice you make will end your days, but you will still have your nights. Maybe that choice you make can be something as stupid as pissing off that sun god of yours, and now you can't live during the day anymore."
Rachel continued to ramble, listing off all sorts of outlandish alternatives to the prophecy lines. The strangest had to have been when she suggested he would turn into some kind of emo vampire that would be too ashamed to be out in the sun because it would make him sparkle.
Percy looked at her in bewilderment. When he decided to come here, he was not expecting much. At best, he would have a place to spend the night until he could meet his mother in the evening. At worst, her parents would kick him out, and he would sleep in Central Park or something. Never would he have expected that he would receive so much support from someone who, by rights, barely knew him.
As Rachel continued spinning wilder and wilder theories, she noticed that Percy started grinning at her as her conjectures started to go from hilarious to insane to plain impossible. She was happy that she managed to distract him from that doom and gloom he was feeling. It just didn't suit him. Eventually, a chuckle escaped his lips, and soon they were both laughing together.
A few minutes later, they found themselves on the nice couch out on the patio, sitting next to each other.
"I never really thought about death," Percy suddenly spoke after a few minutes of silence. "I've been in so many life-or-death situations that I've become numb to it. Heck, I came face to face with the God of the Dead and the afterlife when I was twelve. I still feared death, but at least then, I would always be fighting for my life. Fighting for my very existence sometimes." Percy stated, in such a matter-of-factly way, that she almost forgot that a life of fighting for his survival had been the norm for him for the last three years.
"You don't seem particularly bothered," Rachel observed.
"I guess what I am trying to say is, It sucks having no choice in the way you die, not having the option of just fighting for your life anymore." Percy sighed as he laid his head on the back of the couch and stared at the nighttime sky, wondering if Blackjack was really chasing some pigeons.
Rachel cautiously laid her head on his shoulder, but Percy did not seem to mind. "When is your birthday, Percy?"
Percy scratched his head absentmindedly, "Eighteenth of August, why do you ask?"
Rachel pointed at the TV inside the living room that had remained turned on but muted since Percy arrived. "It's been the eighteenth for two hours now. Happy Birthday, Percy Jackson."
Percy blinked a few moments, processing the information, and the corner of his lips twitched, "So it would seem. Thanks."
So many things happened in the past few weeks that he must have been more tired than he thought. Not to mention, time ran differently in the Labyrinth and Ogygia. He recalled spending a few days in the Labyrinth only for weeks to pass outside. He wasn't sure if Ogygia was the same or not.
Rachel yawned as she stood up from the couch, "I'm going to sleep, I'll get you some pillows and a blanket. You should catch some rest as well, birthday boy. We have a long day ahead of us."
Rachel walked towards the corridor leading to her room, and Percy stared at her back before he called to her, "What do you mean we have a long day?"
Rachel stood in the living room's doorway before she looked back at him with a grin, "I mean, we are going out. I got you all to myself until your mother expects you in the evening. It's gonna be so much fun!"
Then she was gone for a minute before she returned with pillows and a blanket, "This birthday is gonna be the best you've ever had, that's for sure. Good night, Percy. Don't forget to brush your teeth, I left you a new toothbrush in the bathroom. It's the third door on the left," she waved at him.
Percy was bemused by the whole situation, but then a frown found its way to his face.
"Wait, this is a date, isn't it?" he mumbled to himself. Not that he minded, Rachel was nice. "What does one do on a date again?"
He was too tired to think about it, so he shook his head, made his way to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and returned to the couch to catch some sleep.
It wasn't long before he had the best sleep since Ogygia.
August 18th,
Percy woke up refreshed and ready for a new day. He glanced at the clock on the wall to find the golden clock hand pointing at eleven. The nine hours of sleep seemed to suit him well, but it seemed the lady of the hour was not an early bird. After washing up, showering, and dressing in khaki pants and a blue shirt, he decided to explore the apartment.
It was frankly ludicrously huge! He must have gotten lost in wardrobes that were bigger than his room. He had guessed that Rachel's family was loaded from the stunt she did with that Limo driver, but It seemed that he may have underestimated her wealth.
After walking around, he found Rachel's room. She had left the door open, and as he lightly knocked to no response, he entered to wake her. It was her idea in the first place for the day's outing, and half the day was nearly gone already.
Rachel's room wasn't very large, but it certainly felt cramped by the large amount of random stuff thrown around haphazardly. He could see costumes, paintings, news clippings about Dare Enterprises getting lambasted for cutting down forests, buckets of paint, and many more. It took him a while to maneuver his way through the debris until he found her.
Rachel, dressed in a fluffy red shirt and leggings, was sleeping peacefully in her bed, not a care in the world.
.
.
.
"...hel…Ra..l.." Rachel was in deep slumber. She had stayed up too late to be with Percy, but the truth was she had had a long day as well, with no demigod physiology to keep her going. She was certainly enjoying her sleep, now if only that buzzing would stop.
"..chel…Rachel! Wake up already," a loud voice followed by a shaking of her arms jolted her awake. She saw Percy above her, and for a second or two, she wondered what he was doing here before she was fully awake, remembering it was his birthday!
"Percy. Wha' time is it?" she slurred as she stumbled out of bed and made her way to her room's adjoining bathroom.
"Nearly noon, now," the answer cast away her drowsiness. She bit back a curse; they would barely have time to have fun now. She grumbled inwardly as she closed the door, took off her clothes, and headed for the shower.
"I'll be ready in fifteen," she cried out and began adjusting the water temperature.
"I'll make breakfast while you get ready," Percy's muffled voice came through the door.
"Some coffee for me, please!" she shouted at the door, hoping he heard before she braved the shower. The cold water finally woke her up, and she just remembered that Percy had seen her in her sleep! Hopefully, she did not drool or snore…
Once she was done showering, Rachel checked herself in the mirror to prepare for the outing. Her long red hair was frazzled from the water, so she wrapped it in a towel. The teen didn't think she was the vain type, but she couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Her sharp freckled face, her full lips, her emerald green eyes, her budding breasts, and her widening hips. She was also quite tall, nearly Percy's height. The number of associates of her dad who approached her for her acquaintance was disturbing, despite her young age.
She remembered an odd couple of older people whom her dad introduced her to at an event. They supposedly owned a private island where they trained talented children to be actors or something. Whatever the reason her father was cozying up to them, she didn't care as she had gotten severe goosebumps from their gazes. It was as if she was a piece of meat that they were judging whether to buy or not. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to avoid them at all costs, no matter what promises they gave or how much it would hurt her father's company. Thankfully, her mom had dragged her away when she hyperventilated and ended up puking at their feet.
It was one of the reasons she picked up her art hobby. Not many liked a quirky/nerdy girl with dirty paint stains on her, after all. It helps that it was a hobby she had grown to love.
Rachel dressed in casual clothes. This is a fun date, not one of her father's boring society parties. Yet she also decided to let go of the oversized shirts that she wore to hide her figure and the torn jeans. After checking her wardrobe, she settled for a simple beige skirt, a white undershirt, and a green blouse that matched her eyes. She finished the ensemble with a necklace and her trusty leather boots that totally clashed with her outfit, but she cared not one bit. She loved to walk comfy, and she was sure Percy wouldn't mind.
After drying her hair, she made her way to the kitchen, where the smell of breakfast being made filled the air.
Percy had just finished serving two plates of bacon and eggs and brewed some coffee per Rachel's request. He had never had coffee before, preferring Cola and other sugary poisons, as his mother called them. But today, he decided to try something new, at least for Rachel. She clearly liked her coffee from how well-used the espresso machine was, and she had 4 mugs of coffee in the sink already! He sat down at the table, waiting for her. He didn't have to wait long.
"Good morning, Percy," chirped Rachel as she entered the kitchen. He stared a little at her outfit and thought she looked quite cute.
"Mornin'," a wide smile found its way to his face, "looking pretty, Rachel."
She returned the smile, preening under his wandering gaze. The breakfast was a quiet affair, and the only amusing thing was Percy's attempts to sample coffee. His expression soured after the first sip, and so much sugar and cream were poured into his mug that it couldn't really be called coffee anymore.
"So where do you want to spend the day most, Percy? It is your birthday, so I want to know what your idea of fun is," Rachel asked as she added after taking a generous sip from her own mug.
"Well, since mom is expecting me by eight at the most, we got about seven hours to have our fun. How about we go to that batting center off of 74th Street? It's been a while since I swung at something that wasn't trying to kill me," Percy chuckled, and she found herself laughing along, "How about you, Rachel? Where would you like to go after?"
Rachel sipped her coffee as she thought she knew exactly where she wanted to go, but she worried it may bore Percy out of his mind. Still, no harm asking, "Well, there's this new exhibition show in the Museum of Natural History. It's a few minutes walk from the batting center, I think. What do you think of visiting there afterward?" she gazed at Percy with a bit of anxiety as she waited for his response.
"Sure, I don't mind." To her surprise, Percy didn't even bat an eye and agreed with her, "My mom took me there a few years ago, and it was fun. I loved the dinosaur exhibition, and I heard they will have an entire exhibition about horses." Percy finished the last of his coffee-flavored sugarcream and moved to the sink to wash the mug. Rachel quickly gulped the last of hers and joined him.
"Do you want to call your mother? To at least make sure she knows where you are?" Rachel asked before they left.
Percy thought about it, "I can try, but she would probably be in an interview right about now," He checked the time to see it was twenty minutes past noon, "Or maybe I'll be lucky, and she's on break."
Rachel lent him her iPhone and after he confusingly held it like it was alien tech for a few minutes, she took pity on him and quickly typed in his mom's number as he told it. It took a few rings, but eventually, it connected. Rachel mischievously had it on loudspeaker as she handed Percy the phone.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Hey, mom. It's me, Percy."
"Percy! I'm glad you called. How are you, sweetie? Camp called this morning about you flying off with a pegasus and to expect you some time soon. Couldn't wait to visit your mum?" Rachel barely hid her giggle.
Percy chuckled good-naturedly, "Something like that, mom. I'm spending the day with a friend, are we still good to meet by eight?"
"A friend, huh? It wouldn't happen to be a certain red-haired girl that Annabeth mentioned to me when she called, would it?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at him.
Percy inwardly cursed at his blonde friend, "Who knows? You will have to find out later." He quickly whispered to Rachel if she wanted to visit his mom with him, and after she nodded with a smile, he went back to the call. "She's coming along to meet you anyway."
"She, huh? Guess that answers it." This time Percy nearly cussed at his mistake but caught himself. "Hold on for a moment, sweetie." Percy could barely hear someone asking for a Sally Jackson, and he guessed it was work-related.
Sally got back to him a moment later, "Sorry about that, Percy. Paul will be there as well. You know he doesn't blame you for what happened. It was a freak accident, and he is very worried about you."
Percy felt bad for Paul. The man was cool, and he helped him get into Goode High. The least he could do was apologize to him tonight. "Sounds good. Interestingly enough; Rachel, my redheaded friend, was also present during what happened in school. I'm sure together we can make an argument for Paul that we had no hand in the explosion."
"I see. Well, I need to get back to my next interview, Percy. We'll be expecting you in the evening. Don't be late, and enjoy your day." She hung up before he could reply.
Percy handed the phone back to Rachel, "well, it's official. You have my mother's approval. Might as well go."
Once they were ready, they left the building. Rachel snickered when she saw the receptionist, who reports to her father, gaping as she walked arm in arm with an unknown boy who definitely did not enter the building earlier. Percy, Gods bless him, even sent him a jaunty wave as well.
As they agreed, the first stop was the Batting Cages. Apparently, Percy was a natural at smashing stuff flying at him at high speeds, "Reminds me of that time we were attacked by metallic birds in camp," he chuckled. Rachel wasn't too bad either, though she certainly showed him up as they played a game of Catch in the parking lot. That Bull's Eye (Or is it Titan's Eye?) she nailed; it wasn't a fluke after all!
Their next stop was the museum. Unfortunately, Rachel misread the date for the exhibition she wanted. The Climate Change exhibition is set to open in October, not August.
"I blame whoever decided to name the tenth month as the eighth month," Rachel grumbled as she tried to scowl, but Percy could barely hold his laughter. He reached out to her cheeks and lightly pinched it, "Whatever you say, Princess. Now how about we go to my exhibition? I heard they will have seven real horses there, so I would like to talk to them."
Too bad for Percy, those horses ended up being fake and made out of fiberglass. Now it was Rachel's turn to hold her laughter at his twitching eyebrow and indignant scowl.
"Oh, don't feel so bad, my gallant knight. We can still walk around and pet them at least, though I doubt they will be agreeable for a ride," She cooed at him as it was her turn to pinch his cheeks.
After they had fun at the museum, they headed towards Central Park to stroll and feed the ducks. They even had a security guy chase after them for feeding the ducks. Percy felt like all the worries in the world were flowing out of him, and he owed it all to Rachel.
Later on, they went window shopping, with Rachel insisting on paying for everything. Under her unrelenting persistence, Percy reluctantly agreed, as he lost his wallet and all he had were Drachmas. She bought Percy a new pair of steel-tipped leather boots to replace his worn shoes, similar to the ones she wore, as well as a swimsuit for herself, which she hoped she would get to use soon in the future.
It was nearly five when they finished their stroll, and they were feeling a bit hungry. They had dinner at a nearby Pizzeria; then they returned to Central Park to kill some time.
"I've been thinking," Rachel suddenly said. She and Percy had just enjoyed some ice cream as they sat on Cherry Hill. She seemed to hesitate and thought more about whatever was on her mind. Percy turned to her, one eyebrow raised and a slight grin causing her to continue, "I've been thinking of a way for you to circumvent your destiny. There might be a way…"
His eyes widened, and suddenly, she found herself under his intense gaze, "How?"
Rachel struggled to formulate her thoughts for a moment. Truth be told, Percy was… well, Percy. He was gorgeous, brave, and, well, extremely likable and fun. And strong, inhumanely so. It helped that his crooked grin melted her insides, and she could get lost in those warm sea-green eyes of his… But precisely because Rachel liked him, she would voice this suggestion, no matter how much it made her insides twist uncomfortably.
"You mentioned that the gods believed that Zeus' daughter, Thalia, was the prophesied one, correct?" At Percy's nod, she continued, "Well, she avoided the prophecy by joining the Hunters of Artemis, thus never turning sixteen. Why don't you do something similar?"
"You want me to join the Hunters?" Percy deadpanned, "While I think Artemis might be willing to accept me into the hunt If she turns me into a girl, I very much would rather remain a man, thank you very much"
Rachel huffed but couldn't hide her smile, "Not that you loony, I'm talking about Calypso."
Percy shifted uncomfortably, wondering where this was going.
"What about her? I will try to release her from her prison before my time is up, but what else can I do?" Percy asked dishearteningly. He wanted to sulk and brood, but his cheery friend and the sunny sky made it impossible.
"Well, if you can't convince the gods to free her, wouldn't you have to find your way back to her island and break her out?" At that, Percy perked up, "What if you find your way there again and instead ask her to bless you with immortal life? This way, you would never be sixteen, and many gods seemed capable of doing that in myth, and supposedly Calypso was a powerful Titaness in her own right. Maybe she could do the same?"
He rubbed his brow as he considered her words. It was a good idea all around, but there were many problems with it; why not ask any of the other gods to bless him instead? The answer came to him as he thought about it; he would have to swear himself to servitude to whomever granted him immortality, and he did not have a good relationship with many of the gods. Not to mention getting Zeus' permission, who could veto even his dad, whom Percy was sure would grant it to him instantly.
No, Calypso seemed to be the best choice. So far, she was a neutral party to the war between the gods and titans, and Percy was confident in her personality and attitude as well as her potential to switch to their side. Still, that was a question for another time. He still had a whole year to consider.
"To tell you the truth, I have thought about it. The problem right now is her imprisonment. I would rather not accept immortality only to be stuck in a gilded cage. Granted, I'm sure I will grow to enjoy the company, and the sea is everywhere, but I will miss my mother and friends."
Rachel didn't think of it that way, "Well, it wouldn't be forever if you manage to free her, right? Once she is free, you can both travel around the world or visit your mom anytime you want."
"You make it sound so simple," he chuckled." Thanks for the pep talk, Rachel. I think it's time for us to make our way to my mom's place." Percy pointed out at the nearby clock tower, which showed it was seven in the evening, "It's a good half-hour walk from here at a leisurely pace."
Percy stood up, and Rachel followed suit. The road to Sally's apartment was spent in uneventful yet comfortable silence.
"You are welcome, by the way, It was my pleasure to help you find your way. We're friends, aren't we?" Hesitation crept into her voice.
"Of course we are," Percy clapped Rachel on her back before placing his arm on her shoulder, "hopefully for a long time as well."
She grinned back at the demigod, but they found themselves stopping in their tracks as they faced the unlikeliest of couples Percy could have ever imagined sitting at a nearby table enjoying cake and coffee. The woman was beautiful and stately, yet she looked familiar to him, and her name was just on the tip of his tongue, but there was no doubt about the identity of the man.
"Dad?" Percy asked confusingly as he stared at a smiling Poseidon, who waved them over to take the empty two seats on the table. Percy looked at Rachel, who looked utterly confused and a bit apprehensive as she stared at the couple before they both took a seat. It would not do to refuse the Gods, after all.
A reminder that this is mainly a Percy/Calypso story. I might explore Rachel, but I am unsure if any romance will form between them for now. We know they had great chemistry in the books but a certain Sun God poached her from Percy's grasp.
Here, she is a solid friend for Percy who might have a crush on him. Percy too for that matter. They're hormonal teenagers; what do you expect? You will notice that I put some hints on Rachel's powers as well as her potential for when the One Piece arc begins.
I'm pretty sure I nailed Manhattan well enough, especially since I was there a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea how Percy's mom afforded an apartment on a cashier's wage, but I know plenty of people who are willing to bankrupt themselves to brag that they live there.
Guess who the woman is? Here's a hint, she's divine… duh.
I have a Patreon under the same pen name, and would appreciate any tip you leave.
This chapter was edited by: Gladiusx.
Same day, almost midnight.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare stared blankly at her 90' TV screen as she flipped the channels to something that might grab her interest. Nothing did, really; her mind drifted toward what had happened the previous day. Who would have thought that the Greek Gods of old were alive and kicking here in modern America? Her adventure with Percy was both exhilarating and scary in equal measure.
Eventually, she stopped the channels at a news feed on Saint Helens. Even though it had been more than a week since the eruption, the volcano was still spewing smoke and ash. A feat supposedly caused by Percy. How a regular-looking human like him could cause so much destruction would forever baffle her. That he came to her for help regarding the Labyrinth flattered Rachel greatly, and made her smile at the thought. She couldn't remember when was the last time she had so much fun. An errant thought continuously twirled around her mind; maybe she had been an adrenaline junkie all along? Rachel did feel on top of the world when she nailed that Time Lord in the eye with her hairbrush. A giggle escaped from her lips at the priceless memory.
What was Percy doing now? They refused to allow her into camp, fearing for her safety, though Rachel later learned she would not have been able to step into it anyway. She still managed to figure out that an attack was imminent, and her newfound friends would be fighting for their lives. 'Friends, huh?' She thought glumly; there had not been any word ever since, at least none that reached her. For all Rachel knew, they were all dead.
Her insides twisted and churned uncomfortably at the thought. No, that couldn't be. Percy had shown strength and power beyond comprehension. Then again, he was fighting against mythical beings beyond her comprehension.
She yawned and looked at the time. It showed almost midnight, and she lazily stood up from her seat on the floor. The super expensive leather couch was surprisingly less comfortable than the Persian rug her father bought. Thoughts of her father brought an unconscious scowl to her face. She could not believe how he dismissed her concerns over his destruction of wildlife like it was some kind of joke.
"Environmentalism is pampering the Earth," he told her. The gall of him! Her meeting with Pan has truly struck a chord in her. The dying God of the wild's last words for her haunted Rachel. How could she be just as important as her father when she was powerless to stop him from his greed and destruction? Her mother wasn't any better. She worked for her father as his head of Human Resources. Even after he knocked her up and was forced to marry her, he did not shy from reminding her that she worked for him, not with him. And the woman didn't care; she got the leisurely life she always wanted.
'The Gold Digger,' Rachel thought as she stared at the only picture in the entire apartment. It was a picture of the three of them in Disneyland when she was three or four; she couldn't remember. Her father was talking on one of those blocky cell phones from the 90s while her mother was busy fixing her makeup. Only Rachel was staring at the camera, and even though she was young, she did not look all that happy. Rachel wished they at least gave her a brother or sister to play with, but no, that marriage bed had been colder than a butcher's freezer since they bought it eight years ago.
The Apartment was huge. It encompassed the entire top floor of the building and had its own Helipad on the patio. 'At least it had a good view of Central Park,' thought Rachel as she absentmindedly gazed toward the dark skies at a bird flying through the moonlit night.
She opened the patio door and made her way to the lounge chairs as she watched the bird flying around the city.
That was quite a large bird.
As if hearing her thoughts, the bird turned towards her and flew faster than she thought was possible. As it approached, she could clearly see that this was no bird. It was an honest-to-God (Or was it Gods now?) horse! A dark winged horse that could easily be mistaken for a mirage in the night. It even had a rider on it!!
As she stared with an open mouth at it, the Pegasus (For she finally remembered her mythology) landed on the Helipad, and its rider stared at her from atop. The boy of her thoughts appeared just like that.
"Permission to land, my lady?" Percy asked with his crooked grin, though she could see the smile did not reach his eyes, which were strangely rimmed with red.
"Permission granted, my noble knight, but it appears that you have already landed regardless of my wishes," She elegantly replied with an upturned nose at him.
Percy chuckled, and it evolved into a full laugh as he got off the Pegasus and approached her. He had a backpack with him full to the brim and a pot of a strange silver plant that she had never seen before in his hand. Percy dropped his bag on the ground and placed the pot on a table. The plant seemed to be blooming despite it being nighttime.
.
.
.
Before he could say anything, Rachel rushed and held him tightly in a hug. Her head rested in the crook of his neck, and her arms around his waist. Percy was frozen at the show of affection before he hugged her back and placed his chin on top of her head.
"You are a jerk; you know that?" Her voice was muffled by his neck as she squeezed him tighter. She could feel him rubbing her back through her tank top…she should probably let him go and dress in something less revealing.
"What did I do now?" Percy asked as they both let go of each other.
Rachel didn't reply straight away. She grabbed the potted plant and made her way inside. Percy grabbed his bag and bid farewell to Blackjack.
"If you need me, boss, just give me a whistle. I'll be there," and the Pegasus leaped into the night skies.
Percy smiled as his companion flew off to do what Pegasi did in their free time.
Probably chasing pigeons?
With a sigh, he shook his head and followed Rachel inside. She was placing the pot on another table near the patio door while looking at the plant with interest. At his footsteps, she twirled to face him with a scowl; the way her hands were on her hips reminded Percy of his mom, albeit in a quite amusing way.
"It's what you didn't do! I have not heard from you for over a day, and I know you were fighting for your life!" Rachel's voice was steadily rising, and it reached a crescendo near the end. "Do I not deserve to know if you were alive?! I thought we were friends. I was so scared that you died, Percy!"
A sob followed her final words, making him freeze. Percy was honestly lost and had no idea what to say. A voice that suspiciously sounded like his mom was saying go and hug her, but uh… He noticed how her tank top was a tad too tight for her, along with the fact that there was nothing underneath. It was definitely pleasing to the eye, but ugh, he was reluctant to think about stuff like that right now.
So instead, he opted to place an awkward hand on her elbow, "I'm sorry, Rachel."
And he truly was. He was very happy that she cared and saw them as friends. He didn't have many mortal friends. Scratch that; he didn't have any mortal friends, period.
"I'm glad you're fine, Percy," a sigh escaped Rachel's lips. "Although… you look like crap."
"I do, don't I?" He chuckled bitterly, and his voice lowered to a whisper as he stared into her bright green eyes. "There was a battle in camp. It was a very close thing. Many of my friends were killed."
The fact that he was close to dying was left unmentioned, but she seemed to catch onto it anyway, judging by the sad glint in her eyes.
"Oh, Percy," Rachel hugged him again, forgetting about propriety completely.
That was a far warmer reception than the demigod had expected, but he was not going to complain. Although he did feel kinda awkward, he returned the embrace.
"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important?" He asked as they finally separated.
"Not really," she snorted, then took pity on him, "I don't mind; feel free to stay for as long as you'd like."
"Thanks," he smiled gratefully, "I hope I won't bring you any trouble?"
"I don't particularly care," Rachel shrugged, and her gaze roamed around the room before looking down at her own attire, and he could see her face redden. "Check the fridge if you're hungry, I'll be back in a few."
As she disappeared behind a fancy oaken door, Percy dropped his bag on the couch and looked around. The place was huge; the living room alone was bigger than his mum's apartment, he realized.
As his dinner was interrupted due to the meeting, Percy was starving and decided to take Rachel up on her offer. Opening the fridge, he saw plenty of food and dessert. He ended up grabbing a can of Coke and some leftover pepperoni pizza. He was honestly half-expecting her to be vegetarian or something, but apparently, her quirkiness didn't go that far, he thought, as he placed the pizza on a plate and set the microwave. As he stared at the revolving plate, he started brooding.
Rachel returned to the living room wearing one of her color-stained T-shirts; she hadn't bothered changing out of her hot shorts. She found Percy staring blankly at the microwave, which had long gone dark.
"Are you alright, Percy?" She asked in concern, only for Percy to flinch in surprise.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…thinking about something," he deflected lamely as he grabbed the plate from the microwave and made his way to the kitchen table. Rachel started brewing some hot cocoa for herself.
"Would you like to share? Speaking of which, while I am very flattered at your late-night visit," she snorted lightly, which brought a small grin to Percy as he dug into his pizza; "I am sure that you could have contacted me someway. You did mention that you memorized my phone number." she continued as she filled the electric kettle and turned it on.
"Uh-mm," mumbled Percy as his mouth was full of pizza.
She turned around to look at him with a playful smile on her face. "It would have been…interesting to explain to my parents why I'm having a boy over in the middle of the night."
If Rachel did not pay attention, she would have missed the faint blush forming on his cheeks.
"Speaking of which, where are your parents? I never really thought about it before showing up here," Percy asked awkwardly as he looked around, expecting one of her parents to jump from behind the couch or something.
"Out of town for my father on a business trip, and mother is visiting family." Unsaid was how her mother had been regularly avoiding staying in the house more than necessary. It wasn't a lie that she was visiting family, though. Despite their rocky relationship, none of her parents had strayed from their marriage vows…that she knew of.
Percy looked around and noticed the only picture of the family on display. He frowned in thought, then noticed that most of the expensive furniture appeared to have been unused for some time. He looked at Rachel, who raised an eyebrow, clearly in warning, and Percy wisely dropped the question before he could even ask. He would be a hypocrite if he asked questions about someone's home life, considering until recently, he avoided speaking of his own.
Rachel, meanwhile, patiently waited for him while she poured hot water over her cocoa and made her way to the table, and sat across from her guest.
"Well, Percy? I would still like to know why you're here," she asked kindly, not trying to appear unwelcoming, for she truly was glad he was here. She was quite curious, though, "I wouldn't mind lending an ear."
Percy took his time to reply as he continued his meal; he really didn't know how to tell her or if he should tell her of his destiny. Rachel calmly drank from her mug and gave him a kind, encouraging smile.
Eventually, he finished his meal and had his hands around his can of coke, sitting still for what felt like an eternity as Rachel watched him patiently.
"I learned something disturbing today about my destiny," a grimace found its way to his face. "I'm not sure if you are aware of how prophecies work-"
"I do. I read all about them," Rachel looked in concern. "What happened, Percy?"
He swallowed hesitantly but after a moment, made up his mind with a shrug, "I'm destined to die when I turn sixteen, it seems."
While his face had become impassive and his voice was emotionless, Rachel could practically feel the despair radiating from him.
From there, she sat quietly as she listened to Percy pour his heart out over the prophecy that would end his life. She didn't disbelieve him but instead asked Percy why he thought he was the one the prophecy meant. This devolved into an abridged version of his life story. How he never fit in schools and all the 'normal' things that happen to demigods. How, since the age of twelve, he had constantly been fighting for his life as he fought monsters and gods and titans and other strange creatures that were well beyond her vivid imagination. How he held the sky for a cold-hearted goddess that turned out to be not so cold after all. How Percy had seen so many friends and good people die. How his latest escapade in the Labyrinth had landed him in Ogygia, and there she noticed to her envy how he talked about his time with Calypso and how it was some of the best days of his life. How she begged him to stay with her, she would have offered him immortality. A way to escape his destiny and strife-filled life. How he refused her because of his duty and loyalty to camp. But also how he promised that he would free her somehow.
There was a lull in the conversation, and by now, Rachel had finished her mug and opted for a refill. She wordlessly brewed another mug for Percy and heated some blueberry muffins from the fridge. Much to her amusement, any food placed in front of the demigod was quick to disappear, and soon, he resumed his story.
It all culminated in the battle and more deaths. Eventually, he arrived at the council meeting and his attempt to convince his fellow campers to help him free Calypso. How the daughter of Atlas would have been a valuable ally and a first step to reconciliation with other Titans and neglected Gods. Only to be rebuffed by them. When Percy reached the part of Clarisse accusing him of betraying them for a woman, she could see his knuckles turn white and feared for the mug in his hands.
Rachel gently held his hands in her own, making the tension bleed out of him and saving her cup, "It's okay, Percy. It seems they don't know you as much as they thought they did."
The story did not have a better ending, and Percy's shoulders sagged in defeat as he finished.
"I am still not sure if there is a chance for my survival or not, but all evidence points to the contrary so far," he sighed tiredly. Rachel squeezed his hands again, and he looked at her gratefully, "Supposedly, there is no doubt that I am the one the Prophecy entails. Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, was highly considered at first, but then she joined the Hunters of Artemis, forever remaining a day younger than sixteen."
"How sneaky of her," Rachel hummed with approval. She would probably have done the same thing if she was in Thalia's shoes.
Percy appeared to be looking everywhere and nowhere at the same time before settling to stare at her eyes again, "Annabeth mentioned that the Elder Gods don't necessarily mean the Big Three. They may also mean the female gods as well, yet the only viable option is Demeter, as both Hera and Hestia do not have any children for obvious reasons. Chiron specifically recited a line of the prophecy to refute Annabeth's theory." Percy gulped and looked lost for a moment.
Rachel brought his attention back with a hand squeeze, she's been doing that a lot tonight, and she couldn't help but notice how strong and calloused his hands were. 'Hands of a warrior' she thought, "What was the line Percy?"
Percy still appeared shaken, but he gathered his resolve; "A single choice shall end his days," he said with a quiver in his voice. "I needed to get away from camp, but I didn't want to bother my mother when she was busy attending interviews and job hunting. You know how crazy it is with the recession and all, she was already expecting me in the evening anyway." He finished with a slump in his shoulders.
Rachel could never have imagined that brave Percy Jackson could be so vulnerable. She let go of his hands and abruptly moved to his side of the table and hugged the living daylights out of him.
"Uh-mm, Rachel?" Percy squawked as she was almost sitting on his lap from her hug. She never struck him as much of a hugger.
Rachel let go of him before staring determinedly into his eyes, "I would not give up if I were you, Percy," Rachel put both her arms on his shoulders before continuing, "Worst-case scenario, you have a year to live. That means you have a whole year to live life to its fullest!"
"Right," he mumbled, not very enthusiastic. Percy did not truly fear death, but… he preferred it be on his terms, not some obscure prophecy. True, demigods did not often live a very long life, but having the choice taken away from him felt infuriating.
"Besides," she continued, "From what I know, prophecies are fickle things. Who knows? Maybe whatever choice you make will end your days, but you will still have your nights. Maybe that choice you make can be something as stupid as pissing off that sun god of yours, and now you can't live during the day anymore."
Rachel continued to ramble, listing off all sorts of outlandish alternatives to the prophecy lines. The strangest had to have been when she suggested he would turn into some kind of emo vampire that would be too ashamed to be out in the sun because it would make him sparkle.
Percy looked at her in bewilderment. When he decided to come here, he was not expecting much. At best, he would have a place to spend the night until he could meet his mother in the evening. At worst, her parents would kick him out, and he would sleep in Central Park or something. Never would he have expected that he would receive so much support from someone who, by rights, barely knew him.
As Rachel continued spinning wilder and wilder theories, she noticed that Percy started grinning at her as her conjectures started to go from hilarious to insane to plain impossible. She was happy that she managed to distract him from that doom and gloom he was feeling. It just didn't suit him. Eventually, a chuckle escaped his lips, and soon they were both laughing together.
A few minutes later, they found themselves on the nice couch out on the patio, sitting next to each other.
"I never really thought about death," Percy suddenly spoke after a few minutes of silence. "I've been in so many life-or-death situations that I've become numb to it. Heck, I came face to face with the God of the Dead and the afterlife when I was twelve. I still feared death, but at least then, I would always be fighting for my life. Fighting for my very existence sometimes." Percy stated, in such a matter-of-factly way, that she almost forgot that a life of fighting for his survival had been the norm for him for the last three years.
"You don't seem particularly bothered," Rachel observed.
"I guess what I am trying to say is, It sucks having no choice in the way you die, not having the option of just fighting for your life anymore." Percy sighed as he laid his head on the back of the couch and stared at the nighttime sky, wondering if Blackjack was really chasing some pigeons.
Rachel cautiously laid her head on his shoulder, but Percy did not seem to mind. "When is your birthday, Percy?"
Percy scratched his head absentmindedly, "Eighteenth of August, why do you ask?"
Rachel pointed at the TV inside the living room that had remained turned on but muted since Percy arrived. "It's been the eighteenth for two hours now. Happy Birthday, Percy Jackson."
Percy blinked a few moments, processing the information, and the corner of his lips twitched, "So it would seem. Thanks."
So many things happened in the past few weeks that he must have been more tired than he thought. Not to mention, time ran differently in the Labyrinth and Ogygia. He recalled spending a few days in the Labyrinth only for weeks to pass outside. He wasn't sure if Ogygia was the same or not.
Rachel yawned as she stood up from the couch, "I'm going to sleep, I'll get you some pillows and a blanket. You should catch some rest as well, birthday boy. We have a long day ahead of us."
Rachel walked towards the corridor leading to her room, and Percy stared at her back before he called to her, "What do you mean we have a long day?"
Rachel stood in the living room's doorway before she looked back at him with a grin, "I mean, we are going out. I got you all to myself until your mother expects you in the evening. It's gonna be so much fun!"
Then she was gone for a minute before she returned with pillows and a blanket, "This birthday is gonna be the best you've ever had, that's for sure. Good night, Percy. Don't forget to brush your teeth, I left you a new toothbrush in the bathroom. It's the third door on the left," she waved at him.
Percy was bemused by the whole situation, but then a frown found its way to his face.
"Wait, this is a date, isn't it?" he mumbled to himself. Not that he minded, Rachel was nice. "What does one do on a date again?"
He was too tired to think about it, so he shook his head, made his way to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and returned to the couch to catch some sleep.
It wasn't long before he had the best sleep since Ogygia.
August 18th,
Percy woke up refreshed and ready for a new day. He glanced at the clock on the wall to find the golden clock hand pointing at eleven. The nine hours of sleep seemed to suit him well, but it seemed the lady of the hour was not an early bird. After washing up, showering, and dressing in khaki pants and a blue shirt, he decided to explore the apartment.
It was frankly ludicrously huge! He must have gotten lost in wardrobes that were bigger than his room. He had guessed that Rachel's family was loaded from the stunt she did with that Limo driver, but It seemed that he may have underestimated her wealth.
After walking around, he found Rachel's room. She had left the door open, and as he lightly knocked to no response, he entered to wake her. It was her idea in the first place for the day's outing, and half the day was nearly gone already.
Rachel's room wasn't very large, but it certainly felt cramped by the large amount of random stuff thrown around haphazardly. He could see costumes, paintings, news clippings about Dare Enterprises getting lambasted for cutting down forests, buckets of paint, and many more. It took him a while to maneuver his way through the debris until he found her.
Rachel, dressed in a fluffy red shirt and leggings, was sleeping peacefully in her bed, not a care in the world.
.
.
.
"...hel…Ra..l.." Rachel was in deep slumber. She had stayed up too late to be with Percy, but the truth was she had had a long day as well, with no demigod physiology to keep her going. She was certainly enjoying her sleep, now if only that buzzing would stop.
"..chel…Rachel! Wake up already," a loud voice followed by a shaking of her arms jolted her awake. She saw Percy above her, and for a second or two, she wondered what he was doing here before she was fully awake, remembering it was his birthday!
"Percy. Wha' time is it?" she slurred as she stumbled out of bed and made her way to her room's adjoining bathroom.
"Nearly noon, now," the answer cast away her drowsiness. She bit back a curse; they would barely have time to have fun now. She grumbled inwardly as she closed the door, took off her clothes, and headed for the shower.
"I'll be ready in fifteen," she cried out and began adjusting the water temperature.
"I'll make breakfast while you get ready," Percy's muffled voice came through the door.
"Some coffee for me, please!" she shouted at the door, hoping he heard before she braved the shower. The cold water finally woke her up, and she just remembered that Percy had seen her in her sleep! Hopefully, she did not drool or snore…
Once she was done showering, Rachel checked herself in the mirror to prepare for the outing. Her long red hair was frazzled from the water, so she wrapped it in a towel. The teen didn't think she was the vain type, but she couldn't deny that she was beautiful. Her sharp freckled face, her full lips, her emerald green eyes, her budding breasts, and her widening hips. She was also quite tall, nearly Percy's height. The number of associates of her dad who approached her for her acquaintance was disturbing, despite her young age.
She remembered an odd couple of older people whom her dad introduced her to at an event. They supposedly owned a private island where they trained talented children to be actors or something. Whatever the reason her father was cozying up to them, she didn't care as she had gotten severe goosebumps from their gazes. It was as if she was a piece of meat that they were judging whether to buy or not. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to avoid them at all costs, no matter what promises they gave or how much it would hurt her father's company. Thankfully, her mom had dragged her away when she hyperventilated and ended up puking at their feet.
It was one of the reasons she picked up her art hobby. Not many liked a quirky/nerdy girl with dirty paint stains on her, after all. It helps that it was a hobby she had grown to love.
Rachel dressed in casual clothes. This is a fun date, not one of her father's boring society parties. Yet she also decided to let go of the oversized shirts that she wore to hide her figure and the torn jeans. After checking her wardrobe, she settled for a simple beige skirt, a white undershirt, and a green blouse that matched her eyes. She finished the ensemble with a necklace and her trusty leather boots that totally clashed with her outfit, but she cared not one bit. She loved to walk comfy, and she was sure Percy wouldn't mind.
After drying her hair, she made her way to the kitchen, where the smell of breakfast being made filled the air.
Percy had just finished serving two plates of bacon and eggs and brewed some coffee per Rachel's request. He had never had coffee before, preferring Cola and other sugary poisons, as his mother called them. But today, he decided to try something new, at least for Rachel. She clearly liked her coffee from how well-used the espresso machine was, and she had 4 mugs of coffee in the sink already! He sat down at the table, waiting for her. He didn't have to wait long.
"Good morning, Percy," chirped Rachel as she entered the kitchen. He stared a little at her outfit and thought she looked quite cute.
"Mornin'," a wide smile found its way to his face, "looking pretty, Rachel."
She returned the smile, preening under his wandering gaze. The breakfast was a quiet affair, and the only amusing thing was Percy's attempts to sample coffee. His expression soured after the first sip, and so much sugar and cream were poured into his mug that it couldn't really be called coffee anymore.
"So where do you want to spend the day most, Percy? It is your birthday, so I want to know what your idea of fun is," Rachel asked as she added after taking a generous sip from her own mug.
"Well, since mom is expecting me by eight at the most, we got about seven hours to have our fun. How about we go to that batting center off of 74th Street? It's been a while since I swung at something that wasn't trying to kill me," Percy chuckled, and she found herself laughing along, "How about you, Rachel? Where would you like to go after?"
Rachel sipped her coffee as she thought she knew exactly where she wanted to go, but she worried it may bore Percy out of his mind. Still, no harm asking, "Well, there's this new exhibition show in the Museum of Natural History. It's a few minutes walk from the batting center, I think. What do you think of visiting there afterward?" she gazed at Percy with a bit of anxiety as she waited for his response.
"Sure, I don't mind." To her surprise, Percy didn't even bat an eye and agreed with her, "My mom took me there a few years ago, and it was fun. I loved the dinosaur exhibition, and I heard they will have an entire exhibition about horses." Percy finished the last of his coffee-flavored sugarcream and moved to the sink to wash the mug. Rachel quickly gulped the last of hers and joined him.
"Do you want to call your mother? To at least make sure she knows where you are?" Rachel asked before they left.
Percy thought about it, "I can try, but she would probably be in an interview right about now," He checked the time to see it was twenty minutes past noon, "Or maybe I'll be lucky, and she's on break."
Rachel lent him her iPhone and after he confusingly held it like it was alien tech for a few minutes, she took pity on him and quickly typed in his mom's number as he told it. It took a few rings, but eventually, it connected. Rachel mischievously had it on loudspeaker as she handed Percy the phone.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Hey, mom. It's me, Percy."
"Percy! I'm glad you called. How are you, sweetie? Camp called this morning about you flying off with a pegasus and to expect you some time soon. Couldn't wait to visit your mum?" Rachel barely hid her giggle.
Percy chuckled good-naturedly, "Something like that, mom. I'm spending the day with a friend, are we still good to meet by eight?"
"A friend, huh? It wouldn't happen to be a certain red-haired girl that Annabeth mentioned to me when she called, would it?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at him.
Percy inwardly cursed at his blonde friend, "Who knows? You will have to find out later." He quickly whispered to Rachel if she wanted to visit his mom with him, and after she nodded with a smile, he went back to the call. "She's coming along to meet you anyway."
"She, huh? Guess that answers it." This time Percy nearly cussed at his mistake but caught himself. "Hold on for a moment, sweetie." Percy could barely hear someone asking for a Sally Jackson, and he guessed it was work-related.
Sally got back to him a moment later, "Sorry about that, Percy. Paul will be there as well. You know he doesn't blame you for what happened. It was a freak accident, and he is very worried about you."
Percy felt bad for Paul. The man was cool, and he helped him get into Goode High. The least he could do was apologize to him tonight. "Sounds good. Interestingly enough; Rachel, my redheaded friend, was also present during what happened in school. I'm sure together we can make an argument for Paul that we had no hand in the explosion."
"I see. Well, I need to get back to my next interview, Percy. We'll be expecting you in the evening. Don't be late, and enjoy your day." She hung up before he could reply.
Percy handed the phone back to Rachel, "well, it's official. You have my mother's approval. Might as well go."
Once they were ready, they left the building. Rachel snickered when she saw the receptionist, who reports to her father, gaping as she walked arm in arm with an unknown boy who definitely did not enter the building earlier. Percy, Gods bless him, even sent him a jaunty wave as well.
As they agreed, the first stop was the Batting Cages. Apparently, Percy was a natural at smashing stuff flying at him at high speeds, "Reminds me of that time we were attacked by metallic birds in camp," he chuckled. Rachel wasn't too bad either, though she certainly showed him up as they played a game of Catch in the parking lot. That Bull's Eye (Or is it Titan's Eye?) she nailed; it wasn't a fluke after all!
Their next stop was the museum. Unfortunately, Rachel misread the date for the exhibition she wanted. The Climate Change exhibition is set to open in October, not August.
"I blame whoever decided to name the tenth month as the eighth month," Rachel grumbled as she tried to scowl, but Percy could barely hold his laughter. He reached out to her cheeks and lightly pinched it, "Whatever you say, Princess. Now how about we go to my exhibition? I heard they will have seven real horses there, so I would like to talk to them."
Too bad for Percy, those horses ended up being fake and made out of fiberglass. Now it was Rachel's turn to hold her laughter at his twitching eyebrow and indignant scowl.
"Oh, don't feel so bad, my gallant knight. We can still walk around and pet them at least, though I doubt they will be agreeable for a ride," She cooed at him as it was her turn to pinch his cheeks.
After they had fun at the museum, they headed towards Central Park to stroll and feed the ducks. They even had a security guy chase after them for feeding the ducks. Percy felt like all the worries in the world were flowing out of him, and he owed it all to Rachel.
Later on, they went window shopping, with Rachel insisting on paying for everything. Under her unrelenting persistence, Percy reluctantly agreed, as he lost his wallet and all he had were Drachmas. She bought Percy a new pair of steel-tipped leather boots to replace his worn shoes, similar to the ones she wore, as well as a swimsuit for herself, which she hoped she would get to use soon in the future.
It was nearly five when they finished their stroll, and they were feeling a bit hungry. They had dinner at a nearby Pizzeria; then they returned to Central Park to kill some time.
"I've been thinking," Rachel suddenly said. She and Percy had just enjoyed some ice cream as they sat on Cherry Hill. She seemed to hesitate and thought more about whatever was on her mind. Percy turned to her, one eyebrow raised and a slight grin causing her to continue, "I've been thinking of a way for you to circumvent your destiny. There might be a way…"
His eyes widened, and suddenly, she found herself under his intense gaze, "How?"
Rachel struggled to formulate her thoughts for a moment. Truth be told, Percy was… well, Percy. He was gorgeous, brave, and, well, extremely likable and fun. And strong, inhumanely so. It helped that his crooked grin melted her insides, and she could get lost in those warm sea-green eyes of his… But precisely because Rachel liked him, she would voice this suggestion, no matter how much it made her insides twist uncomfortably.
"You mentioned that the gods believed that Zeus' daughter, Thalia, was the prophesied one, correct?" At Percy's nod, she continued, "Well, she avoided the prophecy by joining the Hunters of Artemis, thus never turning sixteen. Why don't you do something similar?"
"You want me to join the Hunters?" Percy deadpanned, "While I think Artemis might be willing to accept me into the hunt If she turns me into a girl, I very much would rather remain a man, thank you very much"
Rachel huffed but couldn't hide her smile, "Not that you loony, I'm talking about Calypso."
Percy shifted uncomfortably, wondering where this was going.
"What about her? I will try to release her from her prison before my time is up, but what else can I do?" Percy asked dishearteningly. He wanted to sulk and brood, but his cheery friend and the sunny sky made it impossible.
"Well, if you can't convince the gods to free her, wouldn't you have to find your way back to her island and break her out?" At that, Percy perked up, "What if you find your way there again and instead ask her to bless you with immortal life? This way, you would never be sixteen, and many gods seemed capable of doing that in myth, and supposedly Calypso was a powerful Titaness in her own right. Maybe she could do the same?"
He rubbed his brow as he considered her words. It was a good idea all around, but there were many problems with it; why not ask any of the other gods to bless him instead? The answer came to him as he thought about it; he would have to swear himself to servitude to whomever granted him immortality, and he did not have a good relationship with many of the gods. Not to mention getting Zeus' permission, who could veto even his dad, whom Percy was sure would grant it to him instantly.
No, Calypso seemed to be the best choice. So far, she was a neutral party to the war between the gods and titans, and Percy was confident in her personality and attitude as well as her potential to switch to their side. Still, that was a question for another time. He still had a whole year to consider.
"To tell you the truth, I have thought about it. The problem right now is her imprisonment. I would rather not accept immortality only to be stuck in a gilded cage. Granted, I'm sure I will grow to enjoy the company, and the sea is everywhere, but I will miss my mother and friends."
Rachel didn't think of it that way, "Well, it wouldn't be forever if you manage to free her, right? Once she is free, you can both travel around the world or visit your mom anytime you want."
"You make it sound so simple," he chuckled." Thanks for the pep talk, Rachel. I think it's time for us to make our way to my mom's place." Percy pointed out at the nearby clock tower, which showed it was seven in the evening, "It's a good half-hour walk from here at a leisurely pace."
Percy stood up, and Rachel followed suit. The road to Sally's apartment was spent in uneventful yet comfortable silence.
"You are welcome, by the way, It was my pleasure to help you find your way. We're friends, aren't we?" Hesitation crept into her voice.
"Of course we are," Percy clapped Rachel on her back before placing his arm on her shoulder, "hopefully for a long time as well."
She grinned back at the demigod, but they found themselves stopping in their tracks as they faced the unlikeliest of couples Percy could have ever imagined sitting at a nearby table enjoying cake and coffee. The woman was beautiful and stately, yet she looked familiar to him, and her name was just on the tip of his tongue, but there was no doubt about the identity of the man.
"Dad?" Percy asked confusingly as he stared at a smiling Poseidon, who waved them over to take the empty two seats on the table. Percy looked at Rachel, who looked utterly confused and a bit apprehensive as she stared at the couple before they both took a seat. It would not do to refuse the Gods, after all.
A reminder that this is mainly a Percy/Calypso story. I might explore Rachel, but I am unsure if any romance will form between them for now. We know they had great chemistry in the books but a certain Sun God poached her from Percy's grasp.
Here, she is a solid friend for Percy who might have a crush on him. Percy too for that matter. They're hormonal teenagers; what do you expect? You will notice that I put some hints on Rachel's powers as well as her potential for when the One Piece arc begins.
I'm pretty sure I nailed Manhattan well enough, especially since I was there a couple of weeks ago. I have no idea how Percy's mom afforded an apartment on a cashier's wage, but I know plenty of people who are willing to bankrupt themselves to brag that they live there.
Guess who the woman is? Here's a hint, she's divine… duh.
I have a Patreon under the same pen name, and would appreciate any tip you leave.
Chapter 3
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx. Do check out his awesome works on HP and ASOIAF.
August 18th, early evening.
Percy sat with Rachel on his side at the rectangular table. Across from him was his father, Poseidon, dressed in his regular Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, enjoying a chocolate strawberry cake. Next to him sat a Junoesque woman dressed in an indigo dress that was both modest and elegant in a way that hid none of her beauty and curves. She gracefully sipped her coffee, and Percy was willing to bet all his remaining drachma that this was Hera, Queen of the Gods. The sight was quite odd, with his casually dressed dad contrasting the stately dressed goddess. What kind of situation would bring these two together?
They stared at each other for a few long, agonizing minutes.
"Hello, son," Poseidon finally said after he finished his cake, "won't you introduce us to your friend?"
Rachel flinched in her seat, despite the god's smiling face, but Percy softly squeezed her arm in assurance. "This is my Dad; Poseidon, God of the Seas, Storms, Earthquakes, Droughts, Floods, and Horses."
She bowed her head politely to Poseidon, who nodded at her approvingly.
"Next to him is Hera, Queen of Olympus and Goddess of Marriage," Hera seemed to frown and looked ready to rebuke him-
"And Goddess of Women, Childbirth, and Familial love," Rachel added quickly, "I like your dress, It's beautiful."
At that, Hera's stern face warmed into a wide smile at Rachel, who blushed in response and tried to poke a hole in her torn jeans only to remember she was wearing a skirt, so she fiddled with her thumbs instead.
"Dad, He-uhh, Lady Hera," Percy corrected himself once he saw Hera's green eye twitch, the same eyes he could have sworn were silver or brown? He shook his head inwardly; "This is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She is a friend who has helped me greatly, and I owe her much."
"You are clear-sighted, mortal," Hera said to the girl; it was a statement, not a question. The goddess then turned her piercing gaze to Percy, "This explains how you managed to navigate your way through the Labyrinth. Truthfully, we expected you would ask your mother for aid instead of finding another. Perhaps the Fates are on your side, nephew."
A scoff attempted to escape his mouth at the thought of being favored by the Fates, but Percy managed to restrain it. Hera simply returned to her coffee which seemed to never end as he could have sworn the cup was nearly empty a minute ago.
"So, is there a reason for this visit? Not that I'm complaining, it's always good to see you, Dad, and it's an honor to officially meet you, Lady Hera," Percy added hastily when Hera's cup stopped just an inch shy of her lips. "But I did promise to meet Mom soon."
"Don't worry, Percy. This won't take long; in fact, I have already sent Tyson ahead to Sally's, and you should meet him on the way," Poseidon smiled gently. "At first, I wanted to surprise you at your party, but then my sister wanted to meet you as well, and I decided it would be wiser to catch you and your lovely friend here instead of at home. Would you like to begin, Hera?"
The Queen of the Gods nodded, and her heavy gaze wandered to Rachel for a moment before settling on Percy, "I am surprised that you are not with Annabeth. Is she not your girlfriend?" The demigod spluttered. "No, it seems I was mistaken. I felt a connection between you two when we met in the Labyrinth," the smallest of sighs escaped Hera's mouth, "I had hoped to act as a matchmaker, you see. A hobby of mine, but I like to make sure our family, no matter how they are born, at least adhere to the sacrament of marriage."
At that, she gave a quick glare to Poseidon, who shrugged in indifference.
"At least Amphitrite knows all about my affairs, and I don't need to hide them. And as far as I know, she hasn't tried to murder you, has she, Percy?" Poseidon sent a slight smirk at his sister, who frowned in annoyance.
"No, sir, she hasn't. At least not to my knowledge."
Percy hoped they would change the topic soon; neither Rachel nor he could handle even a friendly godly spat of this caliber.
"Regardless," Hera harrumphed, "I must apologize for my actions." Percy's eyes goggled in surprise, probably looking like a gaping fish. Rachel was also surprised. Hades, even Poseidon was surprised. Clearly, he had no idea what his sister was planning either.
"What for, my Lady?" Percy asked warily. Never did he expect a godly being to apologize, especially not the Queen of the Gods.
"For sending you to Ogygia, of course," Percy's heart skipped a beat. Hera sent him to Calypso?! "I wanted to test your resolve in regards to your duty, as well as see if Calypso would help you or ignore you. You passed my test, and I was surprised that Calypso also showed you mercy and took a liking to you, yet I did not expect you would truly fall for the Titaness."
The demigod sat there, stunned, yet Hera continued, "I am the goddess of marriage, remember? Unlike Aphrodite or her son, who can see potential love matches, I can see those who would do well married, which is usually a much better way to judge compatibility between couples. After all, people can fall in love many times, but marriage is usually a one-time affair." Percy rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, It's why I helped you in the Labyrinth. I provided you with food. I postponed the time of Annabeth's critical decision. I bribed Geryon to allow you to pass freely through his Ranch," yet he remembered Geryon giving them quite a hard time, "and finally, I guided your arrow as it pierced Geryon's hearts, not Artemis, not Apollo. I did."
There was tangible pride in her declaration at the end.
Percy looked at his father to see him rolling his eyes, and only when Rachel pinched his leg did he turn back to Hera, who had an eyebrow raised, so he hastily replied. "And I greatly appreciate your aid, my Lady. I owe you a debt of gratitude."
The goddess nodded approvingly and gave him a small smile, the first one yet. Though to the side, Percy could see his dad shaking his head in apparent bemusement.
"As you should be, but I am a generous Goddess, so I only expect a sacrifice in return," Hera hummed, and Percy noticed that she didn't ask for a worthy sacrifice, just a sacrifice. He had a feeling that his dad had covered his debt already and silently sent a thankful prayer to him, making Poseidon's smile only widen further.
"Regardless, I have digressed. I truly believed that you and Annabeth would have potential as a couple, but by sending you to Ogygia, that string has been all but severed. A much stronger connection with Calypso has taken its place. Yet you still hold familial love for Annabeth. Interesting," Hera finally emptied her cup before placing it down.
He could see Rachel staring as well, to Hera's amusement, who, with a wave of her hand, sent the cup to Rachel, which was then filled with steaming coffee. The mortal girl took a quick sip and, judging by the smile on her face, found the drink to her liking.
Percy made a note to himself to learn how to brew good coffee in case he ever needed to bribe the red-haired girl. Rachel was so obsessed with coffee that she didn't realize the implication of a goddess serving it to her, let alone one such as Hera.
"Well, I believe I am done here. I must meet with Amphitrite to coordinate our approach with my foster parents. I wonder what I should bring as a gift?" The goddess' smile had turned expectant and truly happy for the first time. "Enjoy your birthday Perseus and remember, do not follow the footsteps of your father or divine kin. Stay with one woman, and you shall be happy. Chase around multiple ones and I promise, your life shall be miserable."
Her words seemed like a benign warning, but this was Hera, the Queen of the Gods, and cold sweat ran down Percy's back. The goddess gave a nod to Poseidon and simply walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Percy sat there, lost in thought. Hera's words regarding Calypso shocked him. Was he truly in love with the Titaness? Was it that straightforward? Was he even worthy of her? Percy was certain that he would free her regardless of any perceived affections, as he had already promised. The warning about having multiple partners felt odd to him, Sally had raised him better than that. It was a moot point anyway, Percy only had a single year left to live.
Still, that was one of the more pleasant godly meetings he'd had so far. Even if he couldn't help but think there was something wrong in the Geryon situation. He shook his head; it was his birthday, possibly the last one, and he didn't want to think about monsters or other divine woes right now.
"I know about your desire to free Calypso, Percy," Poseidon's voice broke him out of his musings. "Chiron briefed Mr D, who later reported to the council. Your idea has merit, but, to be fair, Annabeth's suggestion of sending my sister as an envoy to my father-in-law took even more priority, and its strategic value is considerably higher. Her mother couldn't have been prouder, and Hera does dearly miss her foster family."
Finally, some good news! Why hadn't the Olympians thought of that in the first place? Hubris perhaps?
"Do you think it will work out? Do you think Oceanus would be agreeable to an alliance?" Percy voiced out his thoughts.
Poseidon chuckled, "I know Oceanus well; I married his daughter, after all. He rules in the deep oceans, mostly in the Pacific these days. Amphitrite would drag the whole family to her parents' place every ten or so years for a gathering. I have high hopes that Hera and Amphitrite will be able to assuage any of their concerns and at least ensure their neutrality, which would finally allow me to sink that blasted ship."
Percy could imagine how the escape of the Princess Andromeda from his grasp must have royally pissed him off. Or maybe divinely?
"That's reassuring," a relieved sigh escaped the demigod's mouth.
"Indeed, and this way, I can turn my entire focus towards the awakening Typhon," Poseidon's face turned grim, making Percy's gut twist with worry. Rachel simply seemed confused, probably not realizing the scope of the incoming disaster.
"He's awakening, then?" The god nodded. "I know the myths, Dad; no one could match Typhon the last time he awoke. Even when all the Olympians banded together and had the help of Selene and Helios, you were all nearly defeated!" Percy nearly choked out that last part. "I am worried, Dad, worried about camp, worried about you and everyone else. I'm worried about the destruction that will happen from his awakening," the demigod grabbed his head, "and it's all my fault. If I didn't cause Mount Saint Helens to erupt, If I didn't wake him, If-"
"Perseus," Poseidon interrupted him, all traces of amusement replaced with coldness. "Are you so arrogant in your feeble powers to think you are solely responsible for the awakening of the greatest calamity to have ever threatened Olympus? Typhon would have awoken regardless of your actions. Kronos needed him; whether it was you or something else, the Storm Giant would have awoken. Better sooner than later." Poseidon's face softened, "Besides, have some faith in your dear old dad. I'm quite strong, you know?"
The god flexed his admittedly impressive muscles, making Percy feel a tad envious. Rachel giggled but looked down in embarrassment when both turned to her, remembering that they weren't alone at the table. The demigod decided to save her from embarrassment and coughed, "Is it true then? You believe that freeing Calypso has merit?"
"It does, although you aren't really fooling anyone, Percy," The god winked, and Percy felt his cheeks heat up. "Your word is a most valuable thing, my son. It's impressive and praiseworthy how you choose to stick to your word no matter what. Yet that doesn't really leave much room for your old man to cover for you now, does it?" Poseidon sighed with exasperation, much to Percy's shame.
"I promised her dad. She is so lonely there, and all that, for helping her father in war? Am I not doing the same for you? Isn't millennia of imprisonment enough punishment?" A hint of desperation leaked from Percy's voice.
Poseidon looked at him with a mixture of pride and pity, "Have you thought how you will even free her?"
"I had hoped the camp would help me petition Olympus to do it honestly, but they were a disappointment."
"Do not blame them, my son. Chiron tells me that you nearly had the campers on your side, aside from that daughter of Ares, and that it was he who convinced them otherwise. I would ask you not to blame Chiron either."
As if Clarisse could convince anyone about anything, that girl had muscles for brains and fireworks for a mouth.
Percy rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly and sighed. "What does that have to do with Chiron?"
"He's just a bit of a sore loser over Calypso beating him in an archery contest and seducing his first wife, Naïs." Poseidon bellowed in laughter while Percy gaped like a fish, and with the corner of his eye, he saw Rachel giggling like a loon, and, was that awe in her eyes?
"Wait, you mean Calypso is… no, wait, Chiron was married? And, first wife?! As in, he is still married?!!" Percy was astounded. Chiron? The centaur? He could never imagine it. How did that even work? Was his wife another centaur or a nymph, and if so, how did they… copulate? Poseidon howled in laughter while Rachel choked on her coffee, making Percy realize that he had said the last parts out loud.
"Ugh, kill me already; why wait twelve months? Just do it now," the demigod moaned while slamming his head on the table.
"What do you mean by that, Percy?" He lifted his head to see his father look at him, face grim. "Who told you that?"
Percy held back his retort and just sighed, "I overheard Mr D, Annabeth, and Chiron discussing my fate last night." He decided to trust his dad and tell him the truth in the end and recited the lines he knew of the Great Prophecy, "a half-blood of the eldest gods. Shall reach sixteen against all odds. A single choice shall end his days."
The mood had clearly fallen, and a shadow seemed to settle on his father's face, "Disregarding the irresponsibility of those three discussing such an important matter in the open, why didn't you confront them?"
"Confront them with what? I don't need nor desire their pity, and don't think I will lay down and succumb to the whims of fate. Rachel here came up with a brilliant idea to bypass the Prophecy." At that, Percy clapped Rachel on the back, as she was still coughing from earlier, which helped to dislodge the last of the liquid that went down the wrong pipe.
The girl placed down her empty cup and thanked Percy before turning to the god "I suggested he follow in Thalia's footsteps, yet he seemed reluctant to ask Artemis to turn him into a girl."
"That's not what I said!"
Poseidon snorted in amusement, and Rachel continued, ignoring his protests, "That was never my idea, I reminded him that Calypso offered him an eternity by her side. So, why not return to her island, accept her offer, but break her out of her confinement? He would be eternally fifteen and could still help with the war with Calypso on his side. The trick is how to leave the island, but even then, the worst-case scenario would be for Percy to be stuck with Calypso for eternity. He is in denial, but I know he wouldn't mind such an outcome. Married to an immortal being on a tropical island? Doesn't sound like a bad ending to me."
The girl shrugged with a tight smile at Percy's dazed expression.
He was speechless; everyone seemed to be so sure that he was in love, or at least falling in love, with Calypso. He honestly was not sure if that was the truth. How would he know what romantic love is like in the first place?
Poseidon noticed the girl's smile not reaching her eyes and stroked his beard in thought as he noticed how she stole glances at Percy, 'as expected of my son.'
"If that's what you want, Percy, then sure, you have my blessings."
Percy gawked at his father, "That's it? Just like that? No speech about running away from your destiny or fate?"
A bark of laughter escaped the god's mouth before his face turned serious, "I am the God of the Sea, my son. The sea hates to be constrained by anything. Do not forget, no matter what, that you are one of mine. If you want to say, fuck the prophecy, then by all means, Fuck the Prophecy." Poseidon sighed. "What I am sad about, Percy, is that you did not come to me for help. Have I ever let you down, my son?"
Percy couldn't believe it. How could he have been so blind? Why didn't he try to reach out to his Dad last night? It's true that Poseidon had been absent for most of his life, but Percy knew his godly father had been watching over him regardless. He could remember the one-eyed friendly people who would help him when he was young. How people would not believe him when he said they only had one eye, and how he later learned that they were cyclops, probably his half-brothers, sent by his father to watch over him. Ever since he first joined the camp, Poseidon had been constantly on his side.
"I'm sorry for not depending on you, Dad," Percy smiled sadly, "When I first heard of it, I was very distracted and went to the first person I could think of other than Mom." At that, he smiled at Rachel, who was looking at him, eyes wide. "Regardless, what would you suggest? I still plan to free Calypso, regardless of Olympus' stance on it."
"Well, you have two things going for you right now. First, Olympus is not entirely against the idea but still can't come to an agreement. Second, Olympus' representative in this conversation has sadly departed prematurely. As for me? I represent myself and Atlantis, and I say go for it. I cannot directly free Calypso myself, but I can certainly help you a little along your quest. When you free her, I will be right behind you when my brother blows a gasket at the audacity of your actions. Just take Tyson with you. He dearly misses his favorite brother." Poseidon smiled fondly as he stood up, "Well, I must be going now, I think. Wouldn't want you to miss your mum's cooking. Still blue cakes?" he asked, as he opened his arms in obvious invitation.
Percy got up and hugged his father tightly, despite barely reaching his chin. "Blue everything, Dad. Always." He let go, and Rachel joined him by his side.
"Do you have an idea on how to get back to Ogygia, Percy?"
Percy frowned; "I… think I can somehow navigate my way to her. The Island is somehow in the Sea of Monsters, yet it is not at the same time. I have a feeling that Calypso's gift would help me get back to her, however."
"You are on the right track, but it won't be enough." At that, Poseidon gazed at Rachel, who shuffled her feet awkwardly but met his gaze evenly. Something seemed to go between them, and Rachel nodded her head.
"Okay, what's going on?" Percy was confused.
"Oh, nothing much, just accepting a quest from the God of the Sea. An honor, truly, My Lord," the red-haired girl bowed formally to Poseidon, who nodded back with a kind smile.
"Do not worry, my child; I will handle your family and make sure they do not worry about you."
"Thank you, my Lord. I'm sure I will have lots of fun on my second adventure of the week," she returned cheekily and winked at Percy, who scratched his head in confusion.
"Seriously, will someone tell me what's going on?"
"I leave my son in your capable hands, Miss Dare." Poseidon then turned to Percy. "You are on the right track with using Calypso's gift, but you will need your brother's aid. Miss Dare will be crucial to you as well."
"O-okay?"
"I want you to promise me, Percy, that you will never forget that you are one of mine and that I am so very proud of you. The sea is very covetous of that which it deems its own." Poseidon almost imperceptibly glanced at Rachel, but Percy caught him, "Do not deny yourself the happiness that you desire and deserve. Leave the war and Typhon to us; he's been asleep for thousands of years, while I am much stronger now than back then, after all. We all are."
As Poseidon vanished into mist, Percy realized that his lips weren't moving in the end.
One of mine. The words echoed in his mind, making him chuckle fondly; his dad was even more awesome than he previously thought.
Rachel gasped, breaking him out of his musings.
"What is it?" His hand shot into his pocket, grasping Anaklusmus.
"It's nearly eight; we're going to be late!"
Percy huffed and released the grip on the pen; he had worried for nothing.
"It's fine; just text my Mom that we are on our way, would you?"
As they approached Sally's apartment building, Rachel stopped suddenly and stared at a nearby alley, waiting for something. Percy blinked in confusion before Tyson walked out of it.
"How did you know?"
"No idea. I just knew, somehow," Rachel said hesitantly.
Tyson finally noticed them and rushed over and hugged Percy in joy.
"Percyyyyy!"
The demigod began tapping Tyson on the back to let him go as he felt his ribs creak, yet, much to his chagrin, the Cyclops didn't seem to notice.
Eventually, Rachel, after having her fill of amusement, grabbed Tyson's attention, and he let Percy go.
"Uh-mm, hello, Rebecca," Tyson greeted the girl shyly.
"It's Rachel, Tyson. You've already met her in the Labyrinth." Percy coughed out, rubbing his ribs.
