Going Back Home.

by Farrahwaylande

Summary:

Hazel Levesque Has always been special.
Annabeth Chase doesn't like her Odds.
Leo Valdez Needs a Hobby.
Atty ------- Just wants the best for her only love.
Atalanta wants her girlfriend back.
Andromeda misses her Husband.
Jason Grace is trying to Convince himself he's a girl.
Will Solace is making sure his Boyfriend Eats Responsibly.

Notes:

I was going to want Until "The Bitch Nobody Likes" was done, but I just couldn't get all the Ideas I had for this Book out of my head, so here we go!
TBNL will resume once this is done, I promise, I just have to get it out of my system.
Anyway, Chapter one:
(Hazel)

Chapter 1: Golly Gee Whilickers!

I felt Nico yanking me back before I even saw the rock flying at my face.

“For future reference, try not to look overboard, it only ever ends poorly.” he told me as he patted down his dress.

I saw Will and Frankie aim their weapons into the smoke below us, and fire.

A loud, deafening sound, that made my ears ring.

“Golly.” I muttered, rubbing my head.

“Bastards.” I flinched, and Nico gasped, as Taylor walked over to the edge of the Ship, “They almost Broke MY TREE! ”

I could see blue electricity arcing off of his horns as he jumped down towards the mountains.

The sounds of battle rang up from below the Smoke, and Leo saw an opening.

“FULL SPEED AHEAD!” he pointed.

“ FULL SPEED AHEAD! ” me, Frank, and Will all shouted in unison.

Jason positioned himself behind the Sails, and blasted them with as much Wind as his Lungs could manage, Which was surprisingly a lot.

I sighed as we broke through the Smoke, Mist, and Fog, collapsing to my knees as the ship came to rest on a cloud.

“Ok,” Leo said from the Mast, “We’ll wait here For Taylor to come back, and then head off, sound good?” he panted, scratching at his Tangled and Touseled hair.

Leo wasn’t looking great.

They had bags under their eyes, their hair was all tangled and Frizzy, his shirt wasn’t fully buttoned, and the ones that were, had been done wrong, he was covered in Grime, Grease, Oil, and Maybe Blood, and one of their Suspender straps was snapped.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Nico rushed, and tried to turn away before I grabbed his Gloved hand.

“You were supposed to be asleep, DiAngelo.” I looked at him, pointedly.

“I saved your life.” he deflected.

“Dad wouldn’t be happy if he knew you weren’t sleeping again.” I reminded my older younger brother.

“Dad’s not here right now, Haze.” He told me.

I looked into his Veiled face, the White spots that showed what his eyes were doing staring back at me, his hair covered the rest of his head. It was daytime, so he had his umbrella in his other hand, keeping the sun off of him as much as possible.

“Go to bed.” I told him, and Nico groaned.

“Whyyyyyyy.” he wined.

“Because, you need to rest in peace, you haven’t gotten eight hours of sleep in one night since you got here!” I waved a hand, and pointed at the Door down into the rest of the ship, “And you. ” I looked at Leo, who jumped, “Go take a shower, take care of all that dandruff, and all that grease and stuff!” I scowled, and Leo ran down the stairs.

Nico kicked a Rock that had broken off of a Boulder, and walked down, his heels clicking as he muttered.

I sighed, and leaned against the Tree that was also our Mast.

“Ugh, kids.” I let out a Giggle at the end of my exclamation.

Frankie shuffled around next to me, looking in other directions.

“Do you want to talk privately?” I asked her, and she jolted, looking at me again, nodding after gulping, “Alright, Come on,” I motioned, and turned to Jason, “Keep watch for your Brother!” I shouted at him, and he gave me a thumbs up.

 

My Cat tail swished as we entered my room, which had most of its Items made of non Biodegradable Material, and I closed the door once Frankie sat on my bed.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, sitting next to her.

Frankie threw herself onto my bed, and relaxed all her muscles, I sat there, not rushing her to answer.

“It’s so exhausting.” She told me, a groan following close behind.

I gave her headpats, and she seemed to shudder, and nuzzled into my side.

“I know, I’m not going to try and force you to tell everyone, you can do that when you want.” I reassured her.

“What if it makes them think I’m a freak?” She stared up into my eyes, her blood red Iris’ glowing slightly.

“We are Freaks, Babe, I’m 80 something years old, but also still 12, you’re you, And I love you for it, Leo’s technically my Great Grandson, and that’s just some surface level stuff, This is one of the least weird things on this Dang Ship.” I leaned in, and kissed her on the forehead, and she leaned back, laying down again.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right.” she rubbed her arm, and sighed again.

“If you need anyone to talk to, I’m right here.” I put my hand over hers, and smiled, “I’m glad I can hold your hand now.” I leaned against her forehead, and she laughed a little.

“You always know how to make me feel better.” She told me, and gave me a kiss.

“...How do you think Annabeth’s doing.” I asked, fiddling with the Bedsheet.

“I don’t know, down there, all alone… I can only imagine.” Frankie sighed.

“Yeah… All alone…” I trailed off, Something about that didn’t sound right… but I had seen Annabeth fall in, the way Piper tried to hold her up, but the weight of Arachne was too much, and Annabeth let go, fainting from the exertion.

I heard a faint Gong, and sat up.

“Uh, Ok, can you go back to your room? I don’t want Nico to find me with my girlfriend.” I watched Frankie Shudder when I called her my Girlfriend, and she wiggled in place for a bit before leaving.

*DONG*

“Lady Hecate.” I Acknowledged, and Gave a small Bow.

“Haze Levesque, your group's persistence is… admirable.” She spoke, her voice like ice water, her movements fluid, like she was part of the tapestry of existence itself.

“Is there something you wanted, Miss?” I asked, not backing down, but not being confrontational.

“Oh, not necessarily, just a quick check in for my most promising student in millenia.” she smiled, and looked me over, checking my Staff as she wandered around me, “You have been steeped in magic since the day of your Birth, a Miracle Baby, as the doctors called it, born with no heartbeat, but you survived, you simultaneously were not meant to exist, and were necessary for the continuation of the world, you are a walking Paradox, an old woman, a young girl, a Roman by blood, a Greek by family, Alive, but Dead, Magic is all about finding that Fine line Between what is true, and what you want, Remember that.” she dropped a small bag onto my desk, the plastic made a *Clunk* sound, and she vanished.

As the Puff of smoke dissipated, I heard a Single word in my mind: “Bologna.”

I assumed she meant the place, not the Meat Product.

Chapter 2: Human Enough.

I could feel the wind.

Rushing past my face.

It was weaker than the pull.

We had been falling for days.

WE.

Annabeth.

I had wrapped my body around Arachne, the sounds of Galloping Horses, Tearing Teeth from a shark, the slither of an Eel, bears, wolves, and so on, the millions of spiders that made up her body fought against it, but in the end she was gone.

Annabeth had Passed out, the exertion, the fear, the… everything that had happened.

I wrapped myself around her, not like what I did to Arachne, this was soft, gentle, but firm.

She started to shift, adjusting her position.

“It’s ok, keep your Eyes Closed, it’ll be ok soon.” I fully enveloped her, covering her from the wind and the pulling sensation.

“You’re going to be safe, I promise. ”

 

The smallish Pit we had been falling through opened up into a large Cavern, No, Scratch that, it was like the above world, just inverted, with a large Plate of earth between what we were falling at and where we were falling from.

It smelled like a clothes dryer.

I looked down, to see where we’d land, and saw Cocytus.

I could hypothetically use that water to soften the blow, but then…

Images flashed in my mind, the suffering I’d already inflicted, and suffering.

Annabeth.

I couldn’t put her through that.

Eight long, spindly limbs broke from my back, embedding themselves on either side of the river, each had three joints, with pointed tips and were armored.

I applied enough pressure to ease our landing, not immediately stop, that’d hurt Annabeth.

I then moved us to the Bank of the River, and set Annabeth down.

Then I collapsed.

I laid there, breathing in for what could have been the first time.

My hooves, tentacles, and paws rested against the jagged river bank, my thirty Seven eyes watching every horizon.

I couldn’t relax, not yet, Annabeth needed me.

I pulled myself back up, and looked at Annabeth.

Her lower talons were fine, her legs were intact, her shorts had ripped on the side, her shirt’s lower half was ribbons, exposing her dark skin, not as dark as the oily substance that seemed to make up my being, but darker than my skin from when I was… from before, her upper talons were ok, her muscles had grown since we were 11, her face, with her hooked nose that looked like an owls beak, her nice soft lips, her eyes, which were closed, but I knew they had such a nice gray that lit up to nearly white around me, her hair had gotten longer, the black roots now making up half of the length of the bouncy curls, the light gray feathers that popped up in random places adding contrast.

I was aware of my… not so human form, and I knew that she wasn’t a good reference point for this kind of thing, and I didn’t want her to go mad trying to find out how all of me worked.

Which meant I had to figure out how to human, again.

Fingers, those existed, four of them, two joints each, with one connecting them to the main hand.

Thumbs, one on each hand, one joint, excluding the one keeping it attached.

Hands, one on each arm.

Only two arms, wrists, ulna and radia, elbows, shoulders.

I forced my tail to shrink into a normal human spine, feeling like I was being crushed.

Legs, hips, knees, shins.

I was still a slimy black smudge, but I was slightly human looking, maybe.

Head, that’s separate from the torso, right.

Eyes, 37, too many.

1, too few.

Somewhere between those.

Single digits.

Six?

Too many.

An even number is right, though.

Four.

Two on my face, either side of my nose, two on stalks, poking up, keeping a look out to the distance.

Teeth, too sharp.

Non negotiable.

Details, I needed a Template for that, my old one was gone, the last vestiges of my old Mortality torn from my very being.

Then, I remembered.

“ Mom. ” I spoke, my voice cracking, and focused.

My memories of what I looked like before my ascension were corrupted, all I remembered was an Oily, Black, vaguely humanoid creature.

But I remembered the moment.

 

"...Mom?” I reached out to her, only for my hands to hit the mirror, which cracked.

 

I remembered what my mom looked like.

I remembered the pictures of her as a girl my age.

I focused.

I pushed.

I pulled.

I blinked.

Long Black hair, resting against my back.

Slightly chubby.

I was still naked.

Clothes, right, that’s a thing Mortals People, had.

I remembered a vague image of a Skirt, and a shirt…

A cheer uniform, Black and Red, was brushing against my skin, technically it was my skin, but I didn’t want to think about that.

And shoes.

There we go.

Done.

I did it.

I felt like I was being squeezed into a vacuum chamber, but I was Human.

Human enough, at least.

My hair was wet, my movements were jerky, my teeth were wrong, I could hear hissing, like snakes.

I heard Annabeth groan from a few feet away.

I didn’t have time.

