Chapter 4: Learning (2)
Inside the gym, two figures can be seen engaged in combat. One is the silver-haired demigod, Perseus V. Jackson, and a crimson robot. Sweat glistened on Percy's face as he focused intensely on his mechanical opponent, piloted by none other than Richard.
"Hah!" Percy's sidekick struck the armor.
*KICK!*
Richard deflected it effortlessly and pushed back, sending him staggering back some.
Perseus muttered a curse under his breath at the failed attack. Despite the suit's inferior strength compared to him, Richard posed a formidable challenge.
With the AI capable of rapid processing, he could react instantaneously, evading Percy's strikes as if it were a walk in the park.
*PUNCH!*
A straight came his way. Perseus moved his head to the side, dodging by a hair, but that was what Richard wanted as he then redirected his mechanical arms to aim for his master's abdomen.
*PUNCH!*
"Ugk!" Percy grunted as the blows landed squarely on his gut. 'Damn it, I'm rushing too much.' He told himself, taking a moment to regain his composure and adjust his strategy.
After getting his current physical condition checked and his health looked over in the medical room to check if there's anything the black symbiote missed.
When that was done and over with, Venom decided that before bringing out his hybrid powers to the table, Percy should get himself accustomed to combat as he would have to participate in many fights in the future.
So, for the next three weeks, the demigod would spar with Richard and, for diversity, would randomly operate either the Iron Man, Iron Patriot, or Iron Heart suits. Each day followed a similar routine: Percy woke up, took a bath, enjoyed breakfast, which consisted of just chocolate, did intense exercises, had lunch, sparred the rest of the day until midnight, had dinner, slept until seven in the morning. Rinse, and repeat.
Their fight dragged on for hours on end, but Percy had yet to land a single hit. The score stood at 0 to 29 in favor of the AI, but even though it infuriated him, he wouldn't stop until he gained a victory over Richard. He showed significant improvement during the second week, learning not only to focus on his opponent's fists but also on their footwork and body movements.
By the beginning of the third week, he had significantly improved dodging, successfully evading the majority of Richard's attacks.
*HIGH KICK!*
Perseus launched a high kick at Richard head, who swiftly blocked it, though the weight of the attack caused a dent in the robot's arm.
The eyes on the red machine glowed brighter as Richard pushed back his master, whose feet skidded across the mat.
"Nice attempt, Master Perseus, but I'm afraid you're going to have to do a lot better than that if you wish to be the victor. You must predict your opponent's next move and act accordingly while keeping in mind your position. Trust your instincts." Richard advised, slipping into a boxing stance.
Perseus raised his fists. "I'll keep that in mind." He clenched his knuckles, ready to turn it up a notch. "I'm so going to kick your ass."
"Not with that attitude." Richard retorted, doing the same.
The silver-haired demigod charged, cocking his fist back, ready to hit it straight for the metallic face.
The AI anticipated the move, but Percy quickly adjusted his strategy. As Richard turned his head to the side to evade the punch, Perseus seized the opportunity to crouch and execute a knee sweep.
'Yes!' Percy smirked, pleased with his strategy. He swiftly followed up, aiming to land his first hit on Richard, but the AI thwarted his attempt by executing a reverse crab walk and using his mechanical legs to push back Perseus, who defended just in time.
Regaining his stance, Richard commended the silver-haired child, "Well done, sir. You almost had me there."
Unsatisfied, Percy replied, "Don't patronize me, Richard. You probably had a counter to that from the beginning." He raised his fist, ready to continue the bout.
"Very good, sir. Even in a difficult situation, you must keep striving for victory." Richard responded.
They charged at each other, engaging in close combat. Perseus endured hits, relying on his enhanced endurance and stamina to withstand Richard's intense attacks. Meanwhile, Richard evaded his master's strikes with calculative precision, making it seem like he was always a step ahead of the demigod.
'It's not just about predicting what will happen in the moment. Don't overthink it. Trust your instincts. You can do this.' Venom told him.
