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Emerald Library: It is so big you can Google it
Writer's Block: wttJDs62Dy
LAST TIME:
'Hmm… something is off with them. But I can't put my finger on it.' Suddenly, Gaia's stoic voice filled his mind. Percy couldn't help but pause his thoughts and was about to ask her what she meant. He stopped as the other group walked forward several steps before kneeling before their group. Everyone was instantly left speechless by their actions and simply didn't know what to do as their wide eyes stared on.
"W-What?" Percy managed to get out as the men closest to him looked up at him with a look akin to… worship.
"Lord Percival, the Crooked One, the brood of the sea. It is a blessing to meet you finally! Our prophet foretold this would happen! You even look as she described! Please come with us to meet her; she has been expecting you for some time," Percy was frozen in place upon hearing the man's excited words before he quickly stood up. "Please follow us, the prophet Atropos awaits!"
'Fuckkk! Not a sister of Fate!' At that moment, both Percy and Gaia shared this thought.
NOW:
THIRD PERSON POV:
"Atropos… why does that sound so familiar…" Hazel suddenly said while stroking her chin with closed eyes. Percy couldn't help but slowly turn toward the whistler elf with a slightly bewildered look.
'She's joking, right?' Gaia couldn't help but ask Percy in a strained voice as he stared at the girl, who continued to think away.
'I don't think she is,' Percy commented as he finally cleared his thoughts before looking back at the excited man. Seeing the genuine excitement and wonder in his and the other follower's eyes told him all he needed to know. This fanaticism was not simply born of nothing, especially if a true sister of fate was involved.
'Thoughts on the situation?' Percy couldn't help but ask in the end as Gaia went silent for a few moments. He didn't need to see her face or feel her emotions to know her mind was even more in turmoil now.
'Proceed with caution… If I know anything about that bitch, it is that she is an inflexible stick in the mud. If she has a plan involving you, it is best to be wary. I was hoping to avoid the sisters if possible.' Gaia spat out, her stoic tone slipping momentarily as her venom-laced words rattled in his mind. Listening to the world spirit curse, the sister of fate piqued Percy's interest for a moment, but he left those thoughts for later.
'I was told in my last life I was pretty good at pissing off the fates by more than a few gods. Let's see if I can keep that record going.' Percy couldn't help but say confidently, but Gaia simply let out a small snort and nothing less. Seeing his words did not affect her mood as he had hoped, he sighed internally before focusing again.
"Very well, lead the way," Percy said before picking up the flagpole and walking forward as the people eagerly led him toward their camp. Before he got too far, he waved back at his mother's group and gave them a few hand signals. Much to Hazel's surprise, Jake and Trista nodded before sending a few signals back to him. Percy then nodded before proceeding forward as Hazel kept her eyes on him.
"You taught them tactical hand signals?" Hazel couldn't help but ask as Percy glanced back at the whistler elf, her sapphire blue eyes sparkling with interest.
"It just happened a long time ago when I was a kid. I initially taught my sisters so we could use it to sneak snacks out of Gretta's kitchen." Percy said while earning a chuckle from the giant woman by his side.
"Did it ever work?" Hazel couldn't help but ask as Percy chuckled.
"Not even once. Gretta has a sixth sense for trouble, almost like a Devil's Raven. We were caught and turned into Trista and Jake each time we tried. Except for Yuel, she always managed to somehow end up with a treat if she came with us." Percy said while eyeing Gretta, but she simply shrugged, clearly not confirming or denying any of his claims.
"That sounds like fun," Hazel said with a twinkle in her eyes as if remembering her childhood. Percy couldn't help but chuckle and nod in agreement as the group continued to walk forward in silence, the giddy group of people leading them happily chatted with each other. Percy couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but from the parts he could, it sounded like a zealous fanatic talking about their god.
'It seems Atropos already has a small religion growing about her already. Do you think she is enjoying it or not?' Percy thought to himself as he finally arrived at the front of the tent city, where a group of guards stopped the men and women leading them. As the two groups talked, he couldn't help but glance around as he noted the large diversity of tents from different factions.
'Unlike her sisters, Atropos wasn't usually one for the spotlight, even if she was the one who decided how people died. I doubt she would see it as nothing more than a means to an end to get to her goal, whatever it might be.' Gaia's stoic voice filled Percy's ears as his eyes scanned the tents as they began to bustle like an ant nest.
'I'll make sure to be careful. Fate and I never saw eye to eye on a lot of things. My bet is she is holding a grudge or two against me. Besides, I wouldn't want you to worr…' Percy's words were suddenly cut off as a group approached him from the tents. He couldn't help but look over the men and women in miscellaneous plate-type armor surrounding a black-haired woman with a simple face wearing a religious habit.
"Lord Percival, Lady Atropos awaits your presence in the main tent. If you and the others follow me, I will lead you there." She spoke quietly as her eyes scanned the group. When they fell on Percy, they began sparkling in reverence and… something else. Percy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her expression before she turned around and started to lead them into the sea of tents.
"Oh, how interesting. The tents here are quite the sight. I see leather, cotton, plant fibers, silk, and something similar to polyester. I'm surprised to see so many dyeing methods as well. I think this one over here is from plants. This one over here is animal blood and that one is probably made from flowers. This one is surprisingly rusted copper. The flag designs are also different as well." Hazel was the first to speak as they walked around the tents and went further into the tent city.
