Death of Olympus

Chapter 4

Percy strode angrily into his cabin, sitting on his bed for a moment then standing and pacing. Who was this boy, and why would he kill the gods? For that matter, how was that even possible? They were suppose to be immortal. Sure, they could 'die,' but they'd come back. Their children's powers would remain. But this time, for some reason, it was different. Something about this boy... it was different. He wasn't like any creature or monster, any demigod or minor god Percy had ever come across. There was something familiar about him, but Percy couldn't quite put his finger on it. Suddenly, as he was striding furiously across the floor, Percy heard a clanging, and turned quickly to see the same boy as before standing before him, arms folded, inside his cabin. "Hey-a there." Percy felt heat flood his face as he charged the boy, who calmly dodged the attack. "Now, Percy, calm down. I just want to talk." Percy turned to face him again. "You killed my father!" He charged again. The boy once again calmly side-stepped him, subsequently blocking several punches and kicks, grabbing Percy's arm mid-swing and twisting it behind his back before pushing him onto a bunk. "Calm down, man. I just want to talk." Percy stood, furious and ready to attack again, but the boy struck first this time, stepping forward lighting fast and throwing his knee into Percy's gut. Percy doubled over, and the boy slammed his elbow into his spine, forcing him to the ground. "You're not going to beat me, Percy, so you might as well listen." Percy groaned, then huffed, then took a breath. "I won't try to kill you, but that doesn't mean I'll listen to what you're saying." The boy shrugged. "Fine, then I'll just talk." Percy sat on his bunk and the boy turned away, bending to pick something up. He hefted two pieces of an all-too familiar object: Poseidon's trident. It had been snapped in  two, the handle separated from the forked end by a jagged break. "You know what this is." Percy looked away, refusing to respond. "It's your dad's favorite salad fork. Just so happens it's also the thing that bound his consciousness to the body he used not only to become 'Poseidon,' but to seduce your mom and make you." Percy couldn't help but glare at the boy. "Who are you? And what are you talking about? How are you killing the gods? And why?" The boy slowly gestured for Percy to calm down. "My name's Peter. Peter Menden. I'm the son of Jacob and Marisal Menden. My mother died giving birth to her only child, me, and my father raised me for sixteen years of my life till about a year ago, when he was murdered in his home in front of his only son by a guy calling himself Zeus." Percy sat back slowly. "What..." Peter shushed him again. "Zeus tried to kill me, but, thanks to my plentiful martial arts and gymnastics training I escaped. Barely. Zeus didn't like being bested by a mortal--" Percy stood. "You're a MORTAL??!!" Peter shushed him again. "Yeah, bud. Everyone's mortal. Well, everyone on earth, anyway. I think. I'm pretty sure." He waved a hand. "Anyway, like I was saying. Zeus didn't like that I got away, so he sent your dad to personally murder me. Well, me and your dad tussled, and, again, thanks to my lifelong training, I won out over him. I didn't want to kill him, honestly, but I got his pitchfork--" "Trident--" "--Whatever-- I got it out of his hands, and he came at me, and I sorta hit him with it, and it sorta impaled him. Then I kinda... well, broke it." Percy huffed. "So you accidentally killed my dad. A greek god." Peter chuckled. "He's not a god, and he's not dead. Just... well, his 'god' body is dead." Percy huffed again. "What in the pits of Tartarus are you talking about?" "Listen, just... listen. Sit back down" Percy sighed and sat. "Okay, so I impaled him, and he bled that golden gore stuff, and then I unstuck him, and I snapped the trident in half using a weight set. But it turns out daddy dearest wasn't dead, and he came up behind me. I thought he was gonna try and gank me, obviously, but he didn't. He grabbed me and sat me down, and, while his exo-body was dying, he told me all about the true history of the people that have taken to calling themselves gods. He told me he hated everything he'd done, and he knew he could't atone for it in this life, but maybe if I could stop the Olympians, and return them to their real bodies, they could all pay some sort of penance for what they'd become. I didn't know what to think, and asked him again what the heck he was talking about, but he keeled over. A couple days later Athena came and tried to kill me, but, despite not actually being the goddess of battle strategy, she's pretty smart, and she retreated before I could gank her exo-body. Over the last month she's sent at least two hundred minor Olympians to off me, but I took them all down, as you might have guessed. I finally took the fight to Athena, and, as you know, got the best of her. Hermes came along right as I was smashing her bonding totem, and I took him out, too. Then I set him down right here in your camp. The last part was all today, in case you were wondering." Percy stood, a bit dizzy. "I... I don't understand. What did my dad tell you? And... what's a bonding totem? How do you teleport like you do? And... well... what does gank mean?" Peter chuckled. "All in good time, Percy. All in good time. And only if you make all the right choices." With that, Peter vanished, leaving a dazed demi... well, half human to his headache.