FanFiction.Net
Just In
Community
Forum
V
More
Here be Dragons by fadedaura
Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Game of Thrones Xover Rated: M, English, Fantasy & Drama, Percy J., Silena B., C. Beckendorf, Zoë N., Words: 176k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 2k+, Published: Jan 28, 2018 Updated: May 28, 2018
754Chapter 1
AN:
This story is an AU that starts prior to the rebellions. Enjoy.
All rights to the franchises and characters belong to their their respective authors.
Percy Jackson strolled down the street between the houses of the booming city. It was another typical morning in Elysium. People were up and about attending their own duties much like they did before they died and were sent here. Percy found it astounding that they knew so little about Elysium and its rules. Yes, it is where the souls who were deemed worthy went but there was so much more to it than that.
For an example, the camp and the rest of the world taught that they could choose rebirth after getting into Elysium. But the truth was that they had t choose it right after they were deemed worthy by the three judges. If not, you would enter Elysium and live your life as you normally would. The only difference was that life being an awfully long one. After finishing your 'term' in Elysium you would be kicked out and enter rebirth automatically. The downside was that the Isles of Blest would be closed to you unless you go through the process again and choose rebirth at the judging stand. And you have to do this thrice, consecutively. It wasn't surprising that the Isles were so sparsely populated.
Percy didn't want to go through the process again. He lived a life dictated by others and he was sick of it. From the day he was born he was the 'victim' of a great prophecy. His life had been planned for him before even he began to form coherent thought. For the first time in his life he was at peace. After two harrowing wars and giving the gods everything he had, he deserved this.
Percy walked the paved streets towards the largest marble building in this sector of the Field of Elysium. It was the Great Library. Generation upon generations of knowledge was stored here. Even the knowledge that was lost throughout the ages was written down within the large tomes of this place. It helped that the greatest minds throughout the history had been here and helped to catalogue their knowledge.
Elysium was divided into different sectors. Most of them were by eras. And then they were further divided into areas by deeds they had done while they were alive. It is very difficult for one to find somebody they knew while they were alive once they entered Elysium. Percy wasn't a fan of this separation as he was a relatively open and outgoing guy. But this was a system that was created during the birth of ages and there was nothing that he, a lone demigod could do. He counted himself as lucky because he found three of his close friends after arriving in this world of afterlife. Here, many others may go through their entire lives and still be alone without a soul to speak to.
Charles Bekendorf, Silena Beauguard and Zoe Nightshade. He couldn't say he was really tight with the three while he was alive, but since coming here, he really got to know them. True he had gone on a few missions with Chares and he finally perished on one, but he was never close to him like Grover or Tyson. Charles had been here since the explosion of Princess Andromeda that claimed his life. He waited for the love of his life, Silena and he didn't have to wait long for her. The two were reunited and they had a courtyard for themselves and built a world for themselves that they envisioned. Still they had no children because childbirth in Elysium was a big no-no. Not the ideal future they had in mind… but who could complain. Children were one thing that would never happen whilst they were here.
Charles was bigger than he was when he was alive. The buff African-American stood almost seven feet with muscles that would give a pro wrestler a scare. But like when he was alive he was still soft spoken and silent around he wasn't familiar with. Then only thing that had changed in his personality was the awe inspiring presence he extruded.
Since then he had engaged in activities that attracted him like the others. Charles was a master smith. He was one of the greatest smiths in the Hephaestus cabin while he was alive, but down here he had learnt so much more. His skills were not limited to smiting. He had expanded his repertoire to other fields such as rune inscriptions. Percy too had tried his hand in that particular subject and boy was he surprised. He couldn't understand why this knowledge was considered lost considering it dealt with the rules of the natural world.
The only times he had seen it up top was the inscriptions on the godly weapons and abodes. Iris and Hecate too had used them when he had the pleasure of meeting the two goddesses. Funny enough, children of Hecate didn't have any knowledge on the matter. They depended on rituals as the base of their power. Had they or any other demigod had access to these runes, they would have climbed on top of the ladder of hierarchy due to the power and versatility it granted.
Silena was just as beautiful and kind as he remembered her. He wasn't there when she died because he had gone on a ride on top of a big ass flying pig that had little to none spatial orientation, seeing that it bumped into several key structures in New York. But he learnt that it was an honorable death. Luke had been using her to get information using blackmail. But all that ended when Charles died. Her death brought the Ares cabin into fold and changed the flow of the war and tipped it into their favor.
Silena was not the one for violence. But after her death she too had changed much like her boyfriend. Now she was wicked with her spear and decent with a sword. If Percy had to bet on money on a match between Silena and Clarisse now, he would go with Silena. She hadn't just improved her combat ability; she had also invested time on herbology and agriculture among other things. Silena was quite the green thumb when it came to plants. While she lacked the natural grace the children of Demeter had, she made it up using skills and perseverance.
She was the first to find Percy aimlessly walking the streets on the day he arrived here. She crushed him in a hug and dragged him off to her home where he got to meet Charles. The two filled Percy on the details pertaining Elysium as the residents had to find out the details on their own. If they didn't have someone to guide them, they would spend months upon months trying to figure out what is going on and get a hold of themselves.
In Elysium you could only communicate with people you once knew. So, most of the people down here spent their lifetimes without speaking to another soul. It was a rule that was imposed to promote self-reflection. It didn't matter if you didn't choose to go for rebirth because sooner or later you would be kicked out of here. The more you reflected upon your life, the better the personality and attitude you would have in your next life. Sadly the rule didn't work most of the time as most people down here would spend their lives wallowing on what could have been. This explained the diversity of personalities in the mortal world. Most that spent crying and spending their times miserably undoubtedly does the same in their rebirth.
