[Percy Jackson/Dresden Files] Deep as the Sea

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#51
Deep as the Sea
Getting Your Feet Wet


The simple truth of battle was that no opponent was unbeatable. At best, there were certain opponents that you could not normally beat, but there were always ways around that. Certain weaknesses that could be exploded, circumstances that you could use to your advantage, or even the simple method of greater numbers; both Chiron and hard-won experience had taught him that no opponent was truly unbeatable.

As such, Percy wasnÆt arrogant enough to think that he was some special exception or that he could not be beat. He still had his Achilles Heel to remind him of that, didnÆt he? And it did remind him, with a shock of near pain, every time something brushed against it. It was there as permanent proof that he was not quite beyond deathÆs reach.

Howeveràhere, in the water, his body shielded both by his curse and his only weak point further shielded by armor of Celestial Bronze, he could almost forget that. And while the river wasnÆt as good as salt water, but he could feel it nonethelessùthe power that was his birthright as the son of Poseidon, flowing into him.

The only way he could be stronger was if he were in the sea itself.

It may have been unfair, but that was kind of the idea; this battle was on his terms and his alone, with all the odds stacked in his favor. He had only one weak point, which heÆd defended as best he could, and it was in a place most wouldnÆt think to aim in the first place. The field of battle aided him and hindered his opponents and the extent and nature of his powers was completely unknown to his enemies.

So when he attacked Foster, it was without hesitation or fear. He had only two opponents and he could feel both of their positions in the water. Alston used a spear that was tipped with something like glowing ice and was about six feet long. Foster held a sword with a blade of four feet, which was strangely glowing as if it had been heated in a forge. As long as he paid attention to them while they were within range, he should be able to deal with them both, even at the same time.

Even so, there was a reason heÆd attacked Foster first.

With extraordinary skill that even surprised Percy for moment, Foster recovered from the sudden flood, regained his balance, brought his blade to bear, and caught Riptide neatly upon it. But as someone whoÆd never met him before, he obviously hadnÆt expected Percy to have as much strength as he did and he quickly forced the blade down into the water.

The results were immediate. The moment the water met the heated blade it began to evaporate and expand to take up as much room as possible. Foster hissed as the steam touched him, but to Percy it was just another form of waterùit wouldnÆt have caused him any harm, even without his curse.

Foster shifted, gritting his teeth. His shoulder slammed into PercyÆs as he grasped his blade with both hands. Percy turned his face slightly to meet his opponentÆs eyes, baring his teeth in challenge. As he expected, instead of taking one of the many easier ways to remove his blade, he tried to force it out of the water, insulted by PercyÆs apparent lack of effort in countering his strength. Percy just willed the water around FosterÆs blade to push it down harder in response, pushing more water towards it as it evaporated.

And as a result, the same steam that hurt Foster quickly spread the clearing. PercyÆs will defined its limits and kept it from thinning too much and soon the fog was so thick that it was impossible to see through.

ùOf course, in an area that was effectively full of water, Percy hardly needed his eyes. As Alston dove through the mist, Percy could feel the water touching the surface of his skin and his spear as an æabsenceÆ of water. He could feel the water condense on the tip of his icy spear, feel as it was drawn back, and feel as it was thrust forward, aimed for his head.

He raised his shield with time to spare, not even bothering to look away from Foster.

The tip of AlstonÆs spear broke against his shield, spilling some type of fluid over it. In an instant, water began to condense at a tremendous rate, drawn towards the liquid; it covered the entire surface of the shield in a sheet of ice in the blink of an eye, taking Percy by surprise.

He immediately decided Alston was the more important target. Removing Riptide and willing the water to release FosterÆs blade, the sudden lack of resistance caused him to stumble back a few steps.

But Percy was already in mid-turn, twisting with such force that his shield broke from AlstonÆs spear, which immediately began to grow a new point. The motion also forced his weapon aside, however, and before he could recover, Percy brought down his blade in a bronze arc. Alston had to quickly slide back, but his movements were hindered by the water and he didnÆt manage to dodge completely.

Riptide drew a neat line from shoulder to hip. It wasnÆt deep, but heÆd broken the flesh and blood that was such a light blue as to almost be clear immediately welled to the surface. Alston drew in a sudden breath and retreated several more steps.

Percy continued his turn, slamming the elbow of his shielded arm into FosterÆs nose, breaking it under the force of the blow. To FosterÆs credit, he merely grunted and took a step back; it wasnÆt even enough to keep him from lashing out with his blade.

Turning a bit more, Percy caught it on his shieldùor rather, on the ice that covered it. It melted through the ice like butter and reduced the resulting water to steam, removing it from a most of his shield. As Percy continued his rotation, he lifted the blade up and to the side, before thrusting under both shield and blade, catching Foster in the side, piercing armor.

Coming full circle, he slid AlstonÆs spear to the side with his shield, careful to avoid touching the tip. As Foster drew in for another attack, he caught the still-burning blade on Riptide and held off both attacks for a trembling moment.

ôStop,ö He suddenly said, surprising both warriors. He glanced once at each of them and smiled. ôHammer time.ö

Two high-pressure torrents of water suddenly rose from beneath them, catching both Fae in the chest with enough force to make their armor groan before throwing them away in opposite directions.

Cracking his neck, Percy smirked.

ôYou canÆt touch this.ö
 

crazyfoxdemon

Well-Known Member
#52
Ugh.... After making such a horrible joke.. I kinda hope he gets his ass kicked...
 
#53
Except he's literally invincible. Which is why I can't quite get into this story, I think. I mean, there's no actual conflict yet, just fake stuff. I just skimmed over all the fight scenes because Percy can't lose. It leans too much towards a curbstomp, which is fine if you're a fan of Percy Jackson, but otherwise it's just kinda annoying.

