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Here be Dragons by fadedaura

Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Game of Thrones Xover Rated: M, English, Fantasy & Drama, Percy J., Silena B., C. Beckendorf, Zoë N., Words: 176k+, Favs: 2k+, Follows: 2k+, Published: Jan 28, 2018 Updated: May 28, 2018

754Chapter 2

Here's chapter 2. Enjoy.

Silena felt like she was floating. Everything was hazy. She had trouble moving her body as it felt like she was wading through syrup. Giving up on large movements, she tried to move her fingers and toes. With their subsequent success, she tried to move her other extremities.

With extreme difficulty she opened her eyes. What she saw astounded her. She was suspended in a blank white space that went on and on until she wasn't able to see its boundaries. She looked around in panic, trying to figure out what was going on. There was nothing in front of her. Not a blade of grass or a whisper of the wind. The white horizon seemed to go on forever.

She turned to her back with great effort and to her relief she saw Charles, Percy and Zoe motionless, suspended in the air just like her. They were yet to come to their senses. She was glad that she wasn't about to face the unknown on her own.

Silena had always been a romantic. She chased after beauty and fairy tale romance just like any child of Aphrodite, but she managed to curb that particular bad habit a lot. Though she only saw their backs as they faced away from her, she was immediately able to see the minor changes in her friends' appearances. At first she couldn't even spot these differences. But when she started to utilize the powers that her mother bestowed upon her when she was born, she could identify even the tiniest change her 'family' had gone through.

Charles had always been buff due to the hours he spent in front of the anvil hammering something or another in the forge. It was this that first drew her to him. Then her infatuation turned to love after getting to know the man at an intimate level. But now… his rugged looks were refined. His muscles had toned down. Instead of being a walking mound of muscles, he had slimmed down a bit and in her eye he had turned into the perfect man. One thing that miffed her though was the fact that Charles had turned slightly paler. Instead of his chocolate complexion he now had an olive complexion that was seen in Greek peninsula. It was a shame that he was turned away from her so that she couldn't see his face at all.

She turned to Zoe, her sister in all but blood from the time they spent together in Elysium. Zoe had always been a beauty. Say what you will about Atlas, but the man was one handsome dude. His looks were inherited by his daughters in a much softer tone. Silena always thought that Zoe had the bearings of a princess. But now she definitely looked the part. She could see why Percy fell for Calypso while he was in Ogygia. If she was a man, she too would be pining after a girl like Zoe. Zoe seemed to have gained couple of inches, but that could be due to the fact Silena had no visual references to compare in a location with no left or right and up or down.

Last but not least was Percy. Silena had a small crush on him since he arrived at the camp. His laid back attitude and rebellious looks gave him the bad boy vibe. He was one of the males that the female population in the camp always talked about since more than three quarters of them had feeling for him. It was the main reason why most of the females didn't have a good relationship with Annabeth as she had taken away their subject of attraction off the market.

Now, he was just like Neptune. She had seen a picture of Poseidon's roman aspect some years back. Amongst the gods, he was the one with the commanding bearings that demanded respect. Percy was always associated with Poseidon's Greek aspect because of his rebellious nature. Now he had the look of the perfect warrior. Thick black hair that went up to his shoulder blades, high cheekbones and slightly sunken cheeks… he was every woman's' dream husband, not that she cared for she had already found her soul mate.

'What happened' she asked herself after seeing these changes in her friends. She didn't know how much she had changed seeing there was no mirror at hand. But she felt fantastic. Her body felt completely at ease even though she was facing the unknown.

Then images came flooding to her mind.

She saw the attack on Elysium by vampires. She wasn't sure who shattered the protective dome around the Elysian Fields, but that person was beyond her imagining. The protection had been there since the foundation of the world beneath and she was pretty sure they were place by the protogenoi. To destroy a protection like that, it would take another protogenoi. With the march of vampires she was sure Tatarus was behind it. For what reason, she didn't know. She didn't see the Lord of the Pit, but his minions wreaked the place where dead went to live in peace.

She remembered the screaming and panic when the residents were brutally cut down. Silena didn't know what would happen when one died in the underworld because it was unprecedented and if it had happen before, it was something Hades would have kept a tight lid on. She remembered fighting. But it was hazy and the more she tried to remember what happened, the larger the headache she got. It was like her brain was actively trying to make her forget what she went through. She couldn't remember her last moments. But since she was here, she was sure that she perished too like the others.

The question was only she, Charles, Percy and Zoe was here. She was certain the casualties were in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. With the barrier gone, all the monsters would have made Hades' domain their playground. But she didn't see any other creatures other than the vampires that led the attack. Either only the vampires were behind the attack or the other monsters were directed to other sectors of the Elysian Fields. She and the others were just unlucky to meet fearsome creatures like the vampires, the most foulest of the beings that ruled the night. If it was something like Hellhounds, she and the others could have survived easily.

She heard someone stirring.

It was Charles. The man shook his head as if to get rid of flies and took in his surroundings. She watched with a small smile as his face scrunched up in confusion, then deep thought. He still hadn't seen her because they were placed in a circular pattern with their backs to each other. She watched with a smirk as he wiggled his body to turn around. At the moment their eyes met, his eyes widened and jaw dropped down eliciting a snort from her.