"Don't worry about it, hello Tyson. It's good to see you again." she waved at him, and the boy shyly waved back.
"All is well? Let's go, then!"
The doorbell rang, and Sally Jackson quickly set down the piping hot birthday cake she had just taken from the oven.
"Coming," she called out and signaled Paul to take the cake to the living room as she made her way to the door.
"Percy!"
Her son stood at the door, accompanied by Tyson and a pretty red-haired girl.
"Hi, Mom," he gave her a hug, and Sally quickly welcomed them all in.
"You arrived just in time, sweetie, come in, come in." She led the teens to the living room, where Paul was just placing the cake on the table, and sat them all on the couches.
"Hello, Percy. It's nice to see you again."
"Hi, Paul. Good to see you too."
"And Ms Dare? Well, I must confess that I am both happy yet confused to see you with Percy."
Rachel smiled sweetly, "Oh, Mr Blofis. Percy and I are such great friends. I am so happy that he agreed to introduce me to his parents so quickly after our first date!" The girl hooked her arm with Percy's while leaning on him, ignoring his spluttering blush, "You were such a gentleman today, Percy. I had the best time of my life."
Sally nearly squealed in joy at the scene of the pretty red-haired girl reducing her son to a stuttering mess while Paul laughed awkwardly at the teens. She needed to speak to Percy more about this; she thought Annabeth and her son were an item, but out of nowhere, this mysterious rich and pretty girl appears.
Looking at the girl's new iPhone in her hands, the clearly gold necklace, and the designer clothes that she had only seen high society people wear, there was no doubt the girl was used to luxury. Rachel must have been trying to dress casually, and while at first glance she would appear so, an experienced eye like Sally could instantly tell the value of her attire. This explained the source of Percy's fancy-looking new shoes.
This was way better than her soap operas!
Though, for all of Rachel's teasing, Sally could see they were not an item, considering Percy's awkwardness. Not yet, at least. With an inward sigh, she quickly brought the slices of blue cake, giving a double portion to Tyson, while Paul looked at Tyson, "So who might you be, young man?" He asked kindly.
Tyson had blueberry cake all around his mouth as he tried to swallow before replying, "I'm Percy's brother!"
Paul stared in astonishment before he turned to her. If it wasn't such a serious thing, she would have burst out laughing at the gaping man.
"Not mine!" Sally quickly said to assuage the man's shock, "Tyson is Percy's brother from his father."
Paul wisely didn't bring Percy's father up, as he knew he was a bit of a sore subject in the house, though for entirely different reasons than what he thought.
Dinner went smoothly from there. Percy enjoyed his blue birthday cake, and Tyson seemed happy to be here again, Sally thought. Percy did manage to apologize to Paul about the fiasco in school, and, with the help of Rachel, who was a witness, he convinced him that it was not at all their fault. Paul didn't mind in the first place but easily accepted Percy's apology and explanation.
Eventually, Rachel managed to grab Paul's attention to the topic of wildlife preserves, where Tyson was surprisingly knowledgeable about marine life. As Paul and the other two kids were absorbed in the conversation, Percy took this chance to take his mother to his room and explain to her what he found out in private.
To say Sally Jackson was upset would be an understatement. Even more when she learned that there was a chance she may very well never see her son again. Still, as a mother to a demigod, she had long prepared herself for the worst-case scenario, no matter how unpalatable.
"So you're telling me you already had a small party with your father and the Queen of the Gods of all people?!" Sally was shocked, nearly dropping the bundle of socks she was packing for Percy.
"Yeah, she was cool. She seemed to take a liking to Rachel, and she even confirmed to me about a connection I have with Calypso." Percy said as he was busy arranging his belongings into a small suitcase. His backpack at Rachel's barely had his essentials; he expected the quest for Calypso to take at least two weeks. Whether he succeeded in freeing her or not. At no point did Percy doubt himself in finding Ogygia.
"Speaking of, you didn't say much about Rachel, Percy," Sally said from the bed as she was folding some of Percy's clothes to fit better in his suitcase.
"She has been a good and solid friend. Both when I asked for her help regarding the Labyrinth and today." Percy said firmly as he held a deck of cards, wondering if he would need it before shrugging and stuffing it in a pocket of his case.
"Oh? Just a friend, then? Nothing more? Your mother can tell that she certainly feels more towards you." Sally teased slightly as she handed Percy a dozen socks rolled into a neat small pile that Percy would never be able to make.
"What do you want me to say, Mom? That I like her? That I think she is beautiful? Of course, I do, and of course, she is. I would have to be blind not to see that." Percy was fed up with the constant allusions that everyone had been making regarding his love life. First, his confusing feelings for Annabeth after that kiss she gave him. His time with Calypso in Ogygia as well as the true meaning behind her words when she offered him immortality. Hera bringing up marriage connections did not help at all. Nor did his Dad's hint about Rachel. He was just tired of it all.
He turned to his mother; "But so is Annabeth. Both of them have been good friends, and they are pretty girls. But here's the thing, Mom. I am not exactly in the mood for a relationship, nor am I ready for one. Having a sword of Damocles over your head does that to you." He stated tiredly as he sat on his bed, his suitcase zipped and secured, and looked up. Almost immediately after he said that he regretted it as he beheld his mother's face fall. He grimaced at the harshness of his words, "Right now, I want to focus on freeing Calypso, and hopefully, she would help in the war. Everything else is not important right now."
Sally sighed and sat on the desk chair, and looked closely at the young man who had made her life such a joy. He had grown a lot over the years, not just physically but also mentally. Percy was quickly nearing six feet, and she had a hunch he will go over it as well. His hair needs to be cut, in her opinion, and he still had that white stripe from whatever adventure he did last winter. Its roots are already black, so it wouldn't stay forever with him. Some stubble had appeared on his face, but not enough for a shave.
From Chiron and Annabeth, Sally knew that he had learned how to be responsible and to think before he made any rash decisions when it came to leading others. Yet, she also knew that, when it came to his personal safety, he would choose to disregard that in favor of lashing out against injustices or protecting his friends. A sad thing for such a mindset to be borne out of necessity rather than age, that he matured so much. Not that it would help a lot, as Sally knew her son had a stubborn streak a mile wide. Once he put his mind on something, Percy would not let go, no matter what. He refused to acknowledge the reality of his situation.
But that trait wasn't inherited from his father, not solely.
"You forget, Percy, that nothing is more important to me than your own happiness. Do you think I am just teasing you regarding a girlfriend? You are about to embark on a quest to free a beautiful maiden who has clearly fallen in love with you. Don't interrupt." She raised a hand as Percy tried to deny it. "You might not be ready for a relationship, honey, but take this from a woman who understands better. A woman offers you eternity with her? What is that but a marriage proposal? The more you deny it, the more you will make it awkward when you meet her. I understand that you don't plan to live on that island for eternity, and you plan to free Calypso and return here. What then? How would you ensure she remains loyal to Olympus and not return to her family?"
Sally took a deep breath and continued relentlessly, pride leaking through her voice, "Calypso wants you. She desires you, and she is an extremely smart woman for that. You would be the rock she will lean on when suspicious glances surround her. No one will trust her, and even those who will, will do so only because of you. If you cannot accept the fact that you are going to be that woman's lover, then I cannot in good conscience send you on this quest with my blessings. How could I condemn an innocent woman to be abandoned by the one whom she believes to be her lover? That has been done enough in our history, and it never ended well for either party."
Percy stood there stunned, eyes wide and mouth opened. It took him a whole minute to gather his bearings. Eventually, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it even more messy than it was before. "Was… was I foolish to make such a promise, Mom?"
'Am I even worthy of a Titaness's affection?'
"It's not a question of if you are worthy of her affections," his mother smiled sadly at his startled expression, "your face says it all, sweetie. With a heart of gold and a spine of steel, you're a bonafide hero out of a fairy tale, my son, divine parentage or not. Though I suppose your father was always easy on the eye, and you are no lesser. Never undersell yourself; Any woman, and I mean anyone, divine or mortal, would be extremely lucky to have you as her companion in life. Now tell me, son. How do you truly feel about Calypso?"
Percy felt flustered by that praise, but under his mother's encouraging smile, he managed to calm down. He sat on the bed and closed his eyes, letting go of his worries. It was hard to put aside all the thoughts about the coming quests, his conflicting feelings towards Annabeth and Rachel, and the impending doom of the prophecy. With great effort, he forced his mind to focus on Calypso and nothing but her. The image of her dark almond-shaped eyes shining kindly like two warm stars, her beautiful, timeless face, and flawless features. The smell of the cinnamon of her braided hair, the color of caramel, and her gentle yet beguiling smile. No, there was no question about Calypso's beauty; even when compared to Aphrodite, the Titaness still looked better, more natural, and without even trying to doll herself up.
But none of that mattered as much as the woman herself. Her kind yet down-to-earth nature surprisingly reminded him of his mom. Her smile would give him butterflies in his stomach, and her laugh that would have his heart racing like a sports car.
Percy sighed as he acknowledged what his mother was trying to say. Calypso had openly declared her affection for him; that much was clear. He had no doubt that she would join him against her own family so long as he returned her feelings, and there was no doubt now that he more than liked her. When he imagined himself by her side, happiness surged in him. Yet, when he imagined her with another man, a wrathful fury nearly took hold of him.
The sea is very covetous of that which it deems its own.
But was this truly love? The young demigod… wasn't sure; he felt too young, too inexperienced. But Percy Jackson was never a coward or indecisive person. It wouldn't be too bad to… try and find out, especially with Calypso by his side.
He opened his eyes, and a long, tired sigh tore out of his lips, "You're right, Mom."
"Of course, I'm right. A mother knows best. Now come here and give me a hug," Percy chuckled at that and swept Sally in a crushing hug. She smiled sadly at her son, "I would have loved to meet whoever was able to capture my son's heart so firmly, but it will have to wait until you free her, I suppose."
Percy smiled back at his mom, feeling a heavy weight had left his heart.
"I wasn't even sure what I was feeling," and he still wasn't, but that shred of uncertainty was easily squashed as he already had up his mind. "I learned today that it was Hera that sent me to Calypso and that Calypso didn't have to help me. She did it of her own free will. She could have simply done the bare minimum to make sure I survived and called one of the gods to pick me up, yet she didn't. For days, she cared for me. Treated me with gentleness and kindness. When I woke up, she soothed my worries and made sure I got back in tiptop shape. For those few days, I've never felt so calm and peaceful in my life. No burdens, No worries about world-ending catastrophes." Percy's smile grew, "We would joke and play around. She would tell me of her island and her garden. She gave me a unique plant that only grows on her island that I have left in Rachel's apartment. I wish I brought it with me, actually."
Percy shook his head. "Regardless, It was time for me to leave, and it was then she confessed her feelings to me. That she has greatly enjoyed her time and that the gods are cruel for always sending her heroes whom they know she would fall in love with, yet they cannot afford to stay with her. I may not have been able to stay with her then, but now I will rectify that. I will free her, Mom. No matter what. That is the least I can do for her."
"And I am glad you have finally found your resolve." Sally stood, and so did Percy. They hugged each other again as they remained silent.
"I will bring her here, so you could both meet. I'm sure you will love her, Mom. Just give me two or three weeks, and we'll be knocking on your door."
"I'll hold you to that, then."
All that needed to be said was said. For now, they just enjoyed each other's warm presence.
"Your mom is very nice."
"I know. She is the best mom in the world."
Rachel gave a wistful and longing smile at his declaration, and Percy felt a little bad about it. Rachel hadn't talked about her parents much, if at all, but he could tell that she had a rocky relationship with them.
"Once we get back with Calypso, you can visit us anytime. I'm sure Mom would love to have you over. Did you know she's a bit of a sculptor herself? She even won a prize once."
Rachel's eyes widened, "She did? Oh, you have to tell me all about it!"
Percy chuckled at her excitement. Leave it for Rachel to get excited over anything art related. He turned to his brother, Tyson, as he tried to light a trashcan on fire in the alley they were in.
"Later, perhaps. Here, we should both do it properly." He handed Rachel a slice of his birthday cake once Tyson managed to light the bonfire, "Thank you, Tyson. Starting fires should be left for those who are immune to it."
His brother laughed merrily, "Anytime, brother."
Percy held two slices of cake in each hand as he explained to Rachel, "You should first invoke the god or goddess' name before feeding the sacrifice to the fire. You will know it worked once the food is quickly consumed, and you have a few seconds to give a prayer or send a message as you inhale the smoke. It will feel awesome, I guarantee it! I will go first."
"For Poseidon," He said in a low voice before feeding a slice of the blue cake to the fire. They watched as it was quickly consumed, much faster than a normal fire should be capable of doing; Percy gave a quick prayer to his father and thanked him for watching over him. He smelled the smoke of the fire and felt immediately like he was on the beach and feeling the cool ocean breeze under the hot summer sun.
"For Hera," He fed the other slice and thanked the Queen of Olympus for her aid and for sending him to Calypso. He smelled the smoke, and it was as if he was back in his mother's warm embrace. Visions of him as a child clinging to Sally as she put him to bed or when she held him closely when they were on the beach in Montauk watching the sea. Percy shuddered pleasantly once the spell was broken. Suffice to say; he would probably pray more to Hera if that's what she offered.
He could have sworn he heard a feminine chuckle in the wind. Percy shook his head before turning to Rachel. "Your turn."
The girl did the same as he instructed, and he watched her closely. He frowned a little when she smelled the smoke, and tears formed in her eyes. The red-haired girl choked out a laugh as she backed up from the fire.
"How was it?"
Rachel shook her head but smiled pleasantly, "Like a mother's embrace. Something I thought I would have never experienced."
He grinned at her before looking at Tyson, who was eating his own slice of cake. "Aren't you going to sacrifice to Father?"
The younger but much taller boy quickly gulped his cake. "Dad never asked me to. He always listens when I pray anyway."
Percy frowned but then realized that Tyson was technically a monster, so maybe praying works differently for him.
They put out the fire before making their way out of the alley and listened to Tyson explain their plan for the morning.
"So we just come to the beach, all suited up, at nine in the morning sharp, and someone will take us to a boat your father prepared for us, Tyson?" Rachel asked as they walked back towards her apartment building. It was nearly ten in the evening, and she needed to pack her belongings as well. Lord Poseidon had made it clear that it would be a few weeks before she saw her home again.
Rachel doubted she would miss her parents, nor would they miss her, as it wouldn't be the first time she disappeared for days from home, but school and her projects were another matter. Still, who would miss out on such an adventure? And Calypso and Ogygia were both equally intriguing.
"Yep!" Tyson said happily; she had only ever seen him happy, but then Percy was usually with him when she saw him.
A hint of longing appeared inside of her; having a loving sibling like Tyson wouldn't be too bad. Alas, it would be a cold day in hell when her parents tolerated each other enough to go for a second child. Hell, she barely remembers the last time any of her parents had hugged her or acted in any way affectionate that wasn't expected from them when in public. Then again, that intoxicating feeling she got from sacrificing to the Queen Mother…she didn't get enough of it.
"And is the someone that will pick us up happens to be a very good swimmer and is colored like the rainbow?" Percy smiled at his brother.
"How did you know his name is Rainbow?" Tyson asked, surprised. Before Percy could say anything, he continued, "You are so amazing, brother! But yes, Rainbow and his friends will be there for you. They will have space for your luggage as well."
Rachel blinked in confusion, uncertain of what exactly was going on.
"Don't worry about it, you will love meeting them in the morning, I was right about the sacrifice, right?" At her eager nod, Percy patted her shoulder and then turned to his brother. "I will be needing you to repair my shield, Tyson. It has saved my life, but it misses your touch."
The demigod showed his brother the broken bronze watch.
Tyson nodded enthusiastically, "Okay, give it here. I will have it good as new by morning." He pocketed the watch once Percy gave it to him and had a concentrated look on his face. "I will pack my portable smithy and some materials as well. I'm sure Dad won't mind if I ask him for some Celestial Bronze. In case it breaks again, or we need to fix something else."
"That's smart of you, Tyson. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared."
Tyson smiled happily. They continued walking as the conversation turned to more inane topics.
"Well, this is where I have to go," Tyson said as they stopped by a pier, "Goodnight, Percy. Goodnight Rachel. I'll see you tomorrow!" Tyson hugged both of them tightly before jumping into the water.
Rachel looked at Percy, who shrugged, and they continued on home. Gods, she was already feeling tired, yet there was a lot of packing to do.
Hera and Poseidon's meeting with Percy happened in the books as well, however, this time, they decided to meet him together considering the circumstances.
Hera is in a much better mood here without Annabeth pissing her off or Riordan butchering her character regarding Nico. That part in the books was so contrived it sickened me. Rachel does well buttering up the queen of the gods, and Hera seemed to have taken a shine to her.
Same regarding Oceanus. How is it possible that the only Titan that stayed neutral in the last war, during the height of Kronos' power, would side against the gods this time when Kronos is at his weakest?
Clear-sighted mortals are incredibly rare and ALL the gods desire them, one way or another. That's a headcanon thing from me, but unfortunately, it won't be relevant in this story very much. I plan to expand more on it when I write another PJO fic in the future.
Poseidon shows why he's Dad material. Sally shows why she's the best mom in the series. Percy finally gets past his denial. If he saves Calypso, then he has to understand that he is basically marrying her. There's no other way around it.
If you like my works and would like me to ease up on the overtime shifts and write more instead, then feel free to leave me a tip. My Patre(on) name is the same as my pen name. The full link is on my profile.
August 18th, early evening.
Percy sat with Rachel on his side at the rectangular table. Across from him was his father, Poseidon, dressed in his regular Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, enjoying a chocolate strawberry cake. Next to him sat a Junoesque woman dressed in an indigo dress that was both modest and elegant in a way that hid none of her beauty and curves. She gracefully sipped her coffee, and Percy was willing to bet all his remaining drachma that this was Hera, Queen of the Gods. The sight was quite odd, with his casually dressed dad contrasting the stately dressed goddess. What kind of situation would bring these two together?
They stared at each other for a few long, agonizing minutes.
"Hello, son," Poseidon finally said after he finished his cake, "won't you introduce us to your friend?"
Rachel flinched in her seat, despite the god's smiling face, but Percy softly squeezed her arm in assurance. "This is my Dad; Poseidon, God of the Seas, Storms, Earthquakes, Droughts, Floods, and Horses."
She bowed her head politely to Poseidon, who nodded at her approvingly.
"Next to him is Hera, Queen of Olympus and Goddess of Marriage," Hera seemed to frown and looked ready to rebuke him-
"And Goddess of Women, Childbirth, and Familial love," Rachel added quickly, "I like your dress, It's beautiful."
At that, Hera's stern face warmed into a wide smile at Rachel, who blushed in response and tried to poke a hole in her torn jeans only to remember she was wearing a skirt, so she fiddled with her thumbs instead.
"Dad, He-uhh, Lady Hera," Percy corrected himself once he saw Hera's green eye twitch, the same eyes he could have sworn were silver or brown? He shook his head inwardly; "This is Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She is a friend who has helped me greatly, and I owe her much."
"You are clear-sighted, mortal," Hera said to the girl; it was a statement, not a question. The goddess then turned her piercing gaze to Percy, "This explains how you managed to navigate your way through the Labyrinth. Truthfully, we expected you would ask your mother for aid instead of finding another. Perhaps the Fates are on your side, nephew."
A scoff attempted to escape his mouth at the thought of being favored by the Fates, but Percy managed to restrain it. Hera simply returned to her coffee which seemed to never end as he could have sworn the cup was nearly empty a minute ago.
"So, is there a reason for this visit? Not that I'm complaining, it's always good to see you, Dad, and it's an honor to officially meet you, Lady Hera," Percy added hastily when Hera's cup stopped just an inch shy of her lips. "But I did promise to meet Mom soon."
"Don't worry, Percy. This won't take long; in fact, I have already sent Tyson ahead to Sally's, and you should meet him on the way," Poseidon smiled gently. "At first, I wanted to surprise you at your party, but then my sister wanted to meet you as well, and I decided it would be wiser to catch you and your lovely friend here instead of at home. Would you like to begin, Hera?"
The Queen of the Gods nodded, and her heavy gaze wandered to Rachel for a moment before settling on Percy, "I am surprised that you are not with Annabeth. Is she not your girlfriend?" The demigod spluttered. "No, it seems I was mistaken. I felt a connection between you two when we met in the Labyrinth," the smallest of sighs escaped Hera's mouth, "I had hoped to act as a matchmaker, you see. A hobby of mine, but I like to make sure our family, no matter how they are born, at least adhere to the sacrament of marriage."
At that, she gave a quick glare to Poseidon, who shrugged in indifference.
"At least Amphitrite knows all about my affairs, and I don't need to hide them. And as far as I know, she hasn't tried to murder you, has she, Percy?" Poseidon sent a slight smirk at his sister, who frowned in annoyance.
"No, sir, she hasn't. At least not to my knowledge."
Percy hoped they would change the topic soon; neither Rachel nor he could handle even a friendly godly spat of this caliber.
"Regardless," Hera harrumphed, "I must apologize for my actions." Percy's eyes goggled in surprise, probably looking like a gaping fish. Rachel was also surprised. Hades, even Poseidon was surprised. Clearly, he had no idea what his sister was planning either.
"What for, my Lady?" Percy asked warily. Never did he expect a godly being to apologize, especially not the Queen of the Gods.
"For sending you to Ogygia, of course," Percy's heart skipped a beat. Hera sent him to Calypso?! "I wanted to test your resolve in regards to your duty, as well as see if Calypso would help you or ignore you. You passed my test, and I was surprised that Calypso also showed you mercy and took a liking to you, yet I did not expect you would truly fall for the Titaness."
The demigod sat there, stunned, yet Hera continued, "I am the goddess of marriage, remember? Unlike Aphrodite or her son, who can see potential love matches, I can see those who would do well married, which is usually a much better way to judge compatibility between couples. After all, people can fall in love many times, but marriage is usually a one-time affair." Percy rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, It's why I helped you in the Labyrinth. I provided you with food. I postponed the time of Annabeth's critical decision. I bribed Geryon to allow you to pass freely through his Ranch," yet he remembered Geryon giving them quite a hard time, "and finally, I guided your arrow as it pierced Geryon's hearts, not Artemis, not Apollo. I did."
There was tangible pride in her declaration at the end.
Percy looked at his father to see him rolling his eyes, and only when Rachel pinched his leg did he turn back to Hera, who had an eyebrow raised, so he hastily replied. "And I greatly appreciate your aid, my Lady. I owe you a debt of gratitude."
The goddess nodded approvingly and gave him a small smile, the first one yet. Though to the side, Percy could see his dad shaking his head in apparent bemusement.
"As you should be, but I am a generous Goddess, so I only expect a sacrifice in return," Hera hummed, and Percy noticed that she didn't ask for a worthy sacrifice, just a sacrifice. He had a feeling that his dad had covered his debt already and silently sent a thankful prayer to him, making Poseidon's smile only widen further.
"Regardless, I have digressed. I truly believed that you and Annabeth would have potential as a couple, but by sending you to Ogygia, that string has been all but severed. A much stronger connection with Calypso has taken its place. Yet you still hold familial love for Annabeth. Interesting," Hera finally emptied her cup before placing it down.
He could see Rachel staring as well, to Hera's amusement, who, with a wave of her hand, sent the cup to Rachel, which was then filled with steaming coffee. The mortal girl took a quick sip and, judging by the smile on her face, found the drink to her liking.
Percy made a note to himself to learn how to brew good coffee in case he ever needed to bribe the red-haired girl. Rachel was so obsessed with coffee that she didn't realize the implication of a goddess serving it to her, let alone one such as Hera.
"Well, I believe I am done here. I must meet with Amphitrite to coordinate our approach with my foster parents. I wonder what I should bring as a gift?" The goddess' smile had turned expectant and truly happy for the first time. "Enjoy your birthday Perseus and remember, do not follow the footsteps of your father or divine kin. Stay with one woman, and you shall be happy. Chase around multiple ones and I promise, your life shall be miserable."
Her words seemed like a benign warning, but this was Hera, the Queen of the Gods, and cold sweat ran down Percy's back. The goddess gave a nod to Poseidon and simply walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
Percy sat there, lost in thought. Hera's words regarding Calypso shocked him. Was he truly in love with the Titaness? Was it that straightforward? Was he even worthy of her? Percy was certain that he would free her regardless of any perceived affections, as he had already promised. The warning about having multiple partners felt odd to him, Sally had raised him better than that. It was a moot point anyway, Percy only had a single year left to live.
Still, that was one of the more pleasant godly meetings he'd had so far. Even if he couldn't help but think there was something wrong in the Geryon situation. He shook his head; it was his birthday, possibly the last one, and he didn't want to think about monsters or other divine woes right now.
"I know about your desire to free Calypso, Percy," Poseidon's voice broke him out of his musings. "Chiron briefed Mr D, who later reported to the council. Your idea has merit, but, to be fair, Annabeth's suggestion of sending my sister as an envoy to my father-in-law took even more priority, and its strategic value is considerably higher. Her mother couldn't have been prouder, and Hera does dearly miss her foster family."
Finally, some good news! Why hadn't the Olympians thought of that in the first place? Hubris perhaps?
"Do you think it will work out? Do you think Oceanus would be agreeable to an alliance?" Percy voiced out his thoughts.
Poseidon chuckled, "I know Oceanus well; I married his daughter, after all. He rules in the deep oceans, mostly in the Pacific these days. Amphitrite would drag the whole family to her parents' place every ten or so years for a gathering. I have high hopes that Hera and Amphitrite will be able to assuage any of their concerns and at least ensure their neutrality, which would finally allow me to sink that blasted ship."
Percy could imagine how the escape of the Princess Andromeda from his grasp must have royally pissed him off. Or maybe divinely?
"That's reassuring," a relieved sigh escaped the demigod's mouth.
"Indeed, and this way, I can turn my entire focus towards the awakening Typhon," Poseidon's face turned grim, making Percy's gut twist with worry. Rachel simply seemed confused, probably not realizing the scope of the incoming disaster.
"He's awakening, then?" The god nodded. "I know the myths, Dad; no one could match Typhon the last time he awoke. Even when all the Olympians banded together and had the help of Selene and Helios, you were all nearly defeated!" Percy nearly choked out that last part. "I am worried, Dad, worried about camp, worried about you and everyone else. I'm worried about the destruction that will happen from his awakening," the demigod grabbed his head, "and it's all my fault. If I didn't cause Mount Saint Helens to erupt, If I didn't wake him, If-"
"Perseus," Poseidon interrupted him, all traces of amusement replaced with coldness. "Are you so arrogant in your feeble powers to think you are solely responsible for the awakening of the greatest calamity to have ever threatened Olympus? Typhon would have awoken regardless of your actions. Kronos needed him; whether it was you or something else, the Storm Giant would have awoken. Better sooner than later." Poseidon's face softened, "Besides, have some faith in your dear old dad. I'm quite strong, you know?"
The god flexed his admittedly impressive muscles, making Percy feel a tad envious. Rachel giggled but looked down in embarrassment when both turned to her, remembering that they weren't alone at the table. The demigod decided to save her from embarrassment and coughed, "Is it true then? You believe that freeing Calypso has merit?"
"It does, although you aren't really fooling anyone, Percy," The god winked, and Percy felt his cheeks heat up. "Your word is a most valuable thing, my son. It's impressive and praiseworthy how you choose to stick to your word no matter what. Yet that doesn't really leave much room for your old man to cover for you now, does it?" Poseidon sighed with exasperation, much to Percy's shame.
"I promised her dad. She is so lonely there, and all that, for helping her father in war? Am I not doing the same for you? Isn't millennia of imprisonment enough punishment?" A hint of desperation leaked from Percy's voice.
Poseidon looked at him with a mixture of pride and pity, "Have you thought how you will even free her?"
"I had hoped the camp would help me petition Olympus to do it honestly, but they were a disappointment."
"Do not blame them, my son. Chiron tells me that you nearly had the campers on your side, aside from that daughter of Ares, and that it was he who convinced them otherwise. I would ask you not to blame Chiron either."
As if Clarisse could convince anyone about anything, that girl had muscles for brains and fireworks for a mouth.
Percy rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly and sighed. "What does that have to do with Chiron?"
"He's just a bit of a sore loser over Calypso beating him in an archery contest and seducing his first wife, Naïs." Poseidon bellowed in laughter while Percy gaped like a fish, and with the corner of his eye, he saw Rachel giggling like a loon, and, was that awe in her eyes?
"Wait, you mean Calypso is… no, wait, Chiron was married? And, first wife?! As in, he is still married?!!" Percy was astounded. Chiron? The centaur? He could never imagine it. How did that even work? Was his wife another centaur or a nymph, and if so, how did they… copulate? Poseidon howled in laughter while Rachel choked on her coffee, making Percy realize that he had said the last parts out loud.
"Ugh, kill me already; why wait twelve months? Just do it now," the demigod moaned while slamming his head on the table.
"What do you mean by that, Percy?" He lifted his head to see his father look at him, face grim. "Who told you that?"
Percy held back his retort and just sighed, "I overheard Mr D, Annabeth, and Chiron discussing my fate last night." He decided to trust his dad and tell him the truth in the end and recited the lines he knew of the Great Prophecy, "a half-blood of the eldest gods. Shall reach sixteen against all odds. A single choice shall end his days."
The mood had clearly fallen, and a shadow seemed to settle on his father's face, "Disregarding the irresponsibility of those three discussing such an important matter in the open, why didn't you confront them?"
"Confront them with what? I don't need nor desire their pity, and don't think I will lay down and succumb to the whims of fate. Rachel here came up with a brilliant idea to bypass the Prophecy." At that, Percy clapped Rachel on the back, as she was still coughing from earlier, which helped to dislodge the last of the liquid that went down the wrong pipe.
The girl placed down her empty cup and thanked Percy before turning to the god "I suggested he follow in Thalia's footsteps, yet he seemed reluctant to ask Artemis to turn him into a girl."
"That's not what I said!"
Poseidon snorted in amusement, and Rachel continued, ignoring his protests, "That was never my idea, I reminded him that Calypso offered him an eternity by her side. So, why not return to her island, accept her offer, but break her out of her confinement? He would be eternally fifteen and could still help with the war with Calypso on his side. The trick is how to leave the island, but even then, the worst-case scenario would be for Percy to be stuck with Calypso for eternity. He is in denial, but I know he wouldn't mind such an outcome. Married to an immortal being on a tropical island? Doesn't sound like a bad ending to me."
The girl shrugged with a tight smile at Percy's dazed expression.
He was speechless; everyone seemed to be so sure that he was in love, or at least falling in love, with Calypso. He honestly was not sure if that was the truth. How would he know what romantic love is like in the first place?
Poseidon noticed the girl's smile not reaching her eyes and stroked his beard in thought as he noticed how she stole glances at Percy, 'as expected of my son.'
"If that's what you want, Percy, then sure, you have my blessings."
Percy gawked at his father, "That's it? Just like that? No speech about running away from your destiny or fate?"
A bark of laughter escaped the god's mouth before his face turned serious, "I am the God of the Sea, my son. The sea hates to be constrained by anything. Do not forget, no matter what, that you are one of mine. If you want to say, fuck the prophecy, then by all means, Fuck the Prophecy." Poseidon sighed. "What I am sad about, Percy, is that you did not come to me for help. Have I ever let you down, my son?"
Percy couldn't believe it. How could he have been so blind? Why didn't he try to reach out to his Dad last night? It's true that Poseidon had been absent for most of his life, but Percy knew his godly father had been watching over him regardless. He could remember the one-eyed friendly people who would help him when he was young. How people would not believe him when he said they only had one eye, and how he later learned that they were cyclops, probably his half-brothers, sent by his father to watch over him. Ever since he first joined the camp, Poseidon had been constantly on his side.
"I'm sorry for not depending on you, Dad," Percy smiled sadly, "When I first heard of it, I was very distracted and went to the first person I could think of other than Mom." At that, he smiled at Rachel, who was looking at him, eyes wide. "Regardless, what would you suggest? I still plan to free Calypso, regardless of Olympus' stance on it."
"Well, you have two things going for you right now. First, Olympus is not entirely against the idea but still can't come to an agreement. Second, Olympus' representative in this conversation has sadly departed prematurely. As for me? I represent myself and Atlantis, and I say go for it. I cannot directly free Calypso myself, but I can certainly help you a little along your quest. When you free her, I will be right behind you when my brother blows a gasket at the audacity of your actions. Just take Tyson with you. He dearly misses his favorite brother." Poseidon smiled fondly as he stood up, "Well, I must be going now, I think. Wouldn't want you to miss your mum's cooking. Still blue cakes?" he asked, as he opened his arms in obvious invitation.
Percy got up and hugged his father tightly, despite barely reaching his chin. "Blue everything, Dad. Always." He let go, and Rachel joined him by his side.
"Do you have an idea on how to get back to Ogygia, Percy?"
Percy frowned; "I… think I can somehow navigate my way to her. The Island is somehow in the Sea of Monsters, yet it is not at the same time. I have a feeling that Calypso's gift would help me get back to her, however."
"You are on the right track, but it won't be enough." At that, Poseidon gazed at Rachel, who shuffled her feet awkwardly but met his gaze evenly. Something seemed to go between them, and Rachel nodded her head.
"Okay, what's going on?" Percy was confused.
"Oh, nothing much, just accepting a quest from the God of the Sea. An honor, truly, My Lord," the red-haired girl bowed formally to Poseidon, who nodded back with a kind smile.
"Do not worry, my child; I will handle your family and make sure they do not worry about you."
"Thank you, my Lord. I'm sure I will have lots of fun on my second adventure of the week," she returned cheekily and winked at Percy, who scratched his head in confusion.
"Seriously, will someone tell me what's going on?"
"I leave my son in your capable hands, Miss Dare." Poseidon then turned to Percy. "You are on the right track with using Calypso's gift, but you will need your brother's aid. Miss Dare will be crucial to you as well."
"O-okay?"
"I want you to promise me, Percy, that you will never forget that you are one of mine and that I am so very proud of you. The sea is very covetous of that which it deems its own." Poseidon almost imperceptibly glanced at Rachel, but Percy caught him, "Do not deny yourself the happiness that you desire and deserve. Leave the war and Typhon to us; he's been asleep for thousands of years, while I am much stronger now than back then, after all. We all are."
As Poseidon vanished into mist, Percy realized that his lips weren't moving in the end.
One of mine. The words echoed in his mind, making him chuckle fondly; his dad was even more awesome than he previously thought.
Rachel gasped, breaking him out of his musings.
"What is it?" His hand shot into his pocket, grasping Anaklusmus.
"It's nearly eight; we're going to be late!"
Percy huffed and released the grip on the pen; he had worried for nothing.
"It's fine; just text my Mom that we are on our way, would you?"
P*O*D
As they approached Sally's apartment building, Rachel stopped suddenly and stared at a nearby alley, waiting for something. Percy blinked in confusion before Tyson walked out of it.
"How did you know?"
"No idea. I just knew, somehow," Rachel said hesitantly.
Tyson finally noticed them and rushed over and hugged Percy in joy.
"Percyyyyy!"
The demigod began tapping Tyson on the back to let him go as he felt his ribs creak, yet, much to his chagrin, the Cyclops didn't seem to notice.
Eventually, Rachel, after having her fill of amusement, grabbed Tyson's attention, and he let Percy go.
"Uh-mm, hello, Rebecca," Tyson greeted the girl shyly.
"It's Rachel, Tyson. You've already met her in the Labyrinth." Percy coughed out, rubbing his ribs.
"Don't worry about it, hello Tyson. It's good to see you again." she waved at him, and the boy shyly waved back.
"All is well? Let's go, then!"
P*O*D
The doorbell rang, and Sally Jackson quickly set down the piping hot birthday cake she had just taken from the oven.
"Coming," she called out and signaled Paul to take the cake to the living room as she made her way to the door.
"Percy!"
Her son stood at the door, accompanied by Tyson and a pretty red-haired girl.
"Hi, Mom," he gave her a hug, and Sally quickly welcomed them all in.
"You arrived just in time, sweetie, come in, come in." She led the teens to the living room, where Paul was just placing the cake on the table, and sat them all on the couches.
"Hello, Percy. It's nice to see you again."
"Hi, Paul. Good to see you too."
"And Ms Dare? Well, I must confess that I am both happy yet confused to see you with Percy."
Rachel smiled sweetly, "Oh, Mr Blofis. Percy and I are such great friends. I am so happy that he agreed to introduce me to his parents so quickly after our first date!" The girl hooked her arm with Percy's while leaning on him, ignoring his spluttering blush, "You were such a gentleman today, Percy. I had the best time of my life."
Sally nearly squealed in joy at the scene of the pretty red-haired girl reducing her son to a stuttering mess while Paul laughed awkwardly at the teens. She needed to speak to Percy more about this; she thought Annabeth and her son were an item, but out of nowhere, this mysterious rich and pretty girl appears.
Looking at the girl's new iPhone in her hands, the clearly gold necklace, and the designer clothes that she had only seen high society people wear, there was no doubt the girl was used to luxury. Rachel must have been trying to dress casually, and while at first glance she would appear so, an experienced eye like Sally could instantly tell the value of her attire. This explained the source of Percy's fancy-looking new shoes.
This was way better than her soap operas!
Though, for all of Rachel's teasing, Sally could see they were not an item, considering Percy's awkwardness. Not yet, at least. With an inward sigh, she quickly brought the slices of blue cake, giving a double portion to Tyson, while Paul looked at Tyson, "So who might you be, young man?" He asked kindly.
Tyson had blueberry cake all around his mouth as he tried to swallow before replying, "I'm Percy's brother!"
Paul stared in astonishment before he turned to her. If it wasn't such a serious thing, she would have burst out laughing at the gaping man.
"Not mine!" Sally quickly said to assuage the man's shock, "Tyson is Percy's brother from his father."
Paul wisely didn't bring Percy's father up, as he knew he was a bit of a sore subject in the house, though for entirely different reasons than what he thought.
Dinner went smoothly from there. Percy enjoyed his blue birthday cake, and Tyson seemed happy to be here again, Sally thought. Percy did manage to apologize to Paul about the fiasco in school, and, with the help of Rachel, who was a witness, he convinced him that it was not at all their fault. Paul didn't mind in the first place but easily accepted Percy's apology and explanation.
Eventually, Rachel managed to grab Paul's attention to the topic of wildlife preserves, where Tyson was surprisingly knowledgeable about marine life. As Paul and the other two kids were absorbed in the conversation, Percy took this chance to take his mother to his room and explain to her what he found out in private.
To say Sally Jackson was upset would be an understatement. Even more when she learned that there was a chance she may very well never see her son again. Still, as a mother to a demigod, she had long prepared herself for the worst-case scenario, no matter how unpalatable.
P*O*D
"So you're telling me you already had a small party with your father and the Queen of the Gods of all people?!" Sally was shocked, nearly dropping the bundle of socks she was packing for Percy.
"Yeah, she was cool. She seemed to take a liking to Rachel, and she even confirmed to me about a connection I have with Calypso." Percy said as he was busy arranging his belongings into a small suitcase. His backpack at Rachel's barely had his essentials; he expected the quest for Calypso to take at least two weeks. Whether he succeeded in freeing her or not. At no point did Percy doubt himself in finding Ogygia.
"Speaking of, you didn't say much about Rachel, Percy," Sally said from the bed as she was folding some of Percy's clothes to fit better in his suitcase.
"She has been a good and solid friend. Both when I asked for her help regarding the Labyrinth and today." Percy said firmly as he held a deck of cards, wondering if he would need it before shrugging and stuffing it in a pocket of his case.
"Oh? Just a friend, then? Nothing more? Your mother can tell that she certainly feels more towards you." Sally teased slightly as she handed Percy a dozen socks rolled into a neat small pile that Percy would never be able to make.
"What do you want me to say, Mom? That I like her? That I think she is beautiful? Of course, I do, and of course, she is. I would have to be blind not to see that." Percy was fed up with the constant allusions that everyone had been making regarding his love life. First, his confusing feelings for Annabeth after that kiss she gave him. His time with Calypso in Ogygia as well as the true meaning behind her words when she offered him immortality. Hera bringing up marriage connections did not help at all. Nor did his Dad's hint about Rachel. He was just tired of it all.
He turned to his mother; "But so is Annabeth. Both of them have been good friends, and they are pretty girls. But here's the thing, Mom. I am not exactly in the mood for a relationship, nor am I ready for one. Having a sword of Damocles over your head does that to you." He stated tiredly as he sat on his bed, his suitcase zipped and secured, and looked up. Almost immediately after he said that he regretted it as he beheld his mother's face fall. He grimaced at the harshness of his words, "Right now, I want to focus on freeing Calypso, and hopefully, she would help in the war. Everything else is not important right now."
Sally sighed and sat on the desk chair, and looked closely at the young man who had made her life such a joy. He had grown a lot over the years, not just physically but also mentally. Percy was quickly nearing six feet, and she had a hunch he will go over it as well. His hair needs to be cut, in her opinion, and he still had that white stripe from whatever adventure he did last winter. Its roots are already black, so it wouldn't stay forever with him. Some stubble had appeared on his face, but not enough for a shave.
From Chiron and Annabeth, Sally knew that he had learned how to be responsible and to think before he made any rash decisions when it came to leading others. Yet, she also knew that, when it came to his personal safety, he would choose to disregard that in favor of lashing out against injustices or protecting his friends. A sad thing for such a mindset to be borne out of necessity rather than age, that he matured so much. Not that it would help a lot, as Sally knew her son had a stubborn streak a mile wide. Once he put his mind on something, Percy would not let go, no matter what. He refused to acknowledge the reality of his situation.
But that trait wasn't inherited from his father, not solely.
"You forget, Percy, that nothing is more important to me than your own happiness. Do you think I am just teasing you regarding a girlfriend? You are about to embark on a quest to free a beautiful maiden who has clearly fallen in love with you. Don't interrupt." She raised a hand as Percy tried to deny it. "You might not be ready for a relationship, honey, but take this from a woman who understands better. A woman offers you eternity with her? What is that but a marriage proposal? The more you deny it, the more you will make it awkward when you meet her. I understand that you don't plan to live on that island for eternity, and you plan to free Calypso and return here. What then? How would you ensure she remains loyal to Olympus and not return to her family?"
Sally took a deep breath and continued relentlessly, pride leaking through her voice, "Calypso wants you. She desires you, and she is an extremely smart woman for that. You would be the rock she will lean on when suspicious glances surround her. No one will trust her, and even those who will, will do so only because of you. If you cannot accept the fact that you are going to be that woman's lover, then I cannot in good conscience send you on this quest with my blessings. How could I condemn an innocent woman to be abandoned by the one whom she believes to be her lover? That has been done enough in our history, and it never ended well for either party."
Percy stood there stunned, eyes wide and mouth opened. It took him a whole minute to gather his bearings. Eventually, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making it even more messy than it was before. "Was… was I foolish to make such a promise, Mom?"
'Am I even worthy of a Titaness's affection?'
"It's not a question of if you are worthy of her affections," his mother smiled sadly at his startled expression, "your face says it all, sweetie. With a heart of gold and a spine of steel, you're a bonafide hero out of a fairy tale, my son, divine parentage or not. Though I suppose your father was always easy on the eye, and you are no lesser. Never undersell yourself; Any woman, and I mean anyone, divine or mortal, would be extremely lucky to have you as her companion in life. Now tell me, son. How do you truly feel about Calypso?"
Percy felt flustered by that praise, but under his mother's encouraging smile, he managed to calm down. He sat on the bed and closed his eyes, letting go of his worries. It was hard to put aside all the thoughts about the coming quests, his conflicting feelings towards Annabeth and Rachel, and the impending doom of the prophecy. With great effort, he forced his mind to focus on Calypso and nothing but her. The image of her dark almond-shaped eyes shining kindly like two warm stars, her beautiful, timeless face, and flawless features. The smell of the cinnamon of her braided hair, the color of caramel, and her gentle yet beguiling smile. No, there was no question about Calypso's beauty; even when compared to Aphrodite, the Titaness still looked better, more natural, and without even trying to doll herself up.
But none of that mattered as much as the woman herself. Her kind yet down-to-earth nature surprisingly reminded him of his mom. Her smile would give him butterflies in his stomach, and her laugh that would have his heart racing like a sports car.
Percy sighed as he acknowledged what his mother was trying to say. Calypso had openly declared her affection for him; that much was clear. He had no doubt that she would join him against her own family so long as he returned her feelings, and there was no doubt now that he more than liked her. When he imagined himself by her side, happiness surged in him. Yet, when he imagined her with another man, a wrathful fury nearly took hold of him.
The sea is very covetous of that which it deems its own.
But was this truly love? The young demigod… wasn't sure; he felt too young, too inexperienced. But Percy Jackson was never a coward or indecisive person. It wouldn't be too bad to… try and find out, especially with Calypso by his side.
He opened his eyes, and a long, tired sigh tore out of his lips, "You're right, Mom."
"Of course, I'm right. A mother knows best. Now come here and give me a hug," Percy chuckled at that and swept Sally in a crushing hug. She smiled sadly at her son, "I would have loved to meet whoever was able to capture my son's heart so firmly, but it will have to wait until you free her, I suppose."
Percy smiled back at his mom, feeling a heavy weight had left his heart.
"I wasn't even sure what I was feeling," and he still wasn't, but that shred of uncertainty was easily squashed as he already had up his mind. "I learned today that it was Hera that sent me to Calypso and that Calypso didn't have to help me. She did it of her own free will. She could have simply done the bare minimum to make sure I survived and called one of the gods to pick me up, yet she didn't. For days, she cared for me. Treated me with gentleness and kindness. When I woke up, she soothed my worries and made sure I got back in tiptop shape. For those few days, I've never felt so calm and peaceful in my life. No burdens, No worries about world-ending catastrophes." Percy's smile grew, "We would joke and play around. She would tell me of her island and her garden. She gave me a unique plant that only grows on her island that I have left in Rachel's apartment. I wish I brought it with me, actually."
Percy shook his head. "Regardless, It was time for me to leave, and it was then she confessed her feelings to me. That she has greatly enjoyed her time and that the gods are cruel for always sending her heroes whom they know she would fall in love with, yet they cannot afford to stay with her. I may not have been able to stay with her then, but now I will rectify that. I will free her, Mom. No matter what. That is the least I can do for her."
"And I am glad you have finally found your resolve." Sally stood, and so did Percy. They hugged each other again as they remained silent.
"I will bring her here, so you could both meet. I'm sure you will love her, Mom. Just give me two or three weeks, and we'll be knocking on your door."
"I'll hold you to that, then."
All that needed to be said was said. For now, they just enjoyed each other's warm presence.
P*O*D
"Your mom is very nice."
"I know. She is the best mom in the world."
Rachel gave a wistful and longing smile at his declaration, and Percy felt a little bad about it. Rachel hadn't talked about her parents much, if at all, but he could tell that she had a rocky relationship with them.
"Once we get back with Calypso, you can visit us anytime. I'm sure Mom would love to have you over. Did you know she's a bit of a sculptor herself? She even won a prize once."
Rachel's eyes widened, "She did? Oh, you have to tell me all about it!"
Percy chuckled at her excitement. Leave it for Rachel to get excited over anything art related. He turned to his brother, Tyson, as he tried to light a trashcan on fire in the alley they were in.
"Later, perhaps. Here, we should both do it properly." He handed Rachel a slice of his birthday cake once Tyson managed to light the bonfire, "Thank you, Tyson. Starting fires should be left for those who are immune to it."
His brother laughed merrily, "Anytime, brother."
Percy held two slices of cake in each hand as he explained to Rachel, "You should first invoke the god or goddess' name before feeding the sacrifice to the fire. You will know it worked once the food is quickly consumed, and you have a few seconds to give a prayer or send a message as you inhale the smoke. It will feel awesome, I guarantee it! I will go first."
"For Poseidon," He said in a low voice before feeding a slice of the blue cake to the fire. They watched as it was quickly consumed, much faster than a normal fire should be capable of doing; Percy gave a quick prayer to his father and thanked him for watching over him. He smelled the smoke of the fire and felt immediately like he was on the beach and feeling the cool ocean breeze under the hot summer sun.
"For Hera," He fed the other slice and thanked the Queen of Olympus for her aid and for sending him to Calypso. He smelled the smoke, and it was as if he was back in his mother's warm embrace. Visions of him as a child clinging to Sally as she put him to bed or when she held him closely when they were on the beach in Montauk watching the sea. Percy shuddered pleasantly once the spell was broken. Suffice to say; he would probably pray more to Hera if that's what she offered.
He could have sworn he heard a feminine chuckle in the wind. Percy shook his head before turning to Rachel. "Your turn."
The girl did the same as he instructed, and he watched her closely. He frowned a little when she smelled the smoke, and tears formed in her eyes. The red-haired girl choked out a laugh as she backed up from the fire.
"How was it?"
Rachel shook her head but smiled pleasantly, "Like a mother's embrace. Something I thought I would have never experienced."
He grinned at her before looking at Tyson, who was eating his own slice of cake. "Aren't you going to sacrifice to Father?"
The younger but much taller boy quickly gulped his cake. "Dad never asked me to. He always listens when I pray anyway."
Percy frowned but then realized that Tyson was technically a monster, so maybe praying works differently for him.
P*O*D
They put out the fire before making their way out of the alley and listened to Tyson explain their plan for the morning.
"So we just come to the beach, all suited up, at nine in the morning sharp, and someone will take us to a boat your father prepared for us, Tyson?" Rachel asked as they walked back towards her apartment building. It was nearly ten in the evening, and she needed to pack her belongings as well. Lord Poseidon had made it clear that it would be a few weeks before she saw her home again.
Rachel doubted she would miss her parents, nor would they miss her, as it wouldn't be the first time she disappeared for days from home, but school and her projects were another matter. Still, who would miss out on such an adventure? And Calypso and Ogygia were both equally intriguing.
"Yep!" Tyson said happily; she had only ever seen him happy, but then Percy was usually with him when she saw him.
A hint of longing appeared inside of her; having a loving sibling like Tyson wouldn't be too bad. Alas, it would be a cold day in hell when her parents tolerated each other enough to go for a second child. Hell, she barely remembers the last time any of her parents had hugged her or acted in any way affectionate that wasn't expected from them when in public. Then again, that intoxicating feeling she got from sacrificing to the Queen Mother…she didn't get enough of it.
"And is the someone that will pick us up happens to be a very good swimmer and is colored like the rainbow?" Percy smiled at his brother.
"How did you know his name is Rainbow?" Tyson asked, surprised. Before Percy could say anything, he continued, "You are so amazing, brother! But yes, Rainbow and his friends will be there for you. They will have space for your luggage as well."
Rachel blinked in confusion, uncertain of what exactly was going on.
"Don't worry about it, you will love meeting them in the morning, I was right about the sacrifice, right?" At her eager nod, Percy patted her shoulder and then turned to his brother. "I will be needing you to repair my shield, Tyson. It has saved my life, but it misses your touch."
The demigod showed his brother the broken bronze watch.
Tyson nodded enthusiastically, "Okay, give it here. I will have it good as new by morning." He pocketed the watch once Percy gave it to him and had a concentrated look on his face. "I will pack my portable smithy and some materials as well. I'm sure Dad won't mind if I ask him for some Celestial Bronze. In case it breaks again, or we need to fix something else."
"That's smart of you, Tyson. Better to be over-prepared than under-prepared."
Tyson smiled happily. They continued walking as the conversation turned to more inane topics.
"Well, this is where I have to go," Tyson said as they stopped by a pier, "Goodnight, Percy. Goodnight Rachel. I'll see you tomorrow!" Tyson hugged both of them tightly before jumping into the water.
Rachel looked at Percy, who shrugged, and they continued on home. Gods, she was already feeling tired, yet there was a lot of packing to do.
Hera and Poseidon's meeting with Percy happened in the books as well, however, this time, they decided to meet him together considering the circumstances.
Hera is in a much better mood here without Annabeth pissing her off or Riordan butchering her character regarding Nico. That part in the books was so contrived it sickened me. Rachel does well buttering up the queen of the gods, and Hera seemed to have taken a shine to her.
Same regarding Oceanus. How is it possible that the only Titan that stayed neutral in the last war, during the height of Kronos' power, would side against the gods this time when Kronos is at his weakest?
Clear-sighted mortals are incredibly rare and ALL the gods desire them, one way or another. That's a headcanon thing from me, but unfortunately, it won't be relevant in this story very much. I plan to expand more on it when I write another PJO fic in the future.
Poseidon shows why he's Dad material. Sally shows why she's the best mom in the series. Percy finally gets past his denial. If he saves Calypso, then he has to understand that he is basically marrying her. There's no other way around it.
If you like my works and would like me to ease up on the overtime shifts and write more instead, then feel free to leave me a tip. My Patre(on) name is the same as my pen name. The full link is on my profile.
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I don't know if Percy and Tyson are ship nerds or not, but for this story they are. Age of sails and the like, rather than the modern stuff.
Thank you for your support and reviews. Feel free to check out my other fics or join me on Discord, code is in my profile.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx. Do check out his awesome works on HP and ASOIAF
August 19th, early morning.
"Are you sure you have everything you will need? Nothing at all missing?" Percy asked sarcastically as he looked at the veritable mountain of luggage that Rachel had just unloaded from the taxi that drove them here.
Rachel ignored him as she counted, ensuring none of her luggage was missing. Once satisfied, she paid the driver, whom she had whistled for once they exited the building as if she were a recurring client, and they both watched him drive off.
'It was an impressive taxi whistle,' Percy thought idly.
"Why do you even need so much luggage anyway? We should only be gone for a couple of weeks or a month at most." Percy asked, probably for the sixth time that day.
"Here's the thing, Percy. Girls, in general, will always have more luggage than boys," Rachel replied with a sigh; she was dressed casually for a girl on an adventure; brown cargo shorts, a green T-shirt, her trusty boots, and a sun hat. In Percy's opinion, she also had a pair of shades that were a bit too big for her face, though Percy could have sworn he saw a glimpse of that swimsuit she bought worn under it all.
"Sure, I'll buy that, but it doesn't explain why you would have six suitcases, a satchel, a purse, and a backpack to my lone suitcase and backpack," Percy scratched his nose.
"Hey, there was no way I was leaving behind my art supplies! Nor my camera and photography equipment, nor my laptop…or my clothes," Rachel began strongly but gradually lost her steam near the end. Probably wondering if… maybe she did take too much?
"Let's just hope they can carry them all." Percy surrendered and looked around at the pier where Tyson was supposed to meet them.
"You never did mention how we will get to Tyson. Also, what do you mean by carrying the stuff?" Rachel asked, confused.
"Better to just wait and see for yourself. Here, I think I can see them now."
There seemed to be a slight disturbance in the waves.
"Where?!" Her eyes eagerly roamed over the horizon, and soon, Rachel could see three figures making their way to the pier at top speed. "Are those…Seahorses?"
"Close. They are Hippocampi. Loyal steeds of my father and the big one in the lead is Tyson's friend, Rainbow." Soon enough, the Hippocampi arrived at the pier and neighed for them to get moving. Rachel cooed and reached out to pet them, making him sigh. "Let's get moving; they do not like the polluted water much."
She nodded sadly at him.
As the Hippocampi settled by the pier, they noticed the large chariot cart swaying on the waves behind them. Large enough for five people or two with a lot of luggage. Understanding quickly, Percy first helped Rachel on board, and then they started to load their effects. Once they were secured with the provided ropes and tarp, the Hippocampi swam away as fast as they could.
Percy waved at a mortal fisherman as they sped off, who waved back. Clearly, the Mist was working well, probably seeing them riding a speedboat or something. They sped through Upper Bay, past Governor Island and the Statue of Liberty, and made quick time to the open ocean.
"This is fun!" Rachel spread her arms in excitement.
The Hippocampi neighed in appreciation and earned soft, pearly laughter from the girl. Both teens were holding onto the provided handrails; there were no leashes or reins, as the Hippocampi knew where they were going.
Soon enough, they were in the middle of nowhere when their ride stopped, but Percy could easily tell he was exactly 40 degrees North and 73 degrees West…or about 50 miles south of Long Island. Very fast, considering they have only been traveling for fifteen minutes since they cleared Lower Bay.
Percy could also tell why they stopped, as he could see Tyson waving at them enthusiastically from the deck of a warship. If Percy was right, this is either a Corvette or a Sloop of War. Both were very closely related to each other in design and usage; patrols, pirate hunters, fast response ships, and extremely maneuverable thanks to being full-rigged; he could see the three masts that designate a ship as such. It wasn't really anything special in a huge naval battle two hundred years ago as it barely rated as a warship…but that was the ship nerd in him speaking.
For what they needed to get to the Sea of Monsters and perhaps beyond?
It was perfect!
The hippocampi quickly swam towards the ship's port side, with Rachel looking amazingly through a gun port, only for Percy to drag her away. A glance told him those guns looked real and had powder kegs and cannonball baskets next to them, though not loaded, thankfully, something he will need to address Tyson with.
He willed the sea to raise them to level with the main deck, forming a platform of solidified water that was not ice, and Tyson quickly helped them unload. Once both teens were aboard and their luggage safely piled, they waved farewell to the Hippocampi, who stared amused at them.
"Why aren't they leaving? Oh, could they be joining us on the voyage?" Rachel asked excitedly.
"Looks like it," Percy shrugged before turning to Tyson, "Well, brother, thank you for sending us the ride."
"No problem, Percy," Tyson smiled happily, "We should get your stuff in the galley and then set sail."
They waved gratefully to the Hippocampi one last time before dropping their belongings in the galley. When Percy asked about his room, Tyson insisted he take the captain's quarters, and Percy couldn't refuse him.
An hour later, they were finally sailing, the ship's hull cleaving through the dark waters of the open sea. With Percy's powers, he could easily have the ship travel above its maximum speed without the risk of structural damage. They were currently sailing at twenty knots, the fastest the corvette could go on its own. Though it could go higher with better winds, once Percy took over, he easily got the ship to go twice that at forty knots without factoring in the wind; reducing the friction of the water with the hull did miracles to the speed.
While Percy could also encourage the wind to blow in their favor, it would be quite more taxing than what he was already doing. Nevertheless, his father watched over them as the winds soon picked up, and he could tell the ship's speed had reached 50 kt!
This was unheard of for a sailing warship of this size.
They would probably arrive at the Sea of Monsters by tomorrow morning. Tyson's friend, Rainbow, easily overtook them - even the ship's speed couldn't rival the hippocampi at sea.
It was finally time to get a tour of their new vessel.
Tyson smiled, happy to show off his knowledge, "This ship is an old project of Dad's that he finished a few years ago and promptly forgot about. It's based on the USS Constellation, a 22-gun Sloop of War that can hold over 200 crewmen. Dad didn't want to have so many people on his private ship when he cruises with Auntie Amphitrite, though, so he turned all the extra space and parts of the hold into several rooms and modernized the ship as much as possible without breaking the immersion of it still being a warship from the age of sails. It should still have enough room to accommodate 30 people comfortably, though, in an emergency, we can shove as many as it can hold."
All of this was said ad verbatim, as they first bypassed the galley and led them to the birth deck, or what used to be it, as half of it was transformed into amenities as Tyson recited.
In fact, 'he seemed to switch his voice to be more similar to Poseidon,' Percy thought, 'probably repeating what their father said about the ship.'
"Amazing, Tyson! You really know a lot." Rachel looked at Tyson in awe; the poor girl had no idea about the cyclops' voice imitation powers and their excellent memory.
His brother blushed but continued as they passed by a modern gym that had, from what Percy glimpsed aside from lifting machines, a pool and ping-pong table, and a dartboard on the wall; next to the gym was a spa, complete with a jacuzzi and a large swimming pool along with an assortment of showers. Next was what could only be a gaming and recreation room, with a wide-screen TV and a large, comfy couch to watch movies or play games on.
"Not really a lot, just what I know." Tyson's voice was shy, "The ship does have an engine and generators to provide electricity and can be powered by all sorts of fuel in an emergency. It also powers the capstan that drops and pulls the anchor, as well as the bilge pump. However, the biggest advantage of this ship is the Greek Fire Reactor that Dad installed but never activated. It's supposed to be even more efficient than Nuclear Power and cleaner! I'm not very sure how it works, only that it requires Greek Fire to operate. I will take a look and read the manual for it, don't worry, though, Percy. The engine is powered by a Celestial Bronze Core that Dad charmed himself for now. It should last us a few months, but we have supplies of coal just in case."
The ship was seemingly fully stocked, and next, they were led to the aforementioned engine room, which looked quite alien to Percy. Nothing like any engine he had ever seen before, but he trusted Tyson to know how to operate and maintain it. This was all interesting for Percy, but he highly doubted he would need any of that extra luxury for his journey. He was used to traveling rough on his quests, and the ship didn't even need wind to travel as long as he was onboard. Still, he won't stop Tyson from showing off as it really was interesting stuff. However…
"Are you sure the engine is safe? Greek Fire is incredibly volatile."
"Perfectly safe! The only worry is if someone boards the ship, sneaks down to the engine room, and blows it up. At that point, we would have already lost anyway."
Percy hummed in thought. Some additional security would have been nice, but hopefully, it would not be a problem for their short journey.
There was what appeared to be a workshop near the reactor, complete with a smithy and other tools and equipment, "My workspace, but it's not really as efficient as a proper one." Tyson had a sad look on his face for not being able to work the forges anymore. He pointed out a large, neat pile of metals, one of which Percy recognized was Celestial Bronze, though he was unsure of its grade. There were a couple of other metals he thought were magical as well, but he wasn't the best at metallurgy.
"Celestial Bronze is easy to come by if you know the right person. I managed to get the ones reserved for Dad's forges in case we need to make or fix weapons. Dad likes to call it Orichalcum to differentiate the quality grades. I also got regular grades for the ship itself. Most of the metals of the engine and reactors are made from it. Oh, here." Tyson moved towards one of the worktables and handed him his shield, "Good as new."
Percy smiled as he latched the shield on his left arm, then turned it back into watch form, "Thanks, Tyson."
They made their way back to the galley, where the gun ports and mess hall were supposed to be, and walked past a small infirmary that was to the bow of the galley. Naturally, Poseidon would have no use for it, but Tyson explained he kept it for aesthetic reasons.
Nevertheless, Percy was ecstatic to find it stocked with Ambrosia and Nectar, "Don't ever try to eat or drink these, Rachel, unless you want to combust spontaneously!"
The warning halted Rachel who was moving her hand towards a bar of ambrosia, followed by a flinch as she remembered what those were. There were also other standard medications and equipment that would help a mortal like Rachel.
Next came the kitchens, fully stocked, of course, and they were happy to see how modern it was with fridges, freezers, ovens, and other things they didn't really recognize but could tell were of the highest quality despite that none of them had any brands, strangely enough. There was also a large dining room with a table big enough to seat twenty people and several smaller tables around it. All of them had benches instead of seats, though.
Next, they came upon a locked door that Tyson said was the armory. After opening it and taking a peak, Percy was surprised to see it stocked with rifles, pistols, and what looked like two Gatling guns or rotary guns: he was not sure as his gun knowledge was very basic. Apparently, despite his father liking old-school cannons and cannonballs, he still preferred shooting with more modern guns. Or, at least, ones that didn't take a lifetime to reload.
Tyson pointed out crates and boxes with Greek Fire ingredients, "too dangerous to store them prepped. They are easy enough to get, but Nectar is an important and the rarest ingredient for the recipe," There was also a small crate that had Greek Fire ready for use though it was well-secured.
They continued towards the stern of the ship, past a large communal bathroom with showers and toilets, and several regular-sized bedrooms that apparently took the space where the regular sailors would sleep on hammocks until they reached the captain's and the officer's cabins.
They were pleasantly surprised to find them all transformed into luxurious apartments for a ship this size. The standard rooms had a single bed, a simple wooden desk and chair, as well as a wardrobe. The officers' rooms had double beds, a large desk with a comfy chair, a large wardrobe, and space for its occupants to redecorate as they saw fit. Each room also had a small bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower head, all crammed within four square feet.
The Captain's quarters, though, were like a royal suite from a five-star hotel. Even Rachel, who was used to luxury, was super impressed with it, considering it was in a sailing boat. It had a king-sized four-poster bed, carpeting on the floor, an excellent view of the stern with many windows, a dining table that could seat eight people, a large desk with a very comfortable chair behind it as well as a coffee table in front of it with three seats for guests. There was also a large bathroom with the standard amenities expected and a fixed Celestial Bronze tub large enough to fit five people. To the side, there was a walk-in closet for the captain's robes and suits connected back to the main quarters. Other rooms were also available, large enough to be separate rooms in their own right, though they were empty. They could be repurposed for a map room or his own personal game room, Percy thought idly.
Eventually, they made their way back on deck and followed Tyson to the galley, where Percy asked Tyson about the cannons.
"Oh, Dad liked to see things go boom. Sometimes, smiting things or drowning them can get stale, he tells me." Tyson said nonchalantly, to both Percy and Rachel's bemusement.
"I guess boys will always be boys!" Rachel chortled.
They brought some lounge chairs and drinks to sit back and chill on the main deck. Before they could sit, Percy noticed an open-aired enclosure at the stern of the deck and wondered what it was about.
"So, what do you think of the ship?" Asked Tyson shyly as he stood by the double helm.
Before they could reply, they heard the flapping of wings overhead, and Percy heard someone calling his name.
"BOSS!! Huff-puff, Why hee-huh did you leave me behind?!" It was Blackjack, who nearly crash-landed on the deck of the ship from exhaustion.
"Blackjack!" Percy hurried to his friend with worry to see if he was okay.
"I'm alright, boss," Blackjack breathed heavily, "Just got carried away chasing those feathery demons all day yesterday."
"Flying pony!" Tyson hurried to hug and pet the half-dying Pegasus.
"We should have him rest in the shade. Isn't there a stable on board, Tyson?" Rachel asked worriedly.
"Yes! It's right there," Tyson pointed to the enclosure Percy noticed earlier, "Dad made it specifically for Pegasi. It has everything to care for them, and the roof can be closed in bad weather."
"Great, come on, Blackjack, we'll get you some rest. You must have flown all the way from New York, I thought you returned to camp when I couldn't find you yesterday?" Percy asked as they led the tired Pegasus to a stall filled with water and feed.
A few minutes passed while they patiently waited for Blackjack to eat and drink his fill before the Pegasus replied, "I did return to camp, Boss. I had a race with Guido and Porkpie, and there was no way I would back down from that challenge. Raced them from Camp to Maine and back again; I won, of course, but then you didn't call me Boss!" Blackjack was initially smug about his victory, yet the whine at the end was funny, making Percy feel guilty.
"I didn't expect you would want to come on a sea voyage, Jack," Percy said simply.
"Nah-uh, not any simple sea voyage. I can feel it, Boss, that If I didn't join you now, I would never have the chance to see you again. I owe you my life for saving me from that accursed ship. I'll follow you anywhere you go, can't get rid of me that easily." Blackjack laid down on the hay to rest, "I'm going to sleep; I've been flying non-stop for hours. Wake me up if you have an apple, would you boss?" At that, Blackjack started snoring, leaving Percy to stew at his Pegasus friend's ominous warning.
"Well, that certainly is an interesting way to meet my first Pegasus; wish I could understand what he was saying, though," Rachel tutted before making her way back to the lounge chairs. Percy and Tyson followed her, and soon, they were enjoying the voyage to the Sea of Monsters.
"I could have sworn the USS Constellation was a bit smaller than that, though," Rachel asked suddenly, "Is this model bigger?"
