15Summary: Humans want a change, so they'll do anything to get it. But what happens when that change results in an era of disaster that they're not ready for? It's the year 3247 C.E., and things have changed, but was it really for the better? And as a mortal, answer me this: if you knew that the world was going to change, would you be ok with it? And by change, we mean the ultimate, reality-distorting, probability-defying type of change that leads to a new world order. An order where gods and monsters are no longer acknowledged (or even remembered!), and where humanity is at its prime in the eyes of evolution and industry: artificial intelligence that can emulate human emotion, supercomputers that seek the Ultimate Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything (42, shh!), and Douglas Adams' story The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy inevitably replacing the Bible's influence in moral ambiguity?
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heros of Olympus, the Bible, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or any other stories that exist today that I may reference in this story. There will be liberal use of Wikipedia and other sources that I may use for specific points or details. Any characters that resemble real-life individuals are purely coincidental.
Chapter 1
"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
― Albert Einstein, "The World As I See It"
The year is 3247 C.E., and the world has evolved drastically since the twenty-first century. The technological industry has advanced to near unreal levels and almost looks like something out of the old 1960's show "The Jetsons". Average houses now look like small domes held at an apex hundreds of feet in the air, flying cars, and the lack of real plants within populated society. It is still fascinating to me when I see how much the mortals have changed; how much they've strayed away from paganism and have chosen more monistic religions. I remember the religions named Zoroastrianism with Ahura Mazda and Angra Menyu; the Egyptians with Ra and Amon-Ra; the Celtics, the Greeks, Romans, Native Americans, Shinto, and the Norse. Yet, all of them are but a distant memory; a figment of the mortal imagination.
Now they have moved on and, since the year 2087, humans have slowly swayed away from religion and have realized that it seems to be holding them back. After all, the Dark Ages has prevented six-hundred years of scientific discovery in Europe; the rest of the world had moved on. So from then on, humans began to depend more on themselves than higher beings, and have, henceforth, become arrogant and self-proclaimed "Masters of the Universe". Since then, the governments of the world had come together and devised a plan to eradicate all of religion as a whole.
It was a tough struggle that caused much destruction and grief for many, but it took until 2786 to finally remove most-if not all-known ties to religion. As a result, the deities who were not connected to everlasting domains faded, and the ones who remained were weakened beyond comprehension. All shrines, temples, texts, and religious lands were destroyed or sacked. Tombs were raided and mosques were burned to the ground.
Of course, there were many mortals who were against the removal of religion. Those select individuals called themselves The Immortals, as they believed their beliefs would last forever as long as they remained. Unfortunately, they were all hunted down and killed, be it an assassination or public execution. Either way, they were no more by the year 2998.
But I digress. The reason I'm telling you this is very important, and it's for your eyes and ears alone.
I, Clotho, as well as my sisters Lachesis and Atropos are some of the last deities–other than the slumbering Primordials and few Olympians–who remain a part of the Greek and Roman Pantheons. There is one last prophesy that was spoken through Apollo by Ananke before he faded from the added strain to his weakness, a prophecy that will determine the futures of the remaining deities and their descendants. And it begins like this:
"It begins with the death of birth,
And it stands as the loss of Earth,
And it calls for Wisdom's pass,
And it ends with Heaven's crass;
Preventable through Destroyer's wrath."
This is our last hope to preserve our existence, and until it is fulfilled, we will hold onto our strength to see it to the end.
Now, to begin, I will tell you about Richard Lail, a professional archaeologist, and historian who specializes in recovering old artifacts and places that were lost to time.
Richard "Rick" Lail sat in one of the chairs in his home. He was looking through files in his holographic database. Pictures of old paintings, iPhones, vases, cooking supplies from the twenty-third century, and photos taken of the old states before the Government Rise of 2091 (also referred to as the Third Iconoclasm since the Byzantine Empire in the eighth and ninth centuries by The Immortals in 2975).
Rick sighed in boredom. He'd looked through these files millions of times and he'd not found anything new. The Government had destroyed so much of mythical history that it was extremely difficult to find anything other than small artifacts. The Museums were barely able to salvage, and photograph some ancient texts and stories before the physical copies were taken and burned.
