Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
A/N: Sorry for the short delay, life has been busy for me! Also small cliffhangers I know. But I hope you enjoy all the details this time with an introduction of a new character and some drama we all love very much.
LAST TIME:
"... His powers pertained to energy systems, souls, and infinity." Barbatos said as Percy's eyes slowly opened, the white color in his iris began to surface and completely fill eyes as they shone like deep wells. Pools of infinite white that swirled like a galaxy made of nothing but stars as he stared down at the gem that laid silent in his hand.
"Infinity… Energy system… Souls…" Percy whispered as his aura also began to shift and turn pure white as small tendrils of his aura began to lift and wrap up and slowly move forward as they began to gently touch the gem in front of it. Each tendril as tiny as a hair as they slowly began to touch the gem one by one as the gem began to vibrate ever so slightly.
"Where are you…" Percy whispered to himself yet again as he stared even harder at the gem more and more tendrils began to latch to the gem. Percy's eyes seemed to strain themselves even more as the deep wells of white began to expand until they took up his entire eye. Just then the space around him seemed to ripple ever so slightly and then freeze.
"YOU! STOP IMMEDIATELY!" Suddenly three female voices that were unfamiliar to Percy yelled at the same time. At the same time space seemed to crack in three places as three separate hands shot out at Percy at the same time to stop him in his path. Each of them reached for the gem in his hands as Percy didn't even have time to react.
NOW:
THIRD PERSON POV:
"Enough you three." Just then a whisper sounded in the room as a powerful presence flooded the room as it caused space itself to freeze in place. Keeping the three arms of the fates from moving even an inch closer to the gem. They simply shook as they tried to move closer, their goal only inches away yet they were trapped.
"Mother! What he is doing will tear apart millions of solidified fates! Destiny will crumble! The unknown will rule them all!" All three of them roared together, yet their arms remained frozen. Their attempts to flare their power to move were only met by a brick wall that was the presence that filled the room. Percy didn't even seem to notice what was happening around him as he simply continued to insert more and more threads into the gem as it began to levitate and glow ever so slightly.
"Maybe so… but to him this is necessary, so it is the path he will take and it is the path I will protect with my dying breath. Now go, before you regret your actions. Also if I ever see you take action about this again… prepare yourselves. This is your only warning." Ananke said in a calm but threatening tone as only silence ruled the room. Without words the three hands slowly retreated in an angry manner. Finally only Percy was left in the room but the presence of Ananke remained protecting the area.
With the threat of the 3 fates gone Ananke still kept an eye on him, a seal encasing the entire room shutting him off from the entire world. Percy's actions not only caused the fates to move but several other divines connected to fate or the future itself. Be it from the Greek or Roman pantheon or the Japanese or Chinese. The ripple this event already started to cause was starting to spread across the world. Thankfully Ananke was quick enough to seal off the source of the event before anyone besides the fates arrived.
"Found you! I knew he had a plan in place with this… Just makes me wonder how far in the future he truly saw. Thank you father, thank you so much for saving both of them." Percy said as blood dripped down his nose for the strain of his powers, runes and magic circles began to slowly appear on the surface of the gem containing Chaos' soul. Percy's aura then began to recede back into him as a sequence of runes began to suddenly appear around the gem as it began to float on its own. With that Percy stood up and began walking forward until he was standing right beside Sally's side.
"See you soon… mom." Percy said as he guided the soul gem above Sally's chest where it floated on its own. With that he retreated back a bit as the gem began to shine in a rainbow light, the lights filling the entire room as Percy's eyes slowly shifted back to his normal irises. He just watched in awe as Order's last gift was working its magic.
Multiple runes made of rainbow light began to spread all across the room as the outer shell of the gem began to slowly dissolve. Magic circles began to expand and slowly form multiple layers of circles around Sally's bed. Mythical symbols from Roman, Greek, Mayan, Japanese, and just about all the pantheons from Earth and even some of which were not from Earth littered the circles. In the middle of each of them sat an infinity signal acting as the core as it held them together. Slowly the shell finally dissolved as a new larger one was formed of multiple magical circles and runes.
Percy's eyes widened as a new figure was unveiled inside the orb of pure energy and magic. A see-through figure of Chaos herself appeared inside of the orb, her figure appearing to be sleeping as she floated silently in the air. Her soul appeared to be damaged and missing pieces of it though, as nearly half of it was completely gone. This made Percy feel a deep sadness in his gut as small streams of tears then began to fall down his face as he watched in silence.
Just then Sally's own body began to glow as a transparent figure began to rise from her body as a spitting image of Sally appeared right above her but below Chaos', and just like Chaos', her soul appeared tattered and missing pieces as well. Both souls floated silently as Percy continued to watch as he prayed for success, just then the runes began to spiral and the magic circles began to shine even more brilliantly. Inside the orb began to fill with pure white light as Percy was forced to close his eyes due to the brightness.
Yet not a single sound was heard from the orb, Percy could only hear his own breath and the rapid beating of his heart in his chest. Worry began to expand in his body as the blinding light was so intense even if he used the eyes of the creator he still couldn't see. Soon, seconds turned into minutes as time ticked away, after what seemed like an eternity the light finally began to dim allowing Percy to finally open his eyes and look at the scene before him.
