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Coming of Age Ch. 25 (Percy Jackson)
🕑 Added 2023-12-04 15:48:08 +0000 UTCA/N: In which things go a little bit awry.
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He wants nothing more than to say no, Percy realizes. Sitting there staring into the God of Warâs eyes, he wants to reject Aresâ deal and send the jackass packing. And he knows perfectly well why that is too. Itâs because Ares is a dickwad of a god who loves to lord his power over other people. He could crush all of them like bugs and he knows it too. That doesnât make him any more likable though. And Percy has never been the type to just bow his head and submit.
⌠But at the same time, they ARE on a time crunch. Literal divine war between the gods of Mount Olympus is going to break out any day now. And on a more personal note, if Percy doesnât get Zeusâ Master Bolt back to the Sky God, not only will war likely break out, but Zeus is likely to continue trying to kill Percy, either personally with lightning or through proxies like the Furies and Echidna.
In the end, they need to go West. That was what the Oracle said. And here they were having barely gotten anywhere so far in their journey. Hitchhiking a ride with a literal god would almost certainly cut down their travel time by a ton so long as they could trust Ares to hold true to his end of the bargain. But then⌠they should be able to, right?
As much as Ares was clearly a jackass with too much goddamn power (pun intended) he was also Clarisseâs father. And while that alone might not mean fuck all, Luke had said himself that Ares Cabin had sided with Percyâs father in the schism that Camp Half-Blood was currently experiencing. And that sort of distinction would only happen if Ares himself had also sided with Poseidon⌠right?
In the end as much as it pained Percy to admit it⌠they needed Aresâ help. Otherwise, this quest was doomed to failure, given how theyâd stalled out. Letting out a deep breath, he nods before he can second guess himself any further.
âAlright. We have a deal. Weâll retrieve your Shield and youâll take us West.â
Ares smirks, the glow of fire in his eyes intensifying. But⌠thereâs something behind that smirk, behind his smug countenance. Something almost nervous. Percy wouldnât normally recognize it, but heâs seen the same look on Clarisseâs face. Faux confidence. Like theyâre putting on an act and trying to be something they donât think they truly are, deep down inside.
Of course, Percy keeps such observations to himself, even as Ares shoots out the hand not currently holding Clarisseâs cheeseburger.
âShake on it then, cousin.â
Percy really doesnât want to⌠but what other choice does he have? Deciding not to hesitate or show weakness to the godly biker before him, he reaches out and takes Aresâ hand, shaking it. Aresâ smirk remains for all of a moment before something in the air abruptly changes and his face slackens in shock.
The God of Warâs aura or perhaps presence had been there this entire time in the background, scratching at Percyâs senses. But suddenly it magnifies a hundredfold, bearing down on Percy like the weight of an entire mountain. Percyâs eyes widen and heâs glad to be seated because heâs not sure he could have remained standing. No, scratch that, he definitely would have collapsed if he were on his feet.
Aresâ burning gaze is suddenly so much more intense than before as he holds Percyâs hand in an almost-crushing grip.
âYou.â
Percy doesnât know whatâs happening. He doesnât know whatâs going on. But he also doesnât have it in him to back down. He holds the God of Warâs gaze and faces death head on, almost certain that this is it. This is where he dies.
⌠And then, just as quickly as it started, it ends. The presence reels itself back in and Ares yanks his hand away from Percyâs as though itâs on fire. Itâs not thankfully, though it is a little red. Percy supposes he should be lucky itâs not broken after being in a godâs grasp. Or perhaps lucky that it even still exists. Regardless, he can only furrow his brow at Ares in confusion, not really sure what set the God of War off.
â⌠How can it be you?â
Suddenly, it dawns on Percy what must have happened. Percy Jackson was someoneâs Reincarnation. He didnât know who because heâd specifically asked Hestia not to tell him. Still, Hestia had known the moment she laid eyes on him but Ares⌠Ares hadnât known until theyâd touched. Regardless, from the way the War God had reacted, he wasnât too happy about whoever Percy had previously been.
For a moment, Percy considers asking for clarification⌠but he hesitates. If he didnât let Hestia tell him who his previous incarnation had been, it didnât seem right to let Ares do it instead. And could Percy even trust anything that came out of the God of Warâs mouth in regard to all of that? In the end, he waffles for too long. Ares abruptly stands.
âNo matter. Get my Shield and Iâll get you West. Those are the terms. Now go.â
And then, just like that, the God of War leaves the restaurant. He takes Clarisseâs burger with him but she doesnât seem to really care. No, rather, she and Annabeth and Grover are all staring at Percy with wide eyes. Aresâ dismissive attitude towards Clarisse has already been forgotten by his daughter because now sheâs looking at Percy with a pale face, as though heâs a dead man walking. And hell, maybe he is.