He dragged his finger on the mouse pad (they still had them, surprisingly) and exited out of that specific file. He was about to shut the power off when a message from the Capitan came up. Out of curiosity, Richard opened the file and saw that it was an old PDF of an Old New York book. The message that came with the PDF file said "You'll find this to be quite interesting, my man. Seems we'll be going for another adventure soon."
Richard snorted, and scratched his graying hair. "Whatever you say, boss." He scrolled through, reading the information provided. Strangely, the file wasn't about the discovery of Old New York, or anything that had to do with society at the time, but it was more on a group called the Olympians, demigods, and a battle that happened in places previously named the Big Apple and Greece. Events that would be considered impossible for everyone now, but Richard Lair cared little for what they thought about history. He just wanted to know what it was like over a thousand years ago. Maybe even further than that.
He scrolled and read and absorbed the information like an excited sponge. Basking in the new knowledge of the supposed stories of the past. The Second Titanomachy and Gigantomachy. It was amazing. Seven children of the gods who fought for their lives and the lives of the rest of the world. Two camps of half-gods who clashed since the war with Greece and Rome in the fourth century B.C.E. One demigod who helped in the defeat of a Time Lord and refused godhood out of love for an Athenian girl.
He continued to scroll. Hours had passed and dinner was skipped out of excitement. That was until Richard reached a final chapter in the story. "The Destroyer's Ascension and Slumber".
It read:
"Gaea's forces were crumbling, and the Giants were nearly defeated. The only giant still alive was Porphyrion – who was fighting against Zeus and Jason. Percy and the rest of the seven were helping with killing the remaining monsters and protecting the survivors.
"You will never win, Porphyrion!" Zeus boomed as he aimed his Master Bolt at the wounded Giant. "Your forces are defeated, and Gaea is still asleep. Give up!" and he threw the bold at him.
Porphyrion's scowl turned into a knowing grin when Zeus threw the bold. "You're a fool, Zeus, a fool. Have you not yet realized that we share domains? Your Master Bolt has no effect on me!" and the bolt struck. There were a loud boom and a humongous cloud of dust that rose to cover Porphyrion.
Zeus watched in horror as Porphyrion appeared from the cloud unscathed and clutching the lightning bolt in his bare hand.
The Giant King's grin became crooked, and his eyes found Jason holding his gladius in a loose grip. The Roman demigod was too tired, too slow, to dodge the Giant's reaching hand. Porphyrion grabbed Jason and squeezed the demigod just enough to get a reaction.
Zeus was broken out of his stupor when he heard his son's cry of pain. "Jason!" He glared, enraged, at the Giant. "Unhand my son, Giant, or I will blast you into Oblivion!"
Porphyrion laughed at Zeus' attempt at intimidation. To him, the King of the Gods looked like a child in the throes of a tantrum – even if Porphyrion was actually younger than the god. "You amuse me, Zeus. Have you paid me no attention? I have your son and bolt; you are no match for me! I was born to be your doom, and your deaths would be enough to avenge my fallen brothers. But first, mother's slumber shall come to an end." With that said, he began to squeeze Jason until the boy's body could no longer take the pressure and exploded with a loud squelch. Blood, muscles, and bones were left scattered on the grass.
Zeus yelled in anguish at the loss of his son and the gods and demigods who witnessed the scene cried out with him.
Zeus was about to retaliate but was stopped when the ground rumbled and everyone – including himself – were forced to the ground.
An ancient, feminine laugh so manic and twisted rang out. "Finally, I am free!" The voice cackled as a HUGE dirt hand burst from the earth. The hand grasped at the ground and seemed to be pulling the rest of a body from the very earth itself. The ground rose to look like mountains as the body's back began to appear. A large head rose and its eyes opened to reveal insane muddy-brown eyes and a cruel grin. "The gods shall fall, and I shall rule once again!" she cackled.
