Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
LAST TIME:
"What about my goodbyes?" Artemis asked suddenly in a pouty tone as Mayleen pulled away from me and then jumped towards the goddess and hugged her as well. Seeing how Mayleen interacted with Artemis I already had a solid guess about my future, but I kept my lips shut for now. The seconds quickly ticked away until Mayleen let go of Artemis and suddenly gave her a peck on the cheek and then ran towards the ripple in space.
"See you soon!" She said with a wave and a smile, in a moment she was gone as space consumed her and the ripples dispersed in a matter of seconds.
"Such a sweet girl." Artemis said with a soft sigh as I looked at her as her face was filled with a bit of sadness.
"No need to be sad, like she said she will see us soon. Though I am not sure when I feel that she isn't lying. Also I'm happy you cheered up a bit, a smile suits you better than a frown or angry face.." I said as Artemis suddenly blushed pure gold as her eyes tried to look angry but failed.
"S-Shut up! I'm still mad at you!"
NOW:
TIMESKIP: Several days later
"They are running out of time." Artemis said as Percy couldn't help but nod. The days had passed by quickly without a single glance from the trio outside the building. Finally it was down to the last day and to say the least the goddess and demicreator were starting to sweat bullets.
"It seems it is necessary to act, it looks like you're up to bat." Artemis said as she looked at Percy as he pursed his lips a little and seemed to be thinking until a mischievous grin spread on his face. Seeing the grin on his face Artemis suddenly felt like she had made a mistake.
"You cannot blow up the building! Even if it is an evil place!" Artemis suddenly yelled at him as Percy put on a hurt face.
"You really expect me to really blow up a building? How cruel of you to assume I would do such a thing." Percy said in a fake hurt tone as he batted his eyes at Artemis' as her eyebrow twitched in anger. He only continued to bat his eyes at her as Artemis' forehead wrinkled in anger as her arm began to shake as well.
"Shut up!" Artemis angrily said as she punched Percy's side as Percy was instantly thrown to the ground due to the goddess' strength. Percy could only cough and groan on the ground in pain as he hugged his side as Artemis let out a huff of anger through her nose.
"You're so cruel to me, I have injuries." Percy said in a pained voice as Artemis just stared down at him with an eyebrow raised and a face of judgment.
"Get up, you are fine. I didn't even hit you that hard." She said with a scoff as Percy looked up at her for a second and then sighed as he picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off. Percy then looked down at the goddess as she continued to just stare at him with her hands on her hips. Though her face was one of judging him her silvery eyes were still full of calmness with a hint of something else.
"You know, your display of positive emotions to men is very tomboyish." Percy told her as Artemis' cheeks suddenly blushed a faint gold as her face changed to one of anger and embarrassment.
"Perseus!" She roared angrily as Percy shot her a wink and jumped off the building before Artemis could do anything to him. She ran to the edge of the building just in time for her to see his body seem to disappear into the environment around him. In a moment he was already shooting towards the casino, Artemis nearly screamed in anger but held herself back as she let out a long frustrated sigh.
'His quips are getting better, even I blushed a little.' Diana said to her as Artemis pursed her lips as a frustrated face grew on her face.
'You hush! J-Just give me time to think, it has only been a few days. I'm still processing all this new information he dropped on me. Also why does he insist on quipping at me and trying to get me to react to him? I don't understand that boy at all!' Artemis said to Diana as the roman goddess stayed silent for a minute.
'You and I share the same mind Artemis. You think I am any less confused than you? Being a soulmate candidate is huge information for us, not to mention it is not only him but Zoe, Hestia, and… more than likely Hera. Not to mention how 3 of our domains reacted to Mayleen… you felt it right?' Diana said as Artemis pursed her lips in a straight line as a stir of emotions plagued her mind.
'I know I know. You don't have to actually say it… should we even tell Hera about all this?' Artemis asked in a silent tone as her eyes squinted a bit as her emotional turmoil grew even more.
'Let us wait, we still haven't thought of a way to explain our feelings to her and she seems to be in the same situation as us. Confused and… worried about what to do next. With this soulmate info we just got it is even more complicated, I am sure Percy doesn't even know about Hera yet. For now let us just think and figure out… what we want and let Percy do as he pleases. His quips are just a way for him to express his feelings towards us without actually using affectionate words.' Diana slowly said in a worried voice herself as Artemis slowly nodded.
'It still frustrates me though, I haven't made up my mind about anything and he just keeps… saying stupid things!' Artemis internally screamed as gold tinted her cheeks a little as she grinded her teeth a bit. Suddenly laughter filled her mind as Artemis gave a confused look as Diana continued to laugh for a bit, finally she was able to calm herself down and speak.
'You're really frustrated that he called you a tomboy? I must say you pick the most peculiar things to be embarrassed by!' Diana said with an imaginary grin on her face as Artemis seemed ready to explode as her cheeks were fully gold now.
'SHUT UP! I could feel you were embarrassed and frustrated as well! Don't try to hide it!' Artemis inwardly yelled at Diana, but before the roman goddess could respond suddenly a small explosion erupted from one of the floors. Artemis froze as she stared in disbelief as a fire and smoke began to spread from the destroyed window.
"I told him not to blow up the buildin-!"
*BOOM!*
LINEBREAK:
PERCY POV:
'I thought Artemis told you not to blow up the building.' Barbatos said in my head as I tossed another bottle of greek fire mixed with troll's blood into an empty room. A simple snap of my fingers was all that was needed as a small flame appeared above my hand as it slowly drifted into the room as I ran away.