"A little. Dad redesigned it to fit the extra things he wanted to add. He wanted to add more cannons, actually, but Auntie decided that sixteen in the galley were enough. So, in addition to making the cannons out of Orichalcum to be able to handle Greek Fire, he had an entire armory filled with contemporary rifles and small arms. That's also where the mortars and Howitzers are kept." Tyson said as he snacked on the donuts that Rachel bought him this morning.
Percy did not like the look on Rachel's face; no, sir, he did not like it at all. She looked like Christmas had come early, and he could guess why.
He decided to steer the conversation away from things that go boom, "You never mentioned the ship's name, Tyson?"
"Dad named it the Sea Queen for Auntie, but they only ever sailed it once before growing bored with it. He had it refurbished and intended it to be a birthday present for you someday," Tyson's eye widened, "Oh no, I should have mentioned that earlier. Dad says Happy birthday, Percy, and sorry for not giving you a present personally when we met yesterday. My original gift didn't seem appropriate after our conversation." Tyson said the last few lines in such a perfect rendition of Poseidon's voice that he could tell it was a real message from his dad.
He felt so damn happy about it and nearly burst out laughing at Rachel's shocked look.
"Cyclops, Rachel. Excellent memory and voice imitation."
She nodded in understanding as Tyson continued, "I didn't stay long enough for a spirit to form on the ship, so you are welcome to rename it if you wish. Perhaps you will form one yourself, as would be expected from a son of mine."
"Ship spirit?" Rachel asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, they sometimes form from the essence of a god who has claimed the ship as his own and used it for some time. There are even legends that it can form from regular mortal sailors, although Dad tells me that usually, it's just a sea nymph playing a prank." Tyson was happy to explain, It honestly pleased Percy how much Tyson had found something he was so knowledgeable about and could show off those random bits of trivia.
'Not that I knew that last tidbit,' Percy thought wryly. He wasn't sure about the idea of a spirit forming out of his essence. It felt like having a child, and he was way too young to have children.
"We'll think about names later; more importantly, Tyson, did Dad say anything about how we can get to Ogygia? Is it related to why Rainbow is joining us?"
"Dad said that Rainbow would be helpful in taking us to our destination. He said something about your gift, helping him know where to go, but to only give it to him once we are close." Tyson said with a thoughtful look at Rachel, "He also said that Rainbow will only bring us to the general area of the island and that you will be vital in breaking through the Mist surrounding the island."
Who would have thought a quest without a prophecy would make him this lost? It sounded even more vague than the ramblings of the oracle. Percy looked at his Moon Lace, placed on a table under an umbrella, and frowned in thought, "So we proceed to the Sea of Monsters, and once we are past the two guardians, I have Rainbow smell the plant, and he will know where to go?" Percy looked at Tyson and Rachel in confirmation.
"That's what Dad says; apparently, Hippocampi, and Rainbow in particular, have an excellent sense of smell and taste, but even he will have trouble tracking things in the Sea of Monsters. He would be able to track it when we are a day away or so," Tyson replied while Rachel had a thoughtful look on her face, but it suddenly went completely blank. In fact, her eyes were a bit hazy, and Percy got a little worried before she recovered and looked straight at him.
"Those guardians you spoke of, I take it they are not the friendly kind?" Rachel asked with a serious face.
"Not at all, they are not. You may have heard of them, Scylla and Charybdis?" Percy replied.
"I did read about them. Wasn't Charybdis Poseidon's favorite daughter but was cursed by Zeus because she was too loyal to her father?" The girl's brows scrunched up with concern, "That would make her your sister too."
Percy chuckled, "Poseidon has fathered a great many beings, Rachel. Some may joke about how Zeus likes to sleep around a lot, but Dad takes the cake in that department. If I had to worry about every being in myth being my family, I would start calling the Crooked One grandpa, then."
Rachel smiled sardonically at that, "Your pantheon is one whole big family feud, isn't it?"
"That it is. Anyway, the last time we went through the Sea of Monsters, we had to sail between the two guardians. Supposedly, there is a tight gap where it is safe to sail through."
"Supposedly, you say? I take it things didn't go as planned."
"It did not, but that's a story for another day. Unless you want a detailed account of how a foolish daughter of the war god decided it's a good idea to pick a fight with my monstrous sister with her rust bucket of a boat?" Percy raised his eyebrow while beside him, Tyson shivered at the memory.
"I'm good, thank you very much." Rachel chuckled wryly, "I believe I can lead you through that safe route between them, though. We just need to get there, and I will be counting a lot on your sailing prowess."
Percy was glad for that, even if he was confused about how she seemed to know things she should not know, "You can count on me; I can control basically everything on this ship that has to do with its operation."
"Even the cannons?!" Rachel asked excitedly, to his slight concern.
'Is she secretly a gun nut?' He thought in wonder.
"I'm not sure; let me see." Percy concentrated on the 12-pounder howitzer on the deck. It was one of the smallest cannons onboard, yet still made from Celestial Bronze. Percy made sure the cannonballs were regular steel before he started.
They could all see the cannon rotating in position outside its gun port. Powder, primer, and other things were loaded, and then the cannonball. The cannon rotated again into the gun port while a fuse was lowered into the firing hole. A booming sound went, and they watched the cannonball splash in the water about 200 feet away. The cannon recoiled heavily and moved back a few feet onto the deck.
"Oh shoot, I forgot to make sure it was secured." Percy sighed as he pointed at the ropes that secured the cannon to the deck to avoid recoiling out of control.
"I didn't know you knew how to load a cannon, Percy."
Memories of when he was in fifth grade and accidentally fired a cannon, which hit the school bus when he was on a field trip at the Saratoga Battlefield, flowed into his mind. Turns out that cannon had either seen service on a ship or was designed to work on a ship. Probably why he could fire it in the first place; it all came instinctively to him.
"While it looks like I can load the cannons and shoot them, I don't think I can aim them well. Probably my archery curse transferring to the cannons as well." That elicited a few rounds of good-nurtured laughter.
"Well, I'm sure we won't need to use those cannons anyway. If a sea monster comes by, I can just jump in the sea to fight it the old-fashioned way."
"Or, you can have me aim the guns, and you can do your thing. You would help me load them, right, Tyson?" Rachel asked quickly.
"Uh-mm, sure I will," Tyson replied after looking at Percy, who shrugged.
"Anyway, back to our plan, you can lead us past the guardians, and then once we are in the Sea of Monsters proper, we can give Rainbow one of the petals from the Moon Lace. We will follow him to the general area of the island, and then you will lead us through the Mist. Does that sound right, Rachel?" Percy summarized the plan, and Rachel nodded.
"Okay, everyone, my first order as captain of this vessel is to rest and relax till tomorrow. If you want to do some preparation or need me for something, let me know. I will be training in the gym for a bit." Percy announced as he stood from the lounge chair.
"I think I will practice shooting the cannons with Tyson. You can never know what we will meet. It is the Sea of Monsters, after all, right?" Rachel asked as she, too, stood up and looked expectantly at Tyson, who was certainly happy for an excuse to watch things go boom.
"Fair enough, just be careful, Rachel. We don't have any way to magically treat a mortal, nor do I even know anything above basic first-aid."
Percy couldn't help but worry for the girl; He may have gotten too used to Rachel's presence, but he must remind himself that she is still human, a regular mortal.
"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be careful. I've got Tyson with me, after all." Rachel shrugged and dragged his brother to the nearest gun.
"Tyson, keep a close eye on her. Don't be shy to scold her if you think she's doing something dangerous, and don't make too much of a racket; Blackjack is trying to sleep." Percy shouted at them from afar before he made his way to the Gym. He had never tried exercising with the sea nearby to help him recover. This should be an interesting experience.
Personally, I did not like the Argo II and found it both wanting and limiting. Why the heck would they settle for an ancient design like the Trireme when they could have updated it up to something more modern and badass?
For reference, The Sea Queen (New name currently pending) is bigger than the Thousand Sunny which is considered a regular Sloop.
If you like my works and would like me to ease up on the overtime shifts and write more instead, then feel free to leave me a tip. My Patre(on) name is the same as my pen name. The full link is on my profile.
Thank you for your support and reviews. Feel free to check out my other fics or join me on Discord, code is in my profile.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx. Do check out his awesome works on HP and ASOIAF
August 19th, early morning.
"Are you sure you have everything you will need? Nothing at all missing?" Percy asked sarcastically as he looked at the veritable mountain of luggage that Rachel had just unloaded from the taxi that drove them here.
Rachel ignored him as she counted, ensuring none of her luggage was missing. Once satisfied, she paid the driver, whom she had whistled for once they exited the building as if she were a recurring client, and they both watched him drive off.
'It was an impressive taxi whistle,' Percy thought idly.
"Why do you even need so much luggage anyway? We should only be gone for a couple of weeks or a month at most." Percy asked, probably for the sixth time that day.
"Here's the thing, Percy. Girls, in general, will always have more luggage than boys," Rachel replied with a sigh; she was dressed casually for a girl on an adventure; brown cargo shorts, a green T-shirt, her trusty boots, and a sun hat. In Percy's opinion, she also had a pair of shades that were a bit too big for her face, though Percy could have sworn he saw a glimpse of that swimsuit she bought worn under it all.
"Sure, I'll buy that, but it doesn't explain why you would have six suitcases, a satchel, a purse, and a backpack to my lone suitcase and backpack," Percy scratched his nose.
"Hey, there was no way I was leaving behind my art supplies! Nor my camera and photography equipment, nor my laptop…or my clothes," Rachel began strongly but gradually lost her steam near the end. Probably wondering if… maybe she did take too much?
"Let's just hope they can carry them all." Percy surrendered and looked around at the pier where Tyson was supposed to meet them.
"You never did mention how we will get to Tyson. Also, what do you mean by carrying the stuff?" Rachel asked, confused.
"Better to just wait and see for yourself. Here, I think I can see them now."
There seemed to be a slight disturbance in the waves.
"Where?!" Her eyes eagerly roamed over the horizon, and soon, Rachel could see three figures making their way to the pier at top speed. "Are those…Seahorses?"
"Close. They are Hippocampi. Loyal steeds of my father and the big one in the lead is Tyson's friend, Rainbow." Soon enough, the Hippocampi arrived at the pier and neighed for them to get moving. Rachel cooed and reached out to pet them, making him sigh. "Let's get moving; they do not like the polluted water much."
She nodded sadly at him.
As the Hippocampi settled by the pier, they noticed the large chariot cart swaying on the waves behind them. Large enough for five people or two with a lot of luggage. Understanding quickly, Percy first helped Rachel on board, and then they started to load their effects. Once they were secured with the provided ropes and tarp, the Hippocampi swam away as fast as they could.
Percy waved at a mortal fisherman as they sped off, who waved back. Clearly, the Mist was working well, probably seeing them riding a speedboat or something. They sped through Upper Bay, past Governor Island and the Statue of Liberty, and made quick time to the open ocean.
"This is fun!" Rachel spread her arms in excitement.
The Hippocampi neighed in appreciation and earned soft, pearly laughter from the girl. Both teens were holding onto the provided handrails; there were no leashes or reins, as the Hippocampi knew where they were going.
Soon enough, they were in the middle of nowhere when their ride stopped, but Percy could easily tell he was exactly 40 degrees North and 73 degrees West…or about 50 miles south of Long Island. Very fast, considering they have only been traveling for fifteen minutes since they cleared Lower Bay.
Percy could also tell why they stopped, as he could see Tyson waving at them enthusiastically from the deck of a warship. If Percy was right, this is either a Corvette or a Sloop of War. Both were very closely related to each other in design and usage; patrols, pirate hunters, fast response ships, and extremely maneuverable thanks to being full-rigged; he could see the three masts that designate a ship as such. It wasn't really anything special in a huge naval battle two hundred years ago as it barely rated as a warship…but that was the ship nerd in him speaking.
For what they needed to get to the Sea of Monsters and perhaps beyond?
It was perfect!
The hippocampi quickly swam towards the ship's port side, with Rachel looking amazingly through a gun port, only for Percy to drag her away. A glance told him those guns looked real and had powder kegs and cannonball baskets next to them, though not loaded, thankfully, something he will need to address Tyson with.
He willed the sea to raise them to level with the main deck, forming a platform of solidified water that was not ice, and Tyson quickly helped them unload. Once both teens were aboard and their luggage safely piled, they waved farewell to the Hippocampi, who stared amused at them.
"Why aren't they leaving? Oh, could they be joining us on the voyage?" Rachel asked excitedly.
"Looks like it," Percy shrugged before turning to Tyson, "Well, brother, thank you for sending us the ride."
"No problem, Percy," Tyson smiled happily, "We should get your stuff in the galley and then set sail."
They waved gratefully to the Hippocampi one last time before dropping their belongings in the galley. When Percy asked about his room, Tyson insisted he take the captain's quarters, and Percy couldn't refuse him.
An hour later, they were finally sailing, the ship's hull cleaving through the dark waters of the open sea. With Percy's powers, he could easily have the ship travel above its maximum speed without the risk of structural damage. They were currently sailing at twenty knots, the fastest the corvette could go on its own. Though it could go higher with better winds, once Percy took over, he easily got the ship to go twice that at forty knots without factoring in the wind; reducing the friction of the water with the hull did miracles to the speed.
While Percy could also encourage the wind to blow in their favor, it would be quite more taxing than what he was already doing. Nevertheless, his father watched over them as the winds soon picked up, and he could tell the ship's speed had reached 50 kt!
This was unheard of for a sailing warship of this size.
They would probably arrive at the Sea of Monsters by tomorrow morning. Tyson's friend, Rainbow, easily overtook them - even the ship's speed couldn't rival the hippocampi at sea.
It was finally time to get a tour of their new vessel.
Tyson smiled, happy to show off his knowledge, "This ship is an old project of Dad's that he finished a few years ago and promptly forgot about. It's based on the USS Constellation, a 22-gun Sloop of War that can hold over 200 crewmen. Dad didn't want to have so many people on his private ship when he cruises with Auntie Amphitrite, though, so he turned all the extra space and parts of the hold into several rooms and modernized the ship as much as possible without breaking the immersion of it still being a warship from the age of sails. It should still have enough room to accommodate 30 people comfortably, though, in an emergency, we can shove as many as it can hold."
All of this was said ad verbatim, as they first bypassed the galley and led them to the birth deck, or what used to be it, as half of it was transformed into amenities as Tyson recited.
In fact, 'he seemed to switch his voice to be more similar to Poseidon,' Percy thought, 'probably repeating what their father said about the ship.'
"Amazing, Tyson! You really know a lot." Rachel looked at Tyson in awe; the poor girl had no idea about the cyclops' voice imitation powers and their excellent memory.
His brother blushed but continued as they passed by a modern gym that had, from what Percy glimpsed aside from lifting machines, a pool and ping-pong table, and a dartboard on the wall; next to the gym was a spa, complete with a jacuzzi and a large swimming pool along with an assortment of showers. Next was what could only be a gaming and recreation room, with a wide-screen TV and a large, comfy couch to watch movies or play games on.
"Not really a lot, just what I know." Tyson's voice was shy, "The ship does have an engine and generators to provide electricity and can be powered by all sorts of fuel in an emergency. It also powers the capstan that drops and pulls the anchor, as well as the bilge pump. However, the biggest advantage of this ship is the Greek Fire Reactor that Dad installed but never activated. It's supposed to be even more efficient than Nuclear Power and cleaner! I'm not very sure how it works, only that it requires Greek Fire to operate. I will take a look and read the manual for it, don't worry, though, Percy. The engine is powered by a Celestial Bronze Core that Dad charmed himself for now. It should last us a few months, but we have supplies of coal just in case."
The ship was seemingly fully stocked, and next, they were led to the aforementioned engine room, which looked quite alien to Percy. Nothing like any engine he had ever seen before, but he trusted Tyson to know how to operate and maintain it. This was all interesting for Percy, but he highly doubted he would need any of that extra luxury for his journey. He was used to traveling rough on his quests, and the ship didn't even need wind to travel as long as he was onboard. Still, he won't stop Tyson from showing off as it really was interesting stuff. However…
"Are you sure the engine is safe? Greek Fire is incredibly volatile."
"Perfectly safe! The only worry is if someone boards the ship, sneaks down to the engine room, and blows it up. At that point, we would have already lost anyway."
Percy hummed in thought. Some additional security would have been nice, but hopefully, it would not be a problem for their short journey.
There was what appeared to be a workshop near the reactor, complete with a smithy and other tools and equipment, "My workspace, but it's not really as efficient as a proper one." Tyson had a sad look on his face for not being able to work the forges anymore. He pointed out a large, neat pile of metals, one of which Percy recognized was Celestial Bronze, though he was unsure of its grade. There were a couple of other metals he thought were magical as well, but he wasn't the best at metallurgy.
"Celestial Bronze is easy to come by if you know the right person. I managed to get the ones reserved for Dad's forges in case we need to make or fix weapons. Dad likes to call it Orichalcum to differentiate the quality grades. I also got regular grades for the ship itself. Most of the metals of the engine and reactors are made from it. Oh, here." Tyson moved towards one of the worktables and handed him his shield, "Good as new."
Percy smiled as he latched the shield on his left arm, then turned it back into watch form, "Thanks, Tyson."
They made their way back to the galley, where the gun ports and mess hall were supposed to be, and walked past a small infirmary that was to the bow of the galley. Naturally, Poseidon would have no use for it, but Tyson explained he kept it for aesthetic reasons.
Nevertheless, Percy was ecstatic to find it stocked with Ambrosia and Nectar, "Don't ever try to eat or drink these, Rachel, unless you want to combust spontaneously!"
The warning halted Rachel who was moving her hand towards a bar of ambrosia, followed by a flinch as she remembered what those were. There were also other standard medications and equipment that would help a mortal like Rachel.
Next came the kitchens, fully stocked, of course, and they were happy to see how modern it was with fridges, freezers, ovens, and other things they didn't really recognize but could tell were of the highest quality despite that none of them had any brands, strangely enough. There was also a large dining room with a table big enough to seat twenty people and several smaller tables around it. All of them had benches instead of seats, though.
Next, they came upon a locked door that Tyson said was the armory. After opening it and taking a peak, Percy was surprised to see it stocked with rifles, pistols, and what looked like two Gatling guns or rotary guns: he was not sure as his gun knowledge was very basic. Apparently, despite his father liking old-school cannons and cannonballs, he still preferred shooting with more modern guns. Or, at least, ones that didn't take a lifetime to reload.
Tyson pointed out crates and boxes with Greek Fire ingredients, "too dangerous to store them prepped. They are easy enough to get, but Nectar is an important and the rarest ingredient for the recipe," There was also a small crate that had Greek Fire ready for use though it was well-secured.
They continued towards the stern of the ship, past a large communal bathroom with showers and toilets, and several regular-sized bedrooms that apparently took the space where the regular sailors would sleep on hammocks until they reached the captain's and the officer's cabins.
They were pleasantly surprised to find them all transformed into luxurious apartments for a ship this size. The standard rooms had a single bed, a simple wooden desk and chair, as well as a wardrobe. The officers' rooms had double beds, a large desk with a comfy chair, a large wardrobe, and space for its occupants to redecorate as they saw fit. Each room also had a small bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower head, all crammed within four square feet.
The Captain's quarters, though, were like a royal suite from a five-star hotel. Even Rachel, who was used to luxury, was super impressed with it, considering it was in a sailing boat. It had a king-sized four-poster bed, carpeting on the floor, an excellent view of the stern with many windows, a dining table that could seat eight people, a large desk with a very comfortable chair behind it as well as a coffee table in front of it with three seats for guests. There was also a large bathroom with the standard amenities expected and a fixed Celestial Bronze tub large enough to fit five people. To the side, there was a walk-in closet for the captain's robes and suits connected back to the main quarters. Other rooms were also available, large enough to be separate rooms in their own right, though they were empty. They could be repurposed for a map room or his own personal game room, Percy thought idly.
Eventually, they made their way back on deck and followed Tyson to the galley, where Percy asked Tyson about the cannons.
"Oh, Dad liked to see things go boom. Sometimes, smiting things or drowning them can get stale, he tells me." Tyson said nonchalantly, to both Percy and Rachel's bemusement.
"I guess boys will always be boys!" Rachel chortled.
They brought some lounge chairs and drinks to sit back and chill on the main deck. Before they could sit, Percy noticed an open-aired enclosure at the stern of the deck and wondered what it was about.
"So, what do you think of the ship?" Asked Tyson shyly as he stood by the double helm.
Before they could reply, they heard the flapping of wings overhead, and Percy heard someone calling his name.
"BOSS!! Huff-puff, Why hee-huh did you leave me behind?!" It was Blackjack, who nearly crash-landed on the deck of the ship from exhaustion.
"Blackjack!" Percy hurried to his friend with worry to see if he was okay.
"I'm alright, boss," Blackjack breathed heavily, "Just got carried away chasing those feathery demons all day yesterday."
"Flying pony!" Tyson hurried to hug and pet the half-dying Pegasus.
"We should have him rest in the shade. Isn't there a stable on board, Tyson?" Rachel asked worriedly.
"Yes! It's right there," Tyson pointed to the enclosure Percy noticed earlier, "Dad made it specifically for Pegasi. It has everything to care for them, and the roof can be closed in bad weather."
"Great, come on, Blackjack, we'll get you some rest. You must have flown all the way from New York, I thought you returned to camp when I couldn't find you yesterday?" Percy asked as they led the tired Pegasus to a stall filled with water and feed.
A few minutes passed while they patiently waited for Blackjack to eat and drink his fill before the Pegasus replied, "I did return to camp, Boss. I had a race with Guido and Porkpie, and there was no way I would back down from that challenge. Raced them from Camp to Maine and back again; I won, of course, but then you didn't call me Boss!" Blackjack was initially smug about his victory, yet the whine at the end was funny, making Percy feel guilty.
"I didn't expect you would want to come on a sea voyage, Jack," Percy said simply.
"Nah-uh, not any simple sea voyage. I can feel it, Boss, that If I didn't join you now, I would never have the chance to see you again. I owe you my life for saving me from that accursed ship. I'll follow you anywhere you go, can't get rid of me that easily." Blackjack laid down on the hay to rest, "I'm going to sleep; I've been flying non-stop for hours. Wake me up if you have an apple, would you boss?" At that, Blackjack started snoring, leaving Percy to stew at his Pegasus friend's ominous warning.
"Well, that certainly is an interesting way to meet my first Pegasus; wish I could understand what he was saying, though," Rachel tutted before making her way back to the lounge chairs. Percy and Tyson followed her, and soon, they were enjoying the voyage to the Sea of Monsters.
"I could have sworn the USS Constellation was a bit smaller than that, though," Rachel asked suddenly, "Is this model bigger?"
"A little. Dad redesigned it to fit the extra things he wanted to add. He wanted to add more cannons, actually, but Auntie decided that sixteen in the galley were enough. So, in addition to making the cannons out of Orichalcum to be able to handle Greek Fire, he had an entire armory filled with contemporary rifles and small arms. That's also where the mortars and Howitzers are kept." Tyson said as he snacked on the donuts that Rachel bought him this morning.
Percy did not like the look on Rachel's face; no, sir, he did not like it at all. She looked like Christmas had come early, and he could guess why.
He decided to steer the conversation away from things that go boom, "You never mentioned the ship's name, Tyson?"
"Dad named it the Sea Queen for Auntie, but they only ever sailed it once before growing bored with it. He had it refurbished and intended it to be a birthday present for you someday," Tyson's eye widened, "Oh no, I should have mentioned that earlier. Dad says Happy birthday, Percy, and sorry for not giving you a present personally when we met yesterday. My original gift didn't seem appropriate after our conversation." Tyson said the last few lines in such a perfect rendition of Poseidon's voice that he could tell it was a real message from his dad.
He felt so damn happy about it and nearly burst out laughing at Rachel's shocked look.
"Cyclops, Rachel. Excellent memory and voice imitation."
She nodded in understanding as Tyson continued, "I didn't stay long enough for a spirit to form on the ship, so you are welcome to rename it if you wish. Perhaps you will form one yourself, as would be expected from a son of mine."
"Ship spirit?" Rachel asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, they sometimes form from the essence of a god who has claimed the ship as his own and used it for some time. There are even legends that it can form from regular mortal sailors, although Dad tells me that usually, it's just a sea nymph playing a prank." Tyson was happy to explain, It honestly pleased Percy how much Tyson had found something he was so knowledgeable about and could show off those random bits of trivia.
'Not that I knew that last tidbit,' Percy thought wryly. He wasn't sure about the idea of a spirit forming out of his essence. It felt like having a child, and he was way too young to have children.
"We'll think about names later; more importantly, Tyson, did Dad say anything about how we can get to Ogygia? Is it related to why Rainbow is joining us?"
"Dad said that Rainbow would be helpful in taking us to our destination. He said something about your gift, helping him know where to go, but to only give it to him once we are close." Tyson said with a thoughtful look at Rachel, "He also said that Rainbow will only bring us to the general area of the island and that you will be vital in breaking through the Mist surrounding the island."
Who would have thought a quest without a prophecy would make him this lost? It sounded even more vague than the ramblings of the oracle. Percy looked at his Moon Lace, placed on a table under an umbrella, and frowned in thought, "So we proceed to the Sea of Monsters, and once we are past the two guardians, I have Rainbow smell the plant, and he will know where to go?" Percy looked at Tyson and Rachel in confirmation.
"That's what Dad says; apparently, Hippocampi, and Rainbow in particular, have an excellent sense of smell and taste, but even he will have trouble tracking things in the Sea of Monsters. He would be able to track it when we are a day away or so," Tyson replied while Rachel had a thoughtful look on her face, but it suddenly went completely blank. In fact, her eyes were a bit hazy, and Percy got a little worried before she recovered and looked straight at him.
"Those guardians you spoke of, I take it they are not the friendly kind?" Rachel asked with a serious face.
"Not at all, they are not. You may have heard of them, Scylla and Charybdis?" Percy replied.
"I did read about them. Wasn't Charybdis Poseidon's favorite daughter but was cursed by Zeus because she was too loyal to her father?" The girl's brows scrunched up with concern, "That would make her your sister too."
Percy chuckled, "Poseidon has fathered a great many beings, Rachel. Some may joke about how Zeus likes to sleep around a lot, but Dad takes the cake in that department. If I had to worry about every being in myth being my family, I would start calling the Crooked One grandpa, then."
Rachel smiled sardonically at that, "Your pantheon is one whole big family feud, isn't it?"
"That it is. Anyway, the last time we went through the Sea of Monsters, we had to sail between the two guardians. Supposedly, there is a tight gap where it is safe to sail through."
"Supposedly, you say? I take it things didn't go as planned."
"It did not, but that's a story for another day. Unless you want a detailed account of how a foolish daughter of the war god decided it's a good idea to pick a fight with my monstrous sister with her rust bucket of a boat?" Percy raised his eyebrow while beside him, Tyson shivered at the memory.
"I'm good, thank you very much." Rachel chuckled wryly, "I believe I can lead you through that safe route between them, though. We just need to get there, and I will be counting a lot on your sailing prowess."
Percy was glad for that, even if he was confused about how she seemed to know things she should not know, "You can count on me; I can control basically everything on this ship that has to do with its operation."
"Even the cannons?!" Rachel asked excitedly, to his slight concern.
'Is she secretly a gun nut?' He thought in wonder.
"I'm not sure; let me see." Percy concentrated on the 12-pounder howitzer on the deck. It was one of the smallest cannons onboard, yet still made from Celestial Bronze. Percy made sure the cannonballs were regular steel before he started.
They could all see the cannon rotating in position outside its gun port. Powder, primer, and other things were loaded, and then the cannonball. The cannon rotated again into the gun port while a fuse was lowered into the firing hole. A booming sound went, and they watched the cannonball splash in the water about 200 feet away. The cannon recoiled heavily and moved back a few feet onto the deck.
"Oh shoot, I forgot to make sure it was secured." Percy sighed as he pointed at the ropes that secured the cannon to the deck to avoid recoiling out of control.
"I didn't know you knew how to load a cannon, Percy."
Memories of when he was in fifth grade and accidentally fired a cannon, which hit the school bus when he was on a field trip at the Saratoga Battlefield, flowed into his mind. Turns out that cannon had either seen service on a ship or was designed to work on a ship. Probably why he could fire it in the first place; it all came instinctively to him.
"While it looks like I can load the cannons and shoot them, I don't think I can aim them well. Probably my archery curse transferring to the cannons as well." That elicited a few rounds of good-nurtured laughter.
"Well, I'm sure we won't need to use those cannons anyway. If a sea monster comes by, I can just jump in the sea to fight it the old-fashioned way."
"Or, you can have me aim the guns, and you can do your thing. You would help me load them, right, Tyson?" Rachel asked quickly.
"Uh-mm, sure I will," Tyson replied after looking at Percy, who shrugged.
"Anyway, back to our plan, you can lead us past the guardians, and then once we are in the Sea of Monsters proper, we can give Rainbow one of the petals from the Moon Lace. We will follow him to the general area of the island, and then you will lead us through the Mist. Does that sound right, Rachel?" Percy summarized the plan, and Rachel nodded.
"Okay, everyone, my first order as captain of this vessel is to rest and relax till tomorrow. If you want to do some preparation or need me for something, let me know. I will be training in the gym for a bit." Percy announced as he stood from the lounge chair.
"I think I will practice shooting the cannons with Tyson. You can never know what we will meet. It is the Sea of Monsters, after all, right?" Rachel asked as she, too, stood up and looked expectantly at Tyson, who was certainly happy for an excuse to watch things go boom.
"Fair enough, just be careful, Rachel. We don't have any way to magically treat a mortal, nor do I even know anything above basic first-aid."
Percy couldn't help but worry for the girl; He may have gotten too used to Rachel's presence, but he must remind himself that she is still human, a regular mortal.
"Oh, don't worry about me. I'll be careful. I've got Tyson with me, after all." Rachel shrugged and dragged his brother to the nearest gun.
"Tyson, keep a close eye on her. Don't be shy to scold her if you think she's doing something dangerous, and don't make too much of a racket; Blackjack is trying to sleep." Percy shouted at them from afar before he made his way to the Gym. He had never tried exercising with the sea nearby to help him recover. This should be an interesting experience.
Personally, I did not like the Argo II and found it both wanting and limiting. Why the heck would they settle for an ancient design like the Trireme when they could have updated it up to something more modern and badass?
For reference, The Sea Queen (New name currently pending) is bigger than the Thousand Sunny which is considered a regular Sloop.
If you like my works and would like me to ease up on the overtime shifts and write more instead, then feel free to leave me a tip. My Patre(on) name is the same as my pen name. The full link is on my profile.
Chapter 5
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx.
Percy was in the most dreaded position he had ever envisioned himself to be, free-falling thousands of feet from the sky. Worse, his flinch quickly turned into an uncontrolled spin, which added to his terror. The winds viciously clawed at his unprotected skin and with every second of falling, he felt rising dread – the King of the Gods would not think twice before blasting him out of his domain. The dark, heavy clouds, the reverberating rumble of thunder, and the heavy smell of ozone did not reassure him in the slightest.
Instinctively, Percy moved his body against the inertia in a bid to at least stop his world from swirling. It took some effort, but he finally managed to control his spin just in time to break through the clouds and look at where he was falling.
It was a sea, turbulent, misty, and treacherous, and despite the furious storm, Percy felt jubilant for a moment before looking closer. The waves were dark and foreboding, crashing against two jagged cliffs that loomed over a small strait where it constantly dropped boulders in a never-ending cycle. Flashes of lightning lit up the sky, revealing the treacherous waters below. The sea was eerily green, different from the normal color he was used to seeing, hinting at the dangerous magical forces at play. It didn't take long for Percy to recognize that he was falling into the Sea of Monsters.
It was also then that he realized he was in a dream.
As soon as the thought entered his mind, his vision shifted from an aerial view to a familiar ship's deck. Specifically on the bow, right above the figurehead of Amphitrite. Percy realized he was on the Sea Queen.
The waves roared, raging at the sky, the ship was shaking like a leaf amidst the storm, and the smell of salt was almost suffocating. The ship was about to enter the Sea of Monsters, and before him were the two jagged cliffs he saw from the air. Only, the perspective of seeing them from sea level was certainly different. The two massive cliffs seemed to stretch for miles to the horizon, with only the single strait splitting them in two being the obvious entrance to the sea. A strait that Percy could not see its end and had a constant barrage of rocks and boulders falling from the cliffs to its depth.
This was different from the last time he was here. Percy had expected to go through the strait of Scylla and Charybdis and even planned how to counter them. Something niggled in his mind about this place, as if he should know about it. He felt that he had heard about another entrance to the Sea of Monsters, but for the life of him, Percy couldn't recall what it was about. Regret began to well up within – he should have asked Annabeth to join him; surely, she would know the answer to it.
As the ship sailed, the demigod realized he had no control over it. His prior ability to navigate and control marine vessels was seemingly absent in the dream. Percy could do nothing as the ship got closer and the rock slides intensified. He tried to force the ship to turn around to no avail; then he tried to lift it on a wave but in vain. The demigod of the sea could do nothing as the ship entered the strait and took the rock bombardments.
The ship barely made it a few hundred feet before succumbing to the rocks, yet Percy could still not see the end of the strait. An especially large rock, bigger than his whole body, was heading right to his face, and all he knew was darkness.
.
.
.
Percy!
He woke up with a start in an unfamiliar place. Looking around, Percy wondered if he was still dreaming as he could have sworn he had gone to sleep last night in the captain's cabin after a day of exploring the ship. He stood in a familiar forest clearing, and it took him a few seconds to realize it was where Grover had denounced the Council of Cloven Elders.
"Percy!"
Speaking of the satyr, he turned to the voice and found his friend standing by a tree, his figure strangely distorted, urgently waving him over.
"Grover. Is this a dream?"
"Yes, Perce. I used my empathy link to connect to your dreams. You know, like I did when I was stuck in that place?"
Simply mentioning that place caused the satyr to shiver, and Percy felt a tinge of sympathy. No one would want to pretend to be a bride for a giant cannibalistic monster. The fact that said monster was technically his half-brother, and Percy kept a similar company, was conveniently ignored. Better not to think too deeply about this stuff, as Greek mythos was insane enough as it was.
"Yeah, I remember. Are you alright? You look…distorted?"
Even as he mentioned it, Grover's figure was getting more transparent and opaque, causing the satyr to bleat in frustration.
"Our link is compromised! Someone had severed it, and only a deity could do such a thing." The shaggy-haired goat man looked morose as he moaned in sadness, "Did you speak to someone from Olympus lately?"
"Ah, yeah. H- The queen of the gods."
"That would do it. Why would she do it, though?"
"Beats me, G-man. Can't you just, I don't know, make another one?"
"Oh no, I wouldn't dare!" Grover looked terrified just from the mere thought, "If the queen herself removed it, and I tried to make another one, she would turn me into a manure fork for her cow herd!"
Percy had to fight the urge not to laugh, the poor satyr looked like he needed a tin can or two to chew on, and teasing him would not be nice.
"Well, she clearly left enough of it for us to be still able to talk."
"Blaahhh, it took too much effort to connect to you. I had to wait until you were sleeping and hijack your dreams." The satyr looked bashful, "I didn't, uhh, interrupt a good dream, did I?"
"Nothing of the sort, G-man." Percy laughed, "It was just a dream."
Or was it? A voice whispered in his head, yet he ignored it.
"Besides," Grover huffed. "I can tell it will be completely gone in a few days."
"Hey, look on the bright side," Percy grinned, "we don't have to worry about either of us dying because the other became a hellhound's chew bone."
"True." They both laughed for a few more minutes at the morbidly dark humor. Percy remembered this was still a dream, and he could wake up at any moment.
"So, Grover, what's up?"
"What's up, he says?!" Goat boy waved his hands in exasperation, "you disappeared from Camp, Percy! We had no idea where you were, but Chiron refused to send a search team. We were worried, man. Annabeth was worried."
At the mention of his blonde friend, Percy had conflicting feelings about her. On the one hand, she had been his most reliable friend since he was introduced to the Greek world. For a moment, he thought there was even something more between them, but he wasn't so sure now. On the other hand, It was a shame he wouldn't have access to her encyclopedic-like mind while on a quest.
He would just have to make do with his wits and resourcefulness to deal with whatever problems awaited in this quest. The ancient heroes didn't have foreknowledge of the enemies they faced, and he would like to think he was at least on the same level as them.
"I just needed time for myself." There was no way he was telling Grover about the prophecy, or else he would tell Annabeth, and the wise girl would realize she was responsible for him leaving.
"You were with your mom, right? Chiron called her when you left, and she called back yesterday morning, telling us about some sort of quest by your father?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I'm on a quest to free Calypso with two others. I should be back in a few weeks."
"Calypso, huh?" A knowing smirk bloomed on the satyr's face as he wiggled his eyebrows. "You do realize what this means, right? Should I tell Annabeth the good news?"
"Go ahead, be my guest. There's nothing between Annabeth and me. I promised to free Calypso, and I stick to my promises." Percy shrugged before noticing the world around him was starting to fade. "Looks like our time is nearly up."
"Yeah," Grover morosely looked as his body was fading from feet up. "I guess this is it. I could try to connect again later, but…"
"We would probably be in Ogygia by then. Tell the others not to worry about me." Percy grinned as his friend completely faded away, one last smile on his face and the echoing of his last words.
See you around, Perce.
August 20th, Dawn.
Percy woke up in the comfortable four-poster bed in his quarters. He stretched lazily as he sat up and got off the bed. Glancing out the window, he noticed the sun was just rising, and the moonlace that Calypso gifted him was closing its petals. Rarely would Percy willingly wake up so early, but one could only do so much on a ship before boredom took over. Watching Rachel dragging Tyson all over the ship to try the amenities, introducing his brother to the wonders of gaming consoles, and then hearing Blackjack complain over the noise once they got to the cannons, got old quickly.
Nevertheless, it was still one of the best nights of sleep he had ever had, despite the ominous dream. In fact, he wondered why he did not feel the ship rocking at all. Looking around his cabin, he noticed that while his bed and dining table, as well as the massive desk, appeared to be nailed to the floor, the rest of the furniture was not, including the coffee table and chairs. Furthermore, not a single thing was out of place or fallen on the ground. Even in the calmest of seas, the simple motion of the ship would easily cause something to tip over.
After removing the moonlace from the direct sunlight and placing it on the desk of his cabin, Percy headed to the washroom, grabbing a change of clothes from his wardrobe. Discarding his pajamas in an empty basket, Percy glanced at the wide tub before shaking his head. He stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water, consciously allowing himself to get wet, to enjoy the boiling water that barely stung him. It still marveled him how many amenities this ship had; some of them had to be some sort of magic, as he could find no explanation for how they worked.
Then again, he would easily call Rachel's phone, magic as well. All the fancy tech stuff completely flew over his head, he thought, as he turned off the water and willed himself dry.
After dressing in khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt, Percy grabbed his laundry basket and headed to the washroom. And yes, the Captain and Officer cabins had a washroom all to themselves, complete with a washing machine, dryer, ironing table, and more. He chuckled inwardly as he left his room, only to find Rachel about to knock on his door.
"Oh, hey, Percy. Good morning," the red-haired girl had a vibrant smile. He frowned inwardly; didn't she say she wasn't a morning person? He noticed she also had a laundry basket of her own. "I was going to see if you needed to do the laundry; it would be a waste not to pile our dirty clothes and clean them in one go. Why don't you give those to me and head on for breakfast? Tyson has also just woken up and I have his clothes as well. He should be meeting us there."
"Morning, Rachel, and sure, here you go. Thanks for the help," He grinned at the girl, noticing her long loose hair was slightly wet from her own shower. Rachel's smile widened as she turned to the washroom with an extra pep in her step. Percy couldn't help but notice that the girl seemed…different somehow. Almost like she had a certain glow to her that he had seen somewhere before but never noticed.
With nothing to do, Percy went to the kitchens to start breakfast. He wished he knew how to cook anything more complicated than bacon and eggs; already he was missing his mother's cooking.
It didn't take long for Tyson to lumber into the mess hall with a greeting, to which Percy returned. Without asking, his brother grabbed pancake mix and saucepan and wordlessly joined in to help.
"I didn't know you could cook."
"Auntie Amphitrite would spend time with me and the others and teach us many things." He shrugged as he rubbed the sleepiness off his sole eye, causing flour to cover his face, much to Percy's amusement. "She loved her pastries and usually baked them in front of us to learn."
"That's cool." Percy wondered how they could cook and bake under the sea but shrugged it off as the divines making things work somehow.
A few minutes later, Rachel arrived as they set the table.
"The laundry is in the dryer now." She said in lieu of a greeting, "I took your dirty clothes and bedsheets as well, Tyson. You need to shower before bed, especially when you have worked in the workshop. You should make a habit of changing what you wear every day."
"Oh, u-uhm. Okay." The gentle cyclops replied distractedly as he piled a stack of pancakes and drowned it in syrup. Percy did the same with butter while Rachel grabbed a large plate of scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and bacon. After a moment of hesitation, she went to the fridge and brought some pickled olives and a carton of milk.
"Nice, I didn't notice the olives." Percy grabbed some for his plate. Having the daughter of Athena as his best friend for the past few years had made him like olives just by association.
"We should eat more of the perishables first," she was saying as she poured them all a glass of milk. "Milk, eggs, fruits, meats…even in a fridge or freezer, they won't last too long. Keep the pancakes and cereal for later; those can last virtually forever."
"Yes, Auntie."
Percy nearly choked in laughter on an olive at Tyson's distracted reply, and Rachel wasn't any better as she goggled at the Cyclops before bursting out in giggles.
"Sorry. I'm used to Auntie speaking to me like that." His brother's embarrassed reply came out so genuinely that Percy felt terrible for joining her in laughter. Soon enough, even Tyson joined in, albeit awkwardly.
"You will have to forgive him, Rachel." He said after they stopped laughing, "Tyson might look big and scary, but he's a huge softy who isn't even ten years old yet."
"Really?" The red-haired girl gasped, "So young? And we're taking him on a dangerous quest?"
He arched an eyebrow at the girl, causing her to giggle. "I'm only kidding, I know I'm the weakest in this room. Tyson will be able to take care of himself well, won't you?"
The cyclops drained his glass of milk and nodded his head, "Uh-huh. I'm strong. Not as strong as Percy, of course, but I can protect myself." He frowned slightly. "You aren't weak either, Rachel. You are getting strong, too."
"I am?" She looked confused, and he looked at his Cyclops brother questioningly.
"Yep." Tyson nodded seriously, and Percy felt that his brother saw something more than they did.
"Even if you feel weak, you can always use any of the guns in the armory for protection." Percy assuaged the girl's worries; she was still a mortal on a quest that could easily kill demigods. "I get the feeling that you know your way around a gun or two."
"My grandpa is from a rural area and taught me how to handle a gun when I visited him with my mom a couple of years ago. He insisted I knew how to defend myself since I – uh…." Rachel stuttered hesitantly, and Percy felt there was a not-so-happy story that she didn't want to share. "Anyway, he died last year, and before that, I rarely visited him, but living in the boonies, he had a different perspective on the reality of our world." The girl gave them a wan smile, probably thinking of some of the few fond memories she had of her extended family. "My mom went ballistics, and to say she disapproved would be an understatement, but my gramps put his foot down."
She coughed and did her best impression of an old, grumpy voice, "Don't believe the bullshit they spew on TV. When it comes to a fight on the streets, women will never be strong enough to defend themselves from men, but a .45 to the gut would drop any assailant regardless of what they're packing between their legs."
A hearty chuckle came unbidden from Percy; he certainly could attest to that, considering he had been shot at in the past.
"Oh, yeah." He turned to Tyson curiously, "Any idea why the ship doesn't rock as much, if at all?"
His brother quickly gulped on his pancake before letting out a loud burp. "Sorry…" he said shyly, but he and Rachel simply smiled at him. "Yeah, Dad mentioned that Auntie didn't appreciate cooking on their last ship since all the ingredients would fly all over the place, so Dad designed this ship to eliminate any rocking or motion in the lower decks."
"Hang on," Rachel interrupted, her face confused. "Your auntie?"
"Uh-huh. Auntie Amphitrite, she's the Queen of Atlantis." Tyson's warm look said enough about how much he liked his auntie.
"And she has no problem with you? Aren't you sort of illegitimate?" The girl's look of disbelief brought a smile to Percy's face. Looks like she was in the culture shock phase.
"Yeah?" Tyson's confused look was even more funny than Rachel's. "Auntie makes sure that all of Dad's children who live in Atlantis are well taken care of. Cyclops are usually sent to the wild to fend for themselves when they are young so as to teach them the value of life…or so they say. Once we make it to Atlantis, Auntie basically adopts us. She always makes time for me and the others if we need help."
"And she has no problem at all with the fact her husband is essentially cheating on her?"
"I don't think so?" The large boy just shrugged. "I think one of the older cyclopes asked her something similar, and she just said that the sea is mercurial and does what it wishes." He frowned in thought before shrugging again and adopting a soothing female voice. "It takes what it wants but usually gives back more than it takes. Any bonds the sea makes with the mundane are fleeting for she is eternal while they are not. Yet, taking care of the bounty of the sea is both an honor and a duty." Tyson shrugged before turning to Percy, "Auntie has mentioned that she would love to meet you, brother."
"And I would be honored to meet her as well, if she is as you speak of her."
Rachel looked flabbergasted over such a flippant attitude to the matter. Percy decided to cut her some slack, though; he wasn't any better when he entered the Greek world. "The queen of the seas has a different mindset to the queen of the heavens."
"Apparently so," The green-eyed girl scrunched her brow in contemplation. "I guess I shouldn't compare a divine's mindset to a regular human, huh?"
"Nope, you should never." He said, deadly serious. "Better people than you and I were driven mad trying to understand the gods. It's better to just take them at face value at times."
Rachel hummed in thought as they ate in companionable silence, interrupted by the occasional comment here and there. Percy focused on Rachel again, noticing that she was eating a lot more than she did a couple of days ago. Yesterday, they had brought prepped meals from a deli she liked, so maybe she was just hungrier than usual?
***
The clear skies and the sun shining on the deck promised a good day ahead. Percy reckoned they were very close to the entrance of the Sea of Monsters, at most about an hour away. They had just finished breakfast and were now lounging on the deck. Blackjack was racing the hippocampi along the ship, so Percy took this chance to make sure his stable was clean. Some liberal use of his water bending, heh, had the stall clean as a whistle.
"So, have you all settled well in your cabins?" Percy turned to his crewmates, finding Rachel and Tyson fiddling with yet another cannon, this time on the stern of the ship, that was placed on some sort of swiveling platform the Cyclops built that gave it a lot of leeway to aim.
"Oh yes. My room was great." Tyson enthusiastically answered as he grabbed a glass of orange juice from the nearby table of snacks. "Much better than the Cyclops quarters in the deep sea. I don't even have to share my room with anyone."
"That's good, Tyson." Rachel cranked the mechanism on the cannon, causing it to turn from one angle to the next. "My room is also nice, and so is the gaming room and the rest, but cannons Percy!" Her smile was so wide that he felt it was starting to look disturbing. The girl was wearing a gun belt around her waist that had two revolvers strapped in holsters. The guns were standard six-shooters that might have been Colts, but Percy wasn't the most knowledgeable about guns. The rounds were originally regular lead, but Tyson had them coated with Celestial Bronze for Rachel to use in their journey.
He gazed at Rachel and Tyson as they explored the cannon mechanisms on the deck, but something was bothering him. As Percy stared at his brother, easily carrying a cannon in one hand like a baseball bat and holding a crate of cannonballs, with Rachel carrying the other end, he finally figured it out.
"Rachel, could you come here for a moment?"
The girl looked confused for a second before shrugging and letting go of the crate. That left Tyson holding onto one end awkwardly before he adjusted his grip and held the box under his arm.
"Ah, sorry, Tyson."
The Cyclops just nodded and stared at Percy in curiosity.
"So, Rachel. How have you been feeling lately?"
"Well, I feel good." The confusion in her voice was evident, "Great, even. I've never been out at sea before, and it's just so refreshing."
"And you didn't notice anything strange?"
"Strange?" She hummed as she casually leaned on the railings. "Well, like I've said, I feel great. Perhaps better than I ever felt? Also, I think my appetite is getting better, but that's probably from our time at sea."
Percy nodded. Rachel did eat a lot during breakfast, and he thought she was more energetic in general than normal. He just didn't know her as much as he would like to tell the difference.
"Oh, and…" The girl had a bashful look on her face, "promise not to laugh?"
"I'll try," The demigod grinned, causing her to smile.
"I think some of my freckles are fading. My hair also doesn't need as much care as a few days ago, either."
The girl looked shyly at both him and Tyson, who had deposited what he was carrying, and stood beside him with a confused look on his face. Rachel fiddled with her hair, which she styled into a single long braid that hung over her shoulder and down to her stomach, and Percy wondered if the Fates were messing with him, as that was Calypso's preferred hairstyle.
Now that she mentioned it, her hair wasn't as curly or messy, and it definitely had a sheen and glossiness to it. Still…
"That's… good?" Percy had no idea why she would be shy about something like that. "You're happy about that, right?"
"Of course I am! Ugh, Percy, you need to read a girl's mood better," Her bashfulness quickly morphed into amusement.
"I think you're pretty, Rachel," Tyson added helpfully, causing the girl to giggle.
"Thank you, Tyson. At least one of you is a smooth talker."
"Hey, I'm a smooth talker." Percy interrupted before sighing as his two friends chuckled at his expense.
"Anyway, I need you to do something for me, Rachel. Could you lift this barrel for me?"
He pointed to a nearby wooden barrel, and Rachel shrugged as she moved toward it. Grabbing the large barrel with both hands, she struggled for a second to get her hands around it before lifting it chest-high, and then looked at Percy expectantly.
"Good. Why don't you follow me for a bit."
The red-haired girl blinked before following him to the bow of the ship, Tyson grabbing the snack tray and following as he munched on cookies. Once they were at the bow, Percy led them back to the stern, though he could tell that Rachel was starting to feel impatient and annoyed.
"Alright, you can drop the barrel back here."
"Will you tell me what this is about now?" She placed the barrel back where she picked it up and looked at him with a hint of annoyance.
"Oh, nothing much." He struggled to hold his grin even as he felt confusion settling in. "You just lifted four hundred pounds worth of water like it was a purse and walked back and forth along the lengths of the ship without even breaking a sweat. You tell me, is this normal for you?"
"W-what?" Rachel gawked at him before finally thinking to look into the barrel to find that, yes, the barrel was full of water, and it was about fifty gallons. "How? Just last week, I was struggling to push a couch a few feet. How is this possible?"
Percy gazed at his friend as if seeing her for the first time. Rachel had always been a pretty girl, with her freckled white skin, long red hair, and green eyes, as well as her hourglass body. He was a fifteen-year-old boy with raging hormones, in addition to the demigod-induced libido that Chiron had warned them in sex-ed class. And yes, the camp had sex education mandatory for all demigods, particularly for those whose parents are known for their prolific tendencies.
Regardless, Percy would never deny the fact that his friend was both gorgeous and sexy.
Yet, she was beautiful for a mortal, and after dealing with demigods and gods for years now, Percy can safely say that even the ugliest demigod could easily be a model in the mortal world. The main difference was, that was his observation of Rachel a few days ago. Now, she looked even more beautiful with her body gaining a natural athletic build to it. Her curves were more prominent, with her breasts in particular becoming fuller and with a natural perkiness to them as if gravity did not affect them. Even her eyes appeared brighter and the green color was more vibrant. He could finally understand what the glow he noticed in her before was about.
"Congratulations, Rachel. I have no idea how this is possible, but you have gained a demigod's physique."
"I what now?!" The clear-sighted, not exactly mortal, yelped.
.
.
.
It took some time and plenty of experiments and assurances for Rachel to finally acknowledge the truth. She was not entirely human anymore, as evidenced by her ability to hold Celestial Bronze.
"This is so surreal," the newly discovered demigod gently caressed Anaklusmos as she held it close to her face and inspected her reflection. "Do you feel it, Percy?"
"Feel what?"
"I think," She had a far-off look on her face, as if she was seeing something they could not perceive. "I think the sword is alive. I-I'm not sure if it's because it's yours or if it's just Celestial Bronze, but I can feel something from it."
"Interesting," He hummed thoughtfully. "It is a very old sword, and many heroes of old wielded it before me. Do you think it has something to do with you being clear-sighted? I mean, you are still clear-sighted, right?"
"I think so?" Rachel handed him back the sword before turning to Tyson. "I can certainly see that Tyson has only one eye, so I assume the Mist isn't affecting me?"
"Who knows? Whatever the case, you will not be trying Nectar or Ambrosia until we know for sure your body can handle it." Percy turned the sword back to a pen and pocketed it. He then walked towards the bow of the ship and stared at the distant fog covering the horizon.
"Oh, come on, Percy." Rachel and Tyson followed their captain, the girl agilely running on the deck rails as her newly discovered physique gave her confidence to do acrobatics she would never have dared try. "It's going to be fine. It's not fair you would keep something like that from me."
"Do you really want to risk burning to ashes from your insides?" He gave her a strange look at her overconfidence. "How could you be so sure it's safe anyway?"
"I just know. It's like instinct, almost like I'm telling the future." She shrugged as she jumped from the railings to the top of a barrel, flipping into a handstand. "Just look at how cool I am!"
The red-haired girl gave him a cheeky upside-down grin, not noticing her guns and bullets slowly slipping from her improperly secured belt. Percy had to hold his laughter as the inevitable happened, and Rachel yelped, falling from the barrel as she scrambled to grab her weapons.
"Too bad you couldn't predict that, huh?"
"It's okay, Rachel. I know you are amazing." Tyson, the softy he was, patted the aggrieved girl's shoulder as he helped her up.
"Regardless," Percy interrupted the girl before she could continue protesting. "Even if you were a demigod from camp, I would not allow anyone to simply consume Ambrosia and Nectar just because of a craving."
They arrived at the bow of the ship and stared ahead as they entered the foggy sea. The other two did not comment on the fog as they knew he had full control of the ship, and the navigation skills he inherited from his father were unmatched. No mere fog or mist would cause him to lose his heading.
"I get it, but –"
He sent a stern frown at the girl, who still looked slightly defiant but gradually wilted at his determined glare.
"No buts, Rachel. How about this? I will only allow you to consume them if you are mortally wounded." That's as much of a compromise as he will allow. If she was going to die either way, then he would certainly try everything in his power to save her. Nectar and Ambrosia would be his first options then.
"Fine," the girl finally sighed in defeat. "It's just, none of us hardly know how to cook, and I don't think I can survive on just frozen pizza for dinner."
"It's only been a couple of days, Ray." Percy laughed at the girl's grimace. "Anyway, we are here."
They all stared ahead as the ship broke through the fog, and just as Percy suspected, two massive azure cliffs appeared in front of them. Like in his dream, they stretched endlessly for miles to the horizon, with no way through except for a narrow strait a few miles ahead. Yet, they looked even more vivid than his dream, and he could have sworn he saw some movement along the strait, but his vision was never the best among demigods.
"What is this?" Rachel asked quietly.
"What do you see?" Considering she was clear-sighted, she must be capable of seeing more than either him or Tyson.
"I'm sure you don't mean the cliffs, right?" At his grin, she giggled and gently slapped his shoulder. "We're too far away, but I think I see some kind of giant pair of eyes on each cliff staring at us."
Percy looked intently at the cliffs, even as the ship cruised along the gradually turbulent sea, but he saw nothing of the sort on the cliffs. He should have grabbed a pair of binoculars or a telescope from his room, but that was a moot point now. The wind was picking up, causing them to sail faster, but it would soon become a burden once they entered the strait. Although he could now tell it wasn't as narrow as he expected, there was easily enough space for three ships the same size as their own to sail through side by side. What confused him, however, was the lack of falling rocks and boulders.
"So what is this place, anyway?"
"This is one of two known entrances to the Sea of Monsters. The same entrance the Argonauts took on their quest, the Symplegades or the Clashing Rocks." It had taken seeing in person for Percy to remember Annabeth mentioning it during their quest for the Golden Fleece. Even after the quest, he had asked around for any information regarding the mystical place. An experience in a place like the Sea of Monsters would normally make anyone never want to return, but for a son of Poseidon?
It irked him that he could not claim the sea as his.
"Is it supposed to be so…large?" Tyson asked worriedly, and Rachel nodded along, looking at him questioningly.
"Just as everything else in America is big, all the myths would also become larger." He chuckled, and the other two joined him, though hesitantly. "It's been thousands of years since their inception; is it so hard to believe that they would grow along with everything else?"
The other two nodded, but Rachel suddenly squinted at one of the cliffs. They were about a mile out now and would reach the strait in a few minutes.
"I have a bad feeling, Percy."
"Why? What's happening?" He tried to stare at what she was looking at, but all he saw was just regular old rocks. Sure, they were blue, which was awesome, but they were still cliffs.
"Those pairs of eyes I mentioned? They just melted into the cliffs."
"Okay? How is that bad?"
"Oh, it's bad, alright." She turned to him seriously, her bright-green eyes shining in worry. "Those eyes now have a body with arms, many arms, and are currently holding rocks as if ready to throw them. I don't think they realize I can see them, but it's obvious they are waiting for us to enter the strait."
Percy gulped as he inspected the cliffs again, and this time, he did notice some rocks moving unnaturally.
"Okay, you two." With a thought, he furled up the sails and stopped the ship just a few hundred feet from the strait before dropping the anchor. "Time to plan. Do you think those creatures can be hurt, Rachel?"
"I think so? They are shielding their eyes, so that must be a weak point."
"I see," seeing the girl's twitching lips, he chuckled. "Pun unintended. Tyson, bring the 36-pounder to bear and prepare to fire."
"Yes, brother." The Cyclops hurried to obey as he quickly installed a swivel mechanism, similar to the one on the stern, on the flat deck of the bow. He then placed a moving platform connected to the rails before hurrying to get the cannon. It always impressed him with the sheer speed and precision that his brother had when it came to any craft work.
"Rachel, since you are the only one who could see them, I will be counting on you to aim the cannons with Tyson."
"Aye, aye, Captain." He grinned at the girl's exaggerated salute, and they waited for Tyson to return with the utter behemoth that was the 36-Pounder long gun. The fact he could easily carry the three-ton cannon and a crate of its powder/ammo put into perspective how strong his brother was. It would normally take a crew of at least a dozen to operate the cannon, but hopefully, Rachel's ability, combined with Tyson's strength, and the platform he built, would make a difference.
"Blackjack!"
"Yes, boss?" The Pegasus flew in to land on the deck.
"Where are your new friends?"
"Already went past us, boss. The blue one says no stupid cliff can stop them from going anywhere in the ocean."
"Lucky them." He muttered as he quickly saddled the Pegasus. "Ready to pick a fight with a rockslide?"
"Hell yeah, boss! But uh, are you gonna fight a mountain with that?"
The winged horse pointed his head at the unsheathed Riptide.
"Of course not." Blackjack sighed in relief as Percy mounted his back. "I will be fighting a living cliff, not a mountain."
He ignored the Pegasus' splutter and turned to his crew, "I will fly and try to distract them while remotely steering the ship through as fast as possible. Maybe we might just dodge the damn things like the Argo did. If not, you will have to blow Stone Face to smithereens. All hands, ready?"
"Aye, aye, Captain." This time, Tyson repeated with Rachel, and determination shone in their eyes as they manned the cannon. Percy pointed Riptide, and with a thought, the ship came alive as the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling at half-sail, and the long chain of the anchor retracted into the ship. The demigod of the sea focused as the wind caught the sails, sending the ship forward.
"Let's go, everyone!"
With a powerful flap of his wings, Blackjack soared to the skies as the ship entered the strait. This would be their first test as a crew, and Percy prayed to his father for good fortune.
I didn't want to write a rehash of Scylla and Charybdis, but then I remembered that in mythos there is more than one entrance to the Sea of Monsters. The Symplegades was my answer. Naturally, I will make my own twist on how it evolved from ancient times, as two cliffs playing a game of hot hands is super lame.
We see the crew acclimating themselves to their new roles on the ship. Captain Percy, Rachel the mother hen, Tyson the tinkerer/gunner/carpenter/smith… Man, Tyson is really the MVP of this crew. And he isn't even ten yet! (retcon from me, btw.) At least until Calypso joins…
Speaking of, I had left a couple of hints in the past chapters that Rachel will become more. If the gods can somehow create demigods from their thoughts, turn regular mortals into immortal huntresses, and turn demigods into gods at no apparent loss to their powers, then I'm sure they can turn a mortal into what is functionally a demigod. That said mortal is clear-sighted is a huge motivation for it.
I will explain in more detail how and why Rachel became a demigod, as well as her parent, in later chapters. Unless you don't want to wait for weeks on end for the next update, feel free to join me on Pat Reon where you can read four chapters ahead.
Percy was in the most dreaded position he had ever envisioned himself to be, free-falling thousands of feet from the sky. Worse, his flinch quickly turned into an uncontrolled spin, which added to his terror. The winds viciously clawed at his unprotected skin and with every second of falling, he felt rising dread – the King of the Gods would not think twice before blasting him out of his domain. The dark, heavy clouds, the reverberating rumble of thunder, and the heavy smell of ozone did not reassure him in the slightest.
Instinctively, Percy moved his body against the inertia in a bid to at least stop his world from swirling. It took some effort, but he finally managed to control his spin just in time to break through the clouds and look at where he was falling.
It was a sea, turbulent, misty, and treacherous, and despite the furious storm, Percy felt jubilant for a moment before looking closer. The waves were dark and foreboding, crashing against two jagged cliffs that loomed over a small strait where it constantly dropped boulders in a never-ending cycle. Flashes of lightning lit up the sky, revealing the treacherous waters below. The sea was eerily green, different from the normal color he was used to seeing, hinting at the dangerous magical forces at play. It didn't take long for Percy to recognize that he was falling into the Sea of Monsters.
It was also then that he realized he was in a dream.
As soon as the thought entered his mind, his vision shifted from an aerial view to a familiar ship's deck. Specifically on the bow, right above the figurehead of Amphitrite. Percy realized he was on the Sea Queen.
The waves roared, raging at the sky, the ship was shaking like a leaf amidst the storm, and the smell of salt was almost suffocating. The ship was about to enter the Sea of Monsters, and before him were the two jagged cliffs he saw from the air. Only, the perspective of seeing them from sea level was certainly different. The two massive cliffs seemed to stretch for miles to the horizon, with only the single strait splitting them in two being the obvious entrance to the sea. A strait that Percy could not see its end and had a constant barrage of rocks and boulders falling from the cliffs to its depth.
This was different from the last time he was here. Percy had expected to go through the strait of Scylla and Charybdis and even planned how to counter them. Something niggled in his mind about this place, as if he should know about it. He felt that he had heard about another entrance to the Sea of Monsters, but for the life of him, Percy couldn't recall what it was about. Regret began to well up within – he should have asked Annabeth to join him; surely, she would know the answer to it.
As the ship sailed, the demigod realized he had no control over it. His prior ability to navigate and control marine vessels was seemingly absent in the dream. Percy could do nothing as the ship got closer and the rock slides intensified. He tried to force the ship to turn around to no avail; then he tried to lift it on a wave but in vain. The demigod of the sea could do nothing as the ship entered the strait and took the rock bombardments.
The ship barely made it a few hundred feet before succumbing to the rocks, yet Percy could still not see the end of the strait. An especially large rock, bigger than his whole body, was heading right to his face, and all he knew was darkness.
.
.
.
Percy!
He woke up with a start in an unfamiliar place. Looking around, Percy wondered if he was still dreaming as he could have sworn he had gone to sleep last night in the captain's cabin after a day of exploring the ship. He stood in a familiar forest clearing, and it took him a few seconds to realize it was where Grover had denounced the Council of Cloven Elders.
"Percy!"
Speaking of the satyr, he turned to the voice and found his friend standing by a tree, his figure strangely distorted, urgently waving him over.
"Grover. Is this a dream?"
"Yes, Perce. I used my empathy link to connect to your dreams. You know, like I did when I was stuck in that place?"
Simply mentioning that place caused the satyr to shiver, and Percy felt a tinge of sympathy. No one would want to pretend to be a bride for a giant cannibalistic monster. The fact that said monster was technically his half-brother, and Percy kept a similar company, was conveniently ignored. Better not to think too deeply about this stuff, as Greek mythos was insane enough as it was.
"Yeah, I remember. Are you alright? You look…distorted?"
Even as he mentioned it, Grover's figure was getting more transparent and opaque, causing the satyr to bleat in frustration.
"Our link is compromised! Someone had severed it, and only a deity could do such a thing." The shaggy-haired goat man looked morose as he moaned in sadness, "Did you speak to someone from Olympus lately?"
"Ah, yeah. H- The queen of the gods."
"That would do it. Why would she do it, though?"
"Beats me, G-man. Can't you just, I don't know, make another one?"
"Oh no, I wouldn't dare!" Grover looked terrified just from the mere thought, "If the queen herself removed it, and I tried to make another one, she would turn me into a manure fork for her cow herd!"
Percy had to fight the urge not to laugh, the poor satyr looked like he needed a tin can or two to chew on, and teasing him would not be nice.
"Well, she clearly left enough of it for us to be still able to talk."
"Blaahhh, it took too much effort to connect to you. I had to wait until you were sleeping and hijack your dreams." The satyr looked bashful, "I didn't, uhh, interrupt a good dream, did I?"
"Nothing of the sort, G-man." Percy laughed, "It was just a dream."
Or was it? A voice whispered in his head, yet he ignored it.
"Besides," Grover huffed. "I can tell it will be completely gone in a few days."
"Hey, look on the bright side," Percy grinned, "we don't have to worry about either of us dying because the other became a hellhound's chew bone."
"True." They both laughed for a few more minutes at the morbidly dark humor. Percy remembered this was still a dream, and he could wake up at any moment.
"So, Grover, what's up?"
"What's up, he says?!" Goat boy waved his hands in exasperation, "you disappeared from Camp, Percy! We had no idea where you were, but Chiron refused to send a search team. We were worried, man. Annabeth was worried."
At the mention of his blonde friend, Percy had conflicting feelings about her. On the one hand, she had been his most reliable friend since he was introduced to the Greek world. For a moment, he thought there was even something more between them, but he wasn't so sure now. On the other hand, It was a shame he wouldn't have access to her encyclopedic-like mind while on a quest.
He would just have to make do with his wits and resourcefulness to deal with whatever problems awaited in this quest. The ancient heroes didn't have foreknowledge of the enemies they faced, and he would like to think he was at least on the same level as them.
"I just needed time for myself." There was no way he was telling Grover about the prophecy, or else he would tell Annabeth, and the wise girl would realize she was responsible for him leaving.
"You were with your mom, right? Chiron called her when you left, and she called back yesterday morning, telling us about some sort of quest by your father?"
"Pretty much, yeah. I'm on a quest to free Calypso with two others. I should be back in a few weeks."
"Calypso, huh?" A knowing smirk bloomed on the satyr's face as he wiggled his eyebrows. "You do realize what this means, right? Should I tell Annabeth the good news?"
"Go ahead, be my guest. There's nothing between Annabeth and me. I promised to free Calypso, and I stick to my promises." Percy shrugged before noticing the world around him was starting to fade. "Looks like our time is nearly up."
"Yeah," Grover morosely looked as his body was fading from feet up. "I guess this is it. I could try to connect again later, but…"
"We would probably be in Ogygia by then. Tell the others not to worry about me." Percy grinned as his friend completely faded away, one last smile on his face and the echoing of his last words.
