Cambrian
patreon
Coming of Age Ch. 2 (Percy Jackson)
🕑 Added 2023-01-16 15:56:53 +0000 UTCA/N: Yooo, welcome to part 2 of my new PJO fic. Now with a name, and also with a plot point shamelessly taken from your guys' feedback on the last chapter!
-x-X-x-
When they step out of the infirmary, Percy isn’t sure what he’s expecting to see based on what he’s been told so far. The inside of the infirmary felt like some sort of Summer Camp Log Cabin aesthetic, and Annabeth HAD told him he was in a place called Camp Half-Blood.
Thus, it stand to reason that he would step out into a Summer Camp of some sort. But that couldn’t be further from the case. Not unless one were to describe this place as the most extra Summer Camp of all times. They WERE in the woods after all… but the buildings themselves were not the uniform log cabin structures that Percy had half-expected.
Instead, each building in the ‘Camp’ has its own unique architecture. Some are so painfully Ancient Greece it’s not even funny, but others are so strangely out of place in other ways, like a red brick cabin, or a Victorian cabin, or a Wild West saloon cabin. There’s even a cabin that’s completely gold, with a sun motif protruding from its top.
Percy’s surprise must be obvious on his slack jawed face, because Annabeth doesn’t hesitate to loop her arm in his and all but pull him along.
“Each cabin is dedicated to honoring a different Olympian God. That’s why they’re all a little different. Wouldn’t do for the Gods and Goddesses to feel slighted, now would it?”
Percy slowly nods at that. That was a fair point, yeah. His eyes catch on some of the other people moving around. Everyone looks to be of an age where going to Summer Camp was a bit awkward, to be honest. They’re all just as old as he is at a first glance, with several of the girls stopping to stare at him for a moment. One even does a double take, nearly tripping over her own feet in the process.
However, Annabeth hanging off his arm seems to keep anyone from approaching, even as she purposefully guides him somewhere deep in the camp. Ostensibly to meet with this Director she’d mentioned. Percy isn’t sure what to think about all of this, but he’s definitely starting to feel his nerves creeping up on him. The events of the past couple days had not been fun, and as much as Annabeth’s good morning handjob had… calmed him and distracted him, they weren’t fooling around anymore.
“Percy!”
Luckily, before he can be alone with his thoughts for quite too long, a familiar voice calls out to him. Looking ahead, Percy sees what looks like a cozy farmhouse, complete with a second floor and a covered porch. On that porch stands Percy’s only friend in the whole wide world… Grover.
A feeling of relief rushes through Percy as he pulls free of Annabeth’s clutches and races forward. Grover meets him halfway, and the two embrace. Sure, Grover’s goat half is more than a little odd, but Percy can deal with it. He’s just happy to see Grover is okay with his own two eyes, regardless of Annabeth’s assurances.
Of course, when they pull apart Grover still has a bit of guilt on his face.
“Look Percy, I’m sorry for the deception. I couldn’t get into it before because of everything that was happening, but I never wanted to lie to you about who I really was.”
Percy shrugs, giving Grover a crooked sort of smile.
“S’alright G-man. Just tell me this… was the friendship part fake?”
Grover’s reaction, a wide-eyed look and a rapid shaking of his head, is honestly all Percy needs.
“N-No, of course not-oof!”
Grabbing the Satyr in another hug, Percy lifts Grover off the ground for a moment before setting him down again with a laugh. That swimmer’s body of his was good for something at least.
“Then don’t worry about it. You did your best… and I appreciate you having my back.”
Grover looks honestly touched for the moment that it takes Annabeth to finally reach the porch and interject.
“The Director is waiting inside, I assume.”
Blinking, Grover nods absently.
“Oh yeah, she and Chiron are just inside. They’ve been waiting for Percy to wake up.”
“Good.”
