EDIT: Sorry guys don't know what happend to the bold but it should be fixed now, I also went bac and fixed some typos
"Just give me the damn thing already." Mama Mia huffed when no one immediately volunteered.
Not surprising, given that the people in this room were more likely to punch an Infant Dragon in the face than pick up a book. Honestly, The Watcher was lucky that the people that they chose even could read.
But she wasn't about to waste time waiting on someone to work up the courage to touch a book for the first time in their life when she could just get it over with herself.
Really, this whole thing was stupid.
Especially considering that her and her girls were just there to cater to these idiots.
Idiots that, if they were believing that big ball of light, had the power to change/save their world.
And wasn't that sad.
Five Gods, their chucklehead Familias, and the Hostesses thrown in just for the fun of it.
Not exactly the Party of Heroes spoken of in legends. More like the drunken rabble-rousers sitting at the bar before the big fight.
A fight that her and her girls left behind a long time ago. One that she had no desire to go back to.
Mama Mia spared a glance at her girls.
At least…that's what she'd like to think, anyway. But curse her bleedin' heart for caring so much.
And hey, if all it takes to save their world is just ready a dumb book, then what the hell. At least they can relax while doing it.
Plus, with the amount of money her and her girls are getting paid. She'd be happy even if she had to make a hundred more dinners.
Flicking his wrist, Hermes threw the book over to her. Catching it out of the air, Mama Mia glared at him.
"Watch it, if you had hit one of my girls-" Mama Mia curled her fist in front of her fave popping a few knuckles. You couldn't get a clearer threat than that.
Drunks and disorderly patrons have been sent running for less. But that bag of arrogance and oily charm just laughed it off.
"Oh, I wouldn't dare harm even a single hair on such lovely beauties. Why, if I did, every able-bodied man in Orario would be at my throat. I just had the assurance that Freya's former Captain would still have the skill to catch such a little thing."
Rolling her eyes Mama Mia opened the book the next chapter.
"We Capture a Flag"
The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.
"Eh, not that strange compared to Gods, elves, dwarves, and Pallum's teaching you." Tione shrugged.
"Yeah, though I'd say having a living tree, or a half-man horse teaching you would be pretty up there." May chuckled.
Mama Mia thought back to her own days of learning. Back then, the Freya family had barely been up and running, so they hadn't had as many members as they do now. In fact, at the beginning, she'd been the only demihuman in the Familia.
During that period, Freya had been forced to step up and be the Familia's teacher, with her holding classes on how to read and write late in the day after Dungeon dives. And every day that classroom was full.
Mama Mia snorted.
Yeah, it was full alright. Full of horny men moaning how hot Freya was in a pencil skirt and glasses. To this day, she still can't understand the simple workings of a male brain.
During his Ancient Greek classes with Annabeth, Percy learned that he really could read Greek. As if he had been reading it his whole life it all just came natural to him. Outdoor classes included things like archery, though Chiron and him quickly marked that class down when Chiron had to pull an arrow out of his ass, standing behind Percy, off to the side, behind the dividing walls….Yeah, they still didn't understand how Percy did that.
"Hey, look, he can read Greek." Welf cheered.
"Nya, finally, my eyes hurt every time he tried to read before." Anya rubbed her forehead. Trying to read those jumbled-up letters was worse than waking up from a milk-induced hangover.
Lunoire snorted. "Please, I bet any type of reading hurts your eyes."
"Nya!"
Syr giggled next to Mama Mia. Everyone was so silly.
Then they saw Percy pick up a bow.
"OOOO!" A few people hissed.
"Yeesh, and I thought I was bad with a bow." Gareth winced.
Next to him, Reveria glared down at him.
"Oh. You are, you can just be glad that you're not that bad."
Gareth laughed, shrugging as he remembered what she was talking about. That had almost been as bad as his first time. Expect the person teaching him had been Reveria. But at least she had been standing in front of him.
"Yeah, I guess."
Running wasn't so great. The nymphs tried to be nice, saying that they had practivce from running from the gods, but at the end of the day, he was still slower than a tree on legs. Wrestling, no go, Clarisse always pulverized him. Singing, gardening, even metal work like the Hephaestus kids, all a non-starter. He…he just didn't know, nothing stuck with him.
Hestia smiled as she watched everyone laugh at Percy's many attempts at his lessons. This was good for them.
Watching Percy try his hand at each subject was a nice distraction from the anxiety and confusion of previous chapters. Too many questions left unanswered, too many sorrows that they were forced to watch and couldn't stop.
These chapters….they helped them relax.
Turning back to the black wall, Hestia giggled at the images playing.
They especially got a good laugh when he was asked to race against one of those forest Spirits.
"Dear Heavens throughs trees are fast." Hermes exclaimed.