"Something caught your eye, lady Elki?" George couldn't help but ask, using Hazel's official name, as the girl continued scanning the tents. Her eyes glimmered as she thought about how to profit from these people. Seeing the look on her face, George instantly understood her plan as he quickly pulled out a notebook and handed it to her.
"Thanks," Hazel murmured into the book before her hand furiously began to write in it as Percy and Gretta couldn't help but stare at the small whistler elf go into work mode.
"Is she always like this?" Gretta asked George as he nodded.
"Once something catches Lady Hazel's interest, stopping her from diving right into it is hard. I bet by midday tomorrow, she will already have a rough schematic about how to purchase and provide all sorts of things for tents." He said with a long sigh as if he had seen the furiously working elf in this spot several dozen times before.
'That's Hazel for you.' Percy couldn't help but think as he remembered her being the same way back in the day. Unfortunately, she didn't have a digital notebook anymore. He could already see the piles of used paperback notebooks she had used.
Just as he was thinking about how he could sell her some high-quality notebooks, Percy suddenly felt his skin tingle the tiniest bit. He didn't pause or turn his head, but his eyes did turn away from Hazel and towards his front, where he found his group approaching a much fancier tent. It was similar to other tents as it had an octagon-like shape but was much bigger, and its material was not simple.
'Is that a system item?' Percy couldn't help but ask Gaia in his head as they approached the 10-foot-tall purple and white colored tent.
'Indeed it is. What is even more surprising is that this thing is an orange-grade item. You just passed through its barrier.' She quietly responded as Percy remembered the tingle he felt a moment ago.
'Hmm… interesting, I wouldn't mind having something like this. I wonder if Atropos would be willing to let me borrow it.' Percy thought to himself as Gaia couldn't help but stare at him as she read his thoughts. While he observed the tent before him, his face remained passive outside. But she swore she could see his shadow reveal a grin that would make a devil shy away.
'Best keep such thoughts to yourself, Perseus. Who knows what skills she has? Keep your mind clear of such things.' Gaia's stoic voice reprimed him. On the other hand, Percy gave her a small hand motion, telling her he understood. Just then,
"Lady Atropos awaits you inside, Lord Percival. I am afraid the others will have to wait outside. She specified that only you are allowed in." The woman in the religious habit spoke again, causing everyone to frown at her words.
"What's that supposed to mean? We aren't letting him in there without a guard." Gretta said bluntly, making everyone nod as the tension in the air instantly began to rise. The guards beside the woman started to ready themselves by touching their weapons and narrowing their eyes, mana flickering at their fingertips. Seeing this, Hazel and the others also began to gather their mana.
"That's fine, I don't need a guard." Yet Percy's calm voice instantly cut any tension in the air. The guards and his people were stunned at his announcement, and Hazel even looked a bit taken aback.
"What? Do you think I need a guard?" He asked them with a raised eyebrow as they stared at him silently. His group couldn't help but remember his display of power just a while ago. With that thought in mind, nobody could find anything to respond with. Seeing that he wasn't getting any answers, he turned back to the woman in the habit who was also looking at him with the same face as the others.
"Let's get this show on the road then. I have other things I need to take care of today." A slightly bored voice escaped Percy's lips as he ushered the woman before him to move. This snapped her out of her thoughts of what had just occurred before her. All she could do was quickly nod as she reached over and opened the tent door for him.
"Right this way, Lord Pers-" Percy didn't even wait for her to finish speaking before he passed her by and entered the massive tent. The moment he stepped foot inside, the sound from outside could no longer be heard. He didn't even pay that any mind as he glanced around the massive tent that appeared at least 5 times larger on the inside than the outside.
As he walked into the large circular area, the front entrance led him to look over the designs of the tent and other things. The inner walls were made of much softer fabric than the exterior ones but held the same colors. However, the designs woven into them took a much more regal look than that of the exterior. Yet even though the designs were regal, he couldn't help but notice that they had no focus or topic. It was like someone simply prettied up the place but left out the core of the design.
'This sort of item follows the will of its owner for its designs and shape, and it seems Atropos purposefully left out any core designs.' Gaia's voice floated into Percy's mind as he walked forward until he stopped before a large table in the middle of the central area.
'I would do the same. I assume this is their main meeting hall, so it would make sense to make it fancy yet not have any symbols or figures that could lean toward any group.' Percy thought back as he ran his hand over the large wooden tables' smooth surface before looking around more and seeing dozens of rooms off to the side. He couldn't tell if they were bedrooms or something else, but all were closed except for one room.
"There she is," Percy whispered as a grin spread across his face upon seeing the scissors symbol above the door. Gaia watched silently as Percy's grin slowly melted off his face. With each step toward the room, his face went from a young man to a general about to enter a war room. When he stepped in front of the room, he was no longer Percy Jackson. He was now the War Master of Olympus. Yet the moment he walked into the room, an invisible wave of mana came from inside the room and landed right on Percy, stopping him in his tracks.
LINEBREAK:
Percy couldn't help but stop as soon as the area around him changed. He wasn't in the tent anymore but sitting on a granite throne in front of a massive circular table with another empty throne across from him. Above his head was a roof held up by five enormous stone pillars; beyond those was nothing but the white stone floor.
