Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
Discord channels you can find me at:
Emerald Library: Is so big you can google it
Writer's Block: wttJDs62Dy
LAST TIME:
'So what are you going to do boss?' Alpha asked as I pursed my lips as I contemplated my next decision, did I really want to be caught up in the storm that this special little girl was bringing with her?
"Well… for now let's get her to the resort, I am sure Circe will be more than accommodating to a poor soul who washed up on her shores," I said with a sigh before slightly grinning as I imagined Circe's scrunched up smile as I asked for yet another free room. Nothing like the looming threat of two primordials to make someone do your bidding for you. I would call this karma to Circe after almost turning me into a pig. Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have been the only man to show up here, yet I haven't seen a single pig…
'Master?' Barbatos' voice shook me out of my thoughts as I pushed aside that thought for the moment. Quickly I scooped up the dainty girl in my arms princess style and started on my way right to hopefully wake up a sleeping Circe.
NOW:
THIRD PERSON POV:
The next few days proved to be one of the best family vacations that Percy or anyone in his family had been on. With everyone enjoying themselves to the max he seemed to find some much-needed peace in it all. Though Thalassa seemed to enjoy it more than him as her little brother and his own little family paid a visit. To say the least, Thalassa joined them on several dozen things so she could bond and talk with them all as best as she could. None of them minded a single bit though as they all happily enjoyed her company.
Sadly the week-long vacation that Percy and the others thoroughly enjoyed to the maximum had come to an end. Since Percy was planning to stay longer and train with Thalassa that meant he was being left behind by the others while they went back to their normal days. This led to the current scene of a lazy Percy lying on the bed as we watched Zoe, Hestia, and Vesta pack the many things that had been thrown about their room.
His eyes lazily followed the women around as they made themselves busy picking up dirty laundry, towels, and other items. Zoe just happened to get a bit too close to the bed to get something as a hand sneakily reached over and gave her butt a light smack causing her butt to jiggle a little. Zoe just paused before turning her head to see a grinning Percy as she rolled her eyes a bit.
"Why don't you help pick up the mess you helped create? Also aren't you tired of smacking my butt this week?" She questioned in a suggestive tone while standing up and swaying her hips in an inviting manner as Percy gulped a little. His eyes took in the sight of the demititan before him as Zoe provided him with a wonderful show.
"I never will get tired of such a thing, now come closer," Percy said from his spot on the bed while reaching out with both hands. Sadly before Zoe could do anything a rolled-up magazine swatted at Percy's hands as Hestia put a stop to his shenanigans. Her cinder eyes stared at him as he felt like he had been caught.
"Enough fooling around, we need your help." She told him as Percy met her gaze before letting out a sigh and getting off the bed. Seeing him finally moving Hestia nodded before suddenly raising her hand and smacking his butt causing him to jump a little. The goddess simply acted as if nothing had happened while scurrying off to help Zoe with a suitcase.
"...Is my butt that fun to slap?" Percy couldn't help but whisper to himself before another hand slapped his other cheek as Vesta's giggle filled the air.
"Very much so… it is so muscular and pert." She said with a grin as Percy met her gaze as she even gave his butt a small squeeze before continuing with her task. Percy just stood there for a moment before letting out a small chuckle and then began to help as well.
His eyes sometimes wandered to the three women as they discussed whose clothes were who's. All while flaunting their divine and seductive curves in semi-loose T-shirts and tight spandex shorts, to say the least, it caused him to be a bit more than just distracted. Especially when Hestia and Vesta did small happy jumps when they found something they had been looking for. It made him want to sneak on over and slap their tantalizing butts. That was until he noticed the topic of their discussion.
"Isn't that my shirt?" Percy suddenly realized his brand new t-shirt was in their hands as all three turned his way in sync.
"We know, we were just discussing who would get to wear it to bed at night," Vesta said as Percy felt his eyebrow twitch.
This had become a common thing in the household, over half of his wardrobe had been split between the three of them at some point. Be it for night wear, workout shirts, common clothes, or simple loungewear each of his shirts, sweatpants, and even some underwear had a place. They would sometimes even request he wear a shirt for a day or so before snagging it back before he left on a trip or something. Not that he minded it was just some of the shirts he really liked and tracking them down took a bit sometimes.
*Sigh*
"That one is brand new, at least give it a month before taking it." Percy couldn't help but ask as they seemed to think for a bit. Even Hestia's normal shyness about the situation was gone as she seemed to give it some serious thought.
"Fine, fine. But you owe us!" Zoe said tossing him the shirt, he didn't even know how to respond to her.
"Yes dear," Was all he could manage with a small sigh as Zoe just shot him a wink.
"Do you think Artemis or Hera might want one of his shirts?" Vesta suddenly asked in a scheming tone as Percy, Zoe, and Hestia blinked in surprise at the question. Before Percy could even speak Zoe got a wide grin on her face as she reached over and grabbed two shirts that she had previously packed and handed one to Vesta.
"Great idea little flame, go sneak this into Hera's suitcase. I will sneakily deal with little Miss Moonlight." She said with a giddiness in her voice while Vesta's eyes sparkled and a grin spread across her face. Zoe then jumped up and darted to Percy before planting a quick kiss on his lips and then ran towards the door, stopping right as she opened it.
