Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson
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Emerald Library: Is so big you can google it
Writer's Block: wttJDs62Dy
LAST TIME:
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.
NOW:
THIRD PERSON POV:
*BOOOMM!*
"I'll grab its attention! Burn that motherfucker's trunk to ashes Runa!" Percy yelled while dodging another huge branch that tried to smash him into a paste. The place he was standing was instead shattered to pieces in his steed while large debris smashed into his shield with such force it flung him further into the air. Percy easily straightened himself out in the air just in time for another branch to swing his way only to meet a scorching hot kopis.
*SHIIING!*
The air rang with the song of a sword as Percy's kopis cut through the horrific-looking branch, instantly it was separated from the rest of the Nine Nether Tree's body. The Tree let out a painful groan as the burning stump was pulled away from Percy as fast as it could be. In turn, a dozen more thick branches began to attack Percy while he remained in midair, yet his body twisted and turned in midair with such extreme ease it was like he was dancing.
While Percy was busy dodging and cutting off the soon-to-be dozens of branches he would kick off a branch or use his shield or even his kopis to keep himself mid-air and a huge distraction for the tree. With each swing of his weapon, a branch was either cut into a burning stump or grew a large burning gash. Yet before the fire could spread it was snuffed out by the Nine Nether Tree's black and green aura. The moments passed by quickly as Percy gathered the full attention of the being and the pressure on him began to grow immensely, forcing him back in turn.
"Percy-san! Language!" Runa suddenly yelled as her golden fire began to burn even hotter as the air began to warp from the heat. It only took a moment for her flames to nearly triple in size and heat as the ground around her began to turn red from the heat. Seeing Percy stalling for the moment to give her time, Runa's eyes glimmered with determination as she shot forward with her feet letting out jets of flames. In a moment the Tree sensed a danger from its side as it instantly noticed the golden comet flying its way, sensing the danger from the comet its roots and branches began to swarm towards it.
"Oh no you don't!" Percy roared as his Kopis transformed into a flaming pair of black-handled 2ft long daggers with red blades, in the same moment his shield also conveniently appeared on his back. Percy moved like a typhoon made of fire as he ran toward the tree while using its branches as footholds. Sparks of black lightning also began to appear around his body as he supercharged his muscles and moved even faster.
"It's been a minute since I've fought like this," Percy mumbled to himself as his muscles tensed and shot forward, his scorching hot daggers cut into the branches with terrifying ease. Each time he cut into a branch it flinched back in pain before the tree's aura extinguished the flames but this still didn't stop them from attacking him with all their might. It made the tree even sense him as a larger danger compared to Runa as it was forced to defend itself more against him.
Percy then began to feel the pressure from the attack once again as his body moved as fast as it could as nearly 50 branches tried to turn him into a paste. His eyes narrowed and his mind fired on all cylinders as he fought as fast as he could, he then began to decipher the level this Youkai was at. He wasn't sure but from what he had seen it was at the level of an immortal being to maybe a minor god, whatever it was, it was strong and he couldn't help but let a grin spread across his face as he continued to fight.
"Sunny Road!" Suddenly a shout filled the room as Percy saw Runa finally get through a barrage of roots with her extreme speed. At that moment Percy felt the heat in the room easily triple yet again as Runa's sword seemed to go supercritical as all the flames on her body condensed on her sword and then shot forward with an incredibly fast stab that made the whole room light up.
*SHINNNGGGG!*
*BOOOMM!!*
Percy was forced to narrow his eyes due to the brightness and then the searing heat hit him as well. In a moment he was forcibly pushed away from Runa and the tree due to the explosion as he twisted and turned through the air only for his wings to pop out of his back and keep him afloat. In a moment fire twisted around each of them as orange-tipped white feathers covered his wings. His now white and red aura flared up a bit to deflect the rest of the heat and light as Percy witnessed the Nine Nether Tree flying through the air right before landing near its old husk.
*RUMBLE!*
With a loud boom, the massive tree lay on the ground writhing about as a flaming hole that was about 3 feet wide appeared on its side as golden flames continued to viciously burn at its blackening bark. Along with the hole multiple roots and branches were obliterated after trying to block the blow Runa had delivered. Percy kept his eyes on the angrily groaning tree before glancing down to find a heavily panting Runa on the ground as her flames began to slowly build up again.
"You got a few more of those in you?" Percy asked as Runa glanced his way only to find herself in a slight stupor at his giant fire wings. Even she could feel the densely concentrated fire in them, but she quickly pulled herself out of her stupor, she was in the middle of a battle, and she needed to focus!
"I have a few more left in me, but I don't think it will be that easy to hit it again," Runa said in a demoralized tone, Percy raised an eyebrow at her words when he suddenly felt a huge rush of sickening aura in the room. Percy could only turn his head toward the source as he witnessed the Nine Nether Tree get back up on its roots as it got rid of the rest of the flames. As it did Percy noticed all the human faces on its roots and tree limbs began to move rapidly towards its trunk and gather in one spot. Feeling a tingle of danger on the back of his neck Percy's eyes widened rapidly at the scene.
"Oh no you don't!" Percy yelled as his daggers transformed into his spear before he moved. Instantly black lightning and white fire both gathered on his spear in massive amounts as Percy's nose began to bleed from the sudden strain of using both destructive elements so quickly. He had only managed to combine the two elements a few times without issue so he was pushing his luck. Yet it seemed that Tyche was on his side as he managed to barely keep them from combining into one and exploding in his hand as they formed a spiral of black and white around the spear.