There's a reason he loses the curse in the next set of books, it's a lousy plot device after the fight with Luke.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#54
Except he's literally invincible. Which is why I can't quite get into this story, I think. I mean, there's no actual conflict yet, just fake stuff. I just skimmed over all the fight scenes because Percy can't lose. It leans too much towards a curbstomp, which is fine if you're a fan of Percy Jackson, but otherwise it's just kinda annoying.

There's a reason he loses the curse in the next set of books, it's a lousy plot device after the fight with Luke.
He's hardly invincible. He's just immune to conventional harm, but there are plenty of ways around that--as Hera proved, it doesn't protect his mind, it wouldn't keep him from being put in an enchanted sleep, or frozen into a statue to decorate Arctis Tor, or any number of other things. He's the guy you have to get unconventional with.

And, honestly, it doesn't change much whether he's invincible or not. All it really does is keep him from dying--but he's kind of the main character, so he wasn't going to die to begin with. It's one of the simple truths of fiction; the main character (generally) has plot armor. There will always be some set of coincidences or miracles or something to keep him alive in the end (Harry, for example, came back from the dead via Divine Intervention, a Faerie Queen, and a Demonic Sentient Island).

But the suspense and thrill of DF and PJ has never relied on whether Harry or Percy would die in the end, because you and I and everyone else in the Universe looked at the cover of the book, saw their names on it, and realized the answer to that question was no. It doesn't even come from whether or not they'll save the day, because you know the answer to that too.

No, the story comes from how they do it, and what they lose and learn along the way, as well as who die in the process. Harry and Percy are effectively invincible as main characters, but the people around them aren't.

In the end, he's like Superman. He's super hard to hurt and we all know that in the end he's never really gonna die (or, at least, stay dead), but that doesn't mean you can't make interesting stories about him--and it's never relied on Kryptonite to do so.

TL;DR: Don't worry, my mustaches have you covered.
 

bmsattler

Well-Known Member
#55
I thought it was entirely within character for him to be making bad jokes in the middle of combat. He's still basically a kid after all. I thought it was pretty charming, honestly.

And do you really think that the Fae are going to allow some nobodies to sign the accords if they don't prove they are their equals in at least some things?
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#56
Alston recovered first, snarling. Flipping to his feet, he thrust his spear straight into the water, breaking its tip on the ground beneath. Immediately, ice began to spread until it had covered everything in a ten foot radius. Standing comfortable atop it, he seemed as at home there as Percy was in the water.

Percy glanced away from him as he heard Foster spit a word. He turned just in time to catch a sudden blast of wind on his shield which blew away both him and his mist. As he was tossed back, he heard Alston say something in turn, and as he fell into the water, he felt it suddenly get very, very cold. It froze around him trapping him in the water, as well as making a path from AlstonÆs æislandÆ to where he was trapped. Not wasting a moment, Alston was already tearing across the ice, spear tip aimed for his face.

Percy knew it wouldnÆt kill himùbut it would freeze everything that wasnÆt already frozen. Gritting his teeth, he reached out to the yet unfrozen water.

With an effort of will, the ice holding him in place broke and he pushed against it with one hand, moving himself out of the way just in time to avoid a strike that would have ended the battle, but not quite enough to dodge it completely. The spear tip broke on the shattered ice, causing an eruption of new ice to quickly spread, but even as it did, Alston brought his spear up, tossing the last of the strange fluid at him, catching his right shoulder and freezing most of his upper arm in an instant.

Percy rolled to his feet as Alston came at him again, quickly leaning to the left to avoid a thrust at his face and then turning counter-clockwise to avoid a thrust to his chest plate. Turning the dodge into a full spin, he brought his left fist up to smash it into AlstonÆs face before he could attack again.

Not giving him a chance to recover, he punched him again and then a third time before Alston tried a weak stab at his right side, where his sword arm had effectively been rendered useless. Percy turned clockwise, easily dodging the weak attack, and raised his shield to take him in the temple, causing Alston to shudder once before dropping his spear and go prone.

ôAnnoying,ö Percy said, smashing the edge of his shield against his frozen arm, breaking the ice before shaking the rest off. He had only a moment to wonder where Foster had gotten to before he had to dodge a thin pillar of fire ripped through the space where heÆd stood.

He glanced towards Foster, who had apparently decided that long range was safer. Above each of his hands hung an orange and white sphere of perfectly controlled fire.

As he lifted both of his hands, Percy made a sharp gesture behind him and then towards the fairy warrior. As two nearly-white lances of fire burnt towards him, the river once more diverted its course, lifting in a mighty arc to rise over Percy and intercept the attacks. The flames turn an immense amount of water to steam, but not enough to stop the flow of a riverùnot nearly enough. Foster tried to dodge, knowing what was coming, but in the steam, Percy could feel his every move and merely shifted the waterÆs flow accordingly.

The flow of water caught the large man in the chest and didnÆt even slow down, carrying him backwards into a tree. The tree groaned under the force of the river, as well as the impact of FosterÆs body, but it only lasted a few seconds before Percy pulled it away and returned the water to its rightful place, leaving Foster to fall to his knees and then to the ground.

As the steam spread, free of his control, Percy sighed, spun out of the way of a sudden spear thrust, before bringing Riptide down upon it, breaking the shaft right below the point. He didnÆt know whether Foster had recovered or if heÆd been faking defeat in the first place and, in the end, it didnÆt really matter.

ôNice try,ö He said, lifting his shield one last time to smack him across the face with it.

Waiting for a moment, just in case, Percy let out a slow breath. Gesturing, he dismissed the last of the mist.

Looking at the remains of both armies, he frowned severely.

ôIÆve won. Pack up your things and go.ö He said sternly. When the armies hesitated, he made the river behind him bubble furiously. ôNow!ö

At that, both groups rushed to comply, collecting their unconscious leaders and scrambling out of his sight. When the last of them was gone, he sighed again. A small red light immediately approached, circling his head.