"Se…Silena?" he stuttered after getting through his shock.

"Better close your mouth Charles, and stop gaping."

"What happened to you?" he asked slowly as if he was trying to comprehend something that was beyond him.

"What do you mean?" she questioned raising her perfect eyebrow. She could guess what he was going on about. But she wanted to know it from his words. Silena could see Charles blushing from his bright red ear-tips.

Charles was always a man of few words. She knew that he loved him like no other. But getting a reaction from him was always hard because he was one of the most emotionally guarded people around. Not to the extent of Percy after his death, but Charles was a private person who didn't display his affection out in the open. Especially when they were not alone. Even with their time together she could count the times the man blushed in the company of others with the fingers in her hand. And it was hard to see him blushing because of his dark complexion. Now that he was lighter, she could catch on to it much quicker, which was what she was doing right now.

"I mean… you look… wow," he stringed his words together with much difficulty.

She smiled at him warmly. "I know… you don't look bad yourself, though I do miss your darker skin tone. Look at them," she pointed at the other two.

"So we all have changed in some manner," he said after studying the other two. "But how?"

"I have no idea. It's like having a barrier in my mind. I can't seem to recall anything that happened after starting to fight with the vampires. The last thing I remember is being hurt… and the unbearable pain… then nothing."

"Same here. I went to help Zoe… then I got hurt somehow… I know this because I can still feel the phantom pain in my chest. After that… nothing." said Charles with a look of contemplation in his face. "Where are we?"

"No idea Charles. I woke the same as you in this place with missing memories. Only the four of us are here, which is weird because many more died before us in the attack."

The two turned silent waiting for the other duo to wake up. It wasn't long before Zoe woke up thrashing wildly with a scream calling out for Percy. Silena tried her best to calm Zoe down and explain the situation. It took a while because Zoe was so agitated that she didn't comprehend half of what was going on around her. Finally they were able to get through her panic haze and were able to get her to recount her side of the story.

Just like with her and Charles, Zoe too hadn't any idea of what had happened. The last think she could remember was Percy getting speared by the crazy vampire, something which Charles and Silena didn't recall.

They literally hung in the air while waiting for the last of their quadruple to wake up while engaging idle chatter. It took about another half an hour for Percy to wake up.

"What's going on?" he all but demanded after getting his bearings and finding his family in all but blood here with him.

"No idea, Percy. We don't have the slightest clue of what's going on. What is the last thing you remember?" Charles asked him.

The three had begun to piece together some facts after getting to know their sides of the story. Each of them remembered something different about their final moment. Even then, they did not have the slightest clue on what happened after Percy's apparent death. Zoe was the one who provided that last tidbit and that was the reason why she panicked when she regained consciousness.

"I remember dying… but I definitely killed one vampire. Charles crashed into me. I don't know how that came t be but that changed the rhythm of the fight and I was able to strike at the vampires heart the same time it drove its fist through my chest. The vampire said something to us… but I can't recall anything. Then…I remember getting angry and my body moved on its own… after that I can't recall anything," Percy said after thinking hard. His face scrunched up and his frown deepened as he retold the final bits of his memory. Much like them, it took a massive effort to think about the final moments which was accompanied by a splitting headache.

"So none of us know what happened after you got stabbed?" Silena asked for which she got nods from the other three.

"Now what?" Percy asked, his restless nature getting the better of him.

"Now you talk with me," came a melodious female voice from all around them.

Silena knew that her mother, Lady Aphrodite had the most alluring voice amongst all the immortals. It was her weapon. She used it to get other gods to do her bidding. Mortals raised armies and warred against one another from her one command. That was the reason why she was feared amongst the Olympians. She didn't need to start wars to get her way, she could just ask. Coupled with her looks and her fickle nature, she had caused more tragedies for humankind than any other god. The Trojan war was a prime example where her fickle nature and charmspeech destroyed one of the greatest bastions of mankind. Even the gods fought during the war albeit indirectly.

But unlike the alluring tone of her mother, this voice was ethereal. She couldn't describe it, but it made her feel reverence to its owner. She felt the need to please the owner of the voice and earn her favor. Subconsciously she imagined the owner to be a devastatingly beautiful lady with looks that were beyond normal immortals.

She wasn't wrong.

The other three looked around cautiously trying to pinpoint the origin of the voice. But there was none. Charles raised his eyebrow at her questioning what was going on, but she slowly shrugged telling him that she was just as clueless as he was.

Slowly a light started to appear at the centre of their circle. From the positions they were in they could turn around and observe the surroundings, but they couldn't move an inch from their spot. So they were unable to defend themselves properly should the being attack, not that it mattered seeing that they had no weapons with them.

The light got brighter and brighter until they were forced to close their eyes. Just as the light shone to its peak intensity, it disappeared. By the time she could see properly again, a woman clad in a white overflowing gown stood in front of her. She was breathtaking. If Zeus was here, he would have been on this lady in a second, being the horny bugger he was. She could see that even Charles had problems keeping his thoughts pure. Percy was a goner. He had his mouth slightly opened as he openly stared at her.

It wasn't just her beauty, but the woman extruded an aura that made you feel that she would make everything alright. It was soothing. To Silena's overtaxed nerves, the feeling was a cooling balm.

"Who are you?"