Sensing the danger of his move Runa gathered her flames and shot backward behind some debris as Percy flapped his wings and spun in the air before throwing his spear as hard as he could. In a split second, the spear turned into a flash of black and white and became a pillar of destruction as it slammed right into the Nine Nether's body. Yet instead of an enormous explosion, Percy watched in horror as an arm made of branches managed to grab the spiraling spear. Though the hand didn't last long against the destructive power of the spear it did last long enough to barely redirect it to the side of the tree as it slammed into the rock wall.
*BOOOOOMM!*
The rock wall didn't last a second as the spear flashed a dangerous white color before letting loose, the explosion shook the entire cavern and deafened both demigods for a moment. Percy simply didn't care about what was happening around him as his eyes found the Nine Nether tree that had gone through a huge transformation. Its once 20-foot-tall stature was now only 6 feet tall and had taken the shape of a humanoid figure. Its roots had turned into two sturdy legs and its branches had turned into two thick arms.
Its trunk on the other hand took a human stature-like appearance but didn't have any defining qualities like muscles or anything, only a rudimentary shape was all it had. Yet its head was something else entirely, it seemed to be an amalgamation of all the terrifying faces. The wood making it up even seemed to be moving as the faces appeared to be crying out as some surface and then sunk back into the wood. This alone was enough to make Percy and Runa's stomachs churn in disgust.
"Hhhhhhuuuummmmaaaannnnsssss," Suddenly the tree managed to groan in a somewhat hungry tone as both Runa and Percy felt a shiver of disgust flow through them. Percy simply raised his hand as Crimson Sky appeared on his wrist before turning into his kopis, one of the tree's faces on its orb-like head focused itself on him as he moved. He landed beside Runa and glanced at her as her flames seemed to burn with hatred as she gritted her teeth.
"Let's put this beast out of its misery Percy-san." She said with a hate-filled voice as Percy nodded with her.
"Any ideas? I'm not very well versed in youkai and I don't feel like my flames are having much effect on it as yours did." He asked as he summoned Eternal Bonds as well as the shield shimmered in the golden light of Runa's flames.
"You are correct, the Nine Nether is a being of the underworld, only pure yang flames of the sun have the most advantage over them. Your flames burn like that of the sun but are not fully developed yet, given more time I am sure they could turn this thing to ash." Runa said in a serious tone while her gaze never left the Tree demon.
"Thanks… I guess? Regardless, any ideas?" Percy asked her while ignoring her comment for the moment, Runa eyed the beast as it remained still for a bit before speaking again.
"It seems like it is not able to move from its spot, let us attack it until it turns to ashes." She said with a nod as Percy felt his eyebrow twitch, Runa was kind of a blockhead it seemed. Or was a ditz a better word? Well never mind, he wasn't complaining, he had the same idea as her honestly. Wait… wouldn't that make him a blockhead…? No comment.
"Sounds good to me! You go left, I'll go right!" Percy yelled as his wings disappeared as he shot forward along with her. Both Percy and Runa were covered in their flames in a moment as both golden and white colors clashed as they attacked the Nine Nether. Their swords struck at the same time as the Nine Nether was ready for them and defended itself.
*Clang!*
Its arms were like iron walls as a shower of sparks flew into the air and only a white line was left behind from each of their strikes. The demon then attacked them both, angrily swinging its fists at them as both narrowly dodged the extremely fast attacks. The air shuddered from its deadly fists and the rocks its fists found were destroyed and craters were created. In that moment it began to move as it locked onto Percy and began to chase.
"I'm the tank and you are the DPS Runa! Aim for any weak points you see! I will hold its attention again!" Percy yelled as Runa nodded and her sword began to charge up with solar flames as Percy's eyes focused on the demon. In a matter of moments, he had dodged nearly 20 strikes and left numerous white lines on its body. Percy frowned as he dodged yet another strike that took out a wall as he poured more of his aura into the sword. Crimson Sky should be able to cut through anything as long as he poured enough aura into it, yet this tree's bark seemed very stubborn.
"Again!" Percy yelled as white flames coiled around his blade before he narrowly dodged a strike and landed a hard blow on the 'elbow' of the demon. In an instant, his white-hot blade made a gash that dug an inch into the demon's arm. Letting out a growl of pain the demon seemed to back up a bit as Percy grinned a bit and pushed forward. Yet before he knew it a golden blade entered his vision Percy saw Runa appear out of nowhere, her flaming blade sailing through the air and found the very same gash he had just created.
*SHING!*
In a single moment, the cut grew another inch and golden flames seemed to invade the arm of the beast as its many faces let out howls of anger and pain. As Percy and Runa didn't let up, from what Percy could tell with her strike several inches inside the beast were caught in her flames as it tried to push them out. Unlike before the flames were external while this time they were internal, making them much harder to deal with even with the vicious aura.
"Good job Sailor Sun! Keep it up!" Percy yelled while dodging another strike that tore through a giant wall with ease as Runa backed away, seeming a bit baffled by his sudden nickname, yet she couldn't help but smile a bit. She had never actually had any person give her a nickname before besides her father, it was a bit thrilling even though she was in the middle of a battle.