ôThat was amazing Percy!ö Tana gushed before settling into his hair, which she had apparently decided was her proper place.

ôThanks,ö He replied. ôIt was troublesome, but I left both of them alive, so hopefully Summer and Winter wonÆt be too angry. But if people start giving you trouble, we should figure out a way for you to contact me.ö

ôOf course!ö Tana said, nodding eagerly. ôItÆs our river now!ö

Percy sighed a little at that, but was interrupted before he could say anything.

ôWhat the hell do you think youÆre doing, Seaweed Brain!?ö Annabeth shrieked.

The sound of her voice made Percy flinch. Turning, he saw her standing by a tree. Her face was red and she was breathing hard. The twins flanked her, but they didnÆt seem nearly as upset; Conner mouthed something he couldnÆt see and gave him a thumbs up while Travis just nodded at him with a smile.

He dismissed both of them to focus on the more important issue.

ôUhàHi, Wise Girl,ö He said weakly. ôHow long have you been here?ö

ôOh, IÆve been here from the beginning,ö She said, crushing his hopes of getting off light. ôI was just so unbelievably enraged that I couldnÆt speak!ö

ôAhàö

XxXXxX
 
#58
Please, you think the child of an Olympian, particularly a female Olympian, would settle for just killing him? Remember, her mother turned a girl into a spider for daring try to match her skill at weaving, turned Medusa into a monster because either Poseidon raped her or they had sex in Athena's temple and then helped the first Perseus kill Medusa. The whole godly family loves <a href='http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FateWorseThanDeath' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>Fate Worse Than Death</a>.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#59
XxXXxX

ôPercy, do you remember what I told you before we came here?ö Annabeth demanded.

Feeling a little bad for wrecking this area in his fight, even if it was to protect people, Percy silently ushered the water heÆd thrown around back into the river. As it flowed back, he used it to pick up the remaining pieces of ice, crush them into smaller pieces so theyÆd melt more easily, and move the pieces into the water.

ôUmàDonÆt do anything stupid?ö He said even as he did so.

ôYes! And what did you do the moment you were out of sight?ö

Percy could have argued that he hadnÆt done anything stupid, but even he didnÆt believe that.

Besides, it would have just made things worse.

ôSomething stupid.ö He replied, dutifully.

ôIf you knew that, why did you do it!?ö

Percy his chance and took it shamelessly.

ôB-but Annabeth!ö He said. ôIf I hadnÆt interfered, the Wyldfae would have gotten hurt!ö

He pointed up at his head.

ôDo you mean I should have let little Tana get hurt?ö He asked. Tana backed him up with eyes that looked to be near tears.

Annabeth gave him a look that was bitter and made it known that she knew exactly what he was trying to do, but she wasnÆt going to curse him for helping innocent people. Behind Annabeth, Travis gave him a thumbs up.

He subtly shook his head.

He wasnÆt out of the woods yet; if his girlfriend couldnÆt find something to yell at him for when she was upset, she wasnÆt trying hard enough. He could think of several things off the top of his head; it really wasnÆt very hard.

Indeed, Annabeth recovered in an instant.

ôI understand why you did what you did,ö She said through gritted teeth. ôAnd I canÆt blame you for it. However, none of that changes the fact that you way have ruined things for use before they even began! Winter and Summerùô

ôWere out of bounds on this one. You heard what Tana said; they were breaking agreements to draw in innocent people when they had to.ö

Annabeth rubbed her temples.

ôBeing in the wrong doesnÆt mean you canÆt be angry, Percy; you know that.ö She said, though Percy was a bit happy to hear that her voice was calming. ôEven if they canÆt somehow twist the rules to screw us overùwhich I really doubtùI sure thereÆs some way theyÆll get back at us for this. Those guys you beat up are sure to have friends, and if theyÆd been put in charge in a position like, on the border with a hostile country, those friends could easily be in very high places! What if you manage to upset Summer and Winter enough that they wonÆt let us join the Accords! Gods, I just wanted you to go one day without pissing someone off!ö

ôIÆm sorry, Dave.ö Percy said, spouting off the words before thinking. ôIÆm afraid I canÆt do that.ö

Annabeth smacked him upside the head. It didnÆt hurt, but he wisely pretended it did to make her feel better.

ôWe may well have failed before we even began! All our plans could be ruined!ö

ôHow often do our plans work, though?ö He pointed out. ôWe plan, we try, and then all hell breaks loose.ö

ôBecause of you! You! YouÆre the reason!ö Annabeth said, grabbing the edges of his armor and shaking him.

He thought about that for a moment.

ôYeah, I guess thatÆs true.ö He realized with a laugh.

ôYouàIàö Annabeth tried, before cutting herself off. She clinched one hand into a fist and pressing the side against her mouth. Several times, she seemed ready to say something, moving the hand away to point at him, but each time, she returned it to its previous position before she could say anything.

Percy silently walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

ôI love you, Wise Girl.ö He said.

Annabeth shot him a look that contained about as much love and kindness as Peleus felt for intruders, but she didnÆt push him away or reject the kiss, so he figured it wasnÆt that bad. He probably shouldnÆt push his luck, though.

Sadly, he knew he had to do so anyway.

ôAbout this river,ö He said, and saw AnnabethÆs face twist in annoyance at the mere mention. ôYou know we canÆt just leave it. I canÆt just let the Courts walk all over the Wyldfae just because theyÆre stronger, even if we do need something from them.ö

After a moment of silence, Annabeth sighed and it was like all her anger escaped with it.

ôI know,ö She said, tiredly. ôAnd I agree. But you realize this is going to make a lot of things more difficult for us, right?ö

Percy shrugged.

æThings would be difficult.Æ What else was new?

ôLook at the bright side, Annabeth; as long as we control the river, we have a way into both Courts.ö He pointed out.

