VII
Percy materialized in the entryway pavilion of Olympus and steeled himself. Zeus was rather irate if he had went so far as to summon him so publicly. Even if that was the case the amount of anger in his voice was rather apparent.
He shrugged off his helmet and clipped it to his hip and ran an anxious hand through his raven and windswept hair.
The Son of Poseidon had rubbed his temples with the palm of his hand to ease the headache that Zeus' thundering voice had caused as he moved further into through the Immortal realm.
Godlings, other immortals and nature spirits were abound, looking at him warily but keeping their distance. Hushed whispers and murmurs followed him through his trek through the cobbled roads of Olympus.
The nature spirits were indifferent to him for the most part and only looked to him with curious eyes.
He could barely hear them. He only heard them when they referred to him. Apollyon. Destroyer. He felt uncomfortable and did his best to ignore them but every now and then he would cast a glare in their direction and they would look away in embarrassment or scurry away in fright.
Percy soon found himself before the tall Imperial Gold doors that lead to the Olympian Throne Hall. The last time he had found himself here was when there was a problem with Boreas who was insistent that his daughter remain well away from Quebec.
He sighed as he thought of that particular mess as all it did was serve as a reminder to him of his upcoming trip to Alaska.
The doors eased themselves open, just enough for him to slip in which he promptly did. It became apparent that this was a full Council meeting and that he was not alone in the questioning as instead of their Greek forms they had shifted to their Roman ones.
Reyna stood before the Olympians.
The Son of Poseidon's gaze flicked towards her Roman mother. She simply stared at her estranged daughter with a cold indifference.
Percy stood back for a multitude of reasons. The first being was that he wanted for Reyna to finish her retelling of the events so at the very least their stories matched.
The second was that the Olympians were in their Roman aspects and as much as he knew he would not get attacked on the spot by Jupiter or Mars, it would be in his best interest to keep a healthy distance between him and the Roman aspect Zeus and Ares.
It was also in his best interest to not interrupt. That was just common sense and courtesy though and didn't really need to be said.
It was not long until the Lieutenant of the Hunt did finish her retelling. It was an accurate enough recounting of events and it appeared even some of Central Park was not spared from the alien devastation, though they didn't encounter any of those flying space whales and luckily they didn't suffer any severe casualties. Light injuries for the most part and one of the newer hunters had twisted an ankle.
Percy guessed that it was because he had dealt with any of the leviathans that he had come across during his own mission to disable the portal proper.
At a gesture, the King of the Gods, bade him forward. The Olympians shifting into their Greek counterparts.
To which the Son of Poseidon did so, standing beside Reyna, who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. She was wearing a molded cuirass as well and looked similar to her former Praetor attire but instead of Imperial Gold, it was either painted a gleaming silver, or more likely made of Adamantine Silver and her Aegis cloak was wrapped around her shoulders.
It did have the slight ethereal sheen that the metal was known for, though it was pocketed in soot and dried mud. Probably from the storm he had brought in.
"Perseus Jackson." Zeus had an undercurrent of rumbling in his tone and the Son of Poseidon saw his father cast a look of warning to his brother. "Would you mind regaling us with your perspective of the events that have transpired?"
Percy didn't hesitate and recounted near everything from the moment Artemis delivered the mission to the questioning aboard the helicarrier and further his own point of view on the attack on the mortal city of New York.
The Council was silent through it all. Eerily so. The only ones with a semblance of curiosity and warmth, his father included were Hera, Hestia, Artemis and Apollo. The only expression was either one of neutrality or worry and a few of them, both.
He did not mention the…artefacts that the Asgardians apparently had in their possession. They felt wrong and alien. Percy wanted nothing to do with them. More so than that of the Asgardians themselves and he did not want the Olympians getting any ideas regarding them.
Better to simply let them think it was Loki's magic mixed with human ingenuity.
"And then you…summoned me." Percy slowly spoke, choosing his words carefully.
There was short silence after he said the words.
"Iris." Zeus' voice was a near whisper and anger seeped into his words as he called for the Goddess of Rainbows. Said Goddess stood from her seat in the gallery and moved to stand beside the King of Olympus. "Show them the…mortal news."
The Rainbow Goddess nodded hesitantly and Percy and Reyna stilled in their positions at the implications of Zeus' words. The Son of Poseidon felt the blood drain from his face as he looked at the large shower of mist cascading in front of the two demigods.
A news video of the storm crashing against the skyline of Manhattan. The twisting spouts of water descending upon the city like solid columns of water, there was no rain. Percy had used all the water available in the atmosphere to bring this storm to bear while pale and blue lightning arced across the sky with increasing intensity.