"A soul world? No, something similar, though," Percy mumbled as he felt the full power of his soul run through him. Taking a quick peek at his body, he found himself once again in his 15-foot form and his partial nudity. It seemed this place was similar to the soul realm, but the energy he felt here was not the same as that place.
[Your soul has been pulled into the item, Mind Sphere: (Orange/Rare)]
[The process of merging soul worlds into the Mind Sphere is commencing. Please standby for the merger.]
[…1%]
[No adverse effects found, Taiji Will (Tier 5) Level 1 not activated]
[...2%]
[...3%]
"A Mind Sphere? Merging of soul worlds? I've never heard of that before. But it seems like a trap. Kinda expected this much, though." He said as he held out his hand and flexed it slightly. The space around it rippled a little. It didn't seem like any blockades in the space prevented him from using his power. It also seemed like his soul world but not quiet. What a mysterious item.
Just as he wondered how to escape from this place, a presence filled the seat across him, causing him to gaze toward it. The moment his eyes fell on the person across, he felt his soul tremble. Before he knew it, emotions he thought he had long gained control of rampaged in his chest and his blood began to boil.
[Taiji Will (Tier 5) passive effect (Calm Mind) has been triggered by intense fluctuations in the user psyche; effects have been triggered and balance out emotions]
A cool sensation filled his mind, but it seemed to help only a little as he barely held the emotions back. Even the space around him bent and flexed under the intense pressure of his soul's power in his rage. After forcing those emotions down, the space finally settled as his eyes glared at the woman across from him.
She was the spitting image of Atropos in her 30-year-old youthful form to the smallest detail he was familiar with. She even wore an old gray chiton with designs of scissors and yarn all over it while her dark black hair was pulled into a tight braid that fell over one of her shoulders. Yet he didn't seem to care about any of that as he stared into her eyes, which appeared like deep pools of gray with speckles of light dancing within them.
"Atropos…" Percy spat out her name as the space around him trembled again. Gritting his teeth a bit, he cursed inwardly at his poor control of his emotions. He thought he had prepared his mind for this encounter, but he was having more difficulty controlling his emotions than he had imagined. It didn't help that he was in his soul form either, and the constant messages from Taji Will about his mental state weren't helping. Yet after he spoke, the goddess slowly furrowed her eyebrows in confusion while looking him up and down.
"Perseus?" She slowly said his name as if asking if it were indeed him. Hearing her say his name like that made his emotions swell more before a sudden chuckle escaped his lips, making Atropos narrow her eyes.
"What? Don't you truly not recognize me after a few millennia? Your eyes have gotten worse, it seems." Percy said in a mocking tone as Atropos' eyebrows furrowed further. His words struck more than just a nerve with her.
"A soul can have any appearance it desires, so basing one's identity off one's appearance is ridiculous. But each soul has a unique aura that never changes. Once I have seen a soul's aura, I can't forget it." Her demeanor changed as the words fell from her lips, and her beautiful face darkened. "Your aura might be similar, but it is not that of Perseus Jackson! What god are you? What have you done to him!?"
Her threatening words fell on Percy's ears while her soul power shook the space between the two. Yet Percy remained passive to the pressure as Atropos glared at him as if he were her worst enemy.
"What have I done with him?… HAHAHAHAHA!" Percy slowly repeated her words before his face warped into a wicked smile, and he began laughing. His laugh was so loud that the space around the two shook violently with each of his bellows. Atropos couldn't help but wince in pain as she felt her pressure forcefully disperse due to the power behind his laugh. Yet just as suddenly as the laughing began, it stopped as Percy slammed a fist into the table.
BOOOM!!!
The space around them shook from the impact, and a large crater formed where Percy's fist had landed on the table. Surprisingly, it didn't break, but large cracks spread from the impact point. Some reached the middle of the table as the incredibly durable material fell victim to Percy's rage. Atropos couldn't help but stare in fright at Perseus's display of strength. She knew he was strong in his past life, but it was nowhere near this strong.
"You think I'm some other person? Let me tell you something, you sister of fate. YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU LEFT ME TO ROT IN TARTARUS FOR EONS!" He roared as the energy in the space in the Mind Sphere began to warp and fill with hideous black and red mana that seemed to burn the air it touched. Atropos's eyes widened at the horrifying display before Percy stood up, and even more poisonous mana spilled from him. He even unconsciously activated Asura's Rage as his pressure slowly increased.
Half his once-perfect face began to morph and deform as the poisonous mana spilled from him, almost like a demon had possessed him. Atropos's words broke the fragile seal on the emotions Percy had locked up. Atropos watched with widening eyes as the skin on his deforming face began to blacken and wrinkle as if rotting away. Yet before it seemed to rot away completely, she saw new eyeballs appear on that side of his face.
Each was different, be it the pupil's style, the iris's color, or the eyeball shape. Some didn't even appear to be remotely human or anything she had seen before, but each expressed differently. Some seemed to be bloodshot with rage, drowned in sorrow, filled with fear, or overflowing with lust. Atropos didn't know how to explain it other than by looking into a pulsating mesh of different beings.