'Got it.' Perseus replied, refocusing on dodging incoming attacks.
Barely avoiding another strike, Perseus targeted Richard's navel with a punch, but the AI evaded effortlessly and countered for a backhand.
In a surprising move, Perseus caught Richard's attempted backhand, holding the metal fist with a death grip. "Gotcha!" Perseus smirked victoriously.
"You sure do." Richard attempted to break free, but Perseus's strength proved impossible. "Oh dear."
"That's right." He said, and with a swift motion, Perseus pulled Richard's hand and delivered a powerful uppercut to his jaw, sending the Iron Man suit crashing upwards into the gym's ceiling.
Despite the impact, there was no damage to the ceiling as it was made of fortified metals built to handle large quantities of damage.
Like Isaac Newton's law of gravity, the suit started falling down to the mat. Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, Perseus leaped into the air and delivered a strong roundhouse kick to the falling armor.
*CRASH.*
The impact sent Richard tumbling to the floor, unmoving. Simultaneously, the timer rang, its sound signaling the end of the match.
Percy dropped to the floor, sweat pouring off him. "I did it. I finally won." He breathed a sigh of relief.
'Nice finisher. You did good, kiddo.' The symbiote grinned.
"Thanks. I'm not really into ending things in style like you, but I figured this time it would be appropriate." Percy replied.
'I hate to rain on your parade, but you need to keep this in mind, Percy. You still have a long way to go.' Venom told.
"You're right." Percy agreed. "I'm still far from being considered strong." He clenched his fist.
The Iron Man suit stood up, its face damaged. "I may not be able to hear Master Venom's voice, but I concur with his sentiment. You've truly earned your victory today, yet you've still have room for improvement." The AI said this, giving Percy a pat on the shoulder.
"We do, but I swear I'll continue to improve and get stronger." He swore, his silver eyes glinting with danger.
"A promise I have no doubt you'll accomplish. Now, if you'll excuse me, I shall head back to work. I'll inform you shortly of my findings." Richard bowed and left the armor.
Percy quickly picked up the armor before it fell. "This thing really took a beating. Let's head to the garage." He placed the armor on his back.
'You sure you don't want to bathe first?' Venom asked, getting Percy to take a whiff of himself and scrunched his nose in disgust.
"Yeah, I'll get on that." He placed the armor down and went for a quick shower, ignoring the chuckling laughter of the black symbiote in his head.
...
Because his training demanded a large majority of his time, Perseus hadn't expected to delve into repairing anything in the storage room, much less the suits. However, with the symbiote's intellect, an AI companion, and a handy manual on mechanical engineering from his mother's trusty laptop, he found himself well-equipped for the task.
Though, he didn't appreciate that it was labeled under 'How To become A Mechanical Engineer For dummies'.
With the short amount of time he spent in the hideout, he proved why he was his mother's son as he took to the subject with gusto, quickly grasping its intricacies. It seemed his affinity for mechanics ran in the family.
*DRILLING.*
Perseus set the drill aside, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Okay, replaced the navel with the spare, but repairing the old one and the helmet won't be doable with the resources we have on hand, at least not for the long run if I'm going to keep using these suits for sparring, that is." He placed the helmet on the table.
"Wat did mom use to make these things anyway?" Percy asked.
'Well, she had to resort to using brass and other low-level metals for most of her much smaller projects due to the scarcity of materials we could acquire. Most of it was used for the construction of the hideout.'
'If you want some stronger parts, there should be some up there.' Venom suggested, gesturing toward a box above the shelf.
"Thanks." Perseus replied and went to retrieve it. "Back to the guestion, how did you two manage to get the tools necessary for all this? I'm sure it wasn't easy." He asked as he sifted through the contents of the box.
'Sally and I gathered everything we needed by doing two things. One of them was mining at a closed-down mine we bought. With my help, it was a piece of chocolate cake.' Venom said as he flexed his black-tar-colored muscles.
"What was the second thing?" His host asked.