âPercy⌠Ares looked ready to kill you. What the fuck was that?!â
Annabeth is the one who gives voice to all of their thoughts. Percy winces before deciding to just be honest with them. They should really know what theyâre getting into if they keep traveling with him. Especially since Percy suspects if Ares HAD decided to squish him like a bug right then and there⌠no one else in the vicinity would have survived the godâs wrath either.
âI think⌠I think itâs because Iâm a Reincarnation.â
This causes all three of his friends to go wide-eyed, though once again Annabeth is the one who speaks up in a squawk.
âWhat?! A Reincarnation?!â
Nodding slowly, Percy looks down at his food for a moment.
âHestia told me about it. Took me aside and⌠explained to me that Iâm not just a Son of Poseidon but also a Reincarnation. Someone who bathed themselves in River Lethe to erase all memories of their past life and get reborn back into the living world.â
Annabeth hesitates for a moment at that⌠and then jolts in surprise when Clarisse takes the chance to ask Percy a rather brusque question.
âWhoâs Reincarnation, exactly?â
The Daughter of Athena gives her fellow female demigod a look at that, as though Clarisse is being incredibly rude. But while the tips of Clarisseâs ears do go red, she doesnât waver for even a moment. Sheâs staring at Percy expectantly, a strange expression on her face. Percy, meanwhile⌠sighs.
âI donât know.â
âWHAT?!â
Shock ripples through the others again at that, with Annabeth being the most vocal.
âYou donât know?! Goddess Hestia didnât tell you?!â
Ah, yeah he can see why Annabeth would be surprised by that. Shaking his head, Percy smiles a sheepish smile.
âWell she offered to actually. She said that the person I was a Reincarnation of⌠theyâre someone she recognized on sight. So she offered to let me know who I once was right then and there. But I turned her down.â
Everyone exchanges glances at that. This time, Grover fields the obvious question, his brow furrowed in consternation and confusion.
â⌠Why would you do that, Percy?â
Percyâs hands have slipped back into his lap as theyâve been talking. Which is good because they curl into fists at that question.
âBecause Iâm me. Iâm not⌠Iâm not whoever that person was anymore. Iâm Perseus Jackson, son of Sally Jackson and apparently Poseidon. I donât want to be anyone else but myself. And I donât want to go through life thinking of myself as âThat Personâs Reincarnationâ. I just⌠I just wanted to be Percy.â
His reasoning had sounded so good to him back when heâd originally made the choice with Hestia. Ignoring the fact that he was Reincarnated really had sounded like a good idea at the time for all the previously mentioned reasons. But now, sitting there across from his friends after having been mere inches from being pulverized by a God of War⌠Percy was feeling more than a little stupid.
Whoever he was the Reincarnation of, Ares seemed to hate them with a burning passion. In truth, Percy didnât know why he was still alive. Was it because Ares really was so fully aligned with Poseidon that he couldnât risk the Sea Godâs Wrath by killing Percy? Or was there something else at play here?
â⌠Guys, I donât think we can trust Ares.â
Having fallen into various states of contemplation at his heartfelt words about just wanting to be Percy, the others all pause at that. Annabeth is the first to respond with a scoff.
âWell no shit Percy, heâs Ares.â
âH-Hey!â
Clarisseâs defense of her father is weak at best, but she still looks ready to throw hands with Annabeth all the same. Annabeth just rolls her eyes which does nothing to defuse the situation. Percy steps in before it can come to blows though, even as he hopes that Clarisse isnât so loyal to her deadbeat dad that sheâll betray them.
âNo, I mean on a personal level. Ares⌠he wanted me dead. You all sat that. For a moment there, he wanted to kill me. But something held him back. And I donât think it was just my father. I think he chose not to kill me⌠because he knew there would be others who might do his dirty work for him soon enough.â
âShit⌠youâre probably right. What do we do?â
Percy was beginning to feel dumb for not asking more about this damn water park. But to be fair, Ares had left rather abruptly. All they knew was that they needed to go to a place called Waterland and find the damn shield. That⌠wasnât much. In the end though⌠the situation hadnât really changed. Itâd just gotten more dangerous.
âWe stay the course. Meaning we go get that shield and force Ares to hold up his end of the deal. We just do it while keeping our heads on a swivel, alright?â
Everyone looks varying degrees of uncertain but as Percy meets each of their eyes, they slowly nod. Of course, he doesnât fail to notice the mistrustful look that Annabeth gives Clarisse. Truthfully, Percy isnât sure how to feel about all of that. On the one hand he has Luke telling him Athena is siding with Zeus. On the other hand, he has Ares literally wanting to kill him. And here he is, caught in the middle of a Daughter of Athena and a Daughter of Ares. He wants to trust them both, but damn if that shitty prophecy isnât always in the back of his mind.