*BOOOM!!*
"I'm not, I swear on my life, I'm simply starting a fire. This building is a lotus den, it is nearly impossible to start a fire without special means. The fire will spread and break the magic on the building and everyone will evacuate. Simple right?" I said as I pulled out another bottle of my favorite explosive from my backpack as I went up another floor.
'Hmm… your plan actually makes sense in a way. It's just that you forgot something.' Barbatos said as I raised an eyebrow, the bottle in my hand was again tossed into another empty room and snapped my fingers again creating another small flame.
"What would that be?" I asked as I quickly ran back to the stairs as I froze in place. A pulse seemed to spread through my body as I felt an awkward feeling begin to envelope me.
*BOOM!*
'You my friend have an uneven time from your years in the Nest, the lotus hotel is a time warped zone. What do you think happens when you get exposed to such a thing?' Barbatos asked me as the feeling began to grow as I felt my body begin to magically change. All I could do was hold onto a guard rail as I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I dry heaved a little.
"W-What the fuck?" I cursed as I fell to the floor as my body continued to seem to contort and change rapidly as the nausea continued. There was not a single ounce of pain but only so much nausea that I could only vomit onto the ground as I tried to steady myself. Closing my eyes I tried to breath as the nausea slowly went away as I caught my breath.
'Ahhh time magic, truely a unusual mistress. Mess with it once you are fine, mess with it twice only consequences await you.' Barbatos said as I slowly pulled myself up off the floor as I suddenly found my clothes extremely baggy and my height much shorter. A sudden unease washed through me as I began to move. I had to basically bundle up my pants and grab them with one hand as I hurried down the steps as fast as I could. Passing by panicking people I finally made my way into an open room as I looked into a mirror as I froze.
"W-What?" It was like getting hit with a flashback as I stared at myself, to be precise it was my 13 year old self in all my glory. My once handsome and stunning features were gone and replaced with a childish face that made one want to pinch it. Though my eyes and hair retained their colors I still looked a little scraggly in my baggy clothes. My height also took a dip sending me right back to 5 foot 5, though I was still tall for my age it still shook me. I worked so hard to get to 6 foot 2!
'Ahhh! Youth!' Alpha shouted in my brain as my eyebrows quivered in rage. All I could do was adjust my baggy clothes as I inwardly weeped. If Zoe and Hestia saw me like this… I would never be able to live it down. Oh god! What if Zora and Ryder did?
"Barbatos what is going on! How do I change back!?" I shouted out loud as I sprinted out of the room, ignoring the awkward stares at me. I followed the crowd as they continued to go down floors.
'Hmm… hard to say…'
'Barbatos!'
'I'm joking! Geez, it should dissipate in a few days at most. Their magic was barely able to latch onto you before you started burning the place.' He said as a wave of relief passed over me as I let out a sigh.
"Thank the gods! Now all I have to worry about is to not run into anyone and make sure Artemis doesn't speak a lick of this to anyone." I said as I rushed through the lobby as I finally made it to the ground floor. The employees seemed panicked as they told everyone it was fine and they would handle the fire, but the overwhelming crowd pushed past them as helplessness filled the monsters eyes. At this point I could also sense the flame begging to spread throughout the building, as their sprinkler system tried to keep up but simply couldn't.
'So what now?' Alpha asked as I spread my aura over the crowd as I tried to locate the trio as people ran around me. My senses helped me avoid people running as I tilted and turned just in time to avoid them.
'Hmm… I can't sense the trio, they probably already made it outside. I will go and take a lo-.' My thoughts were cut off as someone slammed into me sending me right to the ground with them on top of me. Confusion grew in me instantly as I realized my sense's completely missed the person, before I could do anything a second later another person tripped over us. Their extra weight only forced the air out of my lungs as I let out a wheeze of air.
"Oh god! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" A panicked voice filled my ears as I felt the two people on top of me try to get off me, in turn I somehow got an elbow to the ribs and a hand on top of my head as they tried their beast.
"Is he okay?" Asked another voice as soon as I was finally freed from the dogpile as I laid there for a second before suddenly being rolled over and pulled up. Two panicked faces filled my vision as I blinked a bit, each having olive skin tone, silky dark hair, and dark brown eyes like coffee grounds. One was a girl that seemed about the same age as Annabeth, the other was a boy a few years younger than her.
"I-I'm fine." I managed to get out as I stared at the two as confusion grew in me a bit. Though they were directly in front of me I couldn't pick up a single lick of aura or even sense their being. It was truly strange like they didn't even exist, yet here they were right in front of me. The girl gave a sigh of relief as she patted her chest a little as if to calm her heart while the boy heaved a sigh in a silly manner.
"I am so sorry!" The girl suddenly said lowering her head a bit as I was thrown aback by her sincerity in her words. With her face so close to mine I finally got a better look at her as I could see a dash of freckles thrown across her face and a strange… beauty to her. Wow their Percy! Settle down! She is a child!
'Same as your current form master.' Alpha said with what I would assume was a shit eating grin on his face.
'Shut up! I am mentally older than her! NOPE! NO!' I internally roared at him but put on an awkward face as I rubbed my head as the girl continued to lower her head in forgiveness.
