Meeting the Immortal

Chapter 1

"Delay...Ragnarok?" Magnus said carefully, trying to make sure he heard the god right. He couldn't quite fandom someone powerful, a god, wanting to help them.

"Yes," The teenager took a seat on the free chair next to Sam, who stiffened. "I may be able to assist you on your little..." His mouth twitched, almost in a smile, "Quest."

"Wait, who are you?" Blitzen questioned leaning forward slightly, "Not that I'm trying to be rude!" He waved his hands, "It's just... Why would a god help us? Aren't there rules?"

"For all I know, there could be rules," The teen shrugged. "Then again, I'm not exactly known for following them so I guess it doesn't matter. As for who I am," He paused, looking towards the shore before glancing back. "My name is Perseus Jackson."

"What are you the god of?" Sam asked next, "I've never heard of you."

"Peace, fire, crafting, sun, music, archery, the moon, animals, family, death, wine," He held a secret smile, "The sea and various others."

"Whoa," Magnus gaped. "That's... a lot."

Percy snorted and leaned on his hand, "You're telling me. It was a pain starting off at first. Back to this Ragnarok business." Percy paused and grabbed one of Magnus's falafel, popping it into his mouth, muttering a 'wow, that's good,' "I'm going to assume you're looking for S.o.S."

"S.o.S?" Magnus muttered, looking over at Blitzen, who shrugged helplessly.

Hearthstone must have understood because he nodded rapidly, his hands moving in rapid movements.

"Calm down," Percy smiled, patting the elf gently on the shoulder. "I can help you find it quickly. Good thing I came when I did too." Percy's eyes held a secretive glint in them as he said nonchalantly, "If I didn't, you'd be carried off across the city by an eagle." Looking at their faces, he added, "Or something."

"Or something," Sam murmured, tightening her hjab around her neck. "You know where the Sword of Summer is?"

"No," Percy grinned at their shocked, angry, and more than annoyed faces. "But Magnus does."

The blonde blinked when three pairs of eyes looked at him, and turned to the god, "I do?"

"Yes," Percy nodded, leaning back in his seat like he wasn't discussing something that millions of powerful people were after. "Very much so. The sword is your birthright, Magnus Chase. All you have to do is listen."

"Listen?" Magnus echoed and Sam, Blitzen, and Hearthstone looked as lost as he did, "What am I listening for?"

"The sword. Simply close your eyes, tune out the unneeded distractions, and find your sword's voice. If you listen with a clear heart, the sword will call your name."

Magnus had no idea what 'listen with a clear heart' meant but he found that he would find out sooner or later. Right now, as he felt more confused than ever, he wished it would be sooner rather than later.

"Don't over think it, Magnus," Percy spoke again, voice gentle and not overbearing. To Magnus, Percy was the only one who felt that the einherji didn't need to know how to do everything. He didn't need to come to Valhalla knowing how to be a hero. Percy knew, even if he didn't show it, that Magnus was still a kid who wanted to see his cousin, eat falafel, and just be normal. "Just close your eyes and I'll tell you what to do."

Magnus did just that and felt as Percy shifted to the spot next to him. The teenage god said nothing at first but Magnus could feel his warm hand gently circle his wrist. "This may seem strange to you," Percy finally said. "But once you get feeling of your sword's power, I can connect it to your hand, so to speak, so that you can track it easier. Here," Percy gently applied pressure on his wrist. "Think of it like this. Let's say you're playing with your friends, Hot and Cold, and you're trying to find the stone in which their hiding. Every time you get closer, they'll shout 'hot' and when you're far, they'll shout 'cold'. In a way, it'll be just like that. Your wrist will start to feel warmer as you get closer to your sword. When you're far, it'll get cold. It'll continue feeling this way until the hilt of your sword is in your grasp. Understand?"

Magnus nodded, taking a deep breath, "Okay, what do I do?"

"Well, for one, relax. You're too tense. You're so worried that you'll mess up that you'll miss it. Loosen up. Once you're relaxed, just think of your favorite memory, a time when you felt safe and loved and warm. Once you've felt that, tell me. That's your sword." Percy paused for a moment before adding, "Sometimes, your best memories can be your saddest and that's okay. So, don't feel worried about how we'll react. Everything will be okay, Magnus."

Magnus swallowed, "Okay..." Suddenly, Magnus was with his mother, Natalie Chase. He was ten, standing next to her with the biggest grin on his lips. They were heading to Houghton's Pond, his mother saying that would skip some stones. She always won, her four skips beating his three. When Magnus pouted, not really upset, she would laugh and smile, her golden hair bouncing as she gave him the biggest hug, calling him her 'little man'. Magnus would walk beside her and they would talk about everything and anything as they enjoyed the summer breeze.

Magnus could feel his senses warming, the ache in his heart lifting, and he knew that he had sensed the Sword of Summer. "I found it," He croaked, now aware of the tears running down his face.

"Very good," Percy murmured, gently running a finger over Magnus's wrist. "There, now you and the sword are connected."

Magnus wiped his tears with the back of his other hand and said, "It's cold."

"We should start walking," Sam suggested as she handed Magnus a napkin. "Maybe it's in this area."

"Let's do that," Blitzen nodded and stood along with Hearthstone. "You ready, Kid?"

Magnus nodded and he felt Percy release his arm, "Yeah, I'm ready." He turned to Percy when a thought struck him, "Will you be travelling with us?"

This time, the young einherji received a grin from the god instead of one of those half smiles, "I said I'll help you delay Ragnarok, didn't I?"