That curt response is all the Satyr gets from Annabeth before she grabs Percy by the hand and tugs him into the farmhouse in front of them. Percy and Grover exchange a slightly bewildered look before Grover follows after them.
Inside, the place looks… quite nice. Cozy, even. A sense of warmth fills Percy’s body, suffusing his very bones with this almost satisfied feeling. It’s like coming home, really.
But of course, this isn’t home. And the occupants inside aren’t exactly familiar to him. Though, the woman, who looks to him with startling warmth in her glowing eyes, feels familiar despite them never having met before. It takes him a second to realize that sense of home is coming from her, not the room itself.
Meanwhile, the man beside her… is no man at all. Percy’s eyes widen a little bit at seeing the upper body of one of his teachers, Mr. Brunner, sat upon the lower body of a horse. It appears that Mr. Brunner is a centaur. Though, given Grover turned out to be half-goat, that’s not THAT strange. Still a bit of a shock though.
“Percy Jackson. It’s a pleasure to meet you… at long last.”
Percy’s eyes slide off of Mr. Brunner’s centaur body and over to the golden eyed woman sitting near the fire. She’s beautiful in an understated way, and so very inviting and warm in both appearance and tone. Her smile is honest and her entire presence just… it helps in ways Percy hadn’t even known he needed help in.
As the invisible weight on his shoulders finally begins to ease up, Percy nevertheless notes that the something in the woman’s countenance does seem a little strained. But he doesn’t know enough to possibly say for sure one way or the other, and he wasn’t about to call her out on it.
“I am the Goddess Hestia of Home and Hearth. And I am the Director of Camp Half-Blood. This, as you may not already know, is Chiron. He is the Assistant Director here at Camp Half-Blood, in charge of activities and the like.”
Wait, wasn’t Chiron the famous trainer of a bunch of Greek Heroes from mythology? Percy can’t help but be a little taken aback by the juxtaposition of a legend standing here as the Assistant Director of a Camp. Then again, the Director of the Camp was literally a Goddess, wasn’t she? That was… a little hard for him to wrap his head around.
While Percy is still reeling from this new information, the now named Chiron steps forward, giving a nod of his head.
“A pleasure to finally meet you properly, Percy. I only wish it could have been under better circumstances, but you’ve acquitted yourself well in all the battles you’ve been forced to fight so far.”
The mention of battle brings Percy back to the past couple of days. First was Mrs. Dodds at the museum. It was only thanks to Chiron himself in the guise of Mr. Brunner that Percy even survived. Mrs. Dodds had turned into a monster and forced him to run her through with that pen-sword Chiron had tossed him.
However, that battle is barely a passing recollection in Percy’s mind, which is suddenly racing as he gets to the NEXT battle. The Minotaur… his mom…
Only in that moment does Percy realize just how badly he’d been repressing those events. He’d thought of them completely clinically until this point. But being in Hestia’s presence, feeling that warmth of home… it felt good, don’t get him wrong, but it also reminded him that his mom was gone. And he could never go home again.
It’s a little embarrassing, but Percy damn near breaks down right there in the living room of the Goddess Hestia’s home. Grover has to catch him, his friend suddenly by his side and keeping him from outright collapsing to his knees in despair.
“M-My mom… she… the Minotaur got her…”
The expressions of concern on the faces of Hestia and Chiron turn towards understanding and they exchange a glance. Meanwhile, Percy is furiously wiping the involuntary tears from his eyes as they fall regardless of how hard he tries to stop them. He doesn’t want to be seen as some sort of crybaby or anything like that, especially not in front of Annabeth… and yet, it hurts. Losing his mom hurts.
He almost wishes he could go back to having that weight on his shoulders, because it was letting him ignore how painful losing the only true family he had felt. The Goddess Hestia’s presence was as much a curse as it was a boon in this moment.
“If it helps, Percy…”
Blinking, Percy looks to Chiron again, the Centaur speaking up with a grimace.
“… I can at least tell you that the Minotaur did not kill your mother.”
