[Percy Jackson/Dresden Files] Deep as the Sea

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#1
Deep as the Sea
Prologue

ôWho the hell are these guys?ö Percy snarled, losing his temper as he forced the creatureÆs face away from his own. Increasing the force of his grip, he crushed the bones of its ugly face with his gloved hand.

HeÆd learn quickly to wear gloves and to cover as much skin as possible. There was something in their saliva that messed with his head and made it really hard to fight. Annabeth said it was a narcotic of some kind.

He just knew it was really annoying, even if it stopped affecting him while he was in water. More importantly, it was really dangerous to anyone who wasnÆt immune to poison when wet, which was most people.

Also, they were just disgustingùblack, slimy bat-like creatures with giant fangs and disgustingly long tongues that slobbered everywhereùand he frankly didnÆt really want to touch them.

He stabbed Riptide deep into the belly of another creature as it foolishly approached, before kicking it away. They apparently feed on blood, which, considering the bat thing and the fact that they hated sunlightùsomething theyÆd learnt explosively while trying to transport a prisonerùmade Percy think they might have been vampires or something, but if you slit open their bellies, they were basically powerless. If you just left them, theyÆd die before too long.

He shifted his glare to another creature that hissed at him. He lifted a blade and almost made to move towards him, but stopped midstride as its belly was cut open by something invisible.

Specifically, someone.

He smiled in gratitude, but said nothing. The vampires, if thatÆs really what they were, still had no idea what was cutting them open; he wasnÆt going to tell them that he had a partner.

He felt Annabeth brush past him, silently assuring him that she was still there, watching his back.

It hadnÆt been long since the Battle of ManhattanùSummer hadnÆt even ended yet. But for some reason, about a million monsters had decided they wanted them dead after the battle or something and had started coming after them all the time.

All the campers had pretty much been ordered to stay at the camp for the time being.

Or rather, heÆd ordered them all to stay at the camp.

After the war was over, heÆd basically become the official leader whenever things got bad. HeÆd told the campers to stay under the protection of the Camp and had sent several groups out to try and figure out what was going on.

Mainly him and Annabeth, plus Thalia and the Hunters, however, as the camp was still recovering from the battle. There had been a loud debate on whether it was better from him to stay behind to protect the camp or to leave and fight outside it, but Annabeth and Chiron had convinced everyone that letting him fight was for the best. Percy was grateful towards the both of them for that, of course; heÆd have gone insane if heÆd had to stay behind while something was going on.

Unfortunately, the Gods were being quiet and unhelpful, and even Mr. D had been draw away from the camp.

Worryingly, that even included his father. It may have sounded a bit spoiled, but his dad always had time for him. If even he was being quiet, it meant something serious was going onùand that it coincided with these sudden attacks couldnÆt be a coincidence.

Even worse, Percy just didnÆt have time to worry about it. He had to worry about his camp, first, until he was able to contact his father and find out what was wrong on his side.

But maybe he could get somewhere today.

HeÆd learned that theàvampires were being sent by someone, a superior, and presumably another vampire. The grunts didnÆt know anything about what was going on or why, except that they were supposed to attack them. The leader would probably know more.

So theyÆd make the leader tell them. That was the idea, at least, but it required they find the leader firstàHe, she, itùwhateverùkept changing location from day to day.

Still, theyÆd had to kill something like a dozen vampires today alone. The amount of monsters being sent after them was increasing by a lotùthey were probably getting closer.

It was less than an hour until dawnùif they could figure out where they were coming from, there probably wouldnÆt be enough time for him to move before dawn.

Percy swung his sword, decapitating the last of the vampires, whose corpse feel to the ground with a dull thud. He looked at it once and looked awayùit wasnÆt the first time heÆd killed a monster by any means; it wasnÆt even if the first three hundredùbut they usually collapsed into dust.

For some reason, these things didnÆt. At least, not until they were touched by sunlight, and even that was mainly burning.

Still, at least that meant he wouldnÆt have to clean things up. He didnÆt like them while they were alive, much less chopped into pieces.

Speaking of sunlightà

He approached one of the vampires whose belly heÆd split, glancing up at the sky obviously as he did so.

ôItÆs probably not long until the sun comes up, guys.ö He said, stopping just out of reach of one. ôIÆm guessing youÆd like to be somewhere else before that happens, huh?ö

He received a number of weak noises in response.

ôWellàI suppose I could move you guys inside.ö He continued his practiced speech. ôBut if I help you outàyouÆve gotta help me out, okay?ö

ôW-whatàö The one at his feet tried to ask something. This wasnÆt the first time heÆd given this speech, so he was aware of what he was trying to ask.

ôIÆll let you liveàbut the one who sent you here dies. And I want you to tell me where they are.ö

A chorus of furiousùbut still patheticùsounds was his response, as it had been the night before. And the night before that, actually.

He shrugged easily, turning away.

ôOh well. ItÆs not like IÆm the one who minds the sun.ö

ôH-heÆll killàusàö The one by his feet said.

ôThatÆs only an issue if youÆre alive for him to kill.ö Percy pointed out. ôAnd if heÆs alive to kill you. Which wonÆt be an issue, once I catch up with him.ö

It was hard to make out emotion in the monsterÆs pitch-black eyes, but Percy thought he was considering it.

Finally, he nodded once. Percy grabbed its leg and began pulling him towards the empty building he and Annabeth had been staying in and would now be abandoning, dragging him through the blood that had fallen out of him.

He couldnÆt really say he was surprised when the vampireÆs long pink tongue lashed out towards the blood, lapping at it quickly as if he was dying of thirstùwhich he probably was.

He wasnÆt surprised when, after he dragged him completely through the blood puddle, the vampire seemed to have recovered immensely.

And he was flat-out expecting it when he attacked him.

He stepped easily out of the way of the punch, grabbed it, and pulled his opponent into his own punch, knocking him several steps back. Before it could recover, its head left itÆs shoulders, tumbling to the ground. A moment later, it was joined by the rest of his body.

He looked down at it for a silent moment, before sighing and shaking his head. Stepping over it, he approached the next of the fallen vampires.

ôI hope youÆre not as stupid as your friend over there.ö He said, as the vampire looked up at him in blatant fear.

It shook its head quickly.

ôGood,ö He said. ôThen letÆs try this again.ö

Reaching down, he grabbed its leg, and began to pull it through the blood heÆd spilt.

He was going to find whoever was trying to kill him and get some answers. Tonight.

No matter how many of these grunts he had to go through.

XxXXxX
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#2
XxXXxX

As heÆd promised, heÆd let the monster go after it had given him what heÆd needed. Even if that meant there was still another of its kind out there, that was fineùhorror stories canÆt be born without someone to tell them. If he let a few opponents go, at some point, theyÆd tell others, whoÆd tell others and, hopefully, at some point that would form an image that could protect the camp as well as any shield.

It had been ClarisseÆs idea and it was a good one. Maybe it was because they were all working for the same person, but already hesitation had appeared in the people that had been sent after him. If that image continued to grow, then perhaps it could become something that could keep the Camp safe.

And, after all, it was only fair, since the vampire had given him the information heÆd needed.

Stillà

ôàIs this the place?ö Percy wondered, uncertain.

ôFor someone whoÆs eluded us for days, heÆs not very subtle, is he?ö Annabeth said, sounding embarrassed.

It was a manor. Just by looking at it, you could tell that it wasnÆt a place fitting for a temporary residence or hiding placeùrather, this place was more likely to be the enemy headquarters.

Given they were hunting a vampire, it seemed like a pretty obvious placeùlooking at it, Percy was having flashbacks of Dracula movies.

To call it impractical would be slightly misleading. There were guards positioned strategically, as well as lights and cameras around the walls. It was obvious that breaking into it quietly would beàdifficult at best.

Annabeth put on her baseball cap and became invisible. It would be a lie if Percy said he had any idea what she did after that, but he presumed sheÆd slipped inside or something. It was already daylight and time wasnÆt an issue, so he simply waited outside. It was more than an hour before the guards shiftedùor tried to, at least.

The guards outside went inside, but they didnÆt come back out. No new guards came out either, which was probably a good sign. Five minutes later, the front door swung open, apparently of its own accord.

Percy stood, stretched briefly, and walked in. If there had been any defenses protecting the lawn, they didnÆt activate. Nor did anything else, really.

But then, he hadnÆt expected them to. If any defenses had existed, Annabeth would have disabled them before signaling him to enter.

As he strode through the door, he couldnÆt help but think that it was a really nice house. Polished wood, cabinets of silverware, grandfather clocks, and ornate chandeliers. Despite being obviously high-class, there wasnÆt anything that seemed unusual.

Which was itself unusual, because he knew something supernatural was in here somewhere.

Still, the fact that it looked normal said a lot. Unless this place was stolenùsomething that would draw a lot of attention, because presumably anyone that could afford this place would be missed by someoneùthen for it to look this normal would require it be set up that way. Presumably by someone who had some experience in that sort of thing.

But just because he hadnÆt noticed anything strange didnÆt mean there wasnÆt anything. If it was fake, then by definition something was hidden.

ôThis placeàö He murmured when he felt Annabeth brush against him reassuringly.

He didnÆt have to say anything else.

ôThe refrigerators are empty.ö She whispered back, her breath against his ear. ôSo are the cabinets. The silverware is unused. ThereÆs a dishwasher and dishes, but no detergent.ö

If this home belonged to a human, then logically there should have been something to eat in here, somewhereùor, at the very least, signs that there had been food, at some point.

By itself, it wasnÆt enough to say anything for certain, of courseùhe could eat out a lot or somethingùbut since they had already tracked something here that fed on human blood, it was enough for him to act on.

He looked around quickly, wondering where to being a search for a blood-sucking monster, when he felt Annabeth tug him towards a door.

He glanced at it once, before looking at the place he assumed Annabeth was inquisitively.

ôThe door to the basement is locked,ö She said. ôFrom the inside. And none of the guards had keys that could open it.ö

Good enough for him.

The manor wasnÆt very subtle, nor were the guards, which implied that the same was true of the master of both.

Percy wasnÆt very subtle, either, so that was fine by him.

ôIÆll go first. IÆd feel bad if I made you do all the work.ö He said, smiling. The expression faded as quickly as itÆd appeared, fading into a mask of seriousness. ôGive me ten seconds. Follow if nothing happensùotherwise, wait until I signal that itÆs safe.ö

For a moment, there was no response, before suddenly her breath was by his ear again.

ôBe careful down there Seaweed Brain.ö She said. ôWe still donÆt know what we might find.ö

ôIf I knew how to be careful, I wouldnÆt have done anything I did in my entire life,ö He said, winking at her. ôIf you suddenly ask me to do something new, IÆll just confuse myself. LetÆs just stick with what I knowùIÆll get in trouble and you bail me out, okay?ö

Without even waiting for a reply, he leaned back and kicked the door open.

XxXXxX
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#3
XxXXxX

What he found in the basement wasnÆt what he was expected.

Though, that would raise the question of what exactly he was expecting. Maybe the stereotypical coffin filled basement of a vampireÆs castle? He wasnÆt sure.

But whatever heÆd anticipated, it wasnÆt a bunch of prepared, awake vampires and a line of four guards pointing machineguns at him. Behind the two groups stood a well dressed man in an expensive suit, who looked human, but showed no reaction to the line of monsters right in front of him.

ôàHuh.ö Percy said awkwardly, suddenly really glad heÆd made Annabeth wait outside.