You shall be betrayed by one you call ally.
It was so vague. So⌠undefined. Technically he was calling Ares his ally right now since theyâd made a deal together. So would the God of War be the betrayer? Would it be Annabeth or Clarisse? Someone else entirely? Percy didnât know. Part of him didnât want to know. But one thing was certain⌠they needed to get that damn shield fast.
⌠And that meant they would need instructions on how to get to this Waterland place.
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âTrap.â
âOh yeah.â
Luckily, the waitress at the diner had known about Waterland and been able to tell them where it was located. Of course, sheâd also told them it was closed down and looked a little weirded out when that hadnât seemed to bother them. In the end though, theyâd paid for their meals and left so hopefully she wouldnât see any reason to call the cops on them.
Reaching Waterland from there, theyâd had to scale the barbed wire fences together. Well, him, Clarisse, and Annabeth did. Grover had just flown over on the shoes that Luke had given Percy at the start of this quest. After that, theyâd explored the abandoned water park, looking for Aresâ damn shield. And when they finally found it⌠wellâŚ
Looking up, Percy reads the name of the ride again.
THRILL RIDE Oâ LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTSâ TUNNEL OF LOVE!
The ârideâ as it were, was a massive bowl that was probably once a pool. Now it was empty of water though. The bowlâs rim is surrounded by bronze cupid statues and down in the bowlsâ center was a pink and white boat. And in that boat, on the left seat⌠was a shield.
Yeah, this was definitely a trap. There was simply no denying it. Even if Percy didnât know Ares definitely had it in for him or whoever heâd once been, he would think this was a really fucking obvious trap.
â⌠Thereâs a Greek letter carved here. Eta.â
Over at one of the Cupid Statues, Annabeth runs her fingers over the letter in question. Percy frowns.
âWhat does it mean?â
The Daughter of Athena thinks hard for a moment.
âIt means⌠H.â
And then, just like that, her eyes widen in realization.
âIt means Hephaestus! Of course! Aresâ lover is Aphrodite⌠Hephaestusâ wife. This isnât a trap for us, itâs a trap for the two of them and they must have managed to slip out of it but left behind Aresâ Shield!â
Huh. Okay well that was good to know. So that meant this trap wasnât designed by Ares to kill Percy personally. But it WAS designed to do something to a pair of two-timing cheating gods by a third, spurned god. Great.
âThereâs⌠thereâs no helping it. Weâll need to go down there.â
Percy nods to Annabeth. He doesnât see another way either⌠although⌠maybe? No, probably not. Shaking his head of the silly thought as he looks down at the incredibly dry bowl, Percy sighs.
âIâll go. This is my deal, my job, my quest. You all stay here while I get the Shield.â
âWhat?! No, Iâm going with you!â
âYou canât go alone! Percy, allow me to accompany you!â
Annabeth and Clarisse both speak at the same time, only to immediately turn and glare at each other angrily. They donât even have to say anything. Itâs incredibly obvious that Annabeth doesnât trust Clarisse as far as she can throw her. Meanwhile⌠Percy doesnât get the impression Clarisse wants to kill him. She definitely wouldnât try this early while his guard was still up. No, sheâs offering because she wants to PROVE herself.
Looking between the two female demigods, Percy sighs. Picking either would be damaging to the other. But going down there alone IS a bad idea, admittedly. A heroic self-sacrificing one, but nevertheless a bad idea.
But they couldnât just stand here waffling forever. He had to make a choice.
Comments
HeirOfRohan
If this story was a gacha game, then we're all whales here XD
Osiris Sundavr
Either Unless is all three going down there or only Percy while perhaps tossing Areâs shield to his daughter and have Annabeth work on deactivating whatever trap activates. Of course having read PJO, many of us know that has a very slight chance to work. So going down together will help force the girls to put aside their new perceived mistrust and work together again. Clarisse can help Annabeth with the spiders and Annabeth can help them with timing their jump correctly before the crash after Percy summons water. Even better if Percy tosses the shield to Grover as soon as his hand touches it. I remember there being a scarf with some of Aphroditeâs love magic on it in the boat behind the shield to. That can play a part in getting the girls over their new, sudden trust issues. Percy needs to stop dwelling on the meaning of the prophecy at every chance he gets. Constantly trying to draw parallels with events and the prophecy literally does not help at all. Logically not much has changed since the start of the quest. Just access to more information. Prophecy is horrendously vague at the best of times so getting hung up over every little thing makes no sense. Especially when any new information just muddies any already vague sense of meaning even more.