"I promised her I would behave. I wanted to keep it as well. But it doesn't seem like I can keep that promise," Percy mumbled as more mana gathered around him. Looking at his half-mutated, half-godly form made the back of Atropos's neck tingle with danger. Her plan had already fallen apart in the first few moments of meeting this man, and she couldn't help but internally curse. She didn't expect this being, who claimed to be Perseus, to be so powerful.
"Wait! I didn't bring you here to fight! I just wanted to talk! I didn't even know about Tartarus!" She yelled as Percy paused momentarily before a mocking smile crossed his face. The extra eyes on his face even appeared to grin with his devilish smile. Seeing such a site made Atropos's stomach twist in disgust even more.
"Shut your fucking mouth, you yarn-cutting fucker. I don't want to hear your excuses about Tartarus. Even an idiot could have guessed where I was after Hazel and Nico didn't turn up anything in Hell! But nobody ever did… almost like the idea never entered their minds. But that doesn't fucking matter anymore, do you expect me to believe anything you say anymore?" He mocked her as he motioned to the world around them and then toward her.
"This unique item connects two different soul worlds. It didn't take a genius to see that this was a trap," Percy said while slowly standing up and putting his hands on the table, the poisonous mana flooding off him and expanding out even more as he locked gazes with Atropos. "You more than likely wanted to pull me into your soul world, beat me down until I was unable to resist, and force me into a contract."
"Yet I was stronger than you thought, throwing your plan out the window. Now, you want to escape. Not like I'm going to let you." Percy finally finished speaking, and the area went quiet. Only his mana was left, filling the air as it crept toward Atropos.
"But.. part of me had hoped that you wouldn't pull shit like this. A tiny part of me wanted to believe that you weren't up to your usual games. I just wanted to sit down and talk about the past and figure out a few things. Yet you… had other plans." Percy's voice shook the air as Atropos couldn't find any words to say. She could only release her mana to block Percy's voice as he crept closer.
"But I don't mind. I always wanted to see you beg for your life and crawl before me. I hope Gaia doesn't get too jealous." Percy's twisted smile grew, revealing half razor sharp half regular teeth.
Atropos's eyes widened even more as she shot up from her seat, and her mana output quadrupled instantly. The Mind Sphere began trembling as her mana fought off Percy's mana and attacked the space around them. The space started to crack apart as the item reached its limits, yet the cracks didn't move fast enough.
"Too slow, Atropos," Percy mocked her as the world around them changed. The cracks in space stopped spreading and began to heal rapidly as the empty world behind Percy started to change into Percy's soul world one piece at a time. The temples and fountains grew from the ground one piece at a time while the fields of punishment began to spring forth on the other side just the same.
At the same time, Atropos's Soul world began to merge behind her. Pristine Greek and Roman temples, beautiful valleys, lush ponds, and all sorts of yarn and scissor-themed buildings started to populate behind her. Atropos's face went through several emotions before it settled on a mix of fear and anger.
[Merging of soul worlds completed]
[Mind Sphere has completed its task and has shattered. Soul Worlds will remain bound to each other for 24 hours]
[Detecting changes…]
[A mental trial has been initiated due to the merging of the Soul Worlds of (Percival Jacob Jackson) and (Ashley Atropos Heart) by using the artifact Mind Sphere.]
[The system is setting up rules based on the situation…]
[Rules:]
The loser will become a slave of the winnerThe competition that decides the winner and loser will left up to the participantsForced competitions or fights are allowedThe time limit is 48 hours
[Rules have been set.]
[The system is watching….]
"Better start running bitch," Percy growled before launching himself at Atropos.
BOOOOMMM!
A massive explosion instantly tore through the central building as black and red mana met with eggshell white mana. The intense blast ripped apart every inch of marble and stone in the center plaza. A moment later, two beams of light shot out of the expanding explosion and into the air as they began to clash. Explosions ripped apart the air as Percy's pitch black sword crashed against Atropos's giant scissor-like blade.
Each had already donned armor to protect them from the other. Percy's was silver and blue armor with gold trim, but it now appeared more corrupt as darkness spread over the silver and blue parts. On the other hand, Atropos was wearing a complete set of Greek armor, knee guards, gauntlets, a Helmet with a plume, a studded battle skirt, and a full chest plate. Yet Percy didn't seem to care at all as his blade ripped through the air and attempted to kill the woman before him.
BOOM!
BOOOMM!
Ten, twenty, one hundred, a thousand clashes happened in just minutes as Percy and Atropos fought at their top speed. Atropos initially led the fight while pushing Percy back with all her might. But it was like she was attacking a metal wall with a wooden sword; nothing she tried worked. His defense was nearly impossible to breach. Even when she used bigger moves, his armor was dented or broken, but it would fix itself a moment later.
She knew she wasn't the strongest god when it came to fighting strength, but this was simply absurd! She couldn't understand how his soul had gotten to this level of strength. In his last life, he was strong, but that was his physical body. His soul was never at this level but was somehow on the level of an Olympian god now. By her calculations, her Soul Tier was 6, and from what she could tell from his actions and energy levels, his Soul Tier was 5.
It simply didn't make sense!
She should have the absolute advantage in this fight! But as the battle continued, Atropos noticed more red mana mixed into the storm of black mana surrounding Percy. As it did, her blows no longer had the same effect as they did. The moment her blows were weaker than Percy's, he pushed her back with each strike, and she began to feel the proper weight of his strength.