'Secretly purchasing them through illegal means, ahahaha!' The symbiote chuckeld darkly, receiving a deadpan look from his host.
"I...see. Any other illegal stuff you wanted to mention?" Percy couldn't help but ask.
'Well, one time I suggested we take materials from construction sites, but Sally was adamant that we didn't steal from hardworking people, and as she was my dear host, I had no choice but to comply with her wishes.' The symbiote added with a slight grimace.
Though he couldn't see the black symbiote's facial expressions when they communicated telepathically, Perseus was able to feel the subtle expression on Venom's face.
"She gave you the look, didn't she?" He asked with crossed arms.
The look was, well, a look—a piercing glare that Perseus knew all too well. His mother often used it on him whenever he did something wrong or didn't do what she asked, which wasn't often. Knowing that even her closest confidant was intimidated by her spoke volumes about what type of person his mother was. A real badass.
Venom was quick to deny. 'What? Psh, nah, come on, man, of course she didn't.' He waved off, but the high pitch of his voice gave him away.
Percy merely looked at him with a raised brow, knowing that the symbiote couldn't lie to save his life. 'Okay, yes, she gave me the look on more than a couple occasions.' He regretfully admitted.
Percy couldn't help but snort in amusement. "Knew it."
Venom grumbled. 'Can we get back on topic now?' He retorted, trying to steer the conversation away.
"Sure, and just for your information, I think you're a little b*tch." Perseus teased, flashing a smirk at the black symbiote, who growled in retribution.
'How about I take a chunk out of your liver? What do you think about that?' Venom muttered.
"What was that?" Perseus retorted.
'Nothing.' He guickly replied, whistling a tune.
Having actually caught what the symbiote said, Percy rolled his eyes in amusement. "Whatever you say." He countered.
Venom squinted his eyes at the nonchalant child. 'I can eat your liver and grow it back, Prometheus style.' He spoke, not muttering this time.
"I'd like to see you try, Symby." He called his bluff, and before Venom could retort, Percy said, "Can we get back to the topic now." He snapped his fingers.
Noticing that his host is right, the black symbiote decided to put the liver snacking idea on hold.
'Right, right. Initially, she had to rely on brass for her first few projects due to limited materials, but as you are aware, we have no need for that anymore. Use tungsten for the repairs.' He advised.
"That's a good idea.He said said as he looked over the list of materials logged on the laptop. "We really do have more than enough to last us for a while."
'That's wonderful. They'll provide good practice target with your hybrid powers.'
"Hey, do you think I can wield the same abilities as him? I know I derive strength and vitality from water, and I can sense it has healing properties for me. However, I'm still far from controlling water." The demigod lamented, narrowing his eyes in anger.
Since learning that he was the son of Poseidon, Percy had tried more than a few times a day to manipulate liquid, yet not even a single droplet obeyed his command.
'Don't forget you can also breathe underwater.' The symbiote added in an attempt to cheer up his host.
"That too." Percy agreed. "But that's not what I'm looking for. I need real firepower to challenge a deity."
The elder Klyntar understood the feeling. It wasn't that his host was dissatisfied with his powers. He was dissatisfied with himself for not being able to draw out what his vessel could do. It hurt him right in his pride that at his weakest, he can't muster the strength to tip over a stupid cup of water.
'You don't need rush yourself.' He assured him, but his host didn't seem convinced.
Sighing, he said, 'Take it from someone who's literally inside your head. You have something far more powerful in you than just being an oversized squirt gun, and it stems from you being a hybrid between a symbiote and demigod.' He revealed his findings, and that got his hosts' attention.
'Take the two sons of that lightning-wielding bastard, for example, Heracles and Dionysus. Before either of them became gods, they were, of course, demigods just like yourself, and the history books never mentioned anything about them popping lightning out of their hands.'
"They have abilities unique to themselves." He finished as his mind processed those words. "Does that mean I'm in their category?"
'No, you're in a league of your own.' Venom responded definitively. 'There's nothing out there like you. As we uncover more about you, you'll become one of the most powerful beings of the Greek pantheon in the future.' The reassurance from Venom filled Perseus with renewed determination to achieve that lofty goal.