ôOnly until someone gets upset,ö She said, rubbing her temples. ôIf we cause trouble for one of the Courts, theyÆll just send more forces to take it back.ö

ôThen we just wonÆt annoy anyone,ö Percy offered reasonably. ôWhile the river is unclaimed, itÆs effectively a border with an actively hostile enemy nation that has to constantly be defended; but if we keep things peaceful, then both courts can move their forces somewhere else and do useful stuff. And even if someone tries to attack, we can talk to the Wyldfae in the area and everything should be fine as long as they agree to aid the side that was attacked. That should keep anyone from trying to battle in this area unless war breaks out; even if Summer and Winter are upset with us, they should be able to at least see the strategic benefit of a place like this.ö

ôIf the Wyldfae agree to that,ö She noted. ôAnd if the Courts think the same way you do, then maybe, depending on how valuable the river is to them.ö

ôEven if they both want the river, I think the main issue is that the possibility of their enemies controlling it scares them. Even if it would deny them access in this particular spot, I think the fact that they wouldnÆt need to worry about it being taken would probably make up for it.ö

Annabeth didnÆt look convinced.

ôEven if thatÆs true, we almost certainly donÆt know the whole story. We literally just stumbled upon this; there might be something important about this river or place that might make it important enough to want to take. Maybe itÆs an important strategic position or its rich in resources or maybe thereÆs something magical about it. If so, why would they let us keep it just like that?ö She argued.

ôDonÆt worry,ö Percy assured her. ôI have a plan!ö

ôOh, Gods,ö Annabeth swore.

XxXXxX
 

nick012000

Well-Known Member
#60
So, Annabeth is basically a tsundere, then? LOL. :D

Also, anyone else think that the response of the Faeries will be to shift their efforts from trying to control the river to trying to control Percy? ;)
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#61
XxXXxX

PercyÆs solution was a simple one. Even if the area had some value that they didnÆt know about, it would be fine as long as it was even more valuable their way.

Of course, just changing the ownership of a river wouldnÆt make it more valuable. If they wanted to be worth more, then they would have to do something to it.

And while there may well have been many ways to go about doing that, Percy stuck with the first ones to pop into his head. Maybe it was because he was half-human or because he was the son of one of the gods of Western Civilization, but when he thought of important places, he thought of places where lots of people gatheredùvillages, towns, and cities. No matter how important a river may have been, he couldnÆt think of any reason why it would be more important than the lives of a bunch of people, and he was the son of a God of Water.

Furthermore, it was true from a logical perspective, as well. In cities, people could set of stores and businesses where they can both buy and sell things, allowing for greater profits. Even he could understand that, just from Economics classes in school.

Granted, he had no idea what fairies used as a currency, but he couldnÆt think of any type of economy that would be hurt by allowing a lot of people to work and interact together; a group of people producing and consuming was kind of the definition of an economy.

So that was his answer; the simple one that humanity had defaulted to sinceàwell, he didnÆt know, but itÆd had been a very long time.

Urbanization.

Also, if he distracted Annabeth by letting her design the buildings, heÆd probably be in a lot less trouble once everything was over. Just looking at her eyes, he could tell that she was tempted, no matter how much she wanted to deny it.

Annabeth looked away; just like he could read her, she could read him, and she could tell that he knew what she was feeling. She licked her lips, shifting through possibilities quickly, before forcing herself to focus.

ôWe donÆt have the manpower,ö She said, trying to continue opposing the suggestion. It was obvious her heart wasnÆt in it, however, because her response was weak. ôWhoÆs gonna build everything? Are we gonna make the fairies do it?ö

Percy knew he had the advantage and refused to fall back.

ôWhy not? IÆm sure we can convince some of them to do it; I did kind of save them, after all, and this is for their benefit. And we have plenty of manpowerùa big project like this is just what the Hephaestus CabinÆs been needing to get over that æcurseÆ of theirs. And with the war over and my dad gone with the other Gods, my brotherÆs havenÆt had anything to do, either.ö

It only took a moment for Annabeth to realize what he meant and she couldnÆt quite keep herself from making a face.

ôThe Cyclopes?ö She asked. ôReally? Percy, this is kind of a delicate project; some of these buildings are going to be like dollhouses.ö

Even if she had warmed up to Tyson, Percy could tell she hadnÆt quite gotten over her issues with Cyclopes in general. Granted, that might have been wise; more than a few had tried to eat them.

But even so, it hurt a little to that bias directed at his familyùeven if he might have agreed with it several years before.

He hid it as best he could, but could tell by AnnabethÆs wince and guilty expression that he didnÆt completely succeed.

ôYouÆd be surprised,ö He said, acting like it hadnÆt happened. ôThey may not look it, but theyÆre really good with delicate things; Tyson made me a watch, and you know how big his hands are. Plus, IÆd be worried if the Wyldfae and Hephaestus Cabin didnÆt have some protection. With my brotherÆs here, if something happens, they can always get big like they did against Typhon and theyÆll have a gang of thirty-something feet tall Cyclopes watching their backs.ö

Annabeth couldnÆt argue with that. Any lingering resentment aside, there werenÆt many places safer then behind a protective Cyclops; sheÆd been there when Tyson had taken down two bronze bulls with his bare hands and theyÆd each been the size of a elephant. And that had been when Tyson was normal sized.

If PercyÆs family was watching over the camp, there wouldnÆt be anything to worry about, unless an army showed up.

ôOkay, fine.ö Annabeth consented. ôIÆll go work on the blue prints. But you have to organize things with the Hephaestus Cabin, your family, and the fairies.ö

Percy smiled triumphantly.