They were almost at Level 4 in speed, maybe more…
"Having to runaway form lustful Gods, why does that sound familiar?" Asfi muttered next to him, interrupting his thoughts.
Turning, Hermes pouted at his Captain. Why did she have to be so mean?
Reveria was of the same mind as she snuck a look at Loki, who, by the way, was completely focused on the said Spirit's -Ahem- posterior.
But all of that was expected and quickly forgotten when Percy was shown the smithery.
"Hey, wait! Did he say Hephastus?" Hestia shouted.
"Whoa, he did. Hey Hephy, it looks like you're a part of this too." Loki laughed.
Hephaestus blanked, she didn't know what to say.
Obviously, she had felt something when she had seen Cabin 9, obviously she had felt a shift inside of her when she had seen those-her kids, but she hadn't wanted to get her hopes up.
And yet there the answer was, thrown out in passing in front of everyone.
And now looking at them, that was all she could see.
Her children.
Tears welled a little in her eye before she quickly wiped it away. Come on, be stronger. They're not really yours. You can't really have kids, she told herself, and even if you could, who would love someone with a defect like yourself?
She didn't know how the people of that world did it, but she already knew how people would react if they saw her eye.
Tsubaki tapped her chin, not noticing her Goddesses state at the moment.
"Which means that was your cabin we saw."
"I-I guess so." Hephaestus stuttered.
"And looks like you got yourself a couple of rugrats walking around as well." Mama Mia chuckled
"Seems they inherited your skill of the forge, congratulations." Hermes smiled.
Hephaestus tried to fight her own smile. Remember, they're not really yours.
Luke tried to cheer him up by saying that he could be a child of Hermes, a jack of all trades not good for anything. Percy felt that he was trying to help, but that just seemed wrong somehow. But as the days went by and Percy still never got a sign, he began to understand Luke's resentment. The Gods were acting like mortals, like the distant rich parents from some of his previous schools. They were Gods, and yet they couldn't send a sign or make a phone out of a rock?
"This is not how a Family should behave," Hestia growled.
"Man, these Gods are bastards." Tiona griped. "Not even a sign or a thunder, what about a thunder, they really seem to like throwing those around."
"Poseidon what the hell are you doing? Your son needs you. Your only son, apparently." Freya sneered.
"Percy-sama is right about one thing, a God should be better." Lili crossed her arms.
Haruhime got quiet. Percy's ramblings connected with her. She, too, had felt anger at the Gods once. Just for a second.
She never told anyone. But there were times when she had thought the same thing. Not about getting, what did Percy call it, a call?
No, she never wanted a sign from a God. She just wanted to know how the Gods could allow what happened to her… happened.
If they were all-powerful and all-knowing, then why couldn't one of them have saved her, at any point in her journey from the east?
Or better yet, why was someone like Ishatar, a Goddess? Why was someone like that allowed to be so cruel and uncaring and still be allowed to receive the praise and warmth of the masses?
There too was a time when she felt as if her heart might have fallen.
But then she met her light.
Later that week was Percy's first sword lesson. This was something that he had been excited for. But when he finally picked up a sword, it-it felt wrong. Every other blade felt the same, either too long or too one-sided on the weight. Nothing seemed to fit in his hands.
"I think we're really underestimating Percy's talent with a blade." Leaning forward Hephaesuts narrowed her eyes at the black wall.
"What makes you say that, Hephaestus-sama?" Ryuu asked.
"Most people, when they pick up a blade, aren't able to tell which ones are right for them. They usually need a specialized fitter for that. As you get more experienced thoe kinds of things will start to come naturally, but rarely is it something that you notice when you're starting out."
"So for Percy to know.." Finn trailed off.
"It means that he could grow to be one of the most skilled sword users in a century."
We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time. "Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years." "Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said. The camper snorted.
"Seems like Luke's pretty talented too." Lefiya said.
"Well, of course he does, he's my son." Hermes proudly lifted his head.
"Yes, well, I'd like to see how Percy measures up to him." Ouranos scratched his chin.
Ournaos was very interested in Percy. Not just because he was the one The Watcher chose as their teacher, but because of his Fate.
And now, hearing young Perseus receive praise from Hephaestus, the premier blacksmith and armourer of Heaven, meant that there was more to him than meets the eye.
Add in his status as a Demigod, the perceivable string of Fate tied around him, and the seemingly endless amount of trouble that was drawn to him captured Ourano's attention. Such power and skill in one so young, Ouranos was determined to see how he grew.
Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. "Keep your guard up, Percy," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap! By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler.
"He is good." Aiz stated, staring at the spar.
They weren't moving as fast as her but even she could see their skill. Percy was still green, still unsure in blocks and not moving when he should but Luke…Luke was as good or even better than her.