Elysium was created for a reason. The main reason was the improvement of the human society as a whole. Ever wonder why some people were so gifted that they could instinctively master a craft? Why some were gifted in one field but not the other? Why some were called the 'heaven's gifted' due to their awe-inspiring abilities? The reason for that laid in Elysium. If one were to spend their time here mastering a craft, that skill would carry on as muscle memory to the next life making it easier for them to master it. For an example, the better you trained in a weapon, the better skilled you will be should you try to wield the weapon in your next life.
But since there were no guides you have to learn about this on your own. This caused the diversity in the skilled and unskilled on the living world. Elysium was like a forge for your soul. Instead of another molding it, you mould it with your own effort. That was why each area in Elysium had a library that could rival the one they had in Olympus.
Charles was one of the lucky ones to find out about this in one of his rounds inside the library. Since then he had dedicated his life to learn all he can on the fields that drew him. After Silena joined him, she accompanied Charles in this crusade for knowledge. But not all knowledge panned out. Some esoteric subjects like runes would forever be a secret due to the fact of its secrecy in the living world. It didn't matter if you mastered the subject down here; you still needed to be introduced to the field on topside. It was like a skill you had but never knew it existed.
The first few weeks Percy was down here he was quite reclusive. Silena and Charles respected that since he had just died and he needed to come to terms with it. Little by little Silena drew out what happened to him and helped him get over it. Percy was very grateful to her for it. After explaining the rules in Elysium, he too joined the duo to learn what he could and hone his skills. He may be the greatest swordsman in the recent few centuries, but that didn't give him the license to be lax. He wanted to perfect his craft and the library gave him the opportunity as there were so many documented sword plays from all around the world.
Few months into his new life, he met Zoe. It was a pleasant surprise. Turns out the constellation 'huntress,' which Artemis created was just a memory of her. Her soul like any other was judged and sent here. She had been down here longer than Charles but hadn't found out the rules because she like any other was unable to communicate seeing that she didn't know them personally while being alive. Percy, on the other hand she knew. Quite fondly in fact. Through mutual friendship she was able to get to know Charles and Silena. The four had found a courtyard for themselves and lived there ever since. It was easy to move around in Elysium because there as so much space and very little people to occupy them. Especially in a sector like theirs'.
Silena and Zoe were best friends. But they often fought due to difference in opinions. Silena was the daughter of Aphrodite. So she was a love fanatic much like her siblings even though she had toned it down to learn the other aspects in life. Zoe on the other hand had spent more than a thousand years disliking males because of her misadventure with the world's greatest douche Heracles. Yes, she wasn't a fanatic man-hater like the rest of the hunters, but she found it really hard to trust males after her experiences. Most of their fights in the early days were due to Zoe blatantly cursing Charles. But that had gotten much better and nowadays Zoe had the same respect for Charles like she had for him. In fact they were close to each other like siblings.
Percy entered the marble structure and went straight down the aisles crisscrossing until he arrived at a particularly large bookshelf. This section in the library was dedicated to the knowledge gathered by the various sons of Poseidon throughout the ages. It was not overtly large like the Athena's section but it still was quite substantial when comparing to the progeny of other gods such as Zeus.
From what Percy could gather by reading through these journals, children of Poseidon operated in two extremes. Some were base born idiots who used muscles to plough through their lives. An example would be Orion. His idiot half brother had tried to outwit the Goddess of the Hunt and paid for it with his life. Sure, he had been charismatic and sneaky, but it was his baser instincts that controlled him. The others were the hard intellectuals like Theseus. The man was a prodigy. One on the same caliber as Deadalus. Too bad he let his emotions get the best of him and caused his life to dive into a downwards spiral.
Every single child of Poseidon fit this scale. But not everybody adhered to it. Many were fine just half-assing in their lives and wasted their talents. Percy himself found out that his skills lay in the various fields associated with maritime technology and geology amongst many others. Initially he spent his time on the two subjects but later he broadened his scope to cover more ground. It was hard. But there was no harvest without any effort.
The particular bookshelf he stood in front of was dedicated to prospecting and surveying. Mostly it was on ways on how to use his powers he obtained from his father to successfully map and find mineral deposits. Say what you want, Poseidon was the god with the widest scope in abilities. His domains often crisscrossed with that of both his brothers. While he was the god of the sea, he had power over air due to his storm-bringer abilities and earth due to his earth-shaker abilities. It was not surprising to see a child of Poseidon being the most powerful in his generation even though Zeus tries to overshadow him by publicizing his children's feats due to his insatiable ego and jealousy.
Percy picked a tome as thick as his palm and went outside to find a nice quite place to read. Charles and Silena had already left when he had woken up. He wasn't a morning person. He was more like an owl. The four got together each afternoon and enjoyed each other's company before heading to bed. It was the same routine each day with sparring between each other being the only time they saw the others during the daytime.
Charles was mostly seen in one of the many forges in the area and Silena was mostly seen with the horses and pegasi. Zoe usually skulked around in the forests and he enjoyed sitting by a tree next to the lake. These were like their designated spaces when they were doing their own thing.
It had been around two years since the giant war. Of course, with the time being different in the underworld he had already spent more than twenty five years in his stint at Elysium. He had heard that the war was successful without further casualties in the core group. They were sure to win seeing that he did a massive number on Mother Earth before dying.
He remembered the line of the prophesy that hinted of his death. 'To fire or storm the world should fall.' He should have guessed it back then. Sure there was similar lines in the first prophesy too, but he had gotten out fine in the end hadn't he? Percy wasn't sure what prompted him to make that particular decision. Maybe he was lax and it caused his downfall. Or maybe he subconsciously wanted to die to get away from the pain. Either way his fate had already been decided by the Fates since both reasons came down to the fatal flaw they bestowed upon him. He saw Leo about to die from his suicide attack and jumped into action sacrificing him and giving Leo the chance to finish the fight once and for all.