ôDeal.ö

XxXXxX
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#63
Deep as the Sea
A Changing Tide

ôWow,ö Percy said, blinking. ôThis place has gotten big.ö

TheyÆd agreed to postpone attempts to contact Summer until this project was done, for several reasons. For one, Annabeth was required for the design, which would take awhile, even if she was sure to have a few dozen blueprints that she could simply shrink down if she needed too. SheÆd made him agree not to go without her, because she wanted to watch his back and reminded him that diplomacy required that someone be diplomatic.

ôCan you promise me that if you go alone, you wonÆt piss off or insult anyone?ö SheÆd asked.

ôYou know I canÆt promise that,ö HeÆd replied.

And secondly, on the same note, it was probably a good idea to give the Summer Queen the chance to cool off, in case she was upset about the river.

So after heÆd organized everything and guided his siblings and the campers through the forest, Annabeth had told him to leave. HeÆd agreed, because construction wasnÆt something he was especially useful forùand with the Hephaestus Cabin in the Nevernever, their defenses in the mortal world had dropped all the more. HeÆd promised the already working Annabeth that heÆd be back in a week, received a distracted grunt that he took as an æIÆll miss youÆ in reply, and left.

Things on the mortal side of things had been quiet. According to Nico, things were getting more serious with the War, so the vampires had apparently decided to ignore them for the time being. TheyÆd returned the favor, still waiting for the ideal time to get involved. HeÆd given everyone their jobs and waited on standby in case anything important happened, but had otherwise just done his best to stay out of the way for the week before coming back.

And things around the river had changed while he was gone. Miniature buildings spread out from the river, growing away from it on both sides. The original clearing had grown quite a bit, apparently by literally pushing the forest back. The buildings were all of beautiful design, tiny buildings, mansions, and villas, of Greek, Roman, and Victorian design, somehow fitting together perfectly despite looking so different.

Yet Annabeth growled in annoyance.

ôWe keep having to rebuild the houses, or weÆd be done by now.ö She glowered, apparently unhappy with what Percy considered amazing progress.

ôWhat happened?ö Percy said, focusing the moment sheÆd said rebuild. ôWere there any attacks?ö

Annabeth sighed, limiting on hand to rake it through her hair.

ôItÆs not that.ö She said, tiredly. ôThe faeries keep growing. TheyÆre like weeds, I swear.ö

ôWhat do you mean?ö He asked.

ôThey keep getting bigger and I donÆt know why,ö She shrugged. ôWhen I woke up the second day we were here, five of them were twice as big. I keep having to scale up the houses to accommodate them and I canÆt even predict whoÆll be the next to grow. At this rate, IÆm thinking of just making a few apartments of various sizes and just letting them commission houses when they stop growing.ö

ôThat is weirdàhave you asked them about it?ö

ôOf course! But they just say its normal and donÆt tell me why itÆs happening! They donÆt explain anything!ö

Percy had a feeling that not knowing why they were growing bothered her more than having to redesign the houses.

ôWell, IÆm sure youÆll figure it out,ö He said, smiling at her, not really bothered by the mystery. ôCan I have your take on something?ö

ôHm?ö She voiced absently, shuffling through papers. ôYeah, sure.ö

ôNicoÆs caught wind of some rumors.ö

Annabeth stilled, before looking up at him, letting the papers fall silently to her work desk.

ôIs this serious?ö

ôIf itÆs true, then probably.ö He admitted. ôNico doesnÆt have anything solid yet, but heÆs trying to track down the source in the Underworld. I have Drew, Grover, and Thalia working topside to figure out if itÆs true; I figure one of them will find something out soon.ö

ôWhatÆs the rumor?ö

ôThe Red Court is preparing a major strike at the White Council. Bigger than anything theyÆve done before. ThereÆs some major wizard inàuhàö He tried to remember how to pronounce the cityÆs name. ôSome Russian city. All I remember is that it was Archangel in English.ö

ôRussianàö Annabeth furrowed her brow. ôOh, you mean Arkhangelsk.ö

ôYeah,ö He said. ôThat. TheyÆre supposedly gonna attack it. I had Conner and Travis check it out to make sure thereÆs actually something there and they said itÆs like a fortress. ThereÆs a bunch of people there, too, but weÆre not sure how many are wizards.ö

ôCould the Red Court destroy it, though?ö

ôI guess that would depend on how many of them there were,ö Percy shrugged. ôAnd we donÆt know how many are gatheredùif there is, in fact, an army. But Travis and Conner said it looked hardcore. Taking it directly sounded like it would be costly.ö

ôUnless they have a different way of attacking, like how Kronos used the Labyrinthàö Annabeth mused.

ôYeah,ö Percy agreed. ôI trust Travis and Conner when they say that just attacking that place would be stupid, but if they have their own way in, that wouldnÆt matter.ö

ôDid you warn the Council?ö

ôOf course, butàwell, all we could say was that there were rumors. And even if itÆs true that an attacks coming, IÆm not sure how much they trust us. Our informationÆs been good so far, but we havenÆt revealed ourselves or helped them much otherwise; I think they half believe weÆre trying to set them up for a trap.ö

ôProbably. You canÆt expect them to jump at the messages of a hidden third party, even if we do give good advice.ö

Percy nodded.

ôI know, but IÆm not sure if theyÆll believe us enough to really take this seriously. If this really is as big an attack as itÆs being made out to be, a few cautiously shifted soldiers might not be enough to save the day.ö

Annabeth frowned at him, eyes calculating. A part of him wondered if sheÆd already realized where he was going with this.

ôSo I was thinking,ö He continued. ôIf this attack is real and not being exaggerated, then instead of waiting until after the White Council loses, it might be a better idea to rush in at the last minute and save the day.ö

Annabeth looked down at her hands and then back up at him, before humming noncommittally.

ôThe way I see it, itÆs an even better way of doing it. It gets us at least as much favor and the White Council wonÆt be as weakened as a result.ö

ôAnd you wonÆt have to stand back and watch people die.ö Annabeth said, seeing right through him.

