The Black Prince of the Storms - Prologue. (Patreon)

Thalia Grace, Somewhere Near Boston – United States.

“Quickly! Don’t let it escape!” one of her Huntress sisters shouted as they both ran at full speed behind the putrid beast, which was pursuing another group of her sisters.

Thalia moved at full speed, as fast as her legs allowed, weaving between the thick trunks of the forest, trying not to lose sight of the damn manticore again.

The uneven terrain made movement difficult, while the dense fog made it difficult for the Huntresses’ arrows to injure the beast, meaning this particular hunt would be longer than usual.

Although, to be honest, it would be the most interesting hunt they had had in a long time. Lately, monsters had been taking longer than expected to reappear.

But that was a matter for another time. Right now, they had things to do, the daughter of Zeus thought as they reached the clearing in the forest they had prepared for the hunt.

“We’ve got it,” Thalia said with obvious pleasure as she watched her sisters spread out, firing arrows at the beast’s thick hide, which was clearly furious.

The daughter of Zeus watched with a grimace of discomfort as the manticore’s tail passed dangerously close to one of the Huntresses, so she decided to intervene quickly.

“Come on, the faster we exterminate this vermin, the better,” Thalia said as she prepared her shield and spear for the fight.

Beside her, Emmie snorted and replied.

“Why the rush? This is our first prey in a long time. Your cousin hogs all the monsters for himself,” the Huntress said with some resentment, clearly still having trouble with the subject of Percy.

Thalia simply snorted, remembering the last time they had encountered their powerful but annoying cousin, when he had intervened during a hunt against a Calchotaur that had been kicking the Huntresses’ asses…

Only to exterminate it by himself in the blink of an eye.

Thalia still trembled when remembering that imposing sight, the enormous hands of water emerging from Lake Michigan at her cousin’s command, grabbing the monster and crushing it within seconds as if the powerful automaton monster were nothing more than a fucking soda can.

Percy had saved their asses that time, although Thalia would never admit it, if she was being honest.

The daughter of Zeus shook her head and focused on the fight again. Her sisters had the beast cornered, its body covered in arrows.

“The prey is ours,” Emmie said arrogantly, making Thalia glare at her with a frown before responding.

“Not yet. Let’s land the killing blow and—”

However, just as the Manticore was completely cornered, something changed.

ROOOOOOAR!

“Fuck!” Thalia shouted as she fell to the ground, courtesy of the small earthquake the Manticore had caused with its powerful roar.

“What the hell was that? It had never done that before!” Emmie said with a frown, drawing her bow and preparing her arrow. However, before she could fire at the beast…

It happened.

The ground around the manticore split open, as an entire pack of hellhounds emerged ferociously, launching themselves toward the surprised Huntresses.

“Shit!”

“But what is this?”

“Fall back! FALL BACK!”

A dozen beasts the size of a small car emerged from the depths of the earth, spreading rapidly throughout the forest clearing and destroying the Huntresses’ coordinated ambush within seconds.

The manticore was wounded, but the hellhounds… those were an entirely different story.

“Come on!” Thalia roared, gripping her spear with both hands, channeling her lightning magic through the Celestial Bronze and launching herself toward the nearest beast.

Behind her, Emmie began firing arrows at full speed, distracting a couple of hellhounds that had caught some younger Huntresses off guard, allowing them to catch their breath and regroup.

“Go back to Tartarus, trash!” Thalia spat, her eyes glowing like two blue bolts of lightning as she stabbed the beast in the neck with precision, cooking it from the inside.

Immediately afterward, the daughter of Zeus lifted the body of the dying beast, throwing it with all her strength toward another hellhound that was sneaking up behind Phoebe, who was defending a pair of young Huntresses.

The planned and methodical hunt had become a frantic struggle for survival.

“AHHHHG!” one of her sisters screamed before being hurled against a nearby tree with tremendous force, and the Hellhound would have finished her off completely… if not for the timely intervention of another pair of her sisters.

Thalia hurried and launched herself toward another hellhound…

Only to be intercepted halfway there by the fucking manticore, which wrapped its body around her with its tail before slamming the daughter of Zeus against the ground several times, disorienting her in the process.

“AHHHHGH!” she groaned in pain before beginning to scream as she felt the immensely powerful tail of the manticore begin squeezing Thalia’s body with tremendous force, inflicting immense pain upon the Huntress.

“AHHHG, YOU DAMN VERMIN!!” the Huntress spat furiously, trying to channel her lightning aura and free herself from the beast. However…the manticore simply slammed Thalia’s body against the ground again, stunning her in the process.