See you around, Perce.
P*O*D
August 20th, Dawn.
Percy woke up in the comfortable four-poster bed in his quarters. He stretched lazily as he sat up and got off the bed. Glancing out the window, he noticed the sun was just rising, and the moonlace that Calypso gifted him was closing its petals. Rarely would Percy willingly wake up so early, but one could only do so much on a ship before boredom took over. Watching Rachel dragging Tyson all over the ship to try the amenities, introducing his brother to the wonders of gaming consoles, and then hearing Blackjack complain over the noise once they got to the cannons, got old quickly.
Nevertheless, it was still one of the best nights of sleep he had ever had, despite the ominous dream. In fact, he wondered why he did not feel the ship rocking at all. Looking around his cabin, he noticed that while his bed and dining table, as well as the massive desk, appeared to be nailed to the floor, the rest of the furniture was not, including the coffee table and chairs. Furthermore, not a single thing was out of place or fallen on the ground. Even in the calmest of seas, the simple motion of the ship would easily cause something to tip over.
After removing the moonlace from the direct sunlight and placing it on the desk of his cabin, Percy headed to the washroom, grabbing a change of clothes from his wardrobe. Discarding his pajamas in an empty basket, Percy glanced at the wide tub before shaking his head. He stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water, consciously allowing himself to get wet, to enjoy the boiling water that barely stung him. It still marveled him how many amenities this ship had; some of them had to be some sort of magic, as he could find no explanation for how they worked.
Then again, he would easily call Rachel's phone, magic as well. All the fancy tech stuff completely flew over his head, he thought, as he turned off the water and willed himself dry.
After dressing in khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt, Percy grabbed his laundry basket and headed to the washroom. And yes, the Captain and Officer cabins had a washroom all to themselves, complete with a washing machine, dryer, ironing table, and more. He chuckled inwardly as he left his room, only to find Rachel about to knock on his door.
"Oh, hey, Percy. Good morning," the red-haired girl had a vibrant smile. He frowned inwardly; didn't she say she wasn't a morning person? He noticed she also had a laundry basket of her own. "I was going to see if you needed to do the laundry; it would be a waste not to pile our dirty clothes and clean them in one go. Why don't you give those to me and head on for breakfast? Tyson has also just woken up and I have his clothes as well. He should be meeting us there."
"Morning, Rachel, and sure, here you go. Thanks for the help," He grinned at the girl, noticing her long loose hair was slightly wet from her own shower. Rachel's smile widened as she turned to the washroom with an extra pep in her step. Percy couldn't help but notice that the girl seemed…different somehow. Almost like she had a certain glow to her that he had seen somewhere before but never noticed.
With nothing to do, Percy went to the kitchens to start breakfast. He wished he knew how to cook anything more complicated than bacon and eggs; already he was missing his mother's cooking.
It didn't take long for Tyson to lumber into the mess hall with a greeting, to which Percy returned. Without asking, his brother grabbed pancake mix and saucepan and wordlessly joined in to help.
"I didn't know you could cook."
"Auntie Amphitrite would spend time with me and the others and teach us many things." He shrugged as he rubbed the sleepiness off his sole eye, causing flour to cover his face, much to Percy's amusement. "She loved her pastries and usually baked them in front of us to learn."
"That's cool." Percy wondered how they could cook and bake under the sea but shrugged it off as the divines making things work somehow.
A few minutes later, Rachel arrived as they set the table.
"The laundry is in the dryer now." She said in lieu of a greeting, "I took your dirty clothes and bedsheets as well, Tyson. You need to shower before bed, especially when you have worked in the workshop. You should make a habit of changing what you wear every day."
"Oh, u-uhm. Okay." The gentle cyclops replied distractedly as he piled a stack of pancakes and drowned it in syrup. Percy did the same with butter while Rachel grabbed a large plate of scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and bacon. After a moment of hesitation, she went to the fridge and brought some pickled olives and a carton of milk.
"Nice, I didn't notice the olives." Percy grabbed some for his plate. Having the daughter of Athena as his best friend for the past few years had made him like olives just by association.
"We should eat more of the perishables first," she was saying as she poured them all a glass of milk. "Milk, eggs, fruits, meats…even in a fridge or freezer, they won't last too long. Keep the pancakes and cereal for later; those can last virtually forever."
"Yes, Auntie."
Percy nearly choked in laughter on an olive at Tyson's distracted reply, and Rachel wasn't any better as she goggled at the Cyclops before bursting out in giggles.
"Sorry. I'm used to Auntie speaking to me like that." His brother's embarrassed reply came out so genuinely that Percy felt terrible for joining her in laughter. Soon enough, even Tyson joined in, albeit awkwardly.
"You will have to forgive him, Rachel." He said after they stopped laughing, "Tyson might look big and scary, but he's a huge softy who isn't even ten years old yet."
"Really?" The red-haired girl gasped, "So young? And we're taking him on a dangerous quest?"
He arched an eyebrow at the girl, causing her to giggle. "I'm only kidding, I know I'm the weakest in this room. Tyson will be able to take care of himself well, won't you?"
The cyclops drained his glass of milk and nodded his head, "Uh-huh. I'm strong. Not as strong as Percy, of course, but I can protect myself." He frowned slightly. "You aren't weak either, Rachel. You are getting strong, too."
"I am?" She looked confused, and he looked at his Cyclops brother questioningly.
"Yep." Tyson nodded seriously, and Percy felt that his brother saw something more than they did.
"Even if you feel weak, you can always use any of the guns in the armory for protection." Percy assuaged the girl's worries; she was still a mortal on a quest that could easily kill demigods. "I get the feeling that you know your way around a gun or two."
"My grandpa is from a rural area and taught me how to handle a gun when I visited him with my mom a couple of years ago. He insisted I knew how to defend myself since I – uh…." Rachel stuttered hesitantly, and Percy felt there was a not-so-happy story that she didn't want to share. "Anyway, he died last year, and before that, I rarely visited him, but living in the boonies, he had a different perspective on the reality of our world." The girl gave them a wan smile, probably thinking of some of the few fond memories she had of her extended family. "My mom went ballistics, and to say she disapproved would be an understatement, but my gramps put his foot down."
She coughed and did her best impression of an old, grumpy voice, "Don't believe the bullshit they spew on TV. When it comes to a fight on the streets, women will never be strong enough to defend themselves from men, but a .45 to the gut would drop any assailant regardless of what they're packing between their legs."
A hearty chuckle came unbidden from Percy; he certainly could attest to that, considering he had been shot at in the past.
"Oh, yeah." He turned to Tyson curiously, "Any idea why the ship doesn't rock as much, if at all?"
His brother quickly gulped on his pancake before letting out a loud burp. "Sorry…" he said shyly, but he and Rachel simply smiled at him. "Yeah, Dad mentioned that Auntie didn't appreciate cooking on their last ship since all the ingredients would fly all over the place, so Dad designed this ship to eliminate any rocking or motion in the lower decks."
"Hang on," Rachel interrupted, her face confused. "Your auntie?"
"Uh-huh. Auntie Amphitrite, she's the Queen of Atlantis." Tyson's warm look said enough about how much he liked his auntie.
"And she has no problem with you? Aren't you sort of illegitimate?" The girl's look of disbelief brought a smile to Percy's face. Looks like she was in the culture shock phase.
"Yeah?" Tyson's confused look was even more funny than Rachel's. "Auntie makes sure that all of Dad's children who live in Atlantis are well taken care of. Cyclops are usually sent to the wild to fend for themselves when they are young so as to teach them the value of life…or so they say. Once we make it to Atlantis, Auntie basically adopts us. She always makes time for me and the others if we need help."
"And she has no problem at all with the fact her husband is essentially cheating on her?"
"I don't think so?" The large boy just shrugged. "I think one of the older cyclopes asked her something similar, and she just said that the sea is mercurial and does what it wishes." He frowned in thought before shrugging again and adopting a soothing female voice. "It takes what it wants but usually gives back more than it takes. Any bonds the sea makes with the mundane are fleeting for she is eternal while they are not. Yet, taking care of the bounty of the sea is both an honor and a duty." Tyson shrugged before turning to Percy, "Auntie has mentioned that she would love to meet you, brother."
"And I would be honored to meet her as well, if she is as you speak of her."
Rachel looked flabbergasted over such a flippant attitude to the matter. Percy decided to cut her some slack, though; he wasn't any better when he entered the Greek world. "The queen of the seas has a different mindset to the queen of the heavens."
"Apparently so," The green-eyed girl scrunched her brow in contemplation. "I guess I shouldn't compare a divine's mindset to a regular human, huh?"
"Nope, you should never." He said, deadly serious. "Better people than you and I were driven mad trying to understand the gods. It's better to just take them at face value at times."
Rachel hummed in thought as they ate in companionable silence, interrupted by the occasional comment here and there. Percy focused on Rachel again, noticing that she was eating a lot more than she did a couple of days ago. Yesterday, they had brought prepped meals from a deli she liked, so maybe she was just hungrier than usual?
***
The clear skies and the sun shining on the deck promised a good day ahead. Percy reckoned they were very close to the entrance of the Sea of Monsters, at most about an hour away. They had just finished breakfast and were now lounging on the deck. Blackjack was racing the hippocampi along the ship, so Percy took this chance to make sure his stable was clean. Some liberal use of his water bending, heh, had the stall clean as a whistle.
"So, have you all settled well in your cabins?" Percy turned to his crewmates, finding Rachel and Tyson fiddling with yet another cannon, this time on the stern of the ship, that was placed on some sort of swiveling platform the Cyclops built that gave it a lot of leeway to aim.
"Oh yes. My room was great." Tyson enthusiastically answered as he grabbed a glass of orange juice from the nearby table of snacks. "Much better than the Cyclops quarters in the deep sea. I don't even have to share my room with anyone."
"That's good, Tyson." Rachel cranked the mechanism on the cannon, causing it to turn from one angle to the next. "My room is also nice, and so is the gaming room and the rest, but cannons Percy!" Her smile was so wide that he felt it was starting to look disturbing. The girl was wearing a gun belt around her waist that had two revolvers strapped in holsters. The guns were standard six-shooters that might have been Colts, but Percy wasn't the most knowledgeable about guns. The rounds were originally regular lead, but Tyson had them coated with Celestial Bronze for Rachel to use in their journey.
He gazed at Rachel and Tyson as they explored the cannon mechanisms on the deck, but something was bothering him. As Percy stared at his brother, easily carrying a cannon in one hand like a baseball bat and holding a crate of cannonballs, with Rachel carrying the other end, he finally figured it out.
"Rachel, could you come here for a moment?"
The girl looked confused for a second before shrugging and letting go of the crate. That left Tyson holding onto one end awkwardly before he adjusted his grip and held the box under his arm.
"Ah, sorry, Tyson."
The Cyclops just nodded and stared at Percy in curiosity.
"So, Rachel. How have you been feeling lately?"
"Well, I feel good." The confusion in her voice was evident, "Great, even. I've never been out at sea before, and it's just so refreshing."
"And you didn't notice anything strange?"
"Strange?" She hummed as she casually leaned on the railings. "Well, like I've said, I feel great. Perhaps better than I ever felt? Also, I think my appetite is getting better, but that's probably from our time at sea."
Percy nodded. Rachel did eat a lot during breakfast, and he thought she was more energetic in general than normal. He just didn't know her as much as he would like to tell the difference.
"Oh, and…" The girl had a bashful look on her face, "promise not to laugh?"
"I'll try," The demigod grinned, causing her to smile.
"I think some of my freckles are fading. My hair also doesn't need as much care as a few days ago, either."
The girl looked shyly at both him and Tyson, who had deposited what he was carrying, and stood beside him with a confused look on his face. Rachel fiddled with her hair, which she styled into a single long braid that hung over her shoulder and down to her stomach, and Percy wondered if the Fates were messing with him, as that was Calypso's preferred hairstyle.
Now that she mentioned it, her hair wasn't as curly or messy, and it definitely had a sheen and glossiness to it. Still…
"That's… good?" Percy had no idea why she would be shy about something like that. "You're happy about that, right?"
"Of course I am! Ugh, Percy, you need to read a girl's mood better," Her bashfulness quickly morphed into amusement.
"I think you're pretty, Rachel," Tyson added helpfully, causing the girl to giggle.
"Thank you, Tyson. At least one of you is a smooth talker."
"Hey, I'm a smooth talker." Percy interrupted before sighing as his two friends chuckled at his expense.
"Anyway, I need you to do something for me, Rachel. Could you lift this barrel for me?"
He pointed to a nearby wooden barrel, and Rachel shrugged as she moved toward it. Grabbing the large barrel with both hands, she struggled for a second to get her hands around it before lifting it chest-high, and then looked at Percy expectantly.
"Good. Why don't you follow me for a bit."
The red-haired girl blinked before following him to the bow of the ship, Tyson grabbing the snack tray and following as he munched on cookies. Once they were at the bow, Percy led them back to the stern, though he could tell that Rachel was starting to feel impatient and annoyed.
"Alright, you can drop the barrel back here."
"Will you tell me what this is about now?" She placed the barrel back where she picked it up and looked at him with a hint of annoyance.
"Oh, nothing much." He struggled to hold his grin even as he felt confusion settling in. "You just lifted four hundred pounds worth of water like it was a purse and walked back and forth along the lengths of the ship without even breaking a sweat. You tell me, is this normal for you?"
"W-what?" Rachel gawked at him before finally thinking to look into the barrel to find that, yes, the barrel was full of water, and it was about fifty gallons. "How? Just last week, I was struggling to push a couch a few feet. How is this possible?"
Percy gazed at his friend as if seeing her for the first time. Rachel had always been a pretty girl, with her freckled white skin, long red hair, and green eyes, as well as her hourglass body. He was a fifteen-year-old boy with raging hormones, in addition to the demigod-induced libido that Chiron had warned them in sex-ed class. And yes, the camp had sex education mandatory for all demigods, particularly for those whose parents are known for their prolific tendencies.
Regardless, Percy would never deny the fact that his friend was both gorgeous and sexy.
Yet, she was beautiful for a mortal, and after dealing with demigods and gods for years now, Percy can safely say that even the ugliest demigod could easily be a model in the mortal world. The main difference was, that was his observation of Rachel a few days ago. Now, she looked even more beautiful with her body gaining a natural athletic build to it. Her curves were more prominent, with her breasts in particular becoming fuller and with a natural perkiness to them as if gravity did not affect them. Even her eyes appeared brighter and the green color was more vibrant. He could finally understand what the glow he noticed in her before was about.
"Congratulations, Rachel. I have no idea how this is possible, but you have gained a demigod's physique."
"I what now?!" The clear-sighted, not exactly mortal, yelped.
.
.
.
It took some time and plenty of experiments and assurances for Rachel to finally acknowledge the truth. She was not entirely human anymore, as evidenced by her ability to hold Celestial Bronze.
"This is so surreal," the newly discovered demigod gently caressed Anaklusmos as she held it close to her face and inspected her reflection. "Do you feel it, Percy?"
"Feel what?"
"I think," She had a far-off look on her face, as if she was seeing something they could not perceive. "I think the sword is alive. I-I'm not sure if it's because it's yours or if it's just Celestial Bronze, but I can feel something from it."
"Interesting," He hummed thoughtfully. "It is a very old sword, and many heroes of old wielded it before me. Do you think it has something to do with you being clear-sighted? I mean, you are still clear-sighted, right?"
"I think so?" Rachel handed him back the sword before turning to Tyson. "I can certainly see that Tyson has only one eye, so I assume the Mist isn't affecting me?"
"Who knows? Whatever the case, you will not be trying Nectar or Ambrosia until we know for sure your body can handle it." Percy turned the sword back to a pen and pocketed it. He then walked towards the bow of the ship and stared at the distant fog covering the horizon.
"Oh, come on, Percy." Rachel and Tyson followed their captain, the girl agilely running on the deck rails as her newly discovered physique gave her confidence to do acrobatics she would never have dared try. "It's going to be fine. It's not fair you would keep something like that from me."
"Do you really want to risk burning to ashes from your insides?" He gave her a strange look at her overconfidence. "How could you be so sure it's safe anyway?"
"I just know. It's like instinct, almost like I'm telling the future." She shrugged as she jumped from the railings to the top of a barrel, flipping into a handstand. "Just look at how cool I am!"
The red-haired girl gave him a cheeky upside-down grin, not noticing her guns and bullets slowly slipping from her improperly secured belt. Percy had to hold his laughter as the inevitable happened, and Rachel yelped, falling from the barrel as she scrambled to grab her weapons.
"Too bad you couldn't predict that, huh?"
"It's okay, Rachel. I know you are amazing." Tyson, the softy he was, patted the aggrieved girl's shoulder as he helped her up.
"Regardless," Percy interrupted the girl before she could continue protesting. "Even if you were a demigod from camp, I would not allow anyone to simply consume Ambrosia and Nectar just because of a craving."
They arrived at the bow of the ship and stared ahead as they entered the foggy sea. The other two did not comment on the fog as they knew he had full control of the ship, and the navigation skills he inherited from his father were unmatched. No mere fog or mist would cause him to lose his heading.
"I get it, but –"
He sent a stern frown at the girl, who still looked slightly defiant but gradually wilted at his determined glare.
"No buts, Rachel. How about this? I will only allow you to consume them if you are mortally wounded." That's as much of a compromise as he will allow. If she was going to die either way, then he would certainly try everything in his power to save her. Nectar and Ambrosia would be his first options then.
"Fine," the girl finally sighed in defeat. "It's just, none of us hardly know how to cook, and I don't think I can survive on just frozen pizza for dinner."
"It's only been a couple of days, Ray." Percy laughed at the girl's grimace. "Anyway, we are here."
They all stared ahead as the ship broke through the fog, and just as Percy suspected, two massive azure cliffs appeared in front of them. Like in his dream, they stretched endlessly for miles to the horizon, with no way through except for a narrow strait a few miles ahead. Yet, they looked even more vivid than his dream, and he could have sworn he saw some movement along the strait, but his vision was never the best among demigods.
"What is this?" Rachel asked quietly.
"What do you see?" Considering she was clear-sighted, she must be capable of seeing more than either him or Tyson.
"I'm sure you don't mean the cliffs, right?" At his grin, she giggled and gently slapped his shoulder. "We're too far away, but I think I see some kind of giant pair of eyes on each cliff staring at us."
Percy looked intently at the cliffs, even as the ship cruised along the gradually turbulent sea, but he saw nothing of the sort on the cliffs. He should have grabbed a pair of binoculars or a telescope from his room, but that was a moot point now. The wind was picking up, causing them to sail faster, but it would soon become a burden once they entered the strait. Although he could now tell it wasn't as narrow as he expected, there was easily enough space for three ships the same size as their own to sail through side by side. What confused him, however, was the lack of falling rocks and boulders.
"So what is this place, anyway?"
"This is one of two known entrances to the Sea of Monsters. The same entrance the Argonauts took on their quest, the Symplegades or the Clashing Rocks." It had taken seeing in person for Percy to remember Annabeth mentioning it during their quest for the Golden Fleece. Even after the quest, he had asked around for any information regarding the mystical place. An experience in a place like the Sea of Monsters would normally make anyone never want to return, but for a son of Poseidon?
It irked him that he could not claim the sea as his.
"Is it supposed to be so…large?" Tyson asked worriedly, and Rachel nodded along, looking at him questioningly.
"Just as everything else in America is big, all the myths would also become larger." He chuckled, and the other two joined him, though hesitantly. "It's been thousands of years since their inception; is it so hard to believe that they would grow along with everything else?"
The other two nodded, but Rachel suddenly squinted at one of the cliffs. They were about a mile out now and would reach the strait in a few minutes.
"I have a bad feeling, Percy."
"Why? What's happening?" He tried to stare at what she was looking at, but all he saw was just regular old rocks. Sure, they were blue, which was awesome, but they were still cliffs.
"Those pairs of eyes I mentioned? They just melted into the cliffs."
"Okay? How is that bad?"
"Oh, it's bad, alright." She turned to him seriously, her bright-green eyes shining in worry. "Those eyes now have a body with arms, many arms, and are currently holding rocks as if ready to throw them. I don't think they realize I can see them, but it's obvious they are waiting for us to enter the strait."
Percy gulped as he inspected the cliffs again, and this time, he did notice some rocks moving unnaturally.
"Okay, you two." With a thought, he furled up the sails and stopped the ship just a few hundred feet from the strait before dropping the anchor. "Time to plan. Do you think those creatures can be hurt, Rachel?"
"I think so? They are shielding their eyes, so that must be a weak point."
"I see," seeing the girl's twitching lips, he chuckled. "Pun unintended. Tyson, bring the 36-pounder to bear and prepare to fire."
"Yes, brother." The Cyclops hurried to obey as he quickly installed a swivel mechanism, similar to the one on the stern, on the flat deck of the bow. He then placed a moving platform connected to the rails before hurrying to get the cannon. It always impressed him with the sheer speed and precision that his brother had when it came to any craft work.
"Rachel, since you are the only one who could see them, I will be counting on you to aim the cannons with Tyson."
"Aye, aye, Captain." He grinned at the girl's exaggerated salute, and they waited for Tyson to return with the utter behemoth that was the 36-Pounder long gun. The fact he could easily carry the three-ton cannon and a crate of its powder/ammo put into perspective how strong his brother was. It would normally take a crew of at least a dozen to operate the cannon, but hopefully, Rachel's ability, combined with Tyson's strength, and the platform he built, would make a difference.
"Blackjack!"
"Yes, boss?" The Pegasus flew in to land on the deck.
"Where are your new friends?"
"Already went past us, boss. The blue one says no stupid cliff can stop them from going anywhere in the ocean."
"Lucky them." He muttered as he quickly saddled the Pegasus. "Ready to pick a fight with a rockslide?"
"Hell yeah, boss! But uh, are you gonna fight a mountain with that?"
The winged horse pointed his head at the unsheathed Riptide.
"Of course not." Blackjack sighed in relief as Percy mounted his back. "I will be fighting a living cliff, not a mountain."
He ignored the Pegasus' splutter and turned to his crew, "I will fly and try to distract them while remotely steering the ship through as fast as possible. Maybe we might just dodge the damn things like the Argo did. If not, you will have to blow Stone Face to smithereens. All hands, ready?"
"Aye, aye, Captain." This time, Tyson repeated with Rachel, and determination shone in their eyes as they manned the cannon. Percy pointed Riptide, and with a thought, the ship came alive as the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling at half-sail, and the long chain of the anchor retracted into the ship. The demigod of the sea focused as the wind caught the sails, sending the ship forward.
"Let's go, everyone!"
With a powerful flap of his wings, Blackjack soared to the skies as the ship entered the strait. This would be their first test as a crew, and Percy prayed to his father for good fortune.
I didn't want to write a rehash of Scylla and Charybdis, but then I remembered that in mythos there is more than one entrance to the Sea of Monsters. The Symplegades was my answer. Naturally, I will make my own twist on how it evolved from ancient times, as two cliffs playing a game of hot hands is super lame.
We see the crew acclimating themselves to their new roles on the ship. Captain Percy, Rachel the mother hen, Tyson the tinkerer/gunner/carpenter/smith… Man, Tyson is really the MVP of this crew. And he isn't even ten yet! (retcon from me, btw.) At least until Calypso joins…
Speaking of, I had left a couple of hints in the past chapters that Rachel will become more. If the gods can somehow create demigods from their thoughts, turn regular mortals into immortal huntresses, and turn demigods into gods at no apparent loss to their powers, then I'm sure they can turn a mortal into what is functionally a demigod. That said mortal is clear-sighted is a huge motivation for it.
I will explain in more detail how and why Rachel became a demigod, as well as her parent, in later chapters. Unless you don't want to wait for weeks on end for the next update, feel free to join me on Pat Reon where you can read four chapters ahead.
Chapter 6
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx.
For a brief moment, Rachel watched as Percy daringly flew ahead on Blackjack. A sigh tore out of her lips and she quickly busied herself with Tyson as they loaded the cannon and aimed it at where the creature on the cliff glared balefully at their captain. The moment her friend entered the strait, the rocky arms threw boulders at him. She nearly screamed his name in terror, but the experienced hero dodged the rocks easily and, with a wave of his sword, caused large geysers to erupt from the sea to block the rocks he couldn't dodge. The Pegasus certainly lived up to its mythical nature as it dodged and flew at a speed and agility that would be impossible if not for some sort of magical power at play.
"Get ready to fire, Tyson. We're entering the strait." It still felt weird that the ship cruised by itself, controlled only by Percy's will. The smell of sea salt and the whipping wind had had her blood boiling in excitement, as she prepared for her first true battle. Unlike the arena in the Labyrinth where she was forced to watch Percy fight his monstrous brother Antaeus, she would not be a spectator here.
"Yes, Rachel." Since it would be nearly impossible to aim the cannon, let alone point it to a target so high up, they operated the swivel mechanism through a series of crankshafts to turn the platform instead. The cannon was secured with many ropes, yet it was still heavy work, but thankfully, the ship was helping them along, or maybe Percy was the one doing it.
Speaking of the boy wonder, the creatures – Golems for lack of a better term – had intensified their barrage on the Pegasus and its rider. The constant salvos of rocks truly gave meaning to the place, the Clashing Rocks. Still, the splashing rocks caused waves along the strait, which would have veered the ship off course and crashed into the cliff if its captain was anyone apart from the son of Poseidon. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for their efforts to aim at the rocky jerks.
"Dammit! Would they stop throwing shit in the water for just a few seconds?" To say the budding gunner was frustrated would be an understatement. The constant rocking of the ship and the impracticality of aiming the cannon, even with the swivel mechanisms that Tyson installed, was testing her patience.
"I don't know if they will do so, Rachel. I can try asking them if you'd like?" Her partner in gunnery gave her that innocent look of his that she had begun to associate with when he was trolling with her.
"No, Tyson. That's not what I – forget it. Let's keep trying." Heh, a Cyclops acting like a troll. Rachel shook her head and focused again on the golem.
But no matter how long they waited, they couldn't get a good shot lined up. Percy and Blackjack still occupied the two golems' attention, but she worried about him. A single lapse in concentration could mean life or death for him and, in turn, for them.
Rachel found herself biting her lips as she waited impatiently for the opportune moment. She stared at the golems so intently that she could barely see or hear anything else happening around her. A niggling feeling in the back of her neck told her to wait; That the chance would come. She needed only to trust her instincts, and the path to victory would be clear.
It was a couple of minutes later that the feeling intensified, and Rachel was absolutely certain that this was the right moment, even if the angle wasn't right.
"Fire!"
Tyson, bless his heart, didn't hesitate and pulled the striker cable, lighting the fuse, and Rachel knew it took about two seconds for the cannon to fire. In those two seconds, however, several things happened at once.
The other golem had thrown yet another boulder at Percy, who couldn't dodge it, yet managed to deflect it with a mini-cyclone. The boulder crashed in the waters a few feet from them, causing the ship to suddenly lurch upwards just as the cannon unleashed its payload with a loud bang that echoed in the strait.
Rachel held onto the platform as the cannon's recoil was absorbed by the multitude of ropes and springs holding it in place while she looked at the results, but deep down, she knew their aim was true. Yet even she did not expect what was going to happen next.
The cannonball had struck the Golem's eye, and a massive explosion of green fire engulfed the cliff side. Rachel looked on in morbid fascination as the Golem-like creature released an earth-shattering roar of agony that sounded like a million landslides happening at the same time. The cry was cut short when another green explosion followed the first, causing the cliff to shake violently.
The ship swayed heavily as half the cliff collapsed onto itself, and the waves buffeted the vessel. In the sky, Blackjack had freaked out from the explosion and flew up as high as he could while the other golem stared at its sibling with what Rachel guessed was horror.
"Tyson?" She turned blankly to her partner, the sight of the cliff turning into molten lava etched into her mind.
"Yes, Rachel?" The Cyclops tried to look innocent, but he was fooling no one with how his lips were quirking.
"What the hell was that?" Rachel was surprised that her voice sounded so calm and dispassionate. She should be screaming in shock at the overkill, but she wondered if it was a sign she had become a demigod with their apparent affinity for life and death.
"I, uh… might have loaded a chain shot of Greek Fire bombs instead of a regular cannonball."
"By mistake, right, Tyson?" She implored her crewmate, who just stared at her blankly. The smell of sulfur permeated the air, and the hot wind was starting to make her skin itchy.
"By…mistake… right?" She repeated, yet at the Cyclops' bad poker face and twitching lips, Rachel facepalmed. Before she could say more, flapping wings sounded above them, and they turned to find a grinning Percy dropping from Blackjack, first into the water, then jumping onto the deck.
"That was absolutely incredible!" The boy had a few bruises on his arms, yet they seemed to be rapidly healing. "Good job, you two. Let's get out of here before the other one recovers." The ship lurched all of a sudden as the sails were fully unfurled, and they cruised at top speed through the strait.
"Tyson, reload the cannon. We aren't out of danger yet." Percy called out as Blackjack landed on the deck, and he remounted him. "I will keep an eye on the other monster from the air or as much as I can against the invisible dickhead."
It had just dawned on her that Percy had been fighting blind against the two golems. Rachel quickly glanced behind and found that the other golem was too concerned with its friend to care about them. "Is that necessary? It looks distracted enough to me. We're nearly at the end anyway."
Soon enough, they could see the end of the strait and the eerily green waters of the Sea of Monsters. "See?" Rachel grinned at her captain, "We're just about clear through."
A roar behind them had Rachel sweating uneasily as she saw Percy's constipated look. "You just had to jinx it, Rachel." He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned to his brother. "Forget the cannon, Tyson. We can't aim it behind us anyway, so just take Rachel and get to cover in the galley. Let's go Blackjack."
The Pegasus didn't need to be told twice and flapped his powerful wings, flying to the rear, just in time for Percy to block a thrown boulder aimed at the ship with a waterspout. Rachel and Tyson shared a hesitant look and decided to ignore the order to take cover and ran to the stern, where the smaller 30-pounder was ready to be used.
Unfortunately, Percy's plan to distract the golem failed as the monster had eyes only for the ship that hurt its friend; more specifically, it was glaring at her. Rachel froze at the sight of the massive boulder coming straight towards them. She could vividly hear Percy screaming her name as he tried to send a waterspout to deflect the projectile, but the red-haired girl knew it would be too late. She stared morbidly as the boulder was a few feet from her…
Only for Tyson to block it with his bare hands. The sheer force of stopping the rock caused the ship to shake and the floorboards to groan while the shockwave sent Rachel back a few steps.
"No hurting Rachel!" The Cyclops roared furiously as he threw the easily five-ton boulder right back at the golem, crashing it into its face and stunning it for a moment.
"Tyson, Rachel!" Percy landed again on the deck to check them for injuries. "Didn't I say to take cover?"
She couldn't reply from shame at giving him trouble and causing him to worry.
"I'm okay, brother. I don't think the bad rock is done, though."
They turned back to the golem, which seemed to travel through the cliffs like a slimy sludge before stopping and sprouting more arms with rocks at the ready. Blackjack whinnied worriedly and quickly hid in his stable.
"Fuck this shit." Rachel gawked at Percy's foul tongue. While she didn't believe that the boy was a goody two shoes who would never cuss like a sailor, he was still the son of Poseidon and, thus, naturally, a sailor, so… yeah.
Percy turned to the stern, facing the golem, his eyes closed and his arms raised. A sudden hum sounded out in the air, and Rachel shivered at the sheer power emanating from her captain. She looked around as she noticed the wind had stopped, and the sea had gone calm. Even the golem felt something was wrong as it looked around warily.
"Rachel," Percy's voice was deep with a baritone quality, and she could almost taste the power dripping from him. "Where is the damn thing?"
She quickly took his hand and pointed it towards the golem. The monster had apparently figured out the danger was caused by Percy and was about to throw another boulder at him.
"Thanks. I suggest you grab onto something."
Rachel barely had the time to grab Tyson and hold onto one of the rowboats secured on the deck before all hell broke loose. The water level in the strait receded, the skies darkened, and the wind howled. Tyson held her by the shoulder in worry while they both looked on as Percy shook with effort, his face sweaty with the veins in his neck bulging. The son of Poseidon opened his eyes and released a loud yell, unleashing a catastrophe that had Rachel shaking in her boots.
A tsunami. An effing massive wave, hundreds of feet high, was rushing towards them. The wind had reached hurricane levels, yet the ship did not so much as creak in protest as the full sails caught the wind and almost flew through the strait. The millions of tons worth of water didn't so much as crash into the golem, who had looked stupidly at it instead of melting back into the cliff, but completely shattered it to pieces.
"Hold on tight! Our ride is here."
They held onto the ropes even tighter as the wave approached. Just before it would have turned their ship into splinters, Percy raised his hands, and a waterspout launched the ship into the air to ride the wave instead of crashing into it. Distantly, Rachel heard a familiar baritone voice in the wind, chuckling in pride and amusement as the destructive tsunami carried their ship to the end of the strait… and continued.
The red-haired gunner didn't know how long they traveled as she looked around at the sea as it flew underneath them. She could see several islands whiz by and what looked like an entire school of massive sea snakes looking at them curiously. "Uh, Percy? How long will the wave keep going?"
The boy didn't respond, and Rachel felt worry. She hesitantly let go of the ropes and carefully made her way to their captain as he stood ramrod straight. A brief look at his face made her worry even more.
He was bleeding from his nose and breathing harshly, and his eyes were unseeing. "Percy, are you alright?"
The demigod of the sea twitched at her voice and gave a tired smile, "I think I need a nap."
"Not yet, Percy. You need to land the ship first, or we will all be dead!"
That seemed to give him enough energy to raise his head and look around him. The son of Poseidon sighed in exhaustion before adopting a determined look.
"Tyson, are you there, brother?"
"Yes, brother." The Cyclops had also approached them when Rachel wasn't looking.
"I can barely move my legs, and need to see where we are before we land."
"Gotcha." Tyson carried Percy to the ship's bow, and Rachel followed them. It had just dawned on her that the reason the wave wasn't stopping had to do with Percy still powering it. She had no idea how divine powers actually worked, but she could see the drain on her friend from maintaining the tsunami.
Their youngest crew member lowered his brother on the deck to lean on the railings. Percy took a deep, shuddering breath before slowly exhaling. Rachel could already feel the ship slowing down from a hundred miles an hour to something more manageable. With another breath, the wave shrunk some more, and the ship lost more altitude. The process was repeated a few more times until they were finally at sea level, and with the last of his breath, Percy had the ship's sails furled, and the anchor dropped.
"I seriously need a nap," was the last thing he said before collapsing, but Rachel was there to hold him.
"Now what?" She turned to Tyson, hoping he would have an answer. Rachel had no idea if Percy was hurt internally or just tired, not to mention the inner workings of demigod physiques eluded her. Heck, she barely knew how to treat a regular injury on a normal person.
The Cyclops grabbed Percy's other arm for support and hummed in thought.
"Percy would usually heal with water. Dad says that the sea will always take care of its children, but Percy takes it on an entirely different level." Slowly, a mischievous smile grew on the large boy's face, "Since he will scold us for not listening anyway, should we toss him overboard?"
A wide grin appeared on the girl's face.
Percy felt something nudging him as he woke up from his brief nap, finding himself face to nose with a worried-looking Hippocampus. He recognized him as one of Rainbow's friends who had stuck around for their quest, though, unlike his friends, he felt it had a more bluish tint to its scales rather than rainbow-colored. His last memory was landing the ship on the sea before he collapsed. Percy instinctively patted its nose in assurance; the fish-horse hybrid shook its head as its worried look intensified and moaned pitifully as it tried to have him mount its back before it looked meaningfully at something behind him.
"Danger, lord!"
By now, Percy was fully awake and, noticed he was in the sea, refreshed and energized. There was almost nothing that would cause a Hippocampus to fear the seas, so the fact something was doing so was a major red flag. Instantly, the son of Poseidon felt Riptide in his pocket and unsheathed it as he swiftly turned around – to see a massive snake-like figure swimming towards him.
"Ah, crap." The two lines of massive fangs attached to a serpentine head with a large jewel on its forehead were enough to have him scramble on the azure-scaled Hippocampus' back. They both swam off as fast as they could to where he could feel the ship had drifted, the anchor trailing uselessly due to the depth of the sea. A glance behind him, and he realized that the sea snake was not as large, nor as fast, as he thought, and upon further reflection, it might not be the best idea to lure it to the ship.
"Hey, uh… gotta give you a name. Anyway, turn around, buddy. We can take on that oversized eel." At his confident voice, the Hippocampus turned around and charged back at the monster. Percy gripped its back tightly with his legs while flourishing Riptide in his hand. He didn't even need to tell his steed what to do, for the moment he mounted his back, some sort of bond was established between them. Just as the snake was about to bite them, the Hippocampus did a barrel roll and appeared under the monster, perfectly angled for Percy to stab upwards into the sea snake's unprotected belly.
They heard a screech of pain above them, but Percy knew this wasn't enough to kill the beast. With a nudge of his legs, his steed swam as fast as it could while he dragged Anaklusmos down the length of its body, releasing a deluge of blood and guts that stained the sea red. They didn't even make it to the end of the monster's body before it disintegrated along with its body parts. An expectant grin came to Percy's face as he searched for a spoil, and it widened as he saw a gleaming silver scale larger than his entire body. Grabbing the spoil, he nudged the Hippocampus back to the surface.
"Good job, Cobalt. You were awesome." The two other Hippocampi were swimming around the ship protectively but quickly swam over when they saw him.
"Thanks, Lord. An honor to help." The Hippocampus whinnied happily at the praise and the name. Percy patted its scaly flank as they breached the surface, the large scale in hand.
"Percy!"
He turned to the shout to find his brother waving from the deck of the ship. "Are you okay now, brother?"
"Yeah." Percy guessed that Tyson was the one who had the idea of dropping him in the sea to recover, "Let's go, Cobalt." The Hippocampus took him as close to the ship as it could, and Percy jumped onboard through a waterspout while his new friend swam playfully with his two friends.
"Tyson," he nodded to his brother and saw Rachel with a bashful look that wouldn't meet his gaze. "Rachel. Glad to see you both in one piece."
"Uhm, yes. O-one piece, nothing of us is missing." Rachel stuttered with an awkward smile, much to his confusion. "We are also glad you're alright. You worried us with that stunt of yours, I didn't know you were powerful enough to create such a calamity."
"It was mostly because I was on the sea. I'm sure Dad helped as well." Percy waved off the praise before frowning at the girl and his brother. "More importantly, I need you to listen when I ask you to do something. If Tyson had not blocked that rock, it would have turned you into paste, Rachel."
"Sorry." The girl said in a small voice, guilt and shame obvious in her voice. "We just wanted to help. You saw how much damage that cannon and the Greek Fire did; we could have done the same with the stern cannon as well."
"True, you could have. Yet, you failed to understand that when I tell you to take cover, it's because I know something you can't handle will happen." His frown deepened at the girl; despite the clear regret written all over her face, he needed to send the point home. "I have more experience fighting monsters than both you and Tyson combined. As the leader of this quest, I expect my orders to be heeded unquestionably in the heat of battle. Doubly so as the Captain of this vessel, am I understood, Rachel?"
"Yes, Percy." He continued to stare at her until he was sure the point was driven and smiled gently.
"And you Tyson? Do you think I am not reliable enough to be counted on?"
"Of course not, brother! I never doubted you, but I'm strong and can take care of myself." For once, his brother had a bit of defiance in him, which Percy approved of. He had always had trouble with confidence, and knowing your strength was important. However…
"Yet, you did not think about Rachel and forgot that she was not as strong as you. Yes, you protected her." He quickly interrupted the younger boy, "but what if you were a few feet too far from her? Her death would have been on you, Tyson."
Percy sighed as his younger brother looked devastated. It was so surreal for him to be the voice of reason when usually he was the reckless one. Then again, this was probably the only time he was an experienced member of a quest. Typically, Annabeth would be the voice of reason and rationality, or there would be older members like Zoe and Thalia.
"I'm sorry, brother. I promise to follow your orders from now on."
"That's not it, little brother." Percy shook his head as it seemed Tyson didn't get the point. "It's always possible that I might give bad orders and commands, whether due to lack of information or confusion. At that time, it would be up to you to think of yourself, your friends, and your surroundings before committing to an action."
All of this was just common sense to him as he was just repeating the lessons that Chiron had drilled into him and the Campers, but in this case, with two non-campers, those lessons were a godsend.
"Understood, brother. I will be more careful in the future." Seeing the sincerity on the Cyclops' face and the admonishment on Rachel's, Percy decided that was enough chewing them out.
"So long as you trust me to lead you well, we're cool."
"So, what's that you have there, Captain?" Rachel grabbed the chance to change the subject as she pointed at his spoil.
"Oh, this? Something I got from killing a giant sea snake. Now, who had the bright idea to drop my unconscious ass in the Sea of Monsters?"
Both of his quest mates immediately pointed at each other shamelessly.
"Hey, you were the one who said he recovered quickly from the sea, Tyson!"
"B-but, you agreed to it. You were so eager to help that you threw him overboard without even looking!"
"What? I so did not do that! You were the one who was smirking at the idea that you suggested, and tossed him with your stupid strength. I barely helped hold him."
The back and forth between his crewmates continued for a while, and Percy couldn't help but smile at the two. They were messing with him and used him as the butt-end of a joke, but he didn't mind so long as it was a chance for them to bond, especially after the scolding he gave them. Eventually, he coughed for their attention, interrupting their argument on who could have tossed him further into the sea, with Rachel dangerously eyeballing that damn cannon. That they were both smiling and stifling their giggles was summarily ignored.
"Anyway, Tyson," he handed him the silver scale. "See if you can make something out of this. If not, it could always be used as a glorified mirror. Oh, and could you grab the moonlace from my cabin? I think it's about time we get a heading to our destination."
"Yes, brother." The Cyclops took the scale to the lower decks for storage.
"Uhm, Percy? Do you know where we are? Which heading should we take now for Ogygia?"
The seas were calm for now, but Percy knew from experience that could change on a dime. He could tell exactly where he was and where the islands he visited from his last stint here were.
"Over there is Circe's island," Percy pointed to the north-west. "Last time we were there, we freed a pirate crew after getting captured by the mad witch. I would rather not see the aftermath after a year."
"Circe? As in the immortal sorcerous?"
"The very same. If I had to guess, she probably cut her losses and rebuilt her spa somewhere else." Percy pointed to the east, "over there is Polyphemus' island. There's a Siren's island along the way, and let me tell you, they are ugly as sin."
The red-haired girl giggled as they waited for their last crewmate to join them. Soon enough, Tyson appeared with the moonlace in his hands.
"Here you go, brother."
"Thank you." Percy took the moonlace and moved to the railing of the deck, where the three Hippocampi waited eagerly. "Alright, boys. Ready for a bit of tracking?"
Rainbow and Cobalt whinnied eagerly, though the last one glared at him.
"I'm not a boy, lordling."
"Ah, sorry, girl." He rubbed his head awkwardly, "Anyway, up you go." He opened the gangway, allowing the three of them to jump onboard and sniff at the plant. It was sadly wilted due to the shining sun, so it took them a few minutes to get a full whiff of it until they were confident enough to track it to its origin.
"Okay, lord. You can put it away now. We don't want the smell to distract us." Rainbow and the rest jumped into the sea and swam around the ship, trying to catch a heading. Percy hurried to his cabin and placed the moonlace in the Captain's safe, where its smell would hopefully be stifled.
Once he returned, he saw Rachel shaking her head in exasperation. "It's so strange to hear you speaking to animals. I saw you doing it with Blackjack earlier, but to see it again with horse-fish?"
"They're called Hippocampi, Rachel." He tutted jokingly, "Speaking of, where is Blackjack?"
"Someone say my name?" The Pegasus called from his stall in the stables. Blackjack was busy munching on peanuts as he looked questioningly at him.
"Nevermind, you earned your rest, Jack." Percy turned to Tyson, who was cheering Rainbow on. The Hippocampi were jumping into the sea in excitement.
"Found anything?"
"Yes, lord! It's this way." Rainbow led his friends to the southwest, and Percy quickly raised the anchor and prepared the ship to sail.
"Looks like we've found our heading, guys. To Ogygia, we go!"
"Yeah!" Rachel and Tyson cried out with excitement, while Blackjack snorted and went back to his food.
.
.
.
The midday sun shone brightly overhead as they sailed for a few hours without problems, except for when sea monsters attacked. It was only twice more, and both times, they were some sort of sea serpent similar to the one he killed, though sadly, they didn't drop any spoils. Rachel grumbled about him stealing her chance to fight when he dove underwater to battle them, but he was sure she was joking. The way she fiddled with her revolvers and idly checked her ammo made him rethink his assessment of her. Wasn't she satisfied with blowing that cliff to kingdom come?
Currently, Percy and Rachel had a table set up on the main deck by the mainmast, where they were just finishing lunch. Five boxes of Pizza had been devoured by the hungry questers, two for Percy and Tyson each and one for Rachel. While he wouldn't mind eating pizza every day, he was reminded of Rachel's worries about their food variety.
It probably won't be a problem, he thought as he drank his can of Coke.
"… Percy, did you hear what I just said?"
Rachel's face was not amused when he turned to her, roused from his thoughts.
"Sorry, what?"
"I was saying the cannons are barely useful as they are." The exasperation was evident in her voice. "Even with Tyson's help, we could only operate one cannon at a time. We need to find a more efficient way to use them; otherwise they're just taking a lot of space."
Speaking of the Cyclops, Rachel had asked him for something while he was busy watching over the pizza in the ovens. Tyson had eaten his lunch quickly and had been in the workshop ever since, as evidenced by the smoke coming from the mainmast. It surprised him to learn that the mainmast also doubled as a giant chimney with vents connecting the workshop, engine room, kitchens, and more to it.
Suffice it to say, Percy hadn't a clue how any of that was possible and how it didn't compromise the ship's ability to sail. Maybe his Dad really magicked the ship into being and gave fuck all to the laws of physics.
"Did you doze off on me again?" A grumpy voice brought him from his thoughts. While the dip in the sea had refreshed him from his earlier stunt, Percy was still tired.
He smiled apologetically to the girl, "sorry, I got distracted by something. I wouldn't worry about the armaments, Rachel. We're nearly at the end of our journey, and I just don't see us fighting anything that would require artillery in the first place." Percy stood from the lounge chair, stretching, and then walked to the railing, a pensive look coming to his face. Was it arrogance for him to state so? It was true that he had been shouldering most of the burden of fighting so far, and it was only natural to assume he would continue to do so.
"This doesn't sit well with me, Percy. You're leaving things to chance, and getting overconfident in your powers." Rachel argued, and he was starting to get a little annoyed. "Didn't you warn your brother about not knowing the strength of those around you?"
"This is different, Rachel. I hate to brag, but I am the Son of Poseidon. I can already sense everything around me in the sea for a few hundred feet. Don't worry yourself, nothing will happen while I'm onboard."
"If you say so," the girl wasn't convinced, and Percy would concede that she did make a point, but the fact still stood. He had no plans to sail the sea indefinitely and pick fights left or right, so why worry about the ship's armaments? What could he even do about it, replace them with laser guns? Regardless, any discussion regarding the ship would be shelved, at least until Calypso joined.
Calypso… thinking about the kind Titaness brought a smile to his face, that quickly turned into a frown. He was close, he just knew that Ogygia was close and he would see her again. Yet, Percy feared that he wasn't any closer to finding a way to free her. All his plans were on how to get there, but as for after they arrived at the island? Percy had no clue. He just hoped Calypso would have a better idea, as this time, he had no world ending quest to finish or friends to save. He had a whole year to strategize with her on how to free her. Even if Rachel decided to leave, he was confident that he could ask his Dad to return her home. Still, it all came back to Calypso's abilities, of which he had heard a lot about.
He wasn't sure if she counted as a goddess or not, but there was no denying the tales of her prowess. Especially her magic powers said to rival that of Circe or Medea or even Hecate depending on the story. While interesting, her powers and abilities weren't what had drawn Percy to her. Remembering her warm smile, the gentleness in which she cared for him, her almond-shaped eyes that were a beautiful shade of honey. The caramel-colored hair with the scent of cinnamon, as well as her face with its timeless beauty… It brought an unbidden smile to his face as he stared off at a familiar-looking volcanic island.
The fact that she was also a complete knockout babe was certainly a bonus.
Percy chuckled to himself as he focused on the approaching island. The Hippocampi were leading them a bit off course, but they would still pass very close to it. Cobalt, sensing his curiosity, had his friends stop and turned to him curiously, awaiting his orders. He recognized the volcanic island as one of Hephaestus' forges, which immediately made him shy away from approaching it, especially as he noticed flocks of some kind of birds of prey flying around the island. His previous experiences with the forge god's experiments did not endear him to visiting it.
"What is it?" Rachel had snuck up to him while he was distracted, and Percy filled her in while sailing the ship around the island.
"Well, if you believe it's unsafe and not worth visiting, then we'll follow your orders, Captain." Percy smiled at the girl, grateful she had taken his earlier remarks well.
He was about to tell the Hippocampi to keep going, but a short scream from the island's direction grabbed his attention.
"Did you hear that?"
"Was it a girl's scream? If so, then yes." Rachel squinted at the island for a moment. "There, by the coast, behind those rocks, there's a boat."
Having learned from his earlier mistake, Percy grabbed a pair of binoculars he hung near the helm and focused on where Rachel was pointing. There was a boat alright, and he could see two girls on it fighting off some kind of tentacled sea monster with spears. For some reason, the boat looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before. The girls seem to be struggling, yet they had already managed to hurt the monster as evidenced by the blood on the water. Eventually though, Percy wagered the monster would just tip the boat over and be done with it.
Suddenly, the monster in the deep sent many of its long gray tentacles flurrying everywhere before it grabbed one of the girls and dragged her underwater.
"Reyna!" The anguished scream of the remaining girl reverberated across the sea and tore at his heart.
"Percy. You have got to help them!" He didn't need Rachel's egging to come to a decision.
"Call Tyson and prepare for a fight." He tossed the binoculars to her and jumped into the sea, swimming as fast as he could towards where he last saw the girl. Soon enough, he found her struggling mightily against the tentacle, and Percy found out what the monster was.
A giant squid. Or no, it was a Kraken. Like every Greek monster, the original Kraken had plenty of time to reproduce and create baby Krakens of its own. This one must be a juvenile, for despite it being nearly the same size as the Sea Queen, the original Kraken was said to be larger than an island.
The Kraken had dived away from the other girl, who was busy fending off something else that Percy couldn't perceive from underwater. Thinking the girl might need help, he directed the ship to move to her position while furling the sails. He would rather not lose control and send the ship to ground on the rocky shore.
Turning back to the Kraken, he paused. Maybe it could be reasoned with? He swam as close as he could while staying out of its reach. "Release her at once, and nobody gets hurt."
The Kraken roared unintelligibly at him, and Percy noticed its eyes were red with rage. Great, it was a feral one. The girl was rapidly losing strength, her dark eyes looked at him pleadingly for help. Without a thought, Riptide was in his hands, and for the first time in a while, Percy activated his shield before charging at the Kraken.
The Sea of Monsters certainly lives up to its name. I would like to emphasize that I have no plans whatsoever to involve the Roman pantheon in this story. That does not mean I will not be using certain characters from there, nor will I deny its existence. Ultimately, it's utterly irrelevant to the story.
Percy and crew face their first challenges, and their inexperience shows. It is unfortunate that there isn't anyone to point out Percy's own mistakes, however, though Rachel certainly tried.
I would like to announce that this story is now official AU. There are so many inconsistencies with the timeline that Riordan wrote as well as the lazy way he wrote some of the characters in the series, but particularly the villains. He had really failed to encapsulate the essence of a villain after Kronos.
Regardless, one of the biggest changes will be seen next chapter, but I don't think it will matter if I tell you now. I have made Reyna younger than Percy, even younger than the books, and I will enjoy exploring her character later.
For a brief moment, Rachel watched as Percy daringly flew ahead on Blackjack. A sigh tore out of her lips and she quickly busied herself with Tyson as they loaded the cannon and aimed it at where the creature on the cliff glared balefully at their captain. The moment her friend entered the strait, the rocky arms threw boulders at him. She nearly screamed his name in terror, but the experienced hero dodged the rocks easily and, with a wave of his sword, caused large geysers to erupt from the sea to block the rocks he couldn't dodge. The Pegasus certainly lived up to its mythical nature as it dodged and flew at a speed and agility that would be impossible if not for some sort of magical power at play.
"Get ready to fire, Tyson. We're entering the strait." It still felt weird that the ship cruised by itself, controlled only by Percy's will. The smell of sea salt and the whipping wind had had her blood boiling in excitement, as she prepared for her first true battle. Unlike the arena in the Labyrinth where she was forced to watch Percy fight his monstrous brother Antaeus, she would not be a spectator here.
"Yes, Rachel." Since it would be nearly impossible to aim the cannon, let alone point it to a target so high up, they operated the swivel mechanism through a series of crankshafts to turn the platform instead. The cannon was secured with many ropes, yet it was still heavy work, but thankfully, the ship was helping them along, or maybe Percy was the one doing it.
Speaking of the boy wonder, the creatures – Golems for lack of a better term – had intensified their barrage on the Pegasus and its rider. The constant salvos of rocks truly gave meaning to the place, the Clashing Rocks. Still, the splashing rocks caused waves along the strait, which would have veered the ship off course and crashed into the cliff if its captain was anyone apart from the son of Poseidon. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for their efforts to aim at the rocky jerks.
"Dammit! Would they stop throwing shit in the water for just a few seconds?" To say the budding gunner was frustrated would be an understatement. The constant rocking of the ship and the impracticality of aiming the cannon, even with the swivel mechanisms that Tyson installed, was testing her patience.
"I don't know if they will do so, Rachel. I can try asking them if you'd like?" Her partner in gunnery gave her that innocent look of his that she had begun to associate with when he was trolling with her.
"No, Tyson. That's not what I – forget it. Let's keep trying." Heh, a Cyclops acting like a troll. Rachel shook her head and focused again on the golem.
But no matter how long they waited, they couldn't get a good shot lined up. Percy and Blackjack still occupied the two golems' attention, but she worried about him. A single lapse in concentration could mean life or death for him and, in turn, for them.
Rachel found herself biting her lips as she waited impatiently for the opportune moment. She stared at the golems so intently that she could barely see or hear anything else happening around her. A niggling feeling in the back of her neck told her to wait; That the chance would come. She needed only to trust her instincts, and the path to victory would be clear.
It was a couple of minutes later that the feeling intensified, and Rachel was absolutely certain that this was the right moment, even if the angle wasn't right.
"Fire!"
Tyson, bless his heart, didn't hesitate and pulled the striker cable, lighting the fuse, and Rachel knew it took about two seconds for the cannon to fire. In those two seconds, however, several things happened at once.
The other golem had thrown yet another boulder at Percy, who couldn't dodge it, yet managed to deflect it with a mini-cyclone. The boulder crashed in the waters a few feet from them, causing the ship to suddenly lurch upwards just as the cannon unleashed its payload with a loud bang that echoed in the strait.
Rachel held onto the platform as the cannon's recoil was absorbed by the multitude of ropes and springs holding it in place while she looked at the results, but deep down, she knew their aim was true. Yet even she did not expect what was going to happen next.
The cannonball had struck the Golem's eye, and a massive explosion of green fire engulfed the cliff side. Rachel looked on in morbid fascination as the Golem-like creature released an earth-shattering roar of agony that sounded like a million landslides happening at the same time. The cry was cut short when another green explosion followed the first, causing the cliff to shake violently.
The ship swayed heavily as half the cliff collapsed onto itself, and the waves buffeted the vessel. In the sky, Blackjack had freaked out from the explosion and flew up as high as he could while the other golem stared at its sibling with what Rachel guessed was horror.
"Tyson?" She turned blankly to her partner, the sight of the cliff turning into molten lava etched into her mind.
"Yes, Rachel?" The Cyclops tried to look innocent, but he was fooling no one with how his lips were quirking.
"What the hell was that?" Rachel was surprised that her voice sounded so calm and dispassionate. She should be screaming in shock at the overkill, but she wondered if it was a sign she had become a demigod with their apparent affinity for life and death.
"I, uh… might have loaded a chain shot of Greek Fire bombs instead of a regular cannonball."
"By mistake, right, Tyson?" She implored her crewmate, who just stared at her blankly. The smell of sulfur permeated the air, and the hot wind was starting to make her skin itchy.
"By…mistake… right?" She repeated, yet at the Cyclops' bad poker face and twitching lips, Rachel facepalmed. Before she could say more, flapping wings sounded above them, and they turned to find a grinning Percy dropping from Blackjack, first into the water, then jumping onto the deck.
"That was absolutely incredible!" The boy had a few bruises on his arms, yet they seemed to be rapidly healing. "Good job, you two. Let's get out of here before the other one recovers." The ship lurched all of a sudden as the sails were fully unfurled, and they cruised at top speed through the strait.
"Tyson, reload the cannon. We aren't out of danger yet." Percy called out as Blackjack landed on the deck, and he remounted him. "I will keep an eye on the other monster from the air or as much as I can against the invisible dickhead."
It had just dawned on her that Percy had been fighting blind against the two golems. Rachel quickly glanced behind and found that the other golem was too concerned with its friend to care about them. "Is that necessary? It looks distracted enough to me. We're nearly at the end anyway."
Soon enough, they could see the end of the strait and the eerily green waters of the Sea of Monsters. "See?" Rachel grinned at her captain, "We're just about clear through."
A roar behind them had Rachel sweating uneasily as she saw Percy's constipated look. "You just had to jinx it, Rachel." He sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned to his brother. "Forget the cannon, Tyson. We can't aim it behind us anyway, so just take Rachel and get to cover in the galley. Let's go Blackjack."
The Pegasus didn't need to be told twice and flapped his powerful wings, flying to the rear, just in time for Percy to block a thrown boulder aimed at the ship with a waterspout. Rachel and Tyson shared a hesitant look and decided to ignore the order to take cover and ran to the stern, where the smaller 30-pounder was ready to be used.
Unfortunately, Percy's plan to distract the golem failed as the monster had eyes only for the ship that hurt its friend; more specifically, it was glaring at her. Rachel froze at the sight of the massive boulder coming straight towards them. She could vividly hear Percy screaming her name as he tried to send a waterspout to deflect the projectile, but the red-haired girl knew it would be too late. She stared morbidly as the boulder was a few feet from her…
Only for Tyson to block it with his bare hands. The sheer force of stopping the rock caused the ship to shake and the floorboards to groan while the shockwave sent Rachel back a few steps.
"No hurting Rachel!" The Cyclops roared furiously as he threw the easily five-ton boulder right back at the golem, crashing it into its face and stunning it for a moment.
"Tyson, Rachel!" Percy landed again on the deck to check them for injuries. "Didn't I say to take cover?"
She couldn't reply from shame at giving him trouble and causing him to worry.
"I'm okay, brother. I don't think the bad rock is done, though."
They turned back to the golem, which seemed to travel through the cliffs like a slimy sludge before stopping and sprouting more arms with rocks at the ready. Blackjack whinnied worriedly and quickly hid in his stable.
"Fuck this shit." Rachel gawked at Percy's foul tongue. While she didn't believe that the boy was a goody two shoes who would never cuss like a sailor, he was still the son of Poseidon and, thus, naturally, a sailor, so… yeah.
Percy turned to the stern, facing the golem, his eyes closed and his arms raised. A sudden hum sounded out in the air, and Rachel shivered at the sheer power emanating from her captain. She looked around as she noticed the wind had stopped, and the sea had gone calm. Even the golem felt something was wrong as it looked around warily.
"Rachel," Percy's voice was deep with a baritone quality, and she could almost taste the power dripping from him. "Where is the damn thing?"
She quickly took his hand and pointed it towards the golem. The monster had apparently figured out the danger was caused by Percy and was about to throw another boulder at him.
"Thanks. I suggest you grab onto something."
Rachel barely had the time to grab Tyson and hold onto one of the rowboats secured on the deck before all hell broke loose. The water level in the strait receded, the skies darkened, and the wind howled. Tyson held her by the shoulder in worry while they both looked on as Percy shook with effort, his face sweaty with the veins in his neck bulging. The son of Poseidon opened his eyes and released a loud yell, unleashing a catastrophe that had Rachel shaking in her boots.
A tsunami. An effing massive wave, hundreds of feet high, was rushing towards them. The wind had reached hurricane levels, yet the ship did not so much as creak in protest as the full sails caught the wind and almost flew through the strait. The millions of tons worth of water didn't so much as crash into the golem, who had looked stupidly at it instead of melting back into the cliff, but completely shattered it to pieces.
"Hold on tight! Our ride is here."
They held onto the ropes even tighter as the wave approached. Just before it would have turned their ship into splinters, Percy raised his hands, and a waterspout launched the ship into the air to ride the wave instead of crashing into it. Distantly, Rachel heard a familiar baritone voice in the wind, chuckling in pride and amusement as the destructive tsunami carried their ship to the end of the strait… and continued.
The red-haired gunner didn't know how long they traveled as she looked around at the sea as it flew underneath them. She could see several islands whiz by and what looked like an entire school of massive sea snakes looking at them curiously. "Uh, Percy? How long will the wave keep going?"
The boy didn't respond, and Rachel felt worry. She hesitantly let go of the ropes and carefully made her way to their captain as he stood ramrod straight. A brief look at his face made her worry even more.
He was bleeding from his nose and breathing harshly, and his eyes were unseeing. "Percy, are you alright?"
The demigod of the sea twitched at her voice and gave a tired smile, "I think I need a nap."
"Not yet, Percy. You need to land the ship first, or we will all be dead!"
That seemed to give him enough energy to raise his head and look around him. The son of Poseidon sighed in exhaustion before adopting a determined look.
"Tyson, are you there, brother?"
"Yes, brother." The Cyclops had also approached them when Rachel wasn't looking.
"I can barely move my legs, and need to see where we are before we land."
"Gotcha." Tyson carried Percy to the ship's bow, and Rachel followed them. It had just dawned on her that the reason the wave wasn't stopping had to do with Percy still powering it. She had no idea how divine powers actually worked, but she could see the drain on her friend from maintaining the tsunami.
Their youngest crew member lowered his brother on the deck to lean on the railings. Percy took a deep, shuddering breath before slowly exhaling. Rachel could already feel the ship slowing down from a hundred miles an hour to something more manageable. With another breath, the wave shrunk some more, and the ship lost more altitude. The process was repeated a few more times until they were finally at sea level, and with the last of his breath, Percy had the ship's sails furled, and the anchor dropped.
"I seriously need a nap," was the last thing he said before collapsing, but Rachel was there to hold him.
"Now what?" She turned to Tyson, hoping he would have an answer. Rachel had no idea if Percy was hurt internally or just tired, not to mention the inner workings of demigod physiques eluded her. Heck, she barely knew how to treat a regular injury on a normal person.
The Cyclops grabbed Percy's other arm for support and hummed in thought.
"Percy would usually heal with water. Dad says that the sea will always take care of its children, but Percy takes it on an entirely different level." Slowly, a mischievous smile grew on the large boy's face, "Since he will scold us for not listening anyway, should we toss him overboard?"
A wide grin appeared on the girl's face.
P*O*D
Percy felt something nudging him as he woke up from his brief nap, finding himself face to nose with a worried-looking Hippocampus. He recognized him as one of Rainbow's friends who had stuck around for their quest, though, unlike his friends, he felt it had a more bluish tint to its scales rather than rainbow-colored. His last memory was landing the ship on the sea before he collapsed. Percy instinctively patted its nose in assurance; the fish-horse hybrid shook its head as its worried look intensified and moaned pitifully as it tried to have him mount its back before it looked meaningfully at something behind him.
"Danger, lord!"
By now, Percy was fully awake and, noticed he was in the sea, refreshed and energized. There was almost nothing that would cause a Hippocampus to fear the seas, so the fact something was doing so was a major red flag. Instantly, the son of Poseidon felt Riptide in his pocket and unsheathed it as he swiftly turned around – to see a massive snake-like figure swimming towards him.
"Ah, crap." The two lines of massive fangs attached to a serpentine head with a large jewel on its forehead were enough to have him scramble on the azure-scaled Hippocampus' back. They both swam off as fast as they could to where he could feel the ship had drifted, the anchor trailing uselessly due to the depth of the sea. A glance behind him, and he realized that the sea snake was not as large, nor as fast, as he thought, and upon further reflection, it might not be the best idea to lure it to the ship.
"Hey, uh… gotta give you a name. Anyway, turn around, buddy. We can take on that oversized eel." At his confident voice, the Hippocampus turned around and charged back at the monster. Percy gripped its back tightly with his legs while flourishing Riptide in his hand. He didn't even need to tell his steed what to do, for the moment he mounted his back, some sort of bond was established between them. Just as the snake was about to bite them, the Hippocampus did a barrel roll and appeared under the monster, perfectly angled for Percy to stab upwards into the sea snake's unprotected belly.
They heard a screech of pain above them, but Percy knew this wasn't enough to kill the beast. With a nudge of his legs, his steed swam as fast as it could while he dragged Anaklusmos down the length of its body, releasing a deluge of blood and guts that stained the sea red. They didn't even make it to the end of the monster's body before it disintegrated along with its body parts. An expectant grin came to Percy's face as he searched for a spoil, and it widened as he saw a gleaming silver scale larger than his entire body. Grabbing the spoil, he nudged the Hippocampus back to the surface.
"Good job, Cobalt. You were awesome." The two other Hippocampi were swimming around the ship protectively but quickly swam over when they saw him.
"Thanks, Lord. An honor to help." The Hippocampus whinnied happily at the praise and the name. Percy patted its scaly flank as they breached the surface, the large scale in hand.
"Percy!"
He turned to the shout to find his brother waving from the deck of the ship. "Are you okay now, brother?"
"Yeah." Percy guessed that Tyson was the one who had the idea of dropping him in the sea to recover, "Let's go, Cobalt." The Hippocampus took him as close to the ship as it could, and Percy jumped onboard through a waterspout while his new friend swam playfully with his two friends.
"Tyson," he nodded to his brother and saw Rachel with a bashful look that wouldn't meet his gaze. "Rachel. Glad to see you both in one piece."
"Uhm, yes. O-one piece, nothing of us is missing." Rachel stuttered with an awkward smile, much to his confusion. "We are also glad you're alright. You worried us with that stunt of yours, I didn't know you were powerful enough to create such a calamity."
"It was mostly because I was on the sea. I'm sure Dad helped as well." Percy waved off the praise before frowning at the girl and his brother. "More importantly, I need you to listen when I ask you to do something. If Tyson had not blocked that rock, it would have turned you into paste, Rachel."
"Sorry." The girl said in a small voice, guilt and shame obvious in her voice. "We just wanted to help. You saw how much damage that cannon and the Greek Fire did; we could have done the same with the stern cannon as well."
"True, you could have. Yet, you failed to understand that when I tell you to take cover, it's because I know something you can't handle will happen." His frown deepened at the girl; despite the clear regret written all over her face, he needed to send the point home. "I have more experience fighting monsters than both you and Tyson combined. As the leader of this quest, I expect my orders to be heeded unquestionably in the heat of battle. Doubly so as the Captain of this vessel, am I understood, Rachel?"
"Yes, Percy." He continued to stare at her until he was sure the point was driven and smiled gently.
"And you Tyson? Do you think I am not reliable enough to be counted on?"