Dancing particles of light now filled the air in the room completely as Percy looked around in amazement, as he looked around he suddenly noticed they all were slowly beginning to gather above the figure lying on the bed. Percy stared down at her as he heart soared in happiness as more and more tears fell from his eyes as he caught himself beginning to sob in happiness. Before him lay a stunningly beautiful woman, no longer did she appear like Sally Jackson from earth or Chaos the creator from the stars.
Having features of both Chaos and Sally she was the image of stunning beauty itself, hints of greek and western features peppering her face in perfection. Her hair was no longer brown with gray sprinkles, it was now a deep dark brown color with silver streaks that only added to her beauty. She had also seemed to de-age as she appeared about 28 years old, her youth fully returned to her with the transformation. Her height remained the same at 6 foot 1 and her body had also gained more elusive and eye-catching curves. Though all of it was well hidden deep under the blanket and gown she was wearing.
Percy cried happily as he watched the woman suddenly take a deep breath as a wave of relief passed over him. He could only reach forward and grab her hand as he seemed to be afraid she would disappear any moment. The machines on the wall monitoring her vitals showed all good as well, Percy could only continue to cry as he inwardly thanked Order a million times over. Percy already knew whatever Order's spells did, it not only saved both his mothers but also seemed to combine them into one body. Just then he felt the light in the room change a bit as he looked up as he noticed a change in the particles in the room.
He watched as the dancing particles in the room slowly conjoined until they began to form what looked like a string in the air. Millions of tiny particles formed the small piece of string as it gave off a brilliant golden light. Slowly the string came together and with the very last particle floating into the string a small glow of gold radiated off the now completed string. However it didn't seem to be done as the string began to move and with a tiny wiggle the two ends of the string met together.
It then began to slowly rotate in its new circular form as Percy grew a bit confused by the action. He just watched it continue to give off a brilliant glow as the string rotated and continued to speed up as it spun. Soon more and more light came from it until it finally twisted and formed an glowing infinity symbol. Seeing the string in its new form Percy could already tell that this was his mother's new string of fate, the infinity sign shape it took also gave Percy a feeling that it was more complex than a normal string of fate.
"It seems Order prepared more than I first thought." Suddenly Ananke spoke as Percy jolted a bit, previously he had not even noticed her acting, even when she saved him from the fates. Hearing her voice made his heart race but then he calmed down rapidly, he knew she only had good intentions for him.
"W-What does this mean?" Percy asked, looking upon the string and its special form.
"Infinity… also another term for immortality. If a string of fate is like this then it represents immortality in the individual that it is connected to." She said as Percy felt surprise fill his body as he stared down at his mother.
"S-So does that mean that…"
"Yes it does, your mother is now an immortal. Though it seems like a normal form of immortality… only age will not be able to take her life. It also seems that no normal god can dispel it either, her immortality is forever safe from prying hands." She said as Percy felt a wave of happiness wash through him, what child didn't want their mother to live forever?
"Having her back is already more than enough. Father just went and did something a bit extra giving her such a strong immortality, if only I could thank him… I swear I will not allow anything in this universe to harm her, not ever again." Percy said as if making a statement to the universe itself, hearing him Ananke couldn't help but let a smile appear on her lips.
"When she wakes up, tell her that yourself. Though I am sure she will be thoroughly confused. I am not sure of the magic Order used to fuse the two souls but from what I can tell their egos have fully merged. Some memories from both of them will exist while others are now gone, she will be in a confused state for a while. Also… because of their egos merging a completely new one has formed, don't expect her to be like either Sally or Chaos. Though similarities in them have been left unchanged it is not everything." Ananke warned as Percy just gave a soft smile.
"Even if she isn't the same as either of them I don't care, as long as she is alive and can live the life she wants I don't mind. I just hope… she doesn't resent me for bringing her back." Percy said as his voice saddened a bit at the end as Ananke remained silent for a minute.
"Neither Sally or Chaos would ever resent you for doing such a thing, I am sure once her mind straightens out and understands what happens she will only thank you." Ananke said as Percy nodded, wiping a few of his tears away as he gazed down at the sleeping women.
"For now though… I will hold onto this for safe keeping." She spoke as space split apart, revealing a slender hand as it reached out from it. With one soft motion, as if coaxing a puppy to come closer, the string quietly floated upwards and towards her. Percy didn't have a single complaint about this, leaving the string of fate with her. He didn't want it to fall into the wrong hands and Ananke seemed to have the authority over said wrong hands.
"Thank you sister, hopefully one day I will have enough power to watch over it myself. Who knows, maybe one day I will lay eyes on my own string of fate." Percy said as Ananke remained silent for a bit as Percy gave a small yawn signifying his exhaustion.
"One day perhaps." She said in a mysterious tone as Percy grew a bit curious as he blinked a bit trying to rid himself of the tiredness but failed to.
"Now get some rest, you have overworked your energy a bit activating Order's spells. I will keep an eye on you while you rest, so don't worry. Chaos… no that isn't right Sally… Hmmm… Salos? You or her are gonna have to think of a name for her at some point, anyways she will not awake anytime soon so please rest easy Brother." Ananke said as Percy nodded, feeling the tiredness quickly catching up to him. With another yawn he went over and pulled the chair closer as he plopped down in it as he continued to stay close to his mom.