'Blunt as always,' Silena Thought as Zoe all but demanded the woman.

The woman smiled serenely. With a wave of her hand they were all next to each other in a line facing her. She made it look so effortless. Here they were trying their best to move from their suspended position without any proof for their effort and the lady just waves for it to happen.

'Either we are in her domain… or she's so powerful that she can vaporize us in an instant with just a thought.'

This display of power tuned down hasty Zoe and made her doubly alert. Even Percy seemed to be highly alert. Silena knew that out of the four of them, Percy was leagues beyond them in raw power, which he proved to be quite substantial during the titan war. With just his abilities alone he was able to contain Hyperion, one of the elder titans and the second most powerful one out of them, until the satyrs were able to seal him inside a tree. His power made even Zeus to be on guard at certain points. But never had Silena seen Percy so focused. Even when fighting his mighty adversaries, Percy was cool as a cucumber taunted his enemies in his laid back attitude to get them all rile up.

Silena dreaded the thought of facing the woman if Percy deemed her powerful enough for him to go all 'Perseus Mode'.

The woman regarded all of them. She seemed to be quite amused by Zoe's blunt questioning rather than get insulted like the other immortals. "I'm known by many names. To many I'm the overseer of the rules in the universe, to some… I'm the mother of the Fates, but to you… I'm Ananke; the Primordial goddess of Fate and Destiny."

'Great, another Primordial,' Silena thought.

She could see it in the looks of her friends' faces. They were scared. Neither she, Charles nor Zoe had come face to face with one. Only Percy had faced Nyx, Erebus, Tartarus and Gaea in the past. From his accounts, they were the hardest challenges he had ever faced. Each time he had faced them, he had escaped because his luck proved to be substantial. Each time he was barely clinging to his life. In the end the primordial goddess of the Earth had taken his life ending his streak of luck. And that was saying something because he had faced and defeated multiple gods and titans in the past.

"Bitch," swore Percy under his breath and tried his hardest to break the force field holding him down to throw a punch at Ananke's face. His face which was once filled with a look of fascination was now contorted in fury.

"Percy!" shouted Zoe, trying to calm her brother down.

"Let me go!"

"Calm down, Perseus. You are making things worse," Zoe shouted at him. Silena and Charles too joined the shouting match to calm Percy down.

Even with their pleading, Percy seemed to be of one mind. That was to have a go at the Lady of Fate. It didn't seem to matter to him that he would probably die again at her hand. All that mattered to him was to land one solid blow on her face before he perished. His rationality was completely squashed by his fury. Silena could see the feral snarl etched on his face. It was downright scary. His muscles trembled due to his anger and she could hear his breathing from far away. Percy looked and sounded like an angered bull that was rearing against its bindings.

Silena knew that Percy had some resentment towards the Fates for giving him one of the unluckiest lives ever. Hell, even she resented the Fates. It had both led her to Charles and took away him from her. But to see him downright primal… she realized how deep the resentment ran and her beef with the three hags was nothing compared to his.

While the hubbub was going on Ananke was giving Percy a look that resembled pity. With a look she completely froze Percy from on tracks. She ignored his growls and snarls which resembled a riled up wolf, slowly stepped towards the frozen Percy and placed her palm on his chest.

"My poor child… nobody deserves the pain you lived through. Let me take away you pain."

Ananke's hand glowed bright golden and it transferred to Percy's chest. The glow started to spread gradually until it covered his entire body.

Silena could see that Percy relaxed his clenched jaws slightly at the start and with each passing second he seemed to relax further. He was unfrozen, but he didn't jump the gun to hurt the goddess. Whatever she was doing, it was something Percy needed. Though curious she and the others kept their mouths shut to see where this was going.

With one final pulse the glow receded.

"Is that better?" the goddess asked him.

Percy opened his closed eyes groggily and observed Ananke seriously as if he was deciding whether she was friend or foe. For the first time since he arrived in Elysium, he seemed to be at peace. Sure, he behaved as if everything was alright, but Silena could see the major difference from then and now. Even Zoe seemed t have noticed this. He was engaged in a losing fight with his conscious. Silena could see that even with his gigantic will, he seemed to be ready to pass out any minute.

"What's going on?" Zoe asked with suspicion.

Ananke turned to them. Her look was weary as if she was burdened by the weight of the world. She smiled slightly at Zoe. Silena noticed that her smile gave the feeling that everything was going to be alright and she was there to look after them.

"I cured you little brother's curse."

"What curse?" Zoe fired back. As far as she knew, Percy had no curse on him. Even the one that he was afflicted with was lifted long before he had passed on.

"Zoe Nightshade… what do you know of Styx's curse, or more commonly known as Achilles' curse of invulnerability?"

"It gives you total invulnerability with the exception of your mortal anchor. You must have your mother's blessing to receive it. You need to bathe in the waters of Styx to obtain it. Only three people have received it that we know of. Percy had it, but it was cured after he crossed the Tiber to get to the Roman camp. But what had it to do with Percy?"

"Everything," the goddess replied.

"Care to elaborate?" Charles asked wanting answers.

"Percy!" Zoe yelled when she notice that her brother had passed out.

"Do not worry. His body is readjusting now that his curse has been lifted. He will wake within a few minutes."