The video switched to someone sitting behind a steel desk in a neat suit and tie, he didn't recognize him nor know his name but his focus was not this mortal. Just the words super-imposed on the screen on a white banner. UNKNOWN HELPS AVENGERS AGAINST ALIENS
The man began speaking perhaps beginning his news report. "And onto the Battle of New York that had left the world reeling as we find out we are not alone in the universe. Still the heroic 'Avengers'," The man air quotes the name. "have defended New York City against the threat and for that we are all thankful."
The man turned to another camera at his side. "Investigations are currently underway concerning another individual who helped immensely in the defense of New York. Clearing the entirety of Fifth Avenue north of Stark Tower, this unknown opened the area for civilians to escape and allow National Guard and Army units to move into the area, saving hundreds if not thousands of lives in the process.
However," The man turned again and looked back at the camera in front of him. "there are conflicting reports regarding the person's very existence."
At the words, the screen shifted to show a video. But it was distorted to hell and back and had absolutely no colors bar greys and blacks turning to outright static as it panned in a certain direction before becoming distorted again. "As you can see, the video is rather…warped for lack of a better term. However, many people claim that they witnessed this individual sweeping away any opposition before them and outright saving their lives on many occasions."
Beside the reporter, a drawing if a bit crude depicted him or as close to him as they could get in such a short amount of time. The sketch had him absent his seashell crest and rather had him adorned with a vertical red horse hair plume and his armor was rather bland rather than the intricate design it was, missing the raging ocean designs and the other symbols that often denoted who he was.
If this picture was put up in Camp Half Blood, it would look like any other Greek demigod poised for war.
However, there was no mistaking the green eyes on the otherwise lackluster illustration.
"Currently, this individual's whereabouts are unknown and was last seen entering Stark Tower near the conclusion of the fighting. Inquiries made regarding this person, their whereabouts and their affiliation with the Avengers have either declined to comment or have yet to respond. There is currently a monetary reward for any information regarding this individual."
Iris swiped a hand through the cascading mist. Percy had grown increasingly pale at the realization of what his actions have caused. So much so that he fell to a knee and bowed his head. No matter his actions in the Titan or Giant War or afterwards.
He deserved no mercy.
Did he just expose the Immortal Realm? Did he just condemn all of his family? One that he sacrificed so much for to protect?
It was a terse moment of silence before several things happened at once.
Reyna had thrown herself against the kneeling demigod, tackling him against the marble floor and sending them sprawling to the side.
Narrowly, dodging the bolt of lightning that left a dark scorch mark on the polished floor where he and Reyna had so recently vacated. A distinct smell of ozone wafted in the air around the hall and a thick layer around the King of Olympus that had seethed from his standing position over them.
All the deities in the throne hall stood up in surprise and shock at the display. While Poseidon had interposed himself between Zeus and the two demigods. Artemis and Apollo drawing their bows but unsure as to who to side with while Hera grabbed the arm of the King violently.
Hestia and Hades flanked the Sea God in equal defense of the two demigods.
Only it was an unlikely source that intervened to prevent a full scale global conflict between the two sides. Zeus had shrugged off Hera's hand and made to strike again, regardless of who stood in between of him and his target.
The bolt materialized and fired from his hands at Poseidon but a white barrier intercepted and absorbed the strike easily as Hecate stood between the two sides, raising her hands in a placating manner. "Stop! Perseus has done no wrong!" The Goddess shouted as she looked to Zeus with pleading eyes.
"Move out of the way, Sorceress!" Zeus boomed as lightning arced off his being and struck and singed the area around him.
"The Mist is still alive and well!" Hecate said gaining confidence in her voice as she realized that Zeus would not so easily attempt to attack her. "There is no problems with it! We remain hidden!"
There was another terse silence.
"Explain!"
Hecate wasted no moment in doing so. "The Mist is doing its job and shows absolutely no signs of faltering. King Zeus, the Mist predates even the Primordials and was created by Chaos itself to separate the Immortal Realm from the Mortal one. It would take eons of deliberate action to even begin to erode the barrier."
"Then how come the mortals know of him?" Zeus boomed thrusting his hand towards the demigod who was still on the ground beside Reyna and being stood over protectively by the eldest of Kronos' children. "Why did the Veil not obscure his presence from them?"
The Imperial Gold doors behind them slammed open, the heavy metal entrance forcing itself open impacting against marble pillars.
Everyone's gaze turned towards the abrupt entry.
