Prince of the Universe, Love of Artemis (On Hiatus)

Chapter 9: Time stops

(Percy POV)

Well, that was eventful. I managed to calm myself down, and by that I mean I extinguished my hair, and started to head to my tent. Key word: started. The queen of betrayal herself stopped me. Yes, Annabitch-beth, stopped me. She glared at me, for reasons I will never understand, and shoved a piece of paper into my chest.

"How dare you!" she screamed. "How dare you do this, making me feel guilty when you're the traitor!" I looked at the paper she shoved at me. It was the drawing of us at our wedding that never happened.

"I didn't do anything, Ms. Chase," I said through clenched teeth.

"Yeah, right! Who did, Richard?" she asked me sarcastically.

"Yes, he did." I spun on my heel and walked off towards the lake.

"You liar! Richard Brenan has been nothing short of a hero at this camp! He's better than you will ever be!" Her words fell on deaf ears. I reached the lake, and, due to my immortality, I was able to flash out. 

I flashed to Olympus, specifically, Hephaestus's temple. I needed to talk to another fire user. Yes, I needed Leo. I knocked on the door, and waited a few moments before the god of the forge himself opened up. I wasn't surprised. Hephaestus didn't seem like the kind of guy who would have servants do everything for him. *cough Apollo and Hermes cough*

"Lord Hephaestus," I said, bowing. "I'd like to speak with your son, if he's available."

What happened next surprised me. He laughed. A big, booming laugh. "Perseus, you don't need to bow to me! You've gained the respect of the entire council, which is not an easy feat, might I add. Of course Leo's available. Come in!" He ushered me through the doors, and into his palace. Palace might actually not be the right word. It was more like a workshop on steroids. There were scrap pieces of metal everywhere, littering the halls along with unfinished projects. In the distance there was the sound of hammering, and I could see flashes of light every few seconds. Leo.

I walked into the main room, which, you guessed it, was a workshop. This seemed to be the main work area of the palace. I looked around and spotted a latino elf hovering over a work bench, hammering away at what looked like was Stygian Iron. Hades only knows how he got that. I snuck up behind him, and yelled, "Yo, Repair Boy!"

Leo jumped at least 5 feet into the air. It was hilarious. After coming back down from his impromptu flight, he turned to find me in hysterics on the ground. He glared at me, before looking to his father, who was also laughing at the expense of his son. He turned back around, and grinning, he said, "Can it, Water Boy. Whatcha need?" 

I stood up. Dusting myself off, I asked, "Wanna go for a walk? I need some advice."

His eyes lit up. "Sure, man! Nobody's talked to me since got here, other than Dad, obviously. I need human, well, demigod, contact," he said sassily as he walked off. I followed.

Once we walked off into one of the many parks that Olympus has, I turned to Leo. With a completely straight face, I asked, "How the Hades do you keep yourself from lighting on fire when you get angry?"

Leo laughed, and blushed slightly. "I, well, don't?" It came out as more of a question. "Why? Something happen?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Dad and Lady Artemis wanted me to reveal myself after Capture the Flag, so I did, and what do you think the reaction was?"

"They hated you," Leo said simply.

I tapped my finger to my nose. "Bingo. Before we left, I left Annabeth something, it was a drawing I did. In one of my dreams, I saw us getting married. I woke up the next morning and copied it down onto paper. I left the drawing on Annabeth's bunk, sort of a 'what-might-have-been gesture. When I was going back to my tent, she confronted me, and asked me how dare I make her feel guilty about this," I waved my hand at everything, "situation." 

My companion balled his fists in anger, and set them on fire, too. He started mumbling things that I couldn't make out, probably in Spanish. "¿Cómo se atreve ella, la pequeña comadreja, cuando tenga mis manos sobre ella voy a hacer algunas cosas que probablemente lamentaré?" (How dare she, the little weasel, when I get my hands on her I'm going to do some things that I'll probably regret.)

"Leo! English."

"Sorry Perc. Basically I said that Annabeth's a weasel, and when I get my hands on her I'll do some things that I'll regret later."

"Oh, Leo, please don't. I can fight my own battles, as I've proved time and time again. If I wanted to beat up Annabeth I could, I mean, I'm practically a god. It takes most of my strength to reign in my aura, have you--" It was at this point that I noticed Leo wasn't fidgeting anymore. His hands had gone completely still, the gadget in he was holding no longer made a ticking sound. I looked around and realized everyone else had stopped too. Minor gods and goddesses who had stopped mid-step, and were now floating through the air. Pegasai flying, except now they just seemed to be hovering above my head. Everything just, stopped.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped, and a swirling black portal appeared. A woman stepped out, and the portal closed. She was tall, and regal. She walked like she owned this place, and somehow, I think she did. Her eyes held galaxies, and her robes looked like the universe. She walked towards me, and I dropped to one knee. "Lady Chaos."

"Rise, Percy, and never call my Lady Chaos again. Formalities only take up time." I stood and faced her. "It's time to bring you back to my home. The world needs you again. You can train there, and assemble your army."

"What about everyone here?" I asked her.

"Time will remain frozen here on Earth. As soon as you return, everything will go back to normal. You'll continue to guard the Hunt, Camp will continue to train, life will go on. But only when you get back."

I looked around for a few moments, then back at Chaos. "Lead the way." She opened another swirling black portal, and we both stepped through.

Well, hello! Happy Halloween Month. So sorry about the short chapter, I'm sick right now and couldn't come up with the inspiration for a full-length chapter. But hey, I'm finally getting somewhere with the story! I think. I really don't know where I'm going, but I'll figure it out in the next month. See you in November!