The sound of a sword being drawn drew Gaea's attention. She scanned the faces before her until they landed on one son of Poseidon, who had his sword – Anaklusmos – pointed straight at her with a scowl on his face. She grinned wide at the boy standing protectively in front of his comrades. "Perseus Jackson," she drawled (still crouching like an animal), and reached out for Percy as if waiting for him to give her his hand. "How lovely to see you in person, my beloved grandson. The one who defeated many of my titan sons in single combat and other great beasts of Greece." She smiled cruelly at him. "I will enjoy tearing everything you hold dear to pieces while you watch…" Gaea's beaconing hand clawed and she swatted Porphyrion away and brought her ginormous fist above her head and smashed it into the ground, causing the earth to crack and shake upon impact. Large spikes shot up from the ground and impaled the remaining monsters and many of the demigods who were not yet flashed away by the gods to the Camps.
Percy watched in horror as gods, monsters, and demigods alike were skewered and killed in an instant. Annabeth and Frank fell to the spikes and Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and Demeter suffered the same fate, as did as many of his comrades.
At Annabeth's scream of shock and agony, Percy was left paralyzed upon the realization of her death. He could faintly hear the anguished yell from Athena.
Gaea cackled in pure glee at the pain and terror that permeated the air. Porphyrion – who was barely conscious from being swatted into Mount Olympus – saw that the once caring Mother Earth – who only wanted to know that her children were safe – was reduced to a psychotic maniac who relished in the suffering of others.
Upon hearing Gaea's cackling, Percy snapped back to reality and saw red. So much red that even he nearly couldn't tell the difference of friend or foe. It just blended together into a deep crimson fueled by his combined rage and sorrow. With a power-filled yell, the earth rumbled to near world shattering levels and the oceans burst from their sandy beaches and bent to the will of their greatest child. Storm clouds formed in the heavens and a large cumulonimbus cloud covered the once clear sky. Rain fell hard enough to hurt and thunder boomed.
Percy, without thinking, brought his hands to the side and pushed forward with enough force to push a boulder. The water from the sea rushed towards Gaea like a geyser. Gaea shouted in shock as she was dosed in tons of scorching hot water, making her once dry dirt body muddy.
Gaea shrieked in anger, making the ground shake harder than it did before, and shot a muddy column from her hand at Percy in anger. "Damnable boy!"
Percy still had some sense left to dodge and charge at the Earth Goddess. Percy's aching gut clenched even tighter as magma shot out of the ground as he ran and launched itself at the Earth Mother. He didn't know what came over him then, but he did know that he was glowing green and that he began speaking in a language unknown to him and everyone else there…save for Gaea herself – who could never forget the language of her birth. No being other than she and her siblings could speak it fluently, as they had been the only ones to know the language before it became a distant memory.
Gaea's eyes widened in fear when she finally understood what was being said.
"From dust and ash, we rose. From dawn till dusk, we live. From fear and love, we are wise. Through empathy and apathy, we choose to be. I, Chaos, through Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, god of the seas, call upon the forces of the universe to expel Gaea, Primordial of the Earth, from her place as the Earth, for she has forsaken her role as Earth Mother and succumbed to Erebus' darkness. May she suffer in the Void for her sins, and the End never shows mercy to her soul. As Chaos decrees, so it shall be done."
Gaea felt her very soul being torn and pulled in different directions as if being sucked into a black hole. She screamed in agony and clawed at her chest where her heart should be. Her head faced the sky, the rain making her muddy face look like it was melting and her mouth was open in a silent shriek. She heaved silver ichor onto the ground and clutched at her stomach.
Everyone watched in horror as Mother Earth tore up her insides and suffered a fate that seemed worse than death. Percy, on the other hand, was on the verge of passing out. He had blood trickling from his nose, eyes, ears, and mouth and was shivering uncontrollably. His head felt heavy, and his vision was darkening to black, but he fought the darkness and walked up to Gaea, who was now on her side, clutching at her neck and shivering.