"Be back in a jiffy, wish me luck." She said before blowing a kiss their way and leaving the room. Vesta quickly followed in her footsteps as she made her way to Percy and kissed on the lips as well. She also seemed to press her chest a bit more than necessary into his own before shooting him a wink and prancing off on her journey. This left just Hestia and Percy in the room as they couldn't help but glance at one another.
"Want a kiss?" Percy couldn't help but ask with a small smile as Hestia blushed, he had managed to perfectly guess her thoughts. Without a word from the goddess Hestia quickly made her way over before also stealing a kiss from his lips. Though it was a bit longer than Zoe's and Vesta's, the two enjoyed the soft loving kiss for a bit before Hestia pulled away.
"Had enough?" Percy asked with a sly grin as Hestia's hands tightened around his neck just a little as her eyes flickered a bit.
"You know my answer to that question already," Hestia quietly said before stealing one more quick peck and then letting Percy go much to his disappointment. Seeing him pout a bit she couldn't help but let out her own giggle as a smile graced her lips.
"As much as I would love to fall into your trap of soft kisses, teasing caresses, and delicate touches, just like last night, we have a mission right now. Now please give me that, those panties are mine." Hestia said with a slightly teasing tone before a huge blush crossed her face as she couldn't believe those words came out of her mouth. Percy blushed a bit at her words as well, when she put it that way he almost wanted to start off from where they left it last night.
"H-Here." Was all Percy could manage to get out as he handed the delicate lace panties to Hestia, the two then quietly began to pick up clothes again enjoying the silence between them. Occasionally throwing a smile at one another or a short 'thank you love' or 'here you go'. After a bit, the soft sound of footsteps approached as Zoe returned to the room.
"Mission accomplished, can't believe she left her bag ungarded hehe," Zoe said in a mischievous tone before noticing the soft feeling in the room from Percy and Hestia. A smile played on her lips as she quickly approached Hestia and stole a kiss of her own making the goddess blush.
"You two are so cute sometimes I just can't believe it, gosh makes me want to gobble you up," Zoe said while clinging onto Hestia as the goddess blushed a bit more. Percy just admired the site as a loving Zoe clung to the goddess of the hearth, the two giving off their own honey-like aura.
"Is Artemis helping Zora and Ryder?" Percy asked, earning a nod from Zoe as she relinquished the flustered goddess.
"She is getting them all squared away, I offered to help but she says she has got it handled. In the meantime, we should hurry up, our checkout is in a few hours. I also still have to get the twin's bags ready for school tomorrow." She said in a slightly regretful tone, clearly displeased her vacation was coming to a close as she continued to gather things.
"I already prepared their bags when we left so you do not need to worry Princess," Hestia said with a small smile as Zoe blushed a bit at her nickname.
"Thank you, Little Flame. Also, spacebrain… Can you reach up there and grab that bra? I thought we agreed no more throwing our lingerie to ridiculous places." Zoe said pointing at the chandelier which had a lacy black bra on one of its branches.
"We did, but when you use such lingerie each night it is hard to calm down, I'm surprised that we didn't clean up earlier though. Then again… each night we have been pretty busy." Percy said with a happy grin as he grabbed the item while Zoe and Hestia blushed at his words.
"Hush you," Hestia managed to say as she grabbed the remaining scattered lingerie and underwear as the room was finally clean.
"So did Thalassa give you a schedule yet?" Zoe asked Percy while she finished packing her magical backpack which had a very large internal space allowing for easy packing.
"Yep, we are going to be focusing on training for 14 days on and then two days off. She says if you are free then you can come on those two days but wants it to be just us two for those two weeks of time. She is worried you will distract me, which I totally understand, it is hard to take my eyes off such stunning women." Percy said in an explanatory tone before the ending as his eyes ran up and down Zoe and Hestia, causing the two to roll their eyes a little but not deny his statement.
"I could say the same, it is so hard to get work and training done with you around being all sexy and stuff," Zoe said in a matter-of-fact tone as she checked out her man with glimmering honey-like eyes.
"Really now?" Percy questioned her and was about to say something else but then another figure walked into the room with a smile on her face.
"Mission, sneak one of Percy's shirts into Hera's bag is accomplished. I wonder what her reaction is going to be when she finds it," Vesta said with a mischievous grin before noticing she had interrupted a conversation as Zoe and Percy seemed to cough and blush a little.
"Talking to Percy about our training?" She asked, causing Zoe to shake her head as Percy raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.
"Training?"
"I was going to tell you but you distracted me with… stuff. Anyways, the girls and I are going to be training our tattoo powers together to help better figure them out. We also plan to do a bit of working out on top of battle training, the tattoos are supposed to help us grow constantly so we thought it might be a good idea to start." Zoe said as Percy nodded in understanding, they had already relayed to him most of the information Thalassa had spoken to them about the tattoos. Though he had a feeling they were leaving out a few parts, each time he questioned them they all blushed profusely about it.
"Sounds like a lot of fun, let me know how it goes. If you are up for suggestions I think you should work on your endurance more." Percy said as Zoe nodded, taking his suggestions to heart.