With that she waved her hand again and all of them were freed from their bindings. They slowly drifted down and were left standing on their feet while Percy was laid back. The location changed from the blank emptiness to one they were more familiar with. They were in the amphitheatre of Camp Half Blood, but at the same time they were… not. The similarities between the two places were uncanny, but Silena could see many differences that indicated they were not in the actual place. For one, there were no campers about. This place was empty of campers only when lights were out and the harpies were about.

Silena gave up on admiring the goddess' recreation of the camp because something far more serious required her attention. She and Zoe immediately went towards him while Charles took a defensive position in front of them facing the goddess.

Silena felt Percy starting to burn up one second, then start to freeze in the next. She looked at Zoe and her sister in all but blood looked back at her worriedly. In a medical standpoint this temperature fluctuation would cause Percy's organs to seize and would never occur naturally. But when it came to the divine world, everything was possible.

"Don't worry… nothing will happen to him. In fact I think it's better to counter all of your curses," Ananke said before waving her hand dreamily at them again. A wave of power rushed through their bodies and Silena felt herself seize up again. She felt something unpleasant. It was like bugs crawling under her skin and into her muscles and organs. She wanted nothing but to scratch them off. She and Zoe were kneeling down next to Percy when the energy wave hit them, so they were relatively ok. But Charles fell down to his knees with a mighty thud.

She didn't know of the time that passed. It might have been five seconds, or it might have been half an hour. By the time they got over the feeling, she was on her hands and knees desperately trying not to fall on her face. By the time she was able to get her motor skills under control Percy had reawakened and was trying to sit up. All this while, Ananke had been closely observing them with a small smile sitting on a wooden chair she had conjured.

"Percy, are you ok?" Zoe asked him with concern dripping in her voice.

"I'm fine… I think," he replied shaking his head.

"What just happened?" Charles asked getting up from the floor.

"Better ask her," Zoe nodded at Ananke.

"Shall we have our conversation now?" the goddess interrupted them from their conversation. She received three nods while Percy remained silent.

"Let's start with Perseus' little problem. The curse of Achilles is something entirely different than you think. Yes, it grants you invulnerability for the exchange for a mortal anchor… but where does the energy that you get inflicted with when hit with a weapon go? Laws of this universe cannot change. Even we the primordial gods must obey them in that particular universe. One law of this universe states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed. So there must be somewhere the energy needs to go when the bearer of the Achilles' curse is hit. Any idea?"

Silena shook her head as did Zoe and Charles while Percy kept frowning. Silena knew that Percy was aware of the answer from the look on his face alone. But since he kept quiet she turned to Ananke for the answers.

"The force goes to the mortal spot," she said eliciting a gasp from her and Zoe. Ananke raised her hand indicating to hold back their questions.

"The curse part comes from the fact that this pain is not immediately transferred to that location. It is gradually inflicted over the course of many years, like an ever present itch. But when it come to a person like Perseus and Achilles, who gets injured a lot, the itch becomes more prominent and it starts to border on pain. Over time, the pain becomes so dominant, that it clouds judgment. Why do you think Achilles was always angry? Why do you think Perseus curses the Fates in every breath he takes? At one point, all the receiver of the curse want to do is die, which was what Achilles did. He could have dodged the arrow, but he did not."

"But Percy cured his curse after he crossed Tiber," Zoe said reminding that Percy got rid of the curse before the Giant's war.

"And there lies the problem," Ananke sighed. "The invulnerability went away… but not the pain."

"Is that the reason why you chose to sacrifice yourself?" asked Charles slowly from Percy.

Percy nodded slowly but kept staring at Ananke.

"Why didn't you tell me? Even after you died you were not released from your pain. And I thought you were angry because the fates took away everything from you," Zoe hugged her brother like no tomorrow. Even Silena joined her in the hug.

'My reasons to be angry at the Fates sound almost childish when compare to Percy's,' she thought sadly.

"It was my burden to bear," Percy said finally.

"No, its not. We are family, all four of us. If you keep these things to yourself, how is your sister going to help you?"

"Yes, I know it's hard for you to trust anybody now Percy, but give us a chance… we will always be with you," Silena added to which Charles nodded.

Silena couldn't imagine going through that pain. He last moments in the land of the living had been painful, with the drakon bite, poison and all, but Percy lived a life of pain. He woke up with pain and went to sleep in pain. And it was a pain he couldn't relieve. If she was in his shoes, she was sure that she would have lost her mind.

Even with that, he continued to fight for what he believed in, only to be left with nothing. No rewards, no girlfriend, no family and finally… nothing to show of his accomplishments.

'The three Fates truly are bitches. They deserve to wither in the pain they create for others,' she thought completely forgetting that the three hags were the daughters of the woman in front of her.

History stated that Achilles was a brave, strong warrior. But the truth was that he was a bitter man in pain who wanted an escape. His rage for his cousin was all but a ruse to try and end his miserable existence. Historians painted a vastly different picture of what truly transpired. Maybe it was because only Achilles knew of the pain he trudged through daily before his 'heroic' death.

She didn't know how the historian would write about the Great Perseus Jackson; Slayer of Giants, Titans' Bane, Destroyer of Monsters, Son of Poseidon, but it too would be within the same lines as Achilles. No one knew of their pain. She was pretty sure, he would be a martyr who fought and bled for the Gods of Olympus so that they could rein the world with peace and prosperity.