'A being stronger than even the Olympians.' Perseus hummed, letting the words echo in his mind.
The idea of surpassing the mighty Olympian gods, to become an immensely powerful enemy unlike they've never expected in their miserable immortal lives filled him with a sense of excitement and increased his motivation to reach that goal.
"Reach the pinnacle of strength and power, huh? That's a big ask, Venom. Not to say I'm not interested though." Perseus remarked darkly as he replaced the helmet.
'It's reassuring that your rationality won't lead you astray from the path to power and dominance. With that mindset, you'll achieve great things.'
"Thanks, but don't you mean us?" He eyed the symbiote, who looked perplexed at first before smiling wickedly.
'Are you sure you want me to stand right beside you in your quest of strength? I'm more than happy to just assist you and your growing power, but things can change. Think about it. I am literally inside your head, and with enough power, I could manifest into a more deadly entity.'
'There's a possibility that I could very well be your enemy someday.' The Venom-Symbiote narrowed his milky whites at his host.
In truth, Venom would never even think of betraying his precious host. He'd rather kill himself than intentionally hurt Percy. The symbiote spoke those words simply to spook the boy into thinking more practically in the future, especially when it affected the well being of the both of them.
Because if they were put in another situation like what happened at the bridge, he'd make sure to be the next to die for this child.
The demigod shook his head. "Noted, but I still don't want that." Percy declared, staring at the symbiote with his silver eyes. "I need you in my life, Symby, always." He told the elder Klyntar, whose eyes widened.
It took everything Venom had in him not to shed a tear. How could a child say such sweet things that rattled the very non-existent bones with emotions? He looked at the boy's eyes. In the past, he never understood why Percy was born with such marvelous irises, but now he thinks he does. Unlike his father, whose green orbs swirled like seawater and brightened or darkened in reflection of his moods, the boy's eyes were far more precious.
Those eyes reflected the treasures they desired, having a dark glint to them to keep those valuables protected.
Perseus is the type of person who would fiercely go through hell and back to keep them safe, and one of those treasures was Venom himself.
The symbiote smiled warmly. 'Pft, you're so selfish and greedy.' He then began to laugh outrageously. 'Very well, Percy, from now on, you'll be my greatest and final host. You better not regret it later on.'
The demigod looked confused. Just what did he mean by him being greedy?
"I don't know about any of that, but I'm fine with that." He replied with a tiny smile.
'Good, because you're never going to get rid of me, kiddo. You're stuck with this handsome devil forever.' Venom then rubbed the boy's head.
When he did, Perseus actually felt his hair being played with. This was something the boy and Venom discovered could happen when the two were in the same state of emotional synergy. The host was able to feel the contact. This was rare and has only happened a very few times, but it always made the duo happy.
Perseus rolled his eyes as he adjusted his hair, severing the synergy. "Whatever, Symby. Can we get back to work already? Unlike you, I like to get things done."
'Alright, alright. If you're wondering, I'm going to awaken your symbiote side in three months.' He informed his host, causing the demigod to raise a brow in curiosity.
"Really?" His voice carried a hint of surprise. He had assumed the symbiote would wait until he was older before having this discussion.
'Yeah, you've already proven you can scrap well, so over the next three months, we'll delve into discovering your demigod side for the initial month, followed by two months for your symbiote powers, with combat training.' He gave a short overview.
"I get the training aspect." He began, "But why the three-month timeframe? Is there something you want me to do?" He asked, but the symbiote didn't answer.
'We'll be heading out to test a hypothesis of mine, and to do that, we'll have to train you up as best we currently can. I'll tell you more after your awakening.' He explained cryptically, prompting the demigod to pout at the lack of information.
"I thought you didn't tell lies." The demigod crossed his arms, thinking that the symbiote would take the bait.
'You're not going to get it out of me using my own words.' Venom remarked with an amused grin.