"I just noticed you get a bit tired after performing a squatting motion a bunch of times in a row." Percy suddenly added at the end with a stupid grin on his face as Zoe paused a bit from his words. While thinking about what he was talking about, realization dawned on her as her face went completely red. Even Hestia and Vesta blushed at his pervy statement.
"S- Shut up!" Zoe yelled in embarrassment as Percy let out a large laugh, an instant later Zoe was smacking his chest with continuous soft strikes. This only caused Percy to laugh louder.
LINEBREAK: Several days later
Percy quietly sat on the beach as he took one deep breath after the other, the waves seeming to sync with his every breath. Thalassa stood not too far away observing him meditate the way she taught him and nodded a few times. After a few hundred tries he had finally managed to sync his being with the water around him. If one was not paying attention to him they honestly would have missed him as he blended into the surroundings, he didn't even use his camouflage skill either.
As Percy seemingly became one with the water he sat on, Thalassa nodded a few times as she monitored his progress. She had expected that he would have at least taken 2 weeks to get to this point but he had actually achieved it much sooner. A small smile played on her lips as he couldn't help but internally praise her brother, yet as she continued to watch a seagull that was gliding not too far away suddenly approached Percy. In a single moment, the unaware bird collided with Percy causing both him and the bird to scream out in surprise.
Percy instantly lost his focus and sank into the sea beneath him as the seagull flapped its wings as fast as it could to flee the scene. Percy just slowly rose to the surface and spit out a mouthful of water as he glared at the fleeing bird.
"You truly have a magical way of providing me with comical scenes, you know that? Maybe you developed a power related to such a thing?" Thalassa said with a giggle before suddenly asking a question that made Percy's face instantly fall.
"Don't you dare say such a thing, if I develop such a power I will curse you till the end of time itself." He quickly threatened Thalassa as the primordial simply rolled her eyes at him before offering him a helping hand. Taking the hand Percy pulled himself out of the water before standing on it.
"So how was it?" Thalassa asked as Percy paused for a second as he seemed to think about his meditation.
"It was a lot like when Pontus introduced me to his domain, becoming one with water and becoming water itself. Though it wasn't nearly as long it still had a very similar feeling." Percy quickly analyzed his thoughts as Thalassa nodded.
"Excellent that is what I want you to focus on, you will continue to meditate in such a way for a week or two from dawn to dusk. I need you to experience and understand the way water is, and that it is a great deal before we can move on in your training." She explained to him, he simply nodded as the two began walking back to the beach.
"I'll make sure the seagulls don't bother you either." She added with a poor attempt to suppress a laugh.
"You…" Percy's face scrunched up in irritation a bit as he suppressed the urge to punch her; he simply let out a deep breath and then noticed a familiar figure on the beach. The figure then seemed to notice the two of them coming back as her head raised up from resting on her knees and then waved at them.
"Seems your little hero stunt earned you a fangirl," Thalassa said with a grin while Percy just glanced at her and ignored her teasing.
"I don't know if fangirl is the term to use here, she is just appreciative about the fact I saved her life." He explained to her while Thalassa gave him a look that said she wasn't buying it. Before too long the brother and sister finally made it to the beach where a certain petite Japanese demigoddess stood. Her current attire was no longer her funny shirt and pants but now a simple pair of shorts with a conservative pink bikini top and a zip-up white jacket that was left open.
"Circe finally let you out of the medic bay did she?" Percy said as she froze under his question and let out a nervous laugh.
"What the lady doesn't know won't hurt her right?" The girl said while playing with her hands a little.
"You snuck out? Oh my and here I thought you were a polite and by-the-book kind of girl." Thalassa couldn't help but say as the girl's nervous smile only grew a bit more.
"I left a note." She admitted as both Thalassa and Percy couldn't help but laugh as the girl blushed a bit.
"Circe is probably losing her mind, I'll go handle her," Thalassa said with a wave before walking away leaving Percy and the girl alone. Percy honestly felt a little bad for Circe, but that was only for a moment.
"So what brings you to the beach, Runa?" Percy asked as the girl glanced up at him before suddenly bowing towards him catching him off guard.
"Again thank you for saving my life!" She nearly yelled as Percy quickly helped her straighten her back. Her eyes filled with respect and gratitude as Percy couldn't help but feel a bit of exasperation fill him. This was about the 12th time she had thanked him like this, though he had constantly told her to stop, she simply kept doing it.
"Runa please I just did what anyone would, you don't have to keep doing this," Percy told her yet again but her sapphire blue eyes were instantly filled with a strong burning will as she shook her head while her raven black hair was tied up in a tight bun bobbing left and right.
"I can't! It would be disrespectful to my savior," She argued with him in a slightly fierce tone as Percy let out a sigh, he had been around a lot of people before but Runa was one of the stronger-willed ones for sure. Actually, over the last few days, he had learned a lot about the demigoddess and her specialness that could even evade his Eyes of Creation.
Her full name was Runa Okami, she was 16 years old and she was the daughter of an advisor to the current Japanese Emperor. She was also indeed a demigod, a Japanese one at that, meaning that she came from a goddess of the Shinto pantheon. Her godly parent was her mother yet she never told them who her mother exactly was, knowing better than to simply ask about it Percy simply kept quiet for now. Though he was sure that her mother was indeed powerful, he simply couldn't pinpoint who she was quite yet.