Oh, she'd still win in strength and speed, especially when she started to use her own skill, but pure blade work, it'd be a toss-up.
Aiz's hand tightened around her hilt. She couldn't wait to get back to training.
"I'd say he ranks around a level 3 or 4 right off the bat."
" Level 4 Captian!?" Lefiya looked at Finn in disbelief.
To be clear, all of these kids had no Falna. No Godly magic to enhance themselves with each kill, to become stronger after each triumph.
Demigods, they may be, but without Falna getting to that level of strength required time. And seeing someone, even a few years older than her, have that level of strength without Falna, was shocking.
"Well…A low level 4." Finn conceded. "Even that is only for his Dexterity. He doesn't have his strength or durability at max, but his speed is amazing."
"Well, he is my son." Hermes bragged.
"Yeah we know." Loki rolled her eyes.
Haruhime raised her hand. "Um, is it just me or is Luke going a little hard on Percy?"
"He is?" Welf asked. He didn't see that.
Though, looking at the other people training, none of them seemed to be sweating as hard as Percy was.
"I-I think I see it. It's hard to tell cause Percy is sort of holding his own, but Luke seems to be pushing him harder than he should with a beginner." Bell said.
Looking closer people saw what Bell was pointing at. Luke was going harder on Percy.
Bete scoffed.
"Ahh, you guys are too soft. He only started to really lay into him once he saw Percy push back. That's what your suppose to do in training, push the kids."
"He must have realized that the beginner course was too light for Percy, so he stepped it up." Gareth guessed.
"And he's been steadily increasing the difficulty the longer that Percy held on." Riveria said
Luke poured ice water on his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same. Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward.
"What was that?" Ryuu pointed at Percy, pouring the water on himself.
It wasn't noticeable, but afterwards he stood a little bit straighter. His breathing evened out, and even the color returned to his face.
"It looks like a Skill," Lili said.
"But Percy doesn't have any Falna." Hestia reminded them.
"No, but he does have a Godly bloodline." Yamato cheered.
This was just like the old fables of the East. Where the Hero finds a deeper strength and stands again.
Now was Percy's time to shine. She didn't like how hard Luke was pushing Percy. Forget Bete and Gareth, to her, it looked like a one-sided beatdown.
But now. Now Percy coud flight back
"Looks like one that gives him a sort of buff around water." Syr noted.
"Would have been nice to have a couple of people like him down on the 25th." Gareth chuckled.
"As expected from a son of Posiedon. Ouranos nodded.
Luke brought everyone back together. Percy dragged his feet, he didn't want to keep getting beaten up. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon. "This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now.
"That's a good move there." Freya nodded her head.
A move that delicate required more than skill, it required practice. Hours and hours of it every day. And to get it to the point that he didn't even cut Percy when he did it?
Luke wasn't just skilled with a sword, he practically lived with it.
"Pff, please. It's a trick. One that's only useful in a duel. Things usless once you find yourself in a real fight." Bete crossed his arms.
"Bete just because it will not work on monsters doesn't mean it's not a skill to learn, or to teach." Reveria scolded him.
"It's not just a trick either, it's a martial move that teaches you to think about how to disarm your opponent, whether or not you're able to do it against someone without a blade, well that just depends on how good you are." Finn added.
Paring up with Luke again Percy noticed that he wasn;t doing so bad. In fact he was even pushing him back. But then he started feeling weaker again, not knowing how long this sudden strength of his would last. Percy desperately tried to wrist move on Luke, succeeding on his first try and winning the duel.
"Wooo Percy!" Tiona cheered.
"Look at him go." Asfi said wide-eyed.
Comparing the spar from before to now was like night and day. No longer hesitating and pulling his swings, Percy was instead pushing into Luke. Overpowering him in a couple of swings and straight up dancing around him on others.
"That's a pretty significant buff for only that little bit of water." Finn narrowed his eyes.
What would it look like if he had a gallon? Or better yet, how much stronger would he be with an ocean at his back?
"Yes, but from his words, it doesn't last very long either." Riveria reminded them.
"Whether or not the effects continue while he's touching water or if it's a one-off effect well have to find out later. Let's focus on Percy right now." Loki said.
"Too late, he already won." Gareth informed them.
Turning back to the wall the saw that Gareth was right. When they hadn't been looking, Percy had disarmed Luke with his own move.
Looking at Percy, embarrassingly apologize for the disarmament, Hermes grumbled. "Beginners luck."
"Oh, behave, Hermes, look, even Luke is congratulating Percy." Freya rolled her eyes.
Ignoring her, Hermes pouted.
"Stupid cheating water powers."