"Of course not, brother! I never doubted you, but I'm strong and can take care of myself." For once, his brother had a bit of defiance in him, which Percy approved of. He had always had trouble with confidence, and knowing your strength was important. However…
"Yet, you did not think about Rachel and forgot that she was not as strong as you. Yes, you protected her." He quickly interrupted the younger boy, "but what if you were a few feet too far from her? Her death would have been on you, Tyson."
Percy sighed as his younger brother looked devastated. It was so surreal for him to be the voice of reason when usually he was the reckless one. Then again, this was probably the only time he was an experienced member of a quest. Typically, Annabeth would be the voice of reason and rationality, or there would be older members like Zoe and Thalia.
"I'm sorry, brother. I promise to follow your orders from now on."
"That's not it, little brother." Percy shook his head as it seemed Tyson didn't get the point. "It's always possible that I might give bad orders and commands, whether due to lack of information or confusion. At that time, it would be up to you to think of yourself, your friends, and your surroundings before committing to an action."
All of this was just common sense to him as he was just repeating the lessons that Chiron had drilled into him and the Campers, but in this case, with two non-campers, those lessons were a godsend.
"Understood, brother. I will be more careful in the future." Seeing the sincerity on the Cyclops' face and the admonishment on Rachel's, Percy decided that was enough chewing them out.
"So long as you trust me to lead you well, we're cool."
"So, what's that you have there, Captain?" Rachel grabbed the chance to change the subject as she pointed at his spoil.
"Oh, this? Something I got from killing a giant sea snake. Now, who had the bright idea to drop my unconscious ass in the Sea of Monsters?"
Both of his quest mates immediately pointed at each other shamelessly.
"Hey, you were the one who said he recovered quickly from the sea, Tyson!"
"B-but, you agreed to it. You were so eager to help that you threw him overboard without even looking!"
"What? I so did not do that! You were the one who was smirking at the idea that you suggested, and tossed him with your stupid strength. I barely helped hold him."
The back and forth between his crewmates continued for a while, and Percy couldn't help but smile at the two. They were messing with him and used him as the butt-end of a joke, but he didn't mind so long as it was a chance for them to bond, especially after the scolding he gave them. Eventually, he coughed for their attention, interrupting their argument on who could have tossed him further into the sea, with Rachel dangerously eyeballing that damn cannon. That they were both smiling and stifling their giggles was summarily ignored.
"Anyway, Tyson," he handed him the silver scale. "See if you can make something out of this. If not, it could always be used as a glorified mirror. Oh, and could you grab the moonlace from my cabin? I think it's about time we get a heading to our destination."
"Yes, brother." The Cyclops took the scale to the lower decks for storage.
"Uhm, Percy? Do you know where we are? Which heading should we take now for Ogygia?"
The seas were calm for now, but Percy knew from experience that could change on a dime. He could tell exactly where he was and where the islands he visited from his last stint here were.
"Over there is Circe's island," Percy pointed to the north-west. "Last time we were there, we freed a pirate crew after getting captured by the mad witch. I would rather not see the aftermath after a year."
"Circe? As in the immortal sorcerous?"
"The very same. If I had to guess, she probably cut her losses and rebuilt her spa somewhere else." Percy pointed to the east, "over there is Polyphemus' island. There's a Siren's island along the way, and let me tell you, they are ugly as sin."
The red-haired girl giggled as they waited for their last crewmate to join them. Soon enough, Tyson appeared with the moonlace in his hands.
"Here you go, brother."
"Thank you." Percy took the moonlace and moved to the railing of the deck, where the three Hippocampi waited eagerly. "Alright, boys. Ready for a bit of tracking?"
Rainbow and Cobalt whinnied eagerly, though the last one glared at him.
"I'm not a boy, lordling."
"Ah, sorry, girl." He rubbed his head awkwardly, "Anyway, up you go." He opened the gangway, allowing the three of them to jump onboard and sniff at the plant. It was sadly wilted due to the shining sun, so it took them a few minutes to get a full whiff of it until they were confident enough to track it to its origin.
"Okay, lord. You can put it away now. We don't want the smell to distract us." Rainbow and the rest jumped into the sea and swam around the ship, trying to catch a heading. Percy hurried to his cabin and placed the moonlace in the Captain's safe, where its smell would hopefully be stifled.
Once he returned, he saw Rachel shaking her head in exasperation. "It's so strange to hear you speaking to animals. I saw you doing it with Blackjack earlier, but to see it again with horse-fish?"
"They're called Hippocampi, Rachel." He tutted jokingly, "Speaking of, where is Blackjack?"
"Someone say my name?" The Pegasus called from his stall in the stables. Blackjack was busy munching on peanuts as he looked questioningly at him.
"Nevermind, you earned your rest, Jack." Percy turned to Tyson, who was cheering Rainbow on. The Hippocampi were jumping into the sea in excitement.
"Found anything?"
"Yes, lord! It's this way." Rainbow led his friends to the southwest, and Percy quickly raised the anchor and prepared the ship to sail.
"Looks like we've found our heading, guys. To Ogygia, we go!"
"Yeah!" Rachel and Tyson cried out with excitement, while Blackjack snorted and went back to his food.
.
.
.
The midday sun shone brightly overhead as they sailed for a few hours without problems, except for when sea monsters attacked. It was only twice more, and both times, they were some sort of sea serpent similar to the one he killed, though sadly, they didn't drop any spoils. Rachel grumbled about him stealing her chance to fight when he dove underwater to battle them, but he was sure she was joking. The way she fiddled with her revolvers and idly checked her ammo made him rethink his assessment of her. Wasn't she satisfied with blowing that cliff to kingdom come?
Currently, Percy and Rachel had a table set up on the main deck by the mainmast, where they were just finishing lunch. Five boxes of Pizza had been devoured by the hungry questers, two for Percy and Tyson each and one for Rachel. While he wouldn't mind eating pizza every day, he was reminded of Rachel's worries about their food variety.
It probably won't be a problem, he thought as he drank his can of Coke.
"… Percy, did you hear what I just said?"
Rachel's face was not amused when he turned to her, roused from his thoughts.
"Sorry, what?"
"I was saying the cannons are barely useful as they are." The exasperation was evident in her voice. "Even with Tyson's help, we could only operate one cannon at a time. We need to find a more efficient way to use them; otherwise they're just taking a lot of space."
Speaking of the Cyclops, Rachel had asked him for something while he was busy watching over the pizza in the ovens. Tyson had eaten his lunch quickly and had been in the workshop ever since, as evidenced by the smoke coming from the mainmast. It surprised him to learn that the mainmast also doubled as a giant chimney with vents connecting the workshop, engine room, kitchens, and more to it.
Suffice it to say, Percy hadn't a clue how any of that was possible and how it didn't compromise the ship's ability to sail. Maybe his Dad really magicked the ship into being and gave fuck all to the laws of physics.
"Did you doze off on me again?" A grumpy voice brought him from his thoughts. While the dip in the sea had refreshed him from his earlier stunt, Percy was still tired.
He smiled apologetically to the girl, "sorry, I got distracted by something. I wouldn't worry about the armaments, Rachel. We're nearly at the end of our journey, and I just don't see us fighting anything that would require artillery in the first place." Percy stood from the lounge chair, stretching, and then walked to the railing, a pensive look coming to his face. Was it arrogance for him to state so? It was true that he had been shouldering most of the burden of fighting so far, and it was only natural to assume he would continue to do so.
"This doesn't sit well with me, Percy. You're leaving things to chance, and getting overconfident in your powers." Rachel argued, and he was starting to get a little annoyed. "Didn't you warn your brother about not knowing the strength of those around you?"
"This is different, Rachel. I hate to brag, but I am the Son of Poseidon. I can already sense everything around me in the sea for a few hundred feet. Don't worry yourself, nothing will happen while I'm onboard."
"If you say so," the girl wasn't convinced, and Percy would concede that she did make a point, but the fact still stood. He had no plans to sail the sea indefinitely and pick fights left or right, so why worry about the ship's armaments? What could he even do about it, replace them with laser guns? Regardless, any discussion regarding the ship would be shelved, at least until Calypso joined.
Calypso… thinking about the kind Titaness brought a smile to his face, that quickly turned into a frown. He was close, he just knew that Ogygia was close and he would see her again. Yet, Percy feared that he wasn't any closer to finding a way to free her. All his plans were on how to get there, but as for after they arrived at the island? Percy had no clue. He just hoped Calypso would have a better idea, as this time, he had no world ending quest to finish or friends to save. He had a whole year to strategize with her on how to free her. Even if Rachel decided to leave, he was confident that he could ask his Dad to return her home. Still, it all came back to Calypso's abilities, of which he had heard a lot about.
He wasn't sure if she counted as a goddess or not, but there was no denying the tales of her prowess. Especially her magic powers said to rival that of Circe or Medea or even Hecate depending on the story. While interesting, her powers and abilities weren't what had drawn Percy to her. Remembering her warm smile, the gentleness in which she cared for him, her almond-shaped eyes that were a beautiful shade of honey. The caramel-colored hair with the scent of cinnamon, as well as her face with its timeless beauty… It brought an unbidden smile to his face as he stared off at a familiar-looking volcanic island.
The fact that she was also a complete knockout babe was certainly a bonus.
Percy chuckled to himself as he focused on the approaching island. The Hippocampi were leading them a bit off course, but they would still pass very close to it. Cobalt, sensing his curiosity, had his friends stop and turned to him curiously, awaiting his orders. He recognized the volcanic island as one of Hephaestus' forges, which immediately made him shy away from approaching it, especially as he noticed flocks of some kind of birds of prey flying around the island. His previous experiences with the forge god's experiments did not endear him to visiting it.
"What is it?" Rachel had snuck up to him while he was distracted, and Percy filled her in while sailing the ship around the island.
"Well, if you believe it's unsafe and not worth visiting, then we'll follow your orders, Captain." Percy smiled at the girl, grateful she had taken his earlier remarks well.
He was about to tell the Hippocampi to keep going, but a short scream from the island's direction grabbed his attention.
"Did you hear that?"
"Was it a girl's scream? If so, then yes." Rachel squinted at the island for a moment. "There, by the coast, behind those rocks, there's a boat."
Having learned from his earlier mistake, Percy grabbed a pair of binoculars he hung near the helm and focused on where Rachel was pointing. There was a boat alright, and he could see two girls on it fighting off some kind of tentacled sea monster with spears. For some reason, the boat looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it before. The girls seem to be struggling, yet they had already managed to hurt the monster as evidenced by the blood on the water. Eventually though, Percy wagered the monster would just tip the boat over and be done with it.
Suddenly, the monster in the deep sent many of its long gray tentacles flurrying everywhere before it grabbed one of the girls and dragged her underwater.
"Reyna!" The anguished scream of the remaining girl reverberated across the sea and tore at his heart.
"Percy. You have got to help them!" He didn't need Rachel's egging to come to a decision.
"Call Tyson and prepare for a fight." He tossed the binoculars to her and jumped into the sea, swimming as fast as he could towards where he last saw the girl. Soon enough, he found her struggling mightily against the tentacle, and Percy found out what the monster was.
A giant squid. Or no, it was a Kraken. Like every Greek monster, the original Kraken had plenty of time to reproduce and create baby Krakens of its own. This one must be a juvenile, for despite it being nearly the same size as the Sea Queen, the original Kraken was said to be larger than an island.
The Kraken had dived away from the other girl, who was busy fending off something else that Percy couldn't perceive from underwater. Thinking the girl might need help, he directed the ship to move to her position while furling the sails. He would rather not lose control and send the ship to ground on the rocky shore.
Turning back to the Kraken, he paused. Maybe it could be reasoned with? He swam as close as he could while staying out of its reach. "Release her at once, and nobody gets hurt."
The Kraken roared unintelligibly at him, and Percy noticed its eyes were red with rage. Great, it was a feral one. The girl was rapidly losing strength, her dark eyes looked at him pleadingly for help. Without a thought, Riptide was in his hands, and for the first time in a while, Percy activated his shield before charging at the Kraken.
The Sea of Monsters certainly lives up to its name. I would like to emphasize that I have no plans whatsoever to involve the Roman pantheon in this story. That does not mean I will not be using certain characters from there, nor will I deny its existence. Ultimately, it's utterly irrelevant to the story.
Percy and crew face their first challenges, and their inexperience shows. It is unfortunate that there isn't anyone to point out Percy's own mistakes, however, though Rachel certainly tried.
I would like to announce that this story is now official AU. There are so many inconsistencies with the timeline that Riordan wrote as well as the lazy way he wrote some of the characters in the series, but particularly the villains. He had really failed to encapsulate the essence of a villain after Kronos.
Regardless, one of the biggest changes will be seen next chapter, but I don't think it will matter if I tell you now. I have made Reyna younger than Percy, even younger than the books, and I will enjoy exploring her character later.
Chapter 7
Several of you don't seem to understand that there are fatal flaws and regular flaws. Percy getting cocky because he feels he is carrying the quest, so to speak, is natural. He wasn't overly humble or modest in the books, so why should he be here?
Keep in mind what I said about character ages getting changed.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx.
As Percy dived underwater, Rachel noticed a flock of birds flying away from the island, heading to the girl on the boat who was stabbing maniacally at the sea monster with a spear. She rushed towards the intercom installed by the bridge, close to the helm, and pressed on one of the buttons.
"Tyson! Battle stations, bring what I asked of you."
She barely waited for Tyson's hurried affirmative before she turned back to the sea. Whatever those birds were, they were big and black with a metallic sheen to their feathers. Their beaks gleaned from the sun as they screeched at the girl on the boat before dive-bombing her, one after the other.
The Hippocampi had swum close to the boat and whinnied for the girl to get on them, but either she didn't hear or didn't understand them as she weathered the onslaught of the birds.
The ship had continued to cruise slowly towards the dinghy, but she had no way of controlling it with Percy in the water. The monster had long retreated to the depths, probably getting eviscerated by its opponent like the many other sea monsters they faced on the way. Rachel did not fear for the son of the Sea God, for he was in his element; she couldn't imagine he would ever face a foe he couldn't defeat in the sea.
Hopefully, Percy would be able to save that girl, though. She looked so young compared to her friend.
The ship had gotten close enough to the boat for her to see the features of the other girl fighting off the birds. She was nearly as tall as Percy, with a lithe and athletic build, as well as an olive complexion. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her onyx eyes gleamed in defiance. She was dressed in an old and tattered uniform that wouldn't have been out of place at one of the resorts and spas her family would visit.
The girl fought with a bronze spear and a large battered shield, yet she wore a haphazard assortment of bronze armor over her uniform. All of this, Rachel perceived in a glimpse as her blood boiled for combat.
One of the birds tried to sneak attack the girl from behind, only to explode when Rachel shot it.
"Hey, you." The girl glanced at the gun-slinging girl for a second before blocking another bird's attack. "Quickly! Hop on the Hippocampus. The sea-horse thing." She added at the girl's confused look, much to the Hippocampi's chagrin.
"Not without my sister." The older girl – for despite her young face, she had to be in her late teens – bashed away another bird. Rachel didn't stay idle as she took accurate potshots at the birds. The birds, however, had started waving their wings mightily and sent pinions of their metal feathers at the boat, causing the woman to hide behind her shield.
"My friend will save her, but you need to get off your dinghy. That sea monster could tip it over any second, and there are hundreds of those birds that will turn it to pincushion!"
Before the maiden could decide, the matter was taken out of her hands when dozens of the metallic birds dive-bombed the boat. The young woman barely had time to grab a backpack and jump out of the rowboat, grabbing onto a Hippocampus' neck. Just in time for the rest of the birds to shred the boat to pieces with what Rachel now realized were Celestial Bronze beaks and talons.
"Quickly, over here." Rachel waved them over while she reloaded her revolvers. Unsatisfied with only destroying the rowboat, the birds began circling their ship, eyeing Rachel with their beady red eyes.
The Hippocampi quickly swam over, allowing the woman to grab onto a rope that Rachel dropped for her. As she dragged her on the deck, Tyson came charging out of the galley, carrying exactly what she needed.
"It's locked and loaded, Rachel." The Cyclops tossed her the abomination of a gun she had him work on, along with a long ammo belt, while he held the silvery scale spoil that Percy got as a shield. Rachel barely managed to aim the fifty pounds worth of gun and ammo and pulled the trigger, unleashing a bullet storm at the birds right as they too rained their feathers at them.
The effect was instantaneous, with hundreds of the metallic pigeons turning to dust. All of them, without fail, dropped their Celestial Bronze beaks and talons onto the deck. By the time the last bird was gone, Rachel was on the ground from the recoil, dry firing into the sky while covered in bits of bird dust.
It was also then that she realized she had her eyes closed, yet she was confident that the entire flock of birds was dead. Opening her eyes, Rachel groaned in pain as she felt something stabbing into her body. She turned her head downwards to find several metallic feathers stabbed into her limbs and stomach. Thankfully, the redhead didn't think she got hit in a vital organ, and her head was clear of injuries. Just as she thought that, a warm trickle of blood flowed from her right temple to the ground. Slowly turning to the right, Rachel sucked in a breath at the sight of an especially long feather drilled into the flooring, not a hair's breadth away from her head.
She felt panic trying to settle in, but then she noticed the girl she saved was staring at her from behind her battered and now cracked shield. It looked like she got out mostly unscathed, and now that she got a closer look at her, Rachel found that the girl was a beauty. Even that wicked-looking scar on her forehead gave her a dangerous charm.
"Hi, I'm Rachel." She croaked out, "Fancy place to go on vacation, huh."
The other girl dropped her shield and ran to her. "Don't speak, you're hurt."
"What?" Rachel could only blink in confusion.
"Name's Hylla, and you look in dire need of Nectar or Ambrosia." She turned to Tyson who was also hurt, but the feathers barely pierced his skin. Lucky him.
"Do you have any – you're a Cyclops!"
Hylla scrambled to draw her dagger, but Rachel found the strength to grab her arm. "It's alright, he's just Tyson. Big, reliable, and softhearted Tyson." Her voice had dropped to a murmur, and she wondered why she was feeling cold and tired.
Oh. She must have lost too much blood.
Heavy steps sounded next to her as Tyson placed a box of something that reminded her of Lembas Bread from Lord of the Rings. He said something she couldn't hear to Hylla, who still looked apprehensive but eventually nodded. They both worked to remove the pinions from her body, which, for some reason, weren't painful. Just a dull throbbing where she was hit.
"Here, Rachel. Eat this." Tyson broke a small piece of Ambrosia and fed it to her. Rachel wondered how Percy would react to her eating one so soon after his warning. The threat of spontaneously combusting was fleeting in her mind…
… for this was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. As she chewed, the taste changed to multiple different foods she had eaten in the past. All of them were her favorites, starting with the grade A5 Wagyu steak that her father spent a fortune for them to eat to the extra dark chocolate muffins she adored.
Then, another taste hit her like a sledgehammer; this time, it wasn't anything fancy, but rather a simple slice of cheese pizza that wasn't even that good, but the company was what made it taste so memorable. Percy's lopsided grin appeared in her mind as she felt all her wounds seal up and boundless energy rushing into her.
At least she learned that she really was no longer a mere mortal.
Once she felt the healing process end, Rachel stood up, stumbling slightly as she still held the gun in her offhand. Hylla was accepting a piece of Ambrosia from Tyson when an explosion erupted from the water. They rushed to the railing just in time to see a massive squid, easily the size of their ship, float to the surface and gradually disintegrate.
"A Kraken!" Hylla's eyes were wide as she realized what she was fighting against. "But where's Reyna? Where's my sister?"
Another smaller explosion and a waterspout deposited a large figure on the deck. Once the water washed away, Rachel realized it wasn't one figure but two. Percy had Hylla's sister in his arms as the water receded into the sea, healing a few minor injuries on the demigod's skin. The girl, Reyna, was young and short. Maybe twelve or thirteen and dressed in a simple white shirt along with jeans and sneakers. She looked like a precious doll with how cute she was in Percy's arms. Although both of them were drenched in black ink, even as she watched, Percy had it all flow away from their bodies and into a bucket.
"YOU!" The red-haired girl was shocked when Hylla drew her dagger and glared murderously at Percy.
"Uh, what?" The son of Poseidon glanced behind him, confused. "Me?" He pointed at his face, and Rachel had to stifle a giggle at how silly he looked.
"Yes, you!" The sheer venom in the older girl's voice was obvious as she gritted her teeth. "How dare you? Do you have any idea what you and that blonde-haired friend of yours did to us? Releasing all those pirates and scum on our island – what me and my sister had to go through for the past year?"
With each sentence, Hylla had advanced at Percy, who stood his ground but had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Hylla, please. Calm down; we just saved your lives." Rachel grabbed the older girl's shoulder, who sneered at her. "Shouldn't you check on Reyna first?"
Her words finally got through to her as her face softened. It was also then that Reyna coughed to announce her presence.
"Uh, sis? Maybe try not to kill my savior?" At her sister's words, Hylla finally relaxed and sheathed her dagger in shame. Percy let the girl down from his arms, allowing her to rush to her sister in a hug as he looked strangely at the sisters.
"Hylla…where did I hear that name before?" Percy scrunched his face as he tried to remember. "And pirates on an island? It does ring a bell."
"No way, you mean she was right? You pillaged their island with a pirate crew and took off with their gold?" Rachel gasped dramatically, her lips widening in a smile. "Yet you left behind these two cute Latina girls? What kind of pirate are you?"
"The heroic kind." The Captain of the ship had his lips quirked. Tyson chuckled on the side, while collecting all the Celestial Bronze and other spent rounds, while Reyna laughed with childlike glee at the back and forth. Hylla, however, was not amused, but Rachel would like to think she would at least try to be civil for her sister's sake.
"But seriously, the only island where something similar happened was Circe's. That mad witch lied to us when we were lost and needed help. She even turned me into a guinea pig, the misandrist bitch." Rachel guffawed and then laughed even harder at Percy's scowl. "Of course, I would object to that, but thankfully, Annabeth saved me from that fate. Considering those pirates had been imprisoned for three hundred years, I'm surprised they didn't kill everyone on that island. Weren't you her chief attendant or something?"
"Of course I was. I had hoped to start a new life for me and Reyna, and Circe offered it to us and more." There was no mistaking the pride in her tone, "but you still ruined it for us. If it wasn't for my skill at arms, we would've been playthings for those scum. Do you think Blackbeard was the only one imprisoned there? He was a saint compared to the rest he freed."
"While I sympathize with what you've gone through, I refuse to be held accountable for the consequences of your actions." Hylla looked like she was slapped while Reyna patted her arm consolingly. "If Circe truly cared about you, she would have saved you and the rest of the workers of that spa instead of teleporting away without even trying to fight, the damn coward that she was."
With every word of vitriol, Hylla's face fell, and Rachel felt the Latina girl didn't really have any ground to stand upon. You reap what you sow, and all that. Still, she felt sorry for the older girl, and something told her they were victims of circumstances and simply needed help. Help that was abused by that Circe witch and help Rachel and Percy could provide.
"Why don't we table this for later? I'm sure we all need to shower. I stink of blood and dead birds." She added with a grimace as she sniffed herself.
"Oh, yeah. Are you alright, Rachel?" Percy checked her for injuries. "Obviously, you are, but what's with all the blood?"
"Flock of metallic birds attacked. Bad birdies hurt Rachel. Fed her Ambrosia, and she's better now." Tyson mumbled as he went past them with two large buckets of bronze junk.
"Ambrosia?" He looked closely at her and hummed, "I don't see you burning up, so I guess you're safe." Rachel grinned at him, and he chuckled. "Still, Stymphalian birds, huh? Nasty pieces of work. Oh, Tyson. Catch." He tossed his brother a fleshy sac that had a tube protruding from it. "Spoil of the Kraken. I think it's an ink sac or something. Put it with the rest?"
"Sure, brother."
As Tyson left, Hylla and Reyna approached. "That Cyclops called you brother?"
"Yeah, because he is my brother." Percy's tone brokered no argument, and Rachel stepped in before another debate started.
"Showers first, everyone, then we can talk."
.
.
.
After cleaning up and changing their clothes, they all met in the dining room of Percy's cabin. The afternoon sun provided plenty of light through the large windows that encompassed the wall facing the rear of the ship. Rachel had closed the window that Percy had left open to block off the smell of sulfur from the volcano. Snacks and refreshments were provided on the table, but after realizing the two sisters had not had a solid meal for days, they opted to cook some real food. Percy had declared the kitchen his domain while they waited with appetizers in his cabin. He promised to cook what he claimed every red-blooded male should instinctively know how to cook. The moment he rolled a large trolley full of food into the cabin, he immediately gained a new friend.
"Burgers, Hylla. We're having burgers!" The sheer joy on young Reyna's face was just so precious, and Rachel had to fight the urge to pinch the young girl's sun-kissed cheeks. "And fries. And Dr Pepper! No more celery or hard tack, at last." Hylla smiled indulgently at her teary-eyed sister while she also nibbled on a burger of her own. Percy had outdone himself; the burgers did look delectable. So much so that she was beginning to feel slightly peckish despite the pizza she just ate.
The demigod of the sea had already filled her in on the details of Circe's Island. As she watched the sisters eat, she took a sip from the Nectar that Percy offered her. He had explained that Ambrosia alone was not enough for full recovery, that the energy she was feeling was just a high that would disappear. Nectar was best used for recovery, while Ambrosia was best for healing injuries.
Suffice it to say, Nectar tasted like a multitude of her favorite drinks. From fruit smoothies, ice cream parfaits, and the darkest and most bitter espressos she had ever drank. None of them, however, compared to that coffee that the queen of the gods had offered to her in that meeting a few days ago. It simply tasted Divine.
"So, Rachel." She turned to Percy, who had an eyebrow raised. "A Minigun? I could have sworn there were only two archaic Gatling guns in the armory. Where did that come from?"
"Why, Percy, I thought you said you knew nothing about guns." She smiled coyly, taking a generous sip from her Nectar. Rachel had to fight the urge to moan in contentment, and every time she drank, an image of Hera smiling at her appeared in her mind, giving her a warm feeling in her belly.
"I might not be the most knowledgeable about guns, but I've seen Gatling guns in The Last Samurai and Arnie using a minigun in Terminator to tell them apart." He countered back with a smirk. "Is that what you had Tyson work on?"
"It isn't even a Gatling gun, you doofus." Rachel giggled. "I'm not sure what they were, but it only had three barrels. Gatling guns had a lot more than that." Her giggle turned into laughter as Percy's confusion deepened. "I think your father just snapped a three-barreled rotary gun into existence after seeing it in a video game without caring how it actually worked. I asked Tyson if he could combine them somehow with parts taken from the other guns lying around. Somehow, he made it work like a minigun but entirely manual, no electricity to power the barrels." The budding gunslinger shrugged, yet she didn't hide the pride she felt for Tyson, who had just entered the room with a tray of drinks, as she smiled at him. The Cyclops set down the tray and smiled back shyly while Percy scratched his head at the long-winded explanation.
"Glad it worked out, I guess, but any reason you didn't tell me?" Percy's smile dimmed slightly, and Rachel realized what bothered him. He thought they went behind his back to do this, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
"I did try to warn you about how ineffective the cannons were, but you blew me off." The redhead pouted for extra effect and smirked inwardly at the boy's look of guilt. "This was my solution, or at least a rudimentary one, and you cannot deny it was very damn effective."
"It certainly was. It's too bad I missed it in action." The son of Poseidon sighed and looked at her apologetically. "I promise to take your suggestions more seriously next time."
"That's all I ask." She turned to the two famished sisters as they devoured burger after burger, along with fries and drinks. Soon enough, they were done and switched to desserts – a bowl of fruit salad for Hylla and a slice of ice cream cake for Reyna.
"So, how did you escape from the island?" Rachel asked as she reached for a mug of coffee and poured some sugar and cream.
The sisters halted as they tried each other's deserts. Percy also leaned in with interest from the head of the table, with a can of Cola in hand.
"I had already mentioned how I managed to gain Blackbeard's respect." Hylla began as she gratefully accepted a mug of tea from Tyson. Thankfully, it appeared the girl had quickly gotten over her wariness of the Cyclops. "I had to prove my skill at arms by dueling him. While I did not win, I did put up enough of a fight for him to acknowledge me. I didn't come out unscathed, however." She added, pointing at the scar on her forehead.
"Edward Teach was a son of Ares. Many of them have a natural ability in fighting and talents for war." Percy elaborated for her.
"Indeed. For a few months, Blackbeard ruled as king of the island. He only had six other crew members, all powerful demigods. The pirates released many of the other imprisoned men from their curses, and those were the worst kind, even if many of them were mortals. Blackbeard had explained that the Mist doesn't work well for mortals when so much 'divine buggery' as he calls it, is happening." The words elicited a few chuckles, and Rachel found herself snorting in amusement.
"Then what?" Rachel whispered curiously as she looked at Hylla's forehead for a moment. It was a nasty scar dragging from the top of her forehead down over the bridge of her nose and stopping at her right cheek. While it gave the older girl a cool look, it was still awful to have her face ruined like that.
Hylla sighed, "To keep a long story short, all the workers on the island were reduced to slaves. Considering they were all women, I'm sure you can guess what happened." Her scowl was full of disgust, and they nodded morosely. Rachel didn't need to be a genius to understand what she meant.
"We were safe, though." Little Reyna added as she drank from a mug of hot cocoa. "Hylla had managed to protect me while she worked for Blackbeard. At least until the dreams started and we planned our escape."
"Dreams?" Percy looked interested. "Actually, do you know who your godly parent is?"
They shook their heads, and Rachel could tell they were upset about it. "We know our dad was a war veteran, but he had a lot of issues. Frankly, the less we speak of him, the better." Hylla's voice was full of contempt, and the red-haired girl could sympathize.
"We don't get to choose our parents. Not everyone can be as lucky as Kelphead over here with his awesome mom and cool dad." Rachel elbowed Percy teasingly, causing him to blush slightly and pinch her sides, causing her to yelp. The Latina sisters smiled awkwardly, while Tyson looked completely focused on munching cookies.
"So, anyway." The demigod of the sea coughed. "What made you leave the island? I mean, despite the pirates and all that, you did say you managed to make a place for yourself there."
"The fact that they were terrible people? Or the fact that they were all stuck on an island with limited supplies?" Hylla raised her eyebrow, and Percy conceded the point.
"Still, how did you manage to leave? You mentioned dreams, Reyna. If you don't know your godly mother, it could only be prophetic dreams, right?" The Captain turned to the younger sister.
"That is so." The younger girl adopted a serious expression that made her look older than she was. "I dreamt of an opportunity for us to escape. It took us some time and planning, but we managed to secretly hide the rowboat you used in a hidden cove and, over the days, filled it with supplies. At the right moment, we sneaked out and rowed away."
"None of the pirates dared to venture into the Sea of Monsters without a proper ship." Hylla added, "Blackbeard was beyond furious with the theft of his ship. What happened to it, by the way?" The older girl looked around the cabin with an impressed look. "It looks like you got an upgrade."
"The Queen Anne's Revenge? Sunk by way of a giant rock." Percy took a last sip from his cola before crushing it and throwing it in the trash can. "So, what was your plan after leaving the island? How did you come to be all the way here by one of Hephaestus' forges?"
"Once we left the island, I also started having dreams. It was the god of forges, giving us a quest." They all sat up straight at Hylla's words. Tyson immediately put down the cookie in his hand and leaned over with interest.
"What was it?" Tyson whispered, and Rachel was surprised the Cyclops was so excited. He had stayed quiet all day, probably sensing that the sisters didn't trust him.
"In return for clearing out his forge from monsters, he would provide us a reward and a boon. I hoped he would give us a new place to call home and thrive." Hylla's words were wistful, "He made sure we took as safe a route as possible to the island, yet now I realize that such an endeavor would be nigh impossible. The Kraken and the Stymphalian birds weren't even inside the forge, and we would've died if not for you. I'm not sure how I would be capable of killing whatever calls it home."
"And do you know what monsters lie within the forge?"
"Why do you ask, Jackson? This isn't your fight, and the god gave the quest to us." Hylla leaned back defensively, and Rachel had the impression the older girl's pride was the one speaking right now.
"Hylla, did Hephaestus say that only you two could complete the quest?" Rachel laid a gentle hand on the older girl's.
"… No, he didn't." She conceded begrudgingly, "I don't think he cared how it was done; as long as his forge was cleared. Apparently, this wasn't the first time recently that someone would use his forges in secret and disappear whenever he tries to catch them."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. I'd bet a pack of soda that one of the monsters will be Telekhines." At the girl's stiffness, Percy grinned. "Thought so, you don't actually know what awaits you in there, huh?" Hylla slowly nodded with a downcast expression.
"Anyway, Hephaestus is known for his generosity and generally keeps to his word. Even if he isn't the most likable of sorts, at least he won't blast you to ash at the first meeting." Percy added as he stood up and stretched before approaching Hylla and Reyna, who had also stood. "First, let's get this out of the way. There's obviously bad blood between us. I do not believe that I was in the wrong for escaping captivity, and I still find the fact you blame me for it to be ludicrous."
"But you –" Percy raised a hand to stall Hylla's retort.
"However, I also understand your desire to protect your loved one, even if it, in turn, led to you working for an evil sorceress." He gazed gently at Reyna, who smiled shyly. "How about we let bygones be and join forces to clear this forge? Either way, as Captain of this ship, I've given you sanctuary in the form of food and quarters, and now I formally invite you to join my crew. We can both help each other in our respective quests and kick monster butt while we're at it. After that, you can stick with us or go our separate ways. What say you?"
Hylla looked at Percy's lopsided grin and his outstretched hand. She was visibly struggling, and Rachel felt like she was truly interested in the offer. The older girl looked at her sister for support, and Reyna nodded with a smile.
"Oh, alright." She shook Percy's hand firmly. "Reyna approves anyway, and I do admit that it never sat well with me how Circe would treat people just because of their sex. I guess I can count on you, Captain?"
"For sure."
Reyna cheered on the side and hugged her sister, and Rachel found herself pumping her fist.
"Yes, I'm not the only girl on the ship anymore! We're gonna have so much fun."
"One thing I don't understand, though, what are you doing here in the first place?" Hylla asked them as they filed out of the Captain's quarters. "You clearly escaped a year ago, Perseus." At the Captain's nod, the older girl continued. "Why would you return to the Sea of Monsters?"
"You're not the only one with a quest. Mine is personal, however, rather than given to me by a god." Percy led them out to the kitchens as they carried the empty and dirty plates and utensils to be washed. "I aim to release Calypso from her imprisonment."
"Calypso?" The sisters echoed, confused, and they explained to them the outline of their quest and why Percy had taken it as his personal mission to free the Titaness.
"Oh, wow. That is so romantic." The younger Reyna had stars in her eyes as she looked at her savior with awe.
"Are you sure you aren't just smitten by her, Captain? I do remember Circe speaking ill of her as a bewitching nymph." Hylla's teasing tone hid uncertainty about the Titaness, but Rachel could tell she was also impressed with his determination.
The Captain froze in thought as they filed out of the kitchens, causing them to stop behind him. "You know, I'm sick of denying it. Yeah, I really do think I'm smitten with her. I mean, you have to see her to realize how beautiful she is; I've seen the goddess of beauty, and let me tell you, she has nothing on Calypso." He chuckled, causing them to snicker. "But really, even if she looked like a gorgon, I would have stuck to my word. I firmly believe her imprisonment is unjust, and after thousands of years, she deserves to be free."
"Well, we've already accepted to join forces, so we will stick with you until you're done with your quest." The younger sister nodded emphatically.
They spent the next hour settling the sisters in one of the officer's cabins with the double beds, as Hylla had insisted they share the same room, then to the armory where they were kitted in proper arms. Reyna shied away from any guns, much to Rachel's consternation, as it would have been the perfect weapon for the smaller girl. Hylla had no qualms about grabbing a rifle and a revolver for a sidearm in addition to her spear and shield.
Finally, everyone was armed and armored as much as they could and stood on the deck waiting for Percy's inspection. Or at least that was the plan until Reyna found Blackjack and instantly stuck to him.
"Can I stay on the ship with him?" The young girl looked pleadingly at her older sister, who huffed in amusement.
"I wasn't really comfortable taking you with us anyway, but it will be up to the Captain to decide." She looked at Percy, who didn't need much convincing.
"Sure. Blackjack, you will take care of her, won't you?" The Pegasus nickered as he bent his knees and allowed the young girl to mount his back. With that out of the way, Percy looked at the rest of them.
"Alright, crew. It's four in the afternoon, and this has already been a very long day for us all." The Captain paced on the deck as they stood in line. "Everyone is locked and loaded? No minigun, Rachel?"
"Ha ha hah." Rachel was not amused. "Too cumbersome. Better to leave it here and count on lighter arms." She patted a clip-fed rifle that held five rounds, similar to the one Hylla grabbed, and then her revolvers. "It's too bad your dad didn't stock the ship with machine guns."
"But Rachel," Tyson interrupted from down the line. "We're quickly running out of Celestial Bronze at the rate you're going. Perhaps you should conserve the ammo? It takes time to coat the bullets in bronze, and it would always be weaker than an actual bullet made entirely from Celestial Bronze."
The Cyclops forwent armor and simply had a large Orichalcum sledgehammer as his weapon, as well as a large backpack with their supplies. Extra ammo, a couple of handguns, as well as Nectar and Ambrosia. "Which is why I will be counting on you and Percy for most of the legwork, okay?" The green-eyed girl winked at the gentle Cyclops.
"Alright, I will take point, and Tyson will support me. Hylla, you will be in the center, covering me and Tyson while keeping an eye on Rachel, who I will be counting on for long-range support. Don't be shy with your ammo, but also don't waste it on kill steals." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to snort, before he returned to Hylla. "Even with the little info that you got from Hephaestus, we don't really know what to expect aside from Telekhines. Right, Hylla?" At the girl's nod, Percy waved his hand and released one of two rowboats on the deck from its bindings. "Tyson, help me lower the boat, then we will be on our way."
Once the boat was in the water and they were aboard, the Hippocampi circled them curiously before Percy waved them away. "Don't worry, guys, just protect the ship until we're back."
The Hippocampi nodded and patrolled around the ship. Soon enough, they were ashore on the rocky island. It wasn't large; in fact, the whole island consisted of a volcanic mountain with cliffs on three sides and the only coast where they just pulled in. It was less than a mile wide, with only one clear entrance through the mountain, but it was closed by a large metal door that looked like a submarine's hatch with a large stylized H engraved in bronze.
The heat was starting to become unbearable, and the smell of sulfur was noxious; Rachel was glad that Percy warned them about this as she exchanged a look with Hylla. They were both wearing long-sleeved cotton shirts and pants that protected their skin from the heat, yet were light enough to keep them cool. Combined with a pair of goggles that Tyson somehow made not to fog, they stood at the ready with their rifles drawn.
"From my experience in Hephaestus' forges, this should be straightforward. We go in guns blazing, and the Telekhines will hopefully be surprised enough not to get the chance to counterattack. Give them no mercy or quarter," the Son of Poseidon's voice had a ruthless edge to it as his eyes shone with malice. "They are vile sea demons and, like most monsters, can speak and are quite intelligent, but they will use those abilities for trickery and deceit." They had already discussed the Telekhines' abilities while they were on the ship, but Rachel acknowledged Percy's warnings nonetheless.
Hylla and Tyson also nodded in agreement at their Captain's warning. "Tyson? Do you want to do the honors? Since you are fire immune and all that."
"Of course!" The Cyclops lumbered to the door and used his immense strength to turn the massive wheel of a doorknob, causing the door to open. Rachel and Hylla quickly had their rifles aiming at the gap, just in time to find a furry dog-headed demon looking at them in surprise.
Two shots sounded out, and the demon was disintegrating before it knew what hit it. Rachel smiled at Hylla for the quick response before Percy charged inside, followed by Tyson. They hurried after them and found them already engaging in combat with a handful of the furry beasts.
Neither wasted time as they all engaged in what would become an hour-long slaughter fest that would make Furries everywhere shiver in fear.
And we have two more crewmates! I won't go into detail of the fight next chapter, as I do want them to hurry on to Ogygia.
A quick recap on the character ages:
Percy: 15
Rachel: 14 (younger than Percy by a month. I have placed her birthday in September)
Tyson: 9 (His age is never mentioned, yet we know he spent the first seven years of his life in the streets before he was picked up by that weird school. I'm sure Riordan would claim he's the same age as Percy, but sucks to be him. I'm the Captain now.)
Hyllla: 19 (no changes here. She's 22 when she's introduced and Percy was 18 at the time.)
Reyna: 13 and a late bloomer (a full two years younger than Percy). I wanted a mascot for the crew and decided to make the most obtuse character in the later books to be one. Don't get me wrong, I like the girl, but she needs to unwind.
Calypso: Older than the gods.
Keep in mind what I said about character ages getting changed.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx.
As Percy dived underwater, Rachel noticed a flock of birds flying away from the island, heading to the girl on the boat who was stabbing maniacally at the sea monster with a spear. She rushed towards the intercom installed by the bridge, close to the helm, and pressed on one of the buttons.
"Tyson! Battle stations, bring what I asked of you."
She barely waited for Tyson's hurried affirmative before she turned back to the sea. Whatever those birds were, they were big and black with a metallic sheen to their feathers. Their beaks gleaned from the sun as they screeched at the girl on the boat before dive-bombing her, one after the other.
The Hippocampi had swum close to the boat and whinnied for the girl to get on them, but either she didn't hear or didn't understand them as she weathered the onslaught of the birds.
The ship had continued to cruise slowly towards the dinghy, but she had no way of controlling it with Percy in the water. The monster had long retreated to the depths, probably getting eviscerated by its opponent like the many other sea monsters they faced on the way. Rachel did not fear for the son of the Sea God, for he was in his element; she couldn't imagine he would ever face a foe he couldn't defeat in the sea.
Hopefully, Percy would be able to save that girl, though. She looked so young compared to her friend.
The ship had gotten close enough to the boat for her to see the features of the other girl fighting off the birds. She was nearly as tall as Percy, with a lithe and athletic build, as well as an olive complexion. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, and her onyx eyes gleamed in defiance. She was dressed in an old and tattered uniform that wouldn't have been out of place at one of the resorts and spas her family would visit.
The girl fought with a bronze spear and a large battered shield, yet she wore a haphazard assortment of bronze armor over her uniform. All of this, Rachel perceived in a glimpse as her blood boiled for combat.
One of the birds tried to sneak attack the girl from behind, only to explode when Rachel shot it.
"Hey, you." The girl glanced at the gun-slinging girl for a second before blocking another bird's attack. "Quickly! Hop on the Hippocampus. The sea-horse thing." She added at the girl's confused look, much to the Hippocampi's chagrin.
"Not without my sister." The older girl – for despite her young face, she had to be in her late teens – bashed away another bird. Rachel didn't stay idle as she took accurate potshots at the birds. The birds, however, had started waving their wings mightily and sent pinions of their metal feathers at the boat, causing the woman to hide behind her shield.
"My friend will save her, but you need to get off your dinghy. That sea monster could tip it over any second, and there are hundreds of those birds that will turn it to pincushion!"
Before the maiden could decide, the matter was taken out of her hands when dozens of the metallic birds dive-bombed the boat. The young woman barely had time to grab a backpack and jump out of the rowboat, grabbing onto a Hippocampus' neck. Just in time for the rest of the birds to shred the boat to pieces with what Rachel now realized were Celestial Bronze beaks and talons.
"Quickly, over here." Rachel waved them over while she reloaded her revolvers. Unsatisfied with only destroying the rowboat, the birds began circling their ship, eyeing Rachel with their beady red eyes.
The Hippocampi quickly swam over, allowing the woman to grab onto a rope that Rachel dropped for her. As she dragged her on the deck, Tyson came charging out of the galley, carrying exactly what she needed.
"It's locked and loaded, Rachel." The Cyclops tossed her the abomination of a gun she had him work on, along with a long ammo belt, while he held the silvery scale spoil that Percy got as a shield. Rachel barely managed to aim the fifty pounds worth of gun and ammo and pulled the trigger, unleashing a bullet storm at the birds right as they too rained their feathers at them.
The effect was instantaneous, with hundreds of the metallic pigeons turning to dust. All of them, without fail, dropped their Celestial Bronze beaks and talons onto the deck. By the time the last bird was gone, Rachel was on the ground from the recoil, dry firing into the sky while covered in bits of bird dust.
It was also then that she realized she had her eyes closed, yet she was confident that the entire flock of birds was dead. Opening her eyes, Rachel groaned in pain as she felt something stabbing into her body. She turned her head downwards to find several metallic feathers stabbed into her limbs and stomach. Thankfully, the redhead didn't think she got hit in a vital organ, and her head was clear of injuries. Just as she thought that, a warm trickle of blood flowed from her right temple to the ground. Slowly turning to the right, Rachel sucked in a breath at the sight of an especially long feather drilled into the flooring, not a hair's breadth away from her head.
She felt panic trying to settle in, but then she noticed the girl she saved was staring at her from behind her battered and now cracked shield. It looked like she got out mostly unscathed, and now that she got a closer look at her, Rachel found that the girl was a beauty. Even that wicked-looking scar on her forehead gave her a dangerous charm.
"Hi, I'm Rachel." She croaked out, "Fancy place to go on vacation, huh."
The other girl dropped her shield and ran to her. "Don't speak, you're hurt."
"What?" Rachel could only blink in confusion.
"Name's Hylla, and you look in dire need of Nectar or Ambrosia." She turned to Tyson who was also hurt, but the feathers barely pierced his skin. Lucky him.
"Do you have any – you're a Cyclops!"
Hylla scrambled to draw her dagger, but Rachel found the strength to grab her arm. "It's alright, he's just Tyson. Big, reliable, and softhearted Tyson." Her voice had dropped to a murmur, and she wondered why she was feeling cold and tired.
Oh. She must have lost too much blood.
Heavy steps sounded next to her as Tyson placed a box of something that reminded her of Lembas Bread from Lord of the Rings. He said something she couldn't hear to Hylla, who still looked apprehensive but eventually nodded. They both worked to remove the pinions from her body, which, for some reason, weren't painful. Just a dull throbbing where she was hit.
"Here, Rachel. Eat this." Tyson broke a small piece of Ambrosia and fed it to her. Rachel wondered how Percy would react to her eating one so soon after his warning. The threat of spontaneously combusting was fleeting in her mind…
… for this was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. As she chewed, the taste changed to multiple different foods she had eaten in the past. All of them were her favorites, starting with the grade A5 Wagyu steak that her father spent a fortune for them to eat to the extra dark chocolate muffins she adored.
Then, another taste hit her like a sledgehammer; this time, it wasn't anything fancy, but rather a simple slice of cheese pizza that wasn't even that good, but the company was what made it taste so memorable. Percy's lopsided grin appeared in her mind as she felt all her wounds seal up and boundless energy rushing into her.
At least she learned that she really was no longer a mere mortal.
Once she felt the healing process end, Rachel stood up, stumbling slightly as she still held the gun in her offhand. Hylla was accepting a piece of Ambrosia from Tyson when an explosion erupted from the water. They rushed to the railing just in time to see a massive squid, easily the size of their ship, float to the surface and gradually disintegrate.
"A Kraken!" Hylla's eyes were wide as she realized what she was fighting against. "But where's Reyna? Where's my sister?"
Another smaller explosion and a waterspout deposited a large figure on the deck. Once the water washed away, Rachel realized it wasn't one figure but two. Percy had Hylla's sister in his arms as the water receded into the sea, healing a few minor injuries on the demigod's skin. The girl, Reyna, was young and short. Maybe twelve or thirteen and dressed in a simple white shirt along with jeans and sneakers. She looked like a precious doll with how cute she was in Percy's arms. Although both of them were drenched in black ink, even as she watched, Percy had it all flow away from their bodies and into a bucket.
"YOU!" The red-haired girl was shocked when Hylla drew her dagger and glared murderously at Percy.
"Uh, what?" The son of Poseidon glanced behind him, confused. "Me?" He pointed at his face, and Rachel had to stifle a giggle at how silly he looked.
"Yes, you!" The sheer venom in the older girl's voice was obvious as she gritted her teeth. "How dare you? Do you have any idea what you and that blonde-haired friend of yours did to us? Releasing all those pirates and scum on our island – what me and my sister had to go through for the past year?"
With each sentence, Hylla had advanced at Percy, who stood his ground but had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Hylla, please. Calm down; we just saved your lives." Rachel grabbed the older girl's shoulder, who sneered at her. "Shouldn't you check on Reyna first?"
Her words finally got through to her as her face softened. It was also then that Reyna coughed to announce her presence.
"Uh, sis? Maybe try not to kill my savior?" At her sister's words, Hylla finally relaxed and sheathed her dagger in shame. Percy let the girl down from his arms, allowing her to rush to her sister in a hug as he looked strangely at the sisters.
"Hylla…where did I hear that name before?" Percy scrunched his face as he tried to remember. "And pirates on an island? It does ring a bell."
"No way, you mean she was right? You pillaged their island with a pirate crew and took off with their gold?" Rachel gasped dramatically, her lips widening in a smile. "Yet you left behind these two cute Latina girls? What kind of pirate are you?"
"The heroic kind." The Captain of the ship had his lips quirked. Tyson chuckled on the side, while collecting all the Celestial Bronze and other spent rounds, while Reyna laughed with childlike glee at the back and forth. Hylla, however, was not amused, but Rachel would like to think she would at least try to be civil for her sister's sake.
"But seriously, the only island where something similar happened was Circe's. That mad witch lied to us when we were lost and needed help. She even turned me into a guinea pig, the misandrist bitch." Rachel guffawed and then laughed even harder at Percy's scowl. "Of course, I would object to that, but thankfully, Annabeth saved me from that fate. Considering those pirates had been imprisoned for three hundred years, I'm surprised they didn't kill everyone on that island. Weren't you her chief attendant or something?"
"Of course I was. I had hoped to start a new life for me and Reyna, and Circe offered it to us and more." There was no mistaking the pride in her tone, "but you still ruined it for us. If it wasn't for my skill at arms, we would've been playthings for those scum. Do you think Blackbeard was the only one imprisoned there? He was a saint compared to the rest he freed."
"While I sympathize with what you've gone through, I refuse to be held accountable for the consequences of your actions." Hylla looked like she was slapped while Reyna patted her arm consolingly. "If Circe truly cared about you, she would have saved you and the rest of the workers of that spa instead of teleporting away without even trying to fight, the damn coward that she was."
With every word of vitriol, Hylla's face fell, and Rachel felt the Latina girl didn't really have any ground to stand upon. You reap what you sow, and all that. Still, she felt sorry for the older girl, and something told her they were victims of circumstances and simply needed help. Help that was abused by that Circe witch and help Rachel and Percy could provide.
"Why don't we table this for later? I'm sure we all need to shower. I stink of blood and dead birds." She added with a grimace as she sniffed herself.
"Oh, yeah. Are you alright, Rachel?" Percy checked her for injuries. "Obviously, you are, but what's with all the blood?"
"Flock of metallic birds attacked. Bad birdies hurt Rachel. Fed her Ambrosia, and she's better now." Tyson mumbled as he went past them with two large buckets of bronze junk.
"Ambrosia?" He looked closely at her and hummed, "I don't see you burning up, so I guess you're safe." Rachel grinned at him, and he chuckled. "Still, Stymphalian birds, huh? Nasty pieces of work. Oh, Tyson. Catch." He tossed his brother a fleshy sac that had a tube protruding from it. "Spoil of the Kraken. I think it's an ink sac or something. Put it with the rest?"
"Sure, brother."
As Tyson left, Hylla and Reyna approached. "That Cyclops called you brother?"
"Yeah, because he is my brother." Percy's tone brokered no argument, and Rachel stepped in before another debate started.
"Showers first, everyone, then we can talk."
.
.
.
After cleaning up and changing their clothes, they all met in the dining room of Percy's cabin. The afternoon sun provided plenty of light through the large windows that encompassed the wall facing the rear of the ship. Rachel had closed the window that Percy had left open to block off the smell of sulfur from the volcano. Snacks and refreshments were provided on the table, but after realizing the two sisters had not had a solid meal for days, they opted to cook some real food. Percy had declared the kitchen his domain while they waited with appetizers in his cabin. He promised to cook what he claimed every red-blooded male should instinctively know how to cook. The moment he rolled a large trolley full of food into the cabin, he immediately gained a new friend.
"Burgers, Hylla. We're having burgers!" The sheer joy on young Reyna's face was just so precious, and Rachel had to fight the urge to pinch the young girl's sun-kissed cheeks. "And fries. And Dr Pepper! No more celery or hard tack, at last." Hylla smiled indulgently at her teary-eyed sister while she also nibbled on a burger of her own. Percy had outdone himself; the burgers did look delectable. So much so that she was beginning to feel slightly peckish despite the pizza she just ate.
The demigod of the sea had already filled her in on the details of Circe's Island. As she watched the sisters eat, she took a sip from the Nectar that Percy offered her. He had explained that Ambrosia alone was not enough for full recovery, that the energy she was feeling was just a high that would disappear. Nectar was best used for recovery, while Ambrosia was best for healing injuries.
Suffice it to say, Nectar tasted like a multitude of her favorite drinks. From fruit smoothies, ice cream parfaits, and the darkest and most bitter espressos she had ever drank. None of them, however, compared to that coffee that the queen of the gods had offered to her in that meeting a few days ago. It simply tasted Divine.
"So, Rachel." She turned to Percy, who had an eyebrow raised. "A Minigun? I could have sworn there were only two archaic Gatling guns in the armory. Where did that come from?"
"Why, Percy, I thought you said you knew nothing about guns." She smiled coyly, taking a generous sip from her Nectar. Rachel had to fight the urge to moan in contentment, and every time she drank, an image of Hera smiling at her appeared in her mind, giving her a warm feeling in her belly.
"I might not be the most knowledgeable about guns, but I've seen Gatling guns in The Last Samurai and Arnie using a minigun in Terminator to tell them apart." He countered back with a smirk. "Is that what you had Tyson work on?"
"It isn't even a Gatling gun, you doofus." Rachel giggled. "I'm not sure what they were, but it only had three barrels. Gatling guns had a lot more than that." Her giggle turned into laughter as Percy's confusion deepened. "I think your father just snapped a three-barreled rotary gun into existence after seeing it in a video game without caring how it actually worked. I asked Tyson if he could combine them somehow with parts taken from the other guns lying around. Somehow, he made it work like a minigun but entirely manual, no electricity to power the barrels." The budding gunslinger shrugged, yet she didn't hide the pride she felt for Tyson, who had just entered the room with a tray of drinks, as she smiled at him. The Cyclops set down the tray and smiled back shyly while Percy scratched his head at the long-winded explanation.
"Glad it worked out, I guess, but any reason you didn't tell me?" Percy's smile dimmed slightly, and Rachel realized what bothered him. He thought they went behind his back to do this, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
"I did try to warn you about how ineffective the cannons were, but you blew me off." The redhead pouted for extra effect and smirked inwardly at the boy's look of guilt. "This was my solution, or at least a rudimentary one, and you cannot deny it was very damn effective."
"It certainly was. It's too bad I missed it in action." The son of Poseidon sighed and looked at her apologetically. "I promise to take your suggestions more seriously next time."
"That's all I ask." She turned to the two famished sisters as they devoured burger after burger, along with fries and drinks. Soon enough, they were done and switched to desserts – a bowl of fruit salad for Hylla and a slice of ice cream cake for Reyna.
"So, how did you escape from the island?" Rachel asked as she reached for a mug of coffee and poured some sugar and cream.
The sisters halted as they tried each other's deserts. Percy also leaned in with interest from the head of the table, with a can of Cola in hand.
"I had already mentioned how I managed to gain Blackbeard's respect." Hylla began as she gratefully accepted a mug of tea from Tyson. Thankfully, it appeared the girl had quickly gotten over her wariness of the Cyclops. "I had to prove my skill at arms by dueling him. While I did not win, I did put up enough of a fight for him to acknowledge me. I didn't come out unscathed, however." She added, pointing at the scar on her forehead.
"Edward Teach was a son of Ares. Many of them have a natural ability in fighting and talents for war." Percy elaborated for her.
"Indeed. For a few months, Blackbeard ruled as king of the island. He only had six other crew members, all powerful demigods. The pirates released many of the other imprisoned men from their curses, and those were the worst kind, even if many of them were mortals. Blackbeard had explained that the Mist doesn't work well for mortals when so much 'divine buggery' as he calls it, is happening." The words elicited a few chuckles, and Rachel found herself snorting in amusement.
"Then what?" Rachel whispered curiously as she looked at Hylla's forehead for a moment. It was a nasty scar dragging from the top of her forehead down over the bridge of her nose and stopping at her right cheek. While it gave the older girl a cool look, it was still awful to have her face ruined like that.
Hylla sighed, "To keep a long story short, all the workers on the island were reduced to slaves. Considering they were all women, I'm sure you can guess what happened." Her scowl was full of disgust, and they nodded morosely. Rachel didn't need to be a genius to understand what she meant.
"We were safe, though." Little Reyna added as she drank from a mug of hot cocoa. "Hylla had managed to protect me while she worked for Blackbeard. At least until the dreams started and we planned our escape."
"Dreams?" Percy looked interested. "Actually, do you know who your godly parent is?"
They shook their heads, and Rachel could tell they were upset about it. "We know our dad was a war veteran, but he had a lot of issues. Frankly, the less we speak of him, the better." Hylla's voice was full of contempt, and the red-haired girl could sympathize.
"We don't get to choose our parents. Not everyone can be as lucky as Kelphead over here with his awesome mom and cool dad." Rachel elbowed Percy teasingly, causing him to blush slightly and pinch her sides, causing her to yelp. The Latina sisters smiled awkwardly, while Tyson looked completely focused on munching cookies.
"So, anyway." The demigod of the sea coughed. "What made you leave the island? I mean, despite the pirates and all that, you did say you managed to make a place for yourself there."
"The fact that they were terrible people? Or the fact that they were all stuck on an island with limited supplies?" Hylla raised her eyebrow, and Percy conceded the point.
"Still, how did you manage to leave? You mentioned dreams, Reyna. If you don't know your godly mother, it could only be prophetic dreams, right?" The Captain turned to the younger sister.
"That is so." The younger girl adopted a serious expression that made her look older than she was. "I dreamt of an opportunity for us to escape. It took us some time and planning, but we managed to secretly hide the rowboat you used in a hidden cove and, over the days, filled it with supplies. At the right moment, we sneaked out and rowed away."
"None of the pirates dared to venture into the Sea of Monsters without a proper ship." Hylla added, "Blackbeard was beyond furious with the theft of his ship. What happened to it, by the way?" The older girl looked around the cabin with an impressed look. "It looks like you got an upgrade."
"The Queen Anne's Revenge? Sunk by way of a giant rock." Percy took a last sip from his cola before crushing it and throwing it in the trash can. "So, what was your plan after leaving the island? How did you come to be all the way here by one of Hephaestus' forges?"
"Once we left the island, I also started having dreams. It was the god of forges, giving us a quest." They all sat up straight at Hylla's words. Tyson immediately put down the cookie in his hand and leaned over with interest.
"What was it?" Tyson whispered, and Rachel was surprised the Cyclops was so excited. He had stayed quiet all day, probably sensing that the sisters didn't trust him.
"In return for clearing out his forge from monsters, he would provide us a reward and a boon. I hoped he would give us a new place to call home and thrive." Hylla's words were wistful, "He made sure we took as safe a route as possible to the island, yet now I realize that such an endeavor would be nigh impossible. The Kraken and the Stymphalian birds weren't even inside the forge, and we would've died if not for you. I'm not sure how I would be capable of killing whatever calls it home."
"And do you know what monsters lie within the forge?"
"Why do you ask, Jackson? This isn't your fight, and the god gave the quest to us." Hylla leaned back defensively, and Rachel had the impression the older girl's pride was the one speaking right now.
"Hylla, did Hephaestus say that only you two could complete the quest?" Rachel laid a gentle hand on the older girl's.
"… No, he didn't." She conceded begrudgingly, "I don't think he cared how it was done; as long as his forge was cleared. Apparently, this wasn't the first time recently that someone would use his forges in secret and disappear whenever he tries to catch them."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. I'd bet a pack of soda that one of the monsters will be Telekhines." At the girl's stiffness, Percy grinned. "Thought so, you don't actually know what awaits you in there, huh?" Hylla slowly nodded with a downcast expression.
"Anyway, Hephaestus is known for his generosity and generally keeps to his word. Even if he isn't the most likable of sorts, at least he won't blast you to ash at the first meeting." Percy added as he stood up and stretched before approaching Hylla and Reyna, who had also stood. "First, let's get this out of the way. There's obviously bad blood between us. I do not believe that I was in the wrong for escaping captivity, and I still find the fact you blame me for it to be ludicrous."
"But you –" Percy raised a hand to stall Hylla's retort.
"However, I also understand your desire to protect your loved one, even if it, in turn, led to you working for an evil sorceress." He gazed gently at Reyna, who smiled shyly. "How about we let bygones be and join forces to clear this forge? Either way, as Captain of this ship, I've given you sanctuary in the form of food and quarters, and now I formally invite you to join my crew. We can both help each other in our respective quests and kick monster butt while we're at it. After that, you can stick with us or go our separate ways. What say you?"
Hylla looked at Percy's lopsided grin and his outstretched hand. She was visibly struggling, and Rachel felt like she was truly interested in the offer. The older girl looked at her sister for support, and Reyna nodded with a smile.
"Oh, alright." She shook Percy's hand firmly. "Reyna approves anyway, and I do admit that it never sat well with me how Circe would treat people just because of their sex. I guess I can count on you, Captain?"
"For sure."
Reyna cheered on the side and hugged her sister, and Rachel found herself pumping her fist.
"Yes, I'm not the only girl on the ship anymore! We're gonna have so much fun."
"One thing I don't understand, though, what are you doing here in the first place?" Hylla asked them as they filed out of the Captain's quarters. "You clearly escaped a year ago, Perseus." At the Captain's nod, the older girl continued. "Why would you return to the Sea of Monsters?"
"You're not the only one with a quest. Mine is personal, however, rather than given to me by a god." Percy led them out to the kitchens as they carried the empty and dirty plates and utensils to be washed. "I aim to release Calypso from her imprisonment."
"Calypso?" The sisters echoed, confused, and they explained to them the outline of their quest and why Percy had taken it as his personal mission to free the Titaness.
"Oh, wow. That is so romantic." The younger Reyna had stars in her eyes as she looked at her savior with awe.
"Are you sure you aren't just smitten by her, Captain? I do remember Circe speaking ill of her as a bewitching nymph." Hylla's teasing tone hid uncertainty about the Titaness, but Rachel could tell she was also impressed with his determination.
The Captain froze in thought as they filed out of the kitchens, causing them to stop behind him. "You know, I'm sick of denying it. Yeah, I really do think I'm smitten with her. I mean, you have to see her to realize how beautiful she is; I've seen the goddess of beauty, and let me tell you, she has nothing on Calypso." He chuckled, causing them to snicker. "But really, even if she looked like a gorgon, I would have stuck to my word. I firmly believe her imprisonment is unjust, and after thousands of years, she deserves to be free."
"Well, we've already accepted to join forces, so we will stick with you until you're done with your quest." The younger sister nodded emphatically.
They spent the next hour settling the sisters in one of the officer's cabins with the double beds, as Hylla had insisted they share the same room, then to the armory where they were kitted in proper arms. Reyna shied away from any guns, much to Rachel's consternation, as it would have been the perfect weapon for the smaller girl. Hylla had no qualms about grabbing a rifle and a revolver for a sidearm in addition to her spear and shield.
Finally, everyone was armed and armored as much as they could and stood on the deck waiting for Percy's inspection. Or at least that was the plan until Reyna found Blackjack and instantly stuck to him.
"Can I stay on the ship with him?" The young girl looked pleadingly at her older sister, who huffed in amusement.
"I wasn't really comfortable taking you with us anyway, but it will be up to the Captain to decide." She looked at Percy, who didn't need much convincing.
"Sure. Blackjack, you will take care of her, won't you?" The Pegasus nickered as he bent his knees and allowed the young girl to mount his back. With that out of the way, Percy looked at the rest of them.
"Alright, crew. It's four in the afternoon, and this has already been a very long day for us all." The Captain paced on the deck as they stood in line. "Everyone is locked and loaded? No minigun, Rachel?"
"Ha ha hah." Rachel was not amused. "Too cumbersome. Better to leave it here and count on lighter arms." She patted a clip-fed rifle that held five rounds, similar to the one Hylla grabbed, and then her revolvers. "It's too bad your dad didn't stock the ship with machine guns."
"But Rachel," Tyson interrupted from down the line. "We're quickly running out of Celestial Bronze at the rate you're going. Perhaps you should conserve the ammo? It takes time to coat the bullets in bronze, and it would always be weaker than an actual bullet made entirely from Celestial Bronze."
The Cyclops forwent armor and simply had a large Orichalcum sledgehammer as his weapon, as well as a large backpack with their supplies. Extra ammo, a couple of handguns, as well as Nectar and Ambrosia. "Which is why I will be counting on you and Percy for most of the legwork, okay?" The green-eyed girl winked at the gentle Cyclops.
"Alright, I will take point, and Tyson will support me. Hylla, you will be in the center, covering me and Tyson while keeping an eye on Rachel, who I will be counting on for long-range support. Don't be shy with your ammo, but also don't waste it on kill steals." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing her to snort, before he returned to Hylla. "Even with the little info that you got from Hephaestus, we don't really know what to expect aside from Telekhines. Right, Hylla?" At the girl's nod, Percy waved his hand and released one of two rowboats on the deck from its bindings. "Tyson, help me lower the boat, then we will be on our way."
Once the boat was in the water and they were aboard, the Hippocampi circled them curiously before Percy waved them away. "Don't worry, guys, just protect the ship until we're back."
The Hippocampi nodded and patrolled around the ship. Soon enough, they were ashore on the rocky island. It wasn't large; in fact, the whole island consisted of a volcanic mountain with cliffs on three sides and the only coast where they just pulled in. It was less than a mile wide, with only one clear entrance through the mountain, but it was closed by a large metal door that looked like a submarine's hatch with a large stylized H engraved in bronze.
The heat was starting to become unbearable, and the smell of sulfur was noxious; Rachel was glad that Percy warned them about this as she exchanged a look with Hylla. They were both wearing long-sleeved cotton shirts and pants that protected their skin from the heat, yet were light enough to keep them cool. Combined with a pair of goggles that Tyson somehow made not to fog, they stood at the ready with their rifles drawn.
"From my experience in Hephaestus' forges, this should be straightforward. We go in guns blazing, and the Telekhines will hopefully be surprised enough not to get the chance to counterattack. Give them no mercy or quarter," the Son of Poseidon's voice had a ruthless edge to it as his eyes shone with malice. "They are vile sea demons and, like most monsters, can speak and are quite intelligent, but they will use those abilities for trickery and deceit." They had already discussed the Telekhines' abilities while they were on the ship, but Rachel acknowledged Percy's warnings nonetheless.
Hylla and Tyson also nodded in agreement at their Captain's warning. "Tyson? Do you want to do the honors? Since you are fire immune and all that."
"Of course!" The Cyclops lumbered to the door and used his immense strength to turn the massive wheel of a doorknob, causing the door to open. Rachel and Hylla quickly had their rifles aiming at the gap, just in time to find a furry dog-headed demon looking at them in surprise.
Two shots sounded out, and the demon was disintegrating before it knew what hit it. Rachel smiled at Hylla for the quick response before Percy charged inside, followed by Tyson. They hurried after them and found them already engaging in combat with a handful of the furry beasts.
Neither wasted time as they all engaged in what would become an hour-long slaughter fest that would make Furries everywhere shiver in fear.