With that Ananke's hand paused as the golden infinite string in her hand floated comfortably in her palm. Percy noticed her seeming to think as he looked up at the hesitant hand until she finally decided to speak.
"Also… take care of yourself a bit better, even though you have unlocked only a 3rd of the domain of the sea it puts too much strain on you. 15 minutes is your body's limit until you start to damage yourself, do not exceed it. If you continue to use your domains when your body is not ready… you will face only long term consequences. If you go over the limit too many times your internal injuries will simply accumulate and you may cripple your body. If you do, you won't be able to activate your domains at all in the future. Your body is not immortal and can only heal so much." She said as Percy sat there thinking as he took a deep breath and nodded, he had already guessed as much.
"I will make sure I keep it within the limits I promise, I need all the power I can get against Abyss. I don't want to seal the fate of myself and everyone I love because of my own stupidity. I assure you I will take care of myself, also I have two brilliant women making sure I keep everything in line." He replied with a soft chuckle as his lips made a soft smile, Ananke couldn't help but smile as well.
"Very well as long as you understand, one day I would like to meet them in person as well. See these soulmates that have fallen for my silly little brother. Now I must get going, those three are getting fussy." Ananke said with a sigh as Percy couldn't help but nervously laugh at both parts, he had a feeling if they met Ananke they would lose their marbles.
"See you soon sis, love you." Percy said as Ananke hand finally retreated into the space crack, slowly it closed up leaving Percy alone with his mom as she rested peacefully.
"See you soon Percy. Also it is best for either you or someone you greatly trust to take care of her until her mind straightens out." She replied back as Percy nodded and reached down and covered himself in a blanket as he felt the exhaustion finally overtake his mind. Soon his eyes began to slowly close and then snap open as he tried to stay awake, yet he was fighting an uphill battle as his head began to bob up and down as well, while this happened his eyes remained on the silently sleeping women in front of him.
"See you in the morning mom… when you wake up we can have a long chat about anything on your mind. Hopefully your memories aren't too convoluted, but even if they are. I will help in any way I can." Percy said as he finally fell asleep as a light snore fell from his lips as his body slumped to the side.
LINEBREAK: A few days later
THIRD PERSON POV:
"That should be everything." Zoë said, patting the black backpack as Percy nodded, with that he picked up the bag and put it on his back as he adjusted it. Zoë and Hestia just stared at him as Percy adjusted his zip up jacket a bit. His normal black hoodie was now a fitting stylish brown leather zip up jacket with a pocket on each chest. It also had a fabric hood that was a very dark red color. The eye of Sauron still remained on the back of it though as it was also the same color as the hood.
The two simply continued to stare at him as he fumbled around with his new jacket a bit and made sure everything was in place. together with a slightly tight gray v-neck shirt that said 'bad decisions make great stories', fitting denim jeans, and black sneakers Percy was a sight to take in. Not to mention his already stunning handsome face, that always seemed to have a mischievous grin on it, seemed to improve more since he had gotten his domain. With his face now finally fully healed it was the first time they got a good look at him as they felt their cheeks flush a bit.
Sensing their stares he a small grin spread on his face as he even posed for them a bit as they blushed harder. Zoë rolled her eyes but still couldn't help but stare as Hestia had to turn away since her face was blushing so hard. Since he had grown to 6 foot 2 and his build had changed to that of a seasoned warrior he was almost like a Greek god.
"Like what you see?" He asked curiously with his normal mischievous grin as Zoë snorted a bit as Hestia glanced back at him as her cinder eyes seemed to sparkle a bit.
"What if I do? Gonna do something about it?" Zoë asked, giving him her own mischievous grin as Percy's grin seemed to transform into a seductive smile as he walked closer to the two.
"Maybe I will." He said in a calm but deep tone as his hand reached up and played with a bit of her hair as Zoë didn't back down as her gaze met his. Lust and love grew between the two with their locked eyes and heartbeats that were rapidly increasing, their bodies seeming to fidget a bit as hot emotions started to fill their minds.
"W-Was last night not enough for you two?" Hestia suddenly asked to pull the two out of their own little world as they both blushed deeply, their gazes torn away from one another as they looked down at the equally embarrassed and adorable goddess. As they looked down at the shorter goddess, certain memories of last night filled their minds, flustering them just a little.
PLEASE SEE CHAPTER 22.5 FOR SMUT OF PERCY'S EALRY DEPARTING GIFT
"I mean… Is it wrong to want you two every night?" Percy asked with a small grin as Hestia blush continued to grow as Zoë's did the same.
"N-No." Both Hestia and Zoë said at the same time as they glanced at one another as their blushes deepened. Percy also seemed a bit flustered from their answer as he swallowed a bit of saliva in his mouth.
"A-Anyways! Like we talked about, when your mom wakes up we will let you know. Zoë and I will watch over her in turns along with Cammy, if she does end up waking up we will try to explain everything we can to her and wait on your return. Also we haven't talked about it yet but she is more than likely going to need to adapt and possibly need some physical rehabilitation, do you have a plan for that?" Hestia said, getting to the matter at hand as Percy nodded.