Wait, what? Percy straightens up at that, his eyes widening. Chiron’s grimace intensifies as he continues on.
“The way in which your mother’s disappearance was described to us by Grover… is not the way in which the Minotaur tends to dispatch its victims. More than likely, your mother was spirited way somewhere else. And if the Minotaur was not sent to outright kill her… then it is likely she is alive and well elsewhere.”
That was… Percy’s entire body shudders as he lets out a gasping breath and nods.
“I-I see… t-thank you, um… sir.”
Chiron gives him a somewhat fatherly smile and a nod. Meanwhile, Hestia, while still seated, suddenly pulls his attention in some way. Not just his, but the attention of everyone in the room.
“I cannot say where your mother is, Percy. But I can say with some certainty that she would want you to be safe above all else. Here at Camp Half-Blood, you are safe. You are among your own kind, that of demigods. So long as you stay within the Camp’s boundaries, I guarantee your health.”
That was… nice. Some small part of him wanted to go hunting for his mom right away, but the far greater whole that was Percy Jackson admitted he was in no way ready for such a thing just yet. Hell, he didn’t even know where to start, not really. So for now, he bows his head in gratitude towards Hestia.
“Thank you, um… Goddess.”
He didn’t really know how to address her. Hestia just smiles and shakes her head, her lashes fluttering for a moment in a somewhat strange fashion.
“Please, Percy… call me Hestia. We can talk more later on. For now, Annabeth will show you to your lodgings in the Hermes Cabin.”
At that, Percy can’t help but furrow his brow.
“Hermes? Wait… we’re all demigods, right? Here in Camp Half-Blood?”
He’s still wrapping his head around that particular revelation, but he remembers at least that much from Annabeth’s explanations. Hestia and Chiron exchange another glance, before Hestia slowly nods.
“… So my dad was Hermes?”
Even as the words leave his lips, Percy knows they’re wrong. In fact… it’s a little odd, but he feels like he knows exactly who his true father is already. Isn’t it incredibly obvious? Hestia just shakes her head, however.
“You must be claimed by your godly parent before you can take up residence in their cabin, young Percy. Until that time, the Hermes Cabin is where all unclaimed demigods stay.”
Oh. That sort of made sense, he supposed. So it probably was obvious to everyone that he was the son of Poseidon, and not just himself. Nodding slowly, Percy plasters a smile on his face before turning to Annabeth.
“Alright then. Lead the way!”
She does so, with him and Grover heading out behind her. That sense of warmth lingers even as he leaves Hestia’s presence, bolstering Percy and making him stand tall. Somehow… he knew he was going to like it here.
-x-X-x-
“Hestia? Is something the matter? Normally you would not have remained seated. But… it was almost like you were having to hold yourself back.”
Still sat in her chair by the hearth, Hestia bites her lower lip, slowly calming the rapidly beating heart in her chest down to something approaching a normal pace. Then and only then does she turn her golden eyes towards Chiron and let out a sigh.
“Percy Jackson is more than we could have guessed, I’m afraid.”
Chiron’s brow raises at that. They both know, of course, who’s son Percy truly is. Hestia because she’s Hestia, and Chiron because the young man’s father had given him Riptide to give to Percy in the first place. Of course, the first time had been on loan. Percy still needed to prove himself worthy to be allowed to have Riptide on a more permanent basis.
That said…
“MORE than we could have guessed? Goddess, what does that even mean?”
It was bad enough that Percy’s parentage was in direct defiance of the Big Three’s Oath to father no more children. But more than that?
Hestia shudders a bit, before answering.
“It’s not his fault, of course. Percy… is a reincarnated soul. And not just any reincarnated soul, either.”
Chiron’s brow furrows, as he tries to figure out who could possibly provoke such a reaction in Hestia. He can’t think of anyone, but luckily Hestia is happy to spell it out for him once she finishes collecting her thoughts.