Four giant Eel heads sprouted from my back, and functioned like legs, carrying me to Annabeth.

I looked at her.

She coughed up some blood.

Slightly speckled with gold.

I felt a phantom taste, spice, metallic, delicious-

I shook my head.

I shook her shoulder.

“Hey, are you Ok?” I asked, and she opened her eyes, looking up at me with those big orbs that caught all the light available.

She smirked, and spoke in a raspy voice.

“I am now.” She pulled herself up to hug me, her arms unyielding, her grip tight.

“Yeah, Come on, let's get you out of here.” I picked her up, and she tightened her grip on my arm, and pulled back to look me in the eye.

“Us, we’re going to get both of us out of this hell hole.” she scowled slightly, not angry, determined.

 

I could see the look in her eyes as the Elevator Doors closed between us.

 

I shook my head.

“Yeah… Both of us…” I ran my hand along her cheek, through her hair, savoring every touch, every feeling.

She wrapped me in her wings, using them to hug me as well.

Going back up wasn’t an option, the force would pull me back down, and she'd never leave without me.

… willingly.

“Oh, My, Gods.” my eyes widened, and I turned, seeing someone I’d never wanted to see again.

Kelli.

I enveloped Annabeth fully, blocking her from the view of the grinning Empousa.

“You really, finally, Fully turned, huh?” She scoffed in an amused manner as her posse giggled behind her.

My eel heads twisted, not slamming into the ground, but seeming to tap it irritatedly.

“Hey, we’re all friends Down here, we were just about to go to the doors, get out of here, wanna come? I heard there’s Romans. ” I felt my spine shiver as she mentioned those FILTHY ROMANS, I bit back the growl growing in my throat.

“Sure, why not.” I told Kelli, and ran a Tendril down Annabeth’s neck inside me, telling her to not make any sound.

Kelli smiled, and started walking.

I followed her, looking around as I moved.

Chapter 3: Suck it Pygmalion!

Notes:

I hated those Dwarf things, so much, hated hated hated them, so this was mostly about Leo raising the Athena Parthenos, which nobody knows is the Athena Parthenos, so that's fun!

Have you ever seen a 5’2” Latino climbing a Statue, Using gold as super glue, and implanting Robotic capabilities into said statue?

No?

Well, now you have, because that’s what I was doing.

Apparently this Statue was important, and the cave in had made it shatter, since it was hollow for some reason, and now, I was putting it back together, melting gold into the cracks since I could control it better than glue.

There was a *Bing* sound, and my ears perked up, swiveling towards my Software station.

That was the fifth of my 13 different layers that were going into this thing, when I was done, it’d be the greatest automaton ever created!

Mwuahahahaha, Etc. Etc.

I had finished making the Endoskeleton that would go in it, and was half way done putting the Statue together around it. Only the parts that didn’t have to move were going to be put back together.

Joints, hair, clothes, that kind of thing, were going to stay in the corner.

Now, I’m not… great, at sculpting, unfortunate, I know, but I like to think I was doing a good job reassembling the giant statue.

*Ding*

Number six was done.

See, I had no sweet clue what this statue… was, just that it was important.

So, I decided, if it’s that important, I’d make it Sentient.

“Dust.” Echo pointed with her Echo-Talker-2.0 , which allowed her to point at a thing, and the Robotic voice I had given her would say it so she could repeat it.

I was also working on an Echo-Talker-3.0 , which would be able to link to her neural system and all that stuff, but she was scared of that, so I stopped doing that, and implemented a Text to Speech function into the 2.0 Model, which made it more of a 2.5 Model now that I thought about it…

Anyway!

“Don’t touch that! I’m going to use it to make Joints for this thing, after the main body’s done.” I had made it up to the Chest, using the Framework I had laid out with the Endoskeleton to make sure not to make it too solid for the Spine and such.

Then, Echo pointed at me.

“Tired, Need Sleep.” Her slightly tinny voice told me.

“I’m… Fine.” I yawned, and she threw a blanket at me, which I curled up into, still latched to the Statue.

 

Creaks, cracks, bends, twists.

It was like that one screen saver, with the maze that goes on forever, and ever, and ever.

Stomp, thunk, shatter, twist.

The ground fell out from under, and a clearing, a single pine tree.

Squish, rain, wind, cries.

In the lightning, two large orbs, like eyes, staring down.

Screams, blood, heart, ZAP.

 

*Ding!*

As lightning struck in my dream, I was shocked awake as the final Ding rang out, and the eyes of the Endoskeleton I made lit up with soft white lights, staring down at me.

Robot face, huh.

I threw the blanket away, and started working again.

“Sorry about this, I fell asleep as I was putting the outer layer together, Once I’m done I’ll activate your Motion Motors.” I explained as I pulled the gold and Marble out again.

 

It took an hour, but I had made a fully functional Humanish body out of shards of Marble, and with some assistance from Echo, and some Elbow Grease, I was done.

“Ok, Now, if I just…” I went over to the computer, and pressed the Motion button.

The Statue blinked, and used its neck, rolled its arms, and crawled over to me.

“You should be able to shrink to the size of your choosing, and grow back, the Magic still works, I think.” I ran a hand over the Gold cracks down its skin, “So, what do you think about a name?” I asked.

It looked at me, and tapped its chin, sitting with the knees under its chin, then shrank down to about 6’3, an inch shorter than the Giants that were our on board gods, Atalanta and Taylor.

“... Parthena, that sounds about right.” Her voice was smooth, and nice, there was a bit of a cold tinge, but it was counteracted by the innocence she was exuding.

“Alright, well, Parthena, let's introduce you to the Crew.” I grinned, and she followed me out of the engine room.

 

The Dining room was… tense.

Piper was sitting next to Hannah, who was eating her food, not looking at anyone while Mera, Piper’s Mermaid Girlfriend from Atlanta, picked Fishbones out of her teeth.

Frank was eating with near robotic motions, Hazel had her hand in her mouth before blinking and pulling it out, “Oh, right, I don’t have dentures anymore.” she noted.

Taylor was on deck, soaking up the sunrays, since he was technically his tree.

Atalanta was… not there, which was good, I guess, she nearly broke my nose when Annabeth fell into the pit.

Will had eaten a whole plate of pancakes, Chicken tenders, Biscuits and Gravy, three eggs, five Toast slices, and a whole sirloin.

Nico, My Great Grandmother's Halfbrother… My Great Great Uncle? I’m gonna stop thinking about that.

His Pomegranate sat on the plate, untouched.

And Jason was there.

He was eating a single Waffle with blueberries, whipped cream, and strawberries.

“So, everyone, Meet our new Crew member, Parthena!” I gestured to her, and she waved hesitantly, looking more than a little embarrassed.

Then there was a loud ZAP!

“YOU LITTLE BASTARDS, GIVE ME BACK MY TREE!” Taylor shouted, and the electric supplies in the ship all short circuited.

“Shit! Jay, Come on!” I shouted, and Jason swallowed his whole Waffle, jumping from the Table.

 

I pulled a couple of Metal Bars from my Belt, and lobbed them at the Monkey Dwarf things that we were chasing away from the Ship, Jason had me in his arms, flying after them as I launched molten Metal at the Furry Fuckers.

 

“Give me back my stuff!”

 

“THAT’S PIPER’S!”

 

“I JUST FIXED THAT!”

 

The Dwarf things had been held to the ground with a pair of shackles I made from pure Gold, and left for them to find.

“If you wanna irritate people, Go irritate the Romans in America!” I told them.

“Ooh! Buzzkill Romans! Deal!” and they were gone.

That was annoying.

Chapter 4: Maso-Chasm

Notes:

(Annabeth)

Disclaimer for any Sexually Adverse Readers: Annie gets a bit in depth about the logistics of her Being a Masochist with the Achilles Curse, it starts when She, as Narrator, says "It's what Made us Special", and ends when she mentions Blinking the thoughts out of her mind.
it's just 9 lines, and nothing explicit actually happens, just wanted to warn you if it'd be an issue.

Split the Sea.

 

I was sitting inside Atty’s chest, she was attempting to comfort me, rubbing my hand, holding me with the Treadlike tendrils.

The air was like breathing Pins and Needles.

Like every breath was chased by salt.

 

Divide the Continents.

 

She was walking with her eel heads, using their open mouths to keep a grip on the ground as Kelli and her Posse chattered around us.

 

Dismantle their Systems.

 

That voice, I knew whose it was, I knew Atty could hear it too, her grip on me tightening every time it reared its ugly head.

I was pretty sure the only reason I could still breathe was because of the Curse of Achilles, which I had recently started wondering about.

Was it even the same thing?

My weak point wasn’t on the outside, and was deep enough that Arachne couldn’t get to it when…

I shuddered.

“Hey, what was that?” Kelli asked, and I froze, biting my lip from nerves.

“And that… Smell.” Another Empousa muttered, and I heard sniffing.

There was a cracking sound below me.

“None of your Business.” Atty growled, and they stopped questioning.

“Well, we’re at the Cliff, so… We’ll head down, and you can follow, later, after we’re at the bottom.” Kelli explained as she descended the cliff.

 

Destroy their Interference.

 

After a few minutes, Atty started descending the cliff as well, using her Eel heads to cling to the Stoneface.

It was strange.

I was inside of her.

Usually it was the other way around.

I knew she could fill the Pocket she had made with sludge, consume me, destroy me, the concept of my existence.

That was what made me special.

 

What made us special.

She was capable of Pain, destruction, evisceration, synonyms.

But when it was just us, she was careful, she was delicate.

That’s not to say she acted like I was made of glass, she could get rough, and I could take it, especially after my Dip in the Styx.

She was the only thing able to actually hurt me.

“Because it’s not intended for harm, to kill, to dispatch, and you don’t view it as such.” she had told me one morning as she covered a Cotton Ball in Dihydrogen Peroxide.

Her grips were enough to bruise, not break.

Her claws would leave cuts, not gashes, poke me with pinpricks, not stab.

Her teeth would sink in, and rest there, her sharp, pointed mouth bones, against my neck, against my clavicle, and she’d lay there for full seconds.

 

I blinked the thoughts out of my mind, the smell of Tartarus wasn’t as bad in here, it smelled more like her, of a dock during the summer, but in a good way.

Like watching as your Love sails back to shore.

I thought back to when I woke up.

 

Her hair was sharp, the curls that I would run my hands in looked like Fish hooks.

Her eyes, once bright and shiny, were Solid Black, like a gaping cavern, with a white pupil, and a green glow behind it.

Her teeth, just the same, but the surrounding mouth was too wide, both corners ending in her earlobes.

Her fingers had felt like a velvet scarf wrapped around ant legs.

 

Then, Kelli’s voice started up again.