"Cammy already offered to nurse her back to perfect health and didn't seem to take no for an answer. Though I am forcing her to return to the nest every weekend to get some rest, that girl simply won't stop if I don't. I was hoping to actually have her stay at the hunters main camp while she recovered and once her mind is better return to society and live not too far from us and the kids." Percy said as the two nodded, giving it some thoughts.
"That doesn't sound like a bad plan, you will just need to talk to Artemis about it to verify any loose ends. Seeing as you two are going to be hand in hand for the next while it should be a perfect opportunity to talk to her." Hestia said in a slightly jealous tone as Zoë and Percy gave her a soft smile, in one instant the small goddess earned two kisses in succession as Hestia gave a flustered and golden face when Percy and Zoë finished.
"D-Don't do that so suddenly." Hestia said embarrassed as she fiddled a bit in place as the two seemed to want to gobble her up right then and there.
"I will talk to Artemis about it and get things settled. I am sure she will agree, if not I have a few backup plans just in case." Percy said getting back on track as Zoë nodded as Hestia calmed down a bit.
"Well… take care of yourself." Zoë said with pleading eyes as Percy nodded with a confident smile.
"Of course, if anything happens you two will be the first to know." He said as he leaned forward and shared a short and sensual kiss between the two women. Each of them enjoying the feeling of their lips on each other and the scent that filled their nostrils. Percy even went as far as wrapping them in a deep hug and kissing them, after several minutes Hestia and Zoë both had very hot faces as they looked at Percy as he gave them a smile.
"Don't have too much fun when I'm gone you two. I am going to say goodbye to Zora and Ryder." He said walking out of the room leaving Hesita and Zoë alone for the moment as the two calmed down a little.
"Stupid male, getting me all riled up like that and leaving." Zoë suddenly said in a frustrated tone as she patted her face a little trying to calm down faster. She then walked over to the wardrobe and fished out a clean pair of panties, clearly their goodbye kiss was a bit more than she could handle. She suddenly stopped as she glanced back at the somewhat calm Hestia as she caught her gaze.
"W-What?" Hestia managed to stutter out as Zoë kept her stare on her.
"Are you going to walk around with soaked underwear all day?" She asked as Hestia's cheeks went pure gold, but the goddess simply started to walk to her dresser and did the same as Zoë and retrieved a fresh pair of panties as well.
"Hehe I knew it, seems like I wasn't the only one left wanting more. Especially after last night's shenanigans."
"Z-Zoë, Y-YOU!"
LINEBREAK:
"You two be good, got it? Especially you Zora." Percy said hugging the two as a sheepish Zora gave a sad nod. Ryder on the other hand gave a semi-proud look towards his defeated sister as Percy gave a small chuckle. After a long hug he gave them a kiss on the forehead and released them.
"When are you going to be back?" Ryder asked as Percy gave it some thought.
"Maybe a few weeks, nothing to worry about. Though I hear I may be going to California, anything you two want as souvenirs? Of course you will only get them if you behave." Percy said as the two eyes lit up.
"New sharky! Bluey is lonely without a friend." Zora said referring to her stuffed shark as Percy gave a fake thinking face but nodded in the end as Zora gave a happy smile and jumped up and down in joy.
"More legos sets?" Ryder asked him as Percy gave him a curious glance.
"How many?" He suddenly asked as Ryder seemed stunned by the question, he was never allowed to choose how many he got.
"Uhhhhhh… 5!" He said confidently, holding out his hand as Percy laughed and ruffled his blue hair as Ryder gave a laugh.
"I will see what I can do." Percy said as he suddenly noticed Zora staring at him as her hands fiddled with each other.
"Do you want more plushies?" He asked her as she gave a shy nod.
"You will have to talk to mama if you want more. You are still grounded after all." He said as Zora gave a small huff but nodded again.
"Alright you two, bring it in one more time. I love you two." He said hugging the two again as the two hugged him with all their strength. Percy felt the air nearly leave his lungs due to Ryder's strength, but he just smiled in turn.
"I love you daddy."
"Love you."
"Awwww… you three are so cute." The voice of Hestia suddenly said with a soft click of a camera as Percy turned to see Hestia holding his old polaroid, she just gave him a grin as the picture printed itself out.
"Thought you might want this. Snap us some photos of the country." Hestia said as Percy smiled as he released his children and took the camera from her as he hung it around his neck giving his look a bit extra flare.
"Will do milady." Percy said with a wink to her as Hestia rolled her eyes as Zoë did the same as she entered the room.
"Alright off with you, don't keep Artemis waiting. You know how she gets." Zoë said, shooing him away as Zora and Ryder ran up to her and stood beside her. Percy just paused when he suddenly pulled up the camera, seeing his actions everyone gave a brilliant smile as he snapped the photo as it quickly printed itself out.
"One for me, one for you." He said with a smile as Hestia and Zoë gave him a loving smile.
"Come on, get going." Hestia said slightly reluctantly now as Percy gave a nod, with one last quick kiss with Hestia and Zoë and a forehead kiss for Zora and Ryder he was off.
LINEBREAK:
"I can't believe they blew up a bus in the first… 20 minutes of a quest. Truly those three are unrivaled." Artemis said to Percy as he couldn't help but nod, currently the two watched from a distance as Jake, Annabeth, and Grover all ran from the burning bus as several monsters gave horrendous screeches of pain as they were burned alive. Percy never would have guessed that what appeared to be the furies were the first step of their quest.