'Damn, personal loyalty… why couldn't it be something like explosive gas after eating greens? Can't even imagine how pissed mom would be. With blue food and gassy greens, it might have given Smelly Gabe the much needed heart attack.'
Children of the sea were notorious for having the fatal flaws that led to their doom at a tender age. His flaw? He blamed his father for that. His father too was utterly loyal to the ones he cared about. He had the power to take control of Olympus and stand as its ruler. But due to his gratefulness for saving him from Kronos' cesspit of a stomach, he protected his younger brother even when his older brother had the best claim for the throne. He may have rebelled once or twice, but that was for the betterment of his family. And Zeus knew of this. Despite the fact that it was mostly his children on the council, his position was only secure because his brother backed him up.
'If dad wasn't there, the first thing Ares would have speared is Zeus' ass itself and Hera would have gelded the mighty lord of the sky millennia ago,' Percy snorted.
Percy redirected his attention to the tome. He had gotten used to the change in the speed of time between the two worlds over the span of a couple of months. In the beginning his body would just shut down after about twelve hours of the normal time. Elysium was like your personal vacation for the rest of your life. Anybody could do whatever they wanted. There was only a few that tried to improve themselves for their next lives. Parties lasted for weeks. Food and drinks were abundant and so much varieties were there that they could go their entire term here without tasting the same food twice.
While reading the book, he found himself drifting into various thoughts. Today was the anniversary of his death. It was the main reason why he distanced himself from his friends and decided to spend it alone. And the others respect his need for self-reflection.
'God… how long has it been? Two years huh? I wonder what mom is doing today.'
The only source of information he had from topside was Nico. The son of Hades often popped by when he was visiting his father to deliver news and check up on him. Much had happened in the past two years. Some of it was bad while some of it was good… not that it mattered to him anymore.
They won the war. His kamikaze attack distracted and harmed Gaea that the others could seal her back. Once he saw his son die, Poseidon had unleashed his mighty fury upon the opposing forces. It could be said that Poseidon bulldozed through the swathes of Earthborn and monsters like cutting wheat. Even the Giants didn't escape his wrath. Nico mentioned about how his father unleashed a concentrated blast of divine might that tore through the enemy ranks like a shockwave after the detonation of a high explosive bomb. Not even his allies were saved from this blast which threw everyone on site down to the ground. The hunters being the best at agile combat capitalized on this and ended quite a few giants.
Not just his father, his Cyclops brother Tyson unleashed his fury too. He had gotten hold of Gaea's feet and smashed her on the floor continuously like a ragdoll. Nico broke down giggling while mentioning that particular detail. Even he had to crack a grin while imagining his kind, big boned Cyclops brother for manhandling Gaea like that. The gods, heroes and the enemies all had watched dumbfounded as one of the most powerful entities, the Mother Earth itself being treated like yesterday's trash. After that a Gaea who was void of any energy was promptly sealed by the three elder gods and the demigods.
The king of the Giants soon fell seeing his mother's brutal downfall at the hands of Nico, Thalia, Hazel, Artemis and Apollo. Zeus had been seen ashen faced after his nemesis being brought down by another. Nico mentioned that he didn't speak with his twin children for quite a while. The war ended with minimum casualties on their side with only Octavion and a few of his cronies, about five hunters and twelve campers from both camps perishing. Funnily enough none of them were sent to the quadrant he was in. Bodies of the perished heroes were recovered and were given an Olympian sendoff. His body? Well… they couldn't find it because he was atomized in his kamikaze stunt. So his shroud was burnt, his mother being the person to light it.
In the awarding ceremony the main questers were given the choice of immortality which surprisingly all of them took. He was sure that some of them would turn down the offer and try to gain something for the betterment of their lives like he did when he was offered. It had hurt him badly when he heard his then girlfriend taking up the choice. He was so sure that she would honor him memory and then join him after a long wonderful life… but guess not.
'You think you know a person,' he thought sadly. Annabeth was everything to him. From the first time he laid his delirious eyes on her when he entered camp he had been attracted to her. He even took the knife for her quite a few times even when she was in love with Luke. It was the best day in his life when she finally kissed him and admitted that she was in love with him. But all those memories were like huge boulders pressing down on his already sinking ship.
'Children of Poseidon and Athena don't mix."
This was something Annabeth said to him during their first quest. Well, she was right.
Regarding the others, most of them were made minor gods in their respective domain. Nico was named his father's lieutenant and the Herald of the Dead. His duties included patrolling the underground domain once in a while and guiding lost souls back to where they belonged. Honestly Percy was glad Nico found something he enjoyed. The little kid had lost many things in life including his mother and loving sister. It was gladdening to think that his father looked out for him. Seeing that there was no heir to the Throne of Bones, Nico might be able to seat his pasty white hiney on it someday. His duties came with the added benefit of locating and communicating with the departed which helped him to keep in touch with Percy.
Jason… it wasn't surprising him going for immortality. He too had his father's ego and thirst for attention. There were multiple occasions where Percy and Jason locked horns because of this. Jason wanted everything to go his way. He meticulously planned every aspect in detail before committing an action while Percy tended to just wing it. Jason wanted to be in position with power unlike Percy who was thrust into that position by others. Even so they were friends, great friends in fact. But with their personalities laying in the two extremes on the spectrum it wasn't surprising he chose immortality.
Piper must have just followed Jason. She was the kind who followed the strong and with Jason being her significant other and all, her choice wasn't surprising.