Runa explained that she was on a quest given to her by her mother to retrieve a certain item of power. On her quest, she had fought many Youki and even some minor Kami to make her way here. The quest detailed that it resided in a foreign land on an island guarded by a witch that treated men like swine, with a bit of research Runa had discovered Circe's island. Finding the place was another matter though, apparently, she had barely managed to get to the sea of monsters before her boat was destroyed in a storm.
She was lucky to survive by the skin of her teeth, unfortunately, her weapons were not so lucky. They had been swallowed by the sea itself leaving her defenseless and adrift until she had barely managed to find this place. Her weapon was supposed to magically come back to her yet the sea of monsters didn't seem to want to spit them out as of right now. This led to the current situation where she was found by Percy and then taken care of by the witch herself in a medical pay as she recovered.
"Can you at least… tone it down? I understand that you are very grateful for what I did but you have to think how this impedes me having you bow and constantly thank me. People may start to get the wrong idea." Percy said as Runa seemed to pause for a bit before slowly nodding.
"I understand Percy-san." She said as Percy pursed his lips together, he knew enough about Japanese stuff to know about the suffixes they added to the name as well. He simply wasn't used to hearing such a thing.
"Please just call me Percy, we are nearly the same age here." He begged as Runa just blinked at him before shaking her head, seeing the firm look in her eyes Percy could only rub his temples a little before letting the topic go. This girl was as stubborn as Artemis sometimes, he was sure the two would even get along great if they ever met.
"So what brings you to the beach for real?" Percy asked, causing Runa to pause, her blue eyes swirling with thoughts as she tried to figure out what to say.
"I… I would like to request your help for my quest." She stated in a firm tone as Percy raised an eyebrow a little.
"You do realize that we are from different Pantheons right?" He couldn't help but ask as she nodded, he had already told Runa that he was a Greek Pantheon demigod which she didn't seem to mind at all. In her own words 'You saved my life, why would I care if you are Greek or Shinto?' Though he thought she may have been trusting him a bit too much at the moment.
"You trust me enough to help with your quest your mother gave you? We have only known each other for a week at most, for all you know I could have a hidden agenda and want to do evil things to you." Percy couldn't help but say as Runa's blue eyes seemed to look deep into his.
"You are not that type of person." She said with a simple shake of her head as Percy couldn't help but oddly look at her.
"How could you possibly know that?" He couldn't help but ask as she locked eyes with him again.
"I have been observing you for the past few days and from what I can tell you are not that type of person. I have seen the way you interact with the people on the island, from the women who are here for their vacations to the servant girls, and even how you treat the witch. You are a good person and have no ill intentions for those who are innocent, only those who have wronged you are dealt with harshly."
"But I can also see the look in your eyes when you speak to the goddess, I can see the compassion and care you carry for her and what I assume is all your loved ones. I feel we are very similar in a few ways as well, the way you feel about your enemies and allies is nearly the same. I also sense a deep loyalty inside of you for your precious people… just like myself." She said as Percy blinked a few times as the girl never lost his gaze, before too long he began to scratch his head and let out a sigh.
"You have some pretty damn good eyes, you're about 80% correct but that is very impressive after watching me for only a few days." Percy complimented her as Runa gave him a smile in return.
"My father is an advisor for the Emperor, he has taught me the precious skill of how to properly read people. Though I admit I have far fewer friends than I wish for because of it…" She said with a hint of pride, before trailing off in a murmur while kicking the sand. Percy chose to ignore the last part for now.
"Sounds like your father taught you a fantastic skill." He said as Runa seemed to snap out of her slight depression before giving him a cute smile and nodding again.
"Indeed he did, so Percy-san will you help me on my quest?" Runa asked again in a firmer tone as Percy met her gaze and gave it some thought.
"How long do you need me?" He asked her as she quickly held up two fingers and her face turned serious.
"2 days is all I need! All we must do is locate the sword that is said to be somewhere around or on this witch's island. I am not sure of the full details but it is said that the sword is being used to suppress a certain powerful Youkai." She said quickly as if trying to sell Percy a product he wasn't sure about buying.
"Hmm… how powerful is this Youkai?" Percy couldn't help but probe a bit as Runa gave a slightly worried face and shook her head.
"I don't know, but the sword is said to be suppressing it for nearly 500 years. The youkai is bound to greatly weaken over such a long period." She said before adding a few more details about the item as Percy let out a hum. Runa could only shuffle a little in place in worry, Percy was incredibly strong from what she could tell. His slight aura that was naturally let out was enough to assure her of that. If he were to help her then she was 100% sure that her quest would succeed.
"Okay, I will help."
"Thank you so much! I will definitely-."
"On two conditions."
"...What are your conditions?"
"The first thing is that I want to keep this Youkai corpse, the second is that you must tell me who your godly parent is once it is all finished. I won't spread rumors about it."
"That's it?"
"Yes… unless you want me to request some other things. I don't mind making some weird or fun requests… hehe."
"Those two are enough! I accept them both! No more adding conditions, the deal is already sealed!" Runa quickly said as a blush crossed her face Percy couldn't help but let out a mischievous grin before pouting.