"Still, what is Hades thinking? Sending the furies after some demigods." Percy said as Artemis glanced at him as he frowned a bit.
"They aren't the real furies if you're wondering." Artemis said as Percy paused and then looked at Artemis in slight confusion.
"What do you mean?" He asked as Artemis continued to stare at the three disappear into some woods nearby.
"Have you ever encountered monsters who are simply… different the second time you met them?" She asked as Percy couldn't help but think of the minotaur and a few other instances.
"A few yes, like the minotaur, the one that nearly killed me years ago and the one I met a few weeks ago. Both were completely different." He said as Artemis gave a soft nod after a short pause as her memories of the time surfaced.
"Think of it like this, mythical monsters like the minotaur or hydra have what you could say is a main body and then sub bodies. Each sub body only has a fraction of the main body's power, yet it is still deadly to many. I am not sure what caused the monsters to have this ability but they do, along with their reforming abilities it makes for a bitch. If the real furies were here they would have torn that entire bus apart and the three included." Artemis said as Percy frowned a bit, imagining the scene angered him quite a bit as he shook his head.
"Well that's good to know. Hopefully they don't…" Percy stopped talking as Artemis turned her head towards him with a glare as Percy pursed his lips.
"Not another word, I don't know what it is but your words always have jinxes attached to them. Maybe it is an unknown power you have, now let's get going." Artemis said as Percy just nodded keeping his lips sealed shut as he quickly followed behind the 18 year old Artemis as they followed after the trio, currently Artemis appeared to be like any other hunter but a bit less silver. To blend in a bit with society she also took the appearance of a person who was about to go on a hike.
The two quickly got to the woods as they jumped tree to tree in nearly perfect silence, Artemis glanced back at Percy as he followed her easily. Slightly impressed with his performance she gave a satisfactory nod as Percy shot her a grin. Rolling her eyes a bit she turned away as she hid a slight blush on her cheeks. This whole week had been a rollercoaster for her and it appeared she still hadn't gotten off the ride just yet. Percy's new attire wasn't helping either, it suited him greatly and she had already caught herself staring a few times. It all started with that night with Hera…
'Focus Artemis! No stray thoughts! You're on a quest!' She mentally yelled at herself as she rested on a tree branch as she stared at the group as they continued their journey.
'You know-.' Diana said but Artemis shut her out of her mind as quickly as she spoke. Diana's very point observation about her emotions annoyed her to no end. She needed time before she tried to decipher her feelings that she wasn't ready for or that she had suppressed and were finally rising up. She just needed time and yet fate never seemed to give her any, suppressing the slight golden tint on her cheeks she focused on the task at hand.
Like this the two followed the trio as time passed, Percy not saying a word and neither did Artemis. Even though they were silent the two seemed to have conversations with their eyes and hands as they directed each other. Their eyes were peeled to spot any dangers, yet none seemed to come as the time trickled by. Both goddess and demi-creator slowly grew bored as time slowly passed, still the two remained vigilant as a new building came into sight.
"Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium… Part of me wants to say… trap?" Percy said, glancing at Artemis as the goddess stared at the building in silence as she put on a thinking face.
"Hmmm… you're probably right." Artemis said as Percy nodded watching the three go into the building.
"Wait, do monsters run legitimate businesses?" Percy couldn't help but ask as Artemis tilted her head side to side as she seemed to think for a bit.
"Some do, they are even used by Olympus sometimes, take for example some dryads run orchards and such. There is a hellhound hunting dog service that I am aware of, also a search and rescue harpy business as well. Some on the other hand no, tax fraud and all that. The IRS is ruthless, mythical or mortal." Artemis said as Percy jaw dropped from her explanation, apparently he was more misinformed about the monsters of this world that he first thought.
"Wait wait, why do I feel that some monsters provide businesses like murder and such? Isn't that illegal?" He couldn't help but aske as Artemis glanced at him.
"By mortal means yes, but by mythical… it is mostly ignored. Unless they don't pay their taxes or target demigods." Artemis finished as Percy was thrown through a loop, again with the taxes. Was the IRS really that bad… nevermind don't answer that.
"Anyways what monster do you th-." Percy suddenly froze however as he sensed a presence shooting right at him as a shield appeared instantly on his arm.
*BANG*
Something huge slammed into Percy, sending him flying through the treetops smashing into branches as he shook off the shock and instantly corrected his center of gravity and landed right on the side of a tree. Crimson Sky took a Kopis form as it slammed deep into the tree keeping him from falling as Percy focused on what just slammed him off the tree.
"DON'T LOOK!" Suddenly Artemis' voice screamed at him as his vision froze in place. It has stopped only a few inches from the face of the beast as a massive black snake-like body that was slowly wrapping itself around the three Percy was on moments ago. A woman's body sat on the top of the nearly 20 foot long snake body though, a poison-like green colored greek armor was wrapped around the body of the curvy body of the woman. In one of her hands was a whip and in the other was a two pronged spear, Percy's vision cut him off right at the neck of the women as black king cobras rested on her shoulders, each hissing at him as they seemed ready to tear him apart.