She began to be pushed back with each strike. What made matters worse was her skills, which could debuff but didn't even hold for a moment or two. Was it a skill? Was it that nasty black mana? She had to figure something out soon. Each time she blocked a blow, she began to feel her soul shake from the power behind it, and before she knew it, each strike was throwing her back further and further. All she could do to defend herself was increase her damage output by burning more of her mana to try and find a way out of this.
The two continued to fight across their mind realms as fast as their bodies could. Massive explosions filled the sky like fireworks and ripped apart the land with each clash. A path of destruction was carved in their wake. One moment, they were still in Percy's field of punishments, leaving massive pools of magma that burned away at the tormented souls caught up in their fights. Yet even with the destruction of his soul realm, it didn't stop Percy for a moment.
Before she knew it, they were crashing through the empty temples spread across her mind realm yet again. Atropos smashed through several walls like a rag doll until she finally managed to get her feet under her and stab her scissor blade into the ground. Breaking through one more wall, she left three long trenches into the middle of a colosseum.
"S-Shit, how is he this strong?" Atropos panted out while ripping off her broken helmet as she tried to recuperate her strength. At the same time, a grimace spread across her messy face. Slight sparks of pain ran through her soul each time part of it was destroyed and continued to pile on top of one another. At this point, it was almost like she had a few knives in her side, which didn't help her fight. What made it worse was that even though Percy's side had equal damage, he seemed completely fine.
"Had enough?" Suddenly, Percy's voice filled her ears as she slowly looked up to find him floating through the hole in the coliseum wall. The storm of red and black mana around him condensed into thin layers over his now obsidian black plate armor, making it look like a type of evil paladin. With half of his face still sporting those twisted and mutated eyes, it only completed his look further.
"What… No. Who are you?" Atropos couldn't help but ask as she pushed herself to her feet. As she did, she pulled her erratic mana closer to her body. Creating a small layer of eggshell white mana around her.
"I told you once already I am Percy Jackson. The very same demigod you abandoned in Tartarus, or did you forget that already?" Percy asked emotionlessly as he finally set his feet on the ground while his sword rested on his shoulder.
"It was a m-mistake! We had to follow Zeus' orders!" Atropos yelled as Percy scoffed at her response.
"Bullshit! I know you three are that big man's little lap dogs, but with the state I left him in! You three should have been able to go against his orders without issue! So don't act like you had no part in this! You worked on his order and your feelings! You wanted me gone! You wanted me to stop tangling your strings of fate!" He roared as a mana wave burst out of him and slammed into Atropos, which fell back a step from its strength.
"I rotted in Tartarus for who knows how long! That fucker tore me apart and forced me back together more times than I could count! He did things to me that no sane person or god should ever do! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE PARTS OF YOUR SOUL RIPPED OUT OF YOU?! DO YOU KNOW THE FEELING OF HAVING TO DEVOUR SOULS FORCED INTO YOUR OWN?!" Percy bellowed so loudly that the ground around him cracked for hundreds of feet, and the coliseum around him started to break. Atropos was forced to use her mana to protect herself as she was pushed back hundreds of feet from his pressure. Yet when she heard Percy's words, her eyes widened in horror as she looked at the twisted and mangled eyes on his face.
"I had millions, if not tens of millions, or souls stuffed into me when I was his plaything." Percy struggled to say each word through gritted teeth, taking him a step closer to Atropos, who was busy fighting off his mana. "I fought with every ounce of my being to retain a semblance of who I was. But it wasn't enough! Each one left something inside me, something dark and evil."
Percy suddenly stopped as he spoke. Atropos continued to stare at the monster of a man before her as he did the same to her. Yet this time, his face was full of pain as he reached up and touched his marred face for a moment.
"Be it the most terrifying monster soul in existence, a demigod who murdered hundreds for fun, a human who raped his own family and then killed himself, or even… a god thought to be gone forever. I fought them all for ownership of my soul and won, no matter the cost." Percy said as Atropos appeared stunned by his information, "I won until Tartarus completed his experiments on me. Do you know what he called it?"
"..." Atropos continued to remain silent as Percy let go of his face, revealing a face that was no longer marred and disfigured. His godly looks were not restored once to their former glory, and no disgusting eyes were present anymore.
"He called it his Ship of Theseus experiment… It turns out that if you slowly replace a human soul bit by bit until nothing from the original is left, you get… me." He said somberly that Atropos couldn't help but feel a wave of pity flow through her. "But I'm still me in the end. I am Perseus Jackson, son of Sally Jackson and War Master of Olympus, slave to none. Nothing you ever do will change that."
"... Fine! We were the ones who made the others forget to check Tartarus! But I wasn't the one who cut your string! Zeus was! HE STOLE MY SCISSORS! He went against fate to kill you! Not only that, but he also broke my scissors and took one-half for himself! Then the fucker fled our pantheon to be with those dirty Nords!" Atropos finally snapped as she screamed at Percy with all the frustration and rage in her body.
"Fate was never the same after that! The entire Greek and Roman pantheon was falling apart! My sisters and I tried everything we could to keep it together! But nothing ever fucking worked! For 4000 fucking years, we tried! We tried until the very day we faded!" She continued screaming at Percy with tears trickling down her eyes, her mana burning with more vigor every second.