“Welp, here we are, the next stretch is through the Uncanny Valley, Into The Shepherd's Cavern, maybe Kick The Snake, and get the rest of the way from him.” One of Atty’s strings, which I was nearly tangled in, vibrated.

“So, this is about the end of where you’re certain we need to go?” she asked, and I could feel her face forming a grin as mine started glowing red.

“Uh, well, I…You don’t still-” I heard a choking sound, and dust filtered into Atty’s chest, and into my face.

“Ah-CHOO!” I sneezed, and everything froze.

“What was that?” one of the other Empousai asked.

She stopped when a wet squelch let out around me.

Chomp.

Stomp.

Slash.

Rip.

Tear.

In a matter of moments, there was no other Stimuli.

“They’re Gone.” Atty told me as her chest split open, and the hot, spicy air hissed against my invulnerable skin.

She plucked me out of her body like a child in a carseat, and set me on the ground, my Talons not liking the texture of the ground.

“I hate it here.” I breathed.

Atty looked away for a moment.

“It’s not going to last long, trust me, you’ll be out of here in a matter of days, a week at most, Promise.” She looked at me, smiling in a way that would have been reassuring if she had lips.

She pulled me into a hug, and then sighed.

“Ok, now let's pay this ‘Shepard’ a visit.”

Notes:

A Shepard? in Tartarus? I wonder what that's about? either way, this books gonna be...
Epic.

Chapter 5: Sow the Seeds of Hope.

Notes:

Reminders: Frank is dead, leaving Frankie and Mirabelle to try being a person.
the ship is called The Leon.
Frankie has a Spear that Transitions the person using it.
Italics during Frankie Chapters mean Mirabelle is talking.
and now:
(Frankie)

Ok, so, waking up in the morning, and finding that you’ve become a snake, and are wrapped around your weapons?

Not as strange as you’d think.

We’d been doing that since moving into the Armory.

It was easier to sleep when surrounded by weapons.

Feels safer.

Unfortunately, it often meant we’d have to unravel from the knot we’d tied ourself into around the Spears.

Luckily, we had practice.

We turned back into a human.

Kind of.

There were still fangs in our mouth, and some scales were running down the spine, But those’d go away when we changed into a different animal, and back again.

I picked up Britney, the Spear we had gotten from the Amazons a few weeks ago.

Haven’t used her much, but it was nice to know that we had a closer range option.

She also appeared on my back after being thrown, so there’s that.

A quick adjustment of my Rifle, and-

Your, Rifle?

Yeah, you usually swap it out for Britney anyway.

Point taken.

We became a Cat, and did a big stretch before becoming a dog and shaking off the sleep.

Human again, with the ears and tail of a Rottweiler.

The fire in the lantern that hung from the ceiling burned steadily.

…

Fire.

The feeling of Frank burning away.

Drifting away like sparks from a campfire.

The cold void left in her place.

An unbearable Silence.

A depressing emptiness.

There was a knock on the door, and I flinched.

We shook our head, and I opened the door.

Haze was standing there.

They were in a black sweater, with fingerless gloves, a skirt over a pair of jeans, and some sneakers.

Their hair was mainly black, and seemed to absorb light, and hid the Cat ears pretty well.

We had been getting more Animalistic features recently, ever since joining the Leon’s Crew.

It’s probably due to being around Greeks, they have features like that, too.

Maybe…

Anyway, there was a single Grey streak through Haze’s hair, and they were wearing their Reading Glasses, which had a small gold chain that kept them attached to their neck when not in use.

A near perfect combo of Emo Nonbinary Teen, and 80 year old Grandma.

“Come on, we’ve got stuff to do, meeting up on the deck, all that.” They rubbed the sleep from their eyes, “I’m gonna go get Will, too, Come on.” they waved me along.

 

(Will)

 

I held Nico, who was in the form of an owl(Apparently that’s what this thing was), his feathers fluffing against my skin as I hand fed him Pomegranate seeds, his Tiny Talons clutching my finger.

He was a solid black sphere of fluff and feathers, with white eyes, and a small little beak.

The last seed was eaten, as was normal, and I watched as he let go of my finger, and became 13 once more, wearing full funeral regalia.

A large, black, puffy dress, with woven Vines of a different texture, a black veil that showed off a pair of glowing white eyes, long black hair that seemed to flow like the waters of Hades down his back, and reached down to about his elbows, which were covered by long silk Gloves that went up to his shoulders, which were themselves covered by the puffy short sleeves of the dress. I also knew from experience, that under the dress was a pair of stockings, and some slightly taller than is sensible heels, but they were usually covered by the huge skirt.

Nico’s Umbrella, which could turn into any weapon he wanted, sat on his back.

“You really need to eat more.” I told him, sitting down on my bed, my tail flicking side to side.

“I’m fine.”

“Fine’s not good enough, Babe, You’re the only Hades kid still alive, fundamentally, and you certainly don’t look like it.” I told him, concerned.

“It’s nothing, really.” He looked away, I placed a hand to his cheek, and made him look at me.

“I want to grow old with you, I want us to live together.” he looked at me, sighed, raised his Veil with shaking hands, and kissed me.

Not what I was looking for, but ok.

His skin was the texture of Rice Paper, his lips were a bit more humanish, feeling more like skin than not, his eyes were black voids with white lights for pupils, he had a slightly Buttonish nose, a tooth gap, and looked like a sketchbook page from how pale his skin was, there were bags under his eyes.

He looked into my eyes.

The door opened, and he gasped, covering his face quickly with the Veil, breathing heavily.

We looked at the door, and saw Haze with Frank.

“Knock next time.” I warned them, pulling on my Cowboy hat over my Antlers, which passed through it due to magic or something as I holstered my Revolver.

 

(Frankie)

 

We walked through the streets of Venice. It was nice, sunny, planty.

That’s the issue.

Nico and Haze kept sneezing.

I was coughing.

Will was the only one not suffering.

“I don’t have Allergies when like this, if I expelled all my gathered Sun energy, then I’d be choking to death on the ground right now.” Will explained, his golden hair glittering in the sunlight as his tanned skin seemed speckled with Star like freckles.

Nico was suffering from the Sun beating down on his full black Widow Gown.

Haze was panting from the general heat, having put on a white T-shirt with black bones on it.

My mom’s old Army Jacket was also not the best thing for me to be wearing in such hot weather.

Will was walking along like he hadn’t a care in the world, having abandoned his Poncho on the ship, he was now wearing a collared blue striped shirt, a red bandana, a cowboy hat, blue jeans, and a belt that had a Buckle that looked like, what else, the Sun, the same emblem on his holster, and the pin on his hat, and the front of his Bandana, and his back pockets.

Nico asked a Local where the building we were looking for was, the address was in a book that Leo had found after filling a dwarves mouth with molten Gold or something.

The local and Nico seemed to be arguing.

I don’t know Italian, as you may have noticed, I knew Latin, which was… similar enough that I got the feeling he was putting out, but didn’t understand a word of it.

The Local walked away, and Nico huffed over.

“Ok, well, the Accent was hard to understand, but I got directions, so come on.” he waved us along.

 

“Accent drift happens over the course of 80 years.” Hazel explained.

“SHUT UP!” Nico shouted

 

“Alright, Lemures, Angry ghosts, that kinda thing, they won’t mess with us since I’m here.” Nico explained, “Mama used to tell me ‘bout them.” he looked at the ground, and sighed.

“You’re mom’s… Italian?” I asked.

“Yeah, me too, so is Bianca, she remembers actually… living here, My first language is Venetian, kinda… kinda why it’s so… hard, for me, now that the language has drifted, over the years, I can still, kinda, talk to them, understand them, but… it’s weird, they’re so… informal, now.” he gripped his arm, “It feels like I… whatever, let’s get this over with.”

 

The meeting with the resident of the Black house(As Nico so helpfully translated,) was the God of Farming, he made eye contact with Nico, and they started talking in Italian, Venetian, whatever.

“Ok, so the way through the House of Hades needs us to drink poison,” Nico explained.

“That’s bad.” I said.

“Good job, but, if we eat Barley cakes first, we won’t get poisoned.” Nico told me.

“That’s good.” I told him.

“Yeah, and now, you have to kill the Monsters running around the city, or he’ll take me back to Demeter, and Ceres hates me.” Nico explained.

“Why me specifically?” I asked.

“Because, me and Haze are being kept here as assurance it’ll get done, and Will won’t leave my side.”

“Not Willingly!” Will shouted.

“It’s not that funny, also it’ll give you a chance to use that Spear.” Nico pointed at Britney.

“...Fine.” I grumbled, and headed out.

 

It took four hours.

A few of them I would shoot with Righfell the Rifle.

But most of them fell to Britney the Spear.

With each peirce, I could distantly feel a shift.

Not much, but enough that I knew it existed.

Britney was ‘Cursed’, see, she would make her wielder more Feminine with each felled enemy.

Now, I actually wanted that, so I had no issues Genociding these wild animals that were otherwise minding their business.

I IGNORED THE FACT THEY LOOKED LIKE COWS.

Anyway, I was bouncing between them, turning into a snake to launch myself with Britney, becoming a bear, a gorilla, a sturgeon at some point. My point is, I did it, and when I changed back into a human, I wasn’t… all that different.

A red glow later, and sure, my Biceps were more toned, and more noticeable, flexing resulted in more noticeable muscles, same for my legs, kinda, I was still a bit on the heavier side, a bit of fat here and there, I wasn’t pure muscle.

I had thick thighs, a bit of a belly, I had breasts, that was cool, my face was softer, my tiny stubble had disappeared, I think I got taller?

I started heading back to the Black House.

 

Nico and Trip(A nickname for the God of Farming, who’s actual name was too long for me to remember), were half way through a game of Mythomagic when I opened the door.

I had to duck to get inside.

“Damn!” I heard Haze snort, looking at me with wide eyes, “You’re so pretty.” they told me.

I blushed.

“Uh… Thanks…” I poked my fingers together, and tried to compress.

They hugged me, and I relaxed.

“Well, Good job,” Trip clapped for me, “now, go away, please, you’re going to ruin my plants.”

We headed back to the Leon.

Chapter 6: A Family Reuinion

Notes:

(Atty)

We made it to the home of The Shepherd without too much interference.

I exuded enough Power that I overpowered Annabeth’s scent, so nobody else was smelling her as we made our way through the Uncanny Valley.

The Shepherd's Cavern was a large crack in a Stone cliff.

I held Annabeth’s hand as we entered, she seemed to be shivering.

 

There was a sound of chains clinking in the darkness, a large birdcage was hung from the ceiling, and a loud THUMP drew my attention to him.

My brother.

The Shepherd.

Polyphemus.

“Who are you?” he asked, crawling over to us.

He was 30 feet tall, with his eye still in his socket, a deep blue Iris surrounded by a black void, with the pupil swirling like a whirlpool.

