The Trial of Champions Begins
"You…" was all Ares managed to say before he was kicked in the chest, while the entire forest behind him was suddenly destroyed by the impact.
Clarisse's eyes widened in shock at the destruction that appeared in barely a few milliseconds.
Ares's body did not go flying.
He was only pushed back a few meters, just outside the barrier. But that did not stop the force of the blow from destroying everything behind him, knocking down trees as if they were nothing.
As Ares touched his chest, golden blood spilled from between his teeth while he glared furiously at Miraak.
Who merely looked back at him calmly.
As if he were waiting for him to step back inside the barrier.
And Ares truly hesitated for a moment, even lifting one foot.
"I defeated you when I was still only a demimortal. What do you think happens now?" Miraak said simply.
And those words really did stop Ares before he could take the next step.
At that very moment, Ares's body suddenly shone with a golden light, while black cracks seemed to spread across his body before returning to normal.
As if something inside him were breaking.
Ares let out a mocking laugh for a moment as he looked at Miraak, though he did not say much. Before his face turned serious.
"You'd better be ready for when I return the damage you caused me, wanderer," Ares said before turning around and disappearing in a flash of golden light.
Miraak let out a faint, disdainful smile before turning around and walking away as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Clarisse, who had just watched her father basically get kicked out like a dog in a single move, could not help but feel something she probably should not have felt in that moment.
Relief.
And a little bit of amusement.
Then she turned around and quickly headed back toward camp. She knew there were a few people who would be very interested in hearing this story.
Especially the one who, just like her, was probably now being marked by Ares as someone he would be looking for the perfect chance to crush.
…
Percy opened his eyes.
And the first thing he saw was water crashing gently against the rocks right in front of his feet, splashing softly toward him, while he felt the coolness of the surroundings.
Percy looked around in confusion. The last thing he remembered was being attacked by a girl he more or less knew who she was… and cutting a lightning bolt in half.
Percy looked around until he finally spotted a man sitting in a fishing chair, dressed in faded shorts and an old shirt, quietly fishing not too far away.
The moment he saw him, Percy seemed to recognize exactly who it was.
In his hand was a fishing rod, which he moved every now and then, tugging at the line before pulling out what looked like a shoe. He unhooked it from the line and tossed it aside, where there already seemed to be a pile of trash from the sea, before casting again with a perfect throw, without even needing to stand up.
Percy looked at him for a moment and hesitated before taking a few steps closer.
"It's a shame," the man said suddenly. "Back then, the rivers and lakes were so clean. But now… it's just depressing," the man said as he sensed Percy approaching without turning to look at him, while his hook seemed to have caught what looked like a bag full of garbage. "When did everything get this out of hand?" he said, shaking his head as he tossed the bag aside with the rest of the trash, before finally turning around to look at Percy.
The man's green eyes met Percy's green eyes, both of them carrying exactly the same shade.
"Hello, Percy. You've grown quite a bit since the last time we saw each other," Poseidon said, looking at his son for a moment, with a soft but somewhat complicated smile on his face.
"Yeah. That's what humans do," Percy said calmly, looking at his father without showing nearly as much emotion as a father might have expected.
"It's true," Poseidon said, unable to keep his gaze on his son before casting the hook of his fishing rod once more, sending it flying into the distance. "We were never exactly model parents, were we? We didn't take our children out for walks, or camping, or fishing… Do you know how to fish, Percy?" Poseidon asked after a moment.
Percy wanted to answer, but instead let out a sigh.
"Why are you here? Or better yet… why did you bring me here?" Percy asked, staring directly at him, clearly not having much desire to be there.
Poseidon looked at him again for a brief moment, carrying a somewhat disappointed air, before letting out a sigh as he slowly reeled the hook back in.
"I'm sure you already know why I'm here, Percy. The Trial of Champions," Poseidon said. "It will begin soon, and Olympus already has its champion. Zeus himself chose her, even if it was ultimately a move orchestrated by Kronos to control the prophecy. His daughter Thalia will represent the Greek gods against your master… and against you," he continued.
Percy stared at him while frowning.
"So?"
"According to the gods' pact, aside from whatever private arrangements they may have made among themselves, the souls of the losing champions will be handed over to the victor, who may decide what to do with them. You know that, don't you?" Poseidon asked him.
"Yes. My master told me from the very beginning," Percy replied calmly.
"It seems you still do not fully understand what this trial truly is, Percy. No… this is not a simple fight meant to prove how strong you are in front of the gods. The Trial of Champions is far more than that. The gods did not create this trial to find the strongest, Percy. They created it to decide who deserves to continue existing. Raw strength alone will not be enough. Impossible tasks, senseless missions, trials so dangerous that you may not even make it to the end alive. And beyond that… the fate of many things is at stake here, Percy," Poseidon said, turning to look at his son again. "As your father, I would rather that you didn't…"
"It's too late," Percy said, cutting him off. "Too late for me to reject it, and too late for you to be standing here… well, sitting here, trying to be my father. It's too late. I accepted fighting for my master. And that's what I'll do. Even if that puts me on the opposite side of you," Percy added with complete calm.
Poseidon's hand paused for a moment, while a faint glimmer of disappointment seemed to pass through his eyes.
"Yes… it is," he said quietly.
Then he turned to look directly into Percy's eyes while standing up in front of him, and let out a sigh.
"Then you will have to prepare yourself. Not only to face Thalia, because Kronos will surely try to interfere. After all, the one who forged this pact with other primordial gods from other pantheons was none other than him," Poseidon told him as he raised his hand, intending to pat Percy on the shoulder.
But he stopped.
"You're a good kid, Percy. And I was never enough to be your father," he said while looking into Percy's eyes for a moment, as though his own eyes could see through everything, staring straight into his soul. "And now I wonder if there's even anything of me left in you," he added before turning away again and slowly walking toward the sea.
But he paused for a moment before glancing over his shoulder and giving Percy a faint smile.
"Do me a favor. Take good care of your brother. And… prepare yourself," Poseidon said before walking into the water, his body slowly sinking as he continued forward until he was completely submerged.
Percy did not answer.
He simply remained there, staring at the place where his father had disappeared, while the sound of the water kept crashing against the rocks as if nothing had changed.