'Just know that if my hypothesis ends up being right, we'll level the playing field against Olympus.' The Klyntar said, but that only made the demigod want to know even more now.
"For a blabbermouth, you're being really stingy on the details." He muttered with crossed arms before turning back. "Is it really that important?"
'You have no idea. That's why I can't risk this getting out in any way, shape, or form until we've succeeded. If the gods caught wind of this, I have no doubt they 'will' kill us on the spot. This mission will be of the utmost importance, and you don't need distractions.' The symbiote concluded.
"That's why you're awakening me. You want to give me a leg up in case I run into any legendary monsters or gods during the mission." He said, and the symbiote nodded.
'Exactly, aside from those Herc took down, there may be some things out there with sh*t we've never seen, not to mention all those unheard of gods.'
The Greek pantheon wasn't just made up of the Olympians but also hundreds or perhaps thousands of minor gods never documented in the history books.
'We'll need as much firepower as we can muster, and since I'm currently crippled, it's up to you to fight for us. I'm depending on you.' He pointed at his host, who gave him a firm nod. It was obvious he was ready to fight on their behalf.
"I'll crush whatever enemy we encounter or run away if they're too much trouble for us." Percy replied as he replaced the helmet's jawline.
'Glad to hear it.' Venom nodded approvingly. 'I'm sure you'll teach those no-good scumbags who's boss. Hey, on the subject of leaving the hideout, has Rich given you anything useful these past few weeks?'
"No, only the occasional updates about our mysterious 'disappearance'. The police are still searching, but he says we'll be declared dead if it keeps going on without any leads which is half true." Percy added with a disgruntled tone.
As much as he'll admire that being considered dead by the world as advantageous, it just didn't sit right with him. This was his life that was being forgotten after all. He didn't like it but he had to make the sacrifice.
'What about Camp Half-Blood?' Venom inquired, and Percy shook his head in response.
"Nothing on that front either. I gave him the address you told me, but still nothing, not even its own name. It's almost as if the place never existed." He sighed, wondering what the hell was up with that camp.
'I reckon that camp's got some magical bullshit that lets it stay off human radars.' He pondered, then his eyes widened in realization. 'Ah, I see now, it's the Mist!' Venom exclaimed, leaving his host confused.
"Mist?" His host asked with a tilt of his head.
'That's right, Mist.' Venom repeated it back. 'Check this out. The Mist covers up the mystical from normal people, substituting what they see with what's within reason. Some mortals can see through it, like your mother. Poseidon told her she's what's known as a 'clear-sighted mortal'.' He explained, watching as the demigod pieced it all together.
"So, this Mist is a powerful veil that keeps the supernatural hidden from regular folks. Interesting, can it be manipulated?" He asked.
'Don't know, never thought of it.' Venom shrugged. 'But I assume it can. Though because I have no clue how we'll put a pin in that for later.'
"Alright." Percy nodded, but then a realization dawned on him. "But wait, that doesn't explain how you're able to hide us. You're not using the Mist? Does the Mist even work on them at all?"
Venom shook his head. 'Maybe. As for me, I'm concealing your very existence from the pantheon as a whole by shrouding your divine side. Not even your father knows your location. But c'mon, if the precognitive abilities of the Spidey-Sense can't sense us, do you really think a god could? Don't make me laugh.' He scoffed, deriding the very notion.
His demeanor wasn't without justification. It stemmed from a deep understanding of the spidey-sense's capabilities. It wasn't merely a heightened danger sense but the ability to defy fate itself. Venom, with his former bond to Spider-Man, can effortlessly bypass it, just as Percy can if he were to attain it after his awakening.
"So I'm basically untrackable, thanks to both of us. Glad to be of help." He snarked. "Now that you've told me about the Mist and the clear-sighted stuff, it makes a lot of sense why nobody ever believed me back then."
'What do you mean, did something happen?' He asked with worry in his tone.