Later on the week after trying the lava wall Percy finally had time to sit with Grover. Asking him about his trial Grover got depressed. He said it wasn't so bad but that if he ever wanted his searchers liesnces then he needed to go on a quest with a camper, something impossible. "
"Oh, Poor Grover." Haruhime said sadly.
He looked so sad. This must have been something that he really wanted.
"Hey, it's going to be ok. It looks like he's getting another chance." Yamato wrapped her arms around Haruhime's shoulder, bringing her in.
"Bastards went easy on him." Bete growled.
"Hush Bete, though I will say having a promotion hinging on a dangerous quest doesn't seem like that good of an idea." Riviera said.
"Puts the kid in the wrong headspace from the get-go. And depending on how badly he wants this license, it could mean a failure for the quest." Gareth grumbled.
"How do you think?" Tione asked.
"Well…say they need to retreat, but Grover hear knows that if he fails again then he may never again get another chance to get his licenses, so instead of retreating, he pushes forward, taking unnecessary risks that either endangers the quest or their lives."
"Its not something well talked about or looked into for that matter but going down into the Dungeon requires not only a caring of your equipment but also of your mind. As each choice you make can decide the death or life of your parnters." Finn nodded.
Not knowing what else to say, Percy tried to change the subject. Asking about the empty cabins, Grover explained each one. "Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."
"Oh, so she still has her vow." Hestia's eyes shot up in surprise.
"Yeah, unlike Athena, apparently. Also, what's that about her being mad?" Hephaestus raised her eyebrow.
Artemis, getting mad cause she didn't have a cabin, that didn't sound right.
"Don't know, I've never known her to be prideful." Hermes tilted his head.
"Yeah, I don't think she'd really care if she had a Cabin or not." Loki said. "Must be because of these Hunters of hers."
"I don't know, if I was part of some group and everyone else got a house but I didn't, I'd be pretty upset." Freya smirked.
"Well your you and this is Artemis." Loki rolled her eyes.
Holding up a finger, Freya went to retort but stopped as she opened her mouth.. Thinking about it for a second, she nodded.
"Yeah your right."
"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?" Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."
"WHAT!" The Gods screamed.
"Those two are married!" Loki stood up.
"Well woudl you look at that, looks like the crazy bint finally bagged her man, still don't know what she sees in him." Freya scowled.
See had no love for Hera. That bitch could rot in hell for all she cared. But that didn't mean that she thought she should get with the most Perverted God, as he was called back on Tenkai.
And it's not like that title is undeserved.
Even when he descended to Orario, that perverted grandpa was always trying to stick his dick in something. Didn't even have ot be a woman, anything was on his radar.
"Enough, that is not important, the sons of Kronos bit is." Ouranos's voice cut through the chatter, bringing all eyes to him.
"That's right. The Gods aren't just beings that formed out of nowhere like here, they were actually born." Finn's eyes widened.
"And Kronos was their father," Bell whispered.
Hestia tried to fight down the shiver crawling down her back. Every time she heard that name, why?
"Wait, didn't they say he ate his kids?" Tiona asked.
"All but Zeus." Tsubaki said.
"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades." Grover nodded, telling Percy how they split the Heavens, Earth, and Underworld. He explained that they were called the big three. But Hades doesn't have a cabin in the camp, just like he didn't have a throne on Olympus.
"So they decided there are Domains over lots?" Hermes scratched his head.
How the hell did that make sense?
Weren't they born with their Domains?
"Gods are weird." Asfi sighed. As if that was the only explanation needed.
Hermes raised an eyebrow at her.
"Well, their's are." He tried to say.
"No, no, that wasn't a question."
"Wait, if Posiden is one of the Big Three, then doesn't that mean-" Lefiya's eyes raised.
Everyone sat up, Percy, they thought.
"Huh, so I guess that means that Peryc is one of those Big Three." Welf said.
"I guess so." Bell tilted his head.
"And Hades knows it." Ryuu frowned. That's why he went after him, she was sure of it.
The kids of the Big Three were powerful. WWII was a war fought between chilren of the Big Three. Then, sixty years ago, they vowed never to have kids again. They vowed on the River Styx.
"Whoa, are their children that strong?" Tiona asked.
"Zeus's Familia were always full of monsters." To this day, Loki still remembers vividly the children who bore Zeus's crest.
Monsters that made even her own Familia, one of the leading Familia in Orario, look like kids.
"Even that eternal Level 1 guy," Hermes said. His eyes drifted over to Bell as he remembered the small child who always stood tall.
"Don't know about the other two, though. Poseidon wasn't down here that long, and Hades is still up in Tenkia." Hephaestus said.
Finn narrowed his eyes. Something about what Grover said didn't sit right with him.
"Something doesn't seem right. Why swear on oath that powerful over a few strong people."