"Awww you are no fun Artemisss, I almossst had myssself a sssstunningly handsssome ssstatue." The women spoke in a middle eastern accent with a hint of snake tongue as Percy felt his spine tingle a bit from the woman's sultry and enticing tone. Just her voice was enough to make one look at her as Percy forced himself to close his eyes as he took a deep breath.
"I am going out on a limb here and guessing Medusa?" Percy asked as he only heard a light laugh from the monster in front of him as he heard her body slowly moving.
"Perhapsss, it dependsss are you with that child of Athena and the other two who ssstrayed into my gorgonsss nessst?" She whispered into the air as Percy's senses focused on the voice as he found her already closer to him, with one movement Percy's Kopis was ripped out of the tree as he dropped to the ground and kept his back against the tree. Taking slow breaths Percy senses slowly spread out as he located the slithering noise of the large women.
"Hey Artemis, any chance you can help me out?" Percy couldn't help but asked as the goddess remained quiet for a second.
"Not unless your life is in danger." She said as Percy gave a small nod, he figured as much. Quests had their own rules that needed to be followed by every god, even Zeus himself was forced to follow the rule of limited godly aid unless things were dire. Even if Artemis couldn't help Percy he didn't mind too much, if something went wrong she would fry the monster. Until then… he was forced to face a deadly opponent.
"Haha! You godsss and your sssilly rulesss." The women mocked as Percy put up his guard as she seemed to be coming down from the trees.
"Hey I know we just met and this is kinda rude… but can you speak normally? The whole snake lady vibe with the long S is creepy and is killing the mood." Percy joked as he swore he heard a snort of laughter from Artemis as the monster lady seemed to freeze in place, just then his senses picked up on an aura of anger flooding from the women as he grinned a bit.
"Y-You fucking idiot! I will turn you into the ugliest statue on this planet!" She roared angrily as Percy snorted a bit.
"Please I am too handsome to be anywhere near ugly, I would like to see you try!" Percy said as his own aura spike as he felt the wind whistle. Instantly he raised his shield just in time for him to block a whip as it snapped right into his shield.
*BANG*
Percy was forced back a few feet from the force of the strike, in an instant his feet were running forward as he moved to attack as well. Just as he approached the women his aura suddenly burst outwards like a bubble covering gnarly 20 feet around him. Artemis' eyes widened as it covered both him and the Medusa in front of him as Percy seemed to focus in on her as soon as she appeared inside the aura bubble.
"W-What?" Medusa yelled as Percy lunged at her swinging his kopis down on her spear, Medusa deflated his blow as her arm shook a bit. If you took away the tail and replaced it with legs she would have stood maybe 10 feet tall proportionally speaking. This put Pery at a disadvantage as he attacked her, yet his strength somehow matched hers as she was forced back just a little.
"You think you're the first monster I have fought in pitch black darkness?" Percy asked with a scoff as his body twirled while in midair and his foot instantly found her gut. Stomping as hard as he could, Percy flew away from her and landed on a tree branch as Medusa coughed a bit as she held her stomach as she gave Percy an angry face. The king cobras making up her hair all hissing at him in unison.
"It seems I need to get serious with you boy." She spat out as Percy grinned a bit and spun his kopis in hand a little.
"Please by all means, do get serious. I need to loosen my muscles after being bedridden for so long." Percy said stretching a bit as Medusa grew more furious in turn,
"DIE!" She screamed as several of the snakes in her hair began to glow at the mouth as Percy frowned, in an instant he evaded their focus as the snakeheads followed him. Just then beams of pure green shot out of the snake's mouths as Percy narrowly dodged them as he weaved himself around them. Percy suddenly felt the area his aura was hit by the beams dissipate a bit leaving him blind, at the same time he also could tell anything those beams touched was turned to stone in an instant.
"Percy!" Artemis yelled as she pulled out her bow and arrow ready to attack but stopped as she saw Percy avoiding the beams as he weaved in and out of the trees. The now stone part of the trees cracked and broke but mostly remained standing as sections of them were turned to stone. With a flip Percy landed on the ground and began to race around the monster as he began to focus as his Kopis began to show a deadly red glow in his hand.
"Is that all you got, beast?" Percy egged her on as Medusa roared in anger as more and more laser or pure petrification shot towards him. Like a fish in water… pun intended… Percy weaved in between trees, deflecting beams that got to close with his shield as he circled Medusa at high speeds. She even tried to strike Percy with her whip but failed as his speed only increased further as he became a blur in the forest surrounding her. Artemis also noticed that his camouflage would activate at perfect intervals when he hid from sight and he changed directions instantly.
'He is quicker than I remember.' Diana said in Artemis' mind as the goddess couldn't help but agree with her other half as she watched in slight awe. For the first time in a long time Artemis saw Percy fight in full as he made a mockery of the legendary monster Medusa.
"Enough running!" Medusa roared as suddenly all the snakes in her hair began to light up with a deadly green light as her whip hand began to lash out rapidly. She also began to suddenly chase him as Percy frowned a bit as more than 50 green beams of pure energy began to light up the night sky as all of them were focused right on Percy as she chased him. Her whip rapidly lashed out as any tree in her wake was turned to pure stone and smashed apart by her huge body.