His fingers were long, the length of a normal person, with four joints, and hard, hoof-like tips, he had four fingers on each hand.

His eyelid was sideways, and led from the top of his face to his upper lip, which it sliced in half, his lower lip was that of a normal human, with two tusks jutting up from it.

His arms were long and spindly, with two more joints than average, leading into his torso, which had six crab legs wrapped around his upper torso, looking like a ribcage.

His horsetail whipped, and his legs, one horse, one amphibian, sat on the ground.

His hands reached his knees.

“Hey, Poly.” I greeted him, giving a small wave.

His pupil constricted, and then widened.

“Atty?” he asked, circling me.

“...Yeah, that’s me.” I confirmed.

“It has been a long time.” he told me.

“Yeah, it has.” I sighed.

“Who’s that.” Poly narrowed his eye at Annabeth, who pulled herself closer to me.

“She’s… a friend.” I told him, and Polyphemus seemed to take that as true.

“Ok, come rest, the trip to the doors is dangerous.” Polyphemus led us to a large Couch, and I stretched a leg so me and Annabeth could reach it.

“I’ll bring tea.” Poly told me, and headed to the kitchen.

“Is this safe?” Annabeth asked me.

“Yeah, he wouldn’t hurt anyone, not anymore, he’s really quite nice, it’s why the other cyclopes would bully him.” I told her, leaning against the couch.

“Right…” she coughed.

I leaned against her, and her ragged breathing seemed to smooth out a bit.

Poly came back, a tea pot and three cups in his hands, he set them on the large flat stone he used as a table.

“How’d you get tea down here, anyway?” I asked as I took a cup.

“Daddy helps, the rivers cancel each other out if you use them right.” Poly explained, pouring a cup for Annabeth.

“Right, so, we were told you know how to get out of here, why haven’t you left?” I asked, sipping some tea.

“... where would I go? We’re not accepted up there anymore, the only place I could live was Papa’s sea, my sheep, my fleece, my wedding.” he slumped his shoulders with a sigh, “Cyclopes now are… different, more tame, more…”

“Human, they’re just big dudes with one eye.” I shrugged.

“Yeah, my sheep are probably dead, my Island is so far from where the doors spit us out, and the new Gods would kill me if they saw me.” he leaned back, scratching his neck with one of the Crab Claws that hung from his chin.

“Actually, I visited your Island, the sheep are fine, they have an infinite supply of food, and the grass is still nutritious, not as good as when the fleece was there, but it’s alright, and the gods are… preoccupied, at the moment.” I smiled, and he looked at me, eye narrowed.

“But who would want me to come back, I like it here, close to daddy.” he rubbed his fingers together, anxious.

“Your Wife.” I said, and Annabeth flinched, and looked at me, confused.

“Wife?” Polyphemus asked, also confused.

“Well, you never annulled the marriage to Clarisse, right? There was no divorce, so…” I rolled my hand, and his pupil widened.

“I’m still married.” he realised.

“The marriage didn’t go through though?” Annabeth whispered into my ear.

“Cyclopse Marriage is complicated.” I explained, then turned to Poly, “Now, she does have other significant others, a Daughter of Aphrodite, and a Son of Hermes, are you Ok with them?” I asked, and he nodded.

“If they help her be happy, I’m ok with that, I just want her to be happy.” he told me.

“Ok, well, Camp Halfblood is under siege by now, I think, and you might be able to help.” I smiled.

“Yes, Ok, I help!” He seemed happy.

“Clarisse is MARRIED???” and then I scowled.

I knew that voice.

Poly lowered the Large Bird Cage from the ceiling, and I growled.

Luke.

“...Hey, Atty.” he tried to smile.

His eyes were slits, his tongue was forked, he had scales running down his cheeks from his eyes, down his neck, and under his Button up Captain’s shirt.

I stood up.

“Wait, no, We can talk about this!” he scrambled back.

“Why are you here?” I asked, slamming a hand into a bar of the cage.

“When you ate Kronos, he was sent back here, and I was taken with him! I ascended when Ethan joined the cause, and now I’m the God of Snakes, Lying, Betrayal, and Untrustworthy Individuals!” He was panicking.

“Fitting.” I growled.

“Please, just… listen to me, I’m sorry, OK?! I wanted to bring an end to the oppression that the Gods were perpetuating! And the only way to actually do that, is to beat them, and I couldn’t do that on my own, I needed help, and Kronos was the only one that could possibly do it.” Luke explained, and I kept staring at him.

Annabeth was watching.

She didn’t forgive him.

“We should at least hear him out?” he asked.

“He’s the god of LIARS!” I shouted.

“The Roman version of me is fueling this war between the camps!” he shouted.

“What?” I looked at him.

“The one that was split off when you nearly destroyed Mount Othrys, he got into the Roman camp, and whispered in their ears, told them what they wanted to hear, gained their trust, and now he’s trying to get revenge on camp, I just wanted a reform, and I admit, I fucked up on the how, but Please, I’m not promising anything, just begging, PLEASE, help me.” I turned to look at Annabeth, asking with my eyes if I can eat him.

“Atty, I want to trust him, and if he does anything untrustworthy, then you can eat him, ok?” she told me, and my face must have visibly lit up, because she let out a single giggle.

“Alright, let’s go then.” I said, and Poly took a chain, placed it into the loop of the cage, and hung Luke around his neck.

“The Arai tend to float around outside sometimes, be careful.” Polyphemus warned us as he joined us in leaving his Cave.

The Arai were certainly outside, and were looking right at Annabeth.

Chapter 7: Teenagers, They Scare The FUCK Outta Me.

Notes:

A quick, Fluffy Chapter about Gramma Haze teaching the resident cyborg magic.
(Haze)

I could feel the nausea as I leaned against the Mast, which was also a Tree, and a guy.

“What’s up?” Taylor asked as he also leaned against the tree that was him.

“Guh, Seasickness.” I explained, holding my face as I tried to focus on my breathing, “The ground's so unstable on this boat, it feels wrong.”

“Oh, I see, yeah, I float a little, mostly because of my dad, it’s like, My body’s made for a denser Gravitational pull, and I’m here, so it’s like I’m walking on the moon most the time, because the ground itself is trying to push me away, I think, I don’t know, I’m talking out my ass in all honesty.” he snickered, and sat down, “Alright, here, let me help you.”

Taylor took my hand, and led me to the far end of the ship.

“Try not to focus on the ship, or the water, focus on the horizon, it’s a fixed point, so it should be less… more… Man, I don’t know, I saw it on a tv show in the big house once, just try it, and tell me if it works, k?”

 

After half an hour of me looking out to the horizon, the door to the lower deck opened, and Leo perked up when they saw me.

“Ah! Great Grandma, I was looking for you.” they told me, scuttling up to the railing next to me.

“Why do you always call me that? Like, it’s true, I know that, you know that, the whole crew knows that, but actually addressing that fact can get a bit… weird? I mean, I’m your Bisabuela, but I’m also three years younger than you. I’m old enough to remember holding you when you were born, but still a child in all the ways that matter.” I told him, taking a breath, the sea was at least slightly better for my nausea.

“...Well, Aunt Rosa, when… I don’t have a good history with family, I just want to remind myself I have a good relationship with someone related to me.” They sighed, running her flesh hand through their hair, the slightly damp curls clinging to his fingers like meat to a skeleton.

“Right… I’m sorry that happened to you.” I told her, and he scoffed, not in irritation, or anger, or anything like that.

It was out of exhaustion.

“Well, Fuck ‘em, they never cared about me, I’ll make it on my own, without them, like mom, they rely so heavily on the Trust Fund that you left them, they have no actual skills…” they trailed off, so we both stood there, leaning against the Railing, looking out to sea.

“I get sea sick too, not as bad as you, but… I usually just lay down and close my eyes, focus on my breathing, find something that doesn’t smell strong in either direction, any metallic items work for me, you might be able to find something else for you.” he told me, and I looked at her.

One Donkey Leg on the right, One Metal Dragon Leg on the left, one eye on the left side of her face, freckles, a large burn scar, Donkey ears, tail, and a Metal Dragon Claw for a right arm.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask about Magic stuff, because, sure, I can make weapons, but being able to enchant them or something would be cool, nothing flashy, I don’t wanna throw around Magic Missiles or anything like that.” she shrugged.

“Oh, um, Ok, I’m not… used to teaching other people.” I let out a single awkward chuckle.

 

Three hours passed, and Nico was supervising.

Every possible bit of his skin was covered, an extravagant Black dress, a long flowing veil, a sunhat with a Brim half as wide as he was tall.

Leo was working pretty well considering she was inexperienced at Enchanting.

“...So.” I said to Nico, twiddling with the Aglet of the string of my sweatpants.

“So?” He asked back, one of the white orbs that were his eyes became a half circle.

“We’re both from the 30’s.” I told him.

“More or less.” he leaned back.

“...How do you… feel about that?” I asked, and he scoffed.

“Haze, I’m an Illegal Immigrant. I’m Legally 80 something I think, and no Country would believe I am who I am, Same for you, we can’t… exist, in Non-Mythological Society, Bianca knew that, you know that, She’s with the Hunters, no longer tied to civilization, you were in New Rome, a Sovereign State, and I… I’m… I don’t belong anywhere, in Camp Halfblood, they distrust me, same deal with New Rome, The Underworld is the only place that makes me feel stable, whenever light shines on me, it’s like Lava scraping against my skin.” he explained to me, sighing as he stared at the ceiling.

Leo looked over at us, eye wide.

“Yeah, that’s why I never talk about it, I suck the joy out of every room.” Nico scoffed, and breathed in, “Anyway, I’m gonna go hang out with Will.” he left the room.

“Ok, Well, you seem to have gotten the Basics to work for you, so now you have to figure it out for yourself from here on, and I’m not abandoning you, it’s a requirement, Magic doesn’t respect you unless you figure it out yourself, and it works differently for everyone, so Good luck!” I ducked out the door, and leaned against a wall, groaning as Frankie, in the form of a weasel, looked up at me, head tilted to the side.

“I’m fine, darling.” I told her, and she rubbed against my hand, sitting in my lap.

There was a loud CRACK, and a BANG, as the boat shook.

“Fuckin’ sea monsters!” Taylor screamed, and a huge BOOOOM echoed through the ship.

 

“Ok, so there’s a guy up there.” Jason pointed up, and an Arrow embedded into the Mast, inches away from Nico.

Will pointed his Revolver at the figure at the top of the Cliff, pulled the Trigger, and his body fell down, hitting rocks and stones, tearing his skin and shattering bones until it landed in the water.

He wasn’t even looking.

“Wow, Apollo Aiming, right?” Frankie asked, interested in the capability that Will had shown.