The young daughter of Zeus was experiencing unparalleled agony. She felt a couple of her bones crack, while treacherous tears welled up in her blue eyes. She would not give this piece of shit the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Around her, the Huntresses were cornered. Some were out of combat, but the important thing was that the hellhounds had them surrounded.

This…this was different. For the hellhounds to act this way, coordination and intelligence were necessary, as if someone were directing them. It was not normal for them to act like this.

However, Thalia was in no position to help her sisters. The force being exerted was so great that she did not even have enough strength to call upon her Lady. Her vision was becoming blurry, the sounds of the battlefield were fading away…and a strange calm began to invade the Huntress’s body.

Until…

BOOOOOOOM!

Another earthquake, but Thalia immediately realized that this one was very different from the one the Manticore had used to summon the hellhounds. This one sounded furious, threatening, and promising.

And, more importantly, it felt familiar.

Thalia merely looked at the manticore, giving it a bloody smile courtesy of the internal damage its tail had inflicted upon her, and replied.

“It’s time to pay, bitch,” the daughter of the God of Lightning spat expectantly, knowing that this particular earthquake could only mean one thing.

The cavalry had arrived.

A second later, a pair of enormous hands made of rock emerged from the Earth, grabbing the manticore by its head, while the second hand grabbed the tail holding Thalia, ripping it away with a single pull.

The result was immediate. The Manticore began writhing in agony as its immense body was lifted several meters above the ground by the remaining hand.

Thalia fell to the ground with a heavy thud, wounded but alive, and raised her gaze to watch as the enormous stone hand hurled the monstrous beast’s body toward the ground, smashing it with such force that several nearby trees shook from the impact.

PUUUM!

The moment the Manticore’s body hit the ground, it disintegrated completely, leaving behind the characteristic dust all monsters left behind when they were killed.

And then…she heard it, that annoying and amusing voice, filled with just the right amount of arrogance belonging to someone capable of backing up his words.

“I don’t visit you for a couple of weeks and I find you in trouble, dear cousin,” Percy said, appearing behind her from the vapor in the air and looking toward Thalia with that damn smile full of amusement and arrogance.

“Seaweed Brain, I never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad to see your horrible face,” Thalia said with amusement on her face, laughing softly as she watched her cousin roll his eyes in disbelief at her choice of words.

“I think you got confused. You were supposed to say, ‘Thank you, oh great, powerful, and handsome cousin, for saving my ass,’” the son of the ocean said, striking a ridiculous pose and earning a soft laugh from Thalia.

A lot had changed in Percy since the Battle of Manhattan, although, to be fair, everyone had changed since Luke’s Rebellion ended.

Percy was now twenty years old, a fully grown man, with that messy yet somehow so…perfect black hair, with those deep and powerful green eyes that contained the fury of the oceans.

Time had been kind to the son of the Ocean. Over six feet tall, with a strong and agile body forged after countless hunts throughout the years, her cousin was the dream and temptation of every maiden.

Even some of her Lady’s Huntresses looked at him with interest, letting out silly giggles whenever they noticed the Son of the Ocean’s attention was on them.

But that was another story.

“I’d love to catch up, Sparky, but I have to help your sisters,” he said before turning around and beginning to walk toward his surrounded sisters.

Without another word, Percy began running at full speed toward the pack of Hellhounds, his eyes shining with the divine power of the oceans. The soles of his feet moved at a much greater speed than should have been possible. His mastery over water was so precise and powerful that he could channel it beneath his feet and move at a simply absurd speed.

Riptide appeared in his hand at the same moment he began moving among the distracted hellhounds, the Celestial Bronze blade kissing the damn monsters’ skin with ease and precision.

The Son of the Ocean moved with precision, moving like a bolt of lightning through the hellhounds’ blind spots as he brought them down with precision and lethality. Percy’s attacks were accurate and as fast as Zeus’s lightning; a movement of his wrist ended in a death, making it clear that hunting these beasts was routine for him.

Rather than a true challenge.

One by one, the hunters became the hunted, and even when the beasts tried to flee from Percy’s terrifying presence, it was already too late. Every single hellhound turned to dust, saving the Huntresses with terrifying ease.

Immediately afterward, Percy released a bored yawn as Riptide disappeared from his hand and the smile returned to his face.

“You owe me two now, Thalia!” he said with a smile, breaking the silence among the Huntresses.

“PERCY!!!”

The daughter of Zeus watched with a smile as three of her younger sisters ran at full speed toward the son of Poseidon, throwing themselves into his arms and hugging him tightly, tears of joy in the sweet eyes of the three Huntresses.