"You're fine! No worries! I wasn't watching where I was going either! Hurry, let's get up, I hear there is a fire spreading in the building." I said sheepishly as I helped the two up as I only began to notice something strange. There was still a crowd rushing past us but they seemed to part around us like a stone in a river. That is when I noticed the third person on our little rock, as I looked up at him I could feel a wave of aura pass through me.
I had to blink twice as I stared at the 20 ish year old dude before me, two midnight black eyes with dark amber specks, skin as pale as it could get, a straight emotionless and almost bored face. Currently he wore a black baseball cap that said 'go mets' that hid most of his dark brown hair, although tips of purple seemed to peek out from under the cap. All together the man appeared like a ghost with a physical form as his eyes slowly drifted from me to the children.
"He seems fine, let's get out of here." He said simply in an unworried tone as my eyes never left him, something about him seemed very familiar but I simply couldn't put my finger on it. Still I could tell he was the reason the two children had no aura and I couldn't sense a single ounce of their existence.
"Dex! I haven't apologized properly yet!" The girl said angrily as Dex stared down at her two unwavering eyes. They seemed to lock eyes for a second before Dex gave a small defeated sigh and rolled his eyes the smallest amount as the girl gave a brilliant smile.
"Fine fine, but let's get out of here first." He said simply before walking forward through the crowd as we all followed behind him. The people running around us still as we easily made our way outside as we crossed the street before stopping. With that the girl turned to me and bowed again as the younger kid followed her example a few seconds later.
"I want to say I am sorry again." She said as I raised up my hands as I felt a small blush touch my cheeks, so embarrassing!
"You're fine like I said before, besides everyone was in a panic and trying to get outside. I didn't get hurt so no worries!" I said flexing my arm and patting it as she stood straight and scanned me a few times before sighing a little.
"Still…"
"Bianca you're such a worry wart!"
"Shut up Nico, besides you fell on me after I fell on him. Where is your apology to me? Huh?"
"U-Um… s-sorry sis." He said quietly while blushing as Bianca smiled a bit as she reached over and messed up his already messy hair as he let out a groan of displeasure.
"You two, enough fussing, we need to find another place to stay." Dex said as the two put on a sad face as they looked at the burning building across the street as firetrucks and other emergency vehicles started to swarm the building.
"I left all my mythomagic cards behind…" Suddenly Nico said as he put on a sad face and began to sniffle a little as Bianca reached over and held his hand to comfort him. I just stared at the backs of the two in silence as I felt a familiar pair of eyes on me as I turned to see Dex staring at me yet again. I just raised an eyebrow as he just kept a flat face on his own. At the same time I felt an aura push down on me as I frowned a bit from the pressure.
'Leave, before I make you.' Dex's voice bounced around in my head as I stared up at him in silence as I reinforced my body with my own aura as I shrugged off the weight of it.
'You know I heard a rumor from a certain goddess of childbirth.' I sent back my own message with astral communication as the aura only got heavier from my words as Dex's eyes flared with anger. I just slowly grinned as my own eyes shimmered a brilliant blue in an instant, my 1/3rd primordial domain dispersed his aura instantly as his face continued to remain flat but his eyes slowly narrowed at me.
'I am not here for them, I am here for a few others. Also thanks for clarifying the rumor.' I messaged back as Dex's face finally frowned as his aura flickered a bit in anger.
'Who are you?' He suddenly asked as I grinned ever so slightly.
'Name is Percy Jackson, Ranger of Olympus.' I replied back smugly as the frown on Dex's face disappeared as his eyebrow ever slightly perked up.
'You are him?' He asked me as I nodded as Dex finally turned away from me as Bianca and Nico finally started walking towards us.
'You are a lot shorter than the information said you were.' He said simply as I froze in place as I felt my eyebrow twitch a little.
'Listen, I got caught in a time magic curse thing.'
'Whatever you say… shorty.' He finished, before I could retort as Bianca and Nico finally got to us both of their eyes a little puffy from crying.
"Let's go." Bianca said simply as Dex nodded as the trio began to walk away. I just stared at the three as I felt gave a soft sigh and began on my own way.
"Hey!" Suddenly a voice cut through the air as I turned to see Bianca racing back towards me as she stopped before me, her cheeks flushed a tiny amount as she took a small breath.
"I-I never learned your name." She said simply as I smiled a little as I held out my hand towards her. She didn't hesitate to take the hand as I gave her a small hand shake.
"Perseus Jackson, you can call me Percy." I said with a grin as she gave me a brilliant toothy smile.
"I am Bianca di Angelo, you can call me Bee." She said happily with a laugh as I felt my young heart skip a beat as I blushed a tiny amount. Her dark brown eyes were shining brilliantly and her soft laugh sounded like music to my ears. I didn't know what it was but I felt a tiny bit of energy between us as she let go of my hand and began to run back to the other two.
"I hope we can meet again Percy!" She yelled one last time before suddenly grabbing Dex and Nico and making them run with her. I stood there dumbly staring at their backs as I gently squeezed my hand a few times before slapping my forehead.
"UGGGGHHHH!!" I grounded as loud as I could as I tried to regain a semblance of integrity to my mind. She was so cute! Yet she was too young! I simply didn't know how to feel at the moment as I felt like weeping a little.
'HAHAHAHA! It seems your younger form can't control itself can it! BWHAHAHAH!' Alpha roared in my head as I felt like hurting him as he continued.
'Shut up please.' I begged him as he finally managed to calm down a bit, thankfully Barbatos stepped in.