"Your nickname sense is awful Percy-san!" She yelled with a smile on her face as the two continued to fight the tree demon. Both kept pace with one another as more and more wounds grew on the demon until it was littered with smoking wounds and the inside of its body was glowing with flames trapped inside it. Only a bit more and they would be able to defeat this beast, yet they were both reaching their limit as Percy and Runa were gasping for air.
Percy performed the role of a tank perfectly, his many battles with beings from monsters, demigods, and even gods was all the experience he needed. Runa quickly picked up her job as DPS as her extreme speed and flame jets made her the perfect hit-and-run warrior. The Nine Nether Tree may be extremely strong, reaching the strength and speed of a minor god. But it was dumb, its movements were predictable, and it also seemed very weak.
"Whatever do you mean!? Haha! The only issue is this bitch is so freaking hard!" Percy yelled to himself as his blade glowed pure white, his aura flooding into the blade as his nose started to drip blood again. His body was pushing itself to the limit and his muscles were screaming at him as he forced himself to keep up with the demon. In a split second Percy once again dodged a strike and scraped his helmet a tiny bit in a shower of sparks before his blade cut yet another gash right on the demon's side.
"Language!" Runa yelled as she appeared right behind Percy in a flash of gold, her flames once again were used like jets that propelled her like a rocket. In a flash, her blade found the same mark as another huge burst of solar flames was poured into the wound. Yet the demon seemed ready for her, even with a burst of flames coming from its side like a fountain of blood its fist shot toward Runa.
Seeing the wooden fist moving towards her Runa tried to pull away only to find her blade stuck as her face paled a bit. Just as the fist was about to punch her head an arm reached around her and blocked the fist with a shield. In a single moment, the shield blocked the blow with a loud ring with extreme precision as the ground beneath her sank from the strength of the blow. Runa couldn't help but feel her heart race at the close call, she then saw Percy bearing over her like an indestructible wall as he protected her and saved her life.
"Grab your blade!" Percy yelled in a pained tone, as his whole body trembled in pain from the strike. Runa didn't even think as she followed his command and grabbed the blade that was still stuck in the demon's body. Even then the blade did not budge, Runa gritted her teeth as her whole body burst into flames as she poured them into her blade. Soon more and more flames were shoved into the demon's wound through the sword.
"RRRROOOOAAAAARRRRR!" It let out a terrifying howl of pain that shook the cavern as the flames invaded the wound more and more. At that moment the tipping point was reached as it didn't try to retreat, instead it wanted to end this. Its whole body then began to push down on Percy's shield with all its might as Percy pushed back as well. With Runa right underneath him Percy could not yield, if he did it would be the end of both of them, it didn't help that Runa was putting off intense heat from her flames right below him.
"Pour everything into it! Urk!" Percy yelled as suddenly another fist slammed down on the shield, Percy's whole body creaked under the weight of the strike, he swore he felt a few bones crack. The taste of blood also spread in his mouth as more black lightning poured itself through his muscles to strengthen them. He even felt his domain of sea begin to stir inside him as he forced it away, if he activated his domain he was afraid Runa wouldn't survive either.
"AAAAHHHH!" Runa did just that as her flames intensified as more and more was poured into the blade, fire began to spew out of the small cracks growing on in its bark that were as it spread through the demon's body. Time ticked by and soon Percy felt the pressure on him go away as the demon was forced to its knees until finally he was able to push away its arms. His body staggered a bit as Runa's flames began to die down. Her body was drenched in sweat as she gasped for air, yet her hands never left her sword that stayed lodged in the Nine Nether Tree.
Its body was now fully covered in golden cracks as the solar flames burned everything beneath the extremely hard outer shell it possessed. Other than their harsh breathing Percy could hear the quiet popping of wood burning, the demon couldn't even groan as the flames reached for its head. It then fell to its side in defeat as Runa collapsed to the ground, her aura fully drained from her as Percy slowly walked forward towards the Nine Nether.
"For good measure," Percy said as he raised his blade before it glowed white hot, with all his remaining might Percy cut down and barely severed the head from the body as the angry ghost faces showed immense pain before… relief. Then ever so slowly they receded into the orb of wood that made up its head, after waiting a bit longer just in case Percy finally sat down to rest as he and Runa shared a smile of happiness, the burning wooden body of the demon providing the two a bit of light in the dark cavern.
"So… any chance I could get a new nickname?"
"Hahaha! You wish, Sailor Sun!"
"But it's so lame Percy-san!"
"That just means it hasn't grown on you yet, you'll see."
"... Fine! Your nickname is now… the… the… ummm… I got it! You are now Muscle Boy."
"And here I thought I was bad at nicknames."
"Whatever you say Muscle Boy-san."
LINEBREAK:
LOCATION: Circe's Island
"Hmmm? A guest?" Thalassa asked as she tilted her head to the side to see a woman sitting on another beach chair not too far away. Yet she looked completely out of place on the beach chair. She currently wore a gorgeous hanfu that was a mix of white and delicate gold. Her long sparkling black hair with its fancy ornaments along with her pale skin made her look like a Japanese porcelain doll of the highest quality. Only adding to her doll-like persona was a noble and ice-like beauty that was also on a godly level.