“Huh? Oh, no, I don’t have that, I think, I’m more Medically inclined, it’s just that I can feel people’s heart beats, and know exactly where their Vital Organs are at all times, I shot out his Shins, made sure he was alive when he fell, and after every rock hit, it was more so he wouldn’t be physically able to swim, so he’d drown.” Will explained as a loud crack, and a splat, and a squish, signaled that Taylor had punched a hole through the Turtle.

Taylor landed on the deck, covered in blue blood that smelled like copper, more than normal.

He saw the Arrow.

“Damn, that guy chose the wrong guy to threaten.” he chuckled, and held up a hand for a high five from Will, who rolled his eyes, but reciprocated.

“T-Boy squad.” Taylor winked as he pointed finger guns at Will, who rolled his eyes.

“Whatever.”

Notes:

What I find interesting, is that the timeline I've made makes Leo a Legacy of Pluto, which could explain his Metal Bending, and open up... More stuff she could control...

Chapter 8: Begone.

Notes:

(3rd)

Calypso, Daughter of Atlas, Titan, Often just says she’s a goddess to avoid explaining stuff.

She never meant that much harm.

Zeus did it all the time.

Poseidon too.

Her only frame of reference for a wife was Hera.

And Zeus was never faithful to her.

Why was this mortal so… different?

He was on a deserted Island, with a beautiful woman, and everything he could need or want.

“The only thing I want, is to get back to my wife.” he had told her when she asked.

It didn’t make sense.

She never tried to force it.

Not physically.

The dedication he showed was part of what made her want him, Paradoxically.

She sat on her knees in the sand, watching him make his boat, make sure it was ready for take off.

“Why can’t you just love me back.” she cried, her tears staining the sand beneath her, her fingers gripping the grains.

Odysseus turned to look at her, with no remorse on his face, he wasn’t sorry he was leaving, she wasn’t sorry for loving him, he didn’t care about her crying, she didn’t care about his wife.

“I have space in my heart to love one Person, my Penelope.” he told her, and went back to doing a diagnostic on his boat.

Even when another person was on her island, Calypso felt abandoned.

In a way that Odysseus never seemed to.

“I know, I know she’s waiting for me, I have to get back to her.”

The Isolation didn’t make him feel Isolated, the very IDEA that someone was waiting to see him again.

The thought he had someone.

The thought that, even when isolated, he wasn’t alone.

Calypso grit her teeth, she stood up, sand clinging to her legs as she left.

She heard Odysseus mutter.

“ Finally. ”

She cursed him, in her thoughts, not actively, but she wanted, so, SO badly, for him to feel the Abandonment, the Isolation, the Seclusion that filled her every waking moment.

She wanted it with all her heart.

And an Arai was born.

 

(Annabeth)

 

I held Riptide in my grip, looking over the Curse spirits.

I felt like Atty wouldn’t be great against these, considering that her whole thing was being the person people blame for Natural disasters, and all the people she killed.

Luke was in a cage, and also had been Cursed at so much I think he might burst into flames with a single scratch on one of them.

Polyphemus was the one actually doing the Cursing, if I remembered correctly, but he had caused a lot of pain and suffering, and I had no way of knowing if the rest of the Crew had cursed him before… everything.

Which left… me.

I had been Cursed, I think, in a more cosmic sense, I had also sacrificed a Goddess, so that might come back to haunt me…

Atty growled at the Arai, her shadow spreading like grass along the ground of Tartarus.

“Leave us.” she spoke, her voice like a black velvet curtain.

An Arai stood at the front of the Group, she seemed… older, more experienced, the way it carried itself was smooth.

“We do not answer to you, accursed one, you have caused much pain, much sorrow, all of you, and it is about time you face consequences.” The Arai leaped at me.

I jumped back, barely avoiding a set of razor sharp claws that wouldn’t have hurt me anyway now that I think about it, and swung my sword.

It was an instinct.

She grinned as her head was cleaved from her neck, and-

Something snapped.

Something severed.

I felt alone.

I felt isolated.

I heard my own voice, from before, when I was Odysseus.

“ Finally. ”

I gripped my chest, and looked up.

Black tendrils were puncturing into the earth, fishing hooks dragged along the ground, Horse hooves beat the floor, thrashing sharks and eels.

A single large, blaring white light was pointing at me.

Indifference.

It was all I felt from it.

I felt pain, I felt injury.

My vision was fading, my sense of touch was drifting, my hearing was like my ears were clogged.

The last thing I heard, was a voice, like hooks against stone, hooves against porcelain, eels eating a balloon, scream.

“I said, BE, GONE! ”

 

(Annabeth)

 

I shuddered as the temperature shifted as we exited the cave, it was a bit colder in the cave, and I preferred that, honestly.

Atty looked tense.

“Are you ok?” I asked as we started walking.

“...Yeah, Fine, just… let’s watch for any Arai.” she said, and I tilted my head.

“For Any… What? ” I asked, not remembering that name from any of my research.

Polyphemus, who I still flinched away from whenever he spoke, agreed, “I’ve not Heard of an Arai before.” he told Atty, who’s eyes widened.

“Oh, uh… Never… nevermind, then.” she looked away, and wrapped a tendril around my arm, up from where I was holding her hand.

“Oooook, So, Where are we going?” I asked Polyphemus, who looked at me, a bit… too closely, for my tastes.

“We’ll Meet a Giant, He helps, he’s nice.” he assured us, “He’ll know a way to get you into Elevator, without needing to kill everyone.”

“That’s the fun part, though.” Atty groaned good naturedly.

“But Mortal may get hurt.” Polyphemus pointed at my chest.

“I’m invincible, I’ll be fine, maybe.”

“No, he’s right, we should meet with this guy.” Atty sighed, “I can’t risk losing you…” she looked away.

I knew how she would have ended that sentence.

Again.

Notes:

As an explanation that may come up later: Annabeth's Achilles heel/mortal point, is her Love for Atty, the feeling of connection, the knowledge she'd never abandon her.
you can guess why Calypso's Curse was the only one actually needed.
Atty, seeing this, fucking LOST IT, and destroyed not just the Arai, but the knowledge they ever existed, their entire existence, gone.
The Arai are no longer a thing in this AU.
and they Never were.
in short: Atty can Retcon things in real time(But only in a way to make it so things never existed.)

Chapter 9: For the Love of the Dead

Notes:

(Jason)

My body was probably tumbling End over End through the air, toward the sea, and no one was going to catch me, because Oh, that’s Jason! The White guy? The one who’s most notable trait is that he wears girl clothes, but doesn’t actually want to be a girl. The one that nobody’s dating, because everyone on the ship is either a lesbian, or Leo.

Nothing against Leo, Honestly.

It’s just…

 

I was standing on top of a building in New York.

I was dreaming I was standing on top of a building in New York.

Reyna was there, she looked stressed, but determined, and pissed.

Behind her was Gwen, Daughter of Venus, and Chet, Son of Mars.

Chet had a broken nose, and a cut that went down his arm.

It had left a scar.

The door to the roof of the building creaked open, and I nearly had a heart attack.

Something clambered out.

It had Ram horns, Hawk wings, Gorilla arms, an Alligator tail, and Goat legs.

The biggest thing that made me nearly shit myself, though, were the eyes.

Swirling spirals of green, blue, and brown, the right one spun counter-clockwise, and the left spun clockwise.

“You wished to meet us?” the thing asked, sending a shiver down my spine, and theirs, too, because that was what made me realise that the Fur was mostly just super long curly hair, and as it shook, mice, guinea pigs, rats, small birds, and gerbils scattered away from it.

“We wished to meet with whoever was in charge, we want to… talk.” Reyna’s voice warbled in that way that tells me she’s lying.

“Leadership, such a Mortal Idea, but very well, I am Grover Underwood, Lord of the Wild.” The Amalgam of creatures gave a half nod, half bow.

“Reyna, just Reyna, Leader of the Twelfth Legion.” she stood at attention.

“Yes, I hope you don’t mind, I brought some friends, for protection, and because they could help with our… negotiations.” the eyes flicked to Chet, and A girl twice his size threw the door off the roof.

“I HATE Modern building design.” the girl had big husky ears, brown hair, blood red eyes, a line of freckles across her nose, crooked teeth, which seemed to be due to the oversized canines, a pair of sunglasses hanging from the collar of her shirt, which was under a Black Leather Jacket, there was a bushy tail poking out from under her jacket, and over her Jorts, a pair of heavy looking Black Leather Biker Boots that went up to her calves. She had the hilt of a sword on a chain around her neck, and her hair was down to her chin.

“I know, It won’t take long, honey.” another voice spoke, and my heart fluttered against my will.

Silena.

She had Black wings, she looked tired, her hair was knotted, there were streaks of black coming from her mascara, but other than that, she was beautiful.

“We agreed, no weapons.” Reyna reminded.

“Clarisse doesn’t need one.” Silena told Reyna, and I felt like I was going to pass out in my sleep.

CLARISSE????

They brought HER to a peace talk???

Reyna’s dogs didn’t show any signs they were lying.

Which was worse.

“Ok, well, We’re here on your asking, so, what is it you are asking for?” Reyna asked, narrowing her eyes at the three Greeks.

Clarisse stepped forward, a grin evident on her face.

“Surrender, leave, and you won’t all die.” a red mist began to flow from her mouth, and I could feel Reyna tense a bit.

“We cannot do that. You’re Leader, your real one, Annabeth Chase, she Killed Juno, and her-” Everything scratched, like a corrupted DVD, Static filled the vision, “-And then one of your gods destroyed our city.”

“Annabeth’s not our Leader.” Silena told her, poking her head out from behind Clarisse.

That caused her to pause.

“What.” She looked at Grover, who nodded, confused.

“We don’t have a singular mortal Leader, she was the top strategist, but Clarisse is our official general for actual combat, she teaches the swordfighting and such.” Grover told her.

“You brought the leader of your Army to a meeting with the enemy?” Reyna seemed amused at the thought, but there was a darkness in her expression, one that I’d never seen before…

One of her eyes was a slit for a moment.

Her face became one I’d never seen before, a grin.

“Seize them.” She waved a hand, and then Clarisse moved before anyone could react.

She had Chet’s head in her grip, a thumb over his eye, and her pinky finger right next to his ear.

She turned, her neck cracking as she turned to look at Reyna, her eyes glowing red.

“I’d advise a tactical retreat, because it’d take a whole Army to take me down, especially if this is the best you’ve got.” She backed up, and let go of Chet, who fell backwards onto his ass.

Then, something grabbed me.

 

I was pulled through a wall, at least, that’s what it felt like, and was face to face with something.

A stampede of horses, a horde of eels, a shiver of sharks, a pack of wolves, all connected to a cloud that seemed to thunder words into my mind.