"Booooo you are no fun, I simply wanted you to dress up in a Hello Kitty mascot costume, it's not every day I get to mess with someone," Percy said in a teasing tone while a shit-eating grin spread across his face, Runa, on the other hand, was suffering from tomato face syndrome.
"PERCY-SAN! ECCHI!"
LINEBREAK:
"Are you sure this is the place?" Percy couldn't help but ask with a questioning gaze towards Thalassa as the primordial nodded in assurance. Both Percy and Runa shared a worried gaze before turning toward the simple metal door that was directly embedded into a mountainside. It even had a warning sign on it with a cartoon-like skull and bones, yet the whole picture of it made it seem like a children's special hiding spot or fort.
"Why is there a door of all things?" Percy couldn't help but ask as Thalassa showed a slightly proud expression and rubbed her upper lip a little.
"Well, when I was exploring the islands around here a few hundred years ago I discovered this place. After sensing the foreign aura from it and sensing how dangerous it was I simply decided to put the door here to keep people out. I didn't feel like I should solve whatever issue was down there so it seemed like the best option." Thalassa said with a happy smile as Percy and Runa stared at her for a moment.
'So… Irresponsible.' Both of them shared the same thought but didn't voice their concerns after seeing the proud Thalassa.
"It at least has a special lock on it right?"
*Creeeeaaaakkkk*
Hearing the sound of a creaking metal both Percy and Thalassa turned to see Runa had simply pushed open the door with extreme ease revealing a pathway to a staircase behind it. Percy couldn't help but slowly turn to Thalassa as the primordial simply blinked a few times before averting her eyes, she then turned to Percy and slapped him a few times on the back. Then gave them a confident smile and a thumbs up, he swore he even saw a ray of light shimmer off her thumb when she did.
"Well, good luck in there! I never actually explored it so whatever is inside is unknown to me. Make sure to keep Runa safe Percy, I will be back in 2 days." She said before turning away and waving her arm in the air as she said her goodbyes. Percy couldn't help but let his mouth drop open in awe at his irresponsible sister.
'If you seal up a place at least take a look just to make sure it is dangerous! If you do that make sure the door fucking locks! Also, don't walk away like you accomplished something amazing!' Percy's inner yelling made both Alpha and Barbatos laugh so hard it brought them to their hands and knees in his mind. Ignoring the two beings inside his mind and silencing their laughter he turned to Runa to find her facing away and trembling a little as tried to hold back her laughter.
"I- Is it me or is she a bit absent-minded?" She managed to ask between holding back her laughter and trying to calm herself down. Percy simply stared at her before letting his head fall into his head and releasing a huge sigh.
"I would like to say no but this whole situation proves otherwise, anyways… just let it out," Percy said as Runa did just that and started laughing as he was left shaking his head. After a bit, Runa wiped her tears from her eyes and straightened herself out.
"Okay, I am ready to go now, Percy-san." She said with a serious face pulling out a small short sword that Percy had lent her. Unfortunately, he had not ventured into crafting Japanese katana-like weapons yet so all he had was sabers and swords on him.
"Alright, then let us start this quest," Percy said as the both of them began to descend into the stairs that went deep into the ground. As they did the light from the surface started to dim as Percy simply raised his hand and summoned a small wisp of flame. The orange light filled the hallway as Runa gave a slight look of disbelief.
"What? Didn't expect that I had flame powers?" He asked her as Runa gave an honest nod which made him chuckle in return. With that, the two continued down on their way as Percy took the lead.
"I have never seen a demigod with control over more than one element before," Runa said a bit as Percy continued to face ahead and walk.
"Neither have I in all honesty… well maybe that isn't right. I have seen a few demigods with different powers that don't pertain to the 4 elements. Like superior knowledge and master craftsmanship or the combination of light and sound. There are a few more combinations out there that I've seen but never multiple elements of nature before." Percy admitted as he racked his brain and found this to be correct.
"Is that so… Percy-san… just how powerful of a demigod are you?" Runa asked him as Percy came to a stop making Runa nearly run into him. He still didn't turn her way causing Runa to get a little nervous from his actions.
"I am not that powerful… at least in the scheme of things." His nearly hauntingly deep voice filled the stairwell as Runa felt a slight chill down her back. Instantly she felt like she had poked at something she shouldn't have and felt a slight twist in her gut.
"I apologize Percy-san, I shouldn't have asked that." She couldn't help but apologize as Percy simply chuckled a little and continued walking, giving Runa no time to bow as she hurried on behind him.
"You're fine, most demigods I run into ask the same question. It's nothing to worry about." He said in a slightly more chipper tone trying to clear the awkward air a bit.
"Percy-san…"
"So any big rewards when you complete this quest? Most Greek gods give out items of powers or simply merits to the demigods who complete quests." Percy quickly changed the topic as Runa stared at his back a bit before responding.
"It is similar to what you speak of, I will obtain merits to further myself in my homeland. Right now I have the rank of Shogun for my camp, once this quest is completed I will obtain one of the rights to become the rank of Empress." She said in a proud tone as Percy blinked in surprise, he hadn't ever heard of these ranks before.
"Is that like a leader?" He couldn't help but ask as she nodded with a newfound light in her eyes.