'Don't think too poorly of yourself milord. You are around the same age so it is completely understandable to feel such things, besides you must have felt the spark of energy as well.' He said as I nodded slowly and sighed, it seemed I had found another soulmate candidate without even trying. Still she was young, I had several years before I would let anything become of it, just like a certain daughter of Athena.
'Also you two have any clue who was with them? He seemed like a guardian or a sort.' I asked as Alpha snorted.
'That's easy, the kid is an immortal son of Hades, probably sent to protect his siblings per his fathers orders.' He said simply as I thought about it for a second and nodded, that seemed like the most possible explanation. The only thing was even I had no clue there was such an immortal in America. Hades had more secrets that I was led to believe, though not nearly as many as Hestia. Love you honey!
'Oh hush you.' An embarrassed whisper sounded in my head as I blushed a bit. I accidentally used Astral communication when I said the last part. I need to start training it more often to avoid mishaps in the future.
"Now, where did those three go?"
LINEBREAK:
"This has got to be the weirdest entrance to a domain I have ever seen in my life." I said simply as I stared at the recording studio with a raised eyebrow.
"Uncle does indeed lack a sense of taste and like all gods has a bit of an on the nose naming sense." Said Artemis who was currently staring at me with an amused smirk on her face. Upon showing Artemis my new form she had completely lost it and laughed for a solid 10 minutes, even going as far as slamming her fist on the ground as she laughed. She even took a few photos of me with my own camera, the very one she gifted me, as payback for calling her a tomboy.
I reluctantly succumbed to my fate of embarrassment for the moment and allowed the goddess to do as she pleased, a grin of amusement never left her face. Seeing her grin so happily made me feel a bit better inside since she had so much going as of late, one thing I do miss at the moment was the fact I was now shorter than her. Thankfully Artemis had pulled herself together enough to give chase to the trio as we tracked them to hell's entrance.
"Can you even come with me?" I asked as Artemis pursed her lips a bit and seemed to think.
"I can… but I would have to seal up a good portion of my power, as long as I don't come in aura blazing he won't take it as an insult and allow me passage. More than likely he will know I am here to babysit you though." She added on the end as her grin quickly returned as my lip twitched.
"Got any more jokes in you before we head in?"
"Only a few… short ones."
"I will have you know I am tall for this body's age!"
"Sure you are."
"Really? Alright I want to see your 13 year old form! Let's see who is taller!"
"Oh my you really are a pervert, I must tell Hestia and Zoe you requested to see my child form to take advantage of me! I wonder what they will have in store for you?"
"Y-You! I did nothing wrong! Besides, when they see this form they will understand!"
"If that form lasts until you get back, that is."
"Are you trying to blackmail me?"
"Hmm… perhaps."
"Right now of all times?"
"They say never let opportunities pass you by."
"You gods and your blackmail and favors… fine, what do you want?"
"First off, don't ever call me a tomboy again. Secondly, d-don't tell Zoe and Hestia I know about all the soulmate stuff."
"I can do the first but can't do the second, they deserve to know what I told you. They are related to this after all." I said looking at Artemis as she bit her lip a bit and seemed to concentrate.
"F-Fine! Can you at least wait a few days please?" She asked me as I grinned a little at the struggling goddess as I walked into the store, the first thing I saw were a dozen plus souls waiting patiently in line. Quickly my eyes found an unfamiliar and bored looking man with chocolate colored skin and a very elegant and fashionable style to his clothes. He stood at the front desk silently and even gave a soft yawn, in a short moment my eyes of creation activated as an info board appeared in front of me as I quickly read through it.
Individual information
Name: Charon
Race: Daimon (Son of Nyx)
Height: 6'
Main Occupation: Ferryman
Emotional status: Extreme boredom
Current thoughts: ????
'Looks like I am not strong enough to take a peek into the thoughts of beings as powerful as him yet. Most of it is info I already knew about him.' I thought as I let out an internal sigh, I had thought that obtaining at least a portion of a primordial domain would have helped with the eyes of creation, apparently not.
"Sorry, no can do. I will tell them as soon as I get back, don't worry so much though. They will understand your emotions completely, Zoe will probably want to talk to you immediately after I tell her. The feelings she has for you are far older than you think. " I said to Artemis as she pursed her lips a little as she tried to hide her emotions, yet her fidgeting fingers easily gave her away. Artemis' just stayed quiet as her mind raced all over the place as we waited in line patiently. As the minutes ticked by Artemis suddenly realized we weren't moving forward as she frowned a bit.
"Is Charon even doing his job?" She asked in a frustrated tone, without even waiting for me to answer she began to march forward through the crowd of souls. I just followed behind the goddess as I gave the souls a few nods of apologies, though they didn't seem to care too much as we finally made it to the front desk. Instantly Charon's face went from bored to surprised as a slightly angry goddess appeared in front of him.
"Oh what a surprise! Long time no see Artemis, how many years has it been?" He said as in an almost happy tone as Artemis rolled her eyes a bit.
"It has been only a few months, are you truly so bored you forget time itself?" She asked as he simply shrugged a bit as the goddess sighed at his response.
"You try sitting in the same place forever! I keep telling Hades to put a few things in here besides magazines but he never does! I have already told you that, so can I interest you in this month's issue of Godly Gossip? There is a pretty good article about the fight Poseidon had with his boy." He said as he held up a magazine with a picture of a beautiful cloud nymph on the front of it as Artemis stared at it for a second then shook her head.