Three withered old women, wreathed in black dresses and cloaks, their shawls and tails of their cloaks billowing behind them as they strode into the Throne Hall of Olympus. They stopped just before the Council.
None dared move nor speak while in the presence of the three women but slight inclinations of heads from the deities about the hall spoke of the respect that they wielded.
"We will answer your questions." The woman in the center of the trio spoke, a weathered and scratchy voice being heard. "But not to you Lord Zeus." They trio turned as one to look to Percy who was reclining on the floor beside Reyna, who had the side of her impervious cloak in hand to prepare in defense. "But to Perseus Jackson and we would do so alone. However know that the Mortal Realm remains ignorant to us."
Another silence descended upon the hall.
The Fates, despite popular belief and if Percy remembered correctly from his lessons with Chiron, were not all encompassing beings of primordial power that could topple the world on a whim.
They were archaic but not powerful in terms of strength or energy. No, their power lied in influence because is that not what Fate ultimately was? An influence of events? The poking, prodding and nudging for events that would come to pass not in the immediate days but in decades if not centuries in the future?
Their power lied not in the minutia of the day to day or even the year to year but in the grand scheme of it all. And that was where the agency of the Mortal World began and the jurisdiction of the Immortal Realm ended. Their day to day and year to year.
The way Percy understood it was that in seeing eyes of the Three Spinners, the journey did not matter so much as the destination.
It was quite the philosophical lecture that the Son of Poseidon had been subjected to and most of it went over his head, naturally.
In terms of raw strength and power the Three Spinners were of zero threat to just about anyone in the Throne Hall.
In terms of influence however, they were probably the most powerful beings in the Immortal Realm.
So when they said they would do did it because they could.
No one moved for the briefest of moments as the Fates waited, patiently, not making any indication of collecting the demigod they would speak to.
Their intention was clear. The Spinners would wait for the Council to leave. Percy saw it and was sure everyone else could as well. It was a concession to the King of the Gods. The Son of Poseidon would not leave Olympus until the matter at hand was dealt with appropriately. Whatever that entailed, none knew.
None ever knew the machinations of the Fates.
But the ones that would defend the demigod that Zeus would smite, would not leave until the God of the Skies left first.
Zeus let out a scornful scoff at the his elder siblings and casting a glance to his twin children who returned the look. The King of Olympus nodded in respect to the Fates before disappearing in a bolt of lightning.
And one by one, the Olympians and the rest of those that sat in the galleries flashed away, collapsed in a flurry of flowers or dirt, or a shower of mist.
However, Hecate was stopped by the one of the Three Spinners, the one on the left. "Lady Hecate, we would have a word with you after we finish our business here."
The Sorceress Goddess nodded a bit hesitantly and glanced at Perseus before dissolving in a cascading of pale mist.
Artemis approached her twin brother trailing behind her. "Lieutenant. We will wait for Perseus outside the Throne Hall for when this is over."
That would explain the pointed look at the Twins as both him and Reyna stood from their cowering state.
Reyna on the other hand, did not seem to want to leave his side and if the scowl Artemis directed at her huntress was any indication than the goddess did not appreciate the closeness the two seemed to have but she did not comment on it.
The Lieutenant of the Hunt however, had no choice in the matter as the Three Sisters looked to the Daughter of Bellona expectantly but just as patiently as before. They were not forcing her to leave. They simply knew she would do so of her own accord.
Reyna follows the Twin Olympians out of the throne hall, leaving the Three Spinners alone with the Son of Poseidon.
And just as the Imperial Gold doors closed, they began without preamble.
But they did not speak. Instead, the Spinner in the center of their trio lashed out deftly and grappled his face in a surprisingly strong grip, encapsulating it all in a leathery and oldened grasp. The first spoke, an echo as his life began flashing before his eyes.
"Slayer of the Minotaur." His mind strayed to the moment he gutted the monster with its own horn.
"Navigator of the Sea of Monsters." Said the one grappling his face. Images of Clarisse, Annabeth and him, arguing aboard the ironclad warship.
"Bearer of the Skies." The last near whispered but it reverberated in his mind. They began switching between the three of them. The feeling of being crushed by the weight of the world is one he would not likely forget.
"Surveyor of the Labyrinth." Percy was glad that damnable place was all but gone from this plane.
"The Bane of the Titan." Hyperion... Kronos…Prometheus…Their arrogant smirks and honeyed words swam in his minds eye.
"Hero of Olympus."
"Praetor of Rome." A sudden darkness took hold of him before he felt himself being raised upon a scutum of the Legion of Rome for delivering the Aquila.