View the outcome of invasion, Roman.

Then I was slapped away by an eel.

 

I was flying through the sky, and saw a field, the outside of Camp Halfblood.

My vision was surrounded by a green fog.

I saw Reyna in the center of the Roman Army, pointing at Camp, commanding her troops forward.

Then, Clarisse barreled through them.

All of them.

Her aura burning the skin from their bones, and then wrapping around those bones, and making them turn against the rest of their Brethren.

She brought back her hand, and slammed a punch into Reyna’s shocked face.

Both of her eyes were slitted now.

A sonic boom rang out through the army, and the closest soldiers were vaporised as Reyna was sent flying.

Then I was allowed to wake up.

 

I squeaked as a large metal Claw plucked me from the air a foot away from the sea.

 

I groaned as I sat down, not bothering to unbunch my skirt.

“Honestly, you’re one of like… most of us, honestly, but still, usually it’s Pipes or Frankie trying to jump in the sea.” Leo Snickered.

“Yeah, Yeah, I had a vision.” I told them.

Taylor popped his head out from his tree.

“Of what is to come? Cannot be outrun?”

“... I hope not.” I explained the vision of Clarisse decking Reyna so hard that fifty Romans got immediately vaporized.

Frank blinked.

“That… What’s her…” she didn’t have to finish.

“Just Ares.” Piper told her, also taking a seat.

“Though she is often accompanied by an Aphrodite kid.” Leo piped up.

“Silena, her girlfriend, Ares kids usually get an Aphrodite girl to hang out with, we help with Emotional regulation, Ares children feel Anger first and foremost, Aphrodite girls can fiddle with Emotional resonance, that’s part of what Drew did to me, it’s just that hers last a lot longer.” Piper explained.

“What Drew did to you?” Haze asked.

“Oh, right, she made me a Lesbian.” She explained, and Frank and Haze flinched.

“She can DO THAT?” Frank asked.

“You didn’t know she existed until I told you about it, but yeah, Honestly, I like it better like this anyway, it always felt more like a performance when I was trying to be Jason’s girlfriend, and that was it, that’s who I was, Jason’s Girlfriend… I don’t know, it’s complicated.” She sat back in her chair.

The shadows in the room seemed to elongate, and I heard a voice.

“Dalmatia.” Nico spoke like a death rattle, and I tensed.

“Wh-What about it?” Our relationship was tense, and complex.

We were the only two Cis Boys on the entire Ship, but he was gay, and Italian, so he wasn’t subjected to the title Cis-Het White Boy Like I was. We also both wore skirts, well, he wore Funeral dresses, and I was dressed like a Cheerleader.

“The Staff of Diocletian, it could summon the ghosts of Rome, I want it.” he told me, and I noticed I was leaning backwards over the table as he stood on what seemed to be a stool made of shadows.

“...Ok.” I whimpered, why he always singled me out was anyone's guess.

“We won’t take long, Frankie, keep the ship safe, you too, Will. Haze, Leo, make Repairs, try to fix any holes in the enchantments, Piper… Look pretty.” Nico grabbed my wrist, and pulled me away from the Table.

 

“UGH, Why is it so HOT all the time!” Nico complained.

“You’re wearing all Black, in the middle of Summer, in Italy.” I told him.

“I look good in black, let’s get some ice cream.” he told me, pointing at a Parasol that was over an ice cream cart, which was being leaned on by a tanned, winged man.

He nodded, and vanished, taking the Ice cream with him.

“Noooooo!” Nico groaned.

“He’s in the Temple… over there, and I think you’ll melt if we walk, so here.” I grabbed Nico, and started carrying him Bridal style.

“Whoa! Hey, bud, I have a boyfriend, and am Monogomous.” he complained, then I took flight.

“Oh, right.”

 

The winged man kept vanishing, and appearing Higher and Higher in the Sky, until I finally landed on a solid Cloud, which held a Castle that seemed to be in ruins.

“Welcome, to the Palace of Eros, or Cupid, but Eros is a less preconceived form, no diapers and chubby cheeks. I am The West Wind, a loyal servant to his Beloved.”

“A wind, serving the god of Romance?” I was a bit… confused.

“One of them, yes, there are many different love gods, like war, love is a complex beast. I came to serve him after I fell in love with a boy, Hyacinthus, he was a Spartan Pri-” everything Careened to a stop, and a loud screeching sound let out from the gods mouth, before everything came back to being normal.

“Perseus was a Spartan Prince, and the Subject of Apollo’s affection, I was jealous, they were tossing a discus around, I steered it in a slightly different direction, and smashed in his head, he fell into a river, and Apollo, in his grief, watered the ground with his tears, which grew into the first Hyacynth.” the story was different, I could tell, but I was a bit fuzzy on what it originally was.

“Anyway, my master is here, Good luck, Jason Grace.” he grinned, and vanished.

The staff was fifteen feet away.

“Nico, you go get it, you wanted the thing.” I told him.

“I never got my ice cream.” he huffed, and took off at a leisurely strut.

“Oh you’ve gotta be-” I was cut off as a rock hit me in the gut, knocking me into a wall.

Are you sure you’re straight?

The voice seemed to come from all around me.

“I-” an invisible hand wrapped around my neck.

How about that whole, Boy thing? You wear the skirts, you let Andromeda put makeup on you, and barely put up a fight, pretty Eggy actions to take, if you ask me.

“I tried-” Another hand grabbed my hand, and pinned me to the wall.

Did you really? Did you try hard enough? Are you happy as a boy? Do you really like girls exclusively? You spend so much time with Non Cis-Het people, SOMETHING had to have rubbed off on you.

“No, that’s, not…” I kept my hand around the wrist of the god holding me by the neck.

You could have asked my sister to make you gay, then at least SOMETHING about you would be interesting.

I let go of his wrist, and clocked Cupid in the face as I took a bite out of his hand.

His golden Ichor dripped to the ground as he jumped back, the golden liquid staining his invisible skin.

“No, I’m Jason Grace, I’m a boy, I was born a boy, I’ll die a boy, just because I like being Pretty sometimes doesn’t mean I’m trans, I like girls, and only girls, and not in a way that’s like I want to be one, they’re Pretty, they have their own Ideas, Opinions, thoughts, I love that, I’m Jason Grace, and I’m Cis, Het, and I’m not ashamed of that.” I glared at the dripping Gold from where I assumed the gods nose was.

We stood there for a few seconds, and then everything got… less tense.

The saxophone in the background got softer.

“Alright, good for you.” and he fizzled out.

Nico twirled the Staff in his hand, and slid it up under his Veil.

“...How-”

“Don’t ask, I don’t know fully either.” He shrugged.

And we left to get back to The Leon.

Chapter 10: The Ashes of a Poet.

Notes:

Yo, so, you probably know that the actual batch of chapters this is a rewrite of are the ones where they meet the good giant.
Problem: There's no poison for him to cure, so they don't need to do that.
so, how am I going to write this chapter?
It's like, less than a hundred words of Atty tussling with the implications of her being able to destroy a concept.
Speaking of which:
(Atty)

I had watched it.

I had seen the light fade from her eyes.

The life faded from her heart.

Her devotion, cut short.

Her trust, shattered.

But she was back now, and she didn’t remember any of it.

The Arai were gone.

They never existed in the first place.

Atty.

Goddess of Destruction.

I didn’t just destroy them.

I destroyed the very idea of them.

Now, Luke, Polyphemus, Annabeth?

None of them could remember the Arai ever existing.

Maybe the gods were right.

Maybe I was too powerful…

Notes:

You don't have to Comment on this one, don't worry, I'll write(And Upload) the next chapter tomorrow. (Hopefully, this was supposed to go up yesterday.)

Chapter 11: We Experience a Flash Freeze

Notes:

(Piper)

So…

Hi, it’s me, Piper.

Again.

I’ve started keeping a… journal? Letters?

It’s a way to keep my head on straight, Ironically.

So, as a… side effect, I guess, of having the attention of all the versions of Aphrodite, is that I have all of their attention.

And nobody else can see them.

Pandemos taps me on the head, constantly, telling me that I should actually do something with the body she gave me.

Urania sits in my chairs, and I have to just stand there, waiting for her to leave, and people are starting to realize that it takes me a bit to sit down.

At least Areia is teaching me how to use this sword that Poseidon gave me.

Ishtar(Yeah, she’s still here) makes sure I take a bath every day, which, yeah, I should do that, but it’s awkward when my MOM is watching me do it! She wants to make sure that I bathe properly.

My only solace(Not Will) is Ashtarte.

She’s cool.

Fundamentally, she just hangs out, we talk about Mira sometimes.

Then there’s Genesis.

She’s not around a lot.

And I’m happy about that.

She keeps nudging the idea that, since I’m a child of Ishtar, I could form a child, even if it’d be the product of two women.

I don’t know how to feel about that, so I just ignore it.

Anyway, what was I doing?

Right! I was training with Areia, getting used to Undertow.

We had worked on enchanting the blade, and that made it form a consciousness.

Urania had given me a charm bracelet, and Areia made it so there was a tiny plastic sword hanging from it, and if I pulled it off, I’d get undertow.

And if I ever lost it, it’d just appear again, hanging from the bracelet, which only ever comes off when I bathe.

He’s also a boy.

Tell that Leo guy I think she’s hot.

“They’re a child of Hephaestus.” I muttered as I swung with both hands at Areia, who stopped the swing with one hand.

You know what I mean.

I sighed.

“Pipes, you know this doesn’t work, right?” Areia asked me, “Two handed is more of an Ares kid thing, you’re effectively an Aphrodite girl, and part of that, is that you get more powerful the more comfortable you are in your own skin, and then the more attractive you are, and that’s not a body thing, it’s about drive, action, you watched the Avengers, right?”

“Huh? Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?” Now I was confused.

“Ok, Think about Black Widow, she’s hot, and she’s competent, those aren’t contradicting statements, being competent is hot, that’s Silena’s whole thing, she uses two knives because they allow for greater ease of movement, and with that ease of movement, she can draw attention to herself. The more attention you draw, the easier fighting gets. We feed off of the attention of others, again, it’s not about your figure, it’s about how you interact with people mid-fight.” she explained, leaning against the rails of the ship.

“That’s a lot of words.” I blinked.

“Piper, come on, TLDL: if you can draw someone’s attention to be more about how you look, you can end the fight before it even actually starts.” she told me, and faded into a red fog.

I turned to Leo.

“My sword thinks you're Hot.” I told them.

“I’m a child of Hephaestus.” they said humorously.

“Yeah.” I sighed.

Then the temperature dropped.

 

The sea froze over.

The pine tree we had as a mast was covered in snow.

The deck, rails, the steering wheel.

Frozen, covered in snow.

The door to the lower deck.

Frozen to the hinges, wouldn’t budge.

