Annabeth woke with a start. She looked around the room but saw no one. A shout from above drew her attention. It sounded like Piper, and it sounded like she was being attacked.
She grabbed her knife and rushed above deck and found Piper crossing blades with a dark-haired androgynous-looking person who was only a few inches shorter than Killian with the colors blue and purple dyed in their hair. She saw several rings on their fingers and assumed one was a weapon, enchanted like Killian's. Killian stood off to the side, leaning against the side of the boat as he watched.
"What's going on?" Annabeth asked, drawing everyone's attention.
"Morning to you, too," Killian greeted. "Piper was just trying to attack our new teammate again for the twelfth time."
"New teammate?"
"Michael Gardner, child of Selene," they said, throwing Piper's cutlass to the side and stepping forward, dodging her next stab. They bowed and Piper's sword sailed over her back. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, daughter of Athena."
"It's Minerva!" Piper shouted, trying to stab her again. They deflected Piper's strike, making her stumble to the side.
"You're Killian's brother," Annabeth said, making Piper pause.
Michael grinned at her. "Indeed I am, Chase. I also hear that you've met Bianca. She's my wife. One of them, anyway."
"One of them?" Piper asked, lowering her sword. "Killian didn't mention that."
Michael shrugged. "Polyamory seems to run in the family. Percy has two wives and my eldest daughter has two girlfriends. Killian's managed to stick to one woman, though. Good for him."
"I'm the only one with enough restraint," Killian grumbled goodnaturedly.
"Yet you have five children," Michael shot back.
"And you have 16!"
"Six of them are twins! And three of them are triplets!"
"You have 16 kids?" Piper exclaimed. "How in my mother's name is that possible? You can't be more than twenty-two years old!"
"Actually, I'm 27. My first wife, Katie, is 32, and also prophesied to never be barren. My second wife is 24, only one year older than Killian here. Besides." He shrugged. "We like sex. Katie and I have been having sex since we were 18 and 17 years old."
"That's im-"
"Impossible, yeah, I've heard it all before," Michael interrupted. "Long story short, Percy and I went back in time when I was 17 and he was 18, but Katie remained 19, so now she's five years older than I am. It's complicated, but that's now what we're here to discuss. You three are on a quest!"
Killian nodded. "We've got to find our enemy here in Alaska."
Michael clapped his hands. "Alright! Our enemy is Aclyoneus, the bane of Hades. He's set up on Hubbard Glacier in a replica of an army base. He'll have an army of shades to try and stop you from fighting him or freeing Thanatos. I think that's why Percy wanted me here."
"I could've done it," Killian muttered.
"You're probably needed for something else, Killian. Something more important. Besides, we need two of you fighting Aclyoneus since he can't be killed in Alaska since he was born there."
Killian muttered more things under his breath.
"If this giant bastard can't be killed in Alaska," Piper said, "how're we going to murder him to death?"
"The same way Heracles did it in the original Gigantomachy," Killian answered. "We drag him into another land."
"Canada is about ten miles away from Hubbard," Michael mused. "If we can drag him there, we can kill him."
YOU ARE READING
The Altered Seven
FanfictionIt's been eight years since the Titan War, and all had been peaceful. Until Killian is found missing one day. A trip to the Grand Canyon reveals a plot that even Michael and Percy are hesitant to share. And we finally meet a certain daughter of Athe...