"When I was five, a strange guy wearing a black trench coat and a fedora was stalking me from outside the fence of the playground. I immediately told the teachers, and they threatened to call the police, but when I told them that the man only had one eye in the middle of his head, they thought I made it up." He recounted, to which Venom smacked himself on the head.
'Kiddo, I'm pretty sure that was a Cyclops you just met. Judging by the fact that he didn't do anything dangerous, he was probably sent by your father to check up on you, thank goodness it wasn't one of the feral ones.' He explained, causing Percy to do a double take.
"No way! Are you saying those legendary forgers are also after my blood? Why would they do that? They're supposed to be good." The demigod then remembered the Odyssey. "Right, I almost forgot, the one that gave Odysseus some trouble. Damn it, we lack too much information." He mumbled under his breath.
His complaint did not go over the symbiote's non-existent ears. 'I don't claim to know everything about the gods. Just the stuff Sally heard. I may be an immortal space creature that traveled here from a different dimension, but that does not change the fact that I'm an outlander who only knows so much. I'm sorry.'
"It's fine, Symby. It would be hypocritical of me to chew you out on this, especially when I barely know much myself. We'll figure out the answers together, and who knows, we might find a monster that we can 'persuade' to tell us everything they know."
The symbiote grinned appreciatively before adding, 'I'm still not spilling the beans about my plan.'
Percy clicked his tongue. "You suck." He grumbled, earning himself a snort from Venom.
"Anyways, it looks like the only way to gather more intel surrounding the pantheon is to look into this camp, but it's risky. Let's hold off on that for now."
'Since there's nothing we can do at the moment, let's just concentrate on your training until the mission. You should also tell Rich to keep his search going. It costs us nothing, and he might stumble upon a lead.' He told him, and Perseus gave a thumbs up.
"Got it. Yawn, I'm beat." The demigod yawned, stretching his body. "Speaking of Richard, he said he'd brief me on any of his findings, so I'll go check that out." He then stood up and left the workshop with his newly repaired Iron Man suit.
...
Stepping out of the kitchen with a bar of chocolate in hand, Percy settled onto the couch with a glass of water. He switched on the TV, scrolling through channels in search of something to entertain him. Ready to settle for cartoons, he paused when he heard something strange. The show featured a large family working on a farm, which seemed ordinary enough. However, what grabbed his attention was the horse they were feeding an apple to. It wasn't the feeding that was strange, but rather the horse saying inappropriate things to the camera lady.
The stallion neighed, but to the demigod's ears, he heard, "Ugh, stupid bitch. Get dumb microphone away from me!"
The demigod cringed at the barrage of obscenities coming out of the horse's mouth. "Venom, am I losing it, or is that horse cursing that lady out?" He set down his chocolate, unable to believe his ears.
The symbiote looked just as befuddled as his host. 'Seems like it. Another power you got from Poseidon.' He remarked with a sigh, but then laughed bitterly at the absurdity of the situation. 'Thinking about it, it makes sense. I mean he created them. But seriously, horse whispering? That's lame.' He added, shaking his head.
"I feel like a total loser." Percy groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment.
"Out of all the powers I could've inherited, I got this." He groaned, switching the channel. "Does this mean I can talk to them like I do with you?"
'It's more than likely that it goes both ways. What's next, talking to sea animals like frickin Aquaman.' Venom then looked down at the silver haired child and realized that might be true. 'Seeth, sorry, kiddo.'
"Sigh, It's to be expected. Let's just make sure not to go near any aquariums in the future." Percy said, to which Venom gave a firm nod in agreement.
"Sir, I have attained some news. Is it a bad time?" The AI butler spoke, to which the demigod shook his head.
"It's not." He turned off the TV. "So what is it?"
"I have acquired information concerning Camp Half Blood, particularly regarding an individual who frequently discussed it within a psychiatric facility." Richard reported, earning a surprised look from the both of them.
"An insane asylum? Why would a demigod choose to work in such a place, and why talk about it with ordinary people—oh no." He whispered as the realization dawned on him.
"This person... they don't work there, do they?" He asked, and Venom, reflected on the TV screen, gave him a solemn look.