Gaea's eyes were scrunched up in pain, but she saw Percy and tried to glare hatefully at him. She began to speak in a rasping voice that shook the earth only a little. "Cadis, et ka cadis cun zeptanum ra-mun! Ein…crum capilium…ten zait..." She ended, and then she was no more as her body, mind, and soul were sent to Oblivion.
Percy dropped Riptide and fell to his knees. The world began to spin, and he finally succumbed to his injuries.
'What the Hades…?' was his last thought before he fainted under the rain.
A few months passed since then, Percy was left in a coma and the fallen were given their funerals and burned in pyres. The day Percy woke up was the day everything would change. The fates had come to Olympus and proclaimed that the mantle of the Earth needed to be filled or the Earth and other planets would cease to exist. They proclaimed that Perseus was the only one who could take Gaea's place as the Primordial of the Earth, and that there was no other way around it, for Ananke had made it so. Percy, who only wanted to be with Annabeth, was forced to accept. His reasoning was that if he did not become the Earth, then the Earth and everything it held – including the Underworld – would cease to exist and, as a result, Annabeth would never rest in peace and he would never be able to see her again (This was also confirmed by the Fates, unfortunately).
Since that day, Percy suffered in both mind and body. Because he was born half human, he was exposed to many human emotions: sorrow, pain, greed, envy, jealousy… He was envious of the mortals; they were able to see their loved ones when they died and live with them in the afterlife. He was jealous of them. He wanted what they seemed to fear so much: death.
If it hadn't been for the Gigantomachy, then he and Annabeth would still be together.
Years passed, decades went by, and he began to resent the mortals; he began to hate them.
The Olympians who weren't sent to Tartarus became worried for his sake. Poseidon could barely approach his son anymore (not like he ever did often before), but he did notice that Perseus and Athena had become close. Both had mourned in the death of Annabeth Chase, the brightest of Athena's children, and comforted each other until Athena and he learned to let go.
That was two decades before Percy decided to go down to the mortal world for the first time in half a century.
Percy was strolling through the old battlefield in Greece. The place where everything took a turn for the worst. He sat on the grass and stared out into the distance. The sun's life-giving rays warmed his skin, and a small breeze blew through his ebony hair. The silvery-white clouds sailed their way across the light blue sky. Percy could make out the sounds of birds chirping as they flew from tree to tree. He remained seated for a few more minutes basking in the warm rays of the sun before standing up and flashed back to the United States-Manhattan, to be more specific.
His mother, Sally Jackson, was going to turn ninety-six tomorrow and Percy wanted to spend it with her. She was the only one he would visit, and the only mortal who held a true place in his heart, so for the past fifty years he visited her. She and Paul had moved to a house they built at Montauk forty-seven years ago and were now living happily together. Sally had her book published and it had become the New York Times #1 Best Seller. She'd based it on his life before he'd become a Primordial and had made a living off of them. She even went as far as to write stories about the Egyptians and the Norse. Percy remembered when she had him write down what he knew of the Greek gods and the heroes of old. Heck, she even encouraged he be himself and narrate it.
Let's just say that it was REALLY fun.
Percy appeared about a block away from the beach house. It was around eight at night and Sally would probably be going to bed soon, assuming that she wasn't asleep already. Percy walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. There were two buzzing noises and a click, but nothing happened after. Percy waited patiently for a few minutes and buzzed again.
There was still no response.
Percy frowned in confusion. His mother should be home by now, maybe she's asleep. Percy stepped back to look around the front porch for a hidden key or something that would open the door. He didn't want to flash inside and risk his mother walking out of wherever she was and seeing him-she's been alive for this long, he wouldn't want to lose someone else in his life.
Finally, he found a spare key hidden under a flower pot. He picked it up and opened the door. He made sure to put the key back before going inside.
"Mom? It's Percy, I'm home!" He heard the sound of water being turned off and the bathroom door opening.
An aged voice that filled the Primordial with relief called out. "Percy? Is that you?"
Percy sighed, thankful that she was alright. "Yeah, it's me!" He walked towards the bathroom, which was around the corner and spotted his mother peaking her now silvery head out the door with a towel wrapped around her. Even though she looked old and frail, Percy thought she was the most beautiful woman alive. "Hey, mom." He greeted.
