Death of Olympus

Chapter 7

                I walked slowly through the darkness, leaving Percy to try and keep his balance in the middle of what must have seemed like nothingness. I grinned a bit, snapping my fingers. the lights came on, revealing the tall concrete walls of the subterranean room, and the huge, glowing machine in the centre. I stepped up to the base of the pyramid-like structure, looking up at the circular tiers that led up to the spire on top. "This," I said, turning with a dramatic flare, "Is what I'm going to use to destroy Olympus." Percy raised an eyebrow at me skeptically. "It looks like a giant mechanical pile of dung." I chuckled. "It may appear to be so on the outside, but if you take a peek at the inside... well, I'll let you see for yourself." I opened a hatch in the base, stepping through and not looking back to see if he was coming. A few seconds later footsteps echoed off the entryway and the hatch hissed shut. Percy let out an awed breath as he craned his neck to see the pylons and glowing diodes lining the tiers of the walls and ceiling of the machine. In the center was a large circular pod, on which all of the protruding mechanisms seemed to converge. I stepped up to it, placing my hand on the cool glass of the sphere. It lit up, command keys and instructional images flashing across the surface. With a few taps I opened human-sized gap in the sphere. "This machine," I turned to Percy, "Is a more advanced version of the technology your so-called gods used to give themselves their power. You get in this pod here, and interface it with your cerebral cortex in order to create an exo-biological form capable of incredible feats." Percy walked up to the pod, feeling the surface quietly. "The Olympian's tech was only capable of giving the exo-bodies specific powers or power groups, such as lightning and storms, sun and music, sea life and water... you get the idea. Their bodies are stored in suspended animation somewhere on their ship, while they romp around acting like gods in their fancy new skin. You kill their exo-body, and, normally, they would be forced back into their body. Unfortunately, your ancestors came up with something called a bonding totem; a device that houses their consciousness after their exo form is destroyed, and sends a command to their exo-body maker to make them a new one. The only way to defeat them is to break the totem; Poseidon's trident, Athena... she had an amulet, Zeus has a lightning bolt, obviously, Hades has a helmet... Each one is different, and grants the user extra power. If you posses a bonding totem belonging to someone else, it'll slowly make you go insane; you have to bond with the totem to use it, but while it's infused with someone else's consciousness that can tear your psyche to pieces." Percy still stood, hand on the pod, staring at the technology around him. "So it's true, then... it's all a lie... a big facade..." I nodded. "Yup. Sadly so." Percy looked to him, staring him directly in the eyes. "I need you to tell me something." Peter nodded slowly. "Anything." "Why did my father tell you all of this?" I sighed. "Honestly... I dunno. Maybe trying to murder a teenager in cold blood was the wake up call he needed. I dunno. But for whatever reason, he made the right choice. Now, finally, we can end the terror these aliens have imposed on humanity for millenia." Percy sighed. "I... I don't know... I've lived for years with the reality that the Olympians were gods. That they were good. I sacrificed so much for them... and you just want me to accept it when a random stranger comes and tells me that they've been manipulating me the whole time?" I sighed as well. "Listen, man, before a few months ago, to me, reality was that Olympians didn't exist. I was a normal... well, sort of... kind of... normal-ish teenager. I had a girlfriend. I had a father. Friends. I was gonna go to college, get a degree, a nice job, get married, have kids... I was never going to be the 'chosen one,' the special hero that stands out. Especially not the one that boots some evil alien criminals off our planet. Now... well, now my only plans are to defeat the Olympians, put 'em back in their shackles and blast 'em off into space. This has become my life, even though I never imagined it would. I know it's hard, Percy... but it's true." Percy looked up at me, what seemed to be a war raging behind his eyes. "Why... why is this so hard for me? Why am I not just siding with my past? Sticking to what I believe?" I chuckled. "Because what I'm saying is true. And, well, when I killed your dad's exo-body you permanently lost your powers, but I'd like to believe that it's mostly the first part." Percy shook his head. "I dunno. Just... take me back. I need time. This--" He gestured to the technology around us, "--this is too much. Right now." I nodded, and with the push of a button he was gone.