Percy returned the gesture with a warm laugh, giving each of them a sweet kiss on the forehead, making them smile radiantly at the gesture.

“But look at you! You haven’t grown at all! HAHAHA,” Percy said jokingly, making the three roll their eyes at the terrible joke, but smile radiantly as they let out little giggles.

“Did you come to visit us?” the youngest, Diana, asked with wide and expectant eyes.

Percy simply smiled, stroking the little girl’s head before replying.

“That’s right. I had to see how my three princesses were doing. Besides…I have something for that annoying and whiny Lady of yours,” he said solemnly, making all three open their eyes wide at Percy’s words.

“Percy! That isn’t nice!” little Penelope said, while Sarah quickly nodded with a frown and her arms crossed.

Percy simply laughed softly and looked around, noticing that several of the Huntresses were badly injured.

The son of Poseidon frowned as he stood up and began moving his hands with softness and elegance, causing a dense yet benevolent and magical bright-green vapor to begin manifesting across the battlefield, moving gently among the Huntresses while healing all of his sisters’ wounds.

Including Thalia, who could only sigh in relief as she felt the pain in her chest disappear completely the moment Percy’s magical vapor caressed her skin.

“Done. Good as new,” the son of the Ocean said, making the three little girls stare at him with wide eyes, completely dazzled by Percy’s magic.

“Are you a God, Percy?” Sarah asked, her face filled with amazement, completely dazzled by the handsome young man’s actions.

Percy smiled, shaking his head and preparing to answer when another voice, a…familiar, feminine, and childish one made itself heard.

“No, he isn’t. At least not yet.”

Thalia opened her eyes in surprise as she turned toward where she had heard Lady Artemis’s voice. As usual, she had appeared in her childlike form, escorted by a pair of enormous and elegant silver wolves.

Her brow was furrowed as she stared directly at Percy, not with anger…but with something else.

Something important, something close to concern.

Percy simply smiled and replied.

“Dear cousin! A pleasure to see you again! I have a couple of gifts for you,” the young demigod said as Blackjack appeared in the skies above the forest, landing behind his Master with what appeared to be…a pair of twins on his back.

They were quite young, perhaps less than ten years old, and judging by their frightened faces and the dependent way they clung first to the winged-horse and then to Percy…they had not had an easy life.

Lady Artemis’s face immediately softened as she looked at both girls with compassion while Percy spoke.

“Orphans. Their parents died in an accident. They were assigned to a temporary home in Boston…I already dealt with the beast responsible. You don’t have to worry,” Percy said darkly, while Lady Artemis solemnly nodded, approaching the twins, who sought Percy’s closeness and protection at all times.

Percy knelt, gently stroking the heads of both twins, who closed their eyes in obvious peace at Percy’s gesture.

“Hey…it’s okay. She’ll take care of you. She’ll teach you to be strong, so that no one will ever hurt you again!” his cousin said with that smile capable of conquering even the coldest heart.

Both twins shed treacherous tears before nodding and hugging Percy with all their strength, making him promise that he would visit them soon.

Thalia watched as her cousin gently nodded, opening his mouth to make the promise…

When Lady Artemis intervened.

“Perseus, the Council requests your immediate presence on Mount Olympus. Don’t worry about Lisa and Dessa, I’ll take care of welcoming them before joining you in the Council chamber,” Lady Artemis said, making Percy look at her first in surprise before slowly nodding.

“Fine, then it’s better not to keep the Drama Queen waiting,” he said with amusement, making Thalia snort and a powerful thunderclap strike throughout the forest, much to the nervousness of some of her sisters.

Percy said goodbye to the three little girls with a hug, while the rest of the Huntresses gave him smiles, respectful nods, and even longing looks before his cousin focused on Thalia and gave her an amused gesture, the smile always present on his face.

“See you later, Sparky,” he said with a smile before his body became enveloped in vapor and simply disappeared along with Blackjack.

Thalia had no idea…

That this innocent and amusing conversation would be the last thing she would ever know of her beloved cousin.

The Ladies of Fate could be…truly cruel, after all.

Percy Jackson, Mount Olympus – Empire State.

“Name…Ah, it’s you,” said the monotonous voice of the Cyclops tasked with guarding the entrance to Mount Olympus.

Percy simply rolled his eyes and pressed the necessary button, beginning his ascent toward the center of power of the Olympians in complete silence.

Much had changed during these years. The damage from the Rebellion had been completely repaired, well, at least the physical damage, and the Palace of the Olympian Gods once again shone with its characteristic divine radiance.