Sally Jackson beamed, the wrinkles around her eyes became more pronounced, indicating that she smiled a lot. She opened the door wider and hugged her son. "Ohh, honey, I've missed you," She frowned and moved back, sending him an accusatory look. "You know, you should visit me more often, young man. The last time I heard from you was on Mother's Day, and that was three months ago."
Percy smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. Dad wanted me to spend it with Amphitrite this time."
Sally's eyes softened. "Anyway, let me get dressed and you can help me make dinner in the kitchen. How does that sound?"
Percy smiled down at her. "That sounds great."
*line break*
Percy and Sally made some sandwiches and blue cookies for dinner. They both caught up with each other and Percy was informed of current events in the mortal world. Gangs, robberies, terrorism, and killings were still going around. Percy was frustrated with the mortals because they hadn't stopped fighting with each other, but let it go when Sally said it was just part of human nature to be violent and compete with each other, and that there were still good things about humanity that tend to outweigh the bad. Percy agreed with her, but he still didn't like it.
They continued to talk until Sally grew tired and went to bed. Percy said goodnight and sat at the table silently. He cleared his head of all negative thoughts and decided to set his mind on making tomorrow the best day ever for his mom.
Morning came and Sally woke up to the smell of bacon. Confused, she got up from her bed and slowly made her way to the kitchen. It didn't take her long to see that her son was preparing breakfast with her light blue "Mother Knows Best" apron on and a spatula in hand. Percy was whistling while flipping pancakes when she cleared her throat. The poor thing jumped a foot in the air and nearly burned himself on the little stove.
Sally laughed at her son's plight.
Percy blushed silver when he realized that he let his guard down, but it was his mom, she was harmless.
Well…
Percy smiled down at her. "Happy birthday, mom," He gestured towards the finished pancakes that were on the plate next to another plate with a paper towel and sizzling turkey bacon. "Breakfast's almost ready, so you can go ahead and have a seat. I already set up the table for us."
Sally took a whiff of the air and sighed in delight. Percy made pumpkin spice pancakes this time. Her favorite. She hugged him and sat at the kitchen table. "It smells delicious Percy."
Percy gave her a crooked smile. "Well, I learned from the best."
Sally nodded. "Hestia's an amazing cook."
"That she is," he agreed as he brought the food to the table and they ate in peace. The day continued and Percy took his mom out to Central Park for a stroll. They enjoyed doing that every now and then, but Sally always loved coming to the park with Percy and Paul before the old high school teacher died three years before from a heart attack.
Percy and Hestia had helped her get through the loss by reminding her that they would both be in Elysium when they died. Percy even told her that he would make sure Hades played his part in their reunion. Sally Jackson couldn't be more grateful to have Percy as her son.
But all happy times must come to an end.
There was a loud BOOM and the ground rumbled. Bombs went off in seemingly random places in the park. The once vibrant green trees were now burning with orange flames. Gunfire was heard and the screams and cries of innocents rang out in the air.
"Percy!" Sally yelled, grabbing onto her son's arm.
Percy grabbed at his mother and began to run away from the carnage. Someone was shooting at them, so Percy carried Sally bridal style as he ran. He had to dodge and deflect the bullets with his earth powers.
Sally and Percy saw a grenade heading in their direction. Percy quickly covered Sally and willed a dome of obsidian to protect them. The two clutched at each other in the darkness and heard the BANG of the bomb against the shield. Percy's enhanced hearing could clearly make out the crying and the screaming. It all reminded him of the Giant war; the pain and suffering he'd experienced and the deaths that he'd seen with his own two eyes would drive any man insane. It was only thanks to his nature as a demigod and the experience that he's built since he was twelve that he wasn't a madman. Percy squeezed his mother closer, making sure to cover her ears, shielding her from the horrors of the world as much as possible.
To them, it seemed like hours passed until it was complete silence. Percy didn't dare bring down the barrier because he knew the attackers were most likely waiting for them outside. Instead, Percy willed the Earth to rise and swallow them whole. He didn't care if they were curious innocents or tainted humans, he just wanted them gone and away from his mom. Absolutely NO ONE was going to hurt Sally Jackson and live.