Percy didnÆt deny itùand he didnÆt look embarrassed at being caught, either.

ôItÆs a good plan.ö Annabeth admitted. ôBut I canÆt say if it would work without knowing anything about who weÆd be fighting. If it looks like itÆs possible to win, though, then I have no objections. Is the camp prepared for battle?ö

ôArenÆt we always?ö Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. ôI have my brothers making sure all our equipments up to par and I have everyone running drills. By the time the Red Courts ready, weÆll be ready.ö

ôOkay,ö She said. ôIf by some miracle, nothing goes horribly wrong between now and the attack and things look okayàletÆs do it.ö

XxXXxX
 

nick012000

Well-Known Member
#64
The Faeries are getting bigger? I'm guessing it's because they're becoming more important; I wonder if Tana is the biggest.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#66
XxXXxX

Despite all their expectations, nothing in particular happened. The Red Court maintained its focus elsewhere and while the White Council set out some token investigators, they obviously werenÆt interested in looking to hard unless they had too.

The Faerie Courts had sent a number of people to look over the still unnamed city they were building and they had let them come and go freely so theyÆd spread the knowledge around Summer and Winter. Shortly afterwards, more faeries had begun to arrive at the city, trickling in with slowly but steadily increasing numbers. After a while, the Queens had apparently decided to just let them be for the moment and fight elsewhere.

Not wanting to tempt fate, theyÆd largely kept their heads down while quietly preparing for when this peace inevitable fell through. With his fatherÆs city empty of its rulers, Percy had basically assumed control as PoseidonÆs favorite son and moved his half-siblings up to the surface and into the camp, where they had fortified the defenses and worked on crafting more armor and weapons. Percy trusted them enough leave them unsupervised and hadnÆt needed to interfere except when an incident with the CampÆs Bronze Dragon had nearly had the Hephaestus Cabin in a panic.

But he and his siblings had handled that easily enough. It wasnÆt hard, if you didnÆt have to fear its fire or weapons. And Tyson said they could fix the damage, too.

After a month of nothing happening, his brotherÆs had finished restocking the campÆs armory and fortifying the defenses. After that, heÆd had no real reason to say no when Annabeth had proposed letting some of the Camp members visit and get used to the faerie city. HeÆd even had the Demeter and Dionysus Cabins work on turning some nearby areas into farmland, figuring it would be needed if the city continued to grow.

Other than that, there wasnÆt much for Percy to do but wait. A part of himùwell, honestly, a lot of himùwanted to just stay by Annabeth butàhe couldnÆt do that.

Nico had confirmed it. The Red Court was going to attack Archangel. No exact date had been set, or at least not one that they knew of, but it was set to happen sometime in June, despite having already gathered their army. Percy wasnÆt sure what the Red Court was waiting that long for, but it meant that he couldnÆt go anywhereùpart of having a reactionary plan was being ready to react.

So heÆd had no choice but to standby and wait.

And it was agonizing.

Ever since Nico had confirmed it, heÆd been high-strung and full of a nervous tension that made him just want to go out there and kick some ass. Wait for a battle was excruciating, especially since he didnÆt know when it would happen.

HeÆd changed Capture the Flag from once a week to twice a week and now that it was Juneùand with NicoÆs reports of the dead increasingùhe was seriously considering making it three times a week. The teams changed and the formations changed, but one thing always stayed the same; he always led one of the teams. With so many new camp members, he wanted to get them all used to working with him, and to see their strengths and weaknesses, too. Sometimes he participated himself, in order to get used to fighting besides everyone, but for the sake of fairness, most of the time he simply guided his team from the sidelines.

After a dozen matches like that, heÆd requested the Hunters return to camp for another match, knowing Thalia couldnÆt turn down a straight challenge like that.

To be honest, he was getting worried about himself. About his curse. It had gotten to the point that he felt better on the battlefield then he did trying to sleepùbecause when he was lying in bed, all he could think about was the next battle, the next strategy and he just wanted to fight until he was too tired to think and could just drop down in exhaustion. Just being on the sidelines made him nearly ache, even if he knew why he had to.

It hadnÆt been like this, during those first days at Manhattan. Or, at least, it hadnÆt been as bad.

But all he could do was hope it would pass when the battle finally came.

ôIs something wrong, Percy?ö Annabeth asked the moment she saw him. There was a frown on her face.

HeÆd asked her and the Hephaestus Cabin to return as the days of June slid slowly by, assembling the full might of the camp. It couldnÆt be long now, he thought.

Noàthat wasnÆt right.

It wasnÆt just what he thought; it was what he hoped.

ôNothing,ö He replied after a long moment.

Annabeth calmly moved in front of him and silently looked him over with considering eyes. She shook her head.

ôItÆs not nothing,ö She said, matter-of-factly. ôWhatÆs wrong?ö

He hesitated, honestly not sure what to say.

ôIÆm justàanxious. About the battle, I mean.ö He told her, fumbling slightly for words. ôThis wait is killing me.ö

Annabeth looked at him like she didnÆt believe him, but she didnÆt say anything. She did watch him a bit more carefully, however; a nervous itch between his shoulder blades when he was leading his teams in Capture the Flagùbut he just told himself it was normal for a girl to watch her boyfriend play sports and had a mental image of Annabeth as a cheerleader that made him laugh, and just thought of it that way whenever he noticed her gaze.

But then, Nico came, walking out of the shadows in his cabin the next day, startling him. The mere sight of him made his heart pound in expectation.

ôIs itùô

He couldnÆt even finish the sentence.

But Nico understood and nodded.

ôThe Red Court is attacking Arkhangelsk,ö He confirmed, saying the Russia word perfectly.

On June 15th, the Demigods rushed to battle.

XxXXxX
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#67
XxXXxX

They reentered the world on the shores of the Northern Dvina River, leading the charge on chariots, horses, and Pegasi. The MistÆs power had faded a great deal, but not completely, so they got nothing but strange glances.