"I am not here for your gossip magazines, I seek entry to the underworld." She said as Charon salesmen smiled quickly, froze as he coughed a few times and then put away the magazine.
"A very unusual request from you Artemis, you only ever pay for the ferry fee for others, never yourself." Charon said in a curious tone as Artemis reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a few dramachas and threw them onto the desk.
"Enough talk just take us across the Styx." She said in a firm tone as Charon slowly reached for the coins and played with them a little.
"Us?" He questioned as Artemis motioned down to me with her head as Charon finally turned my way. In a single moment I could see his eyes behind his sunglasses as I saw two pools of emptiness, nothing but death and despair looking down at me. I felt a shiver of fear run through my very soul at the site of those eyes as I stepped back unconsciously. An instant later all I could see was sunglasses again as Charon rubbed his chin a bit.
"Hmmm… you must be this Ranger of Olympus that is causing so much work for me lately. Sorry can't do it, he is alive." He said as I rolled my eyes a little, the amount I have killed is not nearly as much as natural deaths around this world. Wait, or was it just the USA?
"Come on Charon, you know better than I that being alive is not a problem." Artemis said slowly pull out a few more dramachas as she set them on the table. I blinked in surprise at the sight, I would have never taken Artemis as the type to go down such a road. I would have expected her to demand he take us there.
"Oh Aretmis do you think a few extra coins are gonna-."
"My oh my your suit is so last year Charon, such a poor tattered piece of clothing. Here are a few extra coins, get yourself something nice."
*Clink* *Clink*
"W-What? How could you tell? I mean… my boat can only carry so much weight you know. Souls are much lighter than flesh-."
*Clink* *Clink* *Clink*
"Of course, boats can only carry so much indeed. Thankfully he is small so he isn't too heavy."
"A-Artemis you're really making it difficult for me, if Hades finds out I let more living beings into the underworld he will cut my pay!"
*Clink* *Clink* *Clink* *Clink* *Clink* *Clink*
"Then we will simply have to keep our mouths shut won't we? There are more entrances to the underworld than this one, who's there to say we came through this one?"
"So… would either of you like spicy or regular peanuts for your trip?"
LINEBREAK:
"Didn't expect you to drop nearly 200 dramacha for us to get a ride." I said to Artemis as we watched Charon push his ferry across the unyielding waters of the styx.
"Meh, I have spent more on paying for the way for souls to get here." She said with a nonchalant tone as I glanced at the goddess as a question popped into my mind.
"Do gods have infinite dramachas or something? Like when you poof stuff up where does it come from?" I asked as Artemis gave me a look that said I just asked a pretty interesting question.
"No we don't, our godly side of the world does have an economy. Be it dramacha or magical items everything does have a cost. Even a favor of a certain god can have a cost as well. Us Olympians just have a bit more than the others. Also poofing stuff doesn't make it right then and there, it actually comes from a storage that each of us possess. Turning stuff into other things though, is different entirely and uses energy, quite a bit depending on the object." Artemis actually seemed to enjoy talking about such topics as she continued to explain as we walked through the underworld.
While I was getting a full lesson of godly economics, how apparently they had a stock market, and how Apollo was the richest god out of them. As she continued to explain everything we eventually came upon an interesting sight. Before us was the largest hellhound I had ever seen, even Orthos had to take a backseat. He was bigger than any garbage truck in this world and then some, each of the three heads had vicious red eyes, razor sharp teeth and nails, and a chain color.
"Cerberus…" I whispered as I stared at the massive father of all hellhounds, truly a legendary beast in all his glory. The guardian of the underworld, one of the few good monsters that served olympus. Something was currently off with the image of this legendary beast, currently the ever vicious hellhound was chewing on a big red ball. All three heads fighting to play with the ball as they snarled at each other in a playful manner as they ran around happily tossing the ball into the air as they played by themselves.
"Well… this is interesting." I couldn't help but stare at the lumbering beast as the ground shook a bit with each of his steps. Slowly my head turned to Artemis the goddess also had an equally curious and confused look on her face.
"So any ideas?" I asked her as she seemed to think for a second.
"Well perhaps one… SPOT! Come here boy!" She suddenly yelled in an energetic and cutesy voice as the lumbering beast came to a screeching halt. All three heads snapped in our direction and tilted to the right with the dumbest curious expression I have ever seen on a dog. Still the fact he was now staring at us made me ready myself for battle.
"Come on Spot, bring it here boy!" Artemis suddenly called again as I stared at the moon goddess like she was crazy. Before I could even say a word the ground started to rumble once again and Cerberus was racing our way, he was nearly on us in a matter of seconds as my aura flared. Before I could even act a hand suddenly came down and karate chopped my head as it felt like a metal beam had hit me.
"Enough, Spot is a good boy." Artemis said as Ceberus was already on top of us, the beast then suddenly started to stop as its legs dug deep grooves into the ground. I watched with wide eyes as the massive beast came to a full halt only a few feet from us. Drool dropped to the ground in huge globs as I slowly looked up at Cerberus to see his three faces staring right down at us. Then one of them opened his mouth and a huge red ball fell from his mouth and onto the ground.
"Good boy! Uncle never plays with you does he? Only Persephone does when she is around I hear." Artemis said in a chiding tone as she easily picked up the slobbery ball and threw it a good distance as Cerberus ran after it with gusto. I just stared in complete shock now as Artemis gave me a shit eating grin as I slowly closed my mouth.