"But the moment I was fading, I had a vision. It was of this world and place. I didn't know what it meant, but that didn't matter. It told me three essential things. Find the city of steel in the dragon's back. The fated one can lead you to your sisters, and finally, beware of the silence of the starless night." She said in a frustrated tone as she gathered a tremendous amount of mana on her scissor blade. "So be a good boy, bend over for me, and behave! I need to find them no matter what!"
"So you're still not willing to give up… I was kinda hoping for that. Let's finish this!" Percy roared as his blade changed into a spear and began to gather his mana, dyeing itself black. The seconds ticked by as both gathered more mana until the atmosphere rippled with energy. Percy shot high above the coliseum as he tilted his body back and summoned an attack.
"APOCALYPSE!" Percy roared as a large, holly baby blue Omega appeared behind his back, becoming a beacon of light. With his corrupted armor, the glowing Omega made him seem like an apostle of death, using his body to cast a massive shadow over the area. Yet Atropos didn't have time to worry as she felt an enormous swell of fire, wind, and corrupted mana gathering inside his spear.
"FATE SEVERING SLASH, DESTINY'S END!" Atropos yelled back as her scissor blade absorbed all of the mana poured into it before emitting an eerie light that made Percy's danger sense tingle. The ghostly light grew brighter until her blade shined like the sun and removed all the shadows around her. Percy's danger sense tingle turned into a prickling on the back of his neck as he narrowed his eyes.
"Limit Removal, Mana Overload… Apocalypse, Charged Blow…" Percy whispered the two names as the mana around him seemed to light aflame and burn fiercer. At the same time, he felt his body begin to tense as his mana circuits began to ignite, causing him terrible pain to surge through his soul.
Limit Removal (Tier 3) Level 1
Secondary Active Effect (Mana Overload): The user can burn 0% to 100% of their mana to increase the damage of one attack by four times the % of mana used. After usage of the skill, the user's mana circuits will be burned and torn. % of damage to the user is determined by the total amount of mana used.
His spear screamed in delight as even more potent mana was poured into it until it reached saturation. Yet Percy kept burning his mana further as he pushed Apocalypse into its overcharge phase, which gave off the aura of pure destruction. The combination of the ignited fire, wind, and corrupted mana compressing further into the spear made Percy feel like he was holding a Nuclear bomb.
"COME!" Percy roared, a grin spread across his face, and excitement about the situation filled his mind.
In a split second, both of them moved. Percy's spear turned into a black beam of light that caused the sky to darken as it pulled down a massive air spiral. It caused a colossal tornado nearly instantaneously as the black beam of light shot toward Atropos. It was almost like his spear was pinning down the sky, and Atropos was in the way.
On Atropos's side, she swung her blade at the very same instant Percy threw his spear. Her blade caused a massive ghostly flash of light, making the world's lower half an eerie gray color that matched the blackened sky. A gray crescent slash flew into the sky at a hypersonic speed, seemingly cutting the space it passed through. The instant both attacks were in the sky, the world had turned black and gray and collided.
BBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!
An instant was all it took for a flash of light to turn into a sphere of multi-colored light that ripped apart everything in its path. Even the space in their soul realm began to crack and break as it left nothing intact. The wall of energy expanded so rapidly that Percy and Atopos didn't have time to move as the expanding sphere consumed them. Yet even then, the sphere continued to tear apart everything as both soul realms were destroyed.
The winds pushed away by the explosion leveled every standing building for hundreds of miles. Percy's and Atropos' once beautiful cities were gone as they turned into debris flying through the air. The fields of punishment were ripped apart as the high-speed winds blew apart the tormented souls. Yet the expanding explosion didn't stop growing as it appeared like a sun being born into existence.
Yet, in a single moment, everything came to a standstill, and the world froze. No hint of noise could be heard anymore as a deafening silence soon took its place. Time had stopped in the soul realms as a tiny black screen appeared before the frozen energy dome. The cracks in space and the turbid winds were stuck in place, yet still appeared ready to bring both these soul realms to ruin. But they couldn't as time stood still as words began appearing on the small floating screen.
[System has detected the winner of the match]
[According to the rules, the loser will become the winner's slave]
[Rules have been implemented, and the winner has been given a unique skill [Owner]. The loser has been given a coinciding skill [Slave]. Both skills are non-removable.]
[Eliminating excess energy in space to ready soul realms for separation…]
[Energy quantity too massive to teleport, energy teleportation failed…]
[Solution found, energy dissipation required location for energy found…]
[Energy is being distributed to both soul realms…]
[Stocking energy into soulrealms for future use…]
[Stocking completed…]
[Separation commencing…]
LINEBREAK:
Percy's eyes snapped open as fast as they could as a massive wave of pain flooded his senses all at once. He nearly screamed but managed to hold it in as he felt his mana circuits burn inside him like he was on fire. The pain dissipated rapidly, but a remnant burning sensation lingered in about 15% of his body. Yet that wasn't the end of it. His soul began to feel like it was falling apart as another wave of pain hit him. A gasp escaped his lips as he tried to lift his hand to his chest, only to find it stuck in place.