They probably thought they were some kind of gang, Percy thought, sighing to himself. It would have been easier if they had been able to just take cars, but things like that didnÆt always work properly in the Nevernever. As it was, theyÆd been lucky they hadnÆt been forced to go through a forest or up a mountain or something and had to ditch the chariots. But this was the closest place they could get too with literally popping out in the middle of the battle.

ôSomething wrong, big brother?ö Tyson asked, hands on the reins. His one eye was narrowed in focus as he stared down the coast of the river. The sands of the beach didnÆt trouble the chariot in the slightestùbut then, his brothers had built all of them. They were probably all terrain or something.

ôNo,ö He said. ôJust hoping no one calls the police on usàActually, are they called police in Russia?ö

Tyson shrugged, unsure. Even if he was technically his little brother, Tyson was huge. Only about seven or eight in Cyclops Years, he towered over Percy at six foot something, even in his smaller form, and his shoulders were as broad as a house. Years of working in their fatherÆs forge had given him slabs of dull, hard muscle, making him look even bigger; he could probably have made football players and wrestlers feel insecure. With brown hair and eyes to his black and green, they didnÆt look much like siblings, but Percy didnÆt really care what anyone thought; heÆd stab anyone he caught picking on his little brother.

Not that heÆd need too. There was a reason they were riding togetherùthe Hero of Olympus and PoseidonÆs General. They were going to drive a wedge right through the RedÆs Army and open up a path straight through to the Tower.

Percy looked past Tyson, further down the coast. The place they were heading towards wasnÆt in Archangel, per se; technically it was a few miles outside the city limits, towards the White Sea. He couldnÆt see the tower, yet, but just being on the coast was making him feel at ease. He glanced up above him, where Will Solace rode Blackjack. HeÆd rather be up there then on a chariot, but the Pegasi were better used for the Archers, who could spot and take down any vampires in sight. The best shooters of the Apollo Cabin and amongst ArtemisÆ Hunters were all in the air, except for Thalia, who was in one of the chariots behind him.

Most of said chariots were pulled by his brothers and latched to either the best horses in the CampÆs stables or to some of PoseidonÆs own stallions. The horses that pulled their chariot had been a gift from their father before heÆd gone and Percy had actually had to keep them in check to keep them from running ahead of the group. Behind the chariots rode the Party Ponies, called in by Chiron. The purposely ran just a step behind them, even though they could easily have outstripped most of them, and theyÆd been willing to carry some campers. Those that couldnÆt get a ride would remain behind for the moment, at least until they secured the position around the gate near the Tower.

ôBrother!ö Tyson said, his back straightening. ôI see it!ö

Percy nodded, leaning towards him.

Xanthos, Balios, pull us ahead of the group.

The immortal horses of Achilles neighed in response, and suddenly it was like they were the wind from which the horses had been born. Percy had to grip the side of the chariot as he was nearly thrown out of it by the sudden increase in speed. Forcing himself upright, he narrowed his eyes against the wind, squinting at the rapidly approaching Tower.

He thought he saw a few of the vampires turn towards them in surprises, but he didnÆt even give them a chance to shout out a warning. Instead, he reached out with the power that was his birthright and, with a sharp tug in his gut, he drew upon the sea.

And the White Sea rose at his call.
 

nick012000

Well-Known Member
#69
Hmm. The Red Court has a tendency to summon Outsiders, doesn't it? I wonder if Celestial Bronze is capable of killing them.
 

crazyfoxdemon

Well-Known Member
#70
nick012000 said:
Hmm. The Red Court has a tendency to summon Outsiders, doesn't it? I wonder if Celestial Bronze is capable of killing them.
I'd think that it would...

But the Red Court can't summon Outsiders. Only mortals can summon them. When it's mentioned in the book, it was such a big deal since it meant that Wizards were helping the Red Court, which implied a traitor in their midst.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#71
<a href='http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7649357/2/Deep_as_the_Sea' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7649357/2/Deep_as_the_Sea</a>

I put the second part on FF.net, for anyone who prefers to read it on there.
 

Ryuugi

Well-Known Member
#72
The water rushed in as a sudden waist deep flood with enough force to knock grown men off their feet. The waterÆs churned and spun quickly even as it spread out, making everyone fight to keep their footing in the raging tide.

Everyone except the Prince of the Sea.

Standing firm as the waters rushed past him, Percy inhaled deeply, smelling the salt of the sea. The water was cold, he felt in a distant way, but the temperature of water had never been something that heÆd had any need to worry about. It felt good, as it always did, to be back in the seaùin salt water. As a Halfblood, he was constantly out of place in both worlds, but that feeling was far away and unimportant while he was yet in the sea.

Sadly, he hardly had time to stand around and enjoy the feeling.

He rushed towards the nearest vampire, lifting one foot out of the water as he broke into a runùbut as he brought it back down, it did not sink back in, but rather pressed firmly against the surface, lifting him cleanly out of it. Atop the waves, he moved blindingly fast, his feet never leaving the surface as he skated across it, letting the water push him. He approached the vampire like a predator moving in for the kill; fearless and merciless. With their movements hindered by the water and the mud and with him holding the higher ground, there was only one way this was going to end.

Today, heÆd teach the Red Court to fear the sea.

The vampire must have seen its own death coming as he neared, for it lashed out at him in a desperate swing, but without so much as a twitch or a shifting of his feet, Percy swung ninety degrees around his target, his blade flashing down like a scorpionÆs stinger and biting deeply into the flesh between its shoulder and neck, sinking it in until most of the blade was hidden from sight before just as quickly drawing it out. The water spun him around and he caught a set of claws along the side of his blade. Dragging it across them, he stared piteously as the severed digits fell and the creature started to scream even as he turned the blade around and swung, silencing the burgeoning cry with an arc of bronze that passed cleanly through its neck.