The only thing that could have gotten Frank to choose this path was his 'stick of life'. It had nearly finished combusting while he, Hazel and Percy were freeing Thanatos' frozen hiney in Alaska and there was only a sliver left after his confrontation with the bane of Hephaestus. Percy didn't blame him. He was a good kid that wanted to live. And Hazel who was like his little sister had followed Frank because she was once stuck down in the underworld and returned to life with her memories intact. Nobody wanted to be reborn with their memories intact if their life was as hellish as it had been for Hazel. Hazel often spoke with Percy when she came to visit her father.
Leo Valdez… Percy couldn't find it in himself to blame the boy. He had nearly given his life and had it not been for his interference, he would have done so. The main reason why he was alright with Leo taking the path to immortality was because he righted Percy's wrong. Percy should never have believed Zeus would keep to his word after the Titan war. Sure, things like cabins were built for the minor gods but that was all that he and the rest of the demigods could see. Things like Zeus' promise to free peaceful Titans like Calypso was forgotten. Percy found out about that the hard way while he was trekking the sulfuric plains of Tatarus with his now immortal ex-girlfriend.
He didn't want to think of her. He should have heeded his father's warning on having a relationship with a child of Athena. Many children of Poseidon had gone down that path but none of them had a good ending. Either the couple died or one betrayed the other. History continued to repeat itself much like when Athena herself betrayed his brother Theseus and ruined the once glorious king's life.
The rest of the campers of both armies got their rewards too. The dead were honored and life continued to move on for the demigods like nothing had happened. It was the curse of the lives that they were thrust into from the day they were born. Sure they were the symbol of their parents' love, but it was not a life for a child. They had seen and done things that would make an army veteran cringe.
On the bright side he got to speak with his dad once when he came to visit him after gaining permission from Hades. They caught up on what's going on in the world now that the war had ended. It took a while but his father eventually broke down with tears streaming down his face after Percy said that he was at peace finally. He apologized to his son profusely for thrusting him to a life he never wanted. Poseidon also promised to never sire any more demigods but Percy was sure he would eventually break it. No matter how loyal the elder god was, he was still a little childish and their entire family was built on lies and broken oaths. Poseidon also promised to watch out for him when he eventually goes for rebirth, something he had not done for any of his previous children and keep an eye on his mother and her family.
The matters of the sea were as usual. His father had handed most of the duties of ruing Atlantis to his brother, Triton and stepped down to further explore his domain, something he had postponed for several millennia. Say what you will, the ocean was a place of mystery and even the gods knew little about its limits. Poseidon also said that his wife Amphitrite was about to give birth to another child and if it was a boy they would honor him by naming the newborn after him. The couple had revisited their vows and rekindled their attraction after the war seeing that everything could come to an end at a moments' notice. The wheel of Fate was not kind to anyone.
His father was yet to return to Olympus after his demise which had Zeus on his toes because he didn't know what was going on with his brother since all access to the watery domain was cut off. Athena was mostly afraid for her new immortal daughter because if Poseidon was to focus his anger on her, Annabeth wouldn't be able to handle it even with the help of her mother. Poseidon winked at him and told him that he would most likely keep the duo on their toes for a few decades before he left.
Things on Olympus were as usual. The only highlight was Apollo losing his powers. Now that would have been a sight to see. The usually cocky Sun God was now at Camp Half-Blood trying to regain his powers by kissing asses of demigods to help him on his quest.
Whenever Nico wanted to say something about Annabeth, Percy cut him off. He didn't want to learn anything about her since she had already chosen her path. Even the apologies she sent with Nico went unheard. Percy cut himself off from the rest of the world and for the first time in his life he focused only on himself and his family in Elysium. Being selfish was a new experience to him and it opened many new paths to him. He had been naïve and childish during the time he was alive. He had many opportunities that would have made those harrowing quests much easier and almost casualty free, but he had ignored them.
To a certain degree he could see why Annabeth and Jason liked to adhere to plans. Knowing the battlefield was half of the battle. Overwhelming power helped, but not always. Because of these musing he had begun to use his earlier forgotten mental capabilities. He had a lifetime worth of experiences and creating multiple strategies for them and it 'decreased his denseness' according to Zoe. It had also caused a shift in his attitude and personality.
Bekendorf once said that the Percy he once knew and the Percy he now was were two completely different people. For one he was usually quiet now unlike the upbeat sunny Percy that roamed the beaches of Camp Half-Blood. He kept his thoughts to himself only opening up to people he trusted impeccably. He was the epitome of a general. His father too stated that Percy reminded him of Theseus the Unbeaten more than anybody else. Percy wasn't just brawn anymore… he also had a devious brain to back it up.
Another thing his friends noticed that changed gradually was his name. To his closest friends he was still 'Percy'. But to others he was 'Perseus'. They first noticed when Nico brought his partner Michael Conner to meet them. Percy and Michael went way back, to when Percy started camp. But to see him changed so much… Nico said that Percy's gaze was enough to send shivers down Michael's spine. He also relayed that Michael was just glad he wasn't on Percy's bad side because 'Perseus' seemed to never forgive or forget.
One thing that Percy was happy about was the addition of the little flower to his mother's life. His sister Astoria had been born about six months after his demise, something which surprised him greatly because his mother never mentioned anything about a sibling to him. Nico had gone to visit her in many occasions and brought pictures and stories with him to share with Percy. The little angel looked just like his mother with Paul's eyes and nose. He was positive she was going to turn into a great beauty, one that would cause Paul to stand guard on her all the time. If he was there, Percy too would have taken turns in his sister's guard detail.
His mother missed him. That much was sure. Even today she was seen forlorn close to his birthday and the day of his departure. The only respite she had from tumbling down to depression was Astoria. That is why he called his little sister an angel. She was his mother's anchor much like Annabeth had been for him once. Astoria was a bundle of joy for everybody. He knew his sister will one day learn about her big brother who was not there for her. He wasn't sure whether she would love or hate him. Hopefully she would understand why he wasn't there to see her grow up. His father had gone to visit her too and blessed her for a long happy life away from the dangers her brother face much to the chagrin of Zeus.
