The Ice King (A Pione Fanfiction)

Chapter 7

Percy's POV

It was almost surreal walking through the streets of my favorite city, it felt as if I was going to wake up at any moment and be back at Khione's castle.

Khione.

Just thinking about her name gives me chills, her calculating eyes were burned into the back of my skull. The ice that seemed to frost over her vision when I created that gas was practically haunting, and I thought I was great at giving glares. Khione was on a whole other level of scary. Perhaps it was her stance or her deadly staff that gave off that vibe, however, all I knew was that she would freeze everything in her path until she got her way. The only problem was, I didn't know what she wanted.

As I jogged across the busy streets, I couldn't help but wonder why she was so angry. Of course, I knew she would be upset since we had gotten close over the past few weeks. Nevertheless, I never anticipated her giving me a look that basically said, next-time-I-see-you-I-will-snap-your-neck. What a pleasant surprise, right?

I stopped my walk for a moment to get my bearings, you can't survive in a city like New York with your head foggy. I knew before I left that my plan would have consequences and that I would have to accept them if I wanted to save those I love, even if that means losing a few people.

I shoved my hands in my pockets as I walked down the streets, wondering where I should head first. My mom's apartment was only a mile away and the Empire State building was a few blocks down the road. To be completely honest, my mother's warm hugs and blue cookies were a lot more tempting than Olympus' harsh looks, but I knew which one I had to go to first.

Man, I'm sounding more and more like those Athena campers, and I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I ran down the last two blocks to the Empire State, praying that this would go a lot smoother than other meetings I've had with the Gods. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the door, my messy appearance staring back at me. Once again, I felt the urge to race to my mother's house to tell her I'm alright, to at least tell her I love her. Looks like that'll have to wait another day.

I tentatively pushed open the door, my eyes landing on the girl at the front desk. Strange, I never realized other people worked at the front desk also. I strode up to silently, before opening my mouth to speak, "Hi, how do I get to the 600th floor?"

"Sorry, we don't have that floor here.. is there anything else I can do for you?" The girl asked, not glancing up from her computer.

"Sorry, but I really need to get up there. Just tell them Percy Jackson is here and needs to see the council," I whispered, trying to stay as inconspicuous as a teenage boy that caught a ride on a storm can be.

The girl's fingers stopped their frantic movement for a moment, her eyes widening a fraction. "Percy... Jackson? Here's the card," She murmured, sliding a golden card across the desk.

"Thanks!" I called back as I practically ran to the elevator before inserting the card into the appropriate slot. I mentally groaned as Apollo's music came on the speakers, his haiku-like lyrics blasting loudly. Once the ride was done (which seemed longer for some reason), the golden arches of Olympus stood before me. No matter how many times I've been here, the beauty of it all still somehow catches my breath.

I shook myself out of my daze to focus on the task at hand, not dying. Certainly the Gods would be overjoyed that I returned home... right?

I scurried down the long golden paths, passing by the occasional nymph or god. Their facial expression made me wish I brought a camera, they were simply beyond shocked. After various turns, I finally reached the throne room, which contained only one god.

Zeus.

He took one look at me before calling the rest of the council to the throne room, his eyes never leaving mine. To say I was freaked out would be an understatement. After all, it's not everyday that you get stared down by Zeus.

Zeus cleared his throat before speaking,"I would like to be the first to welcome our hero back to Olympus. Perseus," he paused for a moment, giving me a once-over,"inform of us what happened after your capture."

The throne room was silent as I explained what had first occurred to me while in Gaea's clutches. I could practically feel the sweat dripping from my skin as I did my best to explain what happened, leaving the more gruesome parts out of the tale.

"If Gaea had you under such lockdown, how were you able to escape?" Athena questioned, raising a brow.

"Do not belittle my son like that Athena," Poseidon growled, throwing a glare in Athena's direction. I let out a nervous chuckle as the two stared each other down, until Zeus banged his fist against his throne.

"Enough! Perseus continue," Zeus barked, his piercing stare daring anyone to defy him. For once, I decided to do the smart thing and keep my mouth shut and obey his command.

"I wouldn't have been able to escape if not for a certain goddess. She had devised a plan that would allow us both to escape Gaea's clutches and go somewhere safe. It was ingenious," I explained, wringing my hands together behind my back. My stomach was doing flips at the moment, just waiting for them to ask the dreadful question.

"A goddess? And whom would this be?"  Hera asked, inching towards the edge of her seat. I gulped, trying to push down the nervous lump in my throat.

"... Khione."

Hey Guys! So it has been about four years since I last updated this story? It's honestly so wild to me that people are still reading it! Just wow. Thank you to everyone for the continued support it means a lot :) 

So anyway long story short - life happened. But now that life has stopped for a bit, I thought you know what, let's revisit that story I wrote forever ago. 

However, this is my dilemma: I don't really remember where I was going. So, this will no longer be a short story because I do not remember the plotline of that short story! Now this will be a longer fic as I just spent an hour outlining the basis of where I think this story should go. Anyway, here's where you guys come in: what do you guys want to see? I have the basic gist and plotline already configured but I'm really curious what your ideas are. I was thinking of moving this to a third-person narration as I haven't written in first person in literal years and it feels awkward for me. Do you guys feel this would be too awkward to read? This part is something I wrote I think two years ago but never ended up publishing. Better late than never! :) 

Please let me know what you think and any of your ideas! I will be responding to comments :)