As one, the gunman began to fire. Percy quickly shut the door to keep any shots or ricochets from escaping to the floor above and potentially injuring Annabeth. He pressed his back against it, both to keep it closed and to protect himself, closing his eyes and crossing his arms in front of his face, more out of instinct than anything else.

It wasàstrange, being at the center of a storm of bullets. Due to his invulnerability, he was hurt by any of them, but it wasnÆt like he couldnÆt feel them. But the strange thing was that when, one by one, the bullets slammed into his skin at high speed, he felt each one, felt their shape as it warped and flattened on contact with his skin, as they bounced off, as they shredded his cloths and he heard them as they drowned out all other noise with the sound of hundreds of gunshots, and yetà

Neither hurt. It was strange, listening to sound through invulnerable eardrums and feeling blows through impenetrable skin.

And then, it was over. The wave of firepower had lasted only a minute before their guns were empty and they had to reload. Smoke and dust filled the air, but Percy was a demigodùeven if he couldnÆt see them, it didnÆt really matter.

And it went without saying that he had no intention of standing idly by, letting himself get shot at.

He burnt through the smoke in an instant, lashing out at one of the guardÆs guns with Riptide as he passed byùeven if the blade wouldnÆt harm mortals, it could cut through steel effortlessly. In the same instant, he grabbed another gun with his free hand, taking it by its barrel and ripping it from the manÆs hands. In a smooth arc, he brought it up to catch itÆs former owner hard in the face, knocking him both from his feet and the realm of the conscious, before swinging it to catch the one whoÆs gun heÆd destroyed on the back of the head.

Planting Riptide in the stone floor, he dropped the gun he held in his left hand. It was decent as a weapon in that it was hard and he could hit people with it, but he had better options.

The two remaining guards finished reloading even as they turned towards himùheÆd knocked out the two in the middle, leaving the two on the outside.

He grabbed the barrels of both guns before they could even start firing, pulling both gunners closer to him, before twisting the one on the left out of its owners grip as it slackened in surprise. He pistol-whipped him, even as the other guard, who either had better training or was just harder to surprise, began to fire into his invulnerable chest as Percy twisted towards him, bringing the gun down with a crack on the top of his head, before yanking the gun from his grasp as well.

Twirling the guns, he switched his grip from the barrels to the handles, holding them as heÆd seen in countless movies. He probably wasnÆt holding them the way he was supposed to and heÆd never really used a gun before, but standing with one in each hand made him feel like an action hero.

He had floored all four gunners and begun firing before the first of the vampires even reached him.

He knew he wasnÆt good at archery and he probably wasnÆt good with guns, either. If it came to hitting specific targets accurately, the most he could really boast about was that he didnÆt hit the people on his side anymore.

But if it was just pointing and holding the trigger in a specific direction, he could do that. There was probably a better, more efficient way to use these guns, but this was fine for the moment. The bullets hammered into random places on the vampireÆs chest until he got used to the recoil and held them more steadily. He pretty much sprayed bullets randomly over the crowd of vampires until his guns clicked empty.

Even if he was a bad shot, it was okay if he just shot more bullets, he figured, and since all the vampires had come from basically the same direction, heÆd hit pretty much all of them.

Besides, they were nothing but a way to make things a bit easier for him.

Stillà

ôI came here for two reasons,ö He declared proudly, a grin stealing across his face despite himself. ôTo kick ass andùô

A vampire burst through the smoke, claws outstretched towards his face. His body was full of a number of holes from his haphazard spray of bullets, but apparently he hadnÆt hit anything important enough to put the thing down.

Percy reacted in an instant. Their purpose accomplished, he dropped the guns and pulled Riptide out of the floor, raising it in a wide arc that took of the monsterÆs head.

ôOkay, IÆll just be quiet.ö
 

bmsattler

Well-Known Member
#4
excellent story so far. One question though, what were the human guards eating if there was no food in the house?
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#5
He could have stayed back and waited for them to come to himùbut Percy had never been much of a defensive fighter. He met the next vampireÆs charge with his own, sidestepping at the last moment, bringing his sword down in an arc to end its life even as he continued his advance. Stepping to the next in line, he then brought his blade up, sliding it smoothly into its gut, before leaning back to avoid itÆs snap at his face, raising a leg to kick it hard in the chest, sliding it of his blade and tossing it into the vampire behind it.

Percy continued his advance, stepping around the tangle of limbs heÆd reduced the two vampires to, while a third one approached from the side. Grasping Riptide in both hands, he swung his blade, starting lowùthe Celestial Bronze sword carved smoothly through both the vampires on the ground before lifting in a shining arc to cut the third vampire from cheekbone to temple.

Only two more vampires remained, plus the strange man in the back, and he quickly stepped into their personal space. Having apparently realized how dangerous he was, but also realizing that the only way out of the room was through the door behind him, they glanced at each other once and moved in unison. Showing a bit more strategy than their predecessors, they attempted to attack simultaneously from different directions, intending to distract him enough to dash past, hoping to make it to the stairs.

The one on the right ended up with a sword to face for his troubleùentering under his chin and exiting out of the top of his head. The one on the left was stopped as Percy grabbed his face with his free hand, fingers digging deep into its skin to gain traction on its slimy skin.

Tearing his blade roughly from the right vampireÆs head, he swung it under his left arm, decapitating his captive. The body immediately fell to the floor, but he kept a hold of the head. Its jaw had slid open, slackening in death; he turn his hand over, causing gravity to close it, before tossing it to the feet of the out-of-place man.

Standing only a few feet away, a group of dead vampires and defeat guards behind him, his skin untouched by the battle, Percy looked at the man heÆd decided was the leader, acting like it wasnÆt even a thing.

As he stepped towards him, the man backed away at his advance.

ôYouÆre the one thatÆs been sending monsters after us? WhatÆs in this for you? Is there anyone else involved?öö He asked as kept walking. In moments, the leader had his back to the wall and nowhere to go.

Even so, he didnÆt say anything. Percy watched him for a moment, considering something.

Then, he stabbed him in the foot.

The man let out a cry of pain, confirming PercyÆs suspicion.

ôAs I thought, youÆre not human.ö Percy said, withdrawing his blade. ôWhat are you then?ö

The man still refused to say anything, though he now glared at him furiously.

Pursing his lips, Percy stared at him, not really surprised. He hadnÆt expected it would be easy to get answers.

Butà

ôI donÆt have anywhere to be,ö He said. ôAnd the only way youÆre getting out of here is through meùand you arenÆt getting passed me unless I get some answers. Make this easy on yourself and save us both some time.ö

The man sneered at him.

ôDo you expect me to believe youÆll actually let me live?ö

ôI suppose that depends on what, exactly, you tell me, doesnÆt it? I certainly wonÆt let you go if you say nothing.ö Percy replied, taking another step forward. ôBut yeah, if you answer my questionsùand tell me everything I want to knowùIÆll let you go, on the condition that you stop sending people after us. If anything happens, IÆll come back for another visit and youÆll die.ö

He didnÆt bother rising or lowering his voiceùhe just stated the facts. He wasnÆt really confident about his acting skills, so he didnÆt try to be intimidating, but heÆd follow through on any threats he made, if it came to that.

Truthfully, heÆd planned to kill this guy without saying a word, but heÆd already noticed something that stayed his hand.

ôLetÆs start with the most important issueàö Percy began. ôWho are you working for?ö

This guyàPercy couldnÆt believe he was the leader. After the attacks began, theyÆd done some digging. The Hunters had spread out, hunting monsters but also reporting back what they foundùand theyÆd reported strange monster attacks all across the nation. He and Annabeth had decided to start in the areas close to home, which had led them here, butà

There was no way this guy was behind everything. He didnÆt have enough defenses or soldiers or even ævariety.Æ These vampires werenÆt uncommon, but they were hardly the only thing that had appeared recently. He couldnÆt be behind everythingùPercy doubted he was even behind all the vampire attacks, given how wide spread Thalia had reported they were.

In the end, all heÆd found was another grunt.

The manÆs eyes shifted nervously.

ôI canÆt,ö He said. ôTheyÆll kill me.ö

ôFine,ö Percy said. ôThen IÆll kill you and try again with the next guy that shows up.ö

The man licked his lips once and nodded.

And then spit at him. It wasnÆt a normal amount, either, but a disgustingly large wad of it that Percy immediately recognized.

The man was a vampire, too.

Percy ducked quickly to the right, knowing better then to let it touch himùespecially with his clothing torn to pieces by that hail of bullets.

And the man saw his chance. Dashing forward as Percy dodged, he ran as fast as he could towards the doorùheÆd go through it, if he need to. Even if it was daylight, he had ways to escape; a specially prepared van shielded against sunlight.

ôùDeath it is, then.ö Percy said, spinning on a dime, and grabbing the man by the arm and pulling, Riptide already raised to send another monster to its grave.

But all he pulled away was a disgusting sheet of flesh that slid straight off the man, revealing the bat-like monstrosity beneath. PercyÆs eyes widened in surprise before he threw it to the ground with a snarl and lunged after him.

And then the man stopped sudden. Percy grabbed him, pulling him roughly, before he stopped too.

The æmanÆsÆ belly had been cut open. Percy released him, letting him drop to the floor.

ôùWhat happened to waiting until I gave the signal?ö Percy asked.

ôYou took too long,ö Annabeth said, tacking off her cap. ôItÆs not nice to keep a girl waiting.ö

æI got worried,Æ Percy knew she meant.

ôBesides,ö Annabeth continued, smiling teasingly. ôIt looks like this could use a womanÆs touch.ö

Percy glanced at the whimpering vampire at his feet.

ôBy all means,ö He said, stepping back.

XxXXxX
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#6
Deep as the Sea
Feet in the Water

ôThe Red Court, huhàö Percy murmured.

ôItÆs interesting, isnÆt it?ö Annabeth said, a familiar gleam in her eyes. ôThe Red Court of Vampires. Seems to imply that vampires arenÆt completely united. Maybe itÆs a political faction? It could even be an extremist group?ö

ôI was mainly thinking it was weird.ö Percy said, lifting his voice. ôMonsters forming their own organization? And us not knowing about it until now?ö

ôItÆs not that weird,ö Annabeth disagreed. ôThey didnÆt seem to know about us until recently. And I can even guess when.ö

ôThe Battle of Manhattan.ö Percy agreed more than said. ôYeah, I guess itÆs not surprising that we drew some attention then. But stillàtheyÆre monsters. We hunt monsters. How have we never even run across them before? There are so many of them; youÆd figure someone have seen them before at some point.ö

Annabeth opened her mouth for a moment before snapping it shut with a click and shaking her head.

ôIÆd say the only way would be if we were somehow avoiding each other,ö She said. ôBut that would require we know about each other.ö

Percy pursed his lips for a minute.

ôThereÆs still too much we donÆt know.ö He decided. ôAnd we arenÆt figuring out what it is quickly enough. If somethingÆs going on, we might already be on a time limit.ö

He debated with himself for a minute before sighing.

ôWe need to widen our search. Andàwe need someone more persuasive.ö He decided. ôAnnabeth, call Drew.ö

Annabeth looked annoyed at the thought.

ôWhy donÆt you call Drew?ö She replied.

ôSheÆs the new Counselor of the Aphrodite Cabinùshe may as well get to work.ö He continued, dodging the question. ôIf nothing else, her Charmspeak will be helpfulùand IÆm sure the Aphrodite Cabin will be happy to be free of her for awhile. Call Clarisse and the Ares Cabin, too; I know theyÆve been eager to join the search.ö

Annabeth actually sputtered at that.