Ancient laws prevented his mother from contacting him directly, but she sent messages with Nico every time he visited her. He was glad his mom was doing ok after all this time. She had a rough time in her life because the fates chose to deal a pretty shitty hand to her. Now that she had found happiness, he was glad and he truly wished for her small family to expand and never look back to his world which was filled with horrors.
Other than his immediate family, Percy cared not for the news of the world above now. He was happy with his life and wished his tenure at Elysium could last for an eternity away from the machinations of the Fates.
"What have you got there?" a feminine voice broke him out of his musings.
Percy glanced up and smirked.
"What can I do for the great Zoe Nightshade?" he asked with a mock hand gesture which caused Zoe to break out into laughter.
He and Zoe were very close. She was like the elder sister he never had. She poked into his affairs against his will and was there to cheer him up when he was down. His new outlook on life was partly due to her. When he once questioned why the Fates liked toying with him so much after he heard about Annabeth's apparent engagement with some minor god of the skies, she replied that the Fates always dealt a bad hand to those who could go against their will. It was to keep them in line according to their plans. But it was the duty of those who were treated like that to break from these shackles placed on them and live their lives on their own terms. It was a duty they had to perform for their own sake. She had done it. She was meant to be raped and abandoned to die at the hands of Hercules but she rose up from her despair and lived and died on her terms. She was at peace when the Fates 'made' and 'forced' her die at the hands of her father by changing the word around her.
Her advice on living without regrets was the spark that started to change him. And he was grateful towards her for sticking it him in his times of turmoil. The millennia old daughter of Atlas was a well of knowledge to him. Initially he was just the little boy, who got her appreciation but now he was her little brother and she made every effort to make it so.
"It's the same tome I've been reading the past few days," he said eventually as she had kept her eyebrow raised in order to get to know what her 'little brother' was up to.
"Have you finished it?"
"Yeah, the last couple of pages are full of crap. Just speculations without concrete proof," he said frowning at the book. Through his efforts he had gained a lot of knowledge. It was a surprise to him that he was rather smart. With his Dyslexia gone he could read anything without spending much effort and his days as the 'kelp-for-brains' was a thing in the past. Percy always had an attraction to the sea. Maybe it was due to his dad, but during the time here he had gained a whole new appreciation for the watery domain.
"Even if it's just speculation, you should not discard it so readily. Everything we know was once a speculation. It took time and effort to prove them. Maybe you will be the one to prove these little brother," she stated calmly.
"I guess you are right," Percy sighed. "What about you, sister? How was your day? I hope you didn't just loiter around in the woods."
Not long after Percy and Zoe got close, she demanded that he call her his sister. Percy was reluctant in the beginning, but after some painful experiences that involved hunting knives, pointy ends of arrows and a lot of threats that may or may not have been about castration, he yielded. Silena always said that Zoe could play him like a fiddle and had him wrapped around her pinky waiting to do her bidding. Percy had to concede to that statement rather reluctantly because Zoe was still waiting for him to disagree and prove him wrong. But he had come to love her like a real sister, much like the one he had but will never meet.
"Come again?" she asked dangerously.
"I mean what you were up to today, sweet sister?" he squeaked.
Zoe smiled. She always found it funny to see the most dangerous man in Elysium to wither at her tone. She and Silena had made it their duty to keep his head below the clouds.
"Well since you asked so kindly 'little brother', I've been learning how to communicate with the beasts that roam the forests." At his questioning looks she started to elaborate further. "Much like those runes you always go on about, there are other arts that have been lost to the ages. One such is the ability to communicate with the animals like when you speak to horses and their sub-species. Gods can do this instinctively. But ancient Americans had an art form to do so. It was why they had dangerous animals for their companions."
"Can I learn?"
"I don't see why you can't, but why do you want to learn it?"
….
Percy went quiet as if he was contemplating on how to answer her. Zoe kept her silence as her brother gathered his thoughts.
Others may not know, but she knew Percy the best. He had changed from the day they talked about Fate. When he was alive he was a laid back, happy-go-lucky kind of a boy. But since he learnt the realities of life, he was like a cold fire. Nobody knew of it because it gave off no heat. But if you poked it… then you would get burnt badly. They always say the man that didn't show his anger and hurt was the worst possible man to have as your enemy. She knew Percy was furious at the Fates. If he could get his hands on them, he would go to extreme lengths to witness their destruction.
This was something she kept to herself. She knew that he would not like others to know the attitude he had on life. To the kind and weak, he would be a beacon of hope. To the oppressors, he would be their doom. The main reason why he was so angry was because he couldn't do a damn thing to change fate. For the duration he was here in Elysium he has the power and knowledge, but when he is finally kicked off from Elysium, he has to start from zero and have no knowledge on his of his past as it would be wiped clean by the Lethe. He would turn into a cog in the machinations of the three hags' plan without his knowledge again.
Percy finally looked at her. "Everything has a reason to exist. Even the tiny ant has a role to play in the much large circle of life. But they are free. They only have to follow the natural rules set forth by the universe. No ant is force to fight for another. All those creatures… they only fight for their own survival or the survival of their families. Why can't we humans have something like that? Why do we have to fight other's wars? Be tormented by the follies of somebody else? I just want to be free… but I know I never will. I want to know what it feels like to do your own thing… follow your instincts… and talking to the animals is the closest I can get to my freedom."