"What is happening? Also what do you mean Spot?" I asked her as Artemis began to walk forward as I quickly followed behind her.
"Do you know the direct translation of Cerberus to english?" She asked me as I paused and thought for a second as my brain worked its magic and translated it in a moment as I felt my lip twitch.
"Spotted? Wait, Hades named the guardian of the underworld Spot? The legendary father of all hellhounds?" I asked with wide eyes as Artemis gave a nod with a smirk on her face as I couldn't stop myself from laughing. I managed to stop after a bit just in time for Cerberus, I mean Spot, to return.
"Wanna give it a shot?" Artemis asked as I shook my head and held up both my hands as she just shrugged and threw the ball again as we continued on our way.
"So why is he so nice to you though, as far as I am aware gods don't just visit the underworld?" I said as Artemis shrugged.
"Persephone once told me if you ever call him Spot he will react like a needy puppy and want to play. Honestly I feel bad for him, he is such a good guard dog yet rarely gets to play." She said with a sigh as I made a mental note for any future mishaps. Just then the whole area seemed to shake as Cerberus made his way back right just as we made it to the gate.
"Wait." Suddenly a deep rumble of a voice stopped us both as the massive dog squeezed his way between us and the gate. We both looked up at the three headed beast as he blocked our path, the right most head currently held the ball with great joy as the middle one tried to snatch it from him. The leftmost head was completely focused on us though and seemed to be the one controlling the body.
"None shall pass." He grumbled at us as Artemis put on a frown.
"Then what about the three a while ago?" I couldn't help but ask as Cerberus seemed to pause as the talking head sheepishly turned away from my stare.
"M-Me not know what you're talking about. You two, only trespassers today." He said as I suddenly felt like I was talking to my children when they were lying. Zora especially had a bad habit of looking away when she lied.
"Then where did you get the ball? It looks brand new, Persephone says your toys never last a day." Artemis said as Cerberus turned further away from our looks, avoiding our gaze further. Even the other two heads seemed to join in a bit. Both of us glanced at one another and then back at the seemingly embarrassed guardian of hell.
"Spot…" Artemis said in a firm tone as Cerberus fully turned away from us.
"Come on, look at me, you're not in trouble." She continued as Cerberus slowly began to turn until he was staring at Artemis with 3 sad faces. I could only stare in amazement as the dog who was ready to stop at us by any means a moment ago became like this at the mention of one mishap. My only guess as to why he was even behaving this way was because he could recognize that we weren't threats to this place.
"Master will be upset." Cerberus said in a sad voice.
"Hades already knows I am here, I am sure he won't mind if I go say hello. Think of it as official godly business, besides you can tell that I have no ill intentions. I will even talk Persephone into bringing you a few extra toys." Artemis said as Cerberus seemed to think for a moment and slowly nodded, wow. Apparently you can bribe your way into hell.
"You go, boy stay." He said confidently as it was my turn to frown.
"Why do I have to stay?" I asked as Cerberus' eyes all seemed to glow an extra deep red at the same time. It only lasted for a second as the beast frowned a little.
"You are dangerous, unlike others and silver goddess." He said as I put on a shocked face, I was in no way shape or form more dangerous than Artemis.
"So you do admit there were others!"
"Percy, I don't think that is the point you should be focusing on."
"You're right, my bad Artemis. Why not?"
"Past is full of dangers, the present is full of lies, and the future is nothing but darkness." Two heads spoke at once as the one with a ball gave a nod as well as I frowned a bit more. What did he mean by lies? Maybe it had to do with my current form? The future one was easy to tell since my destiny was something not even Ananke could fully see. The past… well self explanatory.
"That is enough to bar me entry? All I want to do is protect those kids!" I said in exasperated sigh as Cerberus seemed to pause for a second.
"Protect, nice girl?" He suddenly asked me as I raised an eyebrow, my mind instantly thinking of a particular blonde daughter of Athena.
"Yes! Exactly! She must have been the one who gave you that ball right?" I asked as the head holding the ball nodded happily.
"Well all I am here to do is protect her and the others! Just make sure they don't get hurt, if she gave you the ball and you let her pass you two must have made a promise right?" I asked as Cerberus slowly paused.
"She promised to come back and play." He said happily as I nodded and put on a thinking face.
"Well… if she got injured then wouldn't be able to play now would she?" I asked as he nodded slowly as two of his faces scrunched up a little.
"So could I possibly go in and make sure she is okay? I have a goddess by my side to make sure I behave as well. I wouldn't want to accidentally break anything of your master's now would I?" I said motioning to Artemis as she rolled her eyes at my explanation, in all honestly I wasn't sure if I was convincing him or not. It seemed like Cerberus was smart one second and in the next he was a dunce.
"Only if you come back and play as well and bring more toys! Bring Orthos as well! Haven't seen him in a long time after he ran away from home, much to talk about." He said in a much smarter tone as I blinked in surprise, I then gently sniffed myself but found nothing on me.
"I promise I will bring enough toys so each of your heads can have at least 3… no! 5 toys each!" I said holding up my hand as Cerberus' massive tail began to wag violently as a storm of dust was kicked up. Me and Artemis hid our eyes a bit from the dust as he continued to stare at the beast.
"And Orthos?" He asked me yet again as I nodded.