When he knew the coast was clear after expanding his consciousness and scanning the area, Percy brought down the barrier and helped his mother stand. Once they both stood, Sally, gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, tears welling up in her eyes. She dug her head into Percy's chest in an attempt to look away from the genocide.
Bodies were strewn about the trees, floating in the lake, and lying limply on the grass. Large fires burned the trees and set the grass aflame. It was like Tartarus had taken the form of Central Park and warped it into a battleground. One that clearly lost the war.
Percy felt Sally's grip weaken and let go to clutch at her stomach. Percy shouted in worry when he felt her collapse. "Mom!" He helped her sit on the grass. Doing so, he saw the one thing that he dreaded the most. There was blood seeping through Sally's shirt from a bullet wound. Percy began to tear up when he saw his mother's quickly paling face and the sweat on her brow. He tried applying pressure to the wounds to slow the blood flow, but it was no use, the blood kept on flowing. Percy ripped open the shirt to see the actual damage only to see that her stomach had taken a direct hit.
The young Protogenoi knew that she would die within minutes if it wasn't treated properly, but there was nothing he could do that wouldn't make the situation worse. If he tried removing the bullet he might be able to close the wound, but without the proper medical training, he could seriously hurt his mom. And if he chose to use his powers to heal the wound the bullet would still be stuck inside and it could dig deeper into her stomach and cause even more damage. He couldn't even call Apollo since the sun god was currently reforming in Tartarus.
That's when the sad truth came crashing down on him. Sally Jackson, the most amazing woman on the planet, and his mom was going to die from the combined effort of a bullet and her stomach acid. He didn't dare to let go of her stomach, choosing to try even harder to stop the blood flow, but it still wasn't working.
Percy began to cry even harder when his mom's hand rested on his cheek, wiping away the tear tracks.
Sally smiled reassuringly up at him as if knowing she was going to die and accepting it with open arms. Unfortunately, Percy didn't feel the same. Not for her. "Percy, my son, don't cry. Please don't cry for me. You said it yourself, I'll be seeing Paul again. I love you so much, and I am so proud of you. You are the most amazing gift I could ever have been given by the gods, and having you with me today was a blessing. Any mother would wish to see their children before they died and spend their last moments with them before they pass, and to have that opportunity is something that I will never stop thanking the Fates for, even if they're the ones who weave our strings," Sally began to cough, "I love you, Percy,…and…thank you for…being my son…"
Sally Jackson was no more.
Percy had stopped crying to listen to his mother's last words. And when he stopped hearing her voice…he lost it. His eyes shed tears like waterfalls and he cried for him the last person he truly held close to his heart. She'd been the reason he had held on to his sanity when Annabeth died, and she was the last person he would ever say he loved like family. The gods were dead to him, the monsters were to be killed on sight, and he no longer hated the mortals. He despised them, detested them; he wanted them to suffer.
"You, it is you who will suffer! Never…will humans…understand us…"
'Those worthless brats who plagued the Earth were the reason they're dead. Gaea only wanted to fix what the humans had ruined of her domain, and his friends died because of it. Today was Sally's birthday, and because of some foolish group of human "terrorists", she's dead. The humans preach that they deserve to live above all other creatures, but all they do is kill and destroy. There is no reason for them to treat the others like filth other than to make themselves feel superior.'
Gabe is an amazing example of human filth.
And so, Perseus Jackson's mentality delved deeper into the abyss of madness. Rain fell, just like that day. Thunder boomed and the earth shook as it raged at the humans and their audacity to be alive. "Father Earth" was not happy with his inherited grandchildren, not in the slightest.
In his rage, Percy destroyed Central Park and the surrounding buildings. Waves of earth crashed into buildings, trees grew from under cement and broke any form of construction in seconds, droughts caused buildings to collapse, earthquakes shook to earth-shattering degrees, and Earthborn rose from the dirt and attacked the mortals mercilessly.