"Wow, little brother. You have dug deep into philosophy there. I too have wondered why us, the most sentient race on earth is burdened by the Fates like this. But I stand by what I said all those years ago. Fates are bitches. You have the ability to go against them… do so. It's these small revolutions that will one day free us. I'm still in the initial stages of learning the skill. Once I've done it, I will teach you. Then you will not be the only one to speak to horses, huh?" she winked.
"And of course you would be going after wolves," Percy snorted back. Even after released from the oath she took to Artemis, her habits have yet to tone down. She still loved wolves and wanted to be around them much like her days in the hunt. Zoe wouldn't say it out loud, but she was jealous of the bond her brother had with horses. She too wished that she had the same ability.
"We'll see about tha-," she started leaping towards Percy to tackle him down and started to tickle him. Her brother, the almighty warrior was very ticklish. A fact that he went to great lengths to conceal. But from the day she found it out, he didn't have a moment of respite because whenever she was on the cusp of losing a verbal spar with him, she would leap towards him and tickle him to submission.
But she never got to finish her sentence because it was drowned by a large explosion that shook the ground. The two who were wrestling on the ground were thrown a few feet away from their initial location. Percy hugged Zoe down against him and protected her when they crashed to the ground.
"What was that?" Percy got on to his feet, fully alert after releasing his sister.
"No idea… could it be an earthquake?"
"Earthquakes don't happen in Elysium. Something big is going to happen… and I know I wouldn't like it."
The residents in their sector were completely spooked. Unlike the duo, most of them had nobody to speak to. And with no one to order them to calm down, they started to run here and there like headless chicken causing a massive panic. Another explosion occurred soon afterwards. This one stronger than the last. Buildings started to quake and some collapsed. It was just like the chaos during the Titan wars when the mortals woke from their slumber right in the middle of the fighting. Most of the residents in Elysium had no connection to the divine world. They were here due to their deeds and had no idea what they were seeing. The mist was like a double edged sword. In times like these, its existence caused nothing but panic.
"There," Zoe pointed. As another quake originated the air at the border of their sector started to ripple. It was something unprecedented. The duo watched the golden ripples dissipate on by one after their energy was depleted.
"Someone is trying to break the barrier," Percy immediately hypothesized. "Who would want to do that? And who is powerful enough to do that right next to Hades' pale ass?"
"I don't know… we should find Charles and Silena. It would be a good idea to stick together until we know what's going on for sure."
"Come on," Percy took hold of her hand and literally dragged them towards their home. Despite Zoe being centuries older than him, she was literally being man handled due to her petite stature.
Zoe knew that Silena and her significant other would head to their home too. Amongst this chaos where finding north from south was difficult and the only landmark that first came to anybody's mind was their home.
They arrived at their destination soon afterwards dodging the crazed citizens and weaving through the mobs. At one point of their journey, Percy had picked her up and stuck her under his armpit and forcibly carried her much to her indignation. She was a proud woman who prided in being independent. But since Percy had acknowledged being her younger brother, he had grown rather protective of her. Some of the things he did for her sake were over the top. She thought it was sweet but never told it to his face lest his ego inflate larger than she could handle.
"Put me down, you caveman," she cried indignantly. Her face was completely red from anger and Percy just laughed the entire way making fun of her potty mouth. Percy and Silena found it hilarious when she started to curse using old English. Most of the time they were trying to re-enact her temper tantrums by exaggerating and making fun of her accent.
"There you are," said Charles coming out and greeting them at the entrance. One look at them he found he was missing something. "What am I missing?"
Percy broke down in giggles and Zoe scowled fiercely. "Not a word," she threatened him. "Or you will be my live target for archery practice for a year."
Percy still snickered but held his hands up as if he surrendered to her.
Zoe ignored him. "What's going on?" she asked them. Maybe they had something she and Percy didn't know.
"From what I saw, someone is pounding on the barrier. I don't know who or how, but this is most likely going to be a problem. I grabbed some weapons from the arena on the way here."
"Good thinking," she complimented.
"Your bow is inside. Fetch Silena too would you?"
"Alright," she said and entered through the doorway.
Once inside, she saw her trusty bow and two hunting knives sitting on a table. It was impossible to take weapons out of the arena in Elysium. You could choose one for yourself, but only use it inside the arena and had to leave it behind once you finished training. The guardians at the gate prevented weapons from being brought out. It meant the guardians were missing, since Bekendorf was able to get her weapons out of there.
She shouldered her trusty composite bow which was similar to the one she used while serving under Artemis and two silver hunting knives. They were not quite like her original weapon, but who could complain. They had to make do with what they had.
She saw Silena had finished donning her armor which was something Charles had created for her. It was a mix between heavy plated armor and light leather armor. Her sword was across her back in its sheath. Silena smiled when she saw Zoe.
"Good you are here. I was starting to get worried that you went somewhere else. Let's go outside. You got your weapons from the table right?"
"Yeah… thanks for bringing them. I've got a hunch that we will need them shortly."
"Me too."
Zoe followed her outside. The boys were ready for them and they stood by wondering what was going to happen. All of them were in their own worlds of thought. Elysium was supposed to be one of the safest places on the planet. It was the place of the dead and everyone respected that. For someone to blatantly attack, it meant that they were willing to defy the laws set by Chaos herself.
BANG
With an awful explosion the residents of Elysium were thrown to the ground. Zoe could see the barrier shatter into a million pieces like brittle glass which showered inwards and decapitated many from the corner of her eye. She was disoriented and even her centuries upon century's worth of experiences didn't amount to anything.
Her instincts tingled and she leaned to her left with all her might only to see a clawed hand miss her head by a hair's breadth. Zoe shook herself out of her stupor and looked at her assailant. It was humanoid. But its speed was vastly superior to any mortals including demigods. She could only see a blur as its companions tore through the residents one by one. For the first time since the dawn of ages, the residents of Elysium started to fall like flies. She had no idea on what would happen to them. Would they be forcibly entered into the reincarnation cycle? Would they fade like gods would?