Percy continued to dodge rapidly but his shield was deflecting blows more and more as he grimaced. His shield arm numbed more and more from each blow as he frowned even more, his situation turning bad rapidly. With his aura field dissipating with each green laser, faster than it was repaired. Seeing his options lessen by the second he finally decided to pull on his powers as he felt the normal tug in his gut. The pain however was several times more than he expected as he gritted his teeth, his body was still recovering and it appeared using his powers was still very difficult.
His Kopis shifted to its spear form as black lightning covered Percy rapidly as well as his spear, the pain flaring in his body as he was forced to hasten his movements. With a twist of his body he dodged 5 deadly beams that petrified a tree and an innocent frog. With a kick off the ground his twist turned into a spin in the air as Percy threw his spear forward with all the strength he could. He then fell to the ground and rolled behind a tree as the spear shot towards Medusa.
The spear shot forward like a black beam of light, tearing through the air at incredible speed but Medusa reacted instantly in her enraged state. Her long black scaled tail shot forward and wrapped around the spear instantly stopping it a foot from her chest. The black lighting sparked erratically but it seemed to have little effect on her tail as she just snarled in anger and then threw the spear deep into the woods as she continued to chase after Percy.
*BOOM*
Another 3 foot wide tree was blown apart as she smashed it apart sending debris of rock and wood everywhere in the woods. More dust filled the already cloudy air as Medusa looked around yet found no Percy in sight as her face scrunched up in even more anger. Her head began to look around rapidly but found nothing as the beams from her king cobras stopped but the glowing ball in front of each mouth didn't dissipate.
"Little boyyyy, come to big sister. I want to give you a big kiss." Medusa suddenly spoke in a sensual and magical voice, something similar to charmspeak filled the air as it seemed to make it vibrate a bit. Soon small animals began to flock to Medusa as she didn't seem to care at all as they were squashed under her massive body as she continued to look around. Her eyes glowing a very dark green as she appeared to be an apex predator at its most deadly.
"Come now, no need to hide." She said again as the air vibrated with more magic but only silence filled the air as she began to slowly frown. Just then a soft crunch of leaves was heard as her head snapped around to find Percy slowly taking lumbered steps towards her. Even though his eyes were still closed his face showed a soft, asleep like state as her frown turned into a victorious sneer.
"That's it, come closer." She purred once again as she turned to face Percy as he seemed to be caught in whatever form of charmspeak she was using. She even went as far as to lower her body closer to the ground, her whip and spear were soon set on the ground just within reach. As soon as Percy took the last step to be in her reach Medusa couldn't help but smile even brighter as she reached out and cupped his tiny face, her hand covering nearly half of his face.
"Good boy." She said happily as Percy stood still as she turned his head up to look at her only to see his still closed eyes as she frowned a bit.
"If you want your kiss you need to open your eyes." She continued, laying on the magic even thicker as Percy's eyelids quivered every so slightly a slight frown spread across his face. Medusa also frowned in turn as she found the demigods' resistance more outstanding than she had hoped for.
"Just a quick peek, come on boy. For the kiss." She urged him on as Percy suddenly mumbled something that she couldn't hear as her eyebrows furrowed a bit. He continued to mumble as Medusa grew a bit impatient and curious, seeing that her magic was barely holding him she decided to not attack him. Instead the monster leaned in to hear what he was saying, as when she was only about a foot and half away she was finally able to.
"You should have killed me the second I got this close." Suddenly all the nerves in Medusa fired at once as she saw a black mask cover Percy's face in an instant. In a single moment 50 green beams shot from Medusa's king cobras right at Percy, however she was too late. Right before they landed two almost sickening red eyes and a malicious and evil smile cracked open on the black mask.
"Slow." A condescending voice filled the air as the shot word was all that was heard as the beams landed. As they did, a massive cloud of pitch darkness exploded outwards filling the area around Medusa and Percy.
"AHHHH!" A scream of agony exploded from Medusa, as her massive body was thrown out of the darkness with extreme force. Artemis who was just about to shoot her arrow was shocked to see the large body of Medusa be thrown so easily as it crashed through trees of stone and normal ones with ease. Her body rolled a few times before Medusa came to a stop as she coughed out greenish blood that made the ground sizzle a bit.
"W-What?" Medusa managed to say in pure confusion as she looked down to see an indent of a huge fist on her green armor. The armor nearly broke from the strike as Medusa looked down at it with fear in her eyes.
"So fragile." A somewhat dark sounding voice filled the air as Artemis and Medusa both looked at the cloud of darkness to find a 13 foot tall lanky individual slowly walking out from it. His limbs disproportionate to his body gave him a terrifying look, his entire body seemed to be made of a singular black substance that distinguished no clothes or anything. No muscles or anything could be seen, only flat black curves that made his body seem semi human.
As both women saw his masked face with two flat red eyes and one big red smile, it made them shiver a little, it was like it was dancing on the very edge of madness itself. The figure then stopped as it glanced up at Artemis as the goddess gulped a little, she knew of this form. It was the very one Percy used to save the hunt from the minotaur so long ago, Phoebe and the girls had only told her stories of it. She finally understood just what the girls were talking about and why they described it as a corrupted clown.