The real question was whether the gods knew what entailed the curse of Achilles. If so they were worse that the Titans they overthrew for they had deliberately pushed their own children in a path that led to their doom. It would also mean that Hera or Juno, cursed Percy for the rest of his life by getting him to cross Tiber with her on his arms.

If this was the case about Achilles' curse, who knows what other blessing or curse the gods hid the real details on.

"Is the curse lifted now?" Zoe asked Ananke to which the goddess nodded.

"Thank you," Percy said lowly to Ananke after a while breaking the silence around them.

"You are most welcome, my child."

"Where are we?" Charles broke her out of her musings and addressed the white elephant in the room.

"This is somewhere in-between."

"In-between?" questioned Percy.

"A place that do not belong to any of the known planes."

Silena looked at the goddess questioningly. The only planes that existed, which she was aware of was the mortal plane, divine plane, deceased plane and the faded plane. Each of these planes had their own rules and population. The gods in the divine plane could visit all planes except the faded plane which was isolated. Some inhabitants in the mortal plane had access to the divine and the deceased plane. There were only vague mentions of the faded plane but it was enough for her to draw conclusions about the realm of Chaos. These were basic knowledge the camp imparted upon them during the summer to get them knowledgeable about the world they resided in.

"Perseus let me be frank with you. I know you do not like me. In fact you outright hate me and my three daughters. While I agree that they need to be punished, I'm not them. I have not spoken to them since I gave them their duty which they have twisted to some degree. Their task was to help all mortals and immortals to face the trials the universe bestow them. I have come here to help. I can save you from becoming slaves to my daughters. You know that they will never let a powerful soul like yours out of their clutches. So let me help you," Ananke beseeched Percy.

She strode in front of him at placed her arm on his shoulder much like a mother trying to give support to her child. Her eyes implored him to listen to her. Silena and Zoe watched silently while Charles still had his guarded expression.

Silena could see the gears in his mind working overtime. On one hand, Ananke was offering him the one thing he always wanted; a way out of the grasp of the Fates. On the other hand, he would be in her debt. Being in debt to an immortal, especially a primordial was not the best idea. Even Silena couldn't get herself to trust Ananke implicitly.

"Alright… I will trust you for now. You did free me from the pain. But know this… if you try to scheme against me, use me in any kind of manner or cheat me, I will find a way to end you… no matter how long it takes," he finally relented.

Ananke laughed and lifted him up with a show of abnormal strength. "That's all I ask."

Zoe let out a breath she was holding which was heard by the others. She immediately looked appalled at the slip of her composure. The great tension around them finally loosened up and Silena was quick to succumb to giggles because it wasn't everyday you get to see the great Zoe Nightshade being so afraid that she forgot to breathe. Even Ananke laughed while Percy gave his devious grin pointed at his sister. Charles winked at Zoe and cracked a grin too much to the girl's embarrassment.

Zoe blushed furiously. "So what are we doing here?" she asked trying to shift the spotlight off from her.

Ananke cleared her throat. "Well… you turned immortal in Elysium, which is a direct violation of the laws."

"Immortal?"

"The vampire turned all of you into its kind."

"What?" Charles all but yelled.

"Yes, to hurt Perseus here," she pointed Percy, "it turned you in front of his eyes. In his rage, Perseus tore its throat away with his mouth and destroyed it. I must say I was impressed Perseus. This is the first time I saw a vampire dying from the bite of a mortal," she said with a grin at the irony of the situation. "The rest of you drank its blood with Percy in your bloodlust and you all turned into elder vampires."

"Why can't we remember any of this?"

"Your body underwent a huge change."

Ananke went on to fill their missing memories by recounting what transpired.

"After you all drank its blood, your bodies went into shock. You three were normal monsters because of its bite," she pointed at Silena, Zoe and Charles. "But after you drank its blood, you turned into human-hybrid immortals. I won't go into the details, but it takes a lot for a human-hybrid immortal to die. Even if they do, they would immediately reform in Tatarus. You went from normal vampire thralls who are nothing but drones that live and fought for their masters to being your own masters. All of you turned into elder vampires, children of the Pit and Darkness."

Despite what humans knew, an ordinary vampire cannot convert humans to its kind. They only lived to drink blood and fight for its master. With the factor of elder blood, everything changed.

Since the underworld forbade immortals except the ones that were elected by Hades to oversee certain duties, they existed beyond the laws. And the laws themselves worked to destroy this anomaly. That was why they were in-between. They belonged to neither of the worlds. They were doomed to roam this world between worlds for eternity. That was why Ananke came for them.

Ananke was the primordial of Fate and she could see when fate was being unfair to individuals. She had been following Percy from the beginning when the Fates declared him as their soldier. The only reason why they did it was because he was born out of the dual aspects of the god of the sea, something which was truly rare as the said child would represent the god's entire domain. If the sea god passes away, his mantle would automatically fall upon Perseus' head without him even knowing about it.