The woman's eyes silently flickered up to Thalassa before returning to the small red and golden bird sitting in her lap that seemed to be quietly napping as she softly petted it. Thalassa couldn't help but stare at the red small bird in the woman's lap, Thalassa's eyes sparkled a bit behind her sunglasses as she recognized the small bird as a youkai. Thalassa already knew who this woman was but seeing her here was another story entirely.
"Cold as ever I see, you know for being the Shinto goddess of the sun one would think you would be a bit… brighter," Thalassa said with a huff before bringing a drink to her lips, the quiet goddess stopped petting the small bird and then looked at Thalassa with a silent stare. In a single moment, an invisible pressure surrounded Thalassa as if wanting to crush her, yet the primordial of the sea seemed unfazed as her eyes shimmered in a deep blue light before a hint of seriousness spread on her face.
"Ehhhh? Do you want to fight? It seems you have forgotten, this place is not your home." Thalassa said as the pressure on her instantly dissipated and her aura flared and charged at the other goddess. The sun goddess didn't even bat an eye as her aura flared and fought back, in the air a wave of blue and gold auras clashed. The beach trembled from the pressure the two gave over, but nothing was broken by their fight, the other girls on the beach couldn't even see their auras and simply passed it off as a small earthquake.
"... I am here to bring back a few things for my daughter she was lost along the way and to make sure you kept up with your end of our bargain." The sun goddess finally said with a simple and elegant tone that had a tinge of ice in it. The two goddesses simply stayed locked in their aura battle for a minute more before the forces finally dissipated.
"I kept up my side of the deal Amaterasu and allowed your daughter access to the place where you sealed the Nine Nether Tree. But… I did send her with some help." Thalassa said as she finished off her drink with a satisfied slurp before snapping her fingers and instantly refilling it.
"Help?" The goddesses asked with furrowed eyebrows as the primordial waved her hand at the woman as if telling her to calm down.
"Don't worry, she is in good hands. That boy wouldn't lay a hand on her, trust me. He is what you might call a very devoted man… in a sense. Regardless, I'm sure Benzaiten has already given you a lengthy report on the boy." Thalassa said in a confident tone before her eyes peeked over her glasses at Amaterasu, the goddess showed a slight look of surprise before her face returned to normal.
"It seems my worries are not needed…" She said after a bit of pondering, she then quietly picked up the small firebird and set the sleeping creature on the chair she had just been sitting on. Without a word, she snapped her fingers as a light began to shimmer in the air, an instant later a katana with a black sheath that had golden and red fire patterns on it suddenly appeared in the air.
"This sea here has some very sticky fingers, makes me want to bring it to a boil for a bit. You wouldn't mind would you?" She suddenly asked while shaking the katana a little to get off a few droplets of water and set it down next to the sleeping bird. Thalassa on the other hand felt the sea of monsters tremble in fear from those simple words as the primordial paid its whimpering in her ear no mind.
"Just be reasonable and don't kill any animals or monsters if you can. I don't want the ecosystem around here to be destroyed if I can help it." Thalassa said with a shrug as the whole sea of monsters began to ask Thalassa to help it silently, but the primordial once again ignored it. It should have kept its grubby mitts to itself, not every treasure it found or stole was for it to keep. This would be a good lesson for it to learn.
"Very well then it is a deal." The goddess said as Thalassa nodded, the sun goddess then started to float into the air before stopping and then turning back to the primordial.
"I almost forgot about my end of the bargain we agreed upon, you have received one of my favors and can use it whenever you wish." She said as Thalassa gave a wide grin, she was almost worried this little icy sun goddess would forget about it.
"Why thank you very much, I will hold off for the moment. I may require it in the future, I feel." She said as Amaterasu gave a nod before pulling out a small plank of black wood with her name etched into its surface. With a simple toss, the piece of wood fell into Thalassa's hands as the primordial gave it a small glance over.
"I have a suspicion that you will use my favor in a roundabout way, simply use this token yourself or give it to someone you trust enough to. I don't care what you decide, tell them that if their request is too outlandish then it will not be accepted." She said as Thalassa nodded in understanding, Amaterasu no longer paid the primordial any mind and flew off into the distance in a flash of gold.
*Sigh*
"Foreign gods are always so weird," Thalassa mumbled to herself as the sea of monsters trembled once again, it seemed that the goddess was busy boiling the sea just like she said she would.
LINEBREAK:
"Finally back," Percy said in an exhausted voice as he gingerly set down Runa before landing himself as the two staggered a bit from their long flight. Percy's wings shook a bit as they shed their water feathers and quickly disappeared into the slits on his back.
"Finally back I see." A voice teased them as Percy turned to see Thalassa, who was not there a second ago, leaning against a large rock not too far from them. Her current attire is nothing more than a simple blue one-piece swimsuit and a large woven grass hat as a large grin was spread across her face. Seeing his sister Percy couldn't help but grin a bit himself as he sat on a nearby rock as Runa did the same.
"Indeed we are, seems a bit more bruised than I intended. That Nine Nethere Tree was a real bitch to deal with." He said with a large regretful sigh only for a small rock suddenly said through the air and hit his arm and bounced right off.
"Language Percy-san, your mouth is so filthy," Runa said with a tired huff as she picked up another rock just in case, Thalassa couldn't help but laugh at the scene as Percy felt his lip quiver ever so slightly.