'P-Percy, come back already.' A quiet and distraught voice floated into his mind at the very moment the wave of pain continued to thrash about in his soul. Yet that voice was like applying an ice bag to a swollen wound. At first, it was harsh, but a moment later, it brought a beautiful wave of relief that washed away most of the main. Percy's eyes focused as he tried to seek out the owner of that voice. Unphased by the fact that he was in an unfamiliar room, tied down to a chair he hadn't been sitting in previously, and surrounded by what appeared to be armed guards.
His eyes had only one mission: finding the stunning world spirit floating above him. Her once Noble and seductive appearance was replaced with a worried expression that made her appear adorable somehow. Her long ears drooped down and wiggled rapidly in her worries, which only added to her adorableness. The moment her eyes met his, the soothing feeling in his soul intensified as the pain was pushed away.
'Sorry to keep you waiting.' Percy's thoughts entered her mind as her worried expression melted away and tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. A look of frustration replaced her worried one for just a moment before her expression softened into the beautiful Gaia he was familiar with. He couldn't help but admire her for a moment. After the past few days of dealing with Icy Gaia, it was nice to see her like this again.
'What happened!? One second, you were here, and the next, you fainted! I tried everything, but the system blocked me every chance it got!' Gaia yelled out all her worries after rapidly flying down to him. Percy winced a bit from the strength of her voice in his mind, causing her to flinch back a little, and seeing her shouting caused him pain. But upon realizing what she had just done, Gaia quickly backed up. Her lips trembled a bit, indicating she wanted to say more in her state of worry.
'Atropos caught my soul in a trap and wanted to make me her slave. I didn't want to be a slave, so we had a big fight. I just returned from our soul realm battlefield.' Percy replied as Gaia's expression changed several times throughout his sentences. Her worry turned into disbelief before turning into rage. A moment later, worry was back, and finally, concern joined in.
'That explains the soul fluctuations I felt earlier… wait! Did you win or lose? Are you her slave now!?' Gaia couldn't help but shout again, but Percy was ready this time as he stared into her jade-like eyes. Those very eyes darted around him as if trying to find a change in him. He suddenly let out a chuckle that caused her to pause and everyone in the room to face him.
'The only thing I'm a slave to is your stunning eyes.' Percy's sly voice filled Gaia's mind, catching her off guard and making her cheeks flush a little red.
'I-Idiot! There are times and places for things!' She yelled back as she tried to hide her face from him, but his clear sea-green storm eyes never let her escape. All she could do was blush harder as she tried to regain some of her thoughts. This boy and his spontaneous and continuous flirting were too much for her to handle. Now she felt like an idiot for even worrying about this boy! Ugh!
'Maybe later then.' Percy said mischievously before taking one more long glance at the stunning beauty, giving him an incredible show of her embarrassed and frustrated look.
'Maybe later, my ass! Now tell me! Are you that bitches slave or not!' Gaia yelled at Percy in an angry and antsy tone that caused a grin to form on his lips.
'Why don't you ask her yourself?' Percy said as he shared a few system windows with her before his eyes shifted from Gaia to a young girl seated in a much fancier chair than his own. She had a full head of misty dark gray hair with two mouse ears popping out the side of her head, replacing where human ones would go. Along with her mouse ears, she also had a long gray mouse tail that rested right by her legs on the chair and flickered about angrily.
She looked like a young European girl on the cusp of her teenage years, maybe 10 or 11, and seemed almost adorable. Percy was sure that if she went up to someone and begged for something, she would be able to get it, no questions asked, especially with those mouse ears and tail on her. However, something particular about her features screamed… stuck-up princess. Yet she couldn't put any of that cuteness of hers into action as her face was scrunched up in pain while her silver eyes glared daggers at Percy for a moment before closing.
The Several guards standing by her chair seemed to finally notice their lady had awoken as they rushed to her side. Yet Atropos raised her hand and waved them back as she rubbed one of her temples with the other. Seeing this, they backed up, but a maid sporting a very similar appearance to Atropos appeared out of nowhere before offering her a cup of what seemed to be some sort of tea.
"You may all go, don't disturb us. " Her voice filled the room as she continued to wave her hand at the guards. The guards glanced at their lady for a few seconds but, in the end, gave in to her waves. With a quick bow, they began to leave the room until just one very frustrated Atropos and her maid remained. Yet the room remained silent as Atropos continued to rub her temple, and a particular look of frustration grew on her face.
This continued briefly as Percy sat silently, looking at the girl fighting off the headache her injured soul was causing. After a bit, she seemed to get a handle on her headache as her eyes slowly opened, revealing the raging silver Irises. Yet her expression of frustration and anger began to change as her eyes drifted upward, and a shocked expression began to cover her face.
On the other hand, the stunning world spirit who was causing Atropos's expression to fill with shock, was busy looking at the screens Percy had presented to her.
[You have passed the mental trial according to the rules set by the system and have been designated the victor]
[Title: Owner is being given…]
[Constitution: Primordial Emperor (Tier 7) Second passive (Emperor's Will) is altering the Title]
[Title is being altered…]
[Title: Master Proprietor has been given and added to your stat sheet]
Master Proprietor
Gives the user complete control over their slaves. All of the slaves' lives are tied to the master's soul and life. The user can also designate 3 Marked Ones from their slaves.
