A Dishonored Demigod

Preparations for Endgame

"Get those traps set!"
"On it boss!"
A pack of oni carrying large bags disappear into the woods as Perseus turns to a telekine nearby,"What's the progress with the enchantments? Will they be ready in time?"
The seal creature bobs his head up and down,"When I left the enchanters were putting the last touches together. And sir, your order is done."
He waddles over to Perseus and allows him to take the wrapped bundle off his back,"Good, very good. When you get back let the enchanters know that they should start work on the shields around Haven. I want them as strong as they can make them!"
A flipper is raised in a quick salute,"Yessir!"
As the telekine leaves Perseus turns to his left and addresses the darkling standing at attention,"Yes?"
The diminutive creature approaches so he can be heard over the ruckus around him,"Boss, Trojan Horse is ready and waiting for your word."
A bit of surprise can be seen in the demi-monster's eyes,"Already? That was much quicker than expected."
The creature nods,"Yes it was. What do you want us to do now?"
He ponders a moment while drumming his fingers on the table's surface before stopping abruptly,"The diclonius, they've been born, correct?"
"Aye."
Perseus sighs,"And they've been nurtured as I've asked?"
"Yes."
He nods,"Bring them to me, every single on of them."
The darkling bows before his shadow extends and multiple children with blonde, black, and red hair crawl out of the blackness and climb to their feet. They would all appear as normal young girls, save for the two horns sticking out of their skulls,"Father."
Perseus shivers when all 50 speak at the same time before steeling himself,"What are your names?"
None of the diclonius speak up,"Okay then. You!"
He points to the one closest to him, a blonde haired, green eyed girl with slightly darker skin than any of the others,"Your name is Nina."
He moves down the line,"Lily, Sena, Lory, Jen, Carey, Sara...." and so on until he reaches the last girl and has to pause,"and your name is," and he takes a knee to place a hand between her horns and gently rub her head as blue eyes gaze up at him,"Sally."
He smiles when she closes her eyes and hums in content,"Thank you father."
He gets to his feet and looks over all of them,"You all know what you are, why you exist. In a few days we will be at war. Most others would give you a choice right now, but I'm not most people. I'm sorry, but you will all be expected to kill."
He turns and walks towards the center of Haven while the girls are swallowed up by the shadows. As he comes upon the center he's greeted by groups of telekine inscribing runes and chanting arcane words of power. He spots Damasen and calls him over,"Damasen! Can you come here for a second?"
The red giant lumbers over and Perseus has to lift his head up to speak to him,"Tell June, Zoë, and the others that I'm going to be gone for a bit. I'm going to see if I can get oaths of neutrality from the other gods."
Damasen nods and walks off while the demi-monster tears apart the space in front of him to enter the Crossroads.
****
Egypt is my first stop, with us having the best relations with them out of everybody else. A team of magicians surrounds me as soon as I exit the Crossroads and set foot inside the First Nome,"You guys have really upped the security since my last visit."
From the back of the group an amused chuckle can be heard,"Can you blame us? The last time you were here you were chasing the Set Animal through the hallways and cursing up a storm."
Amos Kane makes his way up to me and we shake hands,"How've you been Amos?"
He grins and motions the magicians to get back to their normal routines,"Better. We've finished fixing up the damage from Apophis just last month, and even added a new section for enchanting."
His face grows grim,"But you aren't here for that, are you? The only times you come around are to brush up on curses and make sure our best are still sharp."
I sigh and motion to the side with my head,"True. This is a bit more...heavy than my normal reasons. Let's get somewhere secure and then I can tell ya."
We both head up through the First Nome, passing the bazaars, and enter into the new wing he'd told me about,"In here."
We enter a bare room and Amos' fingers glide over the stone to create a glowing hieroglyph for silence, and barrier,"Now you can speak freely."
I nod,"Thank you," and lean up against the wall to the right of the door,"I'll be blunt then, the Greeks and Romans are preparing to wage war against us."
Amos' eyebrows rising is the only way I know his eyes got bigger behind his glasses,"Are you sure? After the last time I thought they would be a little more hesitant to try again."
I nod,"Normally yes, but this time they've got some outside help in the form of Chaos. He's gifted three of their demigods with his blessing so they can stand up to me. He's also given the gods a set of spells that can allow them to maintain a majority of their power outside their established area. All in all, this is shaping up to be the final conflict between the demigods and the monsters."
Amos nods before understanding enters his gaze,"And you've come to make sure a third side won't try to take advantage of your weakened state if your side wins. You ask a difficult thing of me, Perseus."