"Indeed, sir. He holds no position there, but rather has been a patient for several years." The AI confirmed his master's suspicion.
Percy let out a deep sigh, bracing himself for what he was about to hear. "Tell me everything." He instructed the AI.
"Liem O'Neil, half Irish, half Greek, age 77, was admitted to Saint Paul's Insane Asylum at the age of thirty for the alleged murder of his wife and two children." Richard began.
"Police reports state he was discovered in his home holding their deceased bodies, with the front door of their home tested open as if a car had been rammed through, but there's no evidence that points to it. Mr. O'Neil pleaded innocence, attributing the killings to a Minotaur attack. The court deemed him mentally unwell and has been in the institution since." The AI finished his report, and the looks of anger on Percy's and Venom's faces were hot enough to liquify metal.
'That poor man, his wife, and his little brats, all gone because of that f*cking bull!' Venom growled, already thinking of the things he would inflict on the half-man, half-bull creature.
The dark look on his host's face mirrored the symbiote's sentiments wholeheartedly. When they meet this abomination of nature, it will pay.
Calming himself down, Percy took a deep breath and asked, "Richard, where is the location?"
"102 Rivers Edge Road, sir." Richard replied without haste.
'Percy, you're not thinking about going there are you? Doing the task I want you to do is one thing, but this? If something unexpected happens, it could derail our plans for who knows how long. Is it even worth it?' Venom asked.
"Trouble is already coming our way one way or another. I have questions, Venom, and I will get answers. Richard and I will coordinate a plan to get in. You in or out?" He asked, but the symbiote didn't seem convinced.
'Your mother specifically told you to listen to me.' He reminded, starring at him disapprovingly from the reflection of the helmet.
"I promise to stay safe." He looked the symbiote in the eye.
Venom whispered a string of obscenities before giving up. 'There's no use arguing with you, is there?' He remarked, to which Perseus simply gave him a knowing smirk
'Fine, I'm in. I can't leave you to do this crap by yourself anyway.' He conceded, thinking to himself how dead he will be if Sally were to ever find out.
"Thanks." He smiled before saying, "Richard, you said you could hack into anything, right? You think you can help?"
"Of course, manipulating video footage and deactivating alarm systems is but a walk in the park for me. However, I do have to ask, are we about to embark on an infiltration assignment?" Richard inquired.
"Yes, and you'll play a vital part in it too. In fact, I'll make a communication device to keep in touch with you outside." He added.
"Splendid, sir, I shall conduct a perimeter sweep of the facility to calculate the optimal timing of our action. I must say, this has me quite exhilarated. I shall return shortly with the details." The AI went silent.
'I can't believe we're actually doing this.' Venom muttered with a sigh. 'Meh, it wouldn't be the first time I've visited such a place with a host.'
Venom then remembered something very important. 'Hey kiddo, I cannot stress this enough, make sure nobody takes a sip of your blood. Not a single drop!' The Klyntar emphasized this greatly.
Confused, his host asked, "Sure, but what would happen if someone drank my blood? Besides, you know, hepatitis?"
'Just don't let it happen. Trust me, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble.' Was all the symbiote said on the matter.
"Um, ok." Percy replied, left wondering just what would happen if someone were to consume his divine and symbiote blood.
Taking into account the fact that Venom was really serious about this, Perseus decided it'd be safer if he didn't find out.
"By the way, after we're done with this, you're definitely going to tell me some stories of your past." He told him as he went on his way to his room.
Venom snorted. 'I was planning on doing that someday. Trust me, you'll be in for a real treat once you hear of the crazy shit I've done.' He chuckled.
"Good to know. Now let's get to work." He cracked his knuckles, sat down, and began working.
Neither of them slept that night, too busy devising a plan to infiltrate an insane asylum and interrogate a retired demigod, and not get caught by both the mortal and immortal communities while they were at it. Piece of cake.
...
..
.
(A/N: Kid's these days, breaking and entering insane asylums.)