Marked ones cannot harm their master in any way, shape, or formMarked ones can have their stats temporarily absorbed by the master for 1 hourThe master can temporarily give his stats to a Marked one for 1 hourIf a marked one dies, the master can absorb 1% to 50% of their stats
Marked ones (⅓):
(Atropos) Ashley Atropos Heart
Limit Removal (Tier 3) Level 1
Description: Lift the limits of existence placed upon being and push yourself further! Tear your muscles to shreds! Break your bones into pieces! Exhaust your mana to the last drop! Burn your soul to dust! Push yourself past every limit until the very end!
Primary Active Effect (Stat Overload): For 10 minutes, increase all of the user's stats by 5% to 20%. For 15 days after use, the user's stats will decrease two times the chosen % increase.
Secondary Active Effect (Mana Overload): The user can burn 0% to 100% of their mana to increase the damage of one attack by four times the % of mana used. After usage of the skill, the user's mana circuits will be burned and torn. % of damage to the user is determined by the total amount of mana used.
Third Active Effect (???): ????
Skill Level Up Requirements:
Absorb 10 Tier 3 cores (0/10)
Absorb 40 Tier 2 cores (0/40)
[New title acquired, ¼ job change completed]
Raise any 3 skills to Tier 2 (1/3)
Raise any 2 skills to Tier 3 (1/2)
Raise any 1 skill to Tier 4 (0/1)
Have a total of 3 Titles (3/3)
[The system awaits your advancement]
[The system is watching…]
"Looks like she can see you. I think you mentioned something like this before." Percy chimed in, snapping Gaia out of her thoughts before suddenly snapping her head to the side as Atropos continued to stare at the floating world spirit. Several expressions crossed Gaia's face as she locked eyes with Atropos.
The information presented to her by Percy's system notification eased her worries about him being Atropos's slave. Yet at the same time, she didn't expect his constitution to upgrade the title given to him and make Atropos a Marked One, binding Atropos's soul to Percy. This allowed the small mouse girl to see her in all her glory. Ever so slowly, Gaia's face finally stopped changing as a small smile graced her lips.
'Seems like the little vermin got caught in her own little trap, poetic justice if you ask me,' Gaia said, her small smile now seeming like a vicious catlike grin to Atropos, who slowly sank into her chair. The once stunningly gorgeous world spirit with her elf-like ears, waterfall of coffee brown hair with golden tints, and jade green eyes no longer looked like that to Atropos. Instead, she appeared like a demon who had just found some prey.
"W-Who are you?" Atropos managed to get out as Gaia stared at the girl with a glimmer in her eyes.
"Poetic justice… that is an excellent way of putting it, Gaia." Percy couldn't help but ask while tearing his restraints apart with ease. Gaia slowly turned his way, quickly floated over to him, and ended up beside him as he rubbed his wrists a little. Yet Atropos remained frozen in place, her headache from her injured soul seemingly of no issue now as fear sank into her very bones.
"Gaia…" Atropos barely managed to repeat before swallowing down her saliva while Gaia turned her gaze from Percy onto her. That same small smile graced Gaia's lips as they locked eyes for a few moments, and Atropos seemed to understand what was finally happening. It was at that moment that Atropos looked ready to run, but was too afraid to. Yet upon seeing her reaction towards Gaia, Percy's eyebrow raised a little as he glanced between the two silent women.
"Is it just me, or are you more afraid of Gaia than you should be?" Percy asked as Gaia let out a light hum of thought while Atropos remained frozen in place. Seeing neither was going to speak, Percy sighed and rubbed his head a little to fight off the remaining ache in his soul.
"I didn't think it would be important since it was so long ago, but do you remember me telling you about me nearly falling into another slumber?" Gaia said casually as Percy thought for a moment before nodding. Yet the moment he did, he paused as he pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows as he started to think. He sat in silence for a little while Gaia kept her eyes trained on the mouse girl in front of her, ready to act the moment she tried to move.
"4000 years… slumber… missing scissors… The fates sealed you in a half-awake state until they all faded to keep the earth alive…" Percy's voice slowly filled the room as his eyes widened while gazing at Gaia. The world spirit couldn't help but finally break her gaze with Atropos and glance at Percy out of the corner of her eye. His face was covered with surprise and awe, but his eyes showed sympathy and concern for her.
"Right on the head of the nail," Gaia whispered upon seeing those eyes, her heart palpating a tiny bit faster upon seeing his concern for her. Yet his face twisted with several emotions until his gaze landed on Atropos.
"It had to be done, to keep the earth alive until it all ended," Atropos whispered as Percy's face twisted again until only a calm anger remained.
"Gaia, did you have any say in their actions?" Percy asked as Gaia remained silent, yet it spoke volumes to Percy.
"Atropos… it seems we need to have a long chat about the past."
A/N: Hello… sorry. Life has been crazy busy. Got engaged, bought a house, remodeled said house and still need to finish a few rooms. It has left very little time for writing and I do apologize. I just want to let you all know that I am alive and I am still going strong. I am just living life and sometimes life kicks you in the nuts… for several months straight. Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review and let me know how you like it!
E/N: He lives! Now time for me and my fun editing to commence! I now have 2 jobs which means I will be a bit less active but we do still pop in with updates on progress on the discord if you want to join and say hi! As always, reviews and comments are fantastic! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! - Sidus