LOVE BRINGS PAIN

MUCH NEEDED FURLOUGH

PERCY POV

The first thing that I did as soon as I left was to start traveling towards Alaska, the land beyond the gods. I wanted to train my water powers there without the influence of my dad Poseidon, the sea god. It was hard, harder than anytime before I had used my powers. I mean, I had used my powers in Alaska before on my quest to save Death, but the adrenaline had made it easier to manipulate my element for me. But this time it made me feel vulnerable, like I was walking in the enemy line, unarmed for slaughter. I was having trouble manipulating even a drop of water, but I held on and tried & tried. 

After the entire day of pushing myself I ended up getting a small amount of success and thought that was an honest day and it was time for rest. As I was about to retire in my tent that I got from my adopted mother and patron Hestia, I heard some rustling. My first thought was monster. So I was on alert, and before I knew it I had someone pressed against a nearby tree with a sword at its neck and a dagger at their neck. I looked clearly to see it was no monster, but a woman. She was beautiful, her brown eyes so cold it was like winter had come early. Her skin was white as snow, and her hair long and black. There was no warmth on her but an icy edge that just screamed danger.

"Percy Jackson pleasure to meet at last" The girl squeaked against the sword at her throat. "How do you know my name?" I growled with the hint of danger in my voice, and pressed the sword a little further at her throat. "Who doesn't know your name would be a better question. You are pretty famous" she said to me. In return, I blushed and replied "I'm not that famous and I didn't even do that much". Despite the danger she was in, the girl chuckled and said "your reputation precedes you Jackson. I'm Khione, daughter of Boreas, goddess of snow". I pressed even harder on after that and snarled "I have heard of your deeds, you made things really hard for my friends. Heard of them? Jason Grace, Piper Mclean, Leo Valdez". Khione realized the situation wasn't going to get any better with just words, so she started "look I was manipulated by the earth mother just like everyone else so forget it, how about I make you a deal?" "what kind of deal" I asked even though I knew it wasn't a good idea to make deals with strangers, but I wanted to know what kind of deal she could offer.

"I can train you here with your powers and even help you control ice/snow if you progress fast. I am the daughter of God of North Wind, you are under my domain and I can help you master your powers much more efficiently here." She offered me, and I thought about it and agreed it was too good of a deal to pass. So that's how my training started under the ice-hearted bitch, she trained me hard and rigid. She was as cold as her domain during training and afterwards she would show a kind of warmth that I wasn't accustomed to from her. During the time we spent together we grew closer together and I would definitely say that she was one of my favorite people in the world. I always used to joke about our unusual friendship, " Fire and Ice who would've thought" and she would just smirk at me.

We would roam the streets of Alaska at midnight, just the two of us. When I had started my trip here, I couldn't stand the cold of this relentless city. But the more time I spent with Khione, the more I started to embrace it. Khione had a way of making you see the beauty of things, and in her presence the cold and ruthless winds, the unforgiving coldness of snow, seemed delightful. The hurt and pain that was there after he had left Annabeth was reducing and he was really starting to move on.

Six months had gone by, and like the blink of an eye, time went pretty fast training with Khione. My training was finished with her and it was time for the next adventure. "I wish you could stay with me for a little while more Percy" she said to me sadly. "I know these past few months have been the best six months of my life. I wish I could stay with you too, but life doesn't work that way. It has to keep moving and so do I" I replied to her with sadness and a little love from my heart. I wanted to stay here with her, but I knew I had to go. It's like I could hear my destiny calling, so I gave her a hug and kissed her on the cheek and turned around, "Goodbye Khione" I said to her over my shoulder and got a " I will miss you" spoken so softly that I almost hadn't heard it, and walked away with tears dripping down my cheeks like waves crashing on the shore and heart so heavy it was like I was under the weight of the sky again.