"Anyways the mission is done, Runa got the blade she needed and I got... this," Percy said as he reached into a small fanny pack that stretched from one hip to a shoulder. This was another form of his amazing backpack and one that worked best while flying, yet in a few seconds, Percy managed to pull out the very head of the Nine Nether Tree that was still in the form of an orb. Upon seeing it Thalassa couldn't help but raise her eyebrows a bit.
"Oh my, what do you plan to do with such a thing?" She couldn't help but ask as Percy just gave her a small smile before stuffing the wooden orb back into his bag.
"I have a plan in mind but it is after our training is over," Percy said as Thalassa simply stared at him for a bit longer with a questioning gaze before turning to Runa.
"Hey little girly, you had a delivery when you were away," Thalassa said as she snapped her fingers two things instantly appeared in front of her and Runa's face went from questioning to happiness. Her blue eyes sparkled as a sleepy firebird appeared in her lap, she didn't even pay mind to the katana by her side as she snapped up the sleepy fellow and began to jump in joy. Her happy cries and sudden movements startled the small bird awake as it caught a cry of surprise.
*CAWWW!!!*
"Scarlet! You're alive! I was so worried!" Runa's happy cries startled the bird from its nap. The bird tried to escape for a moment, only to find out that it was in Runa's arms as she spun about. As it did it began to give out happy cries of its own as the two happily danced in the small clearing as Percy and Thalassa stared at the excited duo.
"I told you to hold onto me during that storm but you didn't listen! You naughty bird! No treats for a week!" Runa chastised the small animal as the little youkai cried with despair as it seemed to slump in her arms. Runa then pulled the youkai close and gave it a soft hug as moisture filled her eyes, she even sniffled a few times.
"B-But you came back to me safely and that's all that matters." She whispered while snuggling the bird, it gave a soft cry and snuggled up to her as well. The heartwarming scene made both Percy and Thalassa smile as Runa finally let up on her hug, and with that Scarlet found a place on her shoulder as it continued to nuzzle her.
"You won't believe this but I also made a friend Scarlet! He is right over there!" Runa said as her eyes happily sparkled as she turned to Percy, yet Scarlet froze from her nuzzling and eyed Percy with a skeptical gaze. She even seemed to puff up her feathers a bit as she seemed on edge upon looking at Percy.
"Scarlet, behave you little nugget! Percy-san I swear she is never like this!" Runa hastily picked up the defensive bird as she began to chastise it, yet its eyes never left Percy as his lip twitched a little from the scene.
'Seems that little bird is pretty smart to be wary of you,' Alpha mumbled in Percy's mind, Percy couldn't help but inwardly chuckle at his words in agreement.
"You're fine Runa, no need to worry," Percy said as Runa gave a slightly panicked face as Scarlet continued to floof up till she looked like a small red orb ready to attack. Runa simply continued to tell her to calm down yet it didn't seem to help much, though she returned to her normal bird shape her eyes never lost their skepticism.
"I'm sorry about her Percy-san. She is one of the only friends that I have, please be nice to her." Runa said with a bow as Percy just stared at the bird for a moment before chuckling.
"Like I said in the cave, we are friends now. Though I am sure she won't be too happy for the moment, it is something she will have to get used to, besides, I am a decent dude after all." Percy said with a grin as Scarlet simply turned her head away and seemed to huff and ignore him.
"Thank you Percy-san," Runa said in a happy tone before she paused, her eyebrows furrowed as she seemed to realize something before turning to Thalassa.
"You said this was a delivery. Who exactly dropped off Scarlet and Brilliant Glow?" Runa asked as Thalassa locked eyes with her, as they did Thalassa gave her a simple smile but didn't say a word as Runa pursed her lips together a bit. Seeing as she wasn't going to get an answer for her she simply grabbed her weapon and put it beside her mother's sword on her hip.
"I won't worry about it, I will figure it out when I get… home," Runa said in a slightly saddened voice before turning Percy's way as she seemed to be gathering her thoughts. Thalassa simply glanced at the two before standing up and dusting off her legs a little before stretching.
"Well, it seems like you two have some chatting to do. Wherever you are finished just head my way. I will take care of little Miss Runa's way home. See you guys later!" She said with a happy voice while waving at the two, with that she skipped away humming in a delightful tone as Runa and Percy shared a chuckle at the site.
"So Percy-san we never got to finish our chat from before, about godly parents, your family, and all that," Runa said in a curious tone as Percy revealed a smile and shuffled a little to get himself in a more comfy spot.
"Well, it depends, what do you want to know about me first? I know we said a secret for a secret but I'm feeling generous and don't mind explaining more." Percy told her as Runa put a finger to her chin she began to think for a moment.
"Tell me… why do you have 3 kids at the age of 18 first?" She asked in a serious tone as Percy's whole face twitched at her question.
"Well… I'm not technically 18-."
"You are not 18! What!? How old are you then?!"
"Umm… technically I'm… how old am I again? 8 years in the nest… I am 23 years old until August this year. However, I'm stuck in my 18-year-old body until 2011, kinda dumb but that is time magic for you. My real birthday is August 18th, 1960, but I was frozen in time and all that until 1993." Percy said with a huff as Luna's face went from curiosity to pure shock in a matter of seconds.
"C- Can you slowly explain it to me please?" She begged as Percy gave her a knowing smile. Even he had trouble keeping track of his age sometimes.
