The Dragonborn's Disciple
Have you ever felt like your life was a story? Or at least like something out of a fantasy novel. I think that about mine all the time. And you're probably wondering why.
Short answer. I'm a demigod, and my half brother is a Cyclops who's almost two meters tall. Imagine if he were my full brother. Anyway, enough of the nonsense.
Yep, you heard that right. I'm a demigod. And not just any demigod. I'm the son of one of the Big Three of the Greek pantheon. Ah yes, the Greek pantheon. Obviously the calmest and most full of reasonable people out of every possible pantheon in mythology.
In case that somehow wasn't obvious, that was sarcasm.
But to get you up to speed, apparently the Big Three, meaning Zeus, my favorite uncle, who likes to throw lightning bolts at me as a little gift every now and then just to remind me I'm still alive; Hades, my actual favorite uncle, who I literally know nothing about from one day to the next, but whenever I visit, his giant three headed dog wants to tear me apart; and my father, the most faithful man alive, yes, sarcasm again, kind, understanding, and generous, apparently made a pact where none of them were allowed to have any more children after the children of one of them caused some very big problems. Because of course, only they're allowed to cause problems. Not their kids.
Like almost starting a full scale war because someone lost his favorite toys. Or grandpa senile in the retirement home trying to escape every now and then whenever the nurses aren't watching.
I think I got off track way too fast. What was I saying again…? Ah, right. The pact.
Obviously, a pact involving two of the three most promiscuous gods in the Greek pantheon got broken so fast that it really didn't surprise anyone. Honestly, it's kind of impressive that even the one who looked like a saint compared to the other two, Uncle Hades, also broke it, but that's a story for another time.
So here I am. In the middle of a battle at Camp Half Blood, where, by the way, all the children of the gods go, after stopping a war between them because apparently their parents only know how to reproduce, not how to set limits or raise children. Standing in front of the very obvious daughter of my Uncle Zeus, because she clearly inherited his… eyes. Oh, and also his lightning, which was just about to erase me from existence with all its power.
Ah, but there's one thing I forgot to add to this whole story. Aside from being a demigod, I'm also the disciple of the First Dragonborn. And lightning… is far from the worst thing I've faced.
…
Percy's eyes snapped open when he saw the bolt racing toward him at a ridiculous speed. Faster than any normal person could ever react before being struck and turned to dust by that kind of power. The smell of burned ozone filled the air, and every hair on his body stood on end.
But he moved with that same inhuman speed, using so much strength that the veins in his arms bulged while he still gripped the black sword in his hand. Everything around him seemed to slow as the bolt closed in. He spun the blade over his head for a brief second, brought it directly above him, and grabbed it with both hands.
Percy planted his feet. And with a roar that seemed to shake the air itself, he brought the sword down, straight toward the tip of the lightning bolt aimed at his chest.
His blade collided with one of the most destructive elements in the world. For a moment, the sword glowed faintly with the enchantment wrapped around it. A mixture of three natural elements; electricity, fire, and ice. In Tamriel, it was known as a chaos damage enchantment.
Suddenly, everyone present, both the campers and the enemies who had come to attack, widened their eyes as the lightning Thalia had unleashed split clean in half, forced apart by Percy's sword, while droplets of frost, sparks of fire, and arcs of electricity coiled around his blade.
Carving a trench into the ground.
When Thalia's bolt was violently split apart, it lost its structure. Or rather, it lost the point it had been aimed at. In the next instant, it slipped completely out of control and discharged electricity in every direction. It lashed across the battlefield, blasting the ground apart in violent explosions, while others were struck and dropped unconscious on the spot. A merciless attack that hit both sides, even though Camp Half Blood had already won.
All in a single instant.
Meanwhile, Thalia and Percy locked eyes for a moment, electricity crackling around both of them.
But as if they had poured everything they had into that single clash, one to unleash it and the other to stop it, the strength left their bodies at the same time, and they slowly began to fall to the side.
Around them, the rest of the campers stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened in barely a few milliseconds.
Before Percy could hit the ground…
A hand suddenly appeared and caught him by the clothes, stopping him from falling.
Luke turned pale the moment he saw who it was.
Especially when that gaze settled on him for just a second. Black dragon eyes that looked like they could devour everything. And a divine pressure that could force anyone to kneel… or be crushed.
Miraak looked at Luke for a brief moment before losing interest. His attention shifted to Percy, now unconscious, and a faint look of annoyance crossed his face, as if he were already thinking about making his training harsher.
Then he slowly lifted his gaze toward Thalia… or rather, toward the man who had appeared beside her without anyone noticing.
And when everyone finally did notice him, they couldn't help but go pale.
Especially Luke and his followers.
Because there he was, standing there…
Zeus.
For a moment, he looked at them with a neutral expression. But the disdain in his eyes was unmistakable. Then his gaze moved to Thalia, unconscious near his feet, before rising again, locking directly onto Miraak.
Their eyes met.
And the air seemed to freeze.
The mortals around them felt as if an enormous mountain had dropped onto their shoulders.
Miraak glanced at Thalia for a second, then back at Zeus, and let out a truly contemptuous smile. It was enough to visibly anger the god of lightning, his brow tightening as his eyes lit up and lightning coursed along his body.
No one moved.
No one could.
Maybe some tried to swallow… or maybe that was just an illusion, because everyone felt the same thing; if those two clashed, they would die instantly.
But, fortunately, it didn't seem like that was going to happen.
Miraak simply hoisted Percy over his shoulder like a sack and turned around as if nothing had happened, walking straight toward the Camp Half-Blood infirmary as though the place belonged to him… even while standing right in front of its true owner.
Thunder rumbled across the sky.
But Zeus didn't stop him.
Instead, his gaze shifted toward a few nearby campers.
"Heal Thalia. The champion of Olympus," Zeus said, his voice filled with absolute authority.
Then he looked back at Luke, who was trembling slightly under the weight of the god's presence.
"Disappear… while I am still being merciful."
And in the next instant, he exploded into lightning that shot up into the sky.