"I will bring him, so do we have a deal?" I asked as he nodded and moved out of the way as me and Artemis walked through the gate and then went on our way. Cerberus eyed ust for a little as his tail kept wagging but a moment later he began playing with his ball.
"Man… is it me or is he like… dumb?" I asked Artemis as her silver eyes twirled in thought.
"He is not dumb per say, he can see the past, present, and future of any soul that passes through the underworld. He is the best guard dog Olympus has ever seen, one that even gods fear, because he can see the paths lying ahead of us he acts in such a way. Yet still thinks deeply about his choices even if he doesn't appear to do so, kinda like yourself. Yet even then he is a dog to his core so things like dog toys or meat are excellent things to bribe him with."
"Had you actually intended to harm anything in the underworld though, you would have had the fight of your life on your hands. That is part of why he hesitated when allowing you in, he could see how powerful you were in an instant. Since your future was blank to him though and your body did not match your past he grew even more weary. Had I not been here… I say you would have not been able to get in." Artemis finished as I nodded in understanding.
"That is a solid point all around, now I am worried where I can find some Cerberus proof dog toys though. You wouldn't happen to know a place would you?" I asked as Artemis chuckled at my dilemma.
"The only person I am aware of that would know where to find such things is Lupa."
"Guess I have something to do when this mission is over, actually a few things. I'll just add it to the list I guess. *Sigh* So what are the chances they made it to his palace?" I asked her just as the ground under us seemed to shake a bit as we slowly turned our head to the giant black castle of hades that appeared to be shaking even more.
"100%." Artemis said as we both shared a look and then began to run to the massive castle.
LINEBREAK:
"Those damn children!" Hades roared angrily as the throne room shook from his loud voice, Hades drew angry breaths as he slowly calmed himself down. He leaned back in his throne and slowly rubbed his temples a little until he was finally able to calm himself fully. Slowly he opened his eyes and let out one last breath and composed himself as he looked at the shivering figure still in the throne room.
"Brave of you to stay behind, you children of Athena never cease to amaze me with your pride. Or was it something more than simple pride that kept you here?" He asked in a much calmer voice, yet his aura still seemed to flare up and down as it seemed to barely hide his emotions.
"It was s-simply the smartest choice to make." Annabeth managed to get out as her face remained firm and as dignified as it could through the intense fear she was feeling. Nick, Grover, and Nick's mother Heather had managed to escape with the help of some magical water pearls. She had chosen to stay behind, she knew if Heather were to stay here then Nick would not be able to finish their quest in time. With the fate of Olympus on the line she made the choice to stay.
"Hmm… I am afraid you are correct, that Poseidon spawn is such a momma's boy. Now that I think about it, both of them are, aren't they? Now what to do with you. I am afraid your mother will act if I kill you." Hades said offhandedly as his tar like eyes seemed to pierce into Annabeths very soul as she shivered, somehow death sounded much better than whatever the god of death was thinking of doing.
"Then let me go!" She yelled as Hades' aura flared a bit as the castle shook again as Annabeth was forced to kneel down from the pressure. It was so heavy she could barely breath as Hades' eyes stayed trained on her for a few seconds until he closed them. The instant he did the pressure disappeared as Annabeth gasped for air as sweat ran down her whole body.
"Shut your mouth before I shut it forever. You three have pissed me off worse than Zeus normally does, saying I stole his stupid thunder stick while that son of Poseideon had it all along! All while my helm of darkness is missing as well, you demigod never consider the other side of the story! Only ever marching on that fucking imbecel's orders and that quest that rotting oracle gives!" He yelled angrily once again as he took a few deep breaths as his anger flared.
His eyes then slowly look at the throne besides his own. Unlike his obsidian black that had skulls and bones carved into this throne was wrapped in flowers and other unique flowers as he gave a gentle sigh.
"Oh Persephone when will you come back, only your kind words can quell my anger at this moment." He said with a longing sigh as Annabeth didn't dare look up at the god as he seemed to stare off into space for a moment. Suddenly a loud creaking noise filled the room as the main doors to Hades underground Olympus were slowly opened as a figure stood proudly in the doorway.
"I may not be Persephone but I assure you my words are soothing." The voice claimed as Annabeths eyes widened as her head snapped in the direction of the voice. Before she could move though shadows shot upwards and wrapped tightly around her trapping her in place as she let out a cry of pain. Hades just stared at the figure with eyes that seemed to be plotting something as a small grin graced his face.
"If you think your words were truly soothing then hell would have frozen over. Yet as far as I can see the fires around us still burn." Hades said with a smirk on his face as the figure walked forward until he was standing besides Annabeth. She looked up at him with eyes full of fear as she met two steady eyes that made her fears and worries melt away. Tears began to well up in the sides of her eyes a little, yet the face looked towards the god of the underworld as the figure let out a sigh.
"Come on uncle, must you treat her so harshly?" He asked as Hades raised an eyebrow as Annabeth gave a shallow cry of pain as the shadows binding her tight head even further. Percy felt his body tense a little at the sound but took a soft breath and exhaled as his galaxy like eyes focused on Hades.
"She is my prisoner. I may do with her what I wish Nephew. Also I must say your form is a bit… shorter than I remember." He said as Percy's eyebrow furrowed together slightly but then a grin spread on his face, the same exact one as Hades. Artemis who currently was standing outside the doors couldn't help but shiver at the similarity those smiles shared.