ôClarisse and Drew?ö She said, looking at him like heÆd lost his mind. ôAre you insane? Clarisse will kill her if she says anything about Silena. Are you sure thatÆs a good idea.ö

ôNo,ö He admitted. ôBut if we took her with us, IÆd have kill her if she said anything about SilenaùI was there when she died and I was BeckendorfÆs best friend, besides. But Drew doesnÆt have much skill in a fightùif she meets someone she canÆt Charmspeak, sheÆll be in danger, and even if I dislike her, she doesnÆt deserve to die; hopefully, sheÆll be smart enough to keep quiet around Clarisse. Besides, going on a quest might be good for her; we were all brats at one point or another, before we had to grow up a bit.ö

Percy shrugged.

ôAnd who knows? Maybe theyÆll become friends.ö

Annabeth raised an eyebrow at that.

ôYou think so?ö

ôNot really, but I didnÆt think Clarisse and Silena would become friends, either.ö He said, shrugging again. ôCall Grover and the Satyrs, too, and have them look aroundùthe NymphÆs, too, if you can. Even if these guys have been avoiding us, I doubt they knew to avoid every plant in the city. Tell them to see if the nature spirits know anything. Send them along with the Ares Cabin, too.ö

Annabeth nodded easily at that, though she seemed a bit worried about deploying so many people at once with the situation still so uncertain.

ôAnd what are you going to do?ö

Standing, Percy rubbed the bridge of his nose.

ôIÆll go call Nico.ö He said. ôIf all else fails, IÆm sure these guys have killed people beforeùand IÆm sure at least one of them knows something. It may take awhile, but I bet Nico can find out what we need.ö

Annabeth nodded and left the room without a word to go make her calls. Percy watched her go, somewhat thankful for the privacy.

The relationship between him and Nico wasàstrange. After his sister had died, heÆd felt responsible for him, even if Nico had hated him at first. TheyÆd worked things out eventually and heÆd eventually started to think of Nico as a little brother.

An incredibly annoying little brother that he loved anyway.

Nico was a professional when it came to annoying him. In the first week heÆd known the kid, heÆd wanted to kill the kid he was so annoying. And when heÆd had to chase him all over to keep him from doing something stupid. And when heÆd nearly gotten him killed in the Underworldùdespite how ironic that was in hindsight.

He always forgave Nico in the endùwhich was part of the reason he thought their relationship was kind of brotherlyùbut that didnÆt change the fact that spending time with Nico was frequently a trying experience. Clarisse and Luke had proved that childhood enemies could become friends and that childhood friends could become enemiesùbut little brothers are annoying forever.

Still, the kid was good at what he did.

Percy sighed one last time before going to call the Ghost King.

XxXXxX
 

GiantMonkeyMan

Well-Known Member
#7
Just caught this. It's very awesome; I don't know much about PJ and that particular series (sadly I've watched the film but not read the books) but I'm a big fan of Dresden. Was wondering what aspects of the main Dresden plot you are planning on first having them interact properly with (besides slaughtering :p ). I also think that maybe Percy and crew might just be the extra muscle Dresden might need to avoid having to call on Winter and therefore avoid a grisly Kincaid-related death in the future. That is, if there aren't huge numbers of butterflys flapping their wings and changing even more of the plot.

Looking forward to more man.
 

Tbora

Well-Known Member
#8
How are you meshing this? Because the greek gods should be much weaker in the dresdenverse then in the PJ Series and not able to obliterate the world single-handedly like they can in there own universe. Look at Odin for reference, them being "retired" gods should have some level of effect on there abilities to the point where they are weaker then then the Faery Queens.

Which in turn should effect the demi-gods as there blood means less then it once was. I would put Percy on the level of Pre-Winter Knight mantle imo (which is not weak, just not OMG invincible.) Some good thaumaturgy should effect Percy regardless (given that it works through symbolic links.).

If any of the demigods come across Kincaid or the like they should die. period. The Hellhound is on a whole other level then them, and even with the Styx curse he would quickly find the protection and start probing for weaknesses from a mile away with a sniper rifle.

TLDR= Don't nerf Harry and Co., and overpower PJ. Invicible protagonists are boring.
 

GiantMonkeyMan

Well-Known Member
#9
One of the good things about Dresden Files is how characters who might appear powerful in a battlefield of their own choosing are overcome when a carefully woven plot takes them away from the sources of their power (or Harry is a fluky bastard). What I'm essentially saying here is not to nerf either side of the equation merely to make things more 'equal' or it'd be irritating to say the least. Instead have the characters (from either side) come up with sensible plots to overcome their enemies.

So far we've had Percy using his ability with the sword to defeat some low-ranked vampires and his status as a demi-god to survive bullets. I'd fully expect him to win pretty much any battle at sea but he's still capable of being out-witted and enemies can still surprise him with clever plots. No need to completely neuter either fiction if a decent story can be made of it.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#10
Um...

No.

How are you meshing this? Because the greek gods should be much weaker in the dresdenverse then in the PJ Series and not able to obliterate the world single-handedly like they can in there own universe. Look at Odin for reference, them being "retired" gods should have some level of effect on there abilities to the point where they are weaker then then the Faery Queens.
Yeah, but the Greek Gods aren't retired. If you read PJ, you'll see that they tied themselves to the actual concept of Western Civilization. On the upside, they don't worry about worship at all--on the downside, whenever Western Civilization changes, they change as well--they literately became different people with different personalities when they went from Greek to Roman and then again to American.

That's actually the canon PJ explanation.

Which in turn should effect the demi-gods as there blood means less then it once was. I would put Percy on the level of Pre-Winter Knight mantle imo (which is not weak, just not OMG invincible.) Some good thaumaturgy should effect Percy regardless (given that it works through symbolic links.).
As a result, the demigods aren't weakened, either. They've neither forgotten their purpose nor become scattered. Instead, their parents gather them in one place and educate them.

They've literally sidestepped all the issues Odin described. I haven't made anything up or changed it to fit--those are the exact reasons from both canons.

As for Percy...I don't see it. I mean, I'm not going to weaken either continuity, because that pisses me off whenever I read crossovers and I know that it pisses off a lot of other people, too.

Why even both with a crossover if one side's just gonna over power the other?

If any of the demigods come across Kincaid or the like they should die. period. The Hellhound is on a whole other level then them, and even with the Styx curse he would quickly find the protection and start probing for weaknesses from a mile away with a sniper rifle.
Uh...

I don't see how this would make sense even if I wasn't keeping things canon.

I mean, the only powers Kincaid has ever show is a bit of super-strength and accuracy--pretty much what the Apollo cabin has (they never miss a shot with anything--whether it's basketballs, bows, pool, etc.). We don't even know what his parent is, yet.

Now, granted, most Demigods will die if they're shot in the head--though Kincaid would also die if shot in the head. If there's a reason Kincaid would win, it would be because he has a lot of experience, but most of the demigods have the advantage on power.

As for Percy...he could just turn around. If Kincaid's a mile away, he's gonna have a hell of a time getting back behind him. How would that even work?

TLDR= Don't nerf Harry and Co., and overpower PJ. Invicible protagonists are boring.
I wont, but I don't see we you think it would be any better if I nerfed the PJ side and overpowered the DF one.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#11
XxXXxX

Their information network spread quicklyùand the amount of things they found out was already giving him a headache.

Grover and the Satyrs had learned a stunning amount of information from the plants of New York Cityùespecially in the Parks. They were still in the process of organizing everything they found, but between Central, Prospect, and Flushing-Meadows Corona Park, plus the Bronx, theyÆd solved a staggering number of crimes. In the end, Annabeth had had to connect them to her half-brother, who was the current New York City Police Commissioner, and have them funnel everything to him, because they just couldnÆt handle all of it themselves.

There were also a number of strange things that, honestly, Percy wasnÆt sure what meant, if anything. They were definitely supernatural, but there were so manyà

How had they not noticed anything? There were so many cases of supernatural activity, some of which dating back an extraordinary amount of time, and theyÆd had no ideaà

He couldnÆt believe that this many monsters had escaped their notice in their own city. No, literallyùhe couldnÆt believe that such a thing was possible unless something had actually hidden them.

Something was going on. Something was keeping them out of the know and he didnÆt like it at all.

There were too many things going on for them to possibly do everything themselves. The sheer stunning amount of casesùand more importantly, the fact that they werenÆt organized at all. The nature spirits had recounted everything they remembered, so they had all the information, but if they wanted to get anything useful out of it, they were going to have to put it together.

Percy didnÆt want to, so he pulled ranked and dumped it on the Athena Cabin. Even so, it was going to take a lot of time for them to get anything out of it. TheyÆd seen enough to write books, but just identifying the characteristics of all the creatures would take days or week, and that was being optimistic.

Trying to figure out the exact time and place of everything that had happened, much less trying to puzzle out the motivations behind all the attacksà

Percy kind of felt bad for them, but he was mainly just happy that he didnÆt have to do it.

Drew had proven herself as useful as heÆd hoped, charming out information where their threats had failed. The downside was that the target needed to know something for her to get it out of themùand, at the moment, the only vampires left in the city were the grunts that had been lucky enough to avoid him and Annabeth. Sadly, that probably didnÆt include anyone important, so classified or hidden information wasnÆt forth coming.

While that was sad, it would be corrected the next time they got their hands on someone in a leadership positionùand the upside more than made up for it besides. For while the vampires Drew had interrogated hadnÆt known anything secret, they had mentioned a great deal of things that were apparently widely known to everyone but them. Drew and the Ares Cabin were writing down what theyÆd learned in reports, but even the small things theyÆd shared through an Iris Message had been helpful.

In addition, Drew and Clarisse seemed to be getting along, if not well, then at least without killing each other.

But as heÆd expected, Nico was the biggest source of information. It wasnÆt uncommon for monsters and bad guys in general to prescribe to the theory that dead men tell no tailsùwhich was failing miserably in this case. Nico had somehow made a list of all the people who had died of unnatural causes and it was a long, long list. He was in the process of tracking down and questioning the people on the list, which was sure to be a long process, but it was the best source of information they had.

Not all the strange deaths in New York were monster related, though, and again, information was funneled to AnnabethÆs brotherùPercy was pretty sure this was going to do some pretty amazing things for his record, which wasnÆt bad to begin with. Annabeth had said her brother was considering running for Mayor after his term was over.

Nico had a group of ghosts organizing the information, which heÆd promised to send to the Athena Cabin after it was done.

Everything was going nicely. Percy hadnÆt realized how good the Camp would be at gathering information before todayùmainly because heÆd never thought about it before. But as long as things stayed the way they were, he thought itÆd be okay; once he knew what the problem was, he could try to solve it, instead of swinging blindly in the dark and hoping to hit something.

However, until everything was finishedùor at least until the next group of monsters showed up and tried to start somethingùthere wasnÆt much he could do but wait.

So wait he did.

And like that, summer wound to an end.

XxXXxX
 

nick012000

Well-Known Member
#12
Ryuugi said:
And then, it was over. The wave of firepower had lasted only a minute before their guns were empty and they had to reload. Smoke and dust filled the air, but Percy was a demigodùeven if he couldnÆt see them, it didnÆt really matter.
Also, a technical point: most fully automatic firearms run dry much faster than you'd expect if you just hold down the trigger. A typical box-fed machine gun has a box of about a hundred rounds and a firing rate of about five to six hundred rounds per minute; this means they'll completely empty their ammunition in about ten to twelve seconds of continuous fire. The only way I can see them lasting a full minute is if the machine guns in question are belt-fed and each machine gunner has a second vampire helping them by continuously connecting new belts of ammunition onto the end of the old ones.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#13
I decided that the pieces I posted worked better as parts of the prologue, so I made them part of it. This is now where Chapter One begins.