She didn't have any time to ponder on these as her assailant turned back and smiled a gruesomely. She noticed that another of its kind had entered the fray and Percy was busy fending it off while Silena helped him by taking pot shots while the creature was in a deadlock with her brother. Charles had rushed towards her.
The creature in-between Charles and her was a human. There were no added appendages. The only distinct features it had was its sharp nails which had almost decapitated her and red eyes. It was handsome even by godly standards. But once the creature grinned she knew what it was immediately. And she froze at the implication. It was a bloody vampire. An elder vampire from what she could see.
"It's not every day I meet someone who can doge my surprise attack," It began. "But you are no mere mortal. From your posture I can see that you were a huntress in service to that bitch. This will make things much more interesting."
With that it leapt at her again and she immediately went defensive and brought her hunting knives to block the attack.
Clang… clang
Claws and steel met. But she was starting to get pushed back from its brutal strength. Vampires were creatures of the dark and were mostly associated with Tatarus as they were his guards. It was a long time since the world saw these famous creatures from the pit. The last time they rose to the surface, they created a huge panic and it was Lady Artemis who was instrumental in bringing them down. One or two escaped. But since none of the escapees were elder vampires who could convert others into its kind with a simple bite, hunt was called off.
'Have to go for the heart,' she thought remembering their one weakness.
She lunged at it and tried to stab it in the face. The vampire grinned and knocked her arm away with a simple swing of her hand. Taking advantage of the rotational motion, she followed through with a backhand stab straight to its heart.
The creatures grin froze and it kicked her away while jumping to the side dodging Charles' attack. Charles staggered but quickly straightened himself after taking few steps back. Zoe again went at it from its behind. She and Charles worked in tandem to keep the creature on its toes. Chares used his superior strength to halt its attacks while she took the opportunity to go at its weaknesses.
Back and forth they went. Charles was hit by its claws and had a gaping wound across his chest. His strength was dwindling fast. Zoe on the other hand had multiple cuts and bruises. Nothing life threatening, but they were tiring her quickly. Already both she and Charles were slowing down. While the vampire kept up its relentless attacks.
Its grin was gone and its face was marred with a scowl. Apparently it had taken them too lightly and was already paying for its mistakes. Silver was one of the metals that could harm it. Her hunting knives had already taken away one of its arms from its wrist. It tried its best to keep her knives away from its heart. But that meant that other locations were open.
Zoe leapt forward and slashed down its face while Charles blocked its good arm. The knife went from its right eyebrow to its left jaw. Because it tilted its head back at the last moment, its nose wasn't severed away.
It howled it pain and lashed out with its leg at her. She was so tired that she could dodge at all. The blow landed and fractured her rib cage. Zoe went down in agony but she kept an eye on the creature because she was trained to do so even when she was at her last breath.
It followed through with a roundhouse kick to the burly man which sent him barreling down like a sack of potatoes and crashed onto Percy who was having a much better time dealing with his vampire.
The time slowed down for Zoe. She watched horror struck as she saw he brother sent off balance from the unexpected crash. Silena was already down. She was leaning against a wall and wasn't in a position to move at all. Because of the crash, the vampire went straight for her brother and she watched horror struck as its arm pierced Percy's chest taking advantage of the situation. But Percy wasn't deterred. His own sword went through the creature's heart.
"No," she whispered unable to comprehend what just happened. She was in pain and couldn't move. She could only watch in horror as her brother and the vampire separated themselves. The vampire was already dead. But Percy was not.
Percy fell down to his knee, his mind still refusing what just happened. The strike missed his heart, but it was fatal and his time was already ticking. In one moment, all four of them were on the ground, unable to stand up with one adversary being dead. That left the elder vampire to stalk amongst them without any obstructions. It looked at its dead companion impassively and turned back to her brother.
"Perseus Jackson," it hissed. "Such an honor to finally meet you. I wanted to see you for myself while you were travelling in my humble abode with that blond wench, but I was occupied elsewhere."
The vampire had a manic look as he alternated its gaze between the four. Zoe felt useless. She couldn't move a muscle as she kept staring at Percy's blank face.
Percy coughed. Blood started to flow out of his mouth indicating that his lungs were starting to fill with blood.
"Because of your little adventure I had to suffer, you know. Lord Tatarus doesn't forgive easily. He wanted you to rot down in the pit… but you escaped with the help of those two maggots," the vampire started its tirade. "Look at me when I'm talking!"
It hefted Charles from the ground and threw him at Silena. Percy still had a blank face while he looked at the vampire slowly. "Tatarus planned this little incursion to send out the message that he isn't to be taken lightly. But I can thank my lucky stars that I met you in this sprawling expanse."
It hoisted both Charles and Silena off the ground and the duo was helpless after the battering they took. It looked at the two with a sick smirk.
"You see… I'm an avid advocate on karma. I believe what goes around comes around. But I like to add a little twist to it myself. I like to add something extra when handing down retributions." With that it bit down on Silena on her neck.
"NOO," Charles screamed.
Vampires were detested creatures. An elder vampire had advantages like being able to survive sunlight for a few hours a day. But an individual converted into a vampire couldn't. Except their heightened senses and strength, a normal vampire was nothing but a drone. They were forever doomed to darkness and bloodlust. These creatures had no self preservation. They just existed to carry out the bidding of their master.
Charles struggled hard as the vampires toxins were ejected to Silena's bloodstream. But it was for naught as its grip was ironclad. Zoe watched in horror unable to move. A snarl was forming on Percy's face. One that quickly captured Zoe's attention. Percy was about to let out the anger and resentment he had held within his heart for a long time.