Percy himself just clutched onto his mother's corpse like a life-line while rocking back and forth, a sobbing wreck. Past his eyelids, Percy could see bright flashes of light appearing and he could hear weapons being drawn. Someone gasped and another yelled out a "No!" but Percy didn't care, he just wanted to be alone.
"Perseus, stop this madness! Call off the Earthborn and cease the wreckage!" a thunderous voice demanded.
"Percy, man, you need to stop!" another cried.
"Percy! Snap out of it!" Someone else said. "What would Sally say?"
And that did it. The destruction ceased and the attacking Earthborn dissolved into dust and returned to the earth.
Percy's eyes were wide and he looked to be completely paralyzed. Awareness finally set in, and Percy saw that he and Sally's body were now in the very center of a humongous crater while the gods were standing on the outskirts with their respective weapons out and armor on. Poseidon, Zeus, and Athena each slid down the crater to reach the Primordial to try and comfort him.
"Percy," Athena said slowly, her hand was held out for him to take, but Percy only saw Gaea's. She offered her hand to him so that she could take everything he loved away.
Percy shook his head and scrambled away, Sally's body still in his clutches. 'Gaea will not have his mom. Nevernevernever…'
Poseidon frowned at his son's behavior and frowned even deeper when he saw that Percy was nearly crushing Sally's body. Poseidon also noticed the slight fear in the Primordial's eyes. The lack of acceptance was replaced by bits and pieces of anguish, horror, and fear. They'd have to tread carefully, so he raised his hands above his head in surrender and took tentative steps towards his son. "Son, please, we're not going to hurt you."
Percy shook his head and kept his eyes on Sally. "She's dead. They killed her."
"Who killed her, Percy?" Poseidon asked carefully.
Percy's eyes hardened, and his voice resembled that of someone who wanted nothing but the deaths of others. "The Mortals. The Mortals killed her. They killed mom, they killed Annabeth; it's their fault." He growled and the earth shook.
Poseidon froze in place, using his power as the Earth Shaker to remain upright, though, the others weren't as fortunate. "Perseus," Percy's head snapped to him, the boy's eyes holding a kind of madness in them that would make anyone freeze. Poseidon gave Zeus a look, and the King of the Gods nodded, ready when needed. Poseidon looked back at Percy with determination, "Percy, you need to stop," He looked back at Sally's still from being crushed in his son's arms. "You need to let her go. We will give her the proper funeral rites and I will make sure that the ones who did this are punished. Isn't that right, Zeus? We'll make sure the mortals who killed all these people are punished accordingly?"
Zeus nodded his assent. "Yes, brother. I will send Thanatos himself to collect their souls and throw them into Tartarus if needed." Zeus looked to Percy and crouched in front of the Primordial – who clutched Sally even closer. "I will also make sure that your mother is sent to Elysium. I will talk to Hades about making it possible, but you need to give us her body. She will not be able to enter the Underworld without the rites."
Percy slowly looked down at Sally's body. "Today was her birthday. She turned ninety-six," (Hera began to cry upon hearing those words) "She didn't deserve to die, not like this. She should have died just like Paul: naturally. Not with a bullet through her stomach." Percy choked back a sob. "She must have been in so much pain, but she still tried to tell me she was okay with dying, that she can finally see Paul again."
Artemis slid down with Hera, Ares, and Hermes.
"That's right, Percy," Hermes began. "She'll be reunited with her husband. She'll be happy for the rest of eternity," Hermes walked up to Percy's side and placed his hand on the younger's shoulder. "But you need to let her go. You wouldn't want her to constantly feel worried about you in the afterlife, would you? You don't want that, right?"
Percy shook his head. "No," he said meekly.
"That's right. You don't want that," Hermes nodded. The Messenger god slowly took Sally from Percy, but the Primordial refused to let go. "Percy, let her go," He said, but Percy still refused to do so.