And we have two more crewmates! I won't go into detail of the fight next chapter, as I do want them to hurry on to Ogygia.
A quick recap on the character ages:
Percy: 15
Rachel: 14 (younger than Percy by a month. I have placed her birthday in September)
Tyson: 9 (His age is never mentioned, yet we know he spent the first seven years of his life in the streets before he was picked up by that weird school. I'm sure Riordan would claim he's the same age as Percy, but sucks to be him. I'm the Captain now.)
Hyllla: 19 (no changes here. She's 22 when she's introduced and Percy was 18 at the time.)
Reyna: 13 and a late bloomer (a full two years younger than Percy). I wanted a mascot for the crew and decided to make the most obtuse character in the later books to be one. Don't get me wrong, I like the girl, but she needs to unwind.
Calypso: Older than the gods.
Chapter 8
This chapter was edited by Gladiusx.
Percy breathed heavily as he finally gutted the giant Telekhine that had acted as leader of this pack and forced it to the ground. Even in its death throes, the dying monster tried to slash him with its claws, only for Hylla to stab its arm away from him, and Tyson crushed its head with his sledgehammer. The intense heat of the volcano was nearly unbearable for him, yet he soldiered on, even as Hylla and Rachel endured with their regular demigod physique.
The forge itself was smaller than the one under St Helens, yet followed a similar design. A rocky ridge circled the cavern, with a network of metal bridges spanning across it. At the center was a sprawling clearing with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, furnaces, bloomeries, and smelters. There was even a massive triphammer built over a large metallic platform that reminded him of that gigantic anvil under St Helens. Those were just the things he identified, as there were all sorts of instruments that he was sure had names but, to him, looked like alien technology. Multiple ponds of lava were within easy reach, presumably to help with forging, but the Telekhines had used it extensively as ammo.
Percy had taken the lion's share of the enemies as he lured as many of them as possible around the machinery in the forge. It was a tough fight, as he was out of his element. Even his heat resistance was not enough to protect him from the occasional lava thrown at him, but at least he was better prepared, and unlike last time, he had friends with him for support.
"Are you okay, everyone?" He checked his crew, starting with Tyson. The Cyclops had taken the brunt of the attacks at first, when the Telekhines confused him for a regular demigod because of the goggles he wore and threw lava at him. The joke was on them, though, as he simply ran through the molten liquid and smashed them by the dozen.
Hylla had stood her ground well, supporting Tyson and Rachel whenever they needed help, switching between spear and shield, and using her rifle. Her armor was dented in some places, and her left arm was bleeding from where her shield had finally failed her, breaking to pieces, and got clawed by one of the Telekhines.
Rachel had saved her then as she found vantage points and sniped at the monsters. At some point, she ran out of rifle rounds and joined the rest with her revolvers. Percy looked at where she was limping as she got hit by stray lava on her legs, but Tyson was fast enough to wipe it away, though it did leave blisters and burns.
"Yeah, might need a pick me up." The red-haired girl grimaced, and Percy felt bad about what he would have to tell her.
"Sorry, Rachel. It's not safe to consume Ambrosia again so soon since the last time. Tyson, get the medkit out. I think I saw burn cream in there." They were all gathered in an empty clearing of the forge that might have been the sleeping quarters of the Telekhines. After administering first-aid to those who needed it, Hylla being proficient in healing, as well as eating some Ambrosia for himself, they made their way out of the forge.
"Why don't we grab some of those metals for Tyson to work with?" Rachel pointed at the numerous sacks of ore carelessly piled in one corner while trying not to scratch the gauze on her calf.
"You want to steal from a god, Rachel?" The ridiculousness of her comment caught up with her, and she significantly paled.
"Never mind."
They went through the oval door and were greeted by the shining sun. Without a word, Percy hurried to the shore and jumped into the sea. The sheer pleasure and relief he felt from being home was immeasurable. His injuries were healing, and his mind cleared. He knew from experience that the extra energy would fade the moment he surfaced from the sea, so he didn't stay long underwater. After surfacing, he found his crew already boarding the rowboat, and he hurriedly joined them.
"Sorry about that, I needed a quick refresher." Percy shrugged at his crew's exhausted and peeved looks. They were probably just jealous.
"Why don't you take a dip as well, Tyson?" He willed the boat to take them back to the ship and looked curiously at his brother. The two girls were also curious and listened closely.
"I don't get healed from seawater like you." His brother sounded peeved as he idly rubbed a bandage where he was clawed, but Hylla slapped his hand away. "I can breathe, see, and speak underwater, and the pressure never bothers me, but healing? Only if Dad is actively watching." The Cyclops shook his head in disbelief. "You lucked out with that ability, brother. When they say you are Dad's favorite, it's not only because he likes you. The sea itself likes you."
Percy hummed thoughtfully. It was true that he always felt energized and healed any wounds in water, even more so in seawater. He even remembered getting poisoned by the Chimera, yet the Mississippi River cured him. Tyson and Rachel looked awed and slightly jealous, while Hylla looked forlorn. He pitied her, not knowing her mother, who clearly did not care about her or her sister.
The boat continued on its way to the ship, and they were met with the Hippocampi along the way, followed by Blackjack, who had Reyna riding him.
"You're alive! You look like crap, though." Was the girl's articulate greeting, which was met with tired groans. Once they were on the ship and the rowboat stowed away, they all hurried to shower again before they reconvened on the main deck.
"Alright, Hylla. You will need to contact Hephaestus and tell him the good news."
"Are you sure you would rather not do it? You are the Captain, and you were instrumental in taking down half the monsters yourself." The Latina girl had mellowed out a lot since they met a few hours ago. Fighting together on the same side against a vile enemy was among the best ways to establish friendships.
"Positive. Reyna, stand with your sister. I will make a rainbow, and you IM him. You know how it works, right?" At Hylla's nod, he gave her a Drachma and willed some seawater to spray in the air, causing a rainbow to form, much to Reyna's delight. The others had small smiles as well, but they were too tired for any exuberance.
"Oh, Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." Hylla intoned quickly and tossed the drachma into the rainbow. "Hephaestus, he's expecting me."
The rainbow seemed to blink before the feed switched to the gruesome figure of Hephaestus drinking deeply from a mug of beer in what looked like a divine poker game. Percy could see Hermes, who was trying to steal a card from Apollo, who was serenading a busty nymph with his lyre, only for said nymph to scamper away as she giggled with the god following her. Hermes quickly pocketed Apollo's earnings before vanishing away from the speed he ran.
"Lord Hephaestus." Using the chance where the god was alone, Hylla called clearly. The god glanced at the feed, and for a moment, Percy could've sworn he seemed to…glitch. Like, his image changed from the genial god to a more brutal-looking man with fire in his eyes and beard. Percy blinked, and Hephaestus stared at them strangely before his eyes widened in recognition.
"Well, I'll be. You have found yourself in strange company, Hylla. Considering that, I take it you completed the quest?"
Hylla nodded wordlessly. "I see; give me a minute, and I'll be over." The forge god waved his hand, and the Iris Message ended. Suddenly, a pillar of fire appeared on the island, and they could see Hephaestus walking out of it. He noticed the still-open door of his forge and walked in for a minute before coming back out. Another flash of flames, and he was on the deck, causing Percy to frown slightly. He better not burn his ship.
"My lord, we have completed your quest and cleared your forge." Hylla formally declared with a bow. The god, however, waved her off.
"Don't bother groveling to me, girlie. I won't lie; I didn't truly expect you to succeed when I gave you that quest. I'm glad you've proven me wrong." They looked shocked at the god's words, and Hylla seemed quite pissed, judging by the way she balled her fists so strongly her knuckles had gone white. Yet, her face remained respectful, even when her eyes smoldered with fury. "Then again," the god continued, ignoring their looks. "With Perseus Jackson on your side, I'd bet my money on you killing a titan, let alone a few monsters." Hephaestus gave a nod of respect to him, which he politely returned.
"B-but then, why would you give it in the first place?" Hylla shook in fury, even as she was distraught at the lack of confidence in her.
"Dunno, sometimes, we gods do things that we just can't explain. Even I, who greatly values rational thinking, sometimes do things that are plain irrational." The god looked peeved at the idea of not understanding his actions, and Percy was getting confused by the minute. "Then again, the point of giving impossible quests like this is to test the mortal's resolve and mettle as well as their good fortune. You have passed all the tests and should be honored regardless." The god scratched his beard before looking around. "Don't you have anything to drink here?"
"Of course, Hephaestus." Tyson's reply was excited as the Cyclops rushed to place a foldable table and chair along with a wine bottle that they found in his Dad's personal collection that he left in the Captain's cabin. The god sat and poured himself a generous portion in a glass he produced. Once he took a sip, he nodded approvingly.
"One of Poseidon's collection, eh? I prefer beer, but still good stuff. Old barnacle beard has excellent taste, though I suspect that has more to do with his wife than anything."
It was then that Hephaestus took a look at the ship and the rest of the crew. Like last time, the god smiled gently at Tyson and gave him a nod of approval. The Cyclops looked ecstatic, like a fanboy meeting his idol. Hephaestus gave a soft smile to Reyna as well before his gaze landed on Rachel. His face, which had a gentle smile so far, scowled in annoyance, causing the girl's eyes to widen in shock as sweat gathered on her head. Percy stood protectively in front of her, his hand holding Riptide in pen form, and glared right back at the forge god, causing the winds to get agitated and the sea to rock the boat. The warning was clear, but the god chuckled in amusement.
"Oh, calm down, Jackson. I won't blast your friend just because my dear mother took a shining to her." He waved his hands, and several seats appeared around him, "Sit. Let us finish this matter first."
They looked at each other, but everyone waited for Percy to make the first move. As the Captain of the ship, he understood the responsibility and power he held over his crew and took a seat right across from the god. Rachel joined him on his right, with Tyson on her right, while Hylla sat on his left with her sister on her left.
"So, first things first, Hylla." The girl on his left stiffened and stared at the god as he idly sipped from the wine glass. "I am a god of my word. You have cleared my forge, regardless of the help you recruited, and now I am offering you either a boon or a way to the mainland. What will it be?"
The girl's mouth opened and closed several times before she looked at the god with determined eyes. "I believe you told me you could provide a home for me and my sister. A place for us to belong and feel safe."
"You seem to have found that place all by yourself." The god shrugged as he waved his hands carelessly at the ship. "It is not easy to gain the trust and friendship of someone like him." Hephaestus pointed at Percy with his chin, causing him to frown, yet he remained silent. He would not rise to the bait and let the god finish his piece. "Yet the lad is infamous for his loyalty to loved ones. Some on Olympus even wonder if it is his fatal flaw, and fear he would rather watch the world burn than sacrifice his friends."
The Son of the Sea God stared at the God of Fire intently. Is that what they believed of him? Percy would easily agree that he would do whatever it takes for his friends, but would he allow for, say, Olympus to be burned, so his friends could survive?
"It's too bad that not many on Olympus have deigned to gain my friendship, then." He almost regretted saying the words after they left his tongue. There was no need to look for trouble with a god – especially one usually genial to demigods and mortals.
"Heh, cheeky brat." Thankfully, Hephaestus didn't take offense and opted to sip from his wine glass instead.
"But… what if we don't plan to stay with Percy? What would be our options?" Hylla still looked lost and slightly confused, but the sooner she learned that the gods are not, in fact, rational beings, the better.
"Simply put? A new lease on life." Hephaestus shrugged, face impassive. "I could create new IDs for you and your sister, new social security numbers, an entirely new identity and background if you wished for a different name, along with some cash. You're nineteen, right?" At the girl's nod, the god continued. "It would be beyond simple for me to set you up for a new life in a house for you and your sister. A city of your choosing so long as it's in the continental United States, a possible good future, a new career, or maybe you would like to go to college? A letter of recommendation, all of this is beyond simple for me."
Percy could hear the but coming since before the god started speaking. Sure enough, Hylla asked.
"But?"
"But you are still demigods. Powerful ones at that. You would attract monsters aplenty, no matter your choice of life. Sure, I can send you to Camp Half-Blood, but we are in the middle of a war now, and the camp just suffered a devastating attack. Would you risk yours and your sister's life in a war that could destroy the very fabric of our world?"
Hephaestus' words struck a chord with Percy. He had not been impressed with the god during their meetings, what with his belief that people, whether mortal or immortal, were unreliable, and it's better to be alone and surrounded by unliving machinery. Yet here he was, making sure that Hylla understood perfectly what he was offering and what she was getting into if she agreed. Any other god would not think twice before giving a half-hearted boon and washing their hands from the matter.
"… No. I will not fight some war for people I don't even know. For a mother who never bothered to check on us." Hylla's response was firm, but she still gave a hesitant look at him, and Percy knew what she was worried about.
"Don't worry. You and your sister will always have a place on my ship, at least until we're done with our quest. I can't promise it would be completely safe, but as Lord Hephaestus said, nowhere is safe these days." The older girl gave him a relieved smile, and it was the first time she looked so relaxed since they met her.
"Heh, smart choice." The god turned to Percy and gave a strange look. "What I'm confused about is what you are even doing here, of all places."
"Quest," Percy repeated simply.
"Certainly not an Olympus-sanctioned one."
"My Dad and Hera seemed to approve of it enough." He shrugged and noticed the god's face darken at his mother's name, though he sighed afterward.
"Fair enough. It would explain why my mother would take an interest in you." The god looked at Rachel this time. "You do not truly understand the implications of my mother turning a mortal, even a clear-sighted one, into a demigod. Essentially, all but declaring you to be her daughter with all the benefits and curses it pertains."
"She what?!" Rachel's voice sounded like a squeak, and Percy could understand. So Hera really was the one to bless his friend.
"Oh yes, just look up if you don't believe me." Hephaestus poured himself another glass of wine, and they looked above Rachel's head just in time to see a lotus staff symbol shining brightly for a few seconds before fading away.
"Huh," all Percy could do was blink smartly at the red-haired girl.
"Huh, indeed." The god agreed with him. "Mother dearest doesn't trust me to meet her favorites." Hephaestus sighed tiredly, and Percy felt bad for him. He could never imagine Sally Jackson treating him with such suspicion and disdain. "Now, back to the matter at hand. I suppose you will all want to be rewarded for helping me out. Here." He waved his hand, and a fireball appeared in front of him, spitting out a golden shield that flew to Hylla, a massive booklet that went to Tyson, and finally, a shining blue crystal that went to Percy. The crystal was beautiful, and Percy could feel immense power from it.
Hephaestus stood up and drained the last of his glass, though he took the bottle with him. "I made that shield at the behest of the woman who raised and took care of me when my mother abandoned me. When its owner passed on, It returned to me. Take good care of it, girl, and it will serve you well."
Hylla nodded rapidly as she held the massive Hoplon shield that shone a brilliant gold in the sun and showed plenty of different images engraved on it. It looked heavy, but the older girl managed to lift it well enough.
"My dear Cyclops." The god turned to Tyson next, who was already reading the booklet that, even in his large hands, looked large enough to cover half the table. "These are some of my notes and designs for products I envisioned but either failed or didn't have the opportunity to make. I know, impossible for the god of forges to fail in his inventions, right?" He added bemusedly, "you mortals have come up with two phrases that I sincerely like: Failure is the mother of success, and Necessity is the mother of invention. I wonder who the lucky bastard who bedded both Failure and Necessity?" Hephaestus asked suddenly and had a far-off look on his face before shaking his head. "Never mind, I've lost count of the number of gods and goddesses that popped up over the millennia. Anyway, as a god, it's hard for me to fail and even harder for me to necessitate anything. I have learned that sometimes, a mortal's touch and mindset, as well as the struggles they face in their short lives, could be what is needed to make the difference."
"But, I'm a Cyclops," Tyson said sadly. "Does that mean I won't be able to succeed either?"
"Nonsense, my boy." The god placed a comforting hand on Tyson's shoulder. "You have all the good qualities from being raised as a mortal combined with your Cyclops blood that gives a lot of advantages in forging. I believe in you, Tyson." The Cyclops looked beyond ecstatic and held the booklet in his arms like a sacred text, which, for all intents and purposes, was one, considering a god gifted it.
"Finally, you, Perseus." Hephaestus took his time to gaze at him curiously. "I do not know what your quest is, but considering where we are and our last meeting, I can easily guess. Calypso is a hell of a lass, and I would have done anything to wed her instead of my slut of a wife." They looked awkwardly at the blatant insult to the goddess of love, and Percy hoped she wouldn't try to punish him for remarks he just happened to listen to. "Do you have a plan?"
"Sort of," Percy shrugged. "I know I will be able to get to Ogygia. Getting Calypso out, though… I'm still working on it."
"Well, you will have more time to think this through this time." The god shrugged as he made his way to the railing and waved his hand, causing a portal of fire to form. "My advice to you is the same as last time. Oh, and be careful with that stone. It's incredibly powerful and might be useful in the future. I figured since you like blue baubles, you would appreciate this, but that thing has as much power as one of old thunder-beard's bolts."
The god laughed when Percy freaked out and nearly dropped the suddenly more ominous-looking crystal and walked into the portal, which disappeared with a final statement.
May you live in interesting times, Perseus Jackson.
Hylla sat by the massive cannon on the bow of the ship, listening to the sound of the Cyclops working on the deck, fixing the flooring from the bird attacks. She inspected the massive golden shield that the god of forges rewarded her. It was a beautiful thing, completely round except for two sockets on each end to lean a spear on… or a rifle. It was made from the same material as her spear, though of much higher quality. Like an extremely high quality that even comparing the two was a ridiculous notion. There were many intricate engravings in each corner, and she inspected one of them that had the earth, seas, and heavens, the sun and moon, and the bright constellations in the sky.
Even she, with her middling knowledge of art, knew every single one could easily be considered an artistic masterpiece.
There were more images and carvings on the other quarters of the shield that Hylla didn't recognize but could understand well enough. They were scenes of peace and war. Her knowledge of Greek myth wasn't the best, as she had been cloistered with Circe since she was twelve, and the witch, while generous and knowledgeable, never taught them anything. It's been almost seven years since that day, the day her sister was forced to kill their father, and they ran away.
She shook her head and swept that train of thought from her mind. Hylla leaned her new shield on the cannon and closed her eyes, enjoying the wind as the ship followed the Hippocampi towards the setting sun. It was unfortunate that the shield didn't have a transforming enchantment like the Captain's sword or a collapsing mechanism like his shield, but she was still delighted with the gift.
Thinking of Percy Jackson gave her conflicted feelings. On the one hand, he was the cause of the misery they had to endure over the last year, yet she would also acknowledge that she never agreed with Circe's methods. Hylla had pretended that everything their patron did had a purpose, that the men she turned into animals were all evil, and for the most part, they usually were. However, were they truly? Or did they turn the way they were due to the long, unjust imprisonment by the witch?
On the other hand, she had grown by leaps and bounds over the past year, thanks to that strife. The eldest member of the crew questioned the forge god's words, however. He believed that she and her sister were powerful. Hylla had thought Teach was the most powerful demigod she had ever met, but seeing Percy Jackson in combat had made her truly question her worldview.
Which brought her back again to the main crux of the matter. Percy Jackson… Hylla honestly couldn't bring herself to hate the boy, as he had proven good-natured at heart. If there was anyone whom she believed did not deserve Circe's treatment, it would be him. The former attendant was the one who first greeted him and his friend at the spa, after all, and she still remembered how weary and grief-ridden they were. Hylla later learned from Rachel the details of that quest of theirs, which was one of the reasons she had also accepted Tyson's presence, despite his monstrous form.
It also helped that her sister had taken a shine to him, and Reyna was a better judge of character than her. Then again, he did save her life without thought, just like a hero… Hylla feared that her sister had grown a bit of hero worship for their new captain. The thought brought a smile and then an unbidden chuckle out of her.
Footsteps behind her broke her thoughts, and she opened her eyes, noticing that the sun had long set, and the moon was shining down on her. There were no sounds on the deck, so Tyson probably finished the repairs. Hylla stretched and yawned after the impromptu nap, then turned her head to find the red-haired girl, Rachel, approaching with a grin and a six-pack of Dr Pepper.
"Thought you would want a drink and maybe share what's so funny?" She accepted the chilled can in gratitude and popped it. Rachel sat next to her and bumped her can with hers before they drank deeply and watched the moon.
"Just fearing that my sister is getting a bit of hero worship on our captain." Rachel giggled, and Hylla smiled along with her.
"Percy does that sometimes. For the life of him, he could never leave anyone in distress without helping them." That was something she could respect. An intrusive thought wedged into her mind, what if Percy was there to help them before they met Circe? The thought went nowhere, as the boy would barely be nine years old at the time.
"Is that how you met him?" The older girl looked curiously at her new friend, whose smile had turned wooden.
"The first time we met, he tried to cut me in half with that sword of his." Hylla was glad she wasn't drinking, or she would have choked on the liquid.
"He what now?" From there, the discussion devolved to Rachel's first meeting with Percy, to their future meetings, and how she joined them on their quest in a massive labyrinth. It culminated with her getting blessed by the queen of the gods and joining him on this quest.
"Wow, you've had more excitement in the past few weeks than I did in a year."
"I supposed so, I can't deny that I'm having the time of my life." The green-eyed girl's face gained a wicked smirk, "the adventure, the constant fighting, the explosions… I feel alive for the first time in my life."
Hylla looked at her friend strangely, though the thought did strike a chord with her. "I will admit that I have also enjoyed the power and the excitement that came over the past year. Perhaps my only fear was Reyna's safety, and that's why it was subdued." She finished her can, crushed it, and put it aside before grabbing another one.
A comfortable silence descended upon them as they enjoyed their drinks. "So, how are you holding up? Have any problems with your room or the beds?"
Hylla looked at the younger girl strangely. "I haven't tried the beds yet, Rachel."
"I guess you haven't, huh? So, are you still annoyed at Percy?" Rachel smiled awkwardly as she fingered a hole in her jeans.
"Nothing of the sort." Hylla smiled at her drinking companion. "I've accepted that Percy had no choice in the matter, and what happened was a series of unfortunate events. What's important is that Reyna and I are safe and have a place where we don't have to look behind our backs all the time." She waved her hand at the ship, accidentally spilling a bit of soda, "I like the ship; it's almost magical. I'm sure with time, we could call it home." She drained the last of her drink before crushing the can and eyeing another Dr Pepper for a second but decided against it. The Latina girl could already feel her stomach protesting.
"I know, right? The ship just doesn't make sense sometimes. Besides, you have yet to see the gaming room." Hylla almost cricked her neck as she turned swiftly to her new friend.
"There's a gaming room?!" Rachel's sly grin as she nodded had her on her feet in excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for? It's been forever since I watched TV."
Before they could head to the galley, they heard splashing sounds from the water and horse neighs. Looking at the sea, they were surprised to find a wall of mist and fog stretching beyond the horizon. Hylla could have sworn that there was nothing of the sort a minute ago. Even at night, the full moon and the star-filled skies had the whole sea illuminated. The Hippocampi had stopped short of the mist and looked confused to them.
"Let's call, Percy. I think we've arrived."
.
.
.
"Well, I can certainly confirm that I have no clue if there's a sea beyond that mist, or it's the end of the world and we're gonna fall over to Khaos."
It's been a couple of hours since they came upon the mist and woke Percy from sleep, and they were all gathered at the bow, staring at the mysterious wall of mist. Reyna was yawning from being awakened from her sleep as well, while Tyson was handing out coffee and tea for those who wanted. Hylla gratefully took a mug of tea, as she wasn't a fan of coffee, and sipped on the dark liquid's warmth as Percy returned from exploring the mist.
"But you were still capable of sensing where we were, right?" Rachel was also looking strangely at the mist, and from what she understood of her clear sight, it was possible she saw things they just could not perceive.
"Yeah." The Captain was pacing on the deck with a deep frown, "I was in there for over an hour, and it felt like I was swimming in the same spot. The fact that I could feel where the ship was, and thus the exit, confused the hell out of me." He paused as he looked curiously at the red-haired girl, "Do you see something?"
The clear-sighted demigod gripped the railings as she glared at the mist intensely. "It's… strange. I think I do see something, but it's hidden. Like…something is obfuscating them from me." Rachel shook her head in frustration. "I have a strong feeling that if I could see it in its entirety, I would be able to plot a route through the mist."
Reyna chose this time to yawn loudly. "Why don't we wait for morning, then? I can barely see the mist as it is, anyway."
Percy froze at her sister's words for a full minute before slapping his forehead with a groan of frustration. They all looked strangely at their Captain, who moved quickly to her sister, causing them to flinch, before grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Reyna… You are an absolute Genius!" The sheer joy in Percy's face stopped Hylla from her instinctive reaction of drawing her dagger at the boy. She huffed inwardly; looked like she was still jumpy.
"Uh, what? What did I say again?" Reyna, on the other hand, took it in stride and stared confused at their Captain.
"It's simple; even Hephaestus told me about it." The son of Poseidon let go of her sister and turned to a boggled Rachel. "There's a path, but you can't see it because it's nighttime. Last time I was in Ogygia, I had to wait for dawn to leave."
Understanding finally bloomed on Rachel's face, "So we just need to wait for dawn, and I should see the path?"
"Hopefully, I could still be wrong." Percy shrugged before clapping his hands. "Nothing for us to lose. Alright, crew, it's three in the morning, and sunrise is in three hours. Anyone who wants to nap, go ahead, and I'll wake you up. Or if you have another suggestion…"
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Rachel raised her hand, waving it excitedly before placing it on Hylla's shoulder, causing her to flinch. "Hylla here hadn't had the pleasure of exploring the entertainment room yet. I suggest we wheel in that 100" screen and have a movie night out in the open-air."
"Uh, what? Rachel, you don't–"
"An excellent suggestion, Officer Dare. Tyson, please bring what the good officer has asked. Reyna? Want to join me in the kitchens to prepare yet another feast?"
"Heck yeah! See you in a while, sis."
Before Hylla could even ask which movie they would watch, everyone rushed to do their orders, and it was only her and Rachel on the deck.
"Looks like your sister is also excited. Wasn't she all yawning and complaining earlier?" The redhead grinned at her as she set up a table on the deck. Hylla sighed in exasperation and helped her with the chairs.
"We never had a movie night before."
"First time for everything, aye?"
"Whatever you say, Officer Dare."
The sound of their laughter echoed out to the sea as the rest of the crew gradually returned to deck.
.
.
.
"It's time."
Hylla flinched as Percy woke her up. She looked around, finding herself sleeping on one of the lounge chairs with Reyna at her side. Tyson was clearing up the screen and equipment, and she remembered falling asleep midway through The Little Mermaid after they watched Princess Bride. Apparently, Reyna couldn't stay up for long, either.
After waking up her sister, Hylla followed Percy to the bow, where the sun had just started to rise. Rachel was staring intently at the mist.
"I can already see a difference; a path is clearing up, but I need more light."
Percy hummed while Hylla looked at the unchanging mist. It didn't matter; she trusted Rachel knew what she was doing. It was a few minutes later, when they were all gathered at the bow and the sun's rays shone behind them, that Rachel gasped.
"There! There it is! Just follow my directions."
"You got it, Rachel." The ship suddenly came alive as the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and the long chain of the anchor retracted into the ship. Splashing sounds behind her had her turn to find that the three Hippocampi had jumped onboard and joined the black Pegasus.
They sailed through the mist, and Hylla still could not see anything, yet the Captain followed the Clear-Sighted demigod's directions closely. It must have been an hour later when they finally exited the mist, and what she saw had her jaw drop in shock.
It was paradise… there was no other way to describe the island ahead of her except for it being heaven. Hylla had thought Circe's island was beautiful, yet it looked like a junkyard compared to Ogygia. The island wasn't large, but it wasn't particularly small either. She could see both ends of the island from where the ship approached, and it looked to be at least five miles across.
Speaking of the ship, Percy was grinning like mad, and the vessel sped through the clearest waters that Hylla had ever seen. So clear that it couldn't be seawater, as the bottom below could be seen as if they were looking through a crystal mirror, full of large and healthy marine life. Her eyes returned to the island, where she could see three forested hills and luscious green woodland of cedar, neat bushes of flowers, and birds of paradise.
None of that could hold a candle, however, to the vision of sheer beauty that stood on the shore with a look of pure, unadulterated shock on her timeless face.
Percy was right; you had to see Calypso to judge her beauty.
Failure and Necessity are actually two goddesses in Greek myths that are usually forgotten, Eris and Penia. It's just a cool trivia I put in. Kudos to anyone who recognizes whose shield Hylla is using, Hephaestus will regret giving it away so easily once it's gone forever.
I always wondered why aren't there more characters who used guns in the books? As far as I know, the only instance of any usage of guns was the cannon on the Argo II that was only used to attack New Rome. Against monsters and baddies, though? Annabeth's dad with his flying plane, who has shown that even a mortal can kill monsters, yet it was never replicated later on, which was a huge shame.
It felt like Riordan pretended guns didn't exist when they could have killed Kronos with a sniper rifle a mile away using a Celestial Bronze round. Most likely to keep the books fit for children, or some other inane reasoning, like him being an anti-gun Liberal. None of this bullshit here, this is the real-world kiddos, and One Piece won't run on anime troupes either.
I'm basing Ogygia off the real-life island of Gozo, close to Malta. It's traditionally been associated with Calypso's island, so it only seemed fitting to use it as a basis here.
Editor's note: And today is the day… when we almost get to meet Calypso. Cya next time lads and lasses.
If you would like to support me, or read five chapters ahead, feel free to join me on Pat(re)on under the same pen name.
Percy breathed heavily as he finally gutted the giant Telekhine that had acted as leader of this pack and forced it to the ground. Even in its death throes, the dying monster tried to slash him with its claws, only for Hylla to stab its arm away from him, and Tyson crushed its head with his sledgehammer. The intense heat of the volcano was nearly unbearable for him, yet he soldiered on, even as Hylla and Rachel endured with their regular demigod physique.
The forge itself was smaller than the one under St Helens, yet followed a similar design. A rocky ridge circled the cavern, with a network of metal bridges spanning across it. At the center was a sprawling clearing with all sorts of machines, cauldrons, forges, furnaces, bloomeries, and smelters. There was even a massive triphammer built over a large metallic platform that reminded him of that gigantic anvil under St Helens. Those were just the things he identified, as there were all sorts of instruments that he was sure had names but, to him, looked like alien technology. Multiple ponds of lava were within easy reach, presumably to help with forging, but the Telekhines had used it extensively as ammo.
Percy had taken the lion's share of the enemies as he lured as many of them as possible around the machinery in the forge. It was a tough fight, as he was out of his element. Even his heat resistance was not enough to protect him from the occasional lava thrown at him, but at least he was better prepared, and unlike last time, he had friends with him for support.
"Are you okay, everyone?" He checked his crew, starting with Tyson. The Cyclops had taken the brunt of the attacks at first, when the Telekhines confused him for a regular demigod because of the goggles he wore and threw lava at him. The joke was on them, though, as he simply ran through the molten liquid and smashed them by the dozen.
Hylla had stood her ground well, supporting Tyson and Rachel whenever they needed help, switching between spear and shield, and using her rifle. Her armor was dented in some places, and her left arm was bleeding from where her shield had finally failed her, breaking to pieces, and got clawed by one of the Telekhines.
Rachel had saved her then as she found vantage points and sniped at the monsters. At some point, she ran out of rifle rounds and joined the rest with her revolvers. Percy looked at where she was limping as she got hit by stray lava on her legs, but Tyson was fast enough to wipe it away, though it did leave blisters and burns.
"Yeah, might need a pick me up." The red-haired girl grimaced, and Percy felt bad about what he would have to tell her.
"Sorry, Rachel. It's not safe to consume Ambrosia again so soon since the last time. Tyson, get the medkit out. I think I saw burn cream in there." They were all gathered in an empty clearing of the forge that might have been the sleeping quarters of the Telekhines. After administering first-aid to those who needed it, Hylla being proficient in healing, as well as eating some Ambrosia for himself, they made their way out of the forge.
"Why don't we grab some of those metals for Tyson to work with?" Rachel pointed at the numerous sacks of ore carelessly piled in one corner while trying not to scratch the gauze on her calf.
"You want to steal from a god, Rachel?" The ridiculousness of her comment caught up with her, and she significantly paled.
"Never mind."
They went through the oval door and were greeted by the shining sun. Without a word, Percy hurried to the shore and jumped into the sea. The sheer pleasure and relief he felt from being home was immeasurable. His injuries were healing, and his mind cleared. He knew from experience that the extra energy would fade the moment he surfaced from the sea, so he didn't stay long underwater. After surfacing, he found his crew already boarding the rowboat, and he hurriedly joined them.
"Sorry about that, I needed a quick refresher." Percy shrugged at his crew's exhausted and peeved looks. They were probably just jealous.
"Why don't you take a dip as well, Tyson?" He willed the boat to take them back to the ship and looked curiously at his brother. The two girls were also curious and listened closely.
"I don't get healed from seawater like you." His brother sounded peeved as he idly rubbed a bandage where he was clawed, but Hylla slapped his hand away. "I can breathe, see, and speak underwater, and the pressure never bothers me, but healing? Only if Dad is actively watching." The Cyclops shook his head in disbelief. "You lucked out with that ability, brother. When they say you are Dad's favorite, it's not only because he likes you. The sea itself likes you."
Percy hummed thoughtfully. It was true that he always felt energized and healed any wounds in water, even more so in seawater. He even remembered getting poisoned by the Chimera, yet the Mississippi River cured him. Tyson and Rachel looked awed and slightly jealous, while Hylla looked forlorn. He pitied her, not knowing her mother, who clearly did not care about her or her sister.
The boat continued on its way to the ship, and they were met with the Hippocampi along the way, followed by Blackjack, who had Reyna riding him.
"You're alive! You look like crap, though." Was the girl's articulate greeting, which was met with tired groans. Once they were on the ship and the rowboat stowed away, they all hurried to shower again before they reconvened on the main deck.
"Alright, Hylla. You will need to contact Hephaestus and tell him the good news."
"Are you sure you would rather not do it? You are the Captain, and you were instrumental in taking down half the monsters yourself." The Latina girl had mellowed out a lot since they met a few hours ago. Fighting together on the same side against a vile enemy was among the best ways to establish friendships.
"Positive. Reyna, stand with your sister. I will make a rainbow, and you IM him. You know how it works, right?" At Hylla's nod, he gave her a Drachma and willed some seawater to spray in the air, causing a rainbow to form, much to Reyna's delight. The others had small smiles as well, but they were too tired for any exuberance.
"Oh, Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering." Hylla intoned quickly and tossed the drachma into the rainbow. "Hephaestus, he's expecting me."
The rainbow seemed to blink before the feed switched to the gruesome figure of Hephaestus drinking deeply from a mug of beer in what looked like a divine poker game. Percy could see Hermes, who was trying to steal a card from Apollo, who was serenading a busty nymph with his lyre, only for said nymph to scamper away as she giggled with the god following her. Hermes quickly pocketed Apollo's earnings before vanishing away from the speed he ran.
"Lord Hephaestus." Using the chance where the god was alone, Hylla called clearly. The god glanced at the feed, and for a moment, Percy could've sworn he seemed to…glitch. Like, his image changed from the genial god to a more brutal-looking man with fire in his eyes and beard. Percy blinked, and Hephaestus stared at them strangely before his eyes widened in recognition.
"Well, I'll be. You have found yourself in strange company, Hylla. Considering that, I take it you completed the quest?"
Hylla nodded wordlessly. "I see; give me a minute, and I'll be over." The forge god waved his hand, and the Iris Message ended. Suddenly, a pillar of fire appeared on the island, and they could see Hephaestus walking out of it. He noticed the still-open door of his forge and walked in for a minute before coming back out. Another flash of flames, and he was on the deck, causing Percy to frown slightly. He better not burn his ship.
"My lord, we have completed your quest and cleared your forge." Hylla formally declared with a bow. The god, however, waved her off.
"Don't bother groveling to me, girlie. I won't lie; I didn't truly expect you to succeed when I gave you that quest. I'm glad you've proven me wrong." They looked shocked at the god's words, and Hylla seemed quite pissed, judging by the way she balled her fists so strongly her knuckles had gone white. Yet, her face remained respectful, even when her eyes smoldered with fury. "Then again," the god continued, ignoring their looks. "With Perseus Jackson on your side, I'd bet my money on you killing a titan, let alone a few monsters." Hephaestus gave a nod of respect to him, which he politely returned.
"B-but then, why would you give it in the first place?" Hylla shook in fury, even as she was distraught at the lack of confidence in her.
"Dunno, sometimes, we gods do things that we just can't explain. Even I, who greatly values rational thinking, sometimes do things that are plain irrational." The god looked peeved at the idea of not understanding his actions, and Percy was getting confused by the minute. "Then again, the point of giving impossible quests like this is to test the mortal's resolve and mettle as well as their good fortune. You have passed all the tests and should be honored regardless." The god scratched his beard before looking around. "Don't you have anything to drink here?"
"Of course, Hephaestus." Tyson's reply was excited as the Cyclops rushed to place a foldable table and chair along with a wine bottle that they found in his Dad's personal collection that he left in the Captain's cabin. The god sat and poured himself a generous portion in a glass he produced. Once he took a sip, he nodded approvingly.
"One of Poseidon's collection, eh? I prefer beer, but still good stuff. Old barnacle beard has excellent taste, though I suspect that has more to do with his wife than anything."
It was then that Hephaestus took a look at the ship and the rest of the crew. Like last time, the god smiled gently at Tyson and gave him a nod of approval. The Cyclops looked ecstatic, like a fanboy meeting his idol. Hephaestus gave a soft smile to Reyna as well before his gaze landed on Rachel. His face, which had a gentle smile so far, scowled in annoyance, causing the girl's eyes to widen in shock as sweat gathered on her head. Percy stood protectively in front of her, his hand holding Riptide in pen form, and glared right back at the forge god, causing the winds to get agitated and the sea to rock the boat. The warning was clear, but the god chuckled in amusement.
"Oh, calm down, Jackson. I won't blast your friend just because my dear mother took a shining to her." He waved his hands, and several seats appeared around him, "Sit. Let us finish this matter first."
They looked at each other, but everyone waited for Percy to make the first move. As the Captain of the ship, he understood the responsibility and power he held over his crew and took a seat right across from the god. Rachel joined him on his right, with Tyson on her right, while Hylla sat on his left with her sister on her left.
"So, first things first, Hylla." The girl on his left stiffened and stared at the god as he idly sipped from the wine glass. "I am a god of my word. You have cleared my forge, regardless of the help you recruited, and now I am offering you either a boon or a way to the mainland. What will it be?"
The girl's mouth opened and closed several times before she looked at the god with determined eyes. "I believe you told me you could provide a home for me and my sister. A place for us to belong and feel safe."
"You seem to have found that place all by yourself." The god shrugged as he waved his hands carelessly at the ship. "It is not easy to gain the trust and friendship of someone like him." Hephaestus pointed at Percy with his chin, causing him to frown, yet he remained silent. He would not rise to the bait and let the god finish his piece. "Yet the lad is infamous for his loyalty to loved ones. Some on Olympus even wonder if it is his fatal flaw, and fear he would rather watch the world burn than sacrifice his friends."
The Son of the Sea God stared at the God of Fire intently. Is that what they believed of him? Percy would easily agree that he would do whatever it takes for his friends, but would he allow for, say, Olympus to be burned, so his friends could survive?
"It's too bad that not many on Olympus have deigned to gain my friendship, then." He almost regretted saying the words after they left his tongue. There was no need to look for trouble with a god – especially one usually genial to demigods and mortals.
"Heh, cheeky brat." Thankfully, Hephaestus didn't take offense and opted to sip from his wine glass instead.
"But… what if we don't plan to stay with Percy? What would be our options?" Hylla still looked lost and slightly confused, but the sooner she learned that the gods are not, in fact, rational beings, the better.
"Simply put? A new lease on life." Hephaestus shrugged, face impassive. "I could create new IDs for you and your sister, new social security numbers, an entirely new identity and background if you wished for a different name, along with some cash. You're nineteen, right?" At the girl's nod, the god continued. "It would be beyond simple for me to set you up for a new life in a house for you and your sister. A city of your choosing so long as it's in the continental United States, a possible good future, a new career, or maybe you would like to go to college? A letter of recommendation, all of this is beyond simple for me."
Percy could hear the but coming since before the god started speaking. Sure enough, Hylla asked.
"But?"
"But you are still demigods. Powerful ones at that. You would attract monsters aplenty, no matter your choice of life. Sure, I can send you to Camp Half-Blood, but we are in the middle of a war now, and the camp just suffered a devastating attack. Would you risk yours and your sister's life in a war that could destroy the very fabric of our world?"
Hephaestus' words struck a chord with Percy. He had not been impressed with the god during their meetings, what with his belief that people, whether mortal or immortal, were unreliable, and it's better to be alone and surrounded by unliving machinery. Yet here he was, making sure that Hylla understood perfectly what he was offering and what she was getting into if she agreed. Any other god would not think twice before giving a half-hearted boon and washing their hands from the matter.
"… No. I will not fight some war for people I don't even know. For a mother who never bothered to check on us." Hylla's response was firm, but she still gave a hesitant look at him, and Percy knew what she was worried about.
"Don't worry. You and your sister will always have a place on my ship, at least until we're done with our quest. I can't promise it would be completely safe, but as Lord Hephaestus said, nowhere is safe these days." The older girl gave him a relieved smile, and it was the first time she looked so relaxed since they met her.
"Heh, smart choice." The god turned to Percy and gave a strange look. "What I'm confused about is what you are even doing here, of all places."
"Quest," Percy repeated simply.
"Certainly not an Olympus-sanctioned one."
"My Dad and Hera seemed to approve of it enough." He shrugged and noticed the god's face darken at his mother's name, though he sighed afterward.
"Fair enough. It would explain why my mother would take an interest in you." The god looked at Rachel this time. "You do not truly understand the implications of my mother turning a mortal, even a clear-sighted one, into a demigod. Essentially, all but declaring you to be her daughter with all the benefits and curses it pertains."
"She what?!" Rachel's voice sounded like a squeak, and Percy could understand. So Hera really was the one to bless his friend.
"Oh yes, just look up if you don't believe me." Hephaestus poured himself another glass of wine, and they looked above Rachel's head just in time to see a lotus staff symbol shining brightly for a few seconds before fading away.
"Huh," all Percy could do was blink smartly at the red-haired girl.
"Huh, indeed." The god agreed with him. "Mother dearest doesn't trust me to meet her favorites." Hephaestus sighed tiredly, and Percy felt bad for him. He could never imagine Sally Jackson treating him with such suspicion and disdain. "Now, back to the matter at hand. I suppose you will all want to be rewarded for helping me out. Here." He waved his hand, and a fireball appeared in front of him, spitting out a golden shield that flew to Hylla, a massive booklet that went to Tyson, and finally, a shining blue crystal that went to Percy. The crystal was beautiful, and Percy could feel immense power from it.
Hephaestus stood up and drained the last of his glass, though he took the bottle with him. "I made that shield at the behest of the woman who raised and took care of me when my mother abandoned me. When its owner passed on, It returned to me. Take good care of it, girl, and it will serve you well."
Hylla nodded rapidly as she held the massive Hoplon shield that shone a brilliant gold in the sun and showed plenty of different images engraved on it. It looked heavy, but the older girl managed to lift it well enough.
"My dear Cyclops." The god turned to Tyson next, who was already reading the booklet that, even in his large hands, looked large enough to cover half the table. "These are some of my notes and designs for products I envisioned but either failed or didn't have the opportunity to make. I know, impossible for the god of forges to fail in his inventions, right?" He added bemusedly, "you mortals have come up with two phrases that I sincerely like: Failure is the mother of success, and Necessity is the mother of invention. I wonder who the lucky bastard who bedded both Failure and Necessity?" Hephaestus asked suddenly and had a far-off look on his face before shaking his head. "Never mind, I've lost count of the number of gods and goddesses that popped up over the millennia. Anyway, as a god, it's hard for me to fail and even harder for me to necessitate anything. I have learned that sometimes, a mortal's touch and mindset, as well as the struggles they face in their short lives, could be what is needed to make the difference."
"But, I'm a Cyclops," Tyson said sadly. "Does that mean I won't be able to succeed either?"
"Nonsense, my boy." The god placed a comforting hand on Tyson's shoulder. "You have all the good qualities from being raised as a mortal combined with your Cyclops blood that gives a lot of advantages in forging. I believe in you, Tyson." The Cyclops looked beyond ecstatic and held the booklet in his arms like a sacred text, which, for all intents and purposes, was one, considering a god gifted it.
"Finally, you, Perseus." Hephaestus took his time to gaze at him curiously. "I do not know what your quest is, but considering where we are and our last meeting, I can easily guess. Calypso is a hell of a lass, and I would have done anything to wed her instead of my slut of a wife." They looked awkwardly at the blatant insult to the goddess of love, and Percy hoped she wouldn't try to punish him for remarks he just happened to listen to. "Do you have a plan?"
"Sort of," Percy shrugged. "I know I will be able to get to Ogygia. Getting Calypso out, though… I'm still working on it."
"Well, you will have more time to think this through this time." The god shrugged as he made his way to the railing and waved his hand, causing a portal of fire to form. "My advice to you is the same as last time. Oh, and be careful with that stone. It's incredibly powerful and might be useful in the future. I figured since you like blue baubles, you would appreciate this, but that thing has as much power as one of old thunder-beard's bolts."
The god laughed when Percy freaked out and nearly dropped the suddenly more ominous-looking crystal and walked into the portal, which disappeared with a final statement.
May you live in interesting times, Perseus Jackson.
P*O*D
Hylla sat by the massive cannon on the bow of the ship, listening to the sound of the Cyclops working on the deck, fixing the flooring from the bird attacks. She inspected the massive golden shield that the god of forges rewarded her. It was a beautiful thing, completely round except for two sockets on each end to lean a spear on… or a rifle. It was made from the same material as her spear, though of much higher quality. Like an extremely high quality that even comparing the two was a ridiculous notion. There were many intricate engravings in each corner, and she inspected one of them that had the earth, seas, and heavens, the sun and moon, and the bright constellations in the sky.
Even she, with her middling knowledge of art, knew every single one could easily be considered an artistic masterpiece.
There were more images and carvings on the other quarters of the shield that Hylla didn't recognize but could understand well enough. They were scenes of peace and war. Her knowledge of Greek myth wasn't the best, as she had been cloistered with Circe since she was twelve, and the witch, while generous and knowledgeable, never taught them anything. It's been almost seven years since that day, the day her sister was forced to kill their father, and they ran away.
She shook her head and swept that train of thought from her mind. Hylla leaned her new shield on the cannon and closed her eyes, enjoying the wind as the ship followed the Hippocampi towards the setting sun. It was unfortunate that the shield didn't have a transforming enchantment like the Captain's sword or a collapsing mechanism like his shield, but she was still delighted with the gift.
Thinking of Percy Jackson gave her conflicted feelings. On the one hand, he was the cause of the misery they had to endure over the last year, yet she would also acknowledge that she never agreed with Circe's methods. Hylla had pretended that everything their patron did had a purpose, that the men she turned into animals were all evil, and for the most part, they usually were. However, were they truly? Or did they turn the way they were due to the long, unjust imprisonment by the witch?
On the other hand, she had grown by leaps and bounds over the past year, thanks to that strife. The eldest member of the crew questioned the forge god's words, however. He believed that she and her sister were powerful. Hylla had thought Teach was the most powerful demigod she had ever met, but seeing Percy Jackson in combat had made her truly question her worldview.
Which brought her back again to the main crux of the matter. Percy Jackson… Hylla honestly couldn't bring herself to hate the boy, as he had proven good-natured at heart. If there was anyone whom she believed did not deserve Circe's treatment, it would be him. The former attendant was the one who first greeted him and his friend at the spa, after all, and she still remembered how weary and grief-ridden they were. Hylla later learned from Rachel the details of that quest of theirs, which was one of the reasons she had also accepted Tyson's presence, despite his monstrous form.
It also helped that her sister had taken a shine to him, and Reyna was a better judge of character than her. Then again, he did save her life without thought, just like a hero… Hylla feared that her sister had grown a bit of hero worship for their new captain. The thought brought a smile and then an unbidden chuckle out of her.
Footsteps behind her broke her thoughts, and she opened her eyes, noticing that the sun had long set, and the moon was shining down on her. There were no sounds on the deck, so Tyson probably finished the repairs. Hylla stretched and yawned after the impromptu nap, then turned her head to find the red-haired girl, Rachel, approaching with a grin and a six-pack of Dr Pepper.
"Thought you would want a drink and maybe share what's so funny?" She accepted the chilled can in gratitude and popped it. Rachel sat next to her and bumped her can with hers before they drank deeply and watched the moon.
"Just fearing that my sister is getting a bit of hero worship on our captain." Rachel giggled, and Hylla smiled along with her.
"Percy does that sometimes. For the life of him, he could never leave anyone in distress without helping them." That was something she could respect. An intrusive thought wedged into her mind, what if Percy was there to help them before they met Circe? The thought went nowhere, as the boy would barely be nine years old at the time.
"Is that how you met him?" The older girl looked curiously at her new friend, whose smile had turned wooden.
"The first time we met, he tried to cut me in half with that sword of his." Hylla was glad she wasn't drinking, or she would have choked on the liquid.
"He what now?" From there, the discussion devolved to Rachel's first meeting with Percy, to their future meetings, and how she joined them on their quest in a massive labyrinth. It culminated with her getting blessed by the queen of the gods and joining him on this quest.
"Wow, you've had more excitement in the past few weeks than I did in a year."
"I supposed so, I can't deny that I'm having the time of my life." The green-eyed girl's face gained a wicked smirk, "the adventure, the constant fighting, the explosions… I feel alive for the first time in my life."
Hylla looked at her friend strangely, though the thought did strike a chord with her. "I will admit that I have also enjoyed the power and the excitement that came over the past year. Perhaps my only fear was Reyna's safety, and that's why it was subdued." She finished her can, crushed it, and put it aside before grabbing another one.
A comfortable silence descended upon them as they enjoyed their drinks. "So, how are you holding up? Have any problems with your room or the beds?"
Hylla looked at the younger girl strangely. "I haven't tried the beds yet, Rachel."
"I guess you haven't, huh? So, are you still annoyed at Percy?" Rachel smiled awkwardly as she fingered a hole in her jeans.
"Nothing of the sort." Hylla smiled at her drinking companion. "I've accepted that Percy had no choice in the matter, and what happened was a series of unfortunate events. What's important is that Reyna and I are safe and have a place where we don't have to look behind our backs all the time." She waved her hand at the ship, accidentally spilling a bit of soda, "I like the ship; it's almost magical. I'm sure with time, we could call it home." She drained the last of her drink before crushing the can and eyeing another Dr Pepper for a second but decided against it. The Latina girl could already feel her stomach protesting.
"I know, right? The ship just doesn't make sense sometimes. Besides, you have yet to see the gaming room." Hylla almost cricked her neck as she turned swiftly to her new friend.
"There's a gaming room?!" Rachel's sly grin as she nodded had her on her feet in excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for? It's been forever since I watched TV."
Before they could head to the galley, they heard splashing sounds from the water and horse neighs. Looking at the sea, they were surprised to find a wall of mist and fog stretching beyond the horizon. Hylla could have sworn that there was nothing of the sort a minute ago. Even at night, the full moon and the star-filled skies had the whole sea illuminated. The Hippocampi had stopped short of the mist and looked confused to them.
"Let's call, Percy. I think we've arrived."
.
.
.
"Well, I can certainly confirm that I have no clue if there's a sea beyond that mist, or it's the end of the world and we're gonna fall over to Khaos."
It's been a couple of hours since they came upon the mist and woke Percy from sleep, and they were all gathered at the bow, staring at the mysterious wall of mist. Reyna was yawning from being awakened from her sleep as well, while Tyson was handing out coffee and tea for those who wanted. Hylla gratefully took a mug of tea, as she wasn't a fan of coffee, and sipped on the dark liquid's warmth as Percy returned from exploring the mist.
"But you were still capable of sensing where we were, right?" Rachel was also looking strangely at the mist, and from what she understood of her clear sight, it was possible she saw things they just could not perceive.
"Yeah." The Captain was pacing on the deck with a deep frown, "I was in there for over an hour, and it felt like I was swimming in the same spot. The fact that I could feel where the ship was, and thus the exit, confused the hell out of me." He paused as he looked curiously at the red-haired girl, "Do you see something?"
The clear-sighted demigod gripped the railings as she glared at the mist intensely. "It's… strange. I think I do see something, but it's hidden. Like…something is obfuscating them from me." Rachel shook her head in frustration. "I have a strong feeling that if I could see it in its entirety, I would be able to plot a route through the mist."
Reyna chose this time to yawn loudly. "Why don't we wait for morning, then? I can barely see the mist as it is, anyway."
Percy froze at her sister's words for a full minute before slapping his forehead with a groan of frustration. They all looked strangely at their Captain, who moved quickly to her sister, causing them to flinch, before grabbing her by the shoulders.
"Reyna… You are an absolute Genius!" The sheer joy in Percy's face stopped Hylla from her instinctive reaction of drawing her dagger at the boy. She huffed inwardly; looked like she was still jumpy.
"Uh, what? What did I say again?" Reyna, on the other hand, took it in stride and stared confused at their Captain.
"It's simple; even Hephaestus told me about it." The son of Poseidon let go of her sister and turned to a boggled Rachel. "There's a path, but you can't see it because it's nighttime. Last time I was in Ogygia, I had to wait for dawn to leave."
Understanding finally bloomed on Rachel's face, "So we just need to wait for dawn, and I should see the path?"
"Hopefully, I could still be wrong." Percy shrugged before clapping his hands. "Nothing for us to lose. Alright, crew, it's three in the morning, and sunrise is in three hours. Anyone who wants to nap, go ahead, and I'll wake you up. Or if you have another suggestion…"
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Rachel raised her hand, waving it excitedly before placing it on Hylla's shoulder, causing her to flinch. "Hylla here hadn't had the pleasure of exploring the entertainment room yet. I suggest we wheel in that 100" screen and have a movie night out in the open-air."
"Uh, what? Rachel, you don't–"
"An excellent suggestion, Officer Dare. Tyson, please bring what the good officer has asked. Reyna? Want to join me in the kitchens to prepare yet another feast?"
"Heck yeah! See you in a while, sis."
Before Hylla could even ask which movie they would watch, everyone rushed to do their orders, and it was only her and Rachel on the deck.
"Looks like your sister is also excited. Wasn't she all yawning and complaining earlier?" The redhead grinned at her as she set up a table on the deck. Hylla sighed in exasperation and helped her with the chairs.
"We never had a movie night before."
"First time for everything, aye?"
"Whatever you say, Officer Dare."
The sound of their laughter echoed out to the sea as the rest of the crew gradually returned to deck.
.
.
.
"It's time."
Hylla flinched as Percy woke her up. She looked around, finding herself sleeping on one of the lounge chairs with Reyna at her side. Tyson was clearing up the screen and equipment, and she remembered falling asleep midway through The Little Mermaid after they watched Princess Bride. Apparently, Reyna couldn't stay up for long, either.
After waking up her sister, Hylla followed Percy to the bow, where the sun had just started to rise. Rachel was staring intently at the mist.
"I can already see a difference; a path is clearing up, but I need more light."
Percy hummed while Hylla looked at the unchanging mist. It didn't matter; she trusted Rachel knew what she was doing. It was a few minutes later, when they were all gathered at the bow and the sun's rays shone behind them, that Rachel gasped.
"There! There it is! Just follow my directions."
"You got it, Rachel." The ship suddenly came alive as the air was filled with whistling sounds of ropes being snapped taut, canvases unfurling, and the long chain of the anchor retracted into the ship. Splashing sounds behind her had her turn to find that the three Hippocampi had jumped onboard and joined the black Pegasus.
They sailed through the mist, and Hylla still could not see anything, yet the Captain followed the Clear-Sighted demigod's directions closely. It must have been an hour later when they finally exited the mist, and what she saw had her jaw drop in shock.
It was paradise… there was no other way to describe the island ahead of her except for it being heaven. Hylla had thought Circe's island was beautiful, yet it looked like a junkyard compared to Ogygia. The island wasn't large, but it wasn't particularly small either. She could see both ends of the island from where the ship approached, and it looked to be at least five miles across.
Speaking of the ship, Percy was grinning like mad, and the vessel sped through the clearest waters that Hylla had ever seen. So clear that it couldn't be seawater, as the bottom below could be seen as if they were looking through a crystal mirror, full of large and healthy marine life. Her eyes returned to the island, where she could see three forested hills and luscious green woodland of cedar, neat bushes of flowers, and birds of paradise.
None of that could hold a candle, however, to the vision of sheer beauty that stood on the shore with a look of pure, unadulterated shock on her timeless face.
Percy was right; you had to see Calypso to judge her beauty.
Failure and Necessity are actually two goddesses in Greek myths that are usually forgotten, Eris and Penia. It's just a cool trivia I put in. Kudos to anyone who recognizes whose shield Hylla is using, Hephaestus will regret giving it away so easily once it's gone forever.
I always wondered why aren't there more characters who used guns in the books? As far as I know, the only instance of any usage of guns was the cannon on the Argo II that was only used to attack New Rome. Against monsters and baddies, though? Annabeth's dad with his flying plane, who has shown that even a mortal can kill monsters, yet it was never replicated later on, which was a huge shame.
It felt like Riordan pretended guns didn't exist when they could have killed Kronos with a sniper rifle a mile away using a Celestial Bronze round. Most likely to keep the books fit for children, or some other inane reasoning, like him being an anti-gun Liberal. None of this bullshit here, this is the real-world kiddos, and One Piece won't run on anime troupes either.
I'm basing Ogygia off the real-life island of Gozo, close to Malta. It's traditionally been associated with Calypso's island, so it only seemed fitting to use it as a basis here.
Editor's note: And today is the day… when we almost get to meet Calypso. Cya next time lads and lasses.
If you would like to support me, or read five chapters ahead, feel free to join me on Pat(re)on under the same pen name.
Chapter 9
Warning! This chapter is 8k words and is entirely set in Ogygia and Calypso's POV. Prepare for some corniness, lol.
This chapter was edited by Gladiusx.
The island of Ogygia was a haven of isolation, a timeless realm suspended amidst the azure embrace of the Sea of Monsters. On this particular day, a young woman with caramel-colored hair worked in an expansive garden. She kneeled by an empty flower bed with a small shovel, a bag of seeds, and a clay pot. The beautiful maiden hummed musically as she worked on her garden, planting a new clump of thyme to replace the wilting lavender before raising her voice into a melody.
Thyme whispers secrets to the endless sea,
Time dances slowly but never captures me.
Petals unfold, a tale woven in rhyme,
In this ageless haven, lost in the endless time.
Calypso smiled as the herb quickly took hold in the fertile soil, petals flowering before her eyes, and the surrounding plants blooming more while birds of paradise chirped with her melody.
The minutes, the hours, like petals in the breeze,
I sing to the flowers, a timeless tease.
A dance with forever, on this tranquil shore,
Where ageless echoes linger, forevermore.
The immortal maiden sighed deeply; her smile turned wistful and then bittersweet. Shaking her head, Calypso stood and stretched, her hands folding over her head as she bent her body backward, causing her prodigious bust to strain her simple white chiton to its limits. Calypso moaned in pleasure once she felt her back pop. Subsequently, her dress ripped, and she was as bare as the day she was born.
"… Again?" The Queen of Ogygia sighed in exasperation as she stripped off the remains of her garment and wandered about her island.
Her body had been aging rapidly lately. Usually, her ageless features would give her a body fit to be on a sixteen-year-old's, but it had grown since she met Perseus. This was the third time it happened, coinciding with the number of would-be lovers she nearly had. Her body had also filled out to what she saw was the perfect nubile form. A form ready for childbearing and marriage life, something Calypso was beginning to think would be forever outside her grasp.
Still, this was the fourth time the immortal maiden had fashioned herself a dress in the past… she wasn't sure.
Was it a week? Or a year? It didn't matter, for today had started well for the daughter of Atlas. She woke up in a good mood, the sun rising with its customary golden brilliance, casting a warm glow across the pristine shores and igniting the crystal-clear waters that surrounded the island. The same sun shone every day in her eternal solitude, but it felt brighter today.
Calypso began her day by checking on her precious flowers and gardens. The flora of Ogygia presented a kaleidoscope of colors, a testament to her home's mystical nature. Tall palm trees with fronds that rustled in the gentle sea breeze stood sentinel along the sandy beaches. Their trunks, as old as time, were adorned with intricate patterns that told tales of ages past. Further inland, an expanse of cedar flourished, with a menagerie of animals to call it home. Flowering vines adorned the trees, their blossoms releasing a fragrance that enveloped the air, carrying hints of sweetness and melancholy. Calypso had grown accustomed to the vibrant hues, finding solace in their perpetual beauty.
As the Queen of Ogygia strolled through the verdant landscape, the breathtaking diversity of plant life in her home never ceased to amaze her, despite the endless time she had lived on her island. Exotic flowers with petals that seemed to shimmer in every conceivable color dotted the meadows. Their aroma was an ever-present companion, and the immortal maiden occasionally paused to inhale deeply, the fragrance filling her senses with tranquility, somehow lessening the weight of her eternal solitude.
The fauna mirrored the enchanting beauty of the flora. Playful deer, rowdy horses and lazy cattle frolicked in the meadows and woods of the island, with lions and other predators calling the caves and hills their homes. Then, there were the collection of magical beasts from her time and when the pantheons were still being created. Exotic birds with plumage in myriad colors flitted among the trees, their melodic chirps forming a pleasant symphony that echoed through the island. Calypso often found herself losing track of time as she listened to their ethereal sounds, their tunes becoming the story to her timeless existence and an inspiration to the countless poems and songs she played.
As she strolled through her domain, Calypso arrived at the beaches of Ogygia, which were a picturesque expanse of white sand that sparkled like crushed pearls. The gentle lapping of the waves against the shore was a rhythmic lullaby, a constant reminder of the island's isolation from the troubles of the outside world. She walked along the water's edge, her bare feet leaving imprints in the sand that would be erased by the tide. Occasionally, a curious creature with scales that shimmered like precious gems would emerge from the depths of the surrounding water, briefly gracing the shores before disappearing into the azure depths.
She hummed a catchy tone as she enjoyed the feeling of the sands on her bare feet and removed the ribbon holding her long braid, allowing her hair to flow freely. The Titaness walked deeper into the waves and dipped into the azure waters.
One of the greatest benefits of her solitude was going naked any time of the day without worrying about modesty. It was not like Calypso cared about such matters anyway, her previous would-be lover being a prude. Francis Drake might have been a cruel rogue, but when confronted with her beauty, he turned into a stuttering mess and insisted on leaving her island even more than Odysseus. No matter, both of them were in Hades while she still existed, eternally…in solitude.
Calypso shook her head and gazed into the depths of the sea. The water around Ogygia was always as clear as the finest crystal, with abundant fish and other marine life, not to mention the not-so-mundane creatures that have found their way to her home. Calypso opened her mouth and took a deep gulp, enjoying the clean taste of the crystalline liquid as well as the exquisite sensation of breathing underwater. Having the goddess of water as a mother had given her certain abilities not so dissimilar to her latest guest. Thinking of her mother had her smile whimsically to the time she was raised alongside her younger sisters… oh, and Hera, of course. Must not forget about feisty little Hera, who was such a tomboy but ended up rising higher than any of them.
As the eldest daughter of Tethys, born before she married Oceanus, Calypso wanted to imagine she was her mother's favorite. Oceanus was kind enough to accept her in his halls, yet she always favored Atlas, who loved her greatly, as she was also his firstborn. When the gods escaped the Titan King's stomach, Rhea managed to establish an unstable peace and sent Hera to be raised by Oceanus and Tethys as a sign of goodwill. Call It what may, but all knew Hera was a hostage in all but name. Yet, they both made the best out of the situation, especially when her mother started having so many younger siblings for them to spoil.
How many were they now? Last Calypso heard, it was somewhere around ten thousand. However, her mother had not visited her in a while, and the immortal maiden feared that she was slowly being forgotten by the people she cared for.
The Queen of Ogygia sighed sadly before surfacing back to the island, the water dripping down her sun-kissed skin to her bountiful curves and wide hips. Calypso sighed again as she realized she would have to work her loom for a new dress. Within a few minutes, she was back in her dwelling in the heart of the island, a marble structure with intricate mosaics and tapestries built near one of the many lakes in her domain.
Silently, she worked her loom with rolls of wool she gathered from the sheep of the island and other fabric that was delivered to her through her servants, courtesy of the God Queen. The routine action allowed Calypso's thoughts to wander over whom she had done her best not to think about.
Perseus Jackson… how the Fates were cruel to send her yet again a man she could not help but fall in love with. Just as it was with Odysseus and Drake, none stayed long on her Island, although she did hear a queer tale from Francis that Odysseus stayed ten years on her island. Mortals have such terrible memories; then again, none had asked her about her island or how it worked.
She smiled in bemusement, time flowed in strange ways on her island. It was outside the domain of Kronos, her father's king, and in her long years of studying magic, Calypso could only discover that the Fates had something to do with it. She recognized the primeval power of Time at work and even suspected the hand of Chronos, the personification of Time itself, at play here. Why the Fates would collude with such higher powers just to imprison her here had always mystified her. The Olympians might have confined her to her birth island, but it was the Fates who turned it into a prison, for what reason she had yet to learn.
It did not stop her from formulating plans upon plans of escape while making sure her island remained intact. Runes and large spell matrices had been carved into the island and even the depth of the sea in her spare time, waiting for her to attempt a certain grand ritual she had developed over the millennia. Unfortunately, even if she succeeded and released the confinement spell placed on Ogygia, if outside forces still wished to imprison her, there was nothing she could do. Even at her full strength, she was nothing to the lowliest Olympian, let alone the Fates.
Calypso shook her head inwardly – it was no use fantasizing over what could be or, worse, drowning in the pit of despair as she worried about the consequences of freedom. Time was always on her side, and hopefully, an opportunity could present itself in the future.
Thinking back, Odysseus only stayed for a month, while Francis only lingered for a week. Percy barely remained for three days, and if the current trajectory continued, her next visitor might not even choose to stay at all.
Yet, her thoughts returned to Percy and how his quest had gone. He was the youngest of her visitors, and unlike them, his reason for leaving was far more duteous. A quest to save his people and aid his friends sounded much more impressive than two older men, tired of their adventures, who would spurn the chance to be her consort for some mortal woman.
A loud crack broke her musings, causing Calypso to blink. She had unconsciously gripped her warp threads too harshly and lost control of the colossal strength inherited from her father. Sighing, the Queen of Ogygia replaced the damaged parts before continuing her work.
Her latest visitor, however, gave her an entirely different feeling than the others. Perseus was truly reluctant to leave her and vowed to always remember, even declaring that he would visit her again one way or another. Just remembering that caused a bright smile to bloom on her face, and if she wasn't already in love with the hero, she would have fallen for him twice over.
Percy was young, too young to have a wife. Calypso knew that mortal customs had changed during her imprisonment, and she wasn't sure if men still waited until the age of thirty to marry. Nevertheless, as far as she knew, Percy had no woman to return to and no kingdom of his own. Just his mother and his friends from camp, which made things simpler, for he could become her king consort in Ogygia, and she would gladly welcome his friends and family to live alongside them!