"Uh, didn't you remember that bit about them being too strong? Grover quite literally said that a World War, which I'm still trying to process, was caused by just two of their kids." Riveria looked at Finn like he was crazy.
To her, it made perfect sense. Especially if those three couldn't keep it in their pants. Imagine if they had three or four kids, the world might have ended.
"Maybe… I just think it's weird. It's like telling Freya that, since Ottar was too strong, she can't add anyone else to the Familia."
"Man, swearing never to be with another woman is terrible." Hermes muttered.
"Of course you'd think that." Asfi scowled.
Grover took a breath, then he told Percy about Thalia. The daughter of Zeus that was never supposed to be, and the monsters she faced trying to make her way to the camp at the hands of Hades.
"What the hell." Mama Mia whispered.
What she just read, what they just saw-or head, it wasn't-
Mama Mia glared down at the book.
It wasn't right.
"Zeus, you can't even keep it in your pants for fifty years." Loki dragged her hand over her face.
"Forget Zeus, what the fuck Hades!" Hephaetus screamed.
The air was heavy. Ryuu gritted her teeth hard. This-this was almost as bad, if not worse, than what Evilus did.
Inciting monster attacks in the Dungeon, destroying the lives of young Adventures. Gods doing whatever they wanted.
It…it wasn't right.
"What the Hell is a Tartarus?" Tsubaki frowned. She had never heard that word before, but just saying it made her mouth feel dirty.
Ouranos absent-mindedly pulled at his beard as he thought about how to answer her question. Finally, he said.
"To us, Tartarus was an ancient name given to the Dungeon, a birthplace of monsters. A gaping maw spewing forth destruction and devastation. It's no longer used anymore, but the name still carries its weight."
Clasping his hands together, Ouranos lifted his head. "But the way young Grover said it gives it a different form. From his words, it appears that wherever Hades rules, he holds Dominion over something similar, enough at least to release its monsters."
"But…how the hell could someone do something like that? A dungeon break is one of the worst things in the world. Doesn't he have those Furies of his, wh-why would he do this?" Lefiya felt her knees shake a little in fear.
She had never seen a Dungoen break personally, she was too young to have been alive when the last one happened. But if it was anything like the Colosseum break during the Monster fest, then it must have been bad.
And now to hear that someone, a God, personally caused one. Just to run down a little girl?
"Duneogn breaks are unthinkable cause the damage always happens to us. But I bet if they were the ones releasing them onto other countries, then you'd be thinking a whole different thing."
"Finn you-" Riveria turned to Finn in disbelief. She couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth.
Was-was he praising Hades?
Finn shook his head, though as if he heard Riveria's thoughts.
"No, I'm not. But you've got to admit, it's a pretty powerful deterrent. One that I'd bet that even Ares would hesitate over."
"Poor Thalia." Hestia felt tears well in her eyes. No one deserved to have that happen to them, especially not a little girl.
"One little girl trapped between two Gods, and over something that she didn't do." Bell looked down sadly.
Grover told the story of how Thalia met with two other children on her journey and a Satyr along the way. They traveled to camp with moderate difficulty, but as they got closer, the monsters got bigger and grew stronger. Became to much for the ragtag group of kids. Finally, when they could just see the light over the hill, the darkness became to much. Thalia, a young child of 12, wishing to save her friends, took a last stand on that hill, preventing the army from approaching. She bought time for her friends to escape, but she couldn't save herself. And with her final breath, Zeus, her father, took pity on her. Changing her dying body into a tree, her wish of safety and protection spread, becoming the barrier around the camp.
It was like you could hear a pin drop.
No one said anything. They couldn't, for they felt as if a single word could break their hearts. Sitting in silence they could only stare at the frozen image on the screen.
A tree, standing alone on a hill. Taller than the rest and yet so young. The shadow it cast covering everything in a blanket of protection. A solemn promise from a friend.
Finally, Bell couldn't keep his words inside anymore.
"...That's her." He whispered, horrified.
She was that tree, still there. He didn't even know if she was alive or dead.
"One little girl, taking last stand. What the hell." Bete bit out.
This was too much, even for him.
"It really is hard to believe, isn't it?" Hermes put his hat over his eyes. "And that sacrifice continues to save everyone till this day."
That was the straw that snapped.
BOOM
An explosion of heat slammed into eveyrone throwing them to the floor.
"Hestia/ Shorty/Hesita-sama!" People shouted.
"ZEUS." Hesita screamed.
Fire whipping around her swirled into an inferno. Tears streaming down her face evaporated in an instant as she grabbed her hair.
"What the hell is your problem!? You curse your daughter, your child, the day she is born, then you don't even save her! You could have done something, anything! And the only thing you do is turn her body into a TREEE!"