"It is the most outstanding leader that us demigods have! If I obtain the qualifications to be an Empress then I will be able to start unifying the demigod camps all over Japan! The full unification of all the Japanese demigods hasn't happened since the 1940s. There has simply been too much in-fighting between camps!" She said with great excitement, so much so that she said half of her words in Japanese. Thankfully Percy was able to understand her thanks to a unique multilingual deciphering power he had.
"Well, I wish you the best of luck then, once this quest is all done you will be able to accomplish just that. Just remember when you get all famous don't forget about little old me." He said with a laugh as Runa couldn't help but blush over her excited outburst, all she could do was nod and hide her face with one of her hoodie sleeves.
"So why do you want to unify all the camps?" Percy suddenly asked after a bit as Runa's face darkened a bit.
"There is an evil approaching our land and we must defend against it, if the camps cannot unite then many of us are bound to perish. I cannot let such a thing happen." She said in such a firm tone that Percy couldn't help but be surprised for a moment.
"It seems both our Pantheons share something in common then. Where there is dark waters in one place there is bound to be more in others." He said as Runa couldn't help but nod as the two seemed to fall into a lull and stopped talking as they continued on their way. After what seemed forever Percy noticed a difference in the stagnant air as it began to smell like an old forest.
"It seems we are getting close, it smells like trees. Very old ones at that." Percy commented as Runa sniffed the air a little, her eyebrows cutely furrowed and her face scrunched up like she had smelled something bad. She even went as far as to hold her nose closed as Percy gave her an awkward look, it didn't smell that bad did it?
"I'm fine Percy-san, I didn't expect to smell such an awful youkai scent here." She said with a bit of a nasal tone that made Percy want to laugh but restrained himself. Yet he couldn't help but sniff the air again to try and find the awful smell she was talking about, yet he still couldn't.
"All I smell is old trees." He admitted as she put on a thinking face before a flash of realization crossed her face.
"It must be your Greek blood. Different monsters from different pantheons must smell different to demigods. A simple defense mechanism for us to realize our enemies." She said as he couldn't help but shrug and agree with her, it sounded reasonable enough and monsters did indeed stink.
Thankfully they had finally reached the end of the walkway before entering a surprisingly huge cavern. It was so large in fact that Percy's flame only illuminated a tiny spot inside as he could only see rocks and uneven ground. As he looked around Percy then felt an ominous feeling crawl over his skin making his back tingle a little. His eyes narrowed a little as he realized that he was feeling the presence of the underworld but not the one Hades controlled.
"The presence of Yomi is strong here… but we are not actually in it. It seems something is radiating the feeling." Runa said as she pulled out her sword and carefully looked around as if trying to find something in the dimly lit area. Trying to see more Percy waved his hand as a dozen more flame balls appeared and started to fly into the space surrounding them.
It was then Percy realized just how massive this cavern was, the whole cavern was in a dome shape, the top of it reached more than 400 feet tall and the floor was more than triple that. Yet lying right in the middle of this place was a being that caught both Percy and Runa's gazes. It was a very old tree that was so tall it took up half the height of the cavern and its thick roots covered about 70 percent of the floor. The tree was nearly gray and didn't have a single leaf on its withered and dried-up branches. Half of the bark on the thing was gone revealing shriveled up fiber beneath.
"What is this thing?" Percy couldn't help but ask as he approached one of the larger roots nearby as he felt the aura of 'Yomi' radiate off of it. Taking a closer look he noticed that there were some very strange face-like growths in the wood, each in a different expression of pain and suffering that made his skin crawl. He began to scan further with his senses as he noticed that the markings covered the entirety of the roots but didn't cover any of the actual trunk.
"By the gods," Runa swore as her eyes were filled with disbelief, she couldn't help but gaze at the tree roots and gulp a little as Percy suddenly knocked his fingers against them. From the roots, a somewhat metallic sound came from it causing Runa to look his way as Percy backed up a bit from the roots.
"Runa what is this thing?" Percy couldn't help but ask again as the demigoddess turned his way before joining at his side.
"This is a Nine Nether Tree. I have only ever read legends about them but have never seen one before. It is said that these trees grow in the underworld or Yomi and absorb souls as its nutrients, it is even said that the tree can nurture souls into lesser Youkai that can do its bidding." As she gave an explanation to Percy he simply stared in awe and disgust at the massive tree youkai.
"That sounds horrifying," Percy said with a shiver as Runa nodded along to his words, the two then performed a few more tests on the roots and found them without any energy to suggest they were alive. Seeing this as a good sign they started making their way towards the trunk of the tree where they found a blade buried to the hilt in the middle of the trunk. The hilt itself was surrounded by a huge black burn mark that Percy hadn't noticed.
Staring up at the mark the two of them pursed their lips, the easy part was over. Now came the more difficult part, actually reaching the sword to pull it out. Unfortunately, Percy's wings wouldn't work in this situation as there were too many branches around the spot, so that ruled out that idea. The only option at the moment seemed like actually climbing up the tree but there were no footholds or things to grab onto.
Percy had even tried to stab Crimson Sky into the tree but was surprised to find that he couldn't. He even tried to pour his aura into it to make it sharper yet it did nothing but leave a white mark on the tree even after a decent amount of aura was poured into it. Slightly infuriated by this he began to hack at the tree for a bit before finally giving up after leaving one inch deep cut in the tree after a few minutes of work.