Calypso did not know when he would visit her, and maybe even free her, but she had waited thousands of years and could wait a few more. The issue was the how. She, more than anyone, knew the intricacies of the protections surrounding her island. It was not difficult to enter or leave, as her divine guests had proven, but for her to leave would be a major challenge if she desired to keep her divinity. That was if she could break the shackles of fate keeping her in the first place.
The mere thought of Percy sailing in to swoop her off her feet made her feel giddy before she sighed in sadness. Her prison was absolute, her divinity was bound to her island, and even if the Fates allowed someone to release her, she would be a mortal. A powerful mortal in both strength and magic, but a mortal nonetheless, and she refused to relinquish her powers or her precious island. It might have been her prison, but it was also her home, where she was born and spent the majority of her life.
Calypso believed in Percy and that he would keep his promise to the best of his ability, yet she simply could not find a way for him to free her without major support from Olympus.
The flying shuttle stopped as she finished her new garment. The fair maiden had decided on a simple blue sleeveless dress that flowed down to her knees, with hip cuts, an open back, a low neckline that allowed her cleavage to breathe easily, and a diamond cut over her navel. She liked feeling the warm wind and the sun on her skin but had not meant to color it blue. Apparently, having Percy on her mind had affected her more than she thought.
Dressing in her new attire, Calypso packed away the dye and other tools before leaving her marble dwelling and gazed at the late afternoon sun. The three hills of the island each housed a place for herself; one was the marble house she just left, another was the cave where she housed Percy, and the last was a simple hunting cabin for when she wanted to scratch her hunting itch.
Sadly, being stuck on this island for millennia, with easy access to food and drink, had made her lazy and she had not touched a bow in a long time. Looking over her body, she noticed her flat stomach and thin arms, and the former warrior grimaced at her state; while Calypso knew she was beautiful and shall forever remain so, she had neglected training the mortal aspect of her body. Her previously toned stomach and corded arms and back were gone, replaced by the gorgeous yet frailer appearance she now sported.
She looked like a damsel instead of the Titaness that she was!
The Queen of Ogygia sighed and walked back towards the shore, where a round table was set by her servants with two comfortable chairs. It had been a long time since she received an immortal guest, and she did not count Hephaestus for he visited Percy, not herself. Every evening Calypso would have dinner here as she stared at the setting sun, her gaze following it to the sea, hoping, praying, that she would get another visitor, no matter how bittersweet it would end.
It was also then that she envied the gods, who could visit whenever they wanted. Granted, they must gain permission from the Fates, but they were usually accommodating. None of them, however, dared to even court her, let alone save her. None would dare go against the Fates and their whims, lest they risk their ire. If there was one thing she learned about her stay here, it was understanding how precious mortality was.
Her servants placed a sumptuous meal of buttered bread, cheese, roasted venison, a salad bowl, and a glass of fruit wine harvested from the many exotic trees on her Island. While Calypso enjoyed gardening and taking care of her flowers, it would have been beyond tedious if she had to do all the harvesting and cooking. While she enjoyed the womanly arts, in the hope for a future when she would find her love and bore him as many children as her mother, the Queen of Ogygia greatly appreciated the excellent work done by her subjects.
She smiled warmly at her servants, who went euphoric at her kindness and shook in excitement. The poor things were heavily persecuted due to being children of Nyx who had abandoned them for not being dark enough, and loving the sunlight. Ugh, that woman might be scarily powerful, but she had always been madder than a Maenad who had abstained from drinking for more than an hour.
Some people called them demons or fiends, and while they were Chthonic spirits, they were anything but. Those people never understood her servants, believing that they turn invisible due to mischief rather than shyness. Once they moved here, however, Calypso had insisted they settle on a name for themselves, and after much coaxing and patience, they obliged. Solarians; It was fitting for the immortal children of Nyx who abhor the darkness and adore the light, and even more ironic considering their sister Hemera was the one to watch over them before she retreated from the world.
Regardless, the Solarians had the ability to turn invisible along with other powers in the school of illusions, and Hera was kind enough to give them a home here when they were being hunted in ancient times. Yet, even after thousands of years, they were still jumpy around strangers and remained invisible to all but her. She would not forgive the god of forges when he so crudely shouted at them over a simple mistake. None of them, not even her, had ever used that strange container with the black liquid. Bepsi, she thought it was called?
Even if he was Hera's boy, that did not excuse such horrid table manners.
Either way, they were surprisingly cordial with Percy, which again made her morose. The immortal maiden sighed as she looked at the horizon, her meal finished and her servants cleaning the table. She would not lose hope, she had to believe in her hero… and yet–
Calypso jerked her head to the sandy beach as she felt a rip in the surrounding space, before she narrowed her eyes at her unannounced guests. Two people walked out of the magical portal, the first one was a beautiful woman clad in a dark dress with two lit torches held by a belt on her hip yet did not burn her. She had skin as pale as chalk, green eyes the color of the flames coming from her torches and hair darker than the night. The other person was a tall man with dark hair wrapped in a ponytail and a scarred face. The first visitor was easy to identify, as she had spent a lot of time practicing magic with, and against, her in their youth. The man, however, she had not seen in a long time.
"Hecate. Uncle. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
.
.
.
"It is so good to see you again, Calypso. How long has it been?" Prometheus gave her that annoying self-satisfied smile of his, like he knew something she won't learn until it's too late. She supposed it came with the territory of being the Titan of forethought.
"Not long enough, it would seem. Last I heard you were tied to a rock and getting your liver pecked by a flock of vultures" Calypso added a dollop of honey to her tea, the leaves she grew herself with the help of her servants. She would thank dear Hera for her gift, the queen of the gods had been a loyal friend since their misadventures in Oceanus' court.
"Oh, that was a long time ago. Thankfully, a demigod released me from captivity." The daughter of Tethys smirked inwardly as the Titan grimaced at the memory of his imprisonment. "I'm sure you heard of him, Heracles?"
"Doesn't ring a bell. Was it really that long ago? I'm afraid time runs differently on my island." She took a sip of her sweet tea, and thought about that name. She might have heard of Heracles, but he must have come after her time. Hera's gift… must be some minor demigod if Hera never mentioned him. Speaking of, it had been a while since she visited.
"Oh my dear Calypso, your uncle has been free for over three thousand years." Hecate took a generous quaff from her nectar as she stared bemusedly at the Titan.
"Has he?" The Queen of Ogygia honestly couldn't care less, she had lost track of time since her imprisonment, it could have been a hundred years or a hundred thousand. Her only method of measuring time was when the gods visited or the Fates sent her a mortal guest. Her uncle never visited her before, so why should she care? "I guess your neutrality in the war helped in granting you amnesty from the king of the gods. What was it that you were imprisoned for again?"
"Ah, well, as you know my dear, the Crooked One was not pleased when I fashioned humans out of clay but–"
"Bullshit." Calypso declared with a frown. She did not exactly understand the term, but she had heard Percy mention it once. The thought of her hero immediately caused her to feel melancholic.
"I beg your pardon?" The Titan's jaw dropped, flabbergasted, while Hecate guffawed as she spilled some of her drink on her dress.
"I might have been trapped here for who knows how long, but my memory has yet to fail me. Humans have existed since the time of Ouranos, or have you forgotten about our eastern neighbors?" She looked strangely at the laughing goddess and the disturbed Titan. "I did hear that the passage of civilizations has altered some of the gods' personalities. Surely, that would not affect you now, would it?"
"… I assure you that I am in my full mental capacities." Prometheus sounded annoyed, and Calypso decided she had enough fun poking his ego. "I, of course, did not forget about our Phoenician and Mesopotamian neighbors, nor even our more southern neighbors with their precious river. While they did have their humans, I was the one who fashioned the first Greek." The tall titan spread his arms as his smug smile returned.
"But not the first hero." Hecate piped up on the side, looking entirely too amused at the Titan. "Wasn't Cadmus a clear-sighted mortal from Phoenicia? A prince of Tyre, to be more exact, yet nearly all demigod lineages are traced from him. You wouldn't know who I'm talking about, dear. This was a little after your time." The goddess of crossroads gave her a sardonic grin that really tested Calypso's patience.
"The god-king, however, did not care about that, for he benefited greatly from humans." Her uncle continued as if he didn't hear Hecate. "He was more wroth when I taught them the secrets of Greek Fire. Something that could harm even a god." Unsaid was how Prometheus was released for a much worse crime than hers, which greatly irked her.
"Thankfully, the demigods monopolized the Fire; otherwise, our neighboring pantheons would have similarly taught their subjects their fancy magicks that would have rendered the earth into an eternal battleground." Hecate glared at the Titan of Forethought, and Calypso enjoyed seeing him grimace at his lack of foresight on the matter before he entered into a debate with his fellow Titaness.
The daughter of Atlas had a strange relationship with the goddess of magic. They both respected each other's prowess in the mystical arts, yet Calypso would never call her a friend. Primarily due to her nasty personality, but also because Hecate's powers had grown by leaps and bounds compared to Calypso. She blamed her confinement in Ogygia which severely restricted her talent, as well as the fact her divinity was bound to the island, while the goddess of magic had time aplenty to increase her power.
However, power did not translate to skill, and one must not forget that while Ogygia was her prison, Calypso was its absolute ruler. None but the Fates could question her authority here, not even Zeus.
"This has been a pleasant conversation so far, but to what do I owe the honor of having such esteemed guests?"
Prometheus looked peeved at the interruption, and that she did not care about his feats or history, yet he simply shrugged as he adopted that same smug smile. "Well, now that we are done with the pleasantries, I suppose I can get to the point. I have foreseen very interesting times ahead of you, my dear niece."
Calypso's eye twitched at the familiarity. Prometheus had never acted as an uncle to her, and had never seen her or the other daughters of Atlas as nothing more than a curiosity. "Have you now? Yet, I recall you are the Titan of forethought, not foresight."
"True, I have not the talent to divine the future, unlike the Fates or that whelp of a sun god who relies all too heavily on the primordial powers of Destiny." They all knew who he was talking about, and a shiver went down her spine considering her plan. "My method is a lot more nuanced and crafty. So far, it has proven to be more accurate than not. After all, I did manage to convince your mother not to side with the Titan King in the previous war. I'm sure she had a hand in convincing your stepfather, Oceanus, to be neutral as well."
The titan of crafty counsel looked at her expectantly, yet she maintained a bored expression. No doubt he wanted her to ask him how his divining ability worked, yet Calypso did not feel like entertaining him. She was bored, true, but not to the degree to fall for the simplest tricks like some lackwit!
"And you, Hecate? Have you come to gloat over one of your children supposedly having more talent than I? Who was the last one again, Sorsei?" With a raised eyebrow, the immortal sorceress turned to the goddess of magic, ignoring her uncle's morose look at being ignored. He would get over it, she was sure.
"It's Circe, and you should know about her. She gained immortality and even hosted Odysseus once." Hecate retorted smugly, and Calypso was starting to get annoyed at the pair of smug pricks in front of her.
"Ah yes, her. My latest guest had told me how he endured her hospitality before repaying her in kind. Have you not taught your daughter the risks of breaking the rites of hospitality? Acting like such a savage." Calypso tutted, enjoying the dark look appearing on Hecate's face. "Not to mention being such a man-hater because she was spurned once? She's losing a lot by keeping to maidens alone." Calypso licked her lips as she leered at her rival. "I understand the appeal, of course."
Truth be told, she wasn't as much of a deviant as she made herself to be. A few dalliances when she was young and adventurous did not necessarily mean that she would forsake the company of men over women. That no man dared court the daughter of Atlas in fear of her father was a shame, for she had never truly known a man's touch. Still, that only made her desire love more than anything.
Not to mention, the look on Hecate's face was so precious. A combination of distaste and acknowledgment of Circe's habits. That this conversation caused her uncle to shift awkwardly in his seat was a bonus.
"Ah, your latest failure, Perseus Jackson. How pitiful to not be able to seduce a fifteen-year-old boy. You insult my daughter, yet you have failed to produce any results over countless eons."
Both women glared daggers at each other before nodding in understanding. Insults were exchanged, and there was no need to take it to extremes.
"Regardless, I am interested in why the goddess of magic deigned to visit little old me." While she appreciated any visitors, some were poorer company than others.
Hecate drained the last of her Nectar before looking at her strangely. "I am also the goddess of crossroads, and while my divining powers are lackluster in comparison to others," she gave a conspicuous glance at the silent Titan whose smug smile returned with a vengeance. "That still gives me a strong intuition when someone is about to make an important decision that could affect our world."
Calypso narrowed her eyes at her former rival. "What manner of choice could I possibly make that would be so world-changing?"
"I have no idea." The goddess of crossroads shrugged. "I do know that it might affect me as well, which is why I'm here to observe you. The fact that this guy, of all people, chose to visit at the same time certainly piqued my interest."
Both women turned to the Titan questioningly. Prometheus maintained his smile long enough for Hecate's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance before he spoke. "I see no reason to divulge what I predicted since neither of you seem that interested in how I did it."
Calypso gawked at the sheer pettiness of her uncle and clenched her jaw. "Well, if you have nothing to say, then you might as well leave."
The word was almost hissed, and the power of it compelled the Titan to immediately stand with visible sweat on his brows. Hecate remained in her seat, yet her face looked a little strained. Calypso stared at the scarred face of her uncle, waiting for him to either leave by himself or she would forcefully banish him.
"You are no fun, oh niece of mine." Prometheus finally sighed before withdrawing an ivory box from behind his back. The Queen of Ogygia rolled her eyes at the sleight of hand – summoning things from a personal space was the most basic of spells that was taught to practitioners of magic.
The Titan of forethought placed the box on the table before giving them a slight bow. "This was something I received from your dearest friend, and she requested that I gift it to you. Unlike you two, she greatly appreciated my insight over the past few weeks."
Upon understanding whom her uncle was speaking of, Calypso hastily grabbed the box and opened it, revealing a golden apple with a long swirling stem. An apple of immortality from her sisters' gardens, though she wondered what she would ever need of it.
"Do what you will with it, although I am sure you could do much more with it than simply eating it." A rip through space formed on the beach, and Prometheus stepped through it, glancing at her one last time, and for once, his face softened to something akin to kindness. "Do not be afraid of the consequences, Calypso. Make your decision and live with it, or you may languish in eternal regret." The rip closed with that ominous warning, and the Titan was gone.
"Well, that was dramatic." Hecate also stood and, for once, gave her a genuine smile. "Whatever that decision of yours, I wish you the best. Who knows? You might be free soon and join us witches in our congregations."
"Even if I do, I would probably usurp your position as queen of magic." Calypso grinned toothily at her rival, causing her to giggle.
"You can try. I welcome all challenges. Alas, I can feel the Fates frowning at me, and I believe I have overstayed my welcome." Another rip in space appeared, and Hecate stepped backward into it. "Adieu, Calypso. May we meet again in better circumstances."
The rip closed, and Calypso was alone again. She sighed deeply and took the box containing the apple from Hera's garden. Not just any apple, but a fruitful one. Her dear friend spoils her too much.
The sun had long set, and the sky was lit by the bright moon and the plethora of stars. Calypso noticed the new constellation that Percy pointed out was her sister, placed there by Selene's successor. The loss of a sibling felt heavy, even one she never knew. Would her father also strike Calypso down should she stand in his way?
Shaking her head, she bid farewell to her servants as they cleaned the table and walked to a certain clearing on her island. It was empty with no trees or bushes for some distance, more of a meadow and close to a natural spring emptying into a lake, yet over the most fertile ground of her island. On one side was a cliff that overlooked the expanse of the sea that surrounded her island, while on the other was a forest of oak, cedar, and other trees that would normally never grow close in the wild.
She had planned to plant a new grove of orchards here, but had not yet gotten around to it. For once, procrastinating gave dividends, as Calypso grabbed a shovel from a helpful servant and dug a hole deep enough. The golden apple was planted, and she nodded warmly at the Solarian who had just brought over her harp.
Her fingers flowed over the strings, and the tune echoed in the night.
The way her magic worked differed depending on the situation. Healing and nurturing required her voice. Yet words were not as powerful as singing, or humming. Anything musical worked for what she desired, and unlike Charmspeak by that distasteful goddess, Calypso's magic worked on all things, not just sentient beings. Normally, she would sing a hymn for a few heartbeats so the roots would take hold.
Yet, now, Calypso found herself wanting more.
Infusing as much power and magic into her voice as her body could hold, the Queen of Ogygia plucked her harp and sang her heart out.
Underneath the moon's soft, enchanting glow,
I plant a fruit where mystic currents flow.
With whispered verses, secrets I bestow,
Igniting life as Hera's bounty grows.
The moon shone brighter as she invoked its presence. Calypso hoped Selene was still out there, looking down at her with an assured smile. If not, then perhaps that new goddess of the moon was in a good mood, as she could feel the power flowing through her and into the earth, causing the apple to melt into the dug pit and turn into roots. Invoking her dear friend's name caused the roots to grow further, controlled by her will as she directed it on where to go for a source of water and nutrients. Calypso smiled despite the heavy weariness that crept through her flesh and stubbornly continued plucking her harp into a rising crescendo.
In rhythmic cadence, a spell takes flight,
A melody that weaves through leaves and night.
Each note, a charm, a dance of pure delight,
As life stirs in the soil, beyond our sight.
The roots found the spring and drank greedily from it, causing relief for Calypso. No longer using her magic as the sole source of fuel, the roots stopped growing downwards and turned upwards. A sapling burst from the soil, and from it, silvery gray vines coiled around each other, forming the basis of a tree trunk.
Behold, dear sapling, rise both strong and tall,
A testament to magic's sweetest thrall.
May roots entwine with tales of ancient lore,
And branches reach where dreams forever soar.
Infusing more power into her voice, Calypso could feel her throat itch as she coaxed the sapling to turn into a tree and watched it grow tall and strong. Growing a divine tree like the Golden Apples of Immortality was tiring work, and she reckoned she could have raised a forest of mundane trees from nothing with the power she spent so far.
So grow, young one, beneath the moonlit sea,
A symphony of life, enchanted, free.
Calypso smiled in exhaustion as she beheld the fruits of her labor. The tree had grown from a mere sapling to a massive thing over a hundred feet tall, with dozens of branches and a trunk wide enough for five men to reach around it. It was dormant at the moment, with no fruits on its branches, but small leaves of bronze were already forming. The immortal sorceress knew that it was still a juvenile. Even with her magic, she could not force it into adulthood.
Despite its size, it was still far from reaching maturity, which would take time.
And time she had aplenty.
Standing up from the kneeling position she took, Calypso stretched lightly, careful not to rip her dress again before sending a murmur of gratitude to Hera. Grabbing her harp, she walked towards the cliff and sat on the ledge as she gazed down on the starry sky reflected through the azure waters.
Her uncle's words were still fresh in her mind, but she scoffed.
Calypso was well aware that she was nobody of importance, and her decisions were all meaningless. Were Prometheus and Hecate just mocking her?
While the Goddess of Magic was petty and loved to gloat, Prometheus never did anything without a reason. Calypso was tempted to use her magic to divine the past, to gleam into the titan's thoughts before his arrival. Yet the idea was discarded as soon as it appeared – using it on a divine being would drain her to death, even if her skills in divination were barely fledgling.
Calypso had never died before, and she was unsure if she would reform here on her island where her divinity was bound or if she would fade away and her island would be free. The thought of death brought her no relish…
Her mind drifted aimlessly as the night dwindled. The view was still magnificent despite seeing it countless times. Ogygia might be her prison, but it was also her home. Even if she could leave, Calypso did not doubt that she would oft return.
If only, if only she was not so alone.
A ray of sunlight heralded the dawn, breaking Calypso from her brooding – she had stayed out long enough for Eos to arrive. Or did her cousin lose her job to that troublemaker she heard so much about, Apollo? Regardless, Calypso's thoughts turned morose again as she watched the sun begin to rise. Ah, if only Perseus had stayed.
She knew the young hero was too duteous, too valiant to stay, but loneliness turned into longing.
For some reason, she felt like singing again. Even after the ordeal of growing that tree, she had recovered enough, and the immortal sorceress plucked her harp again.
In the quiet of Ogygia's shore,
Where waves kiss sands forevermore,
A harp resounds, its plaintive strain,
A tale of love, an endless chain.
Beneath the stars, she weaves her plea,
A song that lingers on the sea,
Each note a cry, a siren's call,
For the hero who'd break her thrall.
Through strings that echo, sorrows flow,
A melody of ebb and woe,
In twilight's hues, her voice takes flight,
A prayer wrapped in the fading light.
Lonely queen, her heart's refrain,
Sings for a king that might regain,
The echoes of a distant quest,
In harp's lament, her soul confess'd.
The sun rose as she finished her song, and Calypso felt a stray tear flow down her cheek. Yet another day had arrived, bound by the chains of solitude. Even her servants rarely speak, and she would not force them to converse with her when they preferred the solitude more than her. The Queen of Ogygia closed her eyes in dismay and left her cliff. A stroll tended to uplift her mood.
As she walked through the many paths she created along her island, Calypso enjoyed the songbirds heralding the new day with their melodic chirping, causing her spirits to rise. She idly plucked her harp as she walked and hummed along with the feathery singers. Soon, the immortal sorceress walked into a meadow where sheep and cattle grazed and a herd of horses frolicked by a stream. A nearby shed where her servants worked on grooming the horses, milking the cows, and shearing the sheep was occupied. Calypso waved merrily as she saw a pair of shears waving back, their user busy holding one of the massive sheep of the island in place. She had forgotten how large they grew.
On, the Queen of Ogygia went as she strolled past forests and meadows, orchards and fields, a watermill and a windmill, until finally, she reached the opposite end of the island, the sun shining brightly in the sky. Her harp was given to a servant to be placed in her cave, her chosen dwelling for the day. Standing on the white sands of the beach, Calypso gazed at the horizon, wondering if she should have breakfast or take a nap when a peculiar sight appeared.
The ever-present mist that blocked her from leaving her island had always been placid and calm, no matter the time of day. It never rained on Ogygia, nor was the island ever in need of water. The island was where Tethys gave birth to her firstborn and had thus been blessed by the goddess of fresh water to be an eternal fountain, with the cleanest water gushing from underground.
Calypso still had the power to invoke rain and storms through her magic. Yet, even in her darkest moods, where she lashed out with her might and magic in a vain attempt to break out from her prison, the mist never so much as budged.
Now, though, it looked different. It swirled in place as if it were agitated. For a whimsical moment, Calypso wondered if something was trying to break in, and she would need to defend herself. The thought brought a smile to her face, she had not gotten in a fight since her imprisonment, and clearing the rust off her skills sounded thrilling. Flexing her shoulders, the Queen of Ogygia prepared to defend her kingdom from any invad–
A ship broke through the mist, causing her eyes to widen and her jaw to drop. It was a strange design, although she was never knowledgeable on ships. The first thing she noticed about it was the figurehead. It was Amphitrite, her younger sister, who had also risen high to become queen of the seas. Calypso's eyes roamed over the movement on the deck, and her mind halted.
Blinking once, twice, thrice, the view before her eyes remained unchanged.
No…no, she could not believe it, she dared not believe it, even as her eyes dampened. Even the Fates could not be so cruel as to give her such an illusion.
But no, this was not the doing of the three cruel hags – she was too familiar with their power, and there was no trace of it here.
Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks, and her knees buckled in a moment of weakness.
"… Percy!" She choked out, and as if he could hear her from so far away, the man who promised to free her, the one whom she had never felt more sure of being in love with… nodded his head, his crooked grin threatening to split his face.
A joyous smile found its way to her lips, and her legs finally gave out on her, the exertion from the night taking its due. Calypso stared as the ship seemed to take forever to get to her, and Perseus clearly agreed. He turned behind him for a moment before jumping into the water. She forced her weary legs to stand up, and within seconds, her hero had surfaced on the beach, sprinting to her, and grabbed hold of her into a bone-breaking hug… for both of them, as she would not let go and gave as good as she received.
No words were exchanged. They did not even look at each other's faces but simply held themselves tightly; Percy's hands flowed through her hair and down her back while hers were firmly around his neck. Just one hug said everything they could ever need to say. Calypso buried her nose into his neck, taking in the scent of sea and storm, while Percy did the same to her hair. Idly, she noticed the ship stop a few hundred feet from the beach, and there were other people on board, but the Queen of Ogygia could not care less at the moment.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Calypso felt her legs tire again, so she leaned heavily on Percy's body, causing their faces to be inches from each other. "You came back."
"For you." Oh, she had missed his baritone voice, yet now it sounded even better. Calypso could feel the smoldering feelings and unbidden desire in his deep voice. "I promised to come back, and I stick to my word."
That was all she needed to hear as Calypso slammed her lips into his, kissing him for all he's worth. Time suddenly lost its meaning, and it was as if her limbs had a mind of their own as her legs coiled around his waist. Her hero's excitement could be felt through his clothes, and a moan escaped her lips when Perseus grabbed her butt, both to lift her and explore her flesh.
Nothing else mattered in the world besides that Percy was here.
He was here! And she was never letting him go.
A thud sounded on the ground near them, yet she didn't care. Percy tried to move towards it, but she grabbed his face and stuck it back to her lips. Calypso grinned through the kiss as her hero vigorously responded in turn.
There was the sound of someone gagging and some horse whining piteously, but she was too lost in her joy to care.
Just as they were lost in each other's embrace, they were hit by a splash of cool water. Neither of them cared, for the water ended up exciting them more, and suddenly, both of their hands were now slipping under their garments. Calypso snickered when she felt Percy pinching her behind before a loud explosion finally rocked them out of their senses.
The Queen of Ogygia turned towards the jarring sound with a snarl, only to freeze at the sight of two girls standing on the beach looking at them strangely, one of them holding an empty bucket. There was a Cyclops dragging a rowboat to the beach and a black Pegasus with a young girl on its back, but Calypso had eyes only for the redhead wielding the strange metal device, smoking and pointing towards the sky. The girl was pretty; she would readily admit it, but her twitching eyebrows and scowling face had Calypso raising an eyebrow challengingly.
"Now that I have your attention, could you please stop sucking your faces for another hour and wait until we're set in?"
Calypso glared daggers at the red-haired demigod. How dare she interrupt her reunion? The desire in the girl's gaze was clear for Atlas' daughter to see. A good taste in men, but there was no way Calypso would-–
Hang on.
The Queen of Ogygia gazed intently at the green-eyed girl and shushed Percy when he tried to speak. There was something strange about the redhead, something… familiar, as if she had known it long ago? Suddenly, it hit her, and her eyes widened in shock.
"No way! Hera? Since when did you become a mortal?"
The Titanomachy didn't begin when the gods escaped from Kronos' stomach. It's obviously fiction, and there's no way we could ever know the exact details, so I'm taking my own spin on the matter. Rhea did her best to keep the peace, but eventually, all hell broke loose.
Hera is mentioned to have gifted Calypso those invisible servants, who have no relation to the Lunarians from One Piece, and I always wondered…why? Then I realized that Calypso is Tethys' daughter, and considering Tethys and Oceanus' marriage was famous for how lovey-dovey they were, Calypso had to have been born before that marriage. We know Rhea had Hera foster with Tethys and Oceanus, and I can't see Atlas as real dad material, so he probably foisted his firstborn, Calypso, on her mother to raise. Oceanus was cool enough to raise her along with his own children, and thus, the relationship between Calypso and Hera. It would then make sense why Hera would make sure her foster sister had so much comforts. She even sent her Percy!
Suffice it to say, Calypso is one hell of a thirsty gal. I had to stop myself from having them fucking on the beach right in front of the crew, lol.
If you would like to read three chapters ahead, or just support me, feel free to join me on Patr(eo)n under the same pen name.
This chapter was edited by Gladiusx.
The island of Ogygia was a haven of isolation, a timeless realm suspended amidst the azure embrace of the Sea of Monsters. On this particular day, a young woman with caramel-colored hair worked in an expansive garden. She kneeled by an empty flower bed with a small shovel, a bag of seeds, and a clay pot. The beautiful maiden hummed musically as she worked on her garden, planting a new clump of thyme to replace the wilting lavender before raising her voice into a melody.
Thyme whispers secrets to the endless sea,
Time dances slowly but never captures me.
Petals unfold, a tale woven in rhyme,
In this ageless haven, lost in the endless time.
Calypso smiled as the herb quickly took hold in the fertile soil, petals flowering before her eyes, and the surrounding plants blooming more while birds of paradise chirped with her melody.
The minutes, the hours, like petals in the breeze,
I sing to the flowers, a timeless tease.
A dance with forever, on this tranquil shore,
Where ageless echoes linger, forevermore.
The immortal maiden sighed deeply; her smile turned wistful and then bittersweet. Shaking her head, Calypso stood and stretched, her hands folding over her head as she bent her body backward, causing her prodigious bust to strain her simple white chiton to its limits. Calypso moaned in pleasure once she felt her back pop. Subsequently, her dress ripped, and she was as bare as the day she was born.
"… Again?" The Queen of Ogygia sighed in exasperation as she stripped off the remains of her garment and wandered about her island.
Her body had been aging rapidly lately. Usually, her ageless features would give her a body fit to be on a sixteen-year-old's, but it had grown since she met Perseus. This was the third time it happened, coinciding with the number of would-be lovers she nearly had. Her body had also filled out to what she saw was the perfect nubile form. A form ready for childbearing and marriage life, something Calypso was beginning to think would be forever outside her grasp.
Still, this was the fourth time the immortal maiden had fashioned herself a dress in the past… she wasn't sure.
Was it a week? Or a year? It didn't matter, for today had started well for the daughter of Atlas. She woke up in a good mood, the sun rising with its customary golden brilliance, casting a warm glow across the pristine shores and igniting the crystal-clear waters that surrounded the island. The same sun shone every day in her eternal solitude, but it felt brighter today.
Calypso began her day by checking on her precious flowers and gardens. The flora of Ogygia presented a kaleidoscope of colors, a testament to her home's mystical nature. Tall palm trees with fronds that rustled in the gentle sea breeze stood sentinel along the sandy beaches. Their trunks, as old as time, were adorned with intricate patterns that told tales of ages past. Further inland, an expanse of cedar flourished, with a menagerie of animals to call it home. Flowering vines adorned the trees, their blossoms releasing a fragrance that enveloped the air, carrying hints of sweetness and melancholy. Calypso had grown accustomed to the vibrant hues, finding solace in their perpetual beauty.
As the Queen of Ogygia strolled through the verdant landscape, the breathtaking diversity of plant life in her home never ceased to amaze her, despite the endless time she had lived on her island. Exotic flowers with petals that seemed to shimmer in every conceivable color dotted the meadows. Their aroma was an ever-present companion, and the immortal maiden occasionally paused to inhale deeply, the fragrance filling her senses with tranquility, somehow lessening the weight of her eternal solitude.
The fauna mirrored the enchanting beauty of the flora. Playful deer, rowdy horses and lazy cattle frolicked in the meadows and woods of the island, with lions and other predators calling the caves and hills their homes. Then, there were the collection of magical beasts from her time and when the pantheons were still being created. Exotic birds with plumage in myriad colors flitted among the trees, their melodic chirps forming a pleasant symphony that echoed through the island. Calypso often found herself losing track of time as she listened to their ethereal sounds, their tunes becoming the story to her timeless existence and an inspiration to the countless poems and songs she played.
As she strolled through her domain, Calypso arrived at the beaches of Ogygia, which were a picturesque expanse of white sand that sparkled like crushed pearls. The gentle lapping of the waves against the shore was a rhythmic lullaby, a constant reminder of the island's isolation from the troubles of the outside world. She walked along the water's edge, her bare feet leaving imprints in the sand that would be erased by the tide. Occasionally, a curious creature with scales that shimmered like precious gems would emerge from the depths of the surrounding water, briefly gracing the shores before disappearing into the azure depths.
She hummed a catchy tone as she enjoyed the feeling of the sands on her bare feet and removed the ribbon holding her long braid, allowing her hair to flow freely. The Titaness walked deeper into the waves and dipped into the azure waters.
One of the greatest benefits of her solitude was going naked any time of the day without worrying about modesty. It was not like Calypso cared about such matters anyway, her previous would-be lover being a prude. Francis Drake might have been a cruel rogue, but when confronted with her beauty, he turned into a stuttering mess and insisted on leaving her island even more than Odysseus. No matter, both of them were in Hades while she still existed, eternally…in solitude.
Calypso shook her head and gazed into the depths of the sea. The water around Ogygia was always as clear as the finest crystal, with abundant fish and other marine life, not to mention the not-so-mundane creatures that have found their way to her home. Calypso opened her mouth and took a deep gulp, enjoying the clean taste of the crystalline liquid as well as the exquisite sensation of breathing underwater. Having the goddess of water as a mother had given her certain abilities not so dissimilar to her latest guest. Thinking of her mother had her smile whimsically to the time she was raised alongside her younger sisters… oh, and Hera, of course. Must not forget about feisty little Hera, who was such a tomboy but ended up rising higher than any of them.
As the eldest daughter of Tethys, born before she married Oceanus, Calypso wanted to imagine she was her mother's favorite. Oceanus was kind enough to accept her in his halls, yet she always favored Atlas, who loved her greatly, as she was also his firstborn. When the gods escaped the Titan King's stomach, Rhea managed to establish an unstable peace and sent Hera to be raised by Oceanus and Tethys as a sign of goodwill. Call It what may, but all knew Hera was a hostage in all but name. Yet, they both made the best out of the situation, especially when her mother started having so many younger siblings for them to spoil.
How many were they now? Last Calypso heard, it was somewhere around ten thousand. However, her mother had not visited her in a while, and the immortal maiden feared that she was slowly being forgotten by the people she cared for.
The Queen of Ogygia sighed sadly before surfacing back to the island, the water dripping down her sun-kissed skin to her bountiful curves and wide hips. Calypso sighed again as she realized she would have to work her loom for a new dress. Within a few minutes, she was back in her dwelling in the heart of the island, a marble structure with intricate mosaics and tapestries built near one of the many lakes in her domain.
Silently, she worked her loom with rolls of wool she gathered from the sheep of the island and other fabric that was delivered to her through her servants, courtesy of the God Queen. The routine action allowed Calypso's thoughts to wander over whom she had done her best not to think about.
Perseus Jackson… how the Fates were cruel to send her yet again a man she could not help but fall in love with. Just as it was with Odysseus and Drake, none stayed long on her Island, although she did hear a queer tale from Francis that Odysseus stayed ten years on her island. Mortals have such terrible memories; then again, none had asked her about her island or how it worked.
She smiled in bemusement, time flowed in strange ways on her island. It was outside the domain of Kronos, her father's king, and in her long years of studying magic, Calypso could only discover that the Fates had something to do with it. She recognized the primeval power of Time at work and even suspected the hand of Chronos, the personification of Time itself, at play here. Why the Fates would collude with such higher powers just to imprison her here had always mystified her. The Olympians might have confined her to her birth island, but it was the Fates who turned it into a prison, for what reason she had yet to learn.
It did not stop her from formulating plans upon plans of escape while making sure her island remained intact. Runes and large spell matrices had been carved into the island and even the depth of the sea in her spare time, waiting for her to attempt a certain grand ritual she had developed over the millennia. Unfortunately, even if she succeeded and released the confinement spell placed on Ogygia, if outside forces still wished to imprison her, there was nothing she could do. Even at her full strength, she was nothing to the lowliest Olympian, let alone the Fates.
Calypso shook her head inwardly – it was no use fantasizing over what could be or, worse, drowning in the pit of despair as she worried about the consequences of freedom. Time was always on her side, and hopefully, an opportunity could present itself in the future.
Thinking back, Odysseus only stayed for a month, while Francis only lingered for a week. Percy barely remained for three days, and if the current trajectory continued, her next visitor might not even choose to stay at all.
Yet, her thoughts returned to Percy and how his quest had gone. He was the youngest of her visitors, and unlike them, his reason for leaving was far more duteous. A quest to save his people and aid his friends sounded much more impressive than two older men, tired of their adventures, who would spurn the chance to be her consort for some mortal woman.
A loud crack broke her musings, causing Calypso to blink. She had unconsciously gripped her warp threads too harshly and lost control of the colossal strength inherited from her father. Sighing, the Queen of Ogygia replaced the damaged parts before continuing her work.
Her latest visitor, however, gave her an entirely different feeling than the others. Perseus was truly reluctant to leave her and vowed to always remember, even declaring that he would visit her again one way or another. Just remembering that caused a bright smile to bloom on her face, and if she wasn't already in love with the hero, she would have fallen for him twice over.
Percy was young, too young to have a wife. Calypso knew that mortal customs had changed during her imprisonment, and she wasn't sure if men still waited until the age of thirty to marry. Nevertheless, as far as she knew, Percy had no woman to return to and no kingdom of his own. Just his mother and his friends from camp, which made things simpler, for he could become her king consort in Ogygia, and she would gladly welcome his friends and family to live alongside them!
Calypso did not know when he would visit her, and maybe even free her, but she had waited thousands of years and could wait a few more. The issue was the how. She, more than anyone, knew the intricacies of the protections surrounding her island. It was not difficult to enter or leave, as her divine guests had proven, but for her to leave would be a major challenge if she desired to keep her divinity. That was if she could break the shackles of fate keeping her in the first place.
The mere thought of Percy sailing in to swoop her off her feet made her feel giddy before she sighed in sadness. Her prison was absolute, her divinity was bound to her island, and even if the Fates allowed someone to release her, she would be a mortal. A powerful mortal in both strength and magic, but a mortal nonetheless, and she refused to relinquish her powers or her precious island. It might have been her prison, but it was also her home, where she was born and spent the majority of her life.
Calypso believed in Percy and that he would keep his promise to the best of his ability, yet she simply could not find a way for him to free her without major support from Olympus.
The flying shuttle stopped as she finished her new garment. The fair maiden had decided on a simple blue sleeveless dress that flowed down to her knees, with hip cuts, an open back, a low neckline that allowed her cleavage to breathe easily, and a diamond cut over her navel. She liked feeling the warm wind and the sun on her skin but had not meant to color it blue. Apparently, having Percy on her mind had affected her more than she thought.
Dressing in her new attire, Calypso packed away the dye and other tools before leaving her marble dwelling and gazed at the late afternoon sun. The three hills of the island each housed a place for herself; one was the marble house she just left, another was the cave where she housed Percy, and the last was a simple hunting cabin for when she wanted to scratch her hunting itch.
Sadly, being stuck on this island for millennia, with easy access to food and drink, had made her lazy and she had not touched a bow in a long time. Looking over her body, she noticed her flat stomach and thin arms, and the former warrior grimaced at her state; while Calypso knew she was beautiful and shall forever remain so, she had neglected training the mortal aspect of her body. Her previously toned stomach and corded arms and back were gone, replaced by the gorgeous yet frailer appearance she now sported.
She looked like a damsel instead of the Titaness that she was!
The Queen of Ogygia sighed and walked back towards the shore, where a round table was set by her servants with two comfortable chairs. It had been a long time since she received an immortal guest, and she did not count Hephaestus for he visited Percy, not herself. Every evening Calypso would have dinner here as she stared at the setting sun, her gaze following it to the sea, hoping, praying, that she would get another visitor, no matter how bittersweet it would end.
It was also then that she envied the gods, who could visit whenever they wanted. Granted, they must gain permission from the Fates, but they were usually accommodating. None of them, however, dared to even court her, let alone save her. None would dare go against the Fates and their whims, lest they risk their ire. If there was one thing she learned about her stay here, it was understanding how precious mortality was.
Her servants placed a sumptuous meal of buttered bread, cheese, roasted venison, a salad bowl, and a glass of fruit wine harvested from the many exotic trees on her Island. While Calypso enjoyed gardening and taking care of her flowers, it would have been beyond tedious if she had to do all the harvesting and cooking. While she enjoyed the womanly arts, in the hope for a future when she would find her love and bore him as many children as her mother, the Queen of Ogygia greatly appreciated the excellent work done by her subjects.
She smiled warmly at her servants, who went euphoric at her kindness and shook in excitement. The poor things were heavily persecuted due to being children of Nyx who had abandoned them for not being dark enough, and loving the sunlight. Ugh, that woman might be scarily powerful, but she had always been madder than a Maenad who had abstained from drinking for more than an hour.
Some people called them demons or fiends, and while they were Chthonic spirits, they were anything but. Those people never understood her servants, believing that they turn invisible due to mischief rather than shyness. Once they moved here, however, Calypso had insisted they settle on a name for themselves, and after much coaxing and patience, they obliged. Solarians; It was fitting for the immortal children of Nyx who abhor the darkness and adore the light, and even more ironic considering their sister Hemera was the one to watch over them before she retreated from the world.
Regardless, the Solarians had the ability to turn invisible along with other powers in the school of illusions, and Hera was kind enough to give them a home here when they were being hunted in ancient times. Yet, even after thousands of years, they were still jumpy around strangers and remained invisible to all but her. She would not forgive the god of forges when he so crudely shouted at them over a simple mistake. None of them, not even her, had ever used that strange container with the black liquid. Bepsi, she thought it was called?
Even if he was Hera's boy, that did not excuse such horrid table manners.
Either way, they were surprisingly cordial with Percy, which again made her morose. The immortal maiden sighed as she looked at the horizon, her meal finished and her servants cleaning the table. She would not lose hope, she had to believe in her hero… and yet–
Calypso jerked her head to the sandy beach as she felt a rip in the surrounding space, before she narrowed her eyes at her unannounced guests. Two people walked out of the magical portal, the first one was a beautiful woman clad in a dark dress with two lit torches held by a belt on her hip yet did not burn her. She had skin as pale as chalk, green eyes the color of the flames coming from her torches and hair darker than the night. The other person was a tall man with dark hair wrapped in a ponytail and a scarred face. The first visitor was easy to identify, as she had spent a lot of time practicing magic with, and against, her in their youth. The man, however, she had not seen in a long time.
"Hecate. Uncle. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
.
.
.
"It is so good to see you again, Calypso. How long has it been?" Prometheus gave her that annoying self-satisfied smile of his, like he knew something she won't learn until it's too late. She supposed it came with the territory of being the Titan of forethought.
"Not long enough, it would seem. Last I heard you were tied to a rock and getting your liver pecked by a flock of vultures" Calypso added a dollop of honey to her tea, the leaves she grew herself with the help of her servants. She would thank dear Hera for her gift, the queen of the gods had been a loyal friend since their misadventures in Oceanus' court.
"Oh, that was a long time ago. Thankfully, a demigod released me from captivity." The daughter of Tethys smirked inwardly as the Titan grimaced at the memory of his imprisonment. "I'm sure you heard of him, Heracles?"
"Doesn't ring a bell. Was it really that long ago? I'm afraid time runs differently on my island." She took a sip of her sweet tea, and thought about that name. She might have heard of Heracles, but he must have come after her time. Hera's gift… must be some minor demigod if Hera never mentioned him. Speaking of, it had been a while since she visited.
"Oh my dear Calypso, your uncle has been free for over three thousand years." Hecate took a generous quaff from her nectar as she stared bemusedly at the Titan.
"Has he?" The Queen of Ogygia honestly couldn't care less, she had lost track of time since her imprisonment, it could have been a hundred years or a hundred thousand. Her only method of measuring time was when the gods visited or the Fates sent her a mortal guest. Her uncle never visited her before, so why should she care? "I guess your neutrality in the war helped in granting you amnesty from the king of the gods. What was it that you were imprisoned for again?"
"Ah, well, as you know my dear, the Crooked One was not pleased when I fashioned humans out of clay but–"
"Bullshit." Calypso declared with a frown. She did not exactly understand the term, but she had heard Percy mention it once. The thought of her hero immediately caused her to feel melancholic.
"I beg your pardon?" The Titan's jaw dropped, flabbergasted, while Hecate guffawed as she spilled some of her drink on her dress.
"I might have been trapped here for who knows how long, but my memory has yet to fail me. Humans have existed since the time of Ouranos, or have you forgotten about our eastern neighbors?" She looked strangely at the laughing goddess and the disturbed Titan. "I did hear that the passage of civilizations has altered some of the gods' personalities. Surely, that would not affect you now, would it?"
"… I assure you that I am in my full mental capacities." Prometheus sounded annoyed, and Calypso decided she had enough fun poking his ego. "I, of course, did not forget about our Phoenician and Mesopotamian neighbors, nor even our more southern neighbors with their precious river. While they did have their humans, I was the one who fashioned the first Greek." The tall titan spread his arms as his smug smile returned.
"But not the first hero." Hecate piped up on the side, looking entirely too amused at the Titan. "Wasn't Cadmus a clear-sighted mortal from Phoenicia? A prince of Tyre, to be more exact, yet nearly all demigod lineages are traced from him. You wouldn't know who I'm talking about, dear. This was a little after your time." The goddess of crossroads gave her a sardonic grin that really tested Calypso's patience.
"The god-king, however, did not care about that, for he benefited greatly from humans." Her uncle continued as if he didn't hear Hecate. "He was more wroth when I taught them the secrets of Greek Fire. Something that could harm even a god." Unsaid was how Prometheus was released for a much worse crime than hers, which greatly irked her.
"Thankfully, the demigods monopolized the Fire; otherwise, our neighboring pantheons would have similarly taught their subjects their fancy magicks that would have rendered the earth into an eternal battleground." Hecate glared at the Titan of Forethought, and Calypso enjoyed seeing him grimace at his lack of foresight on the matter before he entered into a debate with his fellow Titaness.
The daughter of Atlas had a strange relationship with the goddess of magic. They both respected each other's prowess in the mystical arts, yet Calypso would never call her a friend. Primarily due to her nasty personality, but also because Hecate's powers had grown by leaps and bounds compared to Calypso. She blamed her confinement in Ogygia which severely restricted her talent, as well as the fact her divinity was bound to the island, while the goddess of magic had time aplenty to increase her power.
However, power did not translate to skill, and one must not forget that while Ogygia was her prison, Calypso was its absolute ruler. None but the Fates could question her authority here, not even Zeus.
"This has been a pleasant conversation so far, but to what do I owe the honor of having such esteemed guests?"
Prometheus looked peeved at the interruption, and that she did not care about his feats or history, yet he simply shrugged as he adopted that same smug smile. "Well, now that we are done with the pleasantries, I suppose I can get to the point. I have foreseen very interesting times ahead of you, my dear niece."
Calypso's eye twitched at the familiarity. Prometheus had never acted as an uncle to her, and had never seen her or the other daughters of Atlas as nothing more than a curiosity. "Have you now? Yet, I recall you are the Titan of forethought, not foresight."
"True, I have not the talent to divine the future, unlike the Fates or that whelp of a sun god who relies all too heavily on the primordial powers of Destiny." They all knew who he was talking about, and a shiver went down her spine considering her plan. "My method is a lot more nuanced and crafty. So far, it has proven to be more accurate than not. After all, I did manage to convince your mother not to side with the Titan King in the previous war. I'm sure she had a hand in convincing your stepfather, Oceanus, to be neutral as well."
The titan of crafty counsel looked at her expectantly, yet she maintained a bored expression. No doubt he wanted her to ask him how his divining ability worked, yet Calypso did not feel like entertaining him. She was bored, true, but not to the degree to fall for the simplest tricks like some lackwit!
"And you, Hecate? Have you come to gloat over one of your children supposedly having more talent than I? Who was the last one again, Sorsei?" With a raised eyebrow, the immortal sorceress turned to the goddess of magic, ignoring her uncle's morose look at being ignored. He would get over it, she was sure.
"It's Circe, and you should know about her. She gained immortality and even hosted Odysseus once." Hecate retorted smugly, and Calypso was starting to get annoyed at the pair of smug pricks in front of her.
"Ah yes, her. My latest guest had told me how he endured her hospitality before repaying her in kind. Have you not taught your daughter the risks of breaking the rites of hospitality? Acting like such a savage." Calypso tutted, enjoying the dark look appearing on Hecate's face. "Not to mention being such a man-hater because she was spurned once? She's losing a lot by keeping to maidens alone." Calypso licked her lips as she leered at her rival. "I understand the appeal, of course."
Truth be told, she wasn't as much of a deviant as she made herself to be. A few dalliances when she was young and adventurous did not necessarily mean that she would forsake the company of men over women. That no man dared court the daughter of Atlas in fear of her father was a shame, for she had never truly known a man's touch. Still, that only made her desire love more than anything.
Not to mention, the look on Hecate's face was so precious. A combination of distaste and acknowledgment of Circe's habits. That this conversation caused her uncle to shift awkwardly in his seat was a bonus.
"Ah, your latest failure, Perseus Jackson. How pitiful to not be able to seduce a fifteen-year-old boy. You insult my daughter, yet you have failed to produce any results over countless eons."
Both women glared daggers at each other before nodding in understanding. Insults were exchanged, and there was no need to take it to extremes.
"Regardless, I am interested in why the goddess of magic deigned to visit little old me." While she appreciated any visitors, some were poorer company than others.
Hecate drained the last of her Nectar before looking at her strangely. "I am also the goddess of crossroads, and while my divining powers are lackluster in comparison to others," she gave a conspicuous glance at the silent Titan whose smug smile returned with a vengeance. "That still gives me a strong intuition when someone is about to make an important decision that could affect our world."
Calypso narrowed her eyes at her former rival. "What manner of choice could I possibly make that would be so world-changing?"
"I have no idea." The goddess of crossroads shrugged. "I do know that it might affect me as well, which is why I'm here to observe you. The fact that this guy, of all people, chose to visit at the same time certainly piqued my interest."
Both women turned to the Titan questioningly. Prometheus maintained his smile long enough for Hecate's eyebrow to twitch in annoyance before he spoke. "I see no reason to divulge what I predicted since neither of you seem that interested in how I did it."
Calypso gawked at the sheer pettiness of her uncle and clenched her jaw. "Well, if you have nothing to say, then you might as well leave."
The word was almost hissed, and the power of it compelled the Titan to immediately stand with visible sweat on his brows. Hecate remained in her seat, yet her face looked a little strained. Calypso stared at the scarred face of her uncle, waiting for him to either leave by himself or she would forcefully banish him.
"You are no fun, oh niece of mine." Prometheus finally sighed before withdrawing an ivory box from behind his back. The Queen of Ogygia rolled her eyes at the sleight of hand – summoning things from a personal space was the most basic of spells that was taught to practitioners of magic.
The Titan of forethought placed the box on the table before giving them a slight bow. "This was something I received from your dearest friend, and she requested that I gift it to you. Unlike you two, she greatly appreciated my insight over the past few weeks."
Upon understanding whom her uncle was speaking of, Calypso hastily grabbed the box and opened it, revealing a golden apple with a long swirling stem. An apple of immortality from her sisters' gardens, though she wondered what she would ever need of it.
"Do what you will with it, although I am sure you could do much more with it than simply eating it." A rip through space formed on the beach, and Prometheus stepped through it, glancing at her one last time, and for once, his face softened to something akin to kindness. "Do not be afraid of the consequences, Calypso. Make your decision and live with it, or you may languish in eternal regret." The rip closed with that ominous warning, and the Titan was gone.
"Well, that was dramatic." Hecate also stood and, for once, gave her a genuine smile. "Whatever that decision of yours, I wish you the best. Who knows? You might be free soon and join us witches in our congregations."
"Even if I do, I would probably usurp your position as queen of magic." Calypso grinned toothily at her rival, causing her to giggle.
"You can try. I welcome all challenges. Alas, I can feel the Fates frowning at me, and I believe I have overstayed my welcome." Another rip in space appeared, and Hecate stepped backward into it. "Adieu, Calypso. May we meet again in better circumstances."
The rip closed, and Calypso was alone again. She sighed deeply and took the box containing the apple from Hera's garden. Not just any apple, but a fruitful one. Her dear friend spoils her too much.
The sun had long set, and the sky was lit by the bright moon and the plethora of stars. Calypso noticed the new constellation that Percy pointed out was her sister, placed there by Selene's successor. The loss of a sibling felt heavy, even one she never knew. Would her father also strike Calypso down should she stand in his way?
Shaking her head, she bid farewell to her servants as they cleaned the table and walked to a certain clearing on her island. It was empty with no trees or bushes for some distance, more of a meadow and close to a natural spring emptying into a lake, yet over the most fertile ground of her island. On one side was a cliff that overlooked the expanse of the sea that surrounded her island, while on the other was a forest of oak, cedar, and other trees that would normally never grow close in the wild.
She had planned to plant a new grove of orchards here, but had not yet gotten around to it. For once, procrastinating gave dividends, as Calypso grabbed a shovel from a helpful servant and dug a hole deep enough. The golden apple was planted, and she nodded warmly at the Solarian who had just brought over her harp.
Her fingers flowed over the strings, and the tune echoed in the night.
The way her magic worked differed depending on the situation. Healing and nurturing required her voice. Yet words were not as powerful as singing, or humming. Anything musical worked for what she desired, and unlike Charmspeak by that distasteful goddess, Calypso's magic worked on all things, not just sentient beings. Normally, she would sing a hymn for a few heartbeats so the roots would take hold.
Yet, now, Calypso found herself wanting more.
Infusing as much power and magic into her voice as her body could hold, the Queen of Ogygia plucked her harp and sang her heart out.
Underneath the moon's soft, enchanting glow,
I plant a fruit where mystic currents flow.
With whispered verses, secrets I bestow,
Igniting life as Hera's bounty grows.
The moon shone brighter as she invoked its presence. Calypso hoped Selene was still out there, looking down at her with an assured smile. If not, then perhaps that new goddess of the moon was in a good mood, as she could feel the power flowing through her and into the earth, causing the apple to melt into the dug pit and turn into roots. Invoking her dear friend's name caused the roots to grow further, controlled by her will as she directed it on where to go for a source of water and nutrients. Calypso smiled despite the heavy weariness that crept through her flesh and stubbornly continued plucking her harp into a rising crescendo.
In rhythmic cadence, a spell takes flight,
A melody that weaves through leaves and night.
Each note, a charm, a dance of pure delight,
As life stirs in the soil, beyond our sight.
The roots found the spring and drank greedily from it, causing relief for Calypso. No longer using her magic as the sole source of fuel, the roots stopped growing downwards and turned upwards. A sapling burst from the soil, and from it, silvery gray vines coiled around each other, forming the basis of a tree trunk.
Behold, dear sapling, rise both strong and tall,
A testament to magic's sweetest thrall.
May roots entwine with tales of ancient lore,
And branches reach where dreams forever soar.
Infusing more power into her voice, Calypso could feel her throat itch as she coaxed the sapling to turn into a tree and watched it grow tall and strong. Growing a divine tree like the Golden Apples of Immortality was tiring work, and she reckoned she could have raised a forest of mundane trees from nothing with the power she spent so far.
So grow, young one, beneath the moonlit sea,
A symphony of life, enchanted, free.
Calypso smiled in exhaustion as she beheld the fruits of her labor. The tree had grown from a mere sapling to a massive thing over a hundred feet tall, with dozens of branches and a trunk wide enough for five men to reach around it. It was dormant at the moment, with no fruits on its branches, but small leaves of bronze were already forming. The immortal sorceress knew that it was still a juvenile. Even with her magic, she could not force it into adulthood.
Despite its size, it was still far from reaching maturity, which would take time.
And time she had aplenty.
Standing up from the kneeling position she took, Calypso stretched lightly, careful not to rip her dress again before sending a murmur of gratitude to Hera. Grabbing her harp, she walked towards the cliff and sat on the ledge as she gazed down on the starry sky reflected through the azure waters.
Her uncle's words were still fresh in her mind, but she scoffed.
Calypso was well aware that she was nobody of importance, and her decisions were all meaningless. Were Prometheus and Hecate just mocking her?
While the Goddess of Magic was petty and loved to gloat, Prometheus never did anything without a reason. Calypso was tempted to use her magic to divine the past, to gleam into the titan's thoughts before his arrival. Yet the idea was discarded as soon as it appeared – using it on a divine being would drain her to death, even if her skills in divination were barely fledgling.
Calypso had never died before, and she was unsure if she would reform here on her island where her divinity was bound or if she would fade away and her island would be free. The thought of death brought her no relish…
Her mind drifted aimlessly as the night dwindled. The view was still magnificent despite seeing it countless times. Ogygia might be her prison, but it was also her home. Even if she could leave, Calypso did not doubt that she would oft return.
If only, if only she was not so alone.
A ray of sunlight heralded the dawn, breaking Calypso from her brooding – she had stayed out long enough for Eos to arrive. Or did her cousin lose her job to that troublemaker she heard so much about, Apollo? Regardless, Calypso's thoughts turned morose again as she watched the sun begin to rise. Ah, if only Perseus had stayed.
She knew the young hero was too duteous, too valiant to stay, but loneliness turned into longing.
For some reason, she felt like singing again. Even after the ordeal of growing that tree, she had recovered enough, and the immortal sorceress plucked her harp again.
In the quiet of Ogygia's shore,
Where waves kiss sands forevermore,
A harp resounds, its plaintive strain,
A tale of love, an endless chain.
Beneath the stars, she weaves her plea,
A song that lingers on the sea,
Each note a cry, a siren's call,
For the hero who'd break her thrall.
Through strings that echo, sorrows flow,
A melody of ebb and woe,
In twilight's hues, her voice takes flight,
A prayer wrapped in the fading light.
Lonely queen, her heart's refrain,
Sings for a king that might regain,
The echoes of a distant quest,
In harp's lament, her soul confess'd.
The sun rose as she finished her song, and Calypso felt a stray tear flow down her cheek. Yet another day had arrived, bound by the chains of solitude. Even her servants rarely speak, and she would not force them to converse with her when they preferred the solitude more than her. The Queen of Ogygia closed her eyes in dismay and left her cliff. A stroll tended to uplift her mood.
As she walked through the many paths she created along her island, Calypso enjoyed the songbirds heralding the new day with their melodic chirping, causing her spirits to rise. She idly plucked her harp as she walked and hummed along with the feathery singers. Soon, the immortal sorceress walked into a meadow where sheep and cattle grazed and a herd of horses frolicked by a stream. A nearby shed where her servants worked on grooming the horses, milking the cows, and shearing the sheep was occupied. Calypso waved merrily as she saw a pair of shears waving back, their user busy holding one of the massive sheep of the island in place. She had forgotten how large they grew.
On, the Queen of Ogygia went as she strolled past forests and meadows, orchards and fields, a watermill and a windmill, until finally, she reached the opposite end of the island, the sun shining brightly in the sky. Her harp was given to a servant to be placed in her cave, her chosen dwelling for the day. Standing on the white sands of the beach, Calypso gazed at the horizon, wondering if she should have breakfast or take a nap when a peculiar sight appeared.
The ever-present mist that blocked her from leaving her island had always been placid and calm, no matter the time of day. It never rained on Ogygia, nor was the island ever in need of water. The island was where Tethys gave birth to her firstborn and had thus been blessed by the goddess of fresh water to be an eternal fountain, with the cleanest water gushing from underground.
Calypso still had the power to invoke rain and storms through her magic. Yet, even in her darkest moods, where she lashed out with her might and magic in a vain attempt to break out from her prison, the mist never so much as budged.
Now, though, it looked different. It swirled in place as if it were agitated. For a whimsical moment, Calypso wondered if something was trying to break in, and she would need to defend herself. The thought brought a smile to her face, she had not gotten in a fight since her imprisonment, and clearing the rust off her skills sounded thrilling. Flexing her shoulders, the Queen of Ogygia prepared to defend her kingdom from any invad–
A ship broke through the mist, causing her eyes to widen and her jaw to drop. It was a strange design, although she was never knowledgeable on ships. The first thing she noticed about it was the figurehead. It was Amphitrite, her younger sister, who had also risen high to become queen of the seas. Calypso's eyes roamed over the movement on the deck, and her mind halted.
Blinking once, twice, thrice, the view before her eyes remained unchanged.
No…no, she could not believe it, she dared not believe it, even as her eyes dampened. Even the Fates could not be so cruel as to give her such an illusion.
But no, this was not the doing of the three cruel hags – she was too familiar with their power, and there was no trace of it here.
Tears streamed down her rosy cheeks, and her knees buckled in a moment of weakness.
"… Percy!" She choked out, and as if he could hear her from so far away, the man who promised to free her, the one whom she had never felt more sure of being in love with… nodded his head, his crooked grin threatening to split his face.
A joyous smile found its way to her lips, and her legs finally gave out on her, the exertion from the night taking its due. Calypso stared as the ship seemed to take forever to get to her, and Perseus clearly agreed. He turned behind him for a moment before jumping into the water. She forced her weary legs to stand up, and within seconds, her hero had surfaced on the beach, sprinting to her, and grabbed hold of her into a bone-breaking hug… for both of them, as she would not let go and gave as good as she received.
No words were exchanged. They did not even look at each other's faces but simply held themselves tightly; Percy's hands flowed through her hair and down her back while hers were firmly around his neck. Just one hug said everything they could ever need to say. Calypso buried her nose into his neck, taking in the scent of sea and storm, while Percy did the same to her hair. Idly, she noticed the ship stop a few hundred feet from the beach, and there were other people on board, but the Queen of Ogygia could not care less at the moment.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Calypso felt her legs tire again, so she leaned heavily on Percy's body, causing their faces to be inches from each other. "You came back."
"For you." Oh, she had missed his baritone voice, yet now it sounded even better. Calypso could feel the smoldering feelings and unbidden desire in his deep voice. "I promised to come back, and I stick to my word."
That was all she needed to hear as Calypso slammed her lips into his, kissing him for all he's worth. Time suddenly lost its meaning, and it was as if her limbs had a mind of their own as her legs coiled around his waist. Her hero's excitement could be felt through his clothes, and a moan escaped her lips when Perseus grabbed her butt, both to lift her and explore her flesh.
Nothing else mattered in the world besides that Percy was here.
He was here! And she was never letting him go.
A thud sounded on the ground near them, yet she didn't care. Percy tried to move towards it, but she grabbed his face and stuck it back to her lips. Calypso grinned through the kiss as her hero vigorously responded in turn.
There was the sound of someone gagging and some horse whining piteously, but she was too lost in her joy to care.
Just as they were lost in each other's embrace, they were hit by a splash of cool water. Neither of them cared, for the water ended up exciting them more, and suddenly, both of their hands were now slipping under their garments. Calypso snickered when she felt Percy pinching her behind before a loud explosion finally rocked them out of their senses.
The Queen of Ogygia turned towards the jarring sound with a snarl, only to freeze at the sight of two girls standing on the beach looking at them strangely, one of them holding an empty bucket. There was a Cyclops dragging a rowboat to the beach and a black Pegasus with a young girl on its back, but Calypso had eyes only for the redhead wielding the strange metal device, smoking and pointing towards the sky. The girl was pretty; she would readily admit it, but her twitching eyebrows and scowling face had Calypso raising an eyebrow challengingly.
"Now that I have your attention, could you please stop sucking your faces for another hour and wait until we're set in?"
Calypso glared daggers at the red-haired demigod. How dare she interrupt her reunion? The desire in the girl's gaze was clear for Atlas' daughter to see. A good taste in men, but there was no way Calypso would-–
Hang on.
The Queen of Ogygia gazed intently at the green-eyed girl and shushed Percy when he tried to speak. There was something strange about the redhead, something… familiar, as if she had known it long ago? Suddenly, it hit her, and her eyes widened in shock.
"No way! Hera? Since when did you become a mortal?"
The Titanomachy didn't begin when the gods escaped from Kronos' stomach. It's obviously fiction, and there's no way we could ever know the exact details, so I'm taking my own spin on the matter. Rhea did her best to keep the peace, but eventually, all hell broke loose.
Hera is mentioned to have gifted Calypso those invisible servants, who have no relation to the Lunarians from One Piece, and I always wondered…why? Then I realized that Calypso is Tethys' daughter, and considering Tethys and Oceanus' marriage was famous for how lovey-dovey they were, Calypso had to have been born before that marriage. We know Rhea had Hera foster with Tethys and Oceanus, and I can't see Atlas as real dad material, so he probably foisted his firstborn, Calypso, on her mother to raise. Oceanus was cool enough to raise her along with his own children, and thus, the relationship between Calypso and Hera. It would then make sense why Hera would make sure her foster sister had so much comforts. She even sent her Percy!
Suffice it to say, Calypso is one hell of a thirsty gal. I had to stop myself from having them fucking on the beach right in front of the crew, lol.
If you would like to read three chapters ahead, or just support me, feel free to join me on Patr(eo)n under the same pen name.
Chapter 10
This chapter got too long, but the next one will assuredly be when they leave.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx.
Day 1 on Ogygia
The abrupt outburst caused everyone to gawk, and Percy accidentally dropped Calypso on her bum. Calypso pouted at the boy before turning to her with an incredibly brilliant smile that had Rachel take an involuntary step backward. The woman was implausibly beautiful, yet Percy was right when she said it was all natural. No makeup, no otherworldly feeling, and certainly not ethereal like the queen of the gods. Calypso was simply bewitching without even trying, and to have such a mesmerizing beauty staring at you so intently…
"I was just thinking about you, girl. Have you come to see the wedding gift? It's already blooming!"
The red-haired girl stared incredulously at the woman, making Calypso giggle giddily.
"Uhm, you're talking to me? What are you talking about?" She took another step back as the Titaness approached her.
"Yes, I'm talking to you, silly. Tell me, Hera. How did you trick your husband into allowing you to turn mortal? I'm sure the Fates would have made a fuss about using that as a loophole to visit me." The beautiful woman grabbed her hands and looked at her with such happiness and sincerity that it caught her flat-footed.
Rachel was flabbergasted. She knew from what that Forge God said that the Queen of the Gods had somehow claimed her as a daughter of sorts. While the girl would have loved a prior discussion, she still felt incredibly…honored? No, that's a bit of a foreign word. Pleased and delighted to have such a motherly figure truly caring for her.
That feeling Rachel got when she sacrificed a slice of cake to the goddess was the best she had ever had, and the newly acknowledged daughter of Hera had taken a liking to the powers she was blessed with.
Still…
"I-I think," she could almost lose herself in those wide honey eyes of the Titaness, and she was sure she was straight as an arrow, dammit! Percy had warned them of her beauty, but she thought it was because he was an enamored boy, and boys go silly in front of pretty girls.
"Yes?" The woman, for she was not at all a sixteen-year-old as Percy said, got even closer; her face barely inches from hers, and Rachel could smell cinnamon from her hair and vanilla from her breath.
No, she just couldn't do it. In situations like this, Rachel knew what she had to do.
"Percy?" Even she could hear how pathetic her whimper sounded, and it was then she noticed her crewmates seemed to be watching the drama with great amusement, the traitors! Even her new bosom friend, Hylla, was covering her mouth to hide that grin.
"That's enough, Calypso. This is my friend, Rachel." Her captain finally came to her rescue as he extracted the exuberant immortal from her. The woman seemingly remembered his presence and latched on to him enthusiastically instead, but Calypso still stared at her in wonder.
"Rachel? So, not Hera?"
"Well… I'm not sure." Rachel glared at the boy's teasing grin. "Hey, now, we really aren't sure what Hera did to you. I mean, she did claim you in front of us as a daughter, but how would that work when we know for a fact she didn't give birth to you, nor had she ever met you before this quest."
"I see," Calypso nodded knowingly, and Rachel's eyebrow twitched as the woman idly rubbed her cheek with Percy's while her hand traced his muscled chest. At least, she finally understood that– "So she really is Hera!"
Gods dammit!
.
.
.
It was a few hours later when they all settled down, and Calypso finally got a measure of control on herself and did not try to glomp both her and Percy at the same time. Rachel was still not sure how to address the woman; was she a nymph? A Titaness? Sorceress?
"Just Calypso, dear." Rachel jumped as the woman in question patted her hands from their picnic seat under the glorious tree Calypso led them to. The immortal woman smiled at her with such sincere delight that the red-haired girl averted her eyes. How could she look so alluring and beautiful yet maintain such pure innocence when she stared at her?