"Absolutely, but it's going to take some time if you want my full story though," Percy said as Runa took a deep breath before nodding in agreement.
"All I have to do is go home from here so I have plenty of time, I wouldn't mind listening to your full story. After all, it allows me to learn all about my friend," Runa said with a beaming smile as Percy couldn't help but give the small Japanese beauty a smile in return.
LINEBREAK:
TIMESKIP: JUNE 2007
PERCY POV:
"So I heard a rumor that a new quest had been issued," I said quietly and gently as I made sure not to wake my children in my arms. Currently, I was at maximum capacity with Mayleen, Ryder, and Zora on my lap and chest as they quietly snored and drooled on me. Yet I didn't mind one bit as I continued to gently rock my chair back and forth as several loving gazes were directed my way.
"You are correct, Grover got himself into a bit of a bind while looking for Pan. Nick and Annabeth spoke to Tantalus about it but that hungry fellow decided to send Clarisse instead." Hera said while gently covering me and the kids with a light blanket to chase away the chill of the beach night. I simply gave Hera a thankful smile as she lightly blushed and continued to gently tuck us in before shuffling back to her seat next to Artemis underneath their blanket.
"I assume they didn't take too kindly to that," I said as a round of nods quickly came from everyone.
"They decided to go after Grover on their own and started a quest of their own. Hermes, being the instigator he is, helped them out. Of course, he probably had his reasons for helping." Hestia said with a small sigh as she tossed another piece of wood onto the fire pit, she and Vesta gently tended to the fire. Their natural hearth-tending habits kept the two occupied and free from any blankets for the moment.
"Oh don't be that way Hestia, Hermes is simply worried about Luke, he has hopes that the boy can be turned back to our side in the end," Vesta said with a shrug before scooting closer to her other half and resting her head on Hestia's shoulder as she snuggled against her like a kitten seeking warmth.
"Is that so?" Zoe asked with a questioning gaze that had a vicious glint inside it. Yet before anyone could respond a hand reached up from the blanket and pinched her cheek causing her to release a small cry of surprise. After a moment Zoe was released from the pinch and she revealed slightly teary eyes towards her goddess as Artemis eyed her with a look of seriousness.
"Let Hermes have his hopes and dreams even if they cannot be realized. I can't say I don't blame him for wanting to help Luke. If I had a child and something happened to make them choose to side with an enemy I would want people to try and convince them to come back to our side. If Luke does come back to our side it will help a lot with the war, but that doesn't mean I forgive him for hurting you! If he does I will make sure the boy learns his lesson for betraying us, if I don't I am sure Percy will." Artemis said with a firm gaze as Zoe seemed to have a few thoughts go through her head.
"What do you think Percy?" She asked me as I leaned back my head and thought for a moment.
"I would kick his ass obviously… but I'm not sure. As much as I hate to admit it Luke and I have a very similar understanding of how our world works. I am sure we even have some similar ideas on how to fix it. I understand his cause for betraying Olympus from what you explained to me, but he chose the wrong path to fulfill his wishes. He simply didn't have the power to do it any other way." I said with a slight sigh as the campfire became the loudest sound around us.
"One might think we're dating an edge lord if he keeps talking like that all the time." Vesta broke through the tension with a joke and diffused my previous thoughts instantly, everyone couldn't help but snicker as I held back my laughter to not wake my children.
"V- Vesta be good." Hera managed to say in a slightly firm tone but failed to sound convincing while holding back her laughter, the roman goddess hit the nail on the head with her joke.
"Fine fine, you all are no fun. But… I heard an interesting topic about the quest. Grover is somewhere in the sea of monsters and an interesting item is with him. The golden fleece." Vesta said with a knowing smile as my mind moved fast, and an instant later my eyes widened drastically.
"Thalia's tree…" I mumbled as the Roman goddess gave a beaming smile as she nodded her head.
"It is the perfect healing item that it needs to fully recover, everything we have tried so far has only stagnated the poison's growth. Even then her tree continues to weaken and monster attacks have frequented camp half-blood more recently. The council was about to call you for your help but with Orthos and Tia's at the camp they have held off for the moment. Half of them are wondering where you wandered off to still." Artemis said with a small sigh at the end as I couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"That's perfect news for the camp, hopefully, the quest will be a success. If they need any help just shoot me an IM and I'll drop training to head over as soon as I can." I said when Hestia suddenly showed a funny face as all eyes turned to her upon seeing her expression.
"Why do I feel like Little Flame has a secret about said topic?" Zoe asked as Hestia met all our gazes and her funny face turned into an awkward smile.
"W- Well it just so happens that you already have a personal request to assist them, well actually it was to make sure Annabeth is safe is the primary objective. Even after we told everyone that we weren't able to contact you since you were in the sea of monsters, I was still asked directly to contact you. I was going to tell you tomorrow but it just kinda came up haha." Hestia said as everyone showed a surprised look, Hera's eyes then narrowed before a look or realization crossed her face.
"Athena asked you didn't she?" Hera suddenly asked as Hestia turned to meet Hera's gaze before giving a soft nod, everyone couldn't help but let our eyes widen drastically. This was going to put a bit of a damper on our group's little secret, wasn't it?
"H- How did she figure it out you knew?" Artemis managed to ask in a nervous face as Hestia twiddled her fingers, her cinder eyes met mine before a nervous smile spread across her face.