__________________________________________________________

Deep as the Sea
Feet in the Water
It took all of Fall to organize everything, which passed easily for Percy and Annabeth. While the otherÆs worked to discern facts from a huge amount of information from a variety of sources, put it together, weed out the falsities and rumors, and figure out what was missing, they had the relatively simple task of kicking the ass of anyone that tried to start something.

After they destroyed the Red Courts original outpost, following attempts to gain a foothold were much more cautious and subtle, but it was hard to simultaneously avoid the eyes of everyone on scout duty and hide from every plant in the city. If they killed anyone, Nico knew and sent up warning bells and Percy kept an eye on the rivers, just in case. Anyone who tried to enter was quickly caught and handed over to Drew.

While things had come to a relative calm, Percy was still wary about letting everyone go, because spreading them all around the nation where they were all far from any help seemed like an hilariously bad idea. It had taken some work on the Camps part, along with the help of a number of part campers, but theyÆd managed to enroll most of the camper into schools in the New York City area in time for school to start. Now that the camp had started expanding and new CabinÆs were being built for the minor gods and goddesses, there was even talk taking things even further and just building a school on camp property.

Whether or not that talk would come to anything, Percy didnÆt know. He left issues like that in the capable hands of Chiron and the graduated Campers, who knew how to do things like build a school. His job was to keep the entire camp safe and thatÆs what he didùthough he thought the idea of a school for Halfbloods was kind of awesome; if there was something like that, maybe he wouldnÆt have been kicked out of school a dozen times.

Maybe if a school was actually built, they could go even further. The Camp was a haven for Halfbloods, but most only stayed there for a timeùin the summers and only until they graduated. The CabinÆs were great and all, but they were hardly a place for adults to live in, much less families.

If they couldà

But he was getting ahead of himself, Percy though, shaking his head to draw himself back to the present. Even the school was still just an idea and nothing said it would even go anywhere. He should focus on the matter at hand.

Taking a moment to decide what he was going to say, he walked into the Big House.

As usual, the Rec Room was full and the arguments were long since underway. This was the official meeting place of the Camp Counselorsùthe leaders of each Cabin. In his first four years at Camp, there had never been more than eleven Counselors, even if one counted the leader of ArtemisÆ Hunters.

Now, there were over twenty, counting the leaders of all the new Cabins. Even Thalia was present as the leader of the Hunters.

Only two gods shown for their absence: Hera, who still had no children to represent her and whose Cabin was still just honorary, and Zeus. Thalia, now represented Artemis instead of her father, so the King of the Gods had an empty Cabin as wellùthough with the Oath no longer applying, it was anyoneÆs guess how long that would last.

The Couselors never gathered unless there was something importantùand this was the largest gathering in History. Normally, it was up to the Counselors to make decisions for their entire Cabin at these meetings, but in this case, Percy had called for a vote of the entire Camp with the Counselors serving as representativesùthough some Cabins, like his own, had only one member.

Still, what they were about to decide would affect everyone for a long time to come and Percy didnÆt want anyone to not have at least a choice.

ôSince when do we make deals with monsters?ö Clarisse demanded.

ôI donÆt think anyone here wants to, Clarisse,ö Annabeth said calmly. ôHowever, you know better than anyone else how different things are now. With so many unknowns, we made canÆt let our emotions decide this.ö

Percy walked silent around the walls of the room, neither saying a word nor doing anything to draw attention.

This issue had been raging throughout the camp for weeks and heÆd been careful not to say anything either for or against it. He was aware of how much influence he had around the campùif he said he was for it, Clarisse and everyone else who opposed it would fall silent and go along with itùas would Annabeth and those like her if he said he was against it.

Well, maybe not Annabeth and Clarisse, but everyone that supported them would defer to his opinion, whatever it was.

But he couldnÆt decide this for them. He didnÆt want to decide this for them. There were arguments to be made for or against itùand he had no idea what choice would be the right one in the long one. And even if he did, this was supposed to be a democracyùbut could it be called a democracy when his word was law?

Soà

Whatever the Camp decided, he would see done.

Seeing Nico in a shadowed corner, he quietly made his way towards him, before leaning against the wall to watch the proceedings. Nico glanced at him once, before doing the sameùPercy silently wondered how he would vote.

ôHas it been just Clarisse and Annabeth arguing or has anyone else gotten involved?ö He asked.

ôTheyÆre the figureheads of the different sides, yeah.ö Nico replied, understand what he was really asking.

Percy nodded. TheyÆd been the leaders of the sides from the beginningùheÆd just wondered if anyone else had voiced an opinion or raised a new one.

ôAre you going to stop them?ö Nico asked.

ôIÆll give it a few minutes,ö Percy said, shrugging. ôNot everyoneÆs here yet.ö

Annabeth and Clarisse both had good points, but after several weeks of this, everyone had heard them already. Percy suspected they were arguing just for show and part of him wondered if these were their actual opinions or just the opinions of their CabinÆs.

ôYouÆve heard what NicoÆs reported!ö Clarisse snarled, slapping a hand down on the table. ôThe amount of people theyÆve killed in New York aloneà!ö

AnnabethÆs eyes hardened.

ôNo oneÆs proposing me make friends with them, Clarisse.ö She said sharply. ôI donÆt like them any more then you do. IÆm merely pointing out that were going to have a hard time protecting people if weÆre all dead.ö

ôIÆd rather be dead then submit to monsters! YouÆre telling me we should beg them to impose their rules on us?ö

ôBeg?ö Annabeth repeated. ôHardly. WeÆll find a way to meet them as equals and negotiate.ö

ôAnd what would we gain by doing that? How will being bond by rules and regulations that were made by monsters help us protect people?ö

ôIf the rules get in the way of that,ö Annabeth said. ôThey will be broken.ö

A smile that was gone as quickly as it came reminded him that those two were really close friends, despite how much they argued.

ôThen why bother with the rules at all? ThereÆs no punishment for breaking them as long as they donÆt apply to usùjoining does nothing but invite punishment.ö

ôBut if by joining, we can prevent a warùor have the war on our termsùthen itÆs worth it,ö Annabeth argued. ôAs things are, there is no punishment no matter how many of them we killùbut the same is true if they decide to kill us. Yes, there will be restrictions and if we break themùor, at least, are caught breaking themùthere will be punishment. But they donÆt just apply to usùif weÆre both members, then they will be bound to obey those rules as well. Clarisseùif we fight like this, weÆll be opposing an enemy of unknown power in a war with no rules or morals. WhoÆs to say they wonÆt strike at our parents? Or hurt innocent people? You donÆt understandùI hate this. I hate the mere idea of this. A peace treaty with monsters that kill innocent people by the hundreds or thousands? It disgusts me. But if we fought like thisàa lot of innocent people are going to be hurt. Even if we winàis killing them worth all the innocent people that could die? Could we even win in the first place?ö

Annabeth shrugged.

ôI donÆt know. It kills me, but I donÆt. But I donÆt want to risk it. Besidesàyou and I both know that this wouldnÆt exclude the possibility of war. LetÆs play a long for just a little while, Clarisse. And if thereÆs a chance to crush them and protect innocentsàdo you doubt for a second that I wouldnÆt be right there with you on the frontline?ö

Clarisse went silent at that.

Perhaps due to fate, chance, or good timingùbut probably because heÆd been listening at the doorùChiron walked in at that precise moment, keeping the argument from restarting.

Percy pushed off the wall and stood up straight.

ôWell then,ö He said, raising his voice so everyone could hear. The eyes of everyone in the room swerved to him in an instant. ôIt looks like weÆre all here. Is everyone ready to vote?ö

He received a number of sounds and gestures of agreement in response.

ôThere are an even number of Counselors gathered here today,ö He continued. ôTo prevent the possibility of a tie, the Poseidon Cabin will abstain. I promise, however, that whatever the Camp wishes, I will do everything in my power to fulfill.ö

It was nothing but an excuse and everyone knew it. If he voted, it would just cause trouble, as everyone would follow his lead. Even if he voted last, it would probably cause more trouble than it was worth; he wouldnÆt be surprised if someone called for another vote.

Everyone knew thatùand so, knew why he abstainedùand they accepted it silently as a sign that he was a leader, not a master.

Percy scanned the room with his eyes for a long silent moment.

ôThen if nobody has any complaints, shall we vote? Will Camp Half-Blood try to join the Unseelie Accords?ö
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#14
The Accords.

They were the main topic of conversation during the last few weeks and a topic of much speculation since long before that. TheyÆd known for a long time that theyÆd existedùDrew had dragged it out of some vampire nobody. TheyÆd even known, in general, what it was.

It was a series of agreements and treaties, like the Geneva and Hague Conventions, between various supernatural powers, including the vampires.

It had surprised everyone; monsters making agreements? Even heÆd been surprised.

Ever since Drew had reported that, the entire Camp had wondered what the nature of those agreements were. TheyÆd spent weeks making up ideas that ranged from bizarre to horrifying.

Was it a sort of pact against them? Had the monsters been getting ready to gang up on them this entire time with none the wiser?

If so, how many? It was an agreement, so there had to be more than one party involved, but who had the Red Court made a treaty with?

With the possibilities both dangerous and frightening, the search for information had temporarily shifted towards learning as much about the Accords as possible.

And what they found was justàweird.

It wasnÆt an alliance.

ItÆs a code of conduct. It governs the behavior of signatories when they interact with each other, detailing the limits and terms of hospitality, promises of safety, the delivery of messages, the punishment of crimes, and even the terms of peace and war.

ItÆs something that applied only to signatories, however, which made it dangerous. In order to benefit from it, one had to be a part of itùbut being a part of the Accords had its own downsides.

The question was whether the pros outweighed the cons.

The Accords did not prevent warsùthey merely set the terms for it. Even if they joined, it wouldnÆt mean they couldnÆt kill monstersùbut if they did, they might have to do it in a certain way, while paying respect to the Accords.

By joining, they could establish their territory and if anyone attacked them or their families, they could legally punish themùone of the laws, perhaps the most appealing, was that if one party wronged another, the wronged party could challenge them to a duel.

If anyone attacked his campers or their families, it would be within his rights to find them and make them pay and his actions would be supported by the other signatories of the Accords. That alone was temptingùhis presence served as something like a defense at the camp, but if they joined, then it would be a shield anywhere they went.

ûYes, he could admit that he was tempted.

But in the end, it always came back to the safe issue. They were monsters. Maybe not every member of the Accords, but the vast majority was made out of creatures that werenÆt very kind to innocent people. Some killed them indiscriminatelyùor worseùand joining the Accords, while giving them legal rights and protections amongst fellow members, meant those members would have those rights with them.

And the question at the root of the problem could not be ignored: If they joined, would that help or hinder their attempts to protect people.

Annabeth said she had a way to turn the rules to their advantage, however, and if she said it, it was probably true, butà

Well, that uncertainty was one of the reasons he had chosen not to vote, wasnÆt it?

Percy took his seat at the head of the Ping-Pong table and turned to Katie, the Counselor of Cabin Four, nodding at her respectfully.

A lot of people underestimated DemeterÆs children and it would be a lie to say he hadnÆt once been among them, but after the Battle of Manhattan, heÆd learned something.

That was a mistake.