"Did I say that out loud?"
"You were napping and, like my dear hero, you both seem to talk in your sleep."
And it was true; Rachel had not yet recovered from yesterday's adventure. After Calypso led them to the massive tree above them, she had her shy servants bring a picnic table where they had breakfast.
The servants were an interesting sight; short and slender with pale skin, elfish features, and hair a myriad of colors though blue, white and purple seemed to be the most common. They stared at her strangely when she thanked one of them, which ended up having Calypso grinning brightly at her.
"Oh, well, uhm. Where's Percy and the others?" Rachel recalled Percy and Calypso getting far too lovey-dovey for her tastes and took a nap after she finished eating.
"Percy is with his brother, moving the ship to a cove on the other side of the island, Hylla and Reyna are exploring with Blackjack. Such lovable girls you have brought me, Hera, you have no idea how much I craved company." Calypso smiled beatifically, and Rachel couldn't help but feel relaxed as the woman continued to rub soothing circles on her palm.
"Please don't call me that." That did not mean she liked being mistaken for arguably the scariest goddess from Greek myth.
"Why not?" The witch tilted her head, for she must be a witch with how she could make her feel so relaxed and cozy despite the overbearing and clingy way she acted. Gods, why did Percy leave her alone like this?!
"Because I'm not Hera! I only met the goddess for a few minutes, where she somehow made me her divine daughter, against my will and without even asking me beforehand. Like, seriously, who does that?"
Before she knew it, Rachel was unloading the stress she had been bottling up ever since she discovered what Hera did to her. Worse, she didn't truly feel as appalled as she thought she would be about the whole matter. In fact, the more she thought about Hera finding her worthy of being her daughter, the more ecstatic she felt.
The more Rachel compared the goddess with her real mother, the more she found her lacking despite living with the woman for her whole life compared to the God Queen whom she only met once.
"Sounds just like Hera. She always knew what she wanted and how to take it without annoying the wrong people…" The woman's expression turned slightly morose, "or at least from the few stories she tells me, for I'm sure she hides a lot from her big sister."
The daughter of Hera was surprised to hear the vulnerable tone in Calypso's words, and it reminded her that the immortal sorceress had been trapped on this island since before half of the Olympians were born.
"Doesn't she visit you?"
"She used to, but I suppose she had gotten busier with her duties. Or perhaps the Fates denied her entry, as they were wont to do on occasion, just to make sure I was miserable. Maybe that's why Hera sent you to me instead… Rachel."
"Aha! So you finally admit I'm not Hera?"
"You are missing the point, you might have been born as Rachel the mortal to two mortal parents, but who says Hera might not have placed a bit of herself in you during the reincarnation process?" Calypso's words gave Rachel pause as she remembered the intricacies of the Greek afterlife. "Hera did complain about the amount of domains she was foisted with over the millennia and how she couldn't find a suitable immortal to take off some of the load."
"So, you think I might actually have a piece of her divinity in me that has nothing to do with whatever she did that day?"
It was a lot to take in, and Rachel wasn't even sure if any of that was true. She never thought herself special in any way all her life, aside from her excellent eyesight and ability. Heck, the first time she met Percy, the boy tried to cut her in half with that sword of his, only for it to just pass through harmlessly. If she even had a drop of divinity in her, then she would have been dead.
"I'm just guessing, as I have little experience with the afterlife. I don't think I've ever met the god of the dead, nor have I ever met a Chthonic deity aside from Nyx, and I would rather not think about that woman." Calypso's grimace had Rachel feel bad for the woman, and she hurried to change the topic.
"You mentioned being lonely here, yet I see you have plenty of company in your servants."
"It's not the same." The immortal sorceress shook her head. "They are too subservient, too shy, and I could not bring myself to force them into my company. Despite their loyalty, they are too reclusive and prefer each other's company over others. At least, the older ones do."
"Are there no males among them?" Rachel found it strange that she had only seen girls so far. She was not even sure how old they were, they could have been anywhere from twelve and forty.
"A few, but they take care of the more laborious jobs and the women tend to keep them busy." Calypso giggled as Rachel realized what she meant and tried to change the topic.
"How did Hera even make me her daughter anyway?"
"You must have consumed something from her flesh." Calypso simply shrugged at her wide eyes. "As the goddess of motherhood, anything from Hera's body is a divine elixir to a mortal."
"B-But, the only thing I consumed was… no wonder that coffee tasted so heavenly." Rachel didn't know whether to feel grossed or not, even as she recalled the milky taste of that drink. Looking for a distraction, the sound of the rustling leaves in the wind provided one for her.
"So, what's up with that tree?"
"Oh, you like it? Hera gifted it to me just before your arrival, and I had wondered what she meant by it, but now it is crystal clear." Calypso's eyes shined, and her smile had gotten so wide and infectious that Rachel found herself mirroring it.
"Come on, then. Don't keep me in suspense!" Rachel might have been wary of the overly clingy immortal sorceress, but she couldn't help the soothing and warm feeling she got from her presence. Besides, having more friends who were girls was always a bonus.
"Why, of course, it's a wedding gift." Calypso declared with such certainty as her eyes trailed to the distant figure of the ship sailing around the corner. "First, Hera sends me Percy during his quest, then she helps him get back to my island, and finally, she gifts me this tree."
"Well, I'm sure Percy would be happy to hear of Hera's approval." Rachel felt an unbidden grin grow on her face despite feeling a small hole forming in her heart. "His mother and I had to beat it into his head that the only way he would be able to free you is if he truly accepted that he's also going to be marrying you."
The immortal witch turned to her, her hands holding her own and her eyes full of sympathy. "You love him too, don't you?"
The words struck Rachel like a hammer to the head, and her eyes widened. Did she love Percy? She certainly respected him a lot and will admit to finding him as hot as he was goofy, but love? The redhead had known Percy for a while, and she knew his character very well. Was that the type of man she would love? Did it matter? What could she possibly offer that the gorgeous immortal in front of her could not?
"I-I… Percy is… uhh." Why was it so hard to just say it? That she had no interest whatsoever in that boy and his sea-green eyes, his lopsided grin…
"You don't have to rush for an answer, Rachel. Once we are free, we will have all the time in the world to explore our options. Hera did send you to me for a reason," Calypso stood up, dragging Rachel with surprising strength, and gave her a sisterly hug. "She had always been like a sister to me, and I wouldn't mind having another sister… or niece for that matter."
The immortal sorceress let go of her with a sly grin before leaving her alone under the massive tree. Rachel couldn't help but think the queen of the gods was trolling her, especially when a bronze leaf fell on her nose at the thought, causing her to sneeze.
Yep, definitely a divine troll.
Day 2 on Ogygia
She woke up to find herself in the arms of her sister, using her as a plush pillow, abusing her much shorter stature yet again. Slowly and silently, Reyna wiggled herself from her arms and out of the comfortable bed in the marble house on one of the island's hills. Hylla had always been a heavy sleeper, and easily went back to sleep once Reyna was up. Staring at her older sister for a minute, Reyna couldn't help but feel a sort of tension forming between them, and Hylla had been overly clingy lately to compensate. She did not like it, but she knew the reason.
Shaking her head, Reyna quickly made her way to the bathroom deeper inside the manor.
Once she was refreshed, the shortest member of the crew found herself in a sort of living room and balcony mix where she found Rachel sitting cross-legged on a rug with her back to her, working on something she couldn't see. Approaching the red-haired girl, Reyna was about to greet her before halting, her eyes widening and her breathing growing heavy. Suddenly, she wasn't standing on the patio, but back in her old home as her father turned into a hideous monster and was about to kill Hylla. A sound of thunder reverberated, and the monster's head was blown off…with a smoking gun in Reyna's shaking hands.
"Are you alright, Reyna?"
Rachel's worried voice brought her back to Ogygia. She shook her head and noticed the girl and her disassembled guns lying on a tarp over the rug.
"I'm fine, it's just…" She took several deep breaths to regain her composure, but the young girl couldn't take her eyes off the guns even when they were in pieces.
"You can talk to me if you like." Rachel glanced inside the house before smiling kindly at her, "I know some things are difficult to speak about to family. Maybe an outsider's perspective would help."
Reyna hesitated, but the older girl's smile felt genuine. Her sister always told her she was a good judge of character, and Reyna found herself sitting next to the green-eyed girl as they watched the sun slowly rise from their high vantage point.
"Thanks. How come you're up so early?"
"Slept well. So well, I got up an hour ago feeling more rested than any fancy bed could make me feel. Percy and Calypso woke after me and took a morning stroll to the beach." The older girl shrugged, even as her lips quirked upwards at the thought of their captain and the beautiful sorceress probably having a romantic morning date. She returned to her disassembled guns, cleaning and oiling them. "So, want to tell me what's wrong?"
"I don't like guns." Reyna leaned her head on her knees as she stared at a few nearby birds singing a beautiful melody.
"Oh," Rachel halted her cleaning of her guns. "Do you want me to pack them away?"
Reyna hesitantly glanced at the dull iron parts sitting innocently on the green tarp before ultimately shaking her head. "I'll be fine."
"Is that why you refused to take any from the armory back on the ship?" Rachel returned to her gun maintenance, "You didn't seem as shocked then."
"I was already expecting it. It's not like I would normally freeze at their sight, but it's just…"
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Reyna occasionally glancing at the older girl. Eventually, Rachel finished her work, putting her guns back together and securing them in her holster before setting them aside.
"Well, want to talk about it?" The older girl had turned fully to her, a kind smile on her face that had Reyna unconsciously smiling back.
"It's nothing, I just…" Fear and worry filled her heart. What if the older girl thought differently of her? She looked at Rachel again, only to find nothing but patience and kindness in her eyes, and before she knew it, Reyna blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I shot my dad when I was six."
Rachel blinked, her mouth clenched as she bit her lips and her eyebrows raised. Reyna held her breath for a moment, only for her eyes to widen in shock as the older girl held her sides as she tried to stifle her laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" She felt a little hurt at the girl laughing at her worries, yet it was still not the reaction she expected at all.
"Sorry, sorry." The red-haired girl finally regained her composure as her face settled back into an easy smile, "It's just, you would not believe how many times I fantasized about shooting my own dad."
"Wait, what?"
"Not to death, of course, but… let's just say he isn't a good man and leave it at that." Rachel waved her hand carelessly before placing it on her shoulder. "Now, I take it your story is much more complicated?"
"Yeah, but," glancing hesitantly inside the dwelling, she was surprised when Rachel stood up and dragged her with her. "Let's go for a stroll, maybe check on Tyson by the forge."
Reyna nodded rapidly as they left the marble house, their destination the makeshift forge the Cyclops had built by the cove where they docked their ship. Along the way, she found herself pouring her heart out to the older girl. Rachel was a good listener and did not judge her for being forced to kill her father.
"Sounds like you were a hero to me, Reyna. Saving your older sis like that."
"Yeah," Reyna awkwardly kicked the sand as they walked barefoot along the beach, the sun steadily rising on the horizon. "You don't think she blames me for it?"
"Of course she doesn't!" She halted at Rachel's confident outburst and stared at the taller girl. "She cares a lot about you. If Hylla had blamed you for it, then she would not have taken care of you for so long."
"I see… yeah, that makes sense!" Reyna smiled genially as they continued their stroll along the beach. She turned her head to a large rock as she thought she heard something from there, but was distracted by Rachel's nudge.
"So, does that mean you would like to try guns again?"
"… No, I don't think I'll ever like them." Reyna decided after a moment of thought, "I wouldn't mind trying a bow and arrow, though."
"That's cool! Gonna be like Legolas?"
"Who?"
"Eeekk?!!! You don't know Legolas? Lord of the Rings? These are the bestest movies ever!" The older girl's green eyes were comically wide as she grabbed Reyna's shoulders and shook them hysterically.
"Uh, no? Rachel, I've been stuck on a magical island since I was six. The Mistre– I mean, Circe only ever watched fashion shows and dramas."
"Oh, you poor child! Let's hurry to the ship, and I'll get you caught up. No, wait. Let's get back to the house and grab your sister as well."
Reyna didn't have a chance to object before she was grabbed by Hurricane Dare and sprinted back to the marble house. Still, she couldn't help the wide smile that bloomed on her face.
.
.
.
"Are they gone?" A breathy voice whispered in his ear as he felt the warmth of his lover embracing him from behind.
"Yeah." Percy peeked from behind the rock at the two girls leaving hurriedly, yet his mind could only focus on the interruption they caused as he tried to bring down the aching in his groin.
"Finally." Calypso sighed as she hugged him tighter, and Percy could feel her large globes getting squished on his back. "Do you want to continue?"
Without a thought, he turned around and kissed the woman he had strived so much to reach. They had not done anything besides kiss and embrace, though things had gotten a bit frisky as he glanced at his discarded T-shirt. Calypso's dress was half off, exposing one of her magnificent breasts, and he found his hand rising up to pinch the caramel-colored nipple, but he quickly shook himself.
"No, we'll stick to your decision. Remain pure until we get out of here and have a proper wedding, right?"
He still could not believe that barely a week ago, he would have been a stuttering mess if he had seen so much skin and kissed such a beautiful girl so many times. Yet, with Calypso, it all came naturally for both of them; Percy couldn't explain it, not even to himself, but it just felt right for him to desire his lover so much.
"Yes, your mother and mine need to be present. Hera, too, and all your friends. I want this to be as big a spectacle as possible before we retire to our wedding bed." Calypso's eyes shined so brightly that Percy could have drowned himself in them, her full lips had such a wide smile he couldn't help but give her a few more kisses as they sucked on each other's lips. "Thank you so much for going along with my whim, Percy. You have no idea how difficult it is for me to hold back."
"Anything for you, Calypso." Percy never thought he would ever talk like this to a girl. He was sure a few weeks ago, he would have gagged at the mere thought of acting like a lovestruck sap.
Yet the way her face flushed and her eyes shone as if he had hung the moon for her made it all the more worthwhile. "Shall we head back as well? I'm interested in what they were talking about."
"Sure, let's head on to the ship, they'll catch up to us. Tyson could use some company instead of the obsessive work he's been doing." Once they were decently clothed, they strolled along the sandy shores to the ship, Hands clasped together.
"Oh, are you two still arguing over the naming of the ship? I think Tyson's suggestion was great."
"Of course, it's great, but the ship was still built by my Dad for his wife, and changing the name sounds… insulting?"
"Don't worry about Amphitrite, if my younger sister cared about the ship, she would have objected to being given to you. She has temples and palaces named after her. I am certain she would not care about a ship she only used once."
Percy hummed in thought as they continued their stroll, relishing the feeling of the warm sand under their feet. Calypso hugged his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. They enjoyed a comfortable silence until the ship was in sight. So far, they hadn't discussed any escape plan, but Percy didn't care. Spending time with Calypso was far more important, yet he had to be careful with time on this island.
He did hope to return to school before the semester ended, for Rachel's sake, if nothing else.
***
Hylla frowned as she stared at the reflection of her face on her polished shield. She always kept a strong facade for her sister, but the Latina girl wished the scar didn't mar her face so much. Shaking her head, she returned to trying to divine how some of the enchantments she detected on the shield worked.
The oldest mortal in the crew had enjoyed the movie marathon that Rachel had dragged them to watch, but when the redhead declared it was time for some sort of Japanese cartoon session, she excused herself. Hylla would admit to greatly enjoying Lord of the Rings, despite its long run-time, but she balked at the prospect of sitting on her bum for hours on end again.
The former attendant preferred to be more active and efficient with her time.
Reyna was all for it, while the captain and his brother opted to play video games, with Calypso merely content to watch over with that warm smile of hers.
"There you are, Hylla."
She jerked from her seat on the deck where she was inspecting her shield. The evening had fallen, yet the skies were bright with stars and other celestial bodies that would never be so clear in the Sea of Monsters. Turning to the voice, Hylla was surprised to find Calypso walking towards her, smiling curiously.
She hurriedly tried to stand to properly greet her, "My lady–"
"Ah-ah, I will take no formalities from a friend of Percy." The Queen of Ogygia waved her finger at her. "Call me Calypso."
"Calypso," Hylla smiled at the other woman's pleasant hum. "How can I help you?"
"Just taking a stroll," she looked curiously at the shield in her hand. "May I?"
"Sure, but it's a bit heavy…" The words trailed uselessly as the shorter woman held the shield easily and spun it around with one hand. It was such a ludicrous display, for the shield was easily half the Titaness' size and easily over a hundred pounds.
"A superb shield, and quite ancient too. I can recognize the work of Hera's boy, but this must have been one of his earliest works. Imperial gold as well? From my understanding, that only became popular during the time of the Romans, though I am not certain as all my knowledge comes secondhand. Whoever it was made for, he must have been overly confident in defending himself."
"How so?" Hylla had felt a tingle in her spine at the terms Imperial Gold and Roman. It was as if the words were important to her, but she filed it for later.
"All the enchantments on the shield are offensive ones. For instance," Calypso did something, and the shield's rim turned razor sharp, causing Hylla's eyes to widen. "There are more enchantments and abilities, but I don't think it would be wise to activate them. Wouldn't want the shield to recognize me as an owner, and I guarantee you there is a spirit sleeping in this shield, considering its age. Here, I'm confident you would be able to find a way to master it."
Hylla accepted her shield back and couldn't help but look at the immortal sorceress with reverence. "Thank you. How did you activate it? I could sense the enchantment, but… was that magic?"
"I have been called a witch and sorceress for a long time, my dear. Of course, it was magic. Now, come, I have need of you." Calypso's teasing tone made her snicker, and she followed the woman down the deck. They stopped in the library, just opposite the entertainment room, where she could hear her sister and the rest of the crew having fun.
"I have a project I've been working on that I would like another's input, Interested?" The sorceress asked once she closed the door, and the silence of the library took over. Hylla turned on the lights and took one glance at a table where papers and maps were strewn on, and she felt her lips widen in excitement.
.
.
.
"So you have all these spell matrices carved into the island and even the seafloor?" Hylla's eyes were wide as she stood over the table, looking over the notes and maps of the carvings the sorceress had made for her. She might not be a witch, nor did she know how to use magic, but as Circe's closest attendant, Hylla had witnessed, prepared, and even participated in many rituals and spells for her mistress.
"Indeed, it took a lot of my blood and magic to make sure they stick in. It helped that Ogygia housed my divine essence and that the connection to my island had gotten even stronger than before despite the many years it took me to get it done. Then again, time was all I had." Calypso shrugged from her seat next to her, idly spinning the blue crystal the captain received from the Forge god.
A few hours had passed since Calypso had invited her over. Hylla had nearly freaked out when she saw the crystal, remembering the god's warning about its volatile nature, but Calypso assured her that she had it under control yet refused to elaborate.
"It's well-made, I can see aspects of Time, Space, Void, and even Destiny woven in. I dare say this could easily make Circe's formulas seem like scribbles." Hylla couldn't stop comparing designs and matrices with what she knew. Calypso was knowledgeable about magic, though she wasn't shy about dismissing Circe's abilities.
"Oh, that girl knows nothing of magic compared to her mother or myself." Case in point, the immortal sorceress waved her hand dismissively at the much more famous witch. "I had nothing to do but practice my abilities and study tomes of magic gifted to me by the gods over the eons, though rarely would any master of the arcane visit to compare. I suppose this allowed me to take magic to heights unseen from my time, yet without a proper adversary to polish my craft, I'm sure it looks primitive to you."
"I won't deny that some designs could be modified for more energy efficiency. The power requirements to even activate this formula is immense, probably more than Circe could call by herself." Hylla bit her lips in hesitation for fear of offending the powerful witch, but Calypso only smiled encouragingly. "Are you sure you have the power to activate, maintain, and direct this spell formula?"
"To activate? Certainly. Maintain? That will be a lot tougher, but maybe if I had a few days rest and got drunk on nectar as well as had another's help. Direct? Provided I shall be intoxicated, then no. I shall have neither the power nor the mental capacity to direct the formula." Calypso shrugged carelessly, even as she fiddled with the crystal. "Do you think you can modify any of the designs?"
"After they were already set deep on the island? Impossible, but even if you had not set them yet, I'm just not confident in touching any of it. Circe never allowed me to practice magic, claiming it was too dangerous for me or that I didn't have the aptitude." She gritted her teeth as she looked back to her life on the resort island. "Now, I feel she probably didn't want any potential competition from her servants."
A warm hand rested on hers, and Hylla stared down at the shorter Titaness, who winked at her. "It's a good thing I'm such a generous witch, then. Once we are out of here, you can join me as I discover how far magic has advanced. In the meantime, I'll gladly take you in as an apprentice if you would like?"
Hylla was shocked, no, she was thunderstruck! Offer her lessons in magic? From one of the mythical witches from ancient times? Before she knew it, she found herself on her knees, staring up at the surprised face of the sorceress. "Of course, I would love to! It would be an honor, but I'm not worthy–"
"Shush now, you are worthy." A finger was placed on her lips, and Calypso's kind eyes had Hylla breathing deeply as she calmed herself. "I confess that this isn't completely austere of me, as I will need your help breaking the spell on my island. Furthermore, I admit to never having students before, so you will not be the only one learning."
The Latina girl smiled, yet she remained on her knees. "Still, Even if you spend years training me, I don't think I will ever have enough power to feed this formula and help you with the spell. How will we get around this issue?" Suddenly, she had a bad feeling and couldn't help but blurt out, "Are you going to use the Captain? Or one of us?"
She immediately knew she had said the wrong thing as she beheld Calypso's falling expression.
"… I will admit there are ways of harnessing an obscene amount of magical power from mortals, demigods in particular being worthy sacrifices." The witch lost the glimmer in her eyes as her smile melted to a morose and sad frown. "Has my reputation gone so terrible that you would expect me to use that kind of sacrificial blood magic on the love of my life or his friends?"
Hylla was horrified at her outburst and lowered her head in shame at the Titaness' melancholic tone. "Forgive me, my lady. I didn't mean to imply that. Of course, I don't think you would do such a thing, but… I confess that my judgment had been clouded by my former mistress's perception of you and… I knew Circe was capable of such acts and…"
"You thought that all witches would be like that foolish girl?" At her nod, Calypso lifted her head up, and Hylla found her smiling sadly at her. "It's not nice to judge others from the act of one, but perhaps I need to demonstrate how different I am from others."
The former attendant of Circe stared dumbly as the immortal witch sang a melodic tone as she rubbed over her forehead. So beautiful was the sight and so soothing were the unintelligible words that Hylla didn't notice the slight heat from her forehead spreading all over her body until it was gone when Cal– the goddess retracted her hand.
"What have you done to me?" She rubbed her forehead in wonder as she tried to discover anything strange. Her head felt smooth, far too smooth.
"See for yourself." Calypso summoned a hand mirror from the side and held it for her. Hylla looked in wonder as the scar on her face was gone, replaced by smooth olive skin. Looking over the rest of her body, not a single scar or unnatural blemish remained. "What do you have to say?"
The Latina girl chuckled at the woman's teasing, glad she was smiling again. "Thank you, my lady."
"You're very welcome, Hylla, and please call me Calypso." Hylla nodded and found herself being brought to her feet by the shorter woman, reminding her again that Calypso was surprisingly strong for her size.
"As you wish, Calypso." A thought struck her, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from blurting it, but her new mistress' gentle squeeze of her hands gave her confidence. "Would you be willing to also teach my sister? I'm not sure how safe she would be in the outside world, but I would prefer if she had as many tools to protect herself as possible."
"Sure, I will. In the morning, we can grab her and Hera's daughter as well. The more of you with magical knowledge, the safer we will be later on."
"Oh? So she isn't Hera anymore?"
"Who knows?" Calypso said in a singsong voice as she placed the crystal around her neck to settle on her generous chest. Hylla couldn't help but compare them to her own, only to find them severely lacking. Her body was tall and slender, and she was proud of how athletic it had become over the past year, yet her curves were lacking in comparison to her new mistress.
"I suppose we will find out." Hylla shook her head, she would not grow jealous over something like that. Plenty of mortals went mad from comparing themselves to the divine. "By the way, we have yet to solve the power deficit for the ritual."
"Have we not?" Calypso's giggle as she gently flicked the crystal around her neck had her gawking. Surely, it wasn't that simple?
"It certainly is. Heavens, it makes me fall in love with my hero again for being such an amazing help without even trying. Now, time for us to go to sleep. If we want to start our lessons, we must rise early in the morning."
Hylla smiled fondly as her new mistress led the way to the cabin area before stopping by her shared room with Reyna. Calypso waved good night as she continued to the Captain's cabin, Perseus' voice greeting her once she opened the door. The aspiring witch shook her head at how smitten the both of them were with each other - it made her wonder if there was someone like that for her in the wide outside world.
She opened her door to find Reyna gently snoring in her bed, and Hylla couldn't help the unbidden smile on her face.
Reyna would always come first.
Day 4 on Ogygia (Final day)
He lifted the heavy bar high over his head before lowering it to his shoulders. Repeating the exercise for ten reps, Percy lowered the bar to the ground, did ten jumping jacks and ten push-ups, then grabbed the easily over four-hundred-pound weights and lifted them again over his head. Percy's spare time on the island was completely dedicated to burning as much energy in training as possible, yet for good or for bad, his stamina had been endless. Perhaps it was the sea or Ogygia's magical nature, but it didn't matter; Percy had fallen in love with the training regiment, especially as he enjoyed the peace and quiet of his own corner of the island to do his thing without any interruptions from the girls.
… Who was he kidding? He was blue-balled as fuck!
Percy grunted as he increased the pace of his exercise; never in his life had he been teased so damn much without any sort of relief. The son of Poseidon couldn't even relieve himself in seclusion because of a certain warning from Chiron. As the son of the most powerful nature god among the Olympians, as well as being incredibly powerful in his own right, there was a real fear that his seed could give life to some kind of abomination if he spread it carelessly.
Percy remembered talking to his father about Antaeus, and Poseidon had let slip that his least favorite son was the result of a bad pull-out game.
Shaking his head at the dilemma he faced, he decided that there was nothing he could do about it except train harder before jumping into the sea and swimming with the Hippocampi… though he wished the water was colder instead of the pleasant warmth it was eternally on.
He idly wondered what the others were doing as he continued to train.
Calypso was off with the girls, all bonding over magic of all things, especially when the immortal sorceress took them on as students.
He chuckled as he thought of Reyna skiving off to fly around with Blackjack yesterday before he somehow managed to get her interested in sword practice. Percy wondered if she was doing the same right now.
Tyson was still in his workshop, though the demigod of the sea recalled Calypso asking his brother about something she was working on, and the cyclops eagerly agreed to help.
Thinking about the Titaness so much made him reminisce about the past few days, easily the best time of his life. Calypso was even more beautiful than he remembered, and the moment his eyes fell on her, all thoughts faded from his mind. Even now, Percy could still recall her soft lips on his own, and he could still feel the weight of her hefty chest in his hands and the few times they almost went too far.
Calypso's desire to take things properly was incredibly vexing for the hormonal teenager, as he resorted to his extreme training exercises to burn off his rising libido. Yet, Perseus Jackson was not one to deny his lover the respect and propriety she deserved, not to mention he was in favor of having an actual wedding where his mother could see him at his proudest moment.
She was always an old-fashioned woman, and while Sally Jackson would never admit to it, Percy knew she suffered greatly as a single mother, doubly so when she married Gabe. It was the reason she raised him to be careful with girls, or else he would prove to be his father's son and 'end up siring an army of kids before he was twenty'.
Percy held his father in high regard, but even he would admit Poseidon gave a new meaning to the word deviant, especially once he got around to learning about his exploits. Suffice to say, what the mortals say he did was but the tip of the iceberg.
The son of Poseidon just hoped he could keep his eyes from wandering, as despite Calypso's beauty, he would be a fool not to recognize how gorgeous Rachel and Hylla were. Still, his lover kept him quite distracted, though hopefully, he wouldn't be so distracted he would fail to notice people walking by their hiding spot again like Reyna did.
"Percy, over here!"
Speaking of the precocious child, Percy dropped the heavyweights on the sandy beach with a dull thud before turning to the younger girl as she waved at him from behind the trees.
"Reyna, weren't you supposed to be with Calypso? Or did you fly off with Blackjack again?"
He walked into the sea, willing the water to rise and clean him from the sweat. It still surprised him how this vast sea in front of him was actually fresh water, yet it listened to his commands as well as any sea. Even the Hippocampi loved it, as he brushed Cobalt's scales when he swam by to say hello.
"You have to stop Blackjack! He's gone mad."
Frowning at her urgent tone, Percy quickly put on his shirt and hurried after the girl deeper into the island. Within a few minutes, they were standing behind a tree, and Percy stared blankly at the scene in the meadow in front of him. There was a herd of beautiful horses that must have been magical in nature, yet his gaze was fixed on the sight of Blackjack among them.
"Reyna?"
"Y-Yes, Captain?" At least the girl sounded subdued and hesitant.
"What could possibly have made you think I would want to see my pegasus porking a couple of mares?"
The sound of horse neighs, wings flapping, and a particular guttural grunt, which translated so clearly in Percy's mind that he wanted to smash his head into the nearby tree, caused Reyna to shuffle awkwardly.
"They weren't… mating when I left. Blackjack was fighting the males of the herd, and some of them got hurt!" The young girl looked distressed, and Percy noticed that some stallions had bruises and bite marks but stared sullenly in defeat from a distance at their mares getting plowed.
"And why did he start a fight with them in the first place?"
"Because it's kinda my fault?" Percy gazed at the petite girl as she blushed deeply, "I-I didn't know he would understand me when I joked about wanting my own pegasus since he was yours."
Another loud grunt, and the winged horse whinnied loudly before quickly moving to another mare. Reyna looked strangely as Blackjack mounted the pretty golden/bronze horse. "Shouldn't he need rest?"
"Probably, but how would you know?" Needless to say, Percy was feeling incredibly awkward, and the fact he could understand those horses was worse. Who knew mares had rape fetishes?
"We had a stable on the island that the witch got on a whim. I was assigned to help the horses there for as long as I can remember, though the older workers did most of the work. I usually just brushed them and made sure they were comfy. They would always let me ride them around during exercise time."
"Huh," he looked at Reyna in a new light. "That explains how good of a rider you are. Practically born on the saddle, aren't you?"
"Yep." The younger girl giggled giddily as she fidgeted shyly on her feet. "I'm sure I'm not as good as you, but yes, I do love horses a lot."
Before he could rib her some more, a familiar breathy voice echoed in the wind.
"Percy, it is time. Bring Reyna to the Tree. We're all waiting."
"Did you hear that?" Reyna yelped excitedly.
"Yep, sounds like the girls are done with the preparations. Let's head on to the cliff, Blackjack clearly has everything under control here."
The girl nodded, only to grimace at another loud grunt and a neigh from the pegasus, and, glancing over, found him mounting yet another mare. The two of them hurried away, not willing to witness any more of this awkwardness.
At least, it completely killed his libido and proved he wasn't totally his father's son.
Calypso and Hera/Rachel bond easily. She doesn't actually know if Hera left a part of her in Rachel or not. She was simply making conjectures, and Rachel debunked her theory quickly enough. Or did she?
And we finally know how Rachel became a demigod. Yep, Hera fed Rachel her milk, a la Herakles. Though this time, it was hidden in a latte, lol. They say a mother's milk is the most nutritious thing to drink (so long as it's from the same species), now imagine what the Divine Mother's milk would be like.
Reyna has issues with guns, but she is a resourceful girl and surely would be able to make do with any kind of weapon instead. Being the daughter of a war goddess helps.
Hylla was raised to be a follower. How she managed to become queen would be a very interesting short story I would love to read, but sadly, all we got was she just did it. Here, she easily switches from her old mistress to a new, and much more worthy one. Anyone figured out who the owner of that shield was yet?
Poor Percy, getting blue balled like that must be torture. I will not be shying away from the fact he is the son of probably the most deviant god in Greek myth. Zeus has nothing on what Poseidon has done, lol.
I wanted to have them be gone to One Piece by the end of this chapter, but I had to establish the crew's dynamics first. Hope you all enjoyed it.
If you would like to read four chapters ahead, or just support me, feel free to join me on Patr(eo)n under the same pen name.
This chapter has been edited by Gladiusx.
Day 1 on Ogygia
The abrupt outburst caused everyone to gawk, and Percy accidentally dropped Calypso on her bum. Calypso pouted at the boy before turning to her with an incredibly brilliant smile that had Rachel take an involuntary step backward. The woman was implausibly beautiful, yet Percy was right when she said it was all natural. No makeup, no otherworldly feeling, and certainly not ethereal like the queen of the gods. Calypso was simply bewitching without even trying, and to have such a mesmerizing beauty staring at you so intently…
"I was just thinking about you, girl. Have you come to see the wedding gift? It's already blooming!"
The red-haired girl stared incredulously at the woman, making Calypso giggle giddily.
"Uhm, you're talking to me? What are you talking about?" She took another step back as the Titaness approached her.
"Yes, I'm talking to you, silly. Tell me, Hera. How did you trick your husband into allowing you to turn mortal? I'm sure the Fates would have made a fuss about using that as a loophole to visit me." The beautiful woman grabbed her hands and looked at her with such happiness and sincerity that it caught her flat-footed.
Rachel was flabbergasted. She knew from what that Forge God said that the Queen of the Gods had somehow claimed her as a daughter of sorts. While the girl would have loved a prior discussion, she still felt incredibly…honored? No, that's a bit of a foreign word. Pleased and delighted to have such a motherly figure truly caring for her.
That feeling Rachel got when she sacrificed a slice of cake to the goddess was the best she had ever had, and the newly acknowledged daughter of Hera had taken a liking to the powers she was blessed with.
Still…
"I-I think," she could almost lose herself in those wide honey eyes of the Titaness, and she was sure she was straight as an arrow, dammit! Percy had warned them of her beauty, but she thought it was because he was an enamored boy, and boys go silly in front of pretty girls.
"Yes?" The woman, for she was not at all a sixteen-year-old as Percy said, got even closer; her face barely inches from hers, and Rachel could smell cinnamon from her hair and vanilla from her breath.
No, she just couldn't do it. In situations like this, Rachel knew what she had to do.
"Percy?" Even she could hear how pathetic her whimper sounded, and it was then she noticed her crewmates seemed to be watching the drama with great amusement, the traitors! Even her new bosom friend, Hylla, was covering her mouth to hide that grin.
"That's enough, Calypso. This is my friend, Rachel." Her captain finally came to her rescue as he extracted the exuberant immortal from her. The woman seemingly remembered his presence and latched on to him enthusiastically instead, but Calypso still stared at her in wonder.
"Rachel? So, not Hera?"
"Well… I'm not sure." Rachel glared at the boy's teasing grin. "Hey, now, we really aren't sure what Hera did to you. I mean, she did claim you in front of us as a daughter, but how would that work when we know for a fact she didn't give birth to you, nor had she ever met you before this quest."
"I see," Calypso nodded knowingly, and Rachel's eyebrow twitched as the woman idly rubbed her cheek with Percy's while her hand traced his muscled chest. At least, she finally understood that– "So she really is Hera!"
Gods dammit!
.
.
.
It was a few hours later when they all settled down, and Calypso finally got a measure of control on herself and did not try to glomp both her and Percy at the same time. Rachel was still not sure how to address the woman; was she a nymph? A Titaness? Sorceress?
"Just Calypso, dear." Rachel jumped as the woman in question patted her hands from their picnic seat under the glorious tree Calypso led them to. The immortal woman smiled at her with such sincere delight that the red-haired girl averted her eyes. How could she look so alluring and beautiful yet maintain such pure innocence when she stared at her?
"Did I say that out loud?"
"You were napping and, like my dear hero, you both seem to talk in your sleep."
And it was true; Rachel had not yet recovered from yesterday's adventure. After Calypso led them to the massive tree above them, she had her shy servants bring a picnic table where they had breakfast.
The servants were an interesting sight; short and slender with pale skin, elfish features, and hair a myriad of colors though blue, white and purple seemed to be the most common. They stared at her strangely when she thanked one of them, which ended up having Calypso grinning brightly at her.
"Oh, well, uhm. Where's Percy and the others?" Rachel recalled Percy and Calypso getting far too lovey-dovey for her tastes and took a nap after she finished eating.
"Percy is with his brother, moving the ship to a cove on the other side of the island, Hylla and Reyna are exploring with Blackjack. Such lovable girls you have brought me, Hera, you have no idea how much I craved company." Calypso smiled beatifically, and Rachel couldn't help but feel relaxed as the woman continued to rub soothing circles on her palm.
"Please don't call me that." That did not mean she liked being mistaken for arguably the scariest goddess from Greek myth.
"Why not?" The witch tilted her head, for she must be a witch with how she could make her feel so relaxed and cozy despite the overbearing and clingy way she acted. Gods, why did Percy leave her alone like this?!
"Because I'm not Hera! I only met the goddess for a few minutes, where she somehow made me her divine daughter, against my will and without even asking me beforehand. Like, seriously, who does that?"
Before she knew it, Rachel was unloading the stress she had been bottling up ever since she discovered what Hera did to her. Worse, she didn't truly feel as appalled as she thought she would be about the whole matter. In fact, the more she thought about Hera finding her worthy of being her daughter, the more ecstatic she felt.
The more Rachel compared the goddess with her real mother, the more she found her lacking despite living with the woman for her whole life compared to the God Queen whom she only met once.
"Sounds just like Hera. She always knew what she wanted and how to take it without annoying the wrong people…" The woman's expression turned slightly morose, "or at least from the few stories she tells me, for I'm sure she hides a lot from her big sister."
The daughter of Hera was surprised to hear the vulnerable tone in Calypso's words, and it reminded her that the immortal sorceress had been trapped on this island since before half of the Olympians were born.
"Doesn't she visit you?"
"She used to, but I suppose she had gotten busier with her duties. Or perhaps the Fates denied her entry, as they were wont to do on occasion, just to make sure I was miserable. Maybe that's why Hera sent you to me instead… Rachel."
"Aha! So you finally admit I'm not Hera?"
"You are missing the point, you might have been born as Rachel the mortal to two mortal parents, but who says Hera might not have placed a bit of herself in you during the reincarnation process?" Calypso's words gave Rachel pause as she remembered the intricacies of the Greek afterlife. "Hera did complain about the amount of domains she was foisted with over the millennia and how she couldn't find a suitable immortal to take off some of the load."
"So, you think I might actually have a piece of her divinity in me that has nothing to do with whatever she did that day?"
It was a lot to take in, and Rachel wasn't even sure if any of that was true. She never thought herself special in any way all her life, aside from her excellent eyesight and ability. Heck, the first time she met Percy, the boy tried to cut her in half with that sword of his, only for it to just pass through harmlessly. If she even had a drop of divinity in her, then she would have been dead.
"I'm just guessing, as I have little experience with the afterlife. I don't think I've ever met the god of the dead, nor have I ever met a Chthonic deity aside from Nyx, and I would rather not think about that woman." Calypso's grimace had Rachel feel bad for the woman, and she hurried to change the topic.
"You mentioned being lonely here, yet I see you have plenty of company in your servants."
"It's not the same." The immortal sorceress shook her head. "They are too subservient, too shy, and I could not bring myself to force them into my company. Despite their loyalty, they are too reclusive and prefer each other's company over others. At least, the older ones do."
"Are there no males among them?" Rachel found it strange that she had only seen girls so far. She was not even sure how old they were, they could have been anywhere from twelve and forty.
"A few, but they take care of the more laborious jobs and the women tend to keep them busy." Calypso giggled as Rachel realized what she meant and tried to change the topic.
"How did Hera even make me her daughter anyway?"
"You must have consumed something from her flesh." Calypso simply shrugged at her wide eyes. "As the goddess of motherhood, anything from Hera's body is a divine elixir to a mortal."
"B-But, the only thing I consumed was… no wonder that coffee tasted so heavenly." Rachel didn't know whether to feel grossed or not, even as she recalled the milky taste of that drink. Looking for a distraction, the sound of the rustling leaves in the wind provided one for her.
"So, what's up with that tree?"
"Oh, you like it? Hera gifted it to me just before your arrival, and I had wondered what she meant by it, but now it is crystal clear." Calypso's eyes shined, and her smile had gotten so wide and infectious that Rachel found herself mirroring it.
"Come on, then. Don't keep me in suspense!" Rachel might have been wary of the overly clingy immortal sorceress, but she couldn't help the soothing and warm feeling she got from her presence. Besides, having more friends who were girls was always a bonus.
"Why, of course, it's a wedding gift." Calypso declared with such certainty as her eyes trailed to the distant figure of the ship sailing around the corner. "First, Hera sends me Percy during his quest, then she helps him get back to my island, and finally, she gifts me this tree."
"Well, I'm sure Percy would be happy to hear of Hera's approval." Rachel felt an unbidden grin grow on her face despite feeling a small hole forming in her heart. "His mother and I had to beat it into his head that the only way he would be able to free you is if he truly accepted that he's also going to be marrying you."
The immortal witch turned to her, her hands holding her own and her eyes full of sympathy. "You love him too, don't you?"
The words struck Rachel like a hammer to the head, and her eyes widened. Did she love Percy? She certainly respected him a lot and will admit to finding him as hot as he was goofy, but love? The redhead had known Percy for a while, and she knew his character very well. Was that the type of man she would love? Did it matter? What could she possibly offer that the gorgeous immortal in front of her could not?
"I-I… Percy is… uhh." Why was it so hard to just say it? That she had no interest whatsoever in that boy and his sea-green eyes, his lopsided grin…
"You don't have to rush for an answer, Rachel. Once we are free, we will have all the time in the world to explore our options. Hera did send you to me for a reason," Calypso stood up, dragging Rachel with surprising strength, and gave her a sisterly hug. "She had always been like a sister to me, and I wouldn't mind having another sister… or niece for that matter."
The immortal sorceress let go of her with a sly grin before leaving her alone under the massive tree. Rachel couldn't help but think the queen of the gods was trolling her, especially when a bronze leaf fell on her nose at the thought, causing her to sneeze.
Yep, definitely a divine troll.
P*O*D
Day 2 on Ogygia
She woke up to find herself in the arms of her sister, using her as a plush pillow, abusing her much shorter stature yet again. Slowly and silently, Reyna wiggled herself from her arms and out of the comfortable bed in the marble house on one of the island's hills. Hylla had always been a heavy sleeper, and easily went back to sleep once Reyna was up. Staring at her older sister for a minute, Reyna couldn't help but feel a sort of tension forming between them, and Hylla had been overly clingy lately to compensate. She did not like it, but she knew the reason.
Shaking her head, Reyna quickly made her way to the bathroom deeper inside the manor.
Once she was refreshed, the shortest member of the crew found herself in a sort of living room and balcony mix where she found Rachel sitting cross-legged on a rug with her back to her, working on something she couldn't see. Approaching the red-haired girl, Reyna was about to greet her before halting, her eyes widening and her breathing growing heavy. Suddenly, she wasn't standing on the patio, but back in her old home as her father turned into a hideous monster and was about to kill Hylla. A sound of thunder reverberated, and the monster's head was blown off…with a smoking gun in Reyna's shaking hands.
"Are you alright, Reyna?"
Rachel's worried voice brought her back to Ogygia. She shook her head and noticed the girl and her disassembled guns lying on a tarp over the rug.
"I'm fine, it's just…" She took several deep breaths to regain her composure, but the young girl couldn't take her eyes off the guns even when they were in pieces.
"You can talk to me if you like." Rachel glanced inside the house before smiling kindly at her, "I know some things are difficult to speak about to family. Maybe an outsider's perspective would help."
Reyna hesitated, but the older girl's smile felt genuine. Her sister always told her she was a good judge of character, and Reyna found herself sitting next to the green-eyed girl as they watched the sun slowly rise from their high vantage point.
"Thanks. How come you're up so early?"
"Slept well. So well, I got up an hour ago feeling more rested than any fancy bed could make me feel. Percy and Calypso woke after me and took a morning stroll to the beach." The older girl shrugged, even as her lips quirked upwards at the thought of their captain and the beautiful sorceress probably having a romantic morning date. She returned to her disassembled guns, cleaning and oiling them. "So, want to tell me what's wrong?"
"I don't like guns." Reyna leaned her head on her knees as she stared at a few nearby birds singing a beautiful melody.
"Oh," Rachel halted her cleaning of her guns. "Do you want me to pack them away?"
Reyna hesitantly glanced at the dull iron parts sitting innocently on the green tarp before ultimately shaking her head. "I'll be fine."
"Is that why you refused to take any from the armory back on the ship?" Rachel returned to her gun maintenance, "You didn't seem as shocked then."
"I was already expecting it. It's not like I would normally freeze at their sight, but it's just…"
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, Reyna occasionally glancing at the older girl. Eventually, Rachel finished her work, putting her guns back together and securing them in her holster before setting them aside.
"Well, want to talk about it?" The older girl had turned fully to her, a kind smile on her face that had Reyna unconsciously smiling back.
"It's nothing, I just…" Fear and worry filled her heart. What if the older girl thought differently of her? She looked at Rachel again, only to find nothing but patience and kindness in her eyes, and before she knew it, Reyna blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I shot my dad when I was six."
Rachel blinked, her mouth clenched as she bit her lips and her eyebrows raised. Reyna held her breath for a moment, only for her eyes to widen in shock as the older girl held her sides as she tried to stifle her laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" She felt a little hurt at the girl laughing at her worries, yet it was still not the reaction she expected at all.
"Sorry, sorry." The red-haired girl finally regained her composure as her face settled back into an easy smile, "It's just, you would not believe how many times I fantasized about shooting my own dad."
"Wait, what?"
"Not to death, of course, but… let's just say he isn't a good man and leave it at that." Rachel waved her hand carelessly before placing it on her shoulder. "Now, I take it your story is much more complicated?"
"Yeah, but," glancing hesitantly inside the dwelling, she was surprised when Rachel stood up and dragged her with her. "Let's go for a stroll, maybe check on Tyson by the forge."
Reyna nodded rapidly as they left the marble house, their destination the makeshift forge the Cyclops had built by the cove where they docked their ship. Along the way, she found herself pouring her heart out to the older girl. Rachel was a good listener and did not judge her for being forced to kill her father.
"Sounds like you were a hero to me, Reyna. Saving your older sis like that."
"Yeah," Reyna awkwardly kicked the sand as they walked barefoot along the beach, the sun steadily rising on the horizon. "You don't think she blames me for it?"
"Of course she doesn't!" She halted at Rachel's confident outburst and stared at the taller girl. "She cares a lot about you. If Hylla had blamed you for it, then she would not have taken care of you for so long."
"I see… yeah, that makes sense!" Reyna smiled genially as they continued their stroll along the beach. She turned her head to a large rock as she thought she heard something from there, but was distracted by Rachel's nudge.
"So, does that mean you would like to try guns again?"
"… No, I don't think I'll ever like them." Reyna decided after a moment of thought, "I wouldn't mind trying a bow and arrow, though."
"That's cool! Gonna be like Legolas?"
"Who?"
"Eeekk?!!! You don't know Legolas? Lord of the Rings? These are the bestest movies ever!" The older girl's green eyes were comically wide as she grabbed Reyna's shoulders and shook them hysterically.
"Uh, no? Rachel, I've been stuck on a magical island since I was six. The Mistre– I mean, Circe only ever watched fashion shows and dramas."
"Oh, you poor child! Let's hurry to the ship, and I'll get you caught up. No, wait. Let's get back to the house and grab your sister as well."
Reyna didn't have a chance to object before she was grabbed by Hurricane Dare and sprinted back to the marble house. Still, she couldn't help the wide smile that bloomed on her face.
.
.
.
"Are they gone?" A breathy voice whispered in his ear as he felt the warmth of his lover embracing him from behind.
"Yeah." Percy peeked from behind the rock at the two girls leaving hurriedly, yet his mind could only focus on the interruption they caused as he tried to bring down the aching in his groin.
"Finally." Calypso sighed as she hugged him tighter, and Percy could feel her large globes getting squished on his back. "Do you want to continue?"
Without a thought, he turned around and kissed the woman he had strived so much to reach. They had not done anything besides kiss and embrace, though things had gotten a bit frisky as he glanced at his discarded T-shirt. Calypso's dress was half off, exposing one of her magnificent breasts, and he found his hand rising up to pinch the caramel-colored nipple, but he quickly shook himself.
"No, we'll stick to your decision. Remain pure until we get out of here and have a proper wedding, right?"
He still could not believe that barely a week ago, he would have been a stuttering mess if he had seen so much skin and kissed such a beautiful girl so many times. Yet, with Calypso, it all came naturally for both of them; Percy couldn't explain it, not even to himself, but it just felt right for him to desire his lover so much.
"Yes, your mother and mine need to be present. Hera, too, and all your friends. I want this to be as big a spectacle as possible before we retire to our wedding bed." Calypso's eyes shined so brightly that Percy could have drowned himself in them, her full lips had such a wide smile he couldn't help but give her a few more kisses as they sucked on each other's lips. "Thank you so much for going along with my whim, Percy. You have no idea how difficult it is for me to hold back."
"Anything for you, Calypso." Percy never thought he would ever talk like this to a girl. He was sure a few weeks ago, he would have gagged at the mere thought of acting like a lovestruck sap.
Yet the way her face flushed and her eyes shone as if he had hung the moon for her made it all the more worthwhile. "Shall we head back as well? I'm interested in what they were talking about."
"Sure, let's head on to the ship, they'll catch up to us. Tyson could use some company instead of the obsessive work he's been doing." Once they were decently clothed, they strolled along the sandy shores to the ship, Hands clasped together.
"Oh, are you two still arguing over the naming of the ship? I think Tyson's suggestion was great."
"Of course, it's great, but the ship was still built by my Dad for his wife, and changing the name sounds… insulting?"
"Don't worry about Amphitrite, if my younger sister cared about the ship, she would have objected to being given to you. She has temples and palaces named after her. I am certain she would not care about a ship she only used once."
Percy hummed in thought as they continued their stroll, relishing the feeling of the warm sand under their feet. Calypso hugged his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. They enjoyed a comfortable silence until the ship was in sight. So far, they hadn't discussed any escape plan, but Percy didn't care. Spending time with Calypso was far more important, yet he had to be careful with time on this island.
He did hope to return to school before the semester ended, for Rachel's sake, if nothing else.
***
Hylla frowned as she stared at the reflection of her face on her polished shield. She always kept a strong facade for her sister, but the Latina girl wished the scar didn't mar her face so much. Shaking her head, she returned to trying to divine how some of the enchantments she detected on the shield worked.
The oldest mortal in the crew had enjoyed the movie marathon that Rachel had dragged them to watch, but when the redhead declared it was time for some sort of Japanese cartoon session, she excused herself. Hylla would admit to greatly enjoying Lord of the Rings, despite its long run-time, but she balked at the prospect of sitting on her bum for hours on end again.
The former attendant preferred to be more active and efficient with her time.
Reyna was all for it, while the captain and his brother opted to play video games, with Calypso merely content to watch over with that warm smile of hers.
"There you are, Hylla."
She jerked from her seat on the deck where she was inspecting her shield. The evening had fallen, yet the skies were bright with stars and other celestial bodies that would never be so clear in the Sea of Monsters. Turning to the voice, Hylla was surprised to find Calypso walking towards her, smiling curiously.
She hurriedly tried to stand to properly greet her, "My lady–"
"Ah-ah, I will take no formalities from a friend of Percy." The Queen of Ogygia waved her finger at her. "Call me Calypso."
"Calypso," Hylla smiled at the other woman's pleasant hum. "How can I help you?"
"Just taking a stroll," she looked curiously at the shield in her hand. "May I?"
"Sure, but it's a bit heavy…" The words trailed uselessly as the shorter woman held the shield easily and spun it around with one hand. It was such a ludicrous display, for the shield was easily half the Titaness' size and easily over a hundred pounds.
"A superb shield, and quite ancient too. I can recognize the work of Hera's boy, but this must have been one of his earliest works. Imperial gold as well? From my understanding, that only became popular during the time of the Romans, though I am not certain as all my knowledge comes secondhand. Whoever it was made for, he must have been overly confident in defending himself."
"How so?" Hylla had felt a tingle in her spine at the terms Imperial Gold and Roman. It was as if the words were important to her, but she filed it for later.
"All the enchantments on the shield are offensive ones. For instance," Calypso did something, and the shield's rim turned razor sharp, causing Hylla's eyes to widen. "There are more enchantments and abilities, but I don't think it would be wise to activate them. Wouldn't want the shield to recognize me as an owner, and I guarantee you there is a spirit sleeping in this shield, considering its age. Here, I'm confident you would be able to find a way to master it."
Hylla accepted her shield back and couldn't help but look at the immortal sorceress with reverence. "Thank you. How did you activate it? I could sense the enchantment, but… was that magic?"
"I have been called a witch and sorceress for a long time, my dear. Of course, it was magic. Now, come, I have need of you." Calypso's teasing tone made her snicker, and she followed the woman down the deck. They stopped in the library, just opposite the entertainment room, where she could hear her sister and the rest of the crew having fun.
"I have a project I've been working on that I would like another's input, Interested?" The sorceress asked once she closed the door, and the silence of the library took over. Hylla turned on the lights and took one glance at a table where papers and maps were strewn on, and she felt her lips widen in excitement.
.
.
.
"So you have all these spell matrices carved into the island and even the seafloor?" Hylla's eyes were wide as she stood over the table, looking over the notes and maps of the carvings the sorceress had made for her. She might not be a witch, nor did she know how to use magic, but as Circe's closest attendant, Hylla had witnessed, prepared, and even participated in many rituals and spells for her mistress.
"Indeed, it took a lot of my blood and magic to make sure they stick in. It helped that Ogygia housed my divine essence and that the connection to my island had gotten even stronger than before despite the many years it took me to get it done. Then again, time was all I had." Calypso shrugged from her seat next to her, idly spinning the blue crystal the captain received from the Forge god.
A few hours had passed since Calypso had invited her over. Hylla had nearly freaked out when she saw the crystal, remembering the god's warning about its volatile nature, but Calypso assured her that she had it under control yet refused to elaborate.
"It's well-made, I can see aspects of Time, Space, Void, and even Destiny woven in. I dare say this could easily make Circe's formulas seem like scribbles." Hylla couldn't stop comparing designs and matrices with what she knew. Calypso was knowledgeable about magic, though she wasn't shy about dismissing Circe's abilities.
"Oh, that girl knows nothing of magic compared to her mother or myself." Case in point, the immortal sorceress waved her hand dismissively at the much more famous witch. "I had nothing to do but practice my abilities and study tomes of magic gifted to me by the gods over the eons, though rarely would any master of the arcane visit to compare. I suppose this allowed me to take magic to heights unseen from my time, yet without a proper adversary to polish my craft, I'm sure it looks primitive to you."
"I won't deny that some designs could be modified for more energy efficiency. The power requirements to even activate this formula is immense, probably more than Circe could call by herself." Hylla bit her lips in hesitation for fear of offending the powerful witch, but Calypso only smiled encouragingly. "Are you sure you have the power to activate, maintain, and direct this spell formula?"
"To activate? Certainly. Maintain? That will be a lot tougher, but maybe if I had a few days rest and got drunk on nectar as well as had another's help. Direct? Provided I shall be intoxicated, then no. I shall have neither the power nor the mental capacity to direct the formula." Calypso shrugged carelessly, even as she fiddled with the crystal. "Do you think you can modify any of the designs?"
"After they were already set deep on the island? Impossible, but even if you had not set them yet, I'm just not confident in touching any of it. Circe never allowed me to practice magic, claiming it was too dangerous for me or that I didn't have the aptitude." She gritted her teeth as she looked back to her life on the resort island. "Now, I feel she probably didn't want any potential competition from her servants."
A warm hand rested on hers, and Hylla stared down at the shorter Titaness, who winked at her. "It's a good thing I'm such a generous witch, then. Once we are out of here, you can join me as I discover how far magic has advanced. In the meantime, I'll gladly take you in as an apprentice if you would like?"
Hylla was shocked, no, she was thunderstruck! Offer her lessons in magic? From one of the mythical witches from ancient times? Before she knew it, she found herself on her knees, staring up at the surprised face of the sorceress. "Of course, I would love to! It would be an honor, but I'm not worthy–"
"Shush now, you are worthy." A finger was placed on her lips, and Calypso's kind eyes had Hylla breathing deeply as she calmed herself. "I confess that this isn't completely austere of me, as I will need your help breaking the spell on my island. Furthermore, I admit to never having students before, so you will not be the only one learning."
The Latina girl smiled, yet she remained on her knees. "Still, Even if you spend years training me, I don't think I will ever have enough power to feed this formula and help you with the spell. How will we get around this issue?" Suddenly, she had a bad feeling and couldn't help but blurt out, "Are you going to use the Captain? Or one of us?"
She immediately knew she had said the wrong thing as she beheld Calypso's falling expression.
"… I will admit there are ways of harnessing an obscene amount of magical power from mortals, demigods in particular being worthy sacrifices." The witch lost the glimmer in her eyes as her smile melted to a morose and sad frown. "Has my reputation gone so terrible that you would expect me to use that kind of sacrificial blood magic on the love of my life or his friends?"
Hylla was horrified at her outburst and lowered her head in shame at the Titaness' melancholic tone. "Forgive me, my lady. I didn't mean to imply that. Of course, I don't think you would do such a thing, but… I confess that my judgment had been clouded by my former mistress's perception of you and… I knew Circe was capable of such acts and…"
"You thought that all witches would be like that foolish girl?" At her nod, Calypso lifted her head up, and Hylla found her smiling sadly at her. "It's not nice to judge others from the act of one, but perhaps I need to demonstrate how different I am from others."
The former attendant of Circe stared dumbly as the immortal witch sang a melodic tone as she rubbed over her forehead. So beautiful was the sight and so soothing were the unintelligible words that Hylla didn't notice the slight heat from her forehead spreading all over her body until it was gone when Cal– the goddess retracted her hand.
"What have you done to me?" She rubbed her forehead in wonder as she tried to discover anything strange. Her head felt smooth, far too smooth.
"See for yourself." Calypso summoned a hand mirror from the side and held it for her. Hylla looked in wonder as the scar on her face was gone, replaced by smooth olive skin. Looking over the rest of her body, not a single scar or unnatural blemish remained. "What do you have to say?"
The Latina girl chuckled at the woman's teasing, glad she was smiling again. "Thank you, my lady."
"You're very welcome, Hylla, and please call me Calypso." Hylla nodded and found herself being brought to her feet by the shorter woman, reminding her again that Calypso was surprisingly strong for her size.
"As you wish, Calypso." A thought struck her, and she bit her lip to prevent herself from blurting it, but her new mistress' gentle squeeze of her hands gave her confidence. "Would you be willing to also teach my sister? I'm not sure how safe she would be in the outside world, but I would prefer if she had as many tools to protect herself as possible."
"Sure, I will. In the morning, we can grab her and Hera's daughter as well. The more of you with magical knowledge, the safer we will be later on."
"Oh? So she isn't Hera anymore?"
"Who knows?" Calypso said in a singsong voice as she placed the crystal around her neck to settle on her generous chest. Hylla couldn't help but compare them to her own, only to find them severely lacking. Her body was tall and slender, and she was proud of how athletic it had become over the past year, yet her curves were lacking in comparison to her new mistress.
"I suppose we will find out." Hylla shook her head, she would not grow jealous over something like that. Plenty of mortals went mad from comparing themselves to the divine. "By the way, we have yet to solve the power deficit for the ritual."
"Have we not?" Calypso's giggle as she gently flicked the crystal around her neck had her gawking. Surely, it wasn't that simple?
"It certainly is. Heavens, it makes me fall in love with my hero again for being such an amazing help without even trying. Now, time for us to go to sleep. If we want to start our lessons, we must rise early in the morning."
Hylla smiled fondly as her new mistress led the way to the cabin area before stopping by her shared room with Reyna. Calypso waved good night as she continued to the Captain's cabin, Perseus' voice greeting her once she opened the door. The aspiring witch shook her head at how smitten the both of them were with each other - it made her wonder if there was someone like that for her in the wide outside world.
She opened her door to find Reyna gently snoring in her bed, and Hylla couldn't help the unbidden smile on her face.
Reyna would always come first.
P*O*D
Day 4 on Ogygia (Final day)
He lifted the heavy bar high over his head before lowering it to his shoulders. Repeating the exercise for ten reps, Percy lowered the bar to the ground, did ten jumping jacks and ten push-ups, then grabbed the easily over four-hundred-pound weights and lifted them again over his head. Percy's spare time on the island was completely dedicated to burning as much energy in training as possible, yet for good or for bad, his stamina had been endless. Perhaps it was the sea or Ogygia's magical nature, but it didn't matter; Percy had fallen in love with the training regiment, especially as he enjoyed the peace and quiet of his own corner of the island to do his thing without any interruptions from the girls.
… Who was he kidding? He was blue-balled as fuck!
Percy grunted as he increased the pace of his exercise; never in his life had he been teased so damn much without any sort of relief. The son of Poseidon couldn't even relieve himself in seclusion because of a certain warning from Chiron. As the son of the most powerful nature god among the Olympians, as well as being incredibly powerful in his own right, there was a real fear that his seed could give life to some kind of abomination if he spread it carelessly.
Percy remembered talking to his father about Antaeus, and Poseidon had let slip that his least favorite son was the result of a bad pull-out game.
Shaking his head at the dilemma he faced, he decided that there was nothing he could do about it except train harder before jumping into the sea and swimming with the Hippocampi… though he wished the water was colder instead of the pleasant warmth it was eternally on.
He idly wondered what the others were doing as he continued to train.
Calypso was off with the girls, all bonding over magic of all things, especially when the immortal sorceress took them on as students.
He chuckled as he thought of Reyna skiving off to fly around with Blackjack yesterday before he somehow managed to get her interested in sword practice. Percy wondered if she was doing the same right now.
Tyson was still in his workshop, though the demigod of the sea recalled Calypso asking his brother about something she was working on, and the cyclops eagerly agreed to help.
Thinking about the Titaness so much made him reminisce about the past few days, easily the best time of his life. Calypso was even more beautiful than he remembered, and the moment his eyes fell on her, all thoughts faded from his mind. Even now, Percy could still recall her soft lips on his own, and he could still feel the weight of her hefty chest in his hands and the few times they almost went too far.
Calypso's desire to take things properly was incredibly vexing for the hormonal teenager, as he resorted to his extreme training exercises to burn off his rising libido. Yet, Perseus Jackson was not one to deny his lover the respect and propriety she deserved, not to mention he was in favor of having an actual wedding where his mother could see him at his proudest moment.
She was always an old-fashioned woman, and while Sally Jackson would never admit to it, Percy knew she suffered greatly as a single mother, doubly so when she married Gabe. It was the reason she raised him to be careful with girls, or else he would prove to be his father's son and 'end up siring an army of kids before he was twenty'.
Percy held his father in high regard, but even he would admit Poseidon gave a new meaning to the word deviant, especially once he got around to learning about his exploits. Suffice to say, what the mortals say he did was but the tip of the iceberg.
The son of Poseidon just hoped he could keep his eyes from wandering, as despite Calypso's beauty, he would be a fool not to recognize how gorgeous Rachel and Hylla were. Still, his lover kept him quite distracted, though hopefully, he wouldn't be so distracted he would fail to notice people walking by their hiding spot again like Reyna did.
"Percy, over here!"
Speaking of the precocious child, Percy dropped the heavyweights on the sandy beach with a dull thud before turning to the younger girl as she waved at him from behind the trees.
"Reyna, weren't you supposed to be with Calypso? Or did you fly off with Blackjack again?"
He walked into the sea, willing the water to rise and clean him from the sweat. It still surprised him how this vast sea in front of him was actually fresh water, yet it listened to his commands as well as any sea. Even the Hippocampi loved it, as he brushed Cobalt's scales when he swam by to say hello.
"You have to stop Blackjack! He's gone mad."
Frowning at her urgent tone, Percy quickly put on his shirt and hurried after the girl deeper into the island. Within a few minutes, they were standing behind a tree, and Percy stared blankly at the scene in the meadow in front of him. There was a herd of beautiful horses that must have been magical in nature, yet his gaze was fixed on the sight of Blackjack among them.
"Reyna?"
"Y-Yes, Captain?" At least the girl sounded subdued and hesitant.
"What could possibly have made you think I would want to see my pegasus porking a couple of mares?"
The sound of horse neighs, wings flapping, and a particular guttural grunt, which translated so clearly in Percy's mind that he wanted to smash his head into the nearby tree, caused Reyna to shuffle awkwardly.
"They weren't… mating when I left. Blackjack was fighting the males of the herd, and some of them got hurt!" The young girl looked distressed, and Percy noticed that some stallions had bruises and bite marks but stared sullenly in defeat from a distance at their mares getting plowed.
"And why did he start a fight with them in the first place?"
"Because it's kinda my fault?" Percy gazed at the petite girl as she blushed deeply, "I-I didn't know he would understand me when I joked about wanting my own pegasus since he was yours."
Another loud grunt, and the winged horse whinnied loudly before quickly moving to another mare. Reyna looked strangely as Blackjack mounted the pretty golden/bronze horse. "Shouldn't he need rest?"
"Probably, but how would you know?" Needless to say, Percy was feeling incredibly awkward, and the fact he could understand those horses was worse. Who knew mares had rape fetishes?
"We had a stable on the island that the witch got on a whim. I was assigned to help the horses there for as long as I can remember, though the older workers did most of the work. I usually just brushed them and made sure they were comfy. They would always let me ride them around during exercise time."
"Huh," he looked at Reyna in a new light. "That explains how good of a rider you are. Practically born on the saddle, aren't you?"
"Yep." The younger girl giggled giddily as she fidgeted shyly on her feet. "I'm sure I'm not as good as you, but yes, I do love horses a lot."
Before he could rib her some more, a familiar breathy voice echoed in the wind.
"Percy, it is time. Bring Reyna to the Tree. We're all waiting."
"Did you hear that?" Reyna yelped excitedly.
"Yep, sounds like the girls are done with the preparations. Let's head on to the cliff, Blackjack clearly has everything under control here."
The girl nodded, only to grimace at another loud grunt and a neigh from the pegasus, and, glancing over, found him mounting yet another mare. The two of them hurried away, not willing to witness any more of this awkwardness.
At least, it completely killed his libido and proved he wasn't totally his father's son.
Calypso and Hera/Rachel bond easily. She doesn't actually know if Hera left a part of her in Rachel or not. She was simply making conjectures, and Rachel debunked her theory quickly enough. Or did she?
And we finally know how Rachel became a demigod. Yep, Hera fed Rachel her milk, a la Herakles. Though this time, it was hidden in a latte, lol. They say a mother's milk is the most nutritious thing to drink (so long as it's from the same species), now imagine what the Divine Mother's milk would be like.
Reyna has issues with guns, but she is a resourceful girl and surely would be able to make do with any kind of weapon instead. Being the daughter of a war goddess helps.
Hylla was raised to be a follower. How she managed to become queen would be a very interesting short story I would love to read, but sadly, all we got was she just did it. Here, she easily switches from her old mistress to a new, and much more worthy one. Anyone figured out who the owner of that shield was yet?
Poor Percy, getting blue balled like that must be torture. I will not be shying away from the fact he is the son of probably the most deviant god in Greek myth. Zeus has nothing on what Poseidon has done, lol.
I wanted to have them be gone to One Piece by the end of this chapter, but I had to establish the crew's dynamics first. Hope you all enjoyed it.
If you would like to read four chapters ahead, or just support me, feel free to join me on Patr(eo)n under the same pen name.