"I'm not sure if "figured it out" is the correct way to put it. She simply found out that I was lying about not being in contact with you… nothing more nothing less." Hestia said with a nervous chuckle as Vesta facepalmed and the others sighed in relief while I also sighed a bit. Thankfully it was just that… I think. Her slightly nervous face said otherwise.
"Hestia, you are a bad liar," Vesta said in a pouty voice while she continued to snuggle Hestia as she jumped at her Roman half's words. She put on a face of panic as she was easily outed by Vesta.
"I- I didn't lie! I swear I didn't!" Hestia said in a panicked tone yet all of us couldn't help but stare at Hestia as the panicked goddess surprisingly found my eyes as her cinder ones trembled a bit, she seemed to have an internal conflict as her mouth quivered a bit.
"Did something bad happen? Did Athena force you to do something?" I couldn't help but ask as my arms tightened around my children, Hestia quickly shook her head as her nervousness seemed to grow. Her fingers constantly fidgeted with one another as she finally let out a large sigh as she took a look around the fire.
"I- It just so happened that… I met Athena outside Olympus during one of my outings with Ryder and Zora. She didn't force me to do anything and nothing bad happened, it just happened that we made a deal while we did." Hestia began with a nervous chuckle as everyone nodded, yet she still didn't sound believable for the moment.
"Was Zora and Ryder the giveaway? She shouldn't know about them I think." I couldn't help but ask as Hestia surprisingly shook her head a little.
"It wasn't them, she didn't know they were yours… the giveaway was your mother." She said with a reluctant sigh as I just gave her a funny look, what did my mom have to do with this?
"Wait… you don't mean…" Artemis suddenly asked with wide eyes before putting her hand to her mouth to hide her shock, Hestia gave a light nod as the others lightly gasped. I however was lost, what were they talking about?
"What about Cammy?" Zoe suddenly asked with a worried voice.
"She was also there, it seems she is well aware and is even part of it," Hestia said with a sigh as Zoe showed a look of surprise along with everyone else. Wait… they couldn't be… no way… right?
"Were the two of them always such free spirits?" Hera asked in surprise, Hestia gave a light shrug as Hera's face showed a bit of understanding before letting out a small sigh. I, on the other hand, found myself coming to a certain conclusion that made my eyes widen.
"W- Wait you guys possibly couldn't mean…" I began but didn't have the heart to finish as all the ladies before me gave me a certain look that made my mind shake a bit.
"She found your mom and Cammy on a date with Athena during her little walk. The wisdom goddess has found Cally and Cammy to be quite an interesting couple. When Hestia ran into them and Athena found out everything, she was able to connect all the dots after a bit. She then spilled the beans about her little get-togethers to Hestia during her realization. This is their 3rd date together apparently." Vesta said with a light grin I felt my mind freeze as my mouth fell open, at the same time I felt something boiling inside me as an ugly feeling started to come free.
"W- What? No way… what did my mom say about it?" I couldn't help but ask in a quiet voice full of surprise, yet I still felt the three children in my arms move a bit as I tried to calm myself down.
"Cally said she needed a bit more time to figure a few things out before she talked about it with you. This is where the deal comes into play, Athena used her undeniable request for you to look after Annabeth. Knowing the circumstance of such a request your mother used your favor in your place. She is having the goddess come along with her when you meet and made it so Athena cannot lie when you all talk. She believed it would be the best use of the favor and the easiest way to calm you down about the situation." Hestia said in a slightly worried voice as I felt the emotions inside me swirl about.
"It seems my mom knows me best after all… after this quest is done it seems we are going to have a nice chat together," I said with a sigh as Hestia gave me an apologetic look as everyone else did the same. All of them were already well aware of what happened in the past with Poseidon, I swore I would never let anything like that happen again to us. If Athena was anything like him I would have another enemy on Olympus in no time.
"So… did Athena at least seem surprised when you showed up?" Zoe couldn't help but ask with a glint in her eyes. Hestia first glanced my way as I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the question, even if my inner turmoil was not over I wasn't one to miss the drama. Gosh, I was starting to sound like a child of Aphrodite.
"More so than you could believe, all three of them were at a loss for words. Honestly, it was Zora and Ryder running up to Cally who took the cake. Seeing Athena's mind stumble over the puzzle pieces she was putting together was a phenomenal sight. She always acts so smart but when she is stumped it is so funny." Hestia admitted with a bit of a smirk on her face as the others seemed to get into it, even Hera seemed interested.
"That does sound like a sight to behold, it is not often you see the wisdom goddess at a loss of words and logic," Artemis said with a reluctant sigh, clearly she also wished to be there as well.
"Wait… isn't Medusa Cally's maid?" Zoe said with a raised eyebrow as everyone froze and looked at the demi titan with wide eyes.
"You're right… Percy, would you be against recording the whole thing for us to watch?" Vesta asked as looked at her with a look of disbelief.
"Vesta be good! Don't ask such things." Hestia said with a light chop to Vesta's head as the Roman goddess gave a fake cry of pain. Nobody could contain their laughter at the sight as the Roman goddess rubbed her head with small tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. Hestia simply rolled her eyes at the sight but a small smile crested her lips. I on the other hand felt my heart calming down at the sight, these girls really knew how to diffuse my emotions, didn't they? Gosh, I love them so much.