Then, I heard it.

That… FILTH that the Boreads claimed to be French.

“Yer Not Giong Anyvere.” It hurt to hear, it barely made sense, it made me gag, it made me nauseous, it was like taking a big whiff of the bottom of a trash can that had been sitting in the sun for a whole week.

Scales krept down my arms as the snow pelted me and became water against my exposed shoulders and arms.

Not the best day to wear a Strapped top.

“It’s supposed to be JUNE!” I shouted.

“You Insult our Language, you try to kill our father, and you dare to postpone the rising of our savior?” The girl, it was a few months ago, sue me, spoke in English, and landed on the deck.

“What?” I squint.

“The four winds are bound to Zeus, the Saviour shall free us, and allow us to run free, no longer required to carry his brats, or him, and you were supposed to be his Vessel.” She glared at me, and I remembered.

The Well.

With Will and Jason.

The black water rushing into my body, trying to use me to raise… him.

“...Piper? What are they talking about?” Leo looked at me, eyes wide.

“Ah, right, the F-Lame one.” the girl grinned, probably having thought of that a long time ago, and having been looking for a way to use it since then.

Then she waved a hand.

I watched as Leo was sent flying with a gust of wind that blew off half of the tree's needles.

“LEO!” I called out, but he was gone, right through a cloud that looked like an explosion.

My heart was beating, hard and fast, my breathing was ragged, I blinked the tears from my eyes.

“So, what’s your plan, Hero?” The girl asked, mockingly, “Killer of the Minotaur,” Wait… what? “Returner of the Bolt,” I never… “Finder of the Fleece,” Did… Any, “Holder of the Sky, Defender of the Camp, savior of Olympus. ” Of this!

“... What are you talking about?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“Your Titles, stories, bloodline, they all make you a perfect candidate for Our Savior’s Vessel.

A flash of golden light, and memories I never had come rushing into my brain.

[Basically, the OG Percy Jackson Series, but Piper replaces Percy, and there’s a whole thing about how Aphrodite is the oldest god on the Olympian counsel, which nobody actually thought about. Sorry if this way of portraying it is lazy, I can’t think of another way to comprehensibly explain that that is what’s happening, :P]

I hissed, gripping my head as the version of me in my memories pointed Undertow at Zeus as she demanded they claim their kids by 12, and fix the way camp is run.

I opened my eyes, glaring at the snow spirits, who looked smug, except Cal.

I remembered Cal, I liked Cal, he was funny.

Then again, my memories were flawed.

“Destroy!” Nevermind.

“So, you know what I’ve(Apparently) Done, but you’re still willing to try and fight me?” I placed a hand on my hip, raising an eyebrow.

The scrawny boy shuddered.

“Not fight, no, we want you on our side, see, the way your going, you’ll all die, and the Savior will rise anyway, but, if you don’t, and join our side instead, then he shall bring forth a new age, one where Myths and Mortals shall live together, no longer divided by that pesky mist, they shall no longer rise from Tartarus, for there will be no Tartarus to rise from! It’ll be like the old days, where stories were made, not retold over and over again!” The girl threw her arms apart.

“Where’d you send my Boyfriend.” I demanded.

“Aren’t you a Lesbian?” She asked.

“They’re Non Binary, and exist beyond the division of gender.” I explained.

“Well, I doubt we’ll be seeing much of him, with where I sent them.” she grinned.

“Then I’ll never join you. Any cause that would be willing to hurt the people I care about can die in a fire.” I glare.

 “You’re only causing yourself unneeded pain by doing this.” The girl warned me, and I took a swing that cleaved her from shoulder to hip.

“If I suffer while protecting those I love, then I’d gladly do so forever.” I glared at the other two, and they retreated.

Everything thawed immediately.

The door was sent flying from the doorway to the below deck, and I saw everyone that had been below deck holding Parthena like a battering ram.

“Where’s My boyfriend?” She asked.

“-My Boyfriend?” Echo Echoed.

I looked to the sky.

The cloud they had been sent through looked like an explosion.

Notes:

as it turns out, being ANY gods favorite Child is bad for you.

Chapter 12: Never You.

Notes:

Fun Fact!: the Atty part of this was supposed to be last chapter, lol, I forgor.
(Atty)

My ears perked up, a rhythmic violin drawing my attention.

“Uh, hey, you can keep going, I’ll catch up.” I did a leap into a run, not really bothering to hold a human shape for Annabeth since she was out of view.

 

I came to the Cliff.

And there he sat.

A figure in a cloak, billowing in the wind, cloth and hair.

“You.” I said, breathlessly.

“-Are the Prophet, with the answers you seek.” they turned, hair covering their eyes, a small smile on their face.

“Time, you’ve unlocked it, Past and Future, Running free.” they stood, turning fully, their staff in hand, and chained to their wrist.

“There was a world where you both escaped,” and their face fell.

“But that’s not a world you’ll know.” they positioned their head away from me.

“Why?”

“I Have seen Songs of Past Romance, ” An Image of Penelope and Odysseus, Finally Together After 20 Years.

“I’ve seen Sacrific-ed Men, ” Charles Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, Castor, Travis?

“I’ve seen Portrail-ed Betrails, ” Luke, Ethan, Poly, Jake.

“And a Lover’s, Final, Stand. ” Annebeth, older, more worn down, with milky eyes, standing in front of a storm that’s throwing ships around like bouncy balls as an Army fights around her.

“I saw you on the Brink of Death, ” my first trip to the underworld, when I was almost pulled into the Pit.

“I saw you Draw, your Final Breath, ” me, sinking into the water in the Sea of Monsters after Killing Scylla, and when that giant robot fell on me, and when I exploded the volcano, and when I took Kronos’ Hand.

“I see someone that leaves this place alive, but it Was Never, You. ” He rested against his staff for what little rest he gets.

“This… no, I’ve Suffered, and Killed just to Help her Prevail, and you say that my effort’s for NOTHING?” I snap at him, and he takes a deep breath.

“I see, A city, with streets running red, ” Gnarling teeth, crashing hooves, slashing tendrils.

“Faces of men, who all should be dead. ” a Man, smiling and laughing, then Blind, then severely Burned, and then his head exploded. A second one, and this one Burned to death. And another, who was crushed by Rubble.

“I see your Wife, with a Person who’s daunting, someone, with a trail, of Bodies.”  this one gets a bit iffy, they could have brown, blonde, or black hair, the could have a tan, pasty white skin, or be covered in freckles, they could be a boy, a girl, switching back and forth, they could have a moon shaped hair pin, they could have a sun shaped pupil, wolf ears, antlers, could have a bow, or a guitar with an Axe Blade slapped on, but my point is, none of them were ME.

“WHO!?!” I grabbed Tireseus by the front of her Cloak, and held her aloft over the cliff.

“I've Seen SONGS OF PAST ROMANCE! ” Hyacinthus and Apollo, Icarus Flying up to the sun, for Apollo, That Bitch Ass, Roman Ass version of Me, with APOLLO.

“I’ve Seen SACRIFICED MEN! ” Jason, older as well, 26 by my count, stabbed through the heart by a spear, with a soft smile on his face.

“I’ve Seen PORTRAILES of BETRAIL! ” a small, 10 year old girl, turning away from that Amorphous Prophecy Blob, and a 7 year old boy, and another 10 year old girl, who looks heart Broken.

“And a LOVERS, FINAL, STAND. ” Annabeth, looking up to the storm, her eyes clearing up, and speaking, and I can read her lips, because I’ve seen lips say that name many, many times. Penelope.

“I Saw you ON THE BRINK, of DEATH,” an image, of mom and baby me coming ashore on Montauk.

A voice, ethereal, and almost imperceptible, chanted, “Gateway Arch.”

“I Saw you DRAW YOUR FINAL BREATH. ” Me catching Annabeth after she Fell out of that Helicopter.

The ethereal voice chanted “Scylla’s Corpse.”

“I see somebody who can MAKE IT OUT ALIVE ,”

Three things the Ethereal one Chanted, “Ta-alos.” “Sacrifice.” and “DESTROYER.”

“But it was never, ” then he paused for the Ethereal voice again.

“Bring out Misery for your Love.”

“ You. ” he finished, and in a flash, in my mind's eye, I could see him.

A boy, with Black hair, cut short, in a blue sweater, ragged, bruised, and grinning ear to ear as green liquid around him converged on a ghostly woman, a blonde girl in the background looked mortified.

I knew his name, on instinct.

Perseus, Achilles, Jackson.

When I snapped back to Reality(Ope, there goes Gravity.) Tireseus was gone, and I could feel Annabeth’s fear.

I turned around, and ran to get there as fast as possible.

Not humanly possible.

Me, possible.

 

(Annabeth)

 

So, just because I’m invulnerable, that doesn’t make poisonous gas any less painful.

I… just learned that…

Poly and Luke disappeared at some point, I don’t remember when, I think Luke said he felt a snake or something.

Anyway, I was led off to the edge of tartarus, and the Goddess of Misery, whose name was the real misery, to spell and pronounce, she was trying to kill me, even though that’s impossible, and she realized, and decided it was better that way, because then I could experience Misery forever.

Then I heard Galloping.

Slamming, scratching, like nails on a chalkboard, fish hooks against porcelain, a shark biting an internet line.

A mass of shadow, storm clouds, and the legs of many different kinds of Predator, slammed into Akhlys.

Atty.

Her hair, which I had mentioned looking like Fish hooks, buried itself into the skin of the goddess, who screamed, then the eel heads bit her, and hooves trampled, and tentacles crushed her.

She started turning to a golden dust-

“NO! You don’t die unless I LET YOU!” Atty screamed, and Akhlys was forced into reforming.

“I, I’m… so-” she tried, but then a tendril crushed her wind pipe.

“I don’t want your Apologies, Or your death, or your possible redemption, you hurt MY ANNABETH! And for that, all you deserve is to SUFFER. ” golden light and inky darkness fused with each other as Akhlys screamed in a way I never thought Possible for anyone, much less a god, with such force it sounded like her vocal cords were snapping, and her throat was getting torn, like her scream was made of razor blades, her Ichor started leaking.

“You dropped something.” Atty manipulated the liquidated gold, and forced it back into her, not caring where.

Eventually, Akhlys was nothing but a bloated husk, and Atty looked like she had lost interest.

Then, and only then, did she die.

Her body crumbled to dust, not golden dust, just normal, grey dust, like Pan did.

“I told those Bastards to watch you.” she sighed, and the claws, teeth, metal, hooves, keratin, and tentacles wrapped themselves into an approximation of a Cheerleader.

“Come on, you’ve got a ride to catch.”

Chapter 13: "Leo Valdez built this in a Cave, with a belt of Scraps!"