They were passive, but that didnÆt make them any less powerfulùand their Counselor was the best example of that. In the Battle of Manhattan, theyÆd turned Fifth Avenue into a jungle and raised twisted walls of thorns and poison ivy that had kept an army of monsters at bay. Of the three daughters of Kronos, Demeter was the only one to have any demigod childrenùit was important to remember whose sister she was.

Katie glanced at Annabeth once.

ôDemeterÆs Cabin believes that the Accords are worth it if theyÆll keep our families safe. Annabeth says she has a way to keep it from getting in the way of protecting people and I believe her. WeÆre for peruse negotiations.ö

Nodding, he turned to Clarisse. Even if they didnÆt get along, everyone acknowledged the children of Ares as both devoted to their cause and as skilled in battle. He and Clarisse hadnÆt always gotten along, but after the quest for the Golden Fleece theyÆd come to termsùand in the years after, had even become good friends.

Besides, he could respect anyone who charged a Drakon without any armor and killed it.

He already knew how she was going to vote, though.

ôNo,ö Clarisse stated flatly. ôThe Ares Cabin votes againstùwhy should we bother dealing with monsters? If they kill people, we kill themùhowÆs that for a law?ö

He glanced at Annabeth, who began speaking immediately. After the Battle of Manhattan, theyÆd become boyfriend and girlfriend, but he couldnÆt show any bias in this. However, the members of Cabin Six were the children of the Goddess of Wisdom and Battleùeven if they didnÆt have any obvious supernatural powers, he knew better to underestimate their minds.

ôIÆm for pursuing the Accords,ö Annabeth said simply. ôI think we stand to gain a great deal from this.ö

Percy felt a bit sad as he looked at Will Solace. The years had been hard on the Apollo Cabin. Lee FletcheràMichael YewàheÆd lost two good friends in as many years. Still, they managed to keep onùand no one could deny that they were dangerous warriors. Whether theyÆre shooting arrows or playing basketball, heÆd never seen one of them miss a shot. A part of him wondered how long itÆd be before one of them picked up a gun, now that they were fighting opponents that could be harmed by mortal weaponry.

ôWeÆre for the Accords,ö Will said. ôThe Apollo Cabin considers at least trying to negotiate to be worth the effort.ö

Percy nodded acceptingly at that. HeÆd expected that, tooùas strong as they were as warriors, Cabin Seven was also responsible for healing the wounded. When someone was near death, it would fall on them to bring them back from the brinkùor try too. A part of him wondered how many had died anyway, but he didnÆt want to know.

He was sure the Apollo Cabin did, though.

Turning to Thalia, he flashed her a quick smile. It had been awhile since theyÆd gotten a chance to see each other and he missed his friend.

ôAnd what do the Hunters think?ö He asked.

While most were not technically demigods, the Hunters of Artemis were more than worthy of respect. Due to ArtemisÆ blessing, they were stronger and faster than any normal mortal and even most demigods. Every time theyÆre at Camp, a game of Capture the Flag is held.

TheyÆd won the last fifty-six times.

When this meeting was over, he was gonna see about changing thatùand the challenging gleam in ThaliaÆs eyes said she knew what he had in mind.

ôWe canÆt approve of joining the Accords,ö Thalia said, her face instantly becoming professional. ôLike the Ares Cabin, weÆve been out searching for information since the beginning, and I canÆt being to describe what weÆve seen them do. The Hunters vote against.ö

Whenever he looked at Jake Mason, it reminded him that Beckendorf was dead, which still hurt. From what Tyson had told him about whenever he worked with the Hephaestus Cabin, it was still hurting them, too. The greatest builders and craftsmen around, they could make anythingùand when it came to battle, they made the camps weapons. Howeveràsince BeckendorfÆs death, the Cabin had been having some bad luck. On the bright side, their numbers had risen greatly since the warùafter Manhattan, there had been only three of them left, but now they numbered about a dozen.

ôThe Hephaestus Cabin supports the Accords,ö Jake said. Percy could see the worry in his eyes and knew, one way or another, something was going to have to happen in Cabin 9. Maybe he should send Tyson over there a bit more often.

Drew spoke up immediate, not even waiting for him to turn to her.

ôAphrodite supports the Ares Cabin,ö She said, looking disinterested. She was standing behind Clarisse as a show of supportùhe would never understand how Ares and AphroditeÆs kids got along while they were so different. A dark part of him wondered if Drew had used Charmspeak on her Cabin, but Annabeth caught his eye and shook her head.

He lifted an eye in surprise at thatùso Aphrodite would rather fight monsters then negotiate? He couldnÆt help but be reminded of Silena.

Conner and Travis Stoll served as the Counselors of Hermes Cabin. Even now, it was the largest Cabin, even though only HermesÆ actual kids remained.

ôFor!ö They said at once, mischief in their eyes.

Naturally, the Hermes Cabin would be for negotiationùand for getting the better side the bargain. Percy wondered if Annabeth had told them what she had planned or if they had their own ideas.

The moment he looked at Pollux, he knew what his answer would be.

ôIÆm against joining the Accords,ö He said, speaking in singular for good reason. Castor had died died, leaving him alone in the Cabinùand he had no love for monsters.

Once, that wound have been the end of things, with all the Olympians represented. Percy was happy to say that wasnÆt the caseùnow, every god had their own Cabin. Some were still under constructionùand as more demigods were born, more would be made, but Hades, Iris, Hypnos, Nemesis, Nike, Hebe, Tyche, and Hecate were all represented.

ôI know firsthand how many people theyÆve killed,ö Nico said, rising from his seat. The Son of Hades wasnÆt someone youÆd want to make an enemyùhe held grudges like no one else and his powers were just plain creepy. ôHades sides against.ö

Leaving his seat as Percy nodded to the head of the Iris Cabin, Nico walked towards Percy.

ôWe need to talk,ö He whispered seriously.

PercyÆs gaze flicked towards him as Butch, the son of Iris, voted for the Accords. Skilled at arts and communication, the Iris Cabin naturally wanted to avoid war for as long as possibleùthough not because of lack of skill. In war, they serve well as messengers, a position thatÆs more dangerous than one might suspect.

He gestured to Clovis, the Hypnos Counselor, and turned towards him.

ôWhat about?ö he asked seriously. One of NicoÆs faults was that he never reported good news. Though, granted, when your job is to talk to murder victims, how much good news can you get?

ôThe Red Court is preparing their forces.ö His cousin said.

Which was a nice way of saying that people were dying to support those forces.

Percy fell silent for a moment, as Clovis voted for the Accords.

ôSo itÆs really true?ö He wondered quietly.

ôIt certainly looks that way,ö Nico replied.

Sometime in October, theyÆd started hearing rumors. Apparently, somewhere up in Chicago, some guy had declared War on the Red Courtùor something like that. One can only pay so much attention to rumors, after all.

But ever since, things had fallen strangely silent. Apparently the guy had been the official representative of the White Council, so his declaration might have resulted in an actual war, but for awhile now, the Red Court hadnÆt done anything major. It had seemed like either the rumors were fake or things would blow over, and yetà

Apparently not.

He looked at his Counselors. Nemesis and Nike voted against, naturally, as the former were the children of Vengence and the latter would never do anything they thought meant ægiving up.Æ Surprisingly, so did Hebe, but Tyche surprised him even more by voting for it.

The Children of Victory were against it, but the Children of Cortune were for itàPercy wondered if that meant anything.

He wasnÆt a very introspective person, though, so he quickly stopped.

ôWhat should we do?ö Nico pressed.

ôàFor now, letÆs do nothing.ö Percy decided.

ôWhat?ö Nico blinked, surprised. ôBut if the White Council is making war on the Red Courtùô

ôI know. I want to destroy the Reds as well. But if we take a side in this war, weÆre putting our lives on the lineùso before we start gambling, letÆs see if the White Council actually has a chance of winning, okay?ö He asked, raising an eyebrow at his ælittle brother.Æ Nico nodded after a moment. ôAnd besidesùall we know about the White Counsel is that they oppose the Reds. WhoÆs to say weÆd want to side with them at all?ö

ôThen we wait?ö

ôWe wait,ö He said, nodding. ôDo me a favor and keep me informed. If anything big happens, let me know immediately.ö

Nico nodded, sitting down on the armrest of his chair.

ôThe Hecate Cabin thinks it would be for the best if we join the Accords,ö Lou Ellen said, and Percy knew she was as interested as he was about the White Counsel. A faction of magic-usersàit may have been mere curiosity that made her vote.

But it was the deciding vote.

Percy stood.

ôVery well then,ö He said. ôCamp Half-Blood shall try to join the Accords. I will lead the attempts to do so, as I promisedùtomorrow, we will decide who we wish to attempt to approach. Meeting adjourned.ö

As the otherÆs left, one by one, Percy hoped this was the right choice.

XxXXxX
 

bmsattler

Well-Known Member
#15
heh. I'm looking forward to where you take this with a great deal of anticipation. I feel sorry for them if they go with the Winter or Summer courts though. Or the White Court.

'He said that the White Court was around here somewhere, right?'
'Aren't we looking for the White Council?'
'Council, Court, what's the difference? Some pretentious hoity-toity uppity group, right?'
 

Rahlian

Well-Known Member
#16
I like this. A lot. I had not read Percy Jackson before this (almost done with book 2 now,) but very cool nevertheless.

Only thing I really have to say is that, given what we have so far, I am really interested to see how you explain how Camp Half-Blood seems to be pretty ignorant in terms of the Dresdenverse supernatural.

Other than that, I hope that you lean more towards Butcher rather than Riordan in terms of storytelling, despite what little we have, seems pretty likel.. (Seriously Luke, just answering every question straight, especially about the tree and whatnot?)
 

Tbora

Well-Known Member
#17
Its central core canon of Dresden that that the majority of the Old Gods went dormant some time at the end of pre-history with a handful of exceptions (Odin, in this fic the greeks, etc.) I see no reason why they would be tied to a concept like " western civilization" anymore then the Fae Courts or the gods of ancient mesopotamia granting them any-more immunity to the "rules" then the aboriginal gods or the Norse pantheon itself. It just does not fit the internal structure of the way the Dresden Files universe are arranged. Now while I am sure you can get around this with a suitable plot device (or just calling it AU point blank) it still defies the meta-physics of the dresdenverse and that is jarring to myself as a reader though to be fair I am a dresden-fanatic far more then I am Percy Jackson.

If the Greek gods were still walking around and larger then life that would be well known to anyone in the rub. You don't have those kind of movers and shakers walking around without someone causing visible ripples. Gods in the dresdenverse get there power from worship (well to be more accurate belief), that is what makes the White God the (as far as we know) most powerful being in the setting and it has five major beings at its head (the four archangels + the Prince of Darkness) plus countless numbers of lesser angels. Its that 3.6 billion faithful to the abrahamic god that allow for that.

Even in there hay-day the greeks never had anywhere where that amount thus canonically for the dresdenfiles the greek gods not what they once were, what with most people thinking of them as nothing more then myth. One way or another that lack of belief should have SOME effect on the greeks. There is just no way around that, unless you want to do with a core tenet of the dresdenverse.

Part of what makes the DF so wonderful is that it operates on something like the laws of thermodynamics. Everything has cause and effect, and output=input. It is that gritty realism where Harry gets the crap beaten out of him and does not walk away smelling like roses which makes it so good. His actions have consequences. Now again, to be fair, its not the PJ Series fault, as its meant and written as children's fiction so happy endings are as what they are supposed to be. But what your doing is droping Percy and Co. in the dresden files universe with this crossover so they should play by Harry's rules.