“Percy Jackson is the reincarnation of Adonis himself. The man who’s very presence made even Goddesses swoon.”
Chiron blinks at that. Then he blinks again, as understanding truly begins to hit him.
“Oh. Oh… that’s, uh… not good? But then… he doesn’t SEEM like the most handsome man in the world.”
Hestia’s answering smile is a small, fragile thing as her fingers knead at her dress down in her lap.
“He has come of age. In the next few weeks, I imagine he will grow into his looks, just as Adonis did. But even as he is now, there is a presence to him. One that the female demigods of Camp Half-Blood will not be able to ignore.”
Chiron blanches at that, true understanding finally hitting him. They were technically set up as a Summer Camp… but all of their residents were of university age. That meant there were… plenty of dalliances already. You couldn’t stop young people from fucking, it was an exercise in futility. That said, if Percy truly was Adonis Reborn… he was going to end up taking the Camp by storm. Hell, he already had the intellectual and focused Annabeth zeroed in on him, didn’t he?
“That’s not even the worst of it. I am… obligated to inform the rest of the Pantheon of this development. Aphrodite and Persephone would be bad enough, but the other Goddesses, Hera included, have long been jealous of their monopolization of the original Adonis.”
As Chiron’s eyes go even wider, his mouth opens for a moment… before he notices the way Hestia worded her statement.
“… Will you follow that obligation, Hestia? Will you inform the Pantheon of Percy’s reincarnated nature?”
In truth, Hestia’s hesitation to answer is all the answer needed.
-x-X-x-
A/N: Poor Hestia is feeling a stirring in her loins she's not allowed to act upon fufufu.
Hm, what ARE the rules for Virgin Goddesses in PJO anyways?
Comments
Akuma-Heika
@Phraxius that's pretty much the point. They are crap at keeping their word, so do the highest level of oath (that everyone knows is a big deal) to create the illusion that they will follow it. Otherwise I feel like the common assumption would be to outright assume they are lying to you
Phraxius
They're not the best at keeping their word even when they swear on the River Styx, lmao.
Rival
Probably just an attempt for the virgin deities to keep most of the asshole gods from sniffing around and "hit it and quit it"
Akuma-Heika
Considering they have been upheld for 3 millennia I feel like they were more serious than the oaths Zeus made on the Styx in series 😂
Gamer
Not every oath. Only the most serious of oaths were made on the River Styx
Akuma-Heika
@Gamer, I thought it was heavily implied that when the gods made oaths, it was on the River Styx to give them some validity
Gamer
They didn’t swear on the River Styx. Zeus might have, in terms of ensuring they wouldn’t be forced into marriage, but the goddesses themselves are free
Akuma-Heika
Was she shown in one of the sequel series? Even then, considering oaths are tied to her, I am unsure she could not inflict punishments on oath breakers anymore than Zeus could become a sea god...or become celebate 🤣
DualEquinox
Just a reminder but Styx IS a Goddess, so there is a "seduction for amnesty" angle that could potentially be played there. Besides, hate-fucking the personification of Hatred sounds kinda fun...
Akuma-Heika
in Canon , they swore oaths, so nothing is truly binding them. The issue would be that if they broke them, the man they broke them with would be hit by the backlash of the River Styx... which would be unpleasant at best.
Akuma-Heika
@Alex Will where did that happen? I cannot remember any of the three showing such interests
Alex Woll
The rules say they can’t sleep with man or god but halfmen creatures like Sayter seem to get a pass. So technically demigods should as well.
Juan
I don't think there are any explicit rules against virgin goddesses, they just don't do it because they don't want to. I think the bigger issue is that if Percy laid a finger on Hestia, even if it was totally concenual (A guy tried to rape Hestia in the original myths and got jumped by a shitload of gods), it would make many God's see red out of pure envy. Percy would have so many gods trying to kill him it's not even funny.