Percy's mother had envisioned the perfect god of the sea. It was both Neptune and Poseidon who came to court her and gift her with a child. This was the reason Percy was so much stronger than the rest of the demigods. Usually gods couldn't exist in this combined state. Poseidon was one of the handful gods who could do so. The others being Pan, Apollo, Nike Tyche and the Gods and Goddesses of the underworld rivers. Of them Pan had already faded, Nike and Tyche were minor goddesses and their power varied given the situation. The aspects of the rivers never had demigod children and Apollo was smart enough to not conceive children out of his dual aspect and went to great lengths to avoid it. That left Poseidon, who in fact had children like Perseus in the past.

When the three Fates saw the birth of little Percy Jackson, they elected him to be their shield to mold the world under their will. Ananke was against this. She believed that natural order must be given precedence. If the gods are to fall, they must fall. Nobody must prevent it. History itself is a never ending cycle. The titans rose and the fell. The gods must too, to prevent them from doing the same thing their predecessors did, which they failed at miserably. The circle of life was common to all. Even if you were the almighty ruler of Olympus, you needed to bow down to it. The agreement the three Fates ha with Olympus was unnatural.

But even she, the mistress of Fate had to follow rules. She couldn't interfere in ay mortal matters. So she watched sadly as Perseus Jackson faced his adversaries and at the end gave his life in a desperate attempt to escape his fate.

Now that they had escaped the laws of their world miraculously, she could help.

"So we are vampires now?" Zoe questioned her.

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"It's impossible to remove a curse without any drawbacks. So I simply altered the curse. Instead of being elder vampires who can't step out into any light, I altered the curse to turn you all into beings that have characteristics that are similar to vampires and negated the curse," Ananke explained.

"What do you mean altered?" Percy asked slowly.

Both Zoe and Percy knew of several creatures that had similar characteristics like a vampire. Werewolves were the chief amongst them. Though they were better than the detested vampires, they too were creatures of the dark.

"What do you know of elves?" Ananke questioned.

"You mean the creatures from fantasy novels?" asked Silena back.

Ananke laughed lightly. "Don't let them hear you say that. Although elves may have gone extinct on your world, that doesn't mean they have perished in the multiple universes that span the void."

"Are they like what see in movies?" Silena fired back with an excited look.

"Mostly. They are much stronger than human. They are more agile and graceful. All of them have a natural affinity with magic of any sort. And yes… your souls were changed to that of the eves as they are the closest beings to a vampire physically. I know it's disgusting that one of the purest races in the universe is comparable to the creatures like vampires… but what can we do? The universe is what Lady Chaos envisioned it to be. We cannot even fathom to contemplate what was going inside her head. Oh… I almost forgot. Elves are creatures that gain natural partial immortality when they reach their adolescence."

The four of them looked at each other unsure on how to process this piece of information. They were born humans. But now they had been changed to a whole new race of which they had no idea of. And to top it all, they were partially immortal.

"What is going to happen to us? Are we are going to stay here for god knows how long?" Charles questioned.

"Not if you agree to one of my requests."

"What request?" Silena questioned.

"You four cannot exist in your own universe because the laws won't let you. Unlike the others that died in the attack, you four are hybrid immortals that were birthed in Elysium. Don't worry the others will naturally enter the reincarnation cycle. But I can send you to a parallel universe where the laws are different. Your task is save a planet from a certain danger and save certain species from extinction."

Zoe listened as Ananke divulged details of their task.

Apparently there were countless parallel universes the primordials oversaw. The rules were vastly different from each other. For an example in their universe, electricity could exist as a form of energy. But in another universe like the one they were supposed to help, magic existed in the form of energy. Since electricity and magic couldn't exist together which was proven due to the fact that electronics failed near the gods, that particular universe would never advance further than a steampunk society unless they were able to work with magic to achieve the same effects as electricity. Modern marvels such as the computers were next to worthless in that world.

"So you want us to play soldier again," Percy asked with anger seeping into his voice.

"No… more of an escape from Fate," she replied.

Percy raised his eyebrows. Zoe knew that Percy would spend an eternity here, isolated from the world with nothing but his mind as an accomplice than fight someone else's war again. Even if she, Charles and Silena chose to accept the offer, Percy would still remain here rather than dance to the tune of another deity.

"I cannot reveal much about the world you are about to go should you accept. But I can say that the three of you would be beyond the Fates of that universe, yes... each universe has its own version of the 'three hags' as you eloquently address them. Your actions would be your own as well as their consequences. They will try to make you follow their plan by manipulating the people around you. But your mere presence will throw a wrench in their plans as your aura will mask your loved ones from them.

The world itself is a place filled with mystery and magic. I believe even if you spent a thousand years on that planet, you wouldn't be able to witness or solve half of its mysteries or see everything that world has to offer."

Ananke's offer was terrific. They would be able to live and roam again in a brand new world. Everything they see would be a new experience. The fact that the Fates couldn't see or control them was a plus. From what the goddess revealed, their long lifespan would enable them to roam the world and witness its glory. A large planet filled with exciting new things was just what they required.

Zoe could see from Silena's and Charles' faces that they really wanted to go there. They hadn't had much time together in the mortal realm. This was their chance to raise a family. They could live to see their children grow up without the added danger of Olympians or other immortals being pissed at them. Sure they would face countless trials and tribulations but they could live to see their grandchildren.