My argument regarding power level ties into these themes regarding thermodynamic magic system, and how things have consequence. Percy should not be wiping out vampires out by the score single (or near enough) handedly suffering real effort as a result. He should pay in blood, sweat and tears for everything he manages just like Harry ends up beaten to a bloody pulp before he saves the day. The...effortlessness he managed it just made it disconnect with me, given the universe I know this story takes place in.

The reason I argued for Kincaid to win in a fight was for the same reason you mentioned. He has /centuries/ of experience under his belt, he fights without compunction (he would just as happily put a knife in your heart up close as strap a bomb to the bottom of your car and read about it the next morning in the paper to paraphrase Harry.) He is so pragmatic that against the idealistic mindset of the campers it would be a slaughter. There godly heritage would not even make him blink. He would just take it in and adapt, you don't become the main wetworks man for Vlad Drakul (aka The Creature, aka The Dragon, not baby Dracula) by collecting bottlecaps after all.

Now for specifics...

Them joining the accords, that requires three sponsors to join as a Freeholding Lord which logically requires more then that to sign on as an organization. Who would benefit to agree to help them, and even then how do they know anyone to make that happen? Not saying this is without reasonable solution, but it is still a legitimate question to be answered. Presuming they collect all the proper documentation then they still need Mab's consent given they are the UNSEELIE Accords and she is the lady which got everybody to sign on. How will they interact with the literal personification of Winter itself? Even then how would they contact her, given they have no access to Winter at all?

Issue Numero Dos) Nico calling up all that information makes no sense. People presumably head to the afterlife most suited for them by there own belief/bargains/affiliations which are physical places in the Nevernever. Because virtually no one recent worships the greek gods and I doubt many of the vanilla mortals have made any pacts with the greek gods it follows that Hades is not exactly chock full to the brim with new souls. The majority would be going to either Heaven or Hell (whose respective masters would not feel inclined to answer to Hades or Nico or be very sharing with there inhabitants.), the buddhist afterlife, and the far eastern folk religions around the world. Thus you have a plot hole regarding just how they know to the extent what they know.

Sorry for the long rant, but that is all the critiques I have to make to this work so far. I don't mean to try and discourage you from writing, as I DO look forward to this fic, I just want things to be the best it can ;)
 

Archanon

Well-Known Member
#18
You're being an idiot. Basically your post boils down to "I don't think these settings are compatible at all because in the Dresdenverse, such-and-such happened which means they can't have taken place in the same universe."

I'm a fan of both series, and I'm perfectly willing to accept that in this AU crossover setting, the Greek Gods did in fact manage to tie themselves to the concept of Western Civilization to sustain themselves. I'm waiting to see how the demigods not knowing about the rest of the supernatural until now is explained before I make a judgement on that.

The thing is, you literally cannot have a crossover without the setting changes, otherwise it would essentially be "welp, nothing from Percy Jackson series happened, so I guess we're shit outta luck on this side." You're in the same post going "YOU MUST STAY 100% TRUE TO CANON" and "I want to see this crossover continue!"

You can't have both.
 

crazyfoxdemon

Well-Known Member
#19
I think them not knowing about the rest of the supernatural can easily be explained by saying that the Gods sheltered them from the worst of it...

And no matter what, they are demigods.. They automatically have a couple legs up on most mortals...
 

AbyssalDaemon

Well-Known Member
#20
Tbora said:
Its central core canon of Dresden that that the majority of the Old Gods went dormant some time at the end of pre-history with a handful of exceptions (Odin, in this fic the greeks, etc.)
...That doesn't really contradict PJO canon on any level. The Olympians have been using the mist since at least the time of the Trojan War and possibly even earlier. Also technically speaking Odin along with the rest of the nordic gods aren't close to having risen during pre-history.

I see no reason why they would be tied to a concept like " western civilization" anymore then the Fae Courts or the gods of ancient mesopotamia granting them any-more immunity to the "rules" then the aboriginal gods or the Norse pantheon itself. It just does not fit the internal structure of the way the Dresden Files universe are arranged. Now while I am sure you can get around this with a suitable plot device (or just calling it AU point blank) it still defies the meta-physics of the dresdenverse and that is jarring to myself as a reader though to be fair I am a dresden-fanatic far more then I am Percy Jackson.
Because it would basically ripping out a really important part of PJO canon to existent that it'd be questionable on whether you could still call it a crossover with Percy Jackson? The Olympians are tied to western civilization because in many ways because they are quite literally both the source and embodiment of it. Many elements of what would become the modern world can - truthfully or not - be traced back to the greek and then later romen peoples ...or at least had been spread by them. Their very culture, their mindset has spread across the entire world. Their isn't a culture that hasn't been effected at least on some level by them.

And I'm not really seeing why you see it so jarring to the metaphysics of Dresdenverse?

If the Greek gods were still walking around and larger then life that would be well known to anyone in the rub. You don't have those kind of movers and shakers walking around without someone causing visible ripples.
We already know that there was a Olympus in the nevernever. The thing is this it seems that the other powers never realized just how powerful that Olympians where, and they were to busy with their usual self-centeredness and squabbling among each other.

Gods in the dresdenverse get there power from worship (well to be more accurate belief), that is what makes the White God the (as far as we know) most powerful being in the setting and it has five major beings at its head (the four archangels + the Prince of Darkness) plus countless numbers of lesser angels. Its that 3.6 billion faithful to the abrahamic god that allow for that.

Even in there hay-day the greeks never had anywhere where that amount thus canonically for the dresdenfiles the greek gods not what they once were, what with most people thinking of them as nothing more then myth. One way or another that lack of belief should have SOME effect on the greeks. There is just no way around that, unless you want to do with a core tenet of the dresdenverse.
Which is where western civilization comes in. Every time you turn on your computer, debate about democracy, ect., you are on some level empowering to just a slight degree the Olympians.

Part of what makes the DF so wonderful is that it operates on something like the laws of thermodynamics. Everything has cause and effect, and output=input. It is that gritty realism where Harry gets the crap beaten out of him and does not walk away smelling like roses which makes it so good. His actions have consequences. Now again, to be fair, its not the PJ Series fault, as its meant and written as children's fiction so happy endings are as what they are supposed to be. But what your doing is droping Percy and Co. in the dresden files universe with this crossover so they should play by Harry's rules.
Or you could argue that the Dresdenverse is being dropped into PJO and then should play by PJO rules. But what you're suggenting is basically the equivalent of 4kids does to 'americanize' anime in the states much the same just wouldn't work. If Ryuugi did that it'd require him to erase basically everything that's happened over the last five books of the PJO series, as well as take away one of the few things that allow the demigods to stand on equal footing with the Dresdenverse.

Which frankly to me would do more then anything to ruin the crossover. Both sides are to some degree OP to one another which is part of what makes this interesting.

My argument regarding power level ties into these themes regarding thermodynamic magic system, and how things have consequence. Percy should not be wiping out vampires out by the score single (or near enough) handedly suffering real effort as a result. He should pay in blood, sweat and tears for everything he manages just like Harry ends up beaten to a bloody pulp before he saves the day. The...effortlessness he managed it just made it disconnect with me, given the universe I know this story takes place in.
Except there are massive differences between Percy and Harry. Outside of his magic Harry is largely a vanilla human physically where as even the weakest demigod is to some existent superhuman to some degree. Percy do to a mixture of being a child of the big three and all the crap that he has gone through at this point is pretty much blatantly superhuman. Also demigods have an advantage in the fact that you could almost say that built to fight monsters and that the monsters that they usually fight are quite a bit less squashy then the Dresdenverse monsters.

By this point Percy is by himself is capable of fighting his way through dozens of monsters with only limited amount of trouble even without the Curse of Achilles, and with it he's capable of fighting through entire armies. Which seems to be part of the reason that the story looks as if it's going to focus more on politics and how the two verse react to the idea of each other then actual outright combat for the most part.

Which frankly is rather nice difference with most stories and means that there's no need for Ryuugi to try and rip out almost all of the PJO elements to try and 'equalize' the two sides.

The reason I argued for Kincaid to win in a fight was for the same reason you mentioned. He has /centuries/ of experience under his belt, he fights without compunction (he would just as happily put a knife in your heart up close as strap a bomb to the bottom of your car and read about it the next morning in the paper to paraphrase Harry.) He is so pragmatic that against the idealistic mindset of the campers it would be a slaughter. There godly heritage would not even make him blink.
Umm ...what idealistic mindset? Yeah PJO might be a series for kids but you get enough background info to know that the Camp isn't teaching demigods to be honorable white knights but to WIN and that most of the demigods aren't above fighting dirty. Not even Percy who's probably amongst the most honorable of the campers would have any problem with fighting dirty.

Also Kincaid knowing that there demigods isn't going to do him much good given that he doesn't have much idea of their abilities and weaknesses. And you make it sound as if what he would do is completely OP for the PJOverse. Not to say that he probably wouldn't be able to kill the demigods by sniping them but in a straight up fight...

He would just take it in and adapt, you don't become the main wetworks man for Vlad Drakul (aka The Creature, aka The Dragon, not baby Dracula) by collecting bottlecaps after all.
Nor do you get said job by being foolish enough to confront what amounts to a bunch of compete unknowns who possess abilities and connections that are largely a mystery.

But more seriously it feels somewhat like reason that you're so unhappy with this is that Dresdenverse isn't completely dominating everything in it.
 
#21
And Percy, Nico, and Thalia more than the rest, given their status as children of the Big Three and Percy's dip in the River Styx. The fight with average Red Court vampires, for Percy, seems about right to me. Average ones mainly get by on being superhuman and their saliva, so when they come up against a physical equal, who is almost completely invulnerable and knows to avoid the saliva, it's reasonable to think they would go down without too terrible an effort.

For Hades, I sort of imagine it as being people who are in the gray area. The Carpenters, for instance, would definitely go to Heaven. Same for people of other faiths. Hades gets a lot of the people who are in the gray area by virtue of not having any particular belief. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be that surprised at something happening like Kemmler was a child of Hades, too.

And on the Greek Gods, I kind of think of it the way Gilgamesh was in Fate/Stay Night. After he got soaked in the Grail's taint, he gained a physical body that allowed him to remain in the world, but he was weaker than in the Fourth War because his body was more limited than a Servant's normal spiritual form. In the same way, the gods have preserved their existence and some measure of their power, but they probably can't manage the sort of insane, godly shit they could have pulled off at their peak.

Kincaid...I can buy that he could eliminate a fair few of the half-bloods, given time and motivation. Like Ryuugi said, not an issue of being better than them, or stronger, just more experienced and ruthless. He'd basically be Emiya Kiritsugu. Straight fight, I give it to most of the half-bloods, especially ones like Percy, Nico, Thalia, and Clarisse. Kincaid would just avoid the straight fight completely.

A better question I think would be how they stack up against other supernatural things. How well could they fight against the skinwalker, for example, or how they stack up against Mavra and her magic. What happens if they use celestial bronze against a Denerian? Has Ivy known about them from the very beginning? How would a fight against a Warden go? These kind of things.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#22
Wow.

This is gonna a take a bit, so warning in advanced for the long post.

Its central core canon of Dresden that that the majority of the Old Gods went dormant some time at the end of pre-history with a handful of exceptions (Odin, in this fic the greeks, etc.)
First of all, the Old/Outer Gods were the bosses of the Outsiders and are locked out there with them. Odin is not an Outer God and he is definitely not pre-history. Like all Gods, he was active when he was worshiped along with the Norse Pantheon; now, he's retired, cause he's not worshiped (much) anymore.