Drakeulous
My justification for her not telling the gods would be she doesn't want to burden Percy with the attention of the gods (especially as a son of one of the big three) before he gets settled in. after all he just had his whole life turned up-side-down and had his mother kidnapped. The last thing he needs is to be harassed by some of the gods. She'll tell them later (or that's at least what she tells herself).
The Rew
I'm no scholar but at a brief glance the ancient greeks allowed divorce from both sides but as per usual it was far more complex for the women than the men. If Hera wanted a divorce she would have to appeal to her ruler, who is Zeus so I can't imagine it going well for her. I suppose that Zeus could be tricked into technically giving her up as all the husband has to do to end the marriage is send the wife back to her father. I don't know if he can be tricked into doing that without realizing the implications. Perhaps if he wanted Tartarus to be investigated and Hera volunteered to go and assist Hades he would technically be sending her to her father's house. I realize that this is all convoluted but greek plans often are. If this is the actual mythology instead of the more kid friendly one then Hera probably resents Zeus more than anyone because the way they married was that he raped her.
DualEquinox
Not really. The Gods and their domains evolve with Western Society and divorce and remarrying are just as much a facet of marriage as any other. The prevalence and increased rates of this occurring in modern times may affect this domain and have Hera seriously contemplating doing so herself. Add in that the modern perception of fidelity tends to run more towards the "it isn't infidelity if you have permission" (which granted is something Zeus would never give) and the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage within America and it honestly isn't too impossible to end up with a "Same-Sex Open Second Marriage" end game for Hera after sufficient corruption/temptation, both sides of which just so happen to be Percy's lovers. Porn logic can be useful like that. Besides, it should also be noted that you don't have to be a representation nor experience a domain you hold. Example: Artemis is the Goddess of Childbirth despite having never birthed a child and in fact having a Domain that is a direct contradiction of this one (Virginity). Sure she helped deliver her brother in some myths but that would more fall in line with Midwifery which is the Domain of Eileithyia, not Artemis, so the point stands.
DualEquinox
Counterpoint: If anyone can get away with keeping a secret like that, it is Hestia. She is basically universally adored on Olympus.
DualEquinox
Each to their own. I find Lesbian Smut just as hot as Straight and I'm not super attached to the gender identity of a fictional character so it isn't a hang-up for me if the main character temporarily changes gender (Tiresias gives mythological precedent for a man going to a woman and back so we aren't treading new ground here), even if, in the abstract, I get why it may be for other people.
Gamer
Just because some might identify as bisexual doesn’t mean Percy needs to get with them. He can say no. Also, Adonis was primarily known for his female lovers. We don’t need to bring in the supposed male ones. Hell, they don’t appear in most versions of the myth
Razgriz0x
Rules for 'Virgin' Goddesses: 1. They are virgin because they choose to be, not because they 'have' to be. 2. Can have children by mixing their Godly essence with that of a mortal. For example, Athena was born from. Zues' head being split open. Her daughter Annabeth was born by similarly from her father's head, Athena mixed her essence with Annabeth's father and then she pulled baby Annabeth from her father's head... or something like that. 3. Main point, Virgin Goddesses do not have to be virginal, they just choose to be. Probable because they haven't met the right guy yet. *Cough*Percy*Cough* 4. Hera. Goddess of Marriage/Fidelity. Poor women has had to her husband's/brother's infidelity for millenia. But if she sleeps with anyone other than Zeus or asks for a divorce, she risks losing her domains. It'll be tricky to get Hera without consequences.
Gamer
You can reincarnate at any time, bro. And Adonis could have changed his mind at any time, even after thousands of years. There doesn’t need to be previous reincarnations. Besides, it defeats the purpose of being able to recognize Adonis’ reincarnations if he did so multiple times due to adopting new identities. In this case, a direct reincarnation would explain why Hestia was able to recognize Percy as the reincarnation of Adonis, with Percy’s divine heritage augmenting the already irresistible appeal of Adonis to infinitely higher levels, to the point that no female outside of his mother can now resist him.