Even Zoe was excited about it. Her whole life had been within boundaries. First in the garden of Hespirides, she was nothing but a wallflower. She got up and went to sleep without any change in her daily routine. Then her chance at something new came in the form of Hercules and she was betrayed and cast out. She lost her family, friends and her dignity. By chance she met Artemis and her hunt. From that point onwards she was her handmaiden, following Artemis' rules and vision.

The hunt wasn't bad, but it was like sheep following the sheepherder. They had to follow all of Artemis' rules. Even when her views clashed against Artemis' rules, she could only bow her head and follow. Even though she spent millennia under the goddess of the hunt, she too longed for the perfect man to claim her and make her happy. But once you were in the hunt, the only way to leave was with your death.

Now she had a chance to start again and she really longed for it. The only problem was Percy.

Zoe didn't have any romantic attraction towards him. He was the first person to impress her in a long time. She viewed him as the little brother she never had and he too saw her as his sister. Badly as she wanted a new life, she wasn't going to leave him alone. She was going to stay with him and together they would face all their problems. That was the promise they had made to each other.

She looked at him and could see that he was torn with indecision. So she decided to nudge him into accepting the offer. She knew it was a little selfish of her to do so, but it was a chance for all of them. And she really wanted Percy to be happy and have the perfect family she knew he always pined for.

"Little brother," she called him. "This may be our only chance of having something for us. Look at them," she pointed at Charles and Silena who was whispering quietly between them, "they want this to happen. This is their only chance to start a real family. If you don't take the offer, I know that they will remain behind with you as would I. Don't split our family in half little brother. Who knows… maybe we will find your soul mate in this world. Think about it and I really hope you will agree to this little brother. "

Percy sighed after staying quiet for quite a bit. It looked like he was having an internal struggle. "Alright, I'll play along," he finally relented. "But you owe me big time," he grinned slightly.

Zoe smiled brightly and engulfed him in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered and she could feel him nodding his consent.

Zoe nodded at Silena who grinned. Then she nodded at Ananke.

"One question," Zoe interrupted before the goddess could get into details of their task.

"Yes Zoe?"

"What about the two of us?" she asked. When she was asked to elaborate further she explained how Silena and Charles had each other. They had each other to accompany them in their long lives. But Percy and herself had no one. If they chose to start a family, their partners would wither much sooner than they wished for.

Ananke snapped her fingers and Zoe felt a stream of knowledge enter her mind.

"That particular ritual can turn your partner into one of you. Your children and their children will carry your genetic strain. To find them partners you will have to utilize this. But keep in mind not to convert humans you do not trust because you will not be able to control them. Should that come to pass the Fates will most likely use them against you. And also try to minimize the use of the ritual as it will be sapping your own power to drive it."

Ananke then went to describe their task. They were about to go to a world that was at least the size of Jupiter. Each continent had its own history and legends. Except for some continents, the others were placed far apart isolating them from the rest of the world. Some didn't even have humans.

There were deities in the continent they were about to visit. The problem was that their power was waning due to the influx of a new religion. Their only stronghold was the northern kingdom which was like Canada, large and cold and remote edges of the close by continnts. The older occupants of the continent were almost driven to extinction and only small pockets existed in the barren icy tundra protected by the gods they worshiped in the form of ancient trees. Other creatures like giants too have been driven to this barren land and their numbers were falling each year.

Their duty was to protect the original inhabitants of the land and stop the destruction of the 'artifacts' the gods used to gather their power from. She also mentioned about dangers lurking in the barren wasteland which they should keep their eye on. Ananke didn't deliberate on the matter further than that.

Their accumulated knowledge would help the land and its people from outside threats and make the old gods prosper again. While some of it was redundant because the two worlds having different rules, most of the less esoteric knowledge could be utilized since they were universal.

She kept the details vague saying that it was their duty to learn all they could of this world and act accordingly. Everything would be clear once they got to know about the lands they inhabited. Ananke couldn't interfere by giving them everything she knew of the present past and the future of the continent.

"To help you on your tasks, I have little gift," Ananke said and waved her hand distorting the air around them.

Four creatures became visible. Zoe had been tracking and hunting animals and monsters for a long time. But this was the first time she saw a species like this. It was reptilian and she could draw parallels between it and the dragons she often hunted. It stood on four sturdy legs with the front legs being longer than the rear. A giant pair of wings that was twice the size of its body was folded at its sides almost making it invisible. At the tip of the tail two horizontal stabilizers were present with several bone spike of decreasing lengths ran vertically. The root of the tail had a pair of membranes that joined to its hind legs to give extra stability in flight.

The creature was about thirty five feet from its tip to tail. Scales of different sizes and density covered its entire body. Each of the creatures had a different pattern and they were quite colorful. Its massive appendages ended in huge claws which Zoe believed could pierce a metal column. Pairs of eyes the color of amber stared at them with surprising wisdom.

Two long appendages like antenna ran down from the two crests on the top of its head and drooped to the ground. Another smaller crest ran underneath its jaw and tapered to its chest. Its teeth were sharp and curved inwards much like a python's for biting and holding on no matter what.

All in all, the creature was a mix between oriental dragons and Nordic dragons. But they were half the size of the dragons that the demigods ran into usually. When compare to creatures like the Lydian Drakon, it looked extremely small and frail.