"Hestia-sama" Bell tried to push through the heat to get to her, but the wind coming off of her kept pushing him back.
Then, as soon as it came, the fire went away. Like a candle blowing out it was gone. Falling to her knees, Hestia cradled her arms across her chest.
"She didn't even get a proper funeral." She cried to herself.
"What the hell Zeus?" Loki whispered.
"And what the hell is this take pity crap. She was your daughter, she doesn't need your pity, she needs your love and care." Freya growled.
None of this was sitting right with them. Especially the Gods.
Th-this vagrant breaking of his oath, the fallout coming down onto an innocent. The diregrrd for his own child, something that they could never have, and the cruelty of Hades to flood the world in monsters for one little girl.
And then, to top it all off. Zeus, choosing to intervene at the last second to prolong her suffering.
Oh, their kids couldn't see it, but the gods could. Thalia was still alive.
They couldn't tell how alive she was, but they knew that she was in there.
Bell wrapped his hands around Hestia, bringing her back to her seat. He let her cy into his shoulder.
Nodding to Mama Mia, they continued with the story.
I stared at the pine in the distance. The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much.
Gareth stared down into his cup.
"The boy speaks the truth. Make what we do seem like children's play when she can do that." He chuckled.
"In all of Orario, there's only been a few mortals that can say that they stood tall like that. None as young, or as brave as her." Riveria said.
"Mabye but you guys shouldn't undermine what you've done either. Her age or her trials don't take away from yours." Loki said.
Changing the subject Percy asked if any ever went to the Underworld."Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini." "And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?" "No. Never. Orpheus came close. . . . Percy, you're not seriously thinking—" "No," I lied. "I was just wondering. So . . . a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"
"They've…had people travel to the underworld." Tiona gasped.
"Incredible." Tione said.
"Don't toot their horn too hard, they still failed." Bete scoffed.
"Yes, but they've gone farther than anyone in that world or this one has ever gone." Finn said.
After dinner it was finally time for Catputer the flag. The cabins are split into two teams between the captains. Ares and Athena are holding the position for this week. With the Harems cabin and Apollo cabin siding with Athena.
"Finally, some action." Bete said.
"Athena, always the strategist." Freya giggled.
She was the same way back on Tenkai. Always planning, always making alliances that suited her. And it seemed like her daughter was no different.
The question remains though, where was the trap?
"Man its like they're having a war game." Tiona laughed.
"Yes, but their games are a little bit different." Tione said.
"I'll say, that capture the flag seems fun."
"Look at all those blonde little shits. No suprise their all Apollos." Trying to collect herself, Hestia wiped away her tears.
Apparently, privileges had been traded—shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities—in order to win support. Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them.
"Ares is the same, too. Grabbing anyone able and putting them on the front line." Hermes rolled his eyes.
Really, was it any surprise that he was a God of War and not Strategy?
"Makes it a bit different though when they're all literal Demigods." Finn said.
"Haha, must not be getting out that much, huh? You fat drunk." Loki laughed, pointing at Dionysus, only two kids.
"Loki, be nice." Riveria sighed.
"Oh, who cares, not like he can hear me."
Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff, but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. To worried about their looks and not the game. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet. Percy stuck with Luke as they got their gear.
"Look at them all. Man, what Demeter wouldn't give to see these kids." Hestia murmured.
"Forget about her, Hephy, look at yours." Loki pointed at the half a dozen big, strong kids with calloused hands.
Hephaestus tried not to dignify Loki with a response. She knew that she was just trying to tease her. Get a raise out of her, just like she always does. Anything she said would be used to make fun of her to hell and back.
But still.
Looking out over them Hephaesuts still couldn't stop the swelling of warmth between her breasts.
They were so beautiful. Percy might not have seen it, but she certainly did.
Beside her, her captain nudged her with her elbow. Rolling his eyes, Hephaestus looked away from Tsubaki's smug little grin, as if to tell her that she already knew what she was thinking about.
"Nya, Percy isn't pulling any punches, is he?" Chloe said, looking at Ares' kids.
Sure, they weren't the prettiest kitties, but she'd seen worse.
"I don't know, I think he was right on with the Ares kids." Helf grumbled.
"Welf I know how you feel about him, but remember these kids haven't done anything." Ryuu placed her hand on his shoulder.
My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds.
"Good shield, but dear heavens, can't they find one his size?" Tsubaki griped.
Any idiot worth their anvil could see that that shield wasn't right for him. If he was lucky, he'd only walk away with a broken wrist, worst comes to worst, he might brake hsi whole danm arm lugging that around.
"Oh, I'm sure one of Hephy's little tykes can help him out." Loki chuckled.