I close my eyes and let my head roll back to smack the stone wall,"I know. I know that even if you issue an order, not everyone will listen. However, if the pharaoh commands his subjects then they're bound to obey."
"You want Carter to pick up the crook and flail for just this?!"
My eyes snap open to glare at the man across from me,"Just this?! I'm talking about the lives of my people, about the carnage that could erupt if a third party interferes. Do me this one thing, chief lector, and any and all debts and favors you owe me will be considered repaid."
I move my body to a standing position and brush my hand over the hieroglyphs as I go, letting them rot away from the surge of curses leaving my fingertips,"Think it over, but I need an answer within two days. May your gods grant you wisdom to make the right choice," and walk out the door to immediately enter the Crossroads but stop to have the last word,"Amos, do you remember the first time we talked, after Apophis? I declared myself a demon that abandoned his humanity. At the time my rage towards my fate consumed every bit of me. And now, with the loss of that anger I've taken up the burden of being human once more and have started to rebuild myself. But keep in mind, if you make the wrong choice," and turn back to glare at him with an aura of murderous intent surrounding me,"then I will make Apophis seem like a child throwing a tantrum."
The tear closes and I'm left staring into space before stiffly turning and wander towards another marked area,"Next up, Colorado."
The floating rocks around me form a platform with each step I take, and then disassemble behind me. There's no sound except for the churning of the primordial water beneath me and the occasional splash from Vincent's tentacles breaking the surface to get an affectionate scratch,"Good boy. Soon enough you'll be able to let loose."
A warbling echo makes the water ripple as the crown of his head surfaces and I grin,"You heard me right. Just wait a little longer."
I reach the marked platform and place a hand on top of the small altar to soundlessly tear open space and create an exit into the Rocky Mountains. I step through while closing the tear and restrict my presence so as not to alert the Olympians that I'm inside their territory,"You've kept me waiting."
The coyote across from me has his muzzle open and I give him an appropriate response,"Apologies then, but I had informed you all that you'd be my second stop. Not my fault you're impatient."
"He's got you there, Coyote. You were the one who insisted on arriving ten minutes early."
The voice comes from a crow the size of a small child as he's perched on a thick branch before he turns his head to regard me,"Perseus, you need not plead your case before us. The decision has already been made. Us native gods will not only swear an oath to not attack your forces, but we are also ready to fight alongside you should the need arise."
I'm shocked speechless by the unexpected boon presented to me and stumble out a response,"Wha-," and have to break to swallow,"what do you mean?"
Coyote takes over,"Exactly what it sounds like. From our first meeting we clearly felt the blessing of our old friend Pan. It surrounds you like a brilliant sheen. If our friend placed his trust in you, then we will as well."
I'm trying to make sense of this still and blurt out,"But what about the satyr?! What about Grover?! He received most of that blessing and can even use Pan's scream of fear! What about the other demigods that were blessed like Annabeth and Nico?!"
Coyote trudges up to me and glances up at me,"Because, you're our friend. And even more, you didn't treat us as inferior to your original gods like countless others have. You have our respect, and our loyalty."
The crow and coyote bow their heads and I quickly mimic them,"Thank you, for so much of your help."
I charge into the Crossroads, energized by the outcome of my second stop,"One more, and then I can head back to work on war preparations."
The next opening forms in the murky depths of the Pacific and I step out, and, for the first time in a while, don't have to cast a myriad of spells to prevent myself from being affected by the pressure or drowning,"Ryujin! Come out!"
A pair of gigantic yellow eyes appears from the darkness,"Perseus."
The water trembles as his voice echoes,"You have finally gone down this path."
I snort,"I didn't do jack besides what's been asked of me. Anything that's occurred due to those actions is the result of paranoia. You know why I am here."
"Indeed. You wish for a non-aggression pact, and you will have it. However, before you go," a small box made of coral floats into my hands,"you might find some use for these."
I open up the box and I immediately take notice of the two green pearls glowing with divine power. I don't understand what I'm looking at until I see one has kanju inscribed into the enamel, and the other bears the name manju,"These are!"
"Yes. A set of my tide jewels."
"Why?"
A deep rumble sounds through the water, what I can only assume is him laughing,"Why indeed. Perhaps it is for the same reason I gave them to Hoori and allowed them to remain until my granddaughter used them. Because I see that you are someone born to be a leader, born to be a great existence. And also, because you are a son of the sea. Your sire may have forgotten, but we, the ones who first claimed these waters, we will never forget. Fare thee well, son of the sea."
The two yellow pools grow dim as the dragon god sinks into the deep and I'm left alone with my thoughts. A second later I close the coral box and open an entrance to the Crossroads one last time,"Thank you, god of the sea."