Fenrir44
Informing the pantheon meens Informing the male gods as well inclusief zeus better to avoid that it seems for now only female gods can feel the adonis so we always get them later for now lets focus on the daughters then the milfs
Collar Spider
Really think telling is better cause it's always bad to lie to the gods. Also yeah we're gonna have sex with the virgin goddesses how else are we gonna have a mother daughter threesome with Annabeth and Athena.
Gamer
Bro, just no. Percy shouldn’t have to change gender to have sex with them
Darendarus
Well. I'm definitely looking forward to the next chapter and the others going forwards if she had to restrain herself that much lol.
Payton Richmond
But we’ve also already had the option to gender swap some of the gods so that might not be much of an issue
DualEquinox
The problem is the gods may also want to get involved, seeing as a lot of them are by the myths bisexual and were involved with Adonis, which could cause issues...
DualEquinox
Another option: Genderchanging isn't exactly unheard of in Greek Mythology, hell, Artemis is pretty well known for it. Considering the era the myths were created, I'm almost certain they did not consider laying with a woman to be losing one's virginity, meaning there is possibly a loophole in the oath that means Percy can temporarily change genders to engage in lesbian sex with the Virgin Goddesses. Not my preferred method but definitely viable and backed by the myths.
DualEquinox
While this is true, in reality, Adonis would have no reason to wait thousands of years to suddenly change his mind and reincarnate, so either something changed in his circumstances that prompted him to do so after being content with his afterlife for thousands of years or he already did reincarnate at some point in between the two points in time. The second seems more likely to me. Do keep in mind we have no idea how long it actually takes to go through the reincarnation process, for someone who isn't a favoured daughter of Hades. For all we know there is a waiting list Bianca cut in front of and it took a thousand or so years for Adonis to actually get the chance to reincarnate (Which would give enough time for one incarnation between Adonis and Percy being born).
Gamer
Also, in regards to Cambrian’s question about the Virgin Goddesses, it was simply a matter of swearing to never marry. Although, it might be more accurate to say they got Zeus to swear they would never be forced to marry, seeing as Persephone was forced to marry Hades and Aphrodite was set up in an arranged marriage with Hephaestus. You could have it where they technically could get with men but only of their own choosing. Or that the Fates released the Goddesses of their vows at some point in the past but still chose to avoid relationships with men (aside from the occasions where Athena would create children with mortal men, and even then that wasn’t actual intimacy).
Gamer
Not all famous souls choose to be reincarnated, as seen with Achilles or Theseus. However, they can choose to be reincarnated at any point. Case in point: Bianca stayed in the Underworld until she chose to be reincarnated about 2-3 years after her death. There doesn’t need to be someone in between Adonis and Percy, per say
Payton Richmond
Come on guys if she tells the truth more goddesses will get involved sooner.
DualEquinox
Probably best not to inform the Pantheon at this point. From memory, in the myths Apollo, Heracles and Dionysus were all male lovers of Adonis and all of them have a history of not being too big on consent... Something I am personally curious about though, I wonder whether Adonis has had a reincarnation between himself and Percy? From memory, in Percy Jackson there isn't much point in going for reincarnation if you have made Elysium (and as someone who had the love of Persephone he almost certainly made the cut) unless you are going for a hattrick to get into the Isles of the Blessed. With the amount of time between Adonis and Percy there could have been an incarnation between them. Also, I wonder what powers Percy might get from his past life. For example, will Percy be good with a bow? Adonis was a renowned hunter. Will he be able to grow Anemone Flowers from his blood? His blood was said to have been turned to them by Aphrodite as he died. Can he eat underworld food safely and safely traverse to and from the Underworld? Zeus did rule he was to spend only four months a year there and 4 months with Aphrodite when he lived his last life. So many possibilities...