"Shut up." Hephastus grit out. Her cheeks flushed red.
Percy tried to talk to Annabeth but she was giving him the cold shoulder. Asking what she wanted him to do she sent him out towards the creek, all alone.
"What'd she reach into her pocket for?" Tione asked.
"Forget that, can't she be a little bit nicer?" May glared at the wall. What the hell was her problem?
She thought that Annabeth wanted Percy on her team, and now she acts like he was an annoyance.
"Yeah, and what's with that warning. Watch out for her spear, uh yeah, you should watch out for all spears, might as well have told him to watch out for a minotaur's horns." Tiona said.
"Mmhm, must be some kind of magic spear." Yamato said.
"Isn't that a novel idea? I've only seen magic swords or knives, never spears." Bell thought about it.
It was strange in a way. If they could make magic swords, why not axes or arrows?
"That's many because of how expensive making one is. Sure, a sword takes more material, but when you make a magic sword your making it with its low durability in mind. Spears, especially high-level ones, require a lot of high-end material for the shafts, and when magical blades shater they generally take everything attached with them." Welf explained to him.
Percy, standing by his lonesome, waited in the night as sounds of fighting echoed around him.
"Guard duty. They put him on guard duty." Tiona grumbled.
"It makes sense, Annabeth knows that Percy has some control over water, so maybe she's banking on him being able to stop more people there while he's near his element." Finn guessed.
It's what he would have done after all. Placed people based on their skills and abilities around the battlefield. It's a good plan, though Finn felt like he was forgetting something.
"Yeah, but putting him away from all the action." Tione sighed.
She could see that wasn't what Percy wanted. And she could get it to. As an Amazon, even one that wasn't as crazy as the rest, she still craved battle herself. She wouldn't like it if she were put aside, forced to wait while everyone else fought.
"Hmpf kids." Loki scoffed.
"What was that Loki-sama." Finn asked.
"Nothing, just watch, this is where you'll learn how ruthless Athena can be, and how good her plans are."
A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory. Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual. Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by. I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me.
"Dammit, he's missing everything." Tiona cried.
Bete sat up. "What was that?"
Stopping everyone strained their ears, nothing at first. Then they heard it too.
Howls in the night.
"Sounds like wolves." Bell said.
"Or a hellhound." Aiz stood up, her hands on her hilt.
"But in the camp, I thought there were protections?" Lefiay said.
"Not unless someone brought it in." Ottar scowled. Sabotage echoed through his head, he was certain of it.
Then the growling stopped. Then Ares kids came out of the woods, with Clarise striding right behind them.
"Oh, good its just Clarisse." Haruhime sighed when the result of the bushes just showed her, and not a monster.
"No, not good, she brought at least half her siblings." Yamato looked worried at the approaching formation.
One squad of demigods against a single boy.
"What the hell are they all doing there?" Lili asked.
"I told you Finn, this was the real plan." Loki chuckled.
"What"
"Come, Percy, fight back!" Tiona screamed.
"Yeah, you can take them." Tsubaki yelled.
Percy couldn't take them. They battered into him, pushing him further towards the creek as they joked around. He tried to turn their attention to the flag, but they didn't care; they were here for him.
"Wimp"
"Hush, Bete, its just a game, doesn't matter if he loses." Riveria said.
"Is that all? That's their punishment?" Syre asked. No desert for maiming a child.
"Come on, even we have harsher infractions for war games." Lumionre threw up her hands.
"Isn't that something, our war games are safer than a childrens game." Hermes said.
Then they pushed into the water, and Percy changed. With power rushing through his viens Percy wasily defeated the Ares kids, and just in time to as sounds of fighting grew closer. Luke, jumping out of the trees, passed over the creek with a flag, winning the game.
"That's it Percy, feel the water." Tiona cheered.
"Go, Percy" Lefiya joined in on the cheering.
"Look at him go. I thought the buff from that bottle was good, but this is like that lass's level spell." Gareth said, talking about Haruhime.
By this point, everyone here knew about that spell. One that increases someone's level by 1. A truly game-changing spell, and now it looked like Percy had something similar.
"You're right, it's like Percy went from a level 2 to a level 3 in an instant." Riveria said, shocked.
"And all from touching the water." Finn reminded them.
"Wooooo, they won." Hestia cheered when Luke jumped over the creek onto the other side.
That's when Clarisse realized that it had all been a trap. Taking her siblings with her Percy was alone for a second, just a second before Annabeth appeared behind him.
"She's invisible." Lefiya gasped.
A cap that made whoever wore it invisible. A truly expensive piece of gear.
Invisibility was a rare skill, rarer still to have it enchanted on equipment. You would have needed someone with the Mystery skill to do that.
And Lefiya only knew of one person with the Mystery skill.