Notes:

in which, Leo Becomes Tony Stark, and his relationship with Calypso is purely Platonic.
(Leo)

I was Falling.

I do that a lot, don’t I?

But anyway, this was a problem, and a pretty big one, too.

I didn’t have time to build anything mechanical to save me, but I still had the magic pockets filled with infinite Metal, so I pulled a bunch out with my Magic Metal Powers, and just kinda…

Made a meteorite around me.

A large chunk of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold was quenched by clouds as I heated my body enough to cause the metal to melt, and meld together…

Have we ever done that before?

Tried to make an Alloy out of Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold?

Would that work?

Then I made contact with the planet below.

 

The meteor worked, but it also exploded when it crashed.

The back end was blown open like the world’s strangest Metal statue of a Rose, and I pulled myself out of it.

Then I heard someone screaming.

“What the hell is THAT!?” I turned, and saw a girl.

Light brown hair, eyes that were as blue as the sky, freckles that seemed to form Constellations, wearing a long, flowing dress, and pointing in my direction with a perfectly Manicured fingernail.

“What is what?” I looked behind myself.

“I, not behind you! It should have taken a thousand years for another to… MY TABLES!” she screamed, and grabbed a Wooden Table Leg.

“Oh… shit, my bad…” I winced.

She made grabby hands at me in a way that told me she wanted to strangle me, then ran her hands through her hair, and took a deep breath.

“Gods, the last visitor I had came out of the sea with a hand on her hip, and Gave me my Bisexual Awakening, I’m sorry for being a bit surprised that after that, I got mortared.” She gestured to me and my hunk of Slag.

“Ah, fuck, I’m sorry, it was either this, Or I would have crashed into it, still destroyed it, And also Died, and that would have really ruined the view…” I chuckled.

“The giant ball of METAL, ruins the view!” She gestured at my innocent Slag again.

“Actually, that’s a good point, why didn’t the front break, it’s what made contact…” I jumped out of the hole in the back, and looked at the wreckage.

The sand around us had been rendered sand, and blasted away, forming a large Dandelion of Glass around my Rose of Metal.

I got down on one arm, and poked the Impact point with my flesh finger.

My ear twitched as I realized.

They had melted together.

Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold had been forced together by the Pressure, and the heat, and their Color had been bled out, leaving a slightly reflective gray, not enough to be silver though.

I knocked on it, and it rang out through the bowl with a mighty BONG.

Imperial Gold was more of a high Ding when Rang, and Celestial Bronze didn’t really make much of a sound.

“Hey!” the girl shouted at me, “Are you even Listening to me!?” she shouted indignantly.

“Huh?” I turned back to her, having forgotten she existed, “Right, sorry, I just invented a Metal, so I was distracted.” I told her.

“I was SAYING!- Wait, you what.” She stopped being pissed, and I took out Heat Knife, a piece of Equipment I had Enchanted during a Training session with Hazel, which used my Fire Power to Make the Blade hotter so I could cut through Metal like cheese.

The New Metal didn’t budge.

“Hey, Boss? Sorry, but this stuff’s got a Meltin’ point beyond my Natural Capabilities.” He told me, and I sighed, Sheathing him for later use, not wanting to Overcharge him just for this.

“Yeah, A New Metal, It’s Harder than Celestial Bronze, I don’t know about weight, but it doesn’t melt very easily.” I told the girl as I climbed out of the Crater.

“You could go down and look at it.” I told her, and she looked at me like I was crazy.

“The buttons on your pants are melting.” She told me, and I checked, and it was true.

“Oh… Right, Ambient heat is a thing…” I scratched my Sideburn, a patch of fur running down my jaw.

The girl took a deep breath, and sighed.

“You’re a child of Hephaestus, right?” she asked, eyes tired.

“Yep, Leo, ‘Smokin’ Hot’ Valdez, at your Service.” I winked, and she rubbed at her eyes with her thumb.

“Calypso.” She grit her teeth, and looked at me, “Come on, you’re gonna be here a while.” She waved me to walk with her, and I followed, my footsteps making the sand melt into glass.

 

Her little Cave was fucking Hype.

There was a reflecting pool, a little work bench, a garden outside, which grew cotton, and I saw some silkworms.

“Welcome, Mortal, to the Calypso Cave, this is where I live, sleep, eat, spend most of my time… the plates are magic, any Edible food you think about will automatically appear on it, the cups are similar, yadda yadda, there’s an old Hephaestus Forge down the hall, the door right at the end, this place used to be a Volcanic Island before it was severed by the Great Migration.” She sat down in a plush looking chair, clearly Tired.

“The Great… What?” I asked.

“Ugh, The Great Migration, it’s when the gods, and the monsters, went farther West, they did it when people in a more Western Civilization started thinking about the greek gods more and more, eventually, people had gotten so Into them that they kinda just… moved over there, but my whole thing is being out of the way, so… now I’m effectively in a pocket universe.” She shrugged, and kicked her feet up.

She had on a pair of sandals that were pretty flat, considering how feminine most of her vibe was.

As though she could hear my thoughts, she spoke, “Try walking on sand wearing heels, and you’ll swap them out Pretty Damn Quick, too.” She scoffed.

I headed to the Forge she mentioned.

 

A week had passed.

I had Finally worked out how to form Latinum, Which is what I’m calling that Metal I invented.

Having an Infinite supply of bars of both Metals required to make it also helped.

It was fucking hard!

Like, seriously, it required me to supply as much heat as possible, and enough pressure to move a tectonic plate.

The First thing I made was a Hammer, to beat the Material into sheets somewhat more reliably.

I also realised that it seemed to be a Magic Sponge, not in the way of “It doesn’t work” More that it was more receptive, and could release it with a swing.

So, I made the Latinum Hammer unleash a blast of Pure heat, as powerful as my Hottest flame, every time it connected.

I walked out the door, panting, and less clothed than I went in, the heat had burned my clothes off by the second swing.

Calypso tossed me a new set.

“Fire Proof, only real issue would be the force of your swings then, you’re shaking the whole Island when you hit that stuff.” She told me, and I saw her twirling a clear piece of glass? Crystal? Something like it, between her fingers.

“Hey, what’s that?” I asked her about the Crystal.

“Huh? Oh, it doesn’t have a name, it grows here naturally, why?” she tossed it to me.

My brain was filled with thought, like a spike to the brain, or a spear to the spine, as I grabbed the Crystal.

“... I can use this.” I grinned.

 

It had been 2 weeks.

I hooked up the Gygerite, which is what I’m calling the Crystal, to the string of a Kite that I had convinced Calypso to make me.

I was wearing a pair of Blue Denim Overalls, a white Dress shirt with no sleeves, due to my Hammering having made them rip off, with a single Goggle lens made of Gygerite hanging from my neck, made for my one functioning eye.

I tied the Kite to an exposed Root on the edge of a Cliff, the rain beating down and lightning striking the sea.

“Leo! What are you doing!? I sectioned off this cliff for a reason!” Calypso shouted, making her way up to me.

“Wait, don’t come closer, you’ll mess with it!” I warned her, a crazed smile on my face.

“I don’t want another Hero to jump off this damned cliff! Get back inside!” she told me.

“I’m not jumping! I… it’s hard to explain.” I told her, and ground my teeth together.

Then it happened.

A white flash, and electricity coursed down the string of the Kite, and I watched as it hit the Crystal.

All according to plan.

The lighting tried to pass it, but the Gygerite had special lightning channeling properties.

It’s what the Case of the Master Bolt was made of.

Calypso had explained how Zeus himself had made sure this was the only island that had any.

There was a crack, and it was done.

The gem, glowing green, sat at the middle of a Kite string.

I reeled it in.

 

The 3rd week came and went.

I hooked up the Latinum arm to my stump, the gygerite gem placed in the forearm, and it powered on.

It moved like normal, I had been controlling my old arm with my Magnet powers, but this one was like it was attached to my Nervous system.

The Dark Grey metal was boring though, so I had covered it with Imperial Gold and Celestial Bronze, to add a bit of Leo to it.

The Fingers were sharp, not the nails, the fingers themselves, perfect cones, like Festus’s Claws were designed, more of a spear head instead of a flat sword on the end of a finger.

Anyway, the Cleared up gygerite I had in the Palm was functioning as intended.

Now to see if it actually worked…

I turned to the little thing I had made, a punching bag, a target dummy, it had been a lot of things.

At first, a robot in Archemedes’ workshop, then Possessed.

Turns out, those guys aren’t as good at getting out of things as they are at getting in.

I pointed my palm at it, grinning Madly.

“No, No, PLEAS-” it tried to beg, but then an arc of purified plasma beamed through the thirty feet between us, and eviscerated its face.

Calypso watched on, a mix of horror and fascination on her face.

“Wow.” she spoke breathlessly.

I chuckled.

“Just like Iron-Man.” I smiled to myself.

“Who?” she asked.

“Not really important, just… yeah, I have one more thing to do, and it’ll be done.” I smiled.

“It’s not already done!?” She asked, shocked.

“Well, the arm is, but I have big plans.” I smiled.

 

A Month.

I stepped onto the Beach, ready to leave.

My right arm was still made of Latinum, I had also worked some into my leg, replacing the steel from my first quest with Jason and Piper.

I had stuffed my pockets and belt with gygerite.

Calypso looked at me, a soft smile on her face.

“You’re going to help your friends, save the world, all that.” she sighed.

“Yep.” I responded.

She looked at her legs.

“Come back and get me, if you can manage it, ok?” she smiled, and leaned down, kissing me on the forehead, “I’ll miss you.” she muttered.

I looked at her, and gave her a hug.

“I’ll miss you too, but hey, you’ll have the Metal Rose to keep you company until I get back!” I grinned cheekily, and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re Impossible.” She giggled.

“I do the Impossible, all the time, and I will again.” I stepped away from her, rolled my shoulders, and she nodded, leaving to her garden.

I smiled, genuinely excited.

I held my hand up, and gripped my hand.

“Festus, Form up.”

Metal, from the Hepaestus forge in Calypso’s cave, opened up, and formed around me.

A Helmet, a bit crude, with holes for my ears, two separate bits for the chest plate, a sleeve for my fleshy arm.

Then, the painful part.

The metal brace in my right leg split open, and spikes sprouted out of my skin, and plates formed from there.

Another Pant leg, and I did a Hop for the foot covers, even though I had Hooves.

Lefestus had formed properly, for the first time.

Me and Calypso both knew, we’d miss each other in equal measure, so I could go.

And I had to.

I breathed in, feeling the crackle of lightning from each of the power sources, shards of gygerite set into the very metal, with lines of Imperial Gold connecting them, then connecting them to a lightning rod on my back, retractable, of course.

Then, I pulled.

And I took flight.

Notes:

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Series this work belongs to:

• Part 11 of The Jackson Chronicles.