The next three and a half years had gone pretty fast for me with various new adventures. I spent the next six months after Alaska in Egypt training under a fire mage to enhance my power over the hearth. And in the span of those six months I had complete mastery over my fire powers, and could even travel through it. Then I spent a year training under a Japanese monk working on my chakras; now I could suppress my aura and even mask my demigod scent which i have heard kind of smells like buttery bread. I have mastered the art of being a samurai. My movements are so silent and precise that even the dead won't be able to sense me among them. 

My next two years were spent just me meditating and controlling my powers over sea and water at the bottom of Mariana Trench, which is about 35756 feet below the ocean. The pressure was so intense that it felt like my body was going to compress, but now after two years I was used to it and my skin was as hard as a rock. My physical shape was at its peak, and my muscles were big; not bulked, but lean and defined, whereas my mind was at peace. I was finally over my past and accepted what happened as choices and sacrifices that weren't in my power to prevent and finally stopped beating myself up for it. My power over water had enhanced also, and I could even turn myself into pure vapor and travel through it. I called it vapor travel.

After I left the trench I returned to the US and met my father and mother (mother will be used for Hestia and birth mother for Sally). They both gave me a hug and Hestia had to tear Poseidon apart from his son because he wouldn't let go after seeing his son for the first time in 4 years. They talked for a while in the middle of some woods. "After you left the 7, Nico, Reyna and the veterans from the second Titan war were offered immortality without domains to train the future generation of demigods" mother informed me. I nodded, showing I understood "The council has agreed to offer you Godhood for a third time, and I hope that you should accept it this time as you have no mortal ties anymore" dad told me, and I agreed with him. "Okay I would accept Godhood the next time it's offered to me but I still have a year left of my leave. I will make my return on the Winter Solstice meeting of next year not a day earlier, and please don't tell anyone about where I am." They both nodded happily, my father more so than her. I knew he always wanted me as an immortal. Then mom asked what happened to me, that I looked calmer than I was ever before. "a lot happens when you spend years thinking things through and accepting yourself. I am at peace with everything that has happened to me throughout my life" I said, and they both nodded. 

My mother & patron gave me my task for my remaining year, to rescue demigods and safely deliver them to the camps or hunt if there were any girls with traumatic experience with men or abusive households. They both flashed out soon, leaving me alone. So I thought to meet my birth mother and ease her worry, because she would definitely have been worried about me. I was standing in front of my mother's apartment and rang the doorbell. A minute later a little girl opened the door and looked at me questioningly. She looked about 3 and tears welled up in my eyes. She was an exact replica of my mom and I knew her immediately as my sister. Mom and Paul must have had her when I was away. I crouched down to her level and asked " Is Mrs. Blofis home?". She nodded and went in to bring her. My mother arrived at the gate, looked at me, and tears filled up in her eyes. "Hello Mom" She immediately flung herself at me and crushed me in a hug that could rival one of Tyson's. After that we went in.

"Honey who is it" Paul's voice came from the kitchen, "why don't you come see for yourself?" mom shouted to him. Paul came in and looked at me and hugged me fiercely, "where were you for all this years Percy?" He asked, "long story Paul i will tell you in a moment first tell me who is this beautiful little girl" He chuckled and mom smiled, "Estelle, meet your big brother Percy. Percy meet Estelle" . I crouched down to meet my sister's height. "Hello sis, are you gonna give me a hug?" She nodded brightly and hugged me and asked about me, and why haven't I met her before, and I began to tell them of my adventures of the last four years. I played with my sister for a while to make up for lost time; I wasn't there for her. Time spent with her was so quick that I didn't realize it until mom called us for dinner. A family dinner after four years felt so good like old times when it was just my mom and me, but now our family had more members. We chatted and shared stories which consisted of most of my childhood's embarrassing stories that had Paul and Estelle laughing. Overall, it was a good night. Then, after dinner, I took my leave and promised to come back soon.

I went to sleep that night thinking about how tomorrow I'm gonna start my new job.

ANOTHER CHAPTER FINISHED 

PUBLISHED AT 05/JAN/2022