"You got any ideas?" Percy couldn't help but ask while sitting down on a root as Runa stared up at the sword.
"I do have one…" She said before reaching into her jacket and pulling out two very simple golden hairpins that were both several inches long. Seeing the special items Percy raised an eyebrow at them.
"This is something I picked up a long time ago, they were given to me by a woman who was once a tree and had gained human form after falling in love. She used these to hold her hair up in her human form and when her lover passed away she gave them to me. After she did, she began to turn back into a tree right in front of me." Runa said as Percy listened to the slightly depressing story, his mind wandering to his loved ones for a moment before refocusing
"Let's see if this works," Runa said as she walked up to the trunk and stabbed it with the hairpin. Yet unlike Percy's sword, it easily pierced the wood as his eyes went wide in surprise. Runa couldn't help but grin as she stabbed the other one into the wood as the mystical properties of the hairpins worked wonderfully. Soon the girl was quickly climbing her way up the tree as Percy was left alone as he seemed to pet Crimson Sky who was in its Khopis form.
"Listen, it is just a silly magical item made to pierce any wood or something, it doesn't hold a candle to you. You're still the sharpest and most dangerous weapon ever." Percy comforted his weapon as it seemed to hum a tiny amount.
'Oh my, he is talking to his weapons again.' Alpha suddenly said in his mind as Percy tried to ignore him.
'What is so wrong about talking to one's weapon? Do you have something to say, Alpha?' Barbatos suddenly spoke up as the two began to hold a conversation with Percy as the third wheel. After a bit, Percy simply muted their voices in his head after seeing that Runa was finally at the sword. After a moment of rest, Runa reached up and grabbed the hilt of the sword, the instant she did the whole tree suddenly trembled.
"Runa!" Percy yelled as Runa nearly fell but managed to hold strong onto the hilt of the blade, yet the trembling did not stop as Percy narrowed his eyes and began to gather his aura inside him. Summoning his shield as well, Percy stood at the ready as his eyes found Runa who was struggling to pull out the blade.
"Come out you bastard!" Runa cursed as she gritted her teeth and put both her legs against the tree while pulling with all her might, yet the blade did not budge an inch as Runa pulled with all her might. As she struggled harder and harder the trembling grew in intensity, yet nothing moved other than a few loose rocks. After a bit Runa seemed to take a short break as she gasped for breath, the blade had yet to move a single centimeter even with all her effort.
"You need help?" Percy yelled from down below as Runa shook her head and got back into position to pull the blade free. Yet this time a golden aura began to flood from her and wrap around her body and the temperature in the room around her began to rise drastically. When he saw this Percy felt a slight tingle of mild danger from her as his eyes widened in surprise, just then a golden flame erupted from her forearms and lower legs.
"AHHHHH!" Runa yelled and pushed against the tree with all her newfound might as the flames exploded with intense might and the whole chamber seemed to turn golden in color. Percy even had to squint his eyes a bit from the brightness as his aura flickered around him and warded off the intense heat in the room. Just then the whole room shook violently for a second before stopping.
*Whoosh!*
Just like that the sound of a blade being released filled the room as Percy saw Runa enter a free fall as she had successfully pulled out a golden blade. Seeing her fall Percy was just about to jump up and rescue her but Runa suddenly kicked off the trunk of the tree and proceeded to backflip in the air. As she did the bottom of her feet let out a burst of flame causing her to decelerate rapidly before gently landing on the ground.
"Thank goodness that worked." She said in a happy tone while Percy simply stared at the demigoddess who was still partially cloaked in flame. He couldn't help but notice her eyes also now continued a hint of flame in them as he pursed his lips a little before sighing.
"Glad you made it down safely, your flame powers are pretty cool by the way," Percy said as Runa quickly turned his way and let out a sheepish laugh while patting down her arms as if to put out the flame.
"I am not that good at using them yet," She admitted while Percy let out a laugh, if what she displayed was 'not that good' he kinda felt bad for his fellow Greek demigods. Putting that thought aside for the moment his eyes landed on the golden 3-foot katana that was without a speck of rust or grime on it that lay in her hand. Just glancing at the sword Percy felt something dormant in it that felt like any other godly weapon, full of unbridled power that could lay waste to a town in an instant.
"I suggest getting used to them, for a daughter of Amaterasu it would be weird if you weren't," Percy said with a simple look as Runa instantly froze in place, her eyes even trembling slightly as she looked up at Percy.
"Y- You found out?" She managed to ask as Percy shrugged a little.
"Hard to miss when you are spewing flames that have qualities of the sun itself. Also lying isn't your forte, I suggest next time don't casually fall more than 200 feet and use your flame rockets to land perfectly. I understand you want to hide your lineage but next time try a bit harder and tone down the proficiency a bit." Percy commented as Runa's eyes slowly fell to the ground and her ruse was quickly torn apart.
"It seems you are more observant than I first imagined," Runa said in a shy voice followed by a light chuckle as she looked back up at Percy, for a bit the two stared at one another before Percy let a small smile escape his lips a bit before laughing.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to go telling anyone about your secrets to any randos. If you want to hide your lineage that is completely up to you. There is something I am curious about… why hide it so thoroughly?" Percy asked with a slightly confused face as Runa seemed to scan him over a few times before straightening her back.