"Come, I don't have all night." He said as he finally turned his vision to Medusa as the monster woman gritted her teeth as her very eyes and her hair began to glow the sickly green color. Alpha just smiled more as it seemed to grow more and more grotesque each second as his crouched down and his claws moved like spider legs. Medusa just gave a roar or fury as one basketball size beam and multiple baseball sized ones all shot towards the creature at insane speeds.
"HAHAHA!" A crazy laugh filled the air as Alpha didn't move a single inch and instead took all the beams head on as they crashed into him. Artemis watched in horror as her body shook a bit as Alpha continued to laugh and laugh as his body petrified rapidly. Seconds later he was completely encased in stone as Medusa let out a heavy breath, yet her eyes were filled completely with surprise as she blinked a few times looking at the insane statue in front of her.
"P-Percy?" Artemis muttered out in complete shock, she had expected his form to move or something but instead it simply tanked the killer shot head on. Multiple feelings began to burn inside her as her anger began to swell, she then turned to Medusa with intent to kill as she aimed her arrow as moonlight filled the deadly projectile.
'WAIT!' Suddenly Diana's voice filled her mind, waking Artemis from her anger as her feelings felt all over the place.
'WHY? DIDN'T YOU SEE WHAT JUST HAPPENED?' Artemis yelled at her in her mind as it rang with anger.
'He isn't done yet.' Diana said simply as Artemis blinked a bit and then turned to the statue as suddenly cracks began to spread all over the statue as her eyes widened immensely. Medusa's eyes also began to widen, even the king cobras filling her hair seemed to fall back as immense pressure began to fill the area. From the cracks on the statue a black misty aura began to leak out as more and more filled the area around it.
*BOOM*
"HAHAHAHAHA! EXCELLENT!" An evil almost clown-like laugh filled the air as chunks of stone shot out in all directions. Alpha stood in the clearing as he continued to laugh almost happily as the smile on his mask parted revealing a mouth of jagged shark-like teeth as his laugh grew even louder.
"Y-You're crazy." Medusa managed to get out as fear began to slowly fill her mind. This beast… No, this demon-like entity was nothing she had ever seen before. Deep down she felt an almost instinctual fear fill her body as her instincts told her to obliterate this thing's existence or run while she had the chance.
"Crazy? Me? No no no no no I prefer the term silly! I was a Jester after all!" It shouted happily as it began to slowly take steps towards Medusa. The woman gripped her spear in fear as green beams began to gather from the snakes in her hair, clearly she decided to kill the monster in front of her.
"P-Percy, are you okay?" Artemis' voice suddenly filled the air, stopping Alpha and Medusa as Alpha turned Artemis as the goddess pulled back ever so slightly as she met Alpha's eyes.
"The boy is fine, he just needed a bit of extra firepower that his body couldn't provide at the moment. So stay up on your branch and watch the show for a bit, your boyfriend will be back shortly." Alpha said with a snicker at the end as Artemis' cheeks suddenly went gold in embarrassment, she also felt a bit of anger well up inside her as well. How dare this monster assume that… t-they were d-dating!
"What? What do you mean she isnt your girlfriend? You need to step up your game Percy! On my planet if we like someone we would simply tell them right out! We would even challenge each other to duels to-. I am not being nosey! You shut up! Bahhh! Coward!" Alpha suddenly started talking to himself confusing both goddess and monster but Artemis seemed to understand that he was talking to Percy, hearing the one sided conversation brought a golden blush to her cheeks though.
'D-Does Percy l-like me? T-That's impossible, he is in a relationship with Zoë and Hestia already. How dare he go after another maiden goddess! Does this boy have no bounds? Besides I am already having a hard time processing things that happened with Hera. What the hell is going on with my life! Why must everything be so confusing! Wait… the river of love Zoë mentioned… it couldn't possibly…'
While Artemis was having a mental crisis that seemed to freeze her and Diana's mind, Alpha was currently smiling and chuckling as he walked closer to Medusa as she retreated a little with each of his steps.
"Awww is the little snake scared?" Alpha asked in a teasing voice as Medusa growled as the intensity of the beams grew from each of her snakes. The petrification from simply meeting her eyes had no effect on him as he stared right down at her as his insane grin grew.
"I am Medusa! Queen of the gorgons! I am afraid of nobody! Now come fight me you freak!" She roared in anger as Alpha grinned happily.
"Excellent! Everything about you is just so perfect! Attitude, power, presence, instinct, and everything else! You will make a perfect slave! I knew it!" He roared happily as the air grew silent from Medusa as she was finally pushed over the limit.
"AAAHHHHHH!!!" She roared in pure fury as the beams in her hair fired and the spear in her hand was thrust forward.
A/N: Hello everything! I am sorry for the late post but life has been a bit busy. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, from the reveal of Sally and Chaos fusion. Need a name for her still lol. To the reintroduction of Alpha and the very confused Artemis who just has a lot going on hehe. Also slave Medusa? Oh ho!
E/N: We did not discuss this potential of Slave!Medusa.. Although I am not mad at it at all! Anyway you are slowly getting better with each passing chapter, but sadly it seems that TTCOCR will be getting a small hiatus, as the fans crave Dark Gamer content! We shall give them what they want, with heavy scrutiny for hating on TTCOC! - Sol.