"Survivor of Tartarus." His mind flared and he physically recoiled from the pain and memory of that hellish realm as he attempted to break free from the withered grip of the Fate.
"The Bane of the Primordial." Gaea. Anaklusmos erupting in a shower of bronze inside the earthen form of the Primordial Goddess.
"Sword of Olympus." The title of bestowed upon him by Hera when the Greeks returned to Camp, presenting it before all.
"Apollyon." All three intoned at the same time. At that, he felt his energy begin to drain away and his resistance slacken against the Fates before him.
The woman released her grasp on the Son of Poseidon's face.
Percy fell to knee as he gasped, a dull shockwave erupting from the impact as he landed where a crater had appeared at the force. Tears threatened to spill forth and his mind was numb as he was forced to relive all his life in the span of but a few moments.
He felt sick and the taste of bile attempted to engulf him. He squashed the feeling down.
"Your life was to end in that final confrontation with the Earth Mother. The drakon venom that had run its course through your veins was to be your downfall, even if you did purge it from your mortal body." The one on the right said, her voice still a whisper and her head cocking to the side.
He did not move from his kneeling position.
"When your yarn was spent and ready to end."
"Yet, when your journey was set to finish. There was no threads to mold nor string to cut."
"So we investigated and observed."
"We researched and learned."
"We are the Spinners of Fate, Perseus Jackson."
"What we do is absolute and unending."
"Everyone is subject to their Fate."
"We pressed our mother."
"Stirred from her Eternal Slumber."
"To tell us that your journey is just beginning."
"Yet she could not tell us where it goes nor where it ends."
"A glimpse however was seen this day."
"One privy to the Immortal Realm and the World of the Mortals."
"Your powers are chaotic. Today is witness to that."
"Olympians recalled to the Mount as the otherworldly forces descended upon the Mortal City."
"Fearing an attack on their rule, the Sky closed travel in the West."
"The Brothers Three worked in tandem to prevent you from doing so."
"Your power is like the Sea itself. Limitless."
"Destructive."
"Emotional."
"Only to grow further when the Primordial Goddess was forced into the Void."
There was a pause. Percy remained kneeling fearing that he may snap should he stand to face them.
"The Mist is a Container."
"Like the Sea, your power cannot be contained."
"It overwhelms the Mist itself."
"That is why the mortals see you for who you truly are."
"A warrior wreathed in gold."
"An unstoppable force."
"An immovable object."
"Similar to the Olympians you must now focus the Mist."
"To be conscious of it at all times."
"No longer is it merely a part of nature of itself."
"But a tool to be used and molded."
There was another silence. He was growing tired of their poetic speech.
"The Mist is woven into Nature. For the Gods, Titans and Primordials to use."
"To carry out their duties and to care for the mortal realm."
The one in the middle spoke after a brief pause. "You may have the strength to stand against them but for all their faults…" She trailed off as the third picked up where she left off.
"The Olympians are good for this world. Yet they cannot interfere in the Mortal World more than they already do."
"As the Mortal World begins to move past previous bounds. They will raise their champions to protect their world."
"And we would see that the Immortal Realm is guarded, protected against threats that would see it torn asunder."
"Yet we no longer control your string. You are unbound by us though not by choice." The words were said with a malice in it that made it clear that they detested the very idea. He stood slowly at that and his breath hitched at the words.
Were they being truthful? Being who they were, Percy didn't think they would have any reason to lie. Why would they? Why would they come all this way to tell him that he could do whatever the hell he wanted?
Then he realized. Immortals do not go to demigods for no reason. No, they wanted something from him.
"What do you want?"
The one on the left spoke picking off right where right had left off. "We cannot make you immortal. We have tried already."
"A failed attempt to bind you to the Laws of the Immortal Realm."
"So we humbly ask you…" The three inclined their heads to his kneeling form. "That should Olympus call, that you shall answer."
He didn't know what to say. So he said nothing. What would anyone say when the beings of Fate spoke showed respect albeit begrudgingly to a demigod?
Percy didn't need to answer as instead two began moving away. Though one remained before him, looking at him with narrowed withered eyes. She was deathly pale and looked older and more weathered than the other two.
"Your Fate may no longer be absolute but remember, Son of Poseidon." Her words were craggily and constantly shifted from being ominous to ones of anger. "While you may be free from us, others are not."
The third began moving away, leaving him next to a crackling hearthfire and alone with his thoughts.
'The warrior's intention should be simply to grasp his sword and die.'
-Kiyomasa Kato