The place was exactly as he remembered it before the war. Every palace, every fountain and garden, everything was an exact replica of how it had been before the battle. The nymphs walked almost naked through the halls, giggling and serving the Gods, while Hebe and her priestesses distributed ambrosia and the nectar of immortality.

Everything seemed perfect, everything in its place.

With one exception.

A statue, not made of beautiful marble carved to perfection, but of simple gray stone, sculpted in the likeness of the person Percy missed most in the entire world, his beautiful blonde with an arrogant but extremely loyal attitude.

His Annabeth.

The statue portrayed his beloved as she had been in life, built by Apollo himself and placed in the Center of Olympus as a tribute not only to his wise girl, but to everyone who had perished in Luke’s rebellion, at least until Percy chopped off his head for ending his beloved’s life.

The young Jackson looked again, this time gently focusing on the commemorative plaque.

“In honor of Annabeth Chase, Heroine of Olympus, and in honor of all those who lost their lives during the Battle of Manhattan,”

Percy read softly, gently caressing the cold stone, lost in his thoughts, so distracted that he did not even notice the powerful presence behind him.

“I assumed I would find you here,” said the voice of the God of the Oceans, Percy’s father, who stood a few steps away, giving his son all the space he needed.

As usual, everyone treated him with extreme caution whenever it came to Annabeth. It was something that could not change, no matter how much he said he was fine.

“Artemis mentioned something about a Council meeting, and if all the Gods gathered so suddenly, it must be something important,” Percy said softly before sighing and turning his back on Annabeth’s statue to look directly at his father.

Poseidon was not wearing his usual coastal attire, but his official clothing, the blue toga with the golden band and the trident brooch on his chest, revealing the importance of the meeting in question.

“Wow, the occasion must be really important if you brought out the formal clothes, old man,” Percy said jokingly, making Poseidon laugh softly as he shook his head.

“You have no idea, Percy…this meeting is extremely important, not only for the Council, but for you,” his father said, making Percy raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Why would that be important, Father?” he asked curiously, making Poseidon sigh and gesture for Percy to follow him.

The two began walking toward the Council chamber in silence before continuing.

“You are…the most powerful Demigod in history, Percy, a feat of which I am extremely proud. However, your actions over the last few years have been burning away what remained of your mortal blood, and your constant use of your divine gifts has been slowly, but steadily, replacing it with Ichor,” Poseidon said solemnly.

“What?” Percy asked in complete disbelief, but the God of the Sea simply shook his head and replied.

“You are…dangerously close to Ascending, my son, through your own merits,” he said with evident pride, much to the young man’s disbelief.

Percy swallowed before looking at his father and asking, the two now standing outside the main meeting chamber.

“And that’s why the Council gathered?” he asked, a certain challenge in his voice, thinking that perhaps his uncle wanted to get rid of Percy before he became too powerful or some other stupidity like that.

However, Poseidon’s laughter caught Percy by surprise, as he had not expected such a reaction from his father.

“By the Gods, my son, Zeus doesn’t want to kill you. My stubborn little brother will never admit it, but he has grown fond of you. You aren’t going to the Council just to be executed,” his father said, much to Percy’s relief, as he looked at his father with confusion on his face.

“Then…why am I here, Father?” he asked curiously, just as the doors to the room opened, revealing all the Gods and Goddesses of the Olympian Council.

However, what really caught Percy’s attention was that, besides his family…there were…seven additional figures present in the room, three men, three women, and…a hooded thing.

Upon seeing him arrive, his uncle Zeus looked directly at him before speaking loudly.

“Nephew, you’re here. We can finally begin the meeting,” the King of Olympus said as the Seven mysterious…Gods stared intently toward where the Hero of Olympus stood.

“Is that him?” a beautiful young woman asked, her voice filled with innocence, but no less powerful because of it…Percy could feel an aura of extreme purity emanating from her.

It was obvious that she was a Goddess, but one Percy did not know.

His uncle Zeus nodded softly and replied.

“Aye, he is. As powerful as a God, but still with enough mortal blood to evade the divine laws, at least for a while. The little shit is going to Ascend sooner rather than later, but for now, he is perfect for fulfilling our agreement,” Zeus said, making the unknown male God, who was dressed like a medieval knight, nod and step forward.

“Then…we can begin,” said the…soldier? Warrior?

“Aye, we can begin,” his father said as he took his seat upon his Council Throne, leaving Percy stunned and confused.

“What the fuck is going on?” the Demigod asked, having no idea who these Gods were or what they wanted with him.

He would soon find out.

P.S.

Hello! James here! Please, let me read your comments folks!! I want to see your thoughts about this story.