I see no reason why they would be tied to a concept like " western civilization" anymore then the Fae Courts or the gods of ancient mesopotamia granting them any-more immunity to the "rules" then the aboriginal gods or the Norse pantheon itself.
Because they tied themselves too it.

It just does not fit the internal structure of the way the Dresden Files universe are arranged. Now while I am sure you can get around this with a suitable plot device (or just calling it AU point blank) it still defies the meta-physics of the dresdenverse and that is jarring to myself as a reader though to be fair I am a dresden-fanatic far more then I am Percy Jackson.
We don't even know most of the DV metaphysics.

If the Greek gods were still walking around and larger then life that would be well known to anyone in the rub. You don't have those kind of movers and shakers walking around without someone causing visible ripples. Gods in the dresdenverse get there power from worship (well to be more accurate belief), that is what makes the White God the (as far as we know) most powerful being in the setting and it has five major beings at its head (the four archangels + the Prince of Darkness) plus countless numbers of lesser angels. Its that 3.6 billion faithful to the abrahamic god that allow for that.
Actually, no; it was stated, Word of Jim, that the big God is really God.

Also, his Angels are bullshit powerful, apparently; even just normal Angels can destroy planets.

Even in there hay-day the greeks never had anywhere where that amount thus canonically for the dresdenfiles the greek gods not what they once were, what with most people thinking of them as nothing more then myth. One way or another that lack of belief should have SOME effect on the greeks. There is just no way around that, unless you want to do with a core tenet of the dresdenverse.
That would be why they tied themselves to Western Civilization, yeah.

Part of what makes the DF so wonderful is that it operates on something like the laws of thermodynamics. Everything has cause and effect, and output=input. It is that gritty realism where Harry gets the crap beaten out of him and does not walk away smelling like roses which makes it so good. His actions have consequences. Now again, to be fair, its not the PJ Series fault, as its meant and written as children's fiction so happy endings are as what they are supposed to be. But what your doing is droping Percy and Co. in the dresden files universe with this crossover so they should play by Harry's rules.
I don't see the logic of this at all.

Okay, point by point.

Yeah, in the DF, Harry gets the shit beaten out of him constantly, every book. But mainly just Harry. Murphy does, Molly does, Michael does, Sanya doesn't, most wizards don't, etc.

Second of all, I don't see how getting the crap beaten out of them constantly is required to make them good characters. Harry gets the shit beaten out of him, yeah--but that's not why Harry's a good character. I'm not reading the Dresden Files for those two or three scenes per book where he gets shit on. Is anybody?

Yeah, challenges are great and characters need them in order to grow and mature, but getting the crap beaten out of you and standing up is only one type of challenge.

Third of all, what? Seriously, what? You're saying I should completely rewrite the Percy Jackson universe to weaken everyone and everything down with no explanation, just because it's Harry's Universe?

Honestly, I just...what?

My argument regarding power level ties into these themes regarding thermodynamic magic system, and how things have consequence. Percy should not be wiping out vampires out by the score single (or near enough) handedly suffering real effort as a result. He should pay in blood, sweat and tears for everything he manages just like Harry ends up beaten to a bloody pulp before he saves the day. The...effortlessness he managed it just made it disconnect with me, given the universe I know this story takes place in.
Percy's not saving the day. He's crushing so low level nobody that the Red Court sent to New York before the War even started. He's some loser or something.

But more then that, what the hell?

I have a lot of issues with this. Again, beating the crap out characters can make a story better, if it's done in a way that they learn and grow from, as characters. Basically, if there's a point to it.

Beating the shit out of them at every turn for no reason, however, does not. Nor does it make a good story.

And yeah, Percy's not Harry. Instead, he's Percy. Harry will be Harry, he shows up, but he's not possessing Percy at the moment, so sorry.

I'm not going to beat the shit out of all my characters constantly for no reason. And honestly, if that's a problem, all I can do is look at you funny and say, 'uh....'

The reason I argued for Kincaid to win in a fight was for the same reason you mentioned. He has /centuries/ of experience under his belt, he fights without compunction (he would just as happily put a knife in your heart up close as strap a bomb to the bottom of your car and read about it the next morning in the paper to paraphrase Harry.) He is so pragmatic that against the idealistic mindset of the campers it would be a slaughter. There godly heritage would not even make him blink. He would just take it in and adapt, you don't become the main wetworks man for Vlad Drakul (aka The Creature, aka The Dragon, not baby Dracula) by collecting bottlecaps after all.
Kincaid also avoids direct fights with wizards for a reason. He's a badass, yeah, but not unstoppable. He's not even much harder to hurt then the Average Joe. He's just competent.

And 'idealistic'? Do you know how demigods train? They have a climbing wall. Boulders fall down from the top and if you don't climb fast enough, it smashing against the other wall. In addition, lava pours out of it 'for extra challenge.'

Every Friday, they play Capture the Flag--all weapons and magical items allowed. There's actually a rule: 'No killing or maiming is allowed,' but it's the least followed rule because there's only one punishment.

The punishment is loss of dessert.

Yeah.

Kincaid is a boss, but his main powers are having good weapons, good aim, and knowing how to use both.

Pretty much like the Apollo Cabin.

Them joining the accords, that requires three sponsors to join as a Freeholding Lord which logically requires more then that to sign on as an organization. Who would benefit to agree to help them, and even then how do they know anyone to make that happen?
The entire point of this vote was to decide if they should even bother trying to negotiate. Now that they've decided yes, they'll try to make it happen.

Presuming they collect all the proper documentation then they still need Mab's consent given they are the UNSEELIE Accords and she is the lady which got everybody to sign on. How will they interact with the literal personification of Winter itself? Even then how would they contact her, given they have no access to Winter at all?
It's not like Mab would mind--she basically went up to everyone and forced them to obey the rules she created in the first place. That was how the Accords were born, WoJ. If more people want to bind themselves to her rules, that does nothing but help her.

Getting to Winter isn't really hard, either; if you can figure out how to get to the Nevernever, at least. I mean, it's basically half of Faerie and that's probably where you'll end up.

Issue Numero Dos) Nico calling up all that information makes no sense. People presumably head to the afterlife most suited for them by there own belief/bargains/affiliations which are physical places in the Nevernever. Because virtually no one recent worships the greek gods and I doubt many of the vanilla mortals have made any pacts with the greek gods it follows that Hades is not exactly chock full to the brim with new souls. The majority would be going to either Heaven or Hell (whose respective masters would not feel inclined to answer to Hades or Nico or be very sharing with there inhabitants.), the buddhist afterlife, and the far eastern folk religions around the world. Thus you have a plot hole regarding just how they know to the extent what they know.
In PJ, the Underworld serves as a catch-all place for all afterlives. In DF...we have no idea what the afterlife is like in DF. We never saw anyone actually get there--Harry stopped at the way station.
 

nick012000

Well-Known Member
#23
Ryuugi said:
Kincaid is a boss, but his main powers are having good weapons, good aim, and knowing how to use both.

Pretty much like the Apollo Cabin.
Random thought: maybe he is a graduated member of Apollo Cabin? Aren't demons just non-Fae creatures from the Nevernever, and thus the Greek Gods would technically be demons? I think it's mentioned somewhere else that it was never stated who his non-human parent was.
 

Tbora

Well-Known Member
#24
The old gods and the Outer Gods are VERY different beings. One is Thor or Zeus, the other is Cthulhu the latter of which was locked behind the Outer Gates. The former just more or less went to sleep in the depths of the Nevernever or the lack of belief sent there way forced them to retire.

I would like to see the WoJ that says that the White God is THE God. Because I have scene pretty much every interview he has given thats been offered on Youtube, and I have just took a second look at Serack's compilation of WoJ quotes on the guys own forums.

How exactly did they tie themselves to western civilization? In the Dresdenverse terms I mean. Because that is such a large concept I see no reason why they and they alone would be linked to it solely. Western Civilization is an amalgam of hundreds of ideas and I doubt they would be the only one connected to it. Even if they did it in a ritual on the level of the Darkhallow with Epic Thaumaturgy (which might be possible) there are hundreds of other other spirits that would muscle in on that (akin to Bob being a Spirit of Air and Intellect.), making a monopoly (and the total power gained) fractured and dwindling there influence as the energy supporting them is not infinite meaning its a limited supply.You need a reason for the "why" otherwise its something that just plain don't make sense.

You are making a straw man of my argument here. I am not saying them getting there teeth kicked in is what makes for great characters or interesting plot. What I am saying is that close calls and not doing something effortlessly (like defeating dozens of red court vampires). Percy is tough as are all the demigods, but they should not be sweeping through them like its nothing. By doing so you get a lack of drama or suspense and it weakens the narrative and makes the characters more shallow. Percy is Percy, not Harry...but Percy IS NOT Superman. And that is a good thing. Demigods are less squishy then your average mortal (or wizard) but they cannot jump buildings in a single bound, and run faster then a locomotive.

I say idealistic because that is precisely the term I meant. They kill monsters because they know eventually they respawn (to steal a term from any RPG ever.) and its not true death. At heart the vast majority are kids and teenagers and they should behave as such. They are not grown adults in miniature bodies, and they do not possess the mental strength of one. Now what they do DOES make them "grow up" faster then your average run of the mill kid, but that does not take away the mentality that they are heroes whose job is to go on quests and save the world. They know little in the way of cynicism and how the world really treats people. That is there idealism. Not the level of training they give.

I will accept your points regarding Mab and the Accords as they do make sense.

And you just said it yourself. In the PJ-verse Hades is the catch all for the afterlife. That is not the case in the Dresden Files where Valhalla, and Hell, and the Egyptian Underworld are quite literally physical places in the Nevernever that you or I could visit so long as we had a capable guide to take you there. It is infinitely more likely, and more logical that that Hades is a subset in the reaches of the Nevernever, a single demense among many. It has been stated in the books by Harry multiple times and that was not him guessing or being wishy-washy. While he is far from an infallible narrator he generally knows what he is talking about.

For the final part: You cannot fuse the series together perfectly without SOME compromises as they have different concepts behind them. Given you are sticking Percy Jackson and the Camp in Dresden's playground (big "d" Dragons, Knights of the Cross, the White Council, the Nevernever, the Fae Courts, the Red Court of Vampires, stoker style vamps, skin-walkers, etc...) far more then you are dropping Dresden in the middle of PJ. Mashing them together just does not work. You need to clearly define which is what and how it all comes together.

There I have said my piece, and you can take my two cents for what its worth. I'll keep my eye on this and continue you to read, but I hope you take what I say into consideration. Happy writing ;)
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#25
I think them not knowing about the rest of the supernatural can easily be explained by saying that the Gods sheltered them from the worst of it...

And no matter what, they are demigods.. They automatically have a couple legs up on most mortals...
Pretty much. Though it also sheltered the world from the demigods--mainly in order to keep them from doing something stupid.

Because it would basically ripping out a really important part of PJO canon to existent that it'd be questionable on whether you could still call it a crossover with Percy Jackson? The Olympians are tied to western civilization because in many ways because they are quite literally both the source and embodiment of it. Many elements of what would become the modern world can - truthfully or not - be traced back to the greek and then later romen peoples ...or at least had been spread by them. Their very culture, their mindset has spread across the entire world. Their isn't a culture that hasn't been effected at least on some level by them.