"With my mother being the komi of the sun and the most worshiped deity in Japan it puts a huge target on my back. I have had many people try and kill me simply because they fear my future or their godly parents have some sort of grudge against my mother. Even the Youkai flock to me saying that my flesh and blood is the best tonic for their growth. It is also one of the reasons I don't have… any friends… besides my dad I guess." Runa said with a somewhat perturbed look on her face while Percy listened to her before slowly nodding.
"I can't say we are much different in that aspect, gods and people alike will always fear the powerful and try to hinder their growth. It makes for a difficult life for us, thankfully I have been blessed with a loving family and friends to help me through it. Runa… if you would like I wouldn't mind becoming your friend." Percy said while staring at the girl who trembled a bit at his words before her eyes widened a little and grew a bit misty.
"You would?" She couldn't help but ask as Percy smiled a bit as he reached out and patted her dainty head while chuckling.
"Of course. You're a smart girl with a bright future ahead of you, like I said before though. When you become this empress don't forget about me when you have a ton of new friends." He said as Runa let out a cute laugh and simply accepted Percy's head pats for the moment.
"We have a deal?" He asked her again while removing his hand, Runa nodded and showed a proud and excited gaze.
"Yes! But you have to tell me your godly parent as well! A secret for a secret! Like friends do." She said happily before blushing at the last part as Percy laughed at her antics.
"As long as we agree to not tell anyone else unless the other part is okay with it, swear on your essence?" Percy added a quick contingency as Runa gave it some thought before nodding and just like that Percy and Runa felt something link the two of them as the agreement was put into place.
"So who is your godly parent?" She asked a bit excitedly as Percy rubbed his head a little and seemed to think.
"Well, technically I have 3 godly parents." He said as Runa's smile disappeared as her face was covered in confusion.
"Percy-san that doesn't make any sense, babies aren't made like that." She said in a matter-of-fact tone as Percy gave her an awkward smile.
"Normally you're correct, I can think of one example that doesn't follow this logic. Regardless you are right, trust me I have 2 well technically 3 children of my own. This is all besides the point though, two of my godly partners adopted me with a blessing-."
"Percy-san has children!? This is news to me!"
"I thought I had mentioned it to you… but I guess not. Yeah, I have two kids, Zora and Ryder. I technically have 3 as well but that is a different story entirely. All of them are equal parts adorable and small terrors."
"Sorry, I'm still processing the fact you have children. You only look about 18, how young were you when you had them?"
"Umm… I don't feel like this conversation is going to be a short one so let's put this on the back burner for now and focus for a bit," Percy said as Runa slowly nodded as the mess of questions in her mind was pushed aside.
"Wait, focus on what?" She suddenly asked, realizing he didn't mention anything.
"That," Percy said pointing at the tree as Runa turned her head to see the tree she had just pulled the sword out of slowly splitting down the middle as her eyes widened. As it did, a much more dreadful aura began to fall from the crack in the tree as Runa instantly summoned her flames again. This time her entire body and even her mother's sword were covered with golden flame, it was like a set of semi-transparent armor on her that seemed to merge with her clothes in a special way
Percy on the other had already summoned his Khopis and shield before facing the growing crack in the tree. At the same time, his hoodie and mask transformed leaving him in black Greek armor and a sleek silver knight helmet. Just then flames also began to form around Percy as his Khopis was quickly covered in a layer and a few fire arrows formed around him.
*CRACK!*
A huge crack was ripped open in the middle of the tree sending a shower of splinters flying through the air as long green wooden tendrils ripped the tree carcass further open. Unlike before the once metal-like wood lost all its hardness and seemed to turn into rotten wood before the tendrils as a large space was finally ripped open from inside the tree. Even the roots beneath their feet began to split open as new roots tore through the ground while ripping and tearing at anything they could.
"Well… can't say I've ever foughten such a violent tree before," Percy said with a chuckle as Runa gave him a look to be serious.
*BOOM!*
With that joke said, the trunk of the tree was fully ripped open revealing an evil-looking Tree with human face growths all over it that seemed to be screaming in pain. Its size was maybe only 20 feet tall. The aura coming from it was so potent and filled with malice and evil that it even made Percy shiver a bit. He narrowed his eyes further and gripped his weapons even harder as his aura grew in fierceness and pressure descended on the Nine Nether Tree as it managed to let out a groan of extreme anger. Its own black and green aura then exploded from it as ghost wails will the entire room, their fight had just begun.
A/N: YOOOO! Another chapter in the bag for my people, I hope you enjoyed this little side quest but I assure you it does have plot parts for the future! Still, I hope you enjoyed the reveal of our out-of-town girl Runa. One battle away from the true training session with Thalassi and then the real book quest! I hope you all leave a review to share your thoughts and shout out to my editor for keeping it real!
E/N: Sup Sup Sup?! We back again! Well, kinda. I still need to touch more of Fatal Flaw (sorry @BoredPerson) but I have a reason!!! I promise I really do! Work has been hectic and instead of editing I have been actually writing! For now at least, please enjoy and review guys! We love reading (or laughing if it is hateful) your guys' opinions! - Sol