The countless years of battles and wars were useless in a situation like this. Their doom was imminent. Nothing she could do could change the reality.
The creature took off its fangs off a stiffened and smacked its lips.
"Tasty…," it turned to Charles. "Don't worry. You are next. I'm not a monster to separate two young lovers."
With that it bit him too and dropped unmoving duo on to the ground.
"Look here Perseus Jackson. Look as I take the last thing that you hold dear from you. I want you to feel the despair. The same I felt while I endured Tatarus' punishments. Unlike you I was immortal. I was killed again and again when the pain proved to be too much. But you will soon perish. So I want you to feel the agony. I want you to feel helpless. Even in death, you will not know peace," it said as it enclosed its hand around Zoe's neck and lift her up.
Zoe wanted to struggle. But those haunting red eyed shook her into submission. Even in the presence of gods she never felt this meek. This creature, as handsome as it was, was the epitome of evilness. That was saying something as she had seen her fare share of rare monsters throughout her partially immortal life.
Zoe watched as her brother tried to get up. He couldn't speak due to all those fluids in his lungs. But she could see the rage. The same she felt in the presence of an angered Poseidon. It was unyielding. Relentless. Brutal. But that rage was not merely his anger towards the vampire. It was also due to how useless he felt. She could see it in his face. The anger he had kept bottled up was about to explode. But she knew it wouldn't be able to do anything. It will merely cause him to go to an early grave.
Zoe smiled forlornly at him. She had already accepted her fate. It was not something she could fight against. She could only blame the three hags for putting though the rollercoaster that was her life. From a happy childhood to a betrayed alone adolescence where she could only depend on herself… from that dark place to a millennia under the service of the Goddess of the hunt where her preconceptions of life was changed and molded to the views of Artemis'… to her death at the hands of her own father to finally having the family she always wanted in the shape of Percy Jackson, Silena Beauguard and Charles Bekendorf. Her life was full of ups and downs. But these twenty odd years in Elysium with Percy, Silena and Charles was the best she had. Now it was all coming to an end.
The creature kept its eyes on Percy as it slowly sunk its teeth on to her neck. The pain was unlike anything she had ever felt. One second she was fine, the next moment she fell an agony far worse than ay she had ever felt. Her innards were burning. She tried to scream, but her muscles didn't obey. She felt her eyes gradually close. But in that last moment Percy snapped.
….
Percy had been watching agonizingly as Zoe too was taken away from him. The creature in its sense of accomplishment and hubris closed its eyes to relish the taste of Zoe's blood which came from a titan and an elder nymph of the sea.
As he saw Zoe's eyes close, all his anger erupted and miraculously he was bowling down the vampire. He didn't know how he moved or what he was supposed to do. The only thing in his mind was to cause as much damage as he could before dying. It was his revenge. The creature wanted him to willow in despair. But he wanted to give it something it would remember for the rest of its miserable existence.
He saw Zoe's surprised look as she was separated from it. But much like Charles and Silena, she was undergoing a transformation and she could move her body. It caused him pain to see the three of them being forced into a fate like this. Even werewolves were better than vampires. The wolves had a sense of belonging to the pack and each member of it was valuable. Vampire thralls were just mindless husks that relied on baser instincts. He didn't know how the ancient laws panned out for a convert in the land of the departed, but he was sure it was not something he wanted to know.
The vampire was shocked at his sudden burst of strength. He tried to push him off but his arms were struck down in an awkward position and it could free them to throw him off. Percy was just acting on instincts. The primal rage had overcome his rational thinking. He was more a beast than a man at the moment.
Much like a wounded beast, he attacked the vampire. Primal instincts were there to safeguard one's life. It would make any creature do the vilest thing possible if it was meant to survive. And the first place any wild animal would go to kill its prey? He too went for the neck. His subconscious had overcome his brain. While he could think, his body acted as if it had a mind of its own.
Percy bit down on its larynx hard and pulled his bead back, tearing the organ away. For the first time since its arrival, the vampire looked afraid. It regretted having pushed him to a corner like a wild animal. But it was helpless as it watched Percy tearing his neck to pieces with his mouth.
His lower face was covered in blood. Pieces of meat and lots of blood went down his throat without his knowledge. But Percy kept at it. Even when the creatures struggling went down he longed for its blood. The more he consumed, the more addicted he was. The scene was like a shark in a feeding frenzy.
Percy knew not how long he went on like this. At one point Zoe. Charles and Silena too had joined in the frenzy to tear the vampire apart and drain its blood. The four were drenched in blood and guts by the time the vampire's corpse disintegrated into golden dust. Usually a monster just disintegrated the moment it died to reform in Tatarus. They didn't bleed unless they were special like the Ophiotaurus.
With the corpse gone, the four just fell down to the ground and slowly started to writhe as its cursed blood took effect. Percy hadn't noticed it due to his craving, but his entire stomach felt like it was full of molten metal. Now that his mind was occupied elsewhere and his sanity slowly returning, he felt his nerve ends flare up as f they were on fire. The pain gradually became worse and his screams were amongst the four that echoed throughout the empty Elysian sector.
When the pain became unbearable, he blacked out unaware that the mayhem was brought to an immediate stop with the arrival of Hades whose divine might slew the attacking army.
AN:
What do you think? Don't forget to tell me your ideas.
Review, Favorite and Follow. Your input is what powers my brain.
See you soon.
« Prev Ch 2 of 12 Next »
Review
Jump:
Share: Email . Facebook . Twitter
Story: Follow Favorite
Author: Follow Favorite
Contrast: Dark . Light
Font: Small . Medium . Large . XL
Twitter . Help . Sign Up . Cookies . Privacy . Terms of Service