And I'm not really seeing why you see it so jarring to the metaphysics of Dresdenverse?
This. I mean, we flat-out have pictures and sculptures of the Greek Gods everywhere. And movies and books and stories, etc.

We already know that there was a Olympus in the nevernever. The thing is this it seems that the other powers never realized just how powerful that Olympians where, and they were to busy with their usual self-centeredness and squabbling among each other.
Pretty much. It's not like anyone's looking for the gods, either. The Mist kept them from drawing attention.

Or you could argue that the Dresdenverse is being dropped into PJO and then should play by PJO rules. But what you're suggenting is basically the equivalent of 4kids does to 'americanize' anime in the states much the same just wouldn't work. If Ryuugi did that it'd require him to erase basically everything that's happened over the last five books of the PJO series, as well as take away one of the few things that allow the demigods to stand on equal footing with the Dresdenverse.

Which frankly to me would do more then anything to ruin the crossover. Both sides are to some degree OP to one another which is part of what makes this interesting.
Yes.

Except there are massive differences between Percy and Harry. Outside of his magic Harry is largely a vanilla human physically where as even the weakest demigod is to some existent superhuman to some degree. Percy do to a mixture of being a child of the big three and all the crap that he has gone through at this point is pretty much blatantly superhuman. Also demigods have an advantage in the fact that you could almost say that built to fight monsters and that the monsters that they usually fight are quite a bit less squashy then the Dresdenverse monsters.

By this point Percy is by himself is capable of fighting his way through dozens of monsters with only limited amount of trouble even without the Curse of Achilles, and with it he's capable of fighting through entire armies. Which seems to be part of the reason that the story looks as if it's going to focus more on politics and how the two verse react to the idea of each other then actual outright combat for the most part.

Which frankly is rather nice difference with most stories and means that there's no need for Ryuugi to try and rip out almost all of the PJO elements to try and 'equalize' the two sides.
Especially this. Yeah, this story is mainly about politics (though there is a lot of asskicking and stuff). But more to the point, and I cannot emphasize this enough, Percy is not Harry.

Percy isn't just a member of his faction. He's the boss. He's the baddest demigod around--not just in his time period, but ever. Chiron flat-out stated that he'd surpassed even Hercules. He's the leader of his faction--their Merlin, Red King, Papa Raith, or Nicodemus. He's as high up the hierarchy as you can go and he's the on who's used as a threat to intimidate rival groups.

For Hades, I sort of imagine it as being people who are in the gray area. The Carpenters, for instance, would definitely go to Heaven. Same for people of other faiths. Hades gets a lot of the people who are in the gray area by virtue of not having any particular belief.
Pretty much. Anybody that's not being specifically escorted somewhere else just goes to Hades. He can't do anything if a Valkyrie or Angel takes you somewhere else, but if you just die in an area under his rule (the West, mainly), you drop down to Hades.

And on the Greek Gods, I kind of think of it the way Gilgamesh was in Fate/Stay Night. After he got soaked in the Grail's taint, he gained a physical body that allowed him to remain in the world, but he was weaker than in the Fourth War because his body was more limited than a Servant's normal spiritual form. In the same way, the gods have preserved their existence and some measure of their power, but they probably can't manage the sort of insane, godly shit they could have pulled off at their peak.
It's more like there are consequences to altering your existence on a fundamental level. The Divine Laws are among them, and they put strict rules on what a God can and cannot do.

Kincaid...I can buy that he could eliminate a fair few of the half-bloods, given time and motivation. Like Ryuugi said, not an issue of being better than them, or stronger, just more experienced and ruthless. He'd basically be Emiya Kiritsugu. Straight fight, I give it to most of the half-bloods, especially ones like Percy, Nico, Thalia, and Clarisse. Kincaid would just avoid the straight fight completely.
This.

Kincaid doesn't win battles by being stronger. He's never won battles be being stronger. He wins by being smart and competent and having experience.

A better question I think would be how they stack up against other supernatural things.
It really depends on which demigod, but let's see.

How well could they fight against the skinwalker, for example,
Unknown, simply because we never really saw what was needed to kill one. A nuclear bomb did it, but you can get by on way less; LtW was able to threaten it, at least, and make it run, and Harry managed to fight it pretty well.

Still, hard to call.

or how they stack up against Mavra and her magic.
We never really saw what Mavra could do, though we can assume she's > Bianca, as her teacher. Depending on her ability to use Kemmler's book, she may be a powerful necromancer, too--especially since she's probably old enough to have read the other books, as well.

Still...she's a Black Court vamp, so she'd tear most guys apart in one-on-one combat based on strength and speed alone. On the other hand, she's a Clack Court vampire, so she has about fifty bazillion weaknesses that anyone can exploit, so...

*Ryuugi?shrugs.

What happens if they use celestial bronze against a Denerian?
CB works based on one criteria: Importance. So it probably works on Denarians.

Has Ivy known about them from the very beginning?
One of the Archives was known as Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi.

So yeah, she knows.

Random thought: maybe he is a graduated member of Apollo Cabin? Aren't demons just non-Fae creatures from the Nevernever, and thus the Greek Gods would technically be demons? I think it's mentioned somewhere else that it was never stated who his non-human parent was.
'Demon' is a broad term to describe any creature of the Nevernever that's malicious.

The old gods and the Outer Gods are VERY different beings. One is Thor or Zeus, the other is Cthulhu the latter of which was locked behind the Outer Gates. The former just more or less went to sleep in the depths of the Nevernever or the lack of belief sent there way forced them to retire.
Only the Outer Gods are pre-history.

I would like to see the WoJ that says that the White God is THE God. Because I have scene pretty much every interview he has given thats been offered on Youtube, and I have just took a second look at Serack's compilation of WoJ quotes on the guys own forums.
There's an older one about not wanting to go down the whole 'Christians are stupid or hypocrites' route, but I'll have to hunt it down.

These suffice, any way:

WhatÆs the range of influence for the Fallen in the coins? How far can they extend themselves away from their Denarian hosts?
Oh, their range is very, very limited, to this one little planet.
Two thousand years ago, the Angels should have had anywhere near enough power to be multiplanet. Especially not ones that aren't known be people and have worship or belief.

Especially since:

Audience member: Your fallen angel charactersàI was just wondering if you have ever really given any thought to developing the whole idea of angels à

Jim: I have a lot of fallen angel characters and have I ever given thought to developing the whole angel notion a bit more. Yeah, but theyÆre kinda limited in terms of what they can do. You know, they can respond toàthey can respond if the bad guys cheat but mostly they just kinda stand there and look menacing and the Fallen just donÆt mess with them unless someoneÆs got an actual plan going on. You know, angels slugging it out with one another could potentially, you know, blow up planets. ThatÆs the kind of level of power that angels are; theyÆre just off the scale of like anything that Dresden can do. But theyÆre sort of more observers than anything and occasionally, you know, theyÆll be the one who says, ôHey, could you stand outside the door until my child grows up and is safe?ö ôYeah, I can do that.ö Yeah, itÆs not a big deal for one of them.
How exactly did they tie themselves to western civilization? In the Dresdenverse terms I mean. Because that is such a large concept I see no reason why they and they alone would be linked to it solely. Western Civilization is an amalgam of hundreds of ideas and I doubt they would be the only one connected to it. Even if they did it in a ritual on the level of the Darkhallow with Epic Thaumaturgy (which might be possible) there are hundreds of other other spirits that would muscle in on that (akin to Bob being a Spirit of Air and Intellect.), making a monopoly (and the total power gained) fractured and dwindling there influence as the energy supporting them is not infinite meaning its a limited supply.You need a reason for the "why" otherwise its something that just plain don't make sense.
A lot like hundreds of people are muscling in on the Queens ritual, or the Erlkings, or performing thousands of Darkhallows.

This is really high level stuff that's rare as hell.

And Greece is kind of where the West began. Seriously, look up Western Culture--it'll say it's the culture stemming from the Classical Period of the Graeco-Roman Era.

Have other ideas influenced it? Hell yeah. But it came from Greece to begin with, so the Greek Gods have a monopoly on it--and have since literally the beginning.

And anyone that tries muscling in on their turf is likely to meet the say fate as someone muscling in on Mab, Titania, the Erlking, or, hell, Marcone's turf.

You are making a straw man of my argument here. I am not saying them getting there teeth kicked in is what makes for great characters or interesting plot. What I am saying is that close calls and not doing something effortlessly (like defeating dozens of red court vampires). Percy is tough as are all the demigods, but they should not be sweeping through them like its nothing. By doing so you get a lack of drama or suspense and it weakens the narrative and makes the characters more shallow. Percy is Percy, not Harry...but Percy IS NOT Superman. And that is a good thing. Demigods are less squishy then your average mortal (or wizard) but they cannot jump buildings in a single bound, and run faster then a locomotive.
What does that have to do with anything?

Yeah, he's not Superman. He can't travel around the world at the speed of light and pwn everyone, or something. But he is a Demigod--the strongest demigod around, even. The boss of his faction and a born and raised monster-killing machine. He killed his first monster as a baby, by strangling a snake to death with his little baby hands.

And while demigods are no supermen, the vampire's sure as hell aren't, either. The average Red Court vamp can turn over a car with physical strength--the Minotaur threw cars hundreds of feet as projectile weapons.

If it was some other demigod, yeah, a Red Court vamp might have been a bit dangerous and they'd have to stay away from their saliva, but Percy? Faceless nobody vampires aren't gonna cut it.

Hell, even normal demigods have to fight some pretty extreme things. The saliva is still dangerous, but pit scorpions and hydras and drakons and stuff--if their venom touches you, it'll kill you.

I say idealistic because that is precisely the term I meant. They kill monsters because they know eventually they respawn (to steal a term from any RPG ever.) and its not true death. At heart the vast majority are kids and teenagers and they should behave as such. They are not grown adults in miniature bodies, and they do not possess the mental strength of one. Now what they do DOES make them "grow up" faster then your average run of the mill kid, but that does not take away the mentality that they are heroes whose job is to go on quests and save the world. They know little in the way of cynicism and how the world really treats people. That is there idealism. Not the level of training they give.
That's one way to look at it.

A nonsensical way, though.

The demigods don't kill monsters just because they'll come back. They kill monsters because they're trying to kill them and will hurt innocent people. The monster's coming back isn't something that relieves the campers and makes everything okay for them--it's the horrible truth they can't escape.

No matter how many monsters they kill, it doesn't matter. They'll always come back in the end and try to kill them again. The demigods are fighting a war of attrition and have been for 3000+ years--a war that they can never, ever win. Because the monsters will always come back, but the demigods? They don't.

When the Drakon's venom killed Silena, melting her skin away and leaving her to die in slow agony--she died. And she stayed dead.

When Beckendorf was blown to a million pieces by explosives--he died. And he stayed dead.

When Michael Yew fell to his death and Lee Fletcher was buried beneath a pile of rocks and an enemy half-blood killed Castor, they died and stayed dead.

Every demigod that dies stays dead, unless there's something extraordinary at work.

But Monsters never do. The Demigods have fought them for 3000+ years and are no closer to winning--and they won't be even if they fight for another 3000+ years.

A lot of them are targeted as kids. Annabeth was on the run since she was five, Percy had to kill monsters while he was in his crib, etc. So they've fought for their lives since the beginning. The don't go to Camp for fun--they go because it's the only safe place for them in the entire world.

And you know how they train at camp? With real weapons. By climbing rock walls while lava pours down and rocks fall from above. By competing in games where the only punishment for killing or maiming each other is loss of dessert.

Naive? You must have been reading a different series.
 
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