"Still… that does mean you need to go and help Annabeth with the quest. Do you need help finding her?" Hera suddenly asked me as I shook my head, in return I got a few curious glances my way.
"She is using equipment I made so no worries, I put a small tracker in all the equipment I make. How do you think I find the hunts so easily in the wild?" I told them with a hint of pride as everyone paused at my statement, Artemis and Zoe even glanced at one another before giving me a sort of… weird look.
"Listen it's not for anything weird I promise." I instantly said defending myself, yet their faces said otherwise.
"Sounds kinda sketchy to me," Vesta said while adding fuel to the flames as my mouth gaped at her, fine two can play at that game.
"Don't think I haven't noticed your little trackers on me," I said with narrowed eyes as all women besides Hera stiffened a bit. The queen of the gods blinked in surprise as all the women nervously laughed and played with their hair or fingers.
"You track him?" Hera asked in a slightly concerned voice as Artemis coughed into her hand and waved the other at Hera.
"N- No… of course not."
"Artemis put an aura-based tracker on my back one time I fell asleep on her lap pillow."
"P-Percy! S-Shut up!"
"Hestia put hers on several things including an Aura one on my chest, Vesta even put one on a pair of my underwear that I enjoy using."
"W-We did not do such t-things!" x2
"Zoe uses an invisible lipstick tracking product that Aphrodite sells."
"... I plead the 5th."
"H-How did you even find out?" Hera asked me in a curious voice as I simply grinned a bit and continued rocking in my chair. All the women in front of me blushed from their necks to their foreheads from me outing them.
"Not that I haven't done the same I guess, but mine centered around our soulmate connection," I admitted with a tiny shrug as all eyes turned to me and I simply smiled.
"If you tap into it a bit more it has an interesting feature Thalassa showed me. That way you don't have to sneak around and track me unknowingly, not that I mind it one bit. It feels nice to know you are keeping tabs on me." I admitted as everyone blinked in surprise.
"You are such a silly goose," Zoe said before shooting me a loving look, a moment later she was by my side and planted a soft kiss on my lips, and then the children as we happily smiled together. What quickly followed was several more kisses from the women I love, even Artemis gave me a light peck on the cheek along with the children.
"Gonna join in Hera?" I couldn't help but tease as the goddess shot me a small blush and turned her head away. Still, I got a side glance of embarrassment as her hands fiddled with one another, it seemed she was still a bit nervous about it.
"Don't tease the adorable queen too much." Zoe chastised me as I simply chuckled only to suddenly have a small hand reach up to cover my lips as Mayleen furrowed her brows in her sleep and grumbled a bit. I had been a bit too noisy for her liking, at the sight everyone gave a silent chuckle as Hera showed a loving smile. It only took a moment for her to abandon her seat and walk over to give Mayleen a soft kiss on the forehead.
"No true kisses for you little ranger, at least not yet," Hera whispered into my ear before I felt a very soft pair of lips kiss my cheek before pulling away, at that moment I felt our connection flood with a wave of happy emotions. I couldn't help but smile a bit and look up at Hera as her face flushed a brilliant gold from her actions. I was a bit stunned by her very quick action along with the others as they shot her quick smiles, this was the first time she had laid a kiss on my skin.
"How brave of you." Zoe giggled as Hera blushed even more and sat down next to Artemis as everyone shared a small giggle. It was moments like these that I lived for.
"So honey, I also heard an interesting story from Thalassa. What is this I hear about a Japanese Demigoddess that you went on an adventure with?" Hestia suddenly asked with a smile as I felt a chill run down my back from her smile. As sweet as it looked it was almost like a predator ready to tear apart some prey as I felt my back grow cold.
"I swear she is just my friend, I swear on my life. We simply just-." Yet my mouth was silenced by another hand slapping itself on my lips as Mayleen sat up from her spot and glared at us with sleepy and angry eyes.
"You are all so noisy! Go to bed already!" She roared angrily at us like we were children before letting out an angry huff of her own and collapsing back onto me as one of her horns poked my ribs a bit harder than normal. At that moment everyone was trembling, myself included, as we held back our laughter. Yet with one glance at each other, we lost it.
"Hahahahah!" A moment later everyone started laughing yet again as Mayleen was once again forced from her attempt to slumber as she began childishly yelling at us to sleep. None of us lasted a second as she stood on my lap and pointed fingers while yelling at us in a drowsy and angry tone. Even Zora and Ryder soon joined in as they began to complain to us about the noise and we laughed even more.
This was truly one of the moments I lived for and I wouldn't change it any other way.
A/N: Finally another chapter is completed! So happy I got that fight scene done with some extra space at the end for some fun romcom haha. I know some of you might be a bit over it but I enjoy writing the group together lol. But finally, more plot to come our way and I hope you all enjoy what I have stored for Cally and her group hehe. Also surprised about that? Me to! Couldn't help myself to throw it in. Let's just hope I can finish the next chapter here soon lol. But Merry late Christmas present to all!
E/N: Sol back at it again! Staying up late to give the chapter less time to collect dust! I hope you all enjoy! (I can see the comments now losers!) Haha, anyway please review, join the discord we have if you wanna talk with us (well, more me and then I try to talk to Nuts but shhhhhh!) - Sol