"I just got caught in a bit of magic is all, still must we play this game uncle? You have no reason to keep her, besides you know if you do, Athena will not be too pleased."
"Oh? I would like to see her come into my domain and demand her back. That goddess has no power here, like the one right outside the door."
"While you are completely correct we both know that Athena is just as scheming and cruel if she is angry. Annabeth is her favorite daughter after all, that goddess would find more than one way for you to let her go. Maybe even going as far as involving Persephone..."
*Sigh*
"You make a fair point, Athena is scheming but not nearly as much as one goddess I know."
"You mean Hestia?"
"Oh? You knew?"
"Umm… I kinda guessed, eldest Olympian and all that. Plus she goes unnoticed by many but seems to always listen, at least I figure that is what happens. Haha…"
"Exactly! She may seem like the most polite, gentle, and timid goddess but she is anything but! When we were only a few hundred years old she would constantly be slinking around any hearth trying to listen in on us! *Cough* I got a little carried away… back to the matter at hand. You speak the truth if I want to keep her Athena will get her out one way or another." Hades said with a deep sigh as he seemed to be thinking of the goddess of wisdom and her annoying tactics.
"Then you should just let her go right?"
"When Athena comes here I shall, I just wonder how long her mind will last. The underworld is a boring place after all, I might torture her to relieve some of my boredum." Hades said with a twisted smile on his face as Percy's lip twitched a little as Annabeth began to say something but a black gag covered her mouth in an instant silencing her as tears began to run down her face.
"That is going too far." Percy said in a strained voice as Hades smirked at him.
"She is lucky to even get out of here alive, after accusing me of stealing the master bolt while they had it the entire time alone is enough. Let alone my helm of darkness that is still missing!" He angrily said as Percy slowly frowned.
'It seems Ares was involved.' A sudden transmission was sent to Percy from Artemis as she pieced the puzzle together along with him.
"Then… how about a trade?" Percy asked Hades paused for a second as he scanned over Percy with curious eyes..
"Hmm.. What kind of trade?"
"A very simple one, a life for a life. Me for her, how about it?"
"Percy! Don't even-."
"Silence Artemis, your voice holds no power here!" Hades roared as Artemis froze in place at the entrance of the throne room. Her worry filled eyes locked onto Percy's back as Percy held up a hand to stop her as well.
"So do we have a deal?" Percy asked again as Hades rubbed his chin.
"I could just capture you right now and keep you both here you know, two is always better than one."
"This is a very true uncle, but the instant you do this cold war between you and Olympus will turn into a real one. Do you really think that you can stand against the might of all of Olympus? Also if you really wanted war you would have killed those three the instant they stepped into your castle." Percy asked as Hades' smile slowly turned into a frown.
"Hmm… I remember now why I found you so interesting in the first place Perseus, you talk just like me. I have forgotten how disgusting it is to hear my own manner of speech used against me. Very well, you have yourself a deal, your life for hers." He said snapping his fingers as the restraints on Annabeth dissolved as she fell to the ground. Her tears did not stop though as she looked right at Percy with a face filled with worry and regret
"W-Why?" Annabeth asked Percy as he gave her a soft smile and helped her shaky body stand, a pair of stormy gray eyes and a pair like that of a spiraling galaxy met as they seemed to exchange unspoken words. Percy then slowly pushed some of her messed up blonde curls to the side as he gave her a faint smile.
"I can't let people I care about experience such horrendous things. I'll be fine if Hades is smart he wont do anything to me, so don't you worry about me. Artemis if you would take her please." Percy said as Artemis walked up to the two and slowly pulled the crying Annabeth to her side as Percy continued to smile.
"Percy, wait!" Annabeth screamed as Percy walked away but Artemis hand moved like lightning and chopped the back of the girl's neck. Instantly Annabeth's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she collapsed forward unconscious. Artemis instantly caught her and held her princess style in her arms, Annabeth even started to mumble in her sleep as tears continued to run down her face.
Artemis herself had a complicated expression on her face as she gazed down at the young girl in her arms and then back at Percy. Her yellowy silver eyes trying to figure out what he was planning as Percy gave her a small smile that turned into a confident grin. Seeing the grin on his face Artemis felt her worries lessen, only by the tiniest amount though.
"I'll see you two up top, though it may take me a while to get out." He said confidently as Artemis continued to stare at him. Percy in turn also stared back in silence as he felt a pinch in my heart at the sight, two women he cared for deeply both of which were extremely worried about him.
'You better hurry… dummy.' Artemis whispered into my mind as a silver aura began to build around her as the air began to sparkle. Percy closed his eyes and in a single moment the room turned a brilliant silver light as Artemis flashed herself and Annabeth out of the throne room. Ever so slowly he opened his eyes as they drifted back to a grinning Hades. He then slowly put on a grin of his own as he faced the god of the underworld.
"So Uncle, I hear you are a man who is willing to trade things for secrets. Not to brag but I have a secret so grand I would say it is worth about 10 of me."
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter! Had a few surprises with Bianca and an awesome Oc created by Dex himself. If you can leave a review and check out my other stories as well! I wonder what Percy's future holds! The next chapter is gonna take a bit of a spin off Percy for a bit so I hope you all enjoy a small hint. It involved the best mom ever.
E/N: Sol back at it again, and this time I am in the story? Oh boy oh boy! I wonder where my character will go. Protecting younger siblings though? Love it! Anyway, a secret worth 10 Percys? Color me intrigued!