"Hey, that's like your helmet, Asfi." Hermes laughed.
Hestia sat up, narrowing her eyes, she looked over at Hermes.
"Your helmet.." She muttered.
She felt like she remembered a helmet like that. Wasn't that back when she sneaked into the Duneuon to save Bell on the Twentieth floor. Yeah, she got kidnapped by someone wearing a helmet like that…
Hermes was there, too, if she recalled.
"U-Uh nothing, forget it." Hermes felt a cold sweat drip down his neck.
Best not to bring that topic up.
Over on Loki's side Finn sat frowning as he started piecing together a certain child of Athena's plan.
"Was that it?" He whispered.
Next to him, his Riveria and Gareth were also starting to see the truth.
A simple plan, one that he should have seen through. But one that sacrificed a sort of friend to the perverbial wolves.
"Hell girl thats messed up." Gareth laughed.
"Using a kid hat your barley know as bait is cruel." Riveria frowned.
Leaning over Loki smirked at Finn.
"See Finn, she didn't need a complicated plan to win, or to hinge it all on one boy. She knew that Clarisse and her siblings would go to him, she knew that they'd forget their little game, and she also came to help as backup. Leaving no stone unturned."
Percy got angry when he figured out her plan. Showing his cut Annabeth looked at it weird as it was getting smaller, telling him to get out of the creek she grew frightened when Percy got weaker when he wasn't touching the water. Soon Chiron and the other campers came just in time to hear the growls again.
"Whoa, what's wrong with Percy?" Tiona asked as he fell on dry land.
"Seems like his body isn't used to moving at such speeds. Once he lost his buff, all the stress came piling down on him." Ryuu said.
Ouranos watched Annabeth's face. The way her eyes studied Percy, the way she looked at his water-soaked body. And the way that she looked at him in fear when he collapsed in her arms.
"She knows."
And then the howls came back.
"Oh no, the Hellhound, we forgot." Haruhime cried.
Out of the woods, a giant dog with flames burning in its body stared at Percy. Faster than anyone could react, it charged at Percy, taking him to the ground. But before it could kill him, five arrows penetrated into its hide, killing it.
"Shit, those were some good shots." Gareth complemented.
"Fast to." Finn nodded.
Bows and arrows weren't very common down in the Duneon, too expensive for a good one, with prices increasing for good arrows that never lasted, causing the Adventurer to spend more every dive to restock.
Not a viable strategy when not every shot was going to count, and missed shots meant more frequent trips back up.
But even they could see the skill that Chiron had obtained with the weapon.
Looking closer, Ottar tapped his fingers.
"Look how deeply they penetrated into the hellhound's body, and the size of that hellhound. The strength needed to do that is at least level four."
"Really that high." Freya's eyebrows rose up.
That seemed excessive for a simple camp Director, even one full of Demigods.
Hephaestus shook her head, though. "No higher."
"What?" Bell turned in surprise.
To him, Level 4 was pretty high, but Hephasestus-sama was saying it was even higher.
"Look at the arrows, those aren't high-quality arrows, they're the cheap ones that you hand out to kids. To kill a big Hellhound like that with kiddy arrows, Chiron must be at least a Level 6 or 7"
"No wonder he's in charge of a camp full of Demigods." Tione looked impressed at the halfman half horse.
Chiron contemplated where the Hellhound could have come from, someone must have summoned it. Percy was hurt, blood poured from his sides as people called to get help. But Annabeth stopped them, pushing him into the water Percy started to heal. When he looked out to the crowd, he saw that everyone was starting to kneel as a symbol appeared above his head. "Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."
"Chiron's right, that Hellhound didn't just appear," Finn said.
"But to say that someone-" Riveria tried to argue but Loki stopped her.
"No point in denying it, someones trying to kill Percy."
Haruhime held her hands together in prayer. "Thank heavens that Percy is healed."
"Yeah, crazy Skill he got there. He gets a buff and gets healed, talk about overpowered." Welf swept a hand through his hair.
Man it just wasn't fair, some people just get all the luck. The only thing he's got is Blacksmithing and Will-o-wisp.
"Ha, maybe. But at least old Saltyair finally got off his ass and claimed the boy." Hermes sneered.
Only took the boy almost dying before his father had any decency to do anything. And even then, it was after everyone saw him heal by the water. And by that point, it didn't matter.
Anyone with two bits of brain could have figured it out then. Honestly, Posedien didn't reveal anything.
This chapter, man. Thalia's story, Capture the flag, and now a conspiracy to hurt Percy, along with him getting outed to the camp.
And they thought this would be a relaxing chapter.
But Mama Mia didn't care about any of that.
Closing the book, she held it up in the air. "Ok, whose next?"