Immediately, his attention was somewhere else, shifting seamlessly from one target to the next. Behind the now falling corpses stood a trio of vampires that had leaned back in fear as theyÆd watched him slay their comrade. Lifting one foot from the water, he took a stomping step forward, sending them stumbling back off balance with a crashing wave of water even as he stepped right up the first of them. Bringing his blade around again, he took it down with a tight left to right swing before stepping high to him left and then spinning right, taking out the remaining two in much the same way.

Pausing for a minute as the bodies fell with dull splashes, he brushed the back of his left hand across his forehead, but managed to do nothing but smear the droplets that had speckled his face. As the sound of gunshots rang out, he turned instinctively towards the source of the noise and laid his eyes on a row of vampireÆs with some kind of machineguns, firing at him now that heÆd caught the groupÆs attention. As he did, he also realized why the rest of the vampireÆs hadnÆt swarmed him alreadyùthey simply wanted to stay out of the line of fire. The moment the gunners fell, theyÆd attack en masse, he guessed.

Still, after a moment of thought, he decided the gunmen were probably the bigger threat, since they could also hit the pegasi above him once they noticed their presence. They could also hit his brother, he realized, belatedly raising a wall of water with his right hand and strengthening its hydrogen bonds in the hopes to provide Tyson whatever protection he could.

Though would bullets hurt himà?

Dismissing the thoughts even as they began to form, he raised his right hand, loosening the grip of his middle finger, index, and thumb from around the handle of Riptide. A massive hand of water rose behind one of the gunners, fingers curling around him in mirror to PercyÆs own. For a moment, he just held him, allowing the sight to distract the other gunners, lessening their fire even as it raised a series of startled cries.

And then he tightened his grip around Riptide in an instant, crushing the vampire with a series of loud, sickening snaps.

Dropping his shield, he raised both hands towards the remaining gunners, preparing to repeat the action, before pausing and lowering his hands as arrows began to fly as the pegasi got into position. Four more vampires were dropped in half as many seconds before arrow after arrow was fired into the remaining hoard.

A hoard, that, if he didnÆt do something, would soon charge his position and make the prospect of setting up a position here really, really difficult.

He hadnÆt realized heÆd become the center of attention that quickly.

It must be his magnetic personality, he thought.

Stomping the water again, he felt it build beneath him before a mighty burst sent him flipping over the heads of the frontline of the vampires in into the middle of their ranks. He still didnÆt have a lot of experience with this skill, if only because he rarely needed it, butà

Percy took a deep breath and smiled at the wary vampireÆs that had turned towards him, hesitating in expectance of a trick. They were right, of course, but attacking might have been a better option.

ôIÆm about to rock you,ö He informed. ôLike a Hurricane.ö
 

B.B. Rain

Well-Known Member
#73
Ryuugi said:
A hoard, that, if he didnÆt do something, would soon charge his position and make the prospect of setting up a position here really, really difficult.
Probably 'horde' would be more appropriate.
 

jwang

Well-Known Member
#74
Unless the horde brought their hoard to do battle with. Maybe they have some purples in there...
 

Lord Raine

Well-Known Member
#75
No offense to you Ryuugi, but this faps way too hard to the Jackson side to be readable for me. While deities are some of the most powerful beings in the Dresdenverse setting, Archangels and some demon lords are much moreso. The Fallen within the Denarians are explicitly noted as hitting in a weightclass at or above deific (except for YHWH, who is apparently an exception), and Dresden has explicitly noted that there are things far more dangerous than gods hanging around (he explicitly notes Outsiders, and makes a passing reference to "demonic gods" when discussing summoning once).

It's entirely possible to kill, destroy, enslave, or otherwise defeat gods in the Dresdenverse, and both Dresden and Thomas have outwitted deific servants on a number of occasions in the canon oneshots and short stories Butcher occasionally writes.

Gods, quite simply, just aren't this strong in the Dresdenverse, and most of them are either dead or asleep. The few that aren't are waning, because people don't really believe in them anymore, and because it's implied that God God may have dusted off the gloves and kicked all their asses. If "tying yourself to western civilization" was actually an option, then a whole bunch more gods would have done it. And this is assuming YHWH and the angels wouldn't have just straight killed the Olympians, which they probably would have, considering how dangerous, amoral, and honestly evil the were and still are.

And yet not only are the Olympian gods played totally straight with no real explanation for how the hell that's possible, but it's just nonstop showing off from the Jackson side from start to finish, and not even in a way that makes sense or is entertaining. You didn't think this one through. You didn't consider how the cosmology of the two might actually fit together, or how a potential plot with the two stories could work. You didn't think about how Percy and Dresden could potentially meet, how they could become allies, or how they could require each others talents to get through problems. You didn't even really consider how the supernatural community as a whole would view demigods, which they would have know about, as opposed to your quasi-secrecy that quite frankly makes no goddamn sense. You just rammed them together and wrote the demigods tearing shit up, which is the exact thing that never happens because Dresden isn't powerful enough to just walk into a Red Court base and murder everyone, regardless of what everyone else thinks about him. So he has to use his wits. Only there are no wits here, just "have I mentioned I'm a demigod lately?"

I don't read and don't approve of crossovers where one setting just comes in and slaps the other upside the head with their dick, and this is basically one of those.

So yeah. I'm disappointed. This could have potentially been fun, but it's just a "haha gods are awesome" joyride that serves no purpose beyond illustrating that godfarts are better than anything Dresden can do. And I don't even really agree with that, since I'm pretty sure Dresden could probably kill most of the Percy Jackson cast if he had time to prepare. Gods are dangerous. Demigods are, at best, around the level Kincaid is at, possibly less, and Harry could probably take Kincaid if Kincaid wasn't partially channeling Batman minus the anti-gun fetish.
 
Top