Zeus and Poseidon had to restrain him while Hermes carried her bridal style. Percy struggled in their grip, trying to shake them off so that he could get his mother back. "No, give her back! She's MINE. Give her BACK!" Percy's strength was incredible, and Ares had to rush in as well to help keep the Protogenoi at bay. Percy cried when Hermes flashed away with his mother, the thought of her being gone forever having been confirmed by the action. "The Mortals. I'm going to kill them. They did this! GIVE HER BACK!"
Athena, Hera, and Artemis were still on the dirt watching as Percy broke down in Zeus, Ares, and Poseidon's arms. The poor thing had already lost much, barely recovering, and now the pain of loss was rushing back to him like a tsunami. The earthquake became stronger as Percy's grief took over.
"No!"
"Perseus! Calm yourself!" Zeus said. "Your will would destroy everything if you continue! You are a Protogenoi, the power you wield will only cause destruction if you continue on this path!"
Percy wrenched his arm from Zeus and elbowed him in the face. "I don't care! The humans took her away from me! I'll make them pay for it! They will ALL pay!"
Zeus walked backward a few steps while clutching his nose. He opened his eyes to examine the wound. Golden ichor was flowing from his nose and it was smeared all over his hand. The King of the gods clenched his teeth in anger and glared at the struggling deity. Zeus snapped his fingers, willing celestial bronze chains that were infused with imperial gold and stygian iron to appear on Percy's wrists and ankles.
Perseus roared in rage. "ARGH!"
Poseidon and Ares stepped back when that happened. Perseus was now chained to the ground. "Zeus!" Poseidon said, eyes blazing.
The sky god stepped forward and electrified the chains, making Percy scream as he was electrocuted. "Enough!" Percy was now on his hands and knees, twitching from the electricity and glaring up at Zeus. "Perseus, stop this foolishness!"
There was a pause, then Percy chuckled lowly, the laugh laced with bitterness. His bangs covering his green eyes as he looked at the dirt under his hands. "Foolishness," he repeated. Percy looked back up, breathing heavily from the moment. "They killed her Zeus. They killed Annabeth. They killed Apollo and Aphrodite, Dionysus, Demeter, and Hephaestus. They killed them all."
"No, they did not!" Zeus barked. "Gaea killed them! Yes, Sally Jackson died by their hands, but she was old as it is! Annabeth was only a mortal and would have died anyway."
Percy's head snapped to Zeus. "Don't talk about her like that! You have no right! You've always looked down on mortals and used them to satisfy yourself! I have no patience to listen to you, Zeus. I want them dead!"
Zeus's anger vanished and his face settled into a form of seriousness that Poseidon and Hera hadn't seen in eons. "Then you leave me no choice. You are too revenge-driven to allow to walk the mortal world. I will not send you to Tartarus, as you are just grief-stricken, but you will be forced to calm down and realize that killing all humans is not the answer and it will NEVER bring them back. So, I, Zeus, King of Olympus, God of the Sky, Justice, and Weather, Son of Kronos and Rhea, hereby force you into slumber until your ire has been calmed with time."
A boom resonated, and the remaining trees were leveled. Black chains shot out of the ground and wrapped around Percy. The other gods were forced to flash to the outskirts of the crater and watch as Perseus was forced to sleep.
Zeus watched with blank eyes and his hands folded behind his back. He remembered being bestowed that power by the Fates. They said that he could only do such a thing when absolutely necessary or else they would force him to fade. They said that it could only be done by the King in power and no one else. This power was once given to Kronos, and Ouranos himself after Erebus ruled.
Funny how Zeus had used this exact power to put Gaea to sleep all those years ago, and now he was forced to, once again, use it on a Primordial of Earth.
It seemed Lady Ananke foretold a day where her fellow Protogenos would need to be put down before they destroyed the Universe in their rage.
Perseus struggled in his chains, but they tightened in a way that restricted all movement. At that exact moment, the chains forced him to teleport away into a tomb in the center of the original Mount Olympus.
The same place Gaea was forced to slumber."
Richard looked at the document in absolute shock. He was not expecting that at all. Poor Percy, all he wanted was to live a nice, quiet life until he died.
There was a ding, and another message from the Capitan came up.
"So… you up to do some myth busting?"