"These are Storm Dragons. Unlike their more common brethren, they have little to no affinity with fire. Their original planet was invaded by another race due to their unique abilities but they were wiped out because they couldn't be tamed like they wanted to. They are very intelligent. The more time you spend with them, the more you will learn about them. Come here," she said to the four beckoning them towards the dragons. "Let your senses guide you to your companion."

Zoe closed her eyes and extended her senses like she did when she was tracking her kill. It was faint, but she felt something beckoning her from her right. She slowly followed the feeling keeping her eyes closed. The more she walked, the stronger the feeing became. It was almost blinding when she felt something nudge her in the face. The warm breath on her face told her that she was standing right in front of one of the dragons.

She opened her eyes and looked at the beautiful creature in front of her. It was the dragon which was colored dull silver with gold markings all over it. She hesitantly put her hand on its snout. Instantly she felt a current pass through her and she knew that she was connected to it. It was the same feeling she got when she bonded with Blacknight, her wolf companion and familiar in the hunt. But this was way stronger. The feeling was indescribable. It was like they were the same being with two bodies. She could 'feel' what it was seeing and sensing.

A familiar bond had formed between them. One that was so strong that Zoe believed that it rivaled the one Artemis had with her familiar. Artemis often said that she could feel and see through the eyes of her partner. Zoe's previous bond was not that strong. But this… this was something she dreamed of everyday.

"Artemis," she named her. She didn't know what tempted her to name her dragon as Artemis, but it felt right. Even though she and Artemis had different perspectives on life, they were in fact best friends. They had no secrets between them and Artemis knew that Zoe wanted a family of her own though she was under oath. Hell, she knew that even Artemis wanted one. Artemis had been hurt too many times for her to trust any men. That resentment had turned into obsession over the years and these days, she just ended most of the men who were unlucky to happen upon her.

Naming her familiar Artemis was partly due to remind her of her friend and the times they spent together.

She could feel the content feeling of the dragon when she named it. The female dragon was very happy with the name she gave her.

Zoe looked around. Percy was with the black dragon with the green markings. Charles was with the red and black dragon while Silena was with the white and blue marked dragon. All of them were gazing into their partner's eyes.

"Have you all bonded with your partners?" Ananke broke the silence.

She got four nods. They couldn't say anything because of the overwhelming feeling content that had welled inside them. It was like they were incomplete individuals that met the other part of their soul. Zoe understood their dazed appearances because they never had familiars before. Percy and Blackjack had come close to forming the bond, but the war had separated them and the bond could never form over long distances.

"What are their names?" Ananke asked.

"Artemis," Zoe replied immediately.

"Windshear," Percy said.

"Snowfire," Charles replied.

"Ivory," Silena replied finally.

Ananke nodded and waved her had again, vanishing the four familiars.

Even though Artemis wasn't here physically, she could still feel her. She was out there, waiting for her to come and get her from some… cage?

"Hey!" Silena protested.

"Do not worry. You will meet them in your new world. You will be able to sense their eggs. I will place them somewhere close by to your homes where others can't find them. But first, you need to make sure nothing can harm them. You are connected to them in a deep level. These four are destined to be bonded to you. Other than them I managed to save another two dozen Storm Dragon eggs and about three hundred Kirai eggs before the downfall of their world.

"Kirai? I thought they were called Storm Dragons?" questioned Charles.

"Yes kirai. Kirai are a fascinating species from the same world from which the Storm Dragons originated. They are like certain species of ants. The alphas of the species have the ability to fly like the queens and the soldiers. The betas on the other hand are like the workers without that ability. While the Storm Dragons were on the top of the food chain, it was a certain ability of this species that prompted the aliens to destroy their world in order to enslave them."

Ananke conjured an image of a dragon, a kirai alpha and a kirai beta side by side. They could see the differences of the three. For one the kirai were much smaller than the dragon. They were about twelve to fifteen feet from head to tail. While the dragon could carry more than five people on its back, the kirai alpha were only able to carry a single person… two in certain situations. They too looked reptilian. Unlike the dragons, these creatures' wings were connected to their forelegs. They had not tail spikes or spikes on its back like the dragons. The closest thing that resembled them were the Ikran from the movie Avatar which Zoe saw by chance. In fact the resemblance between the two was uncanny. They were beautiful creatures that belonged to the sky, not some overlord.

"Most of these animals would be wild. But you could train them using a certain ritual. They would defer to the dragons as they see them as their kings. So in turn you could command them. The ritual would keep these beautiful beasts out of unworthy hands. Treat them well and make them a new home. It is a duty that I must command you to complete. And I have faith that you would do so."

Zoe felt a wave of energy going through her. Even before he could question about the ritual, she could see that she already knew about it. It wasn't just the ritual. Ananke seemed to have planted some other useful information as well.

"What was that?" she asked the goddess as her mind was overwhelmed with information. Somehow she had gained the proficiency of a language that made no sense to her at all.

"What is this language?" Percy asked shaking his head violently.

"That is the language of power in the world that you are going. Though it is almost extinct in your region, it is prevalent in other parts of the world. This language is like the runes of your world. It is made up of the true names of everything which a person who had the ability to manipulate energy can utilize. I will leave the ins and outs of the language for you to discover. Consider it a gift from me since you would be losing your powers in that world."

"What do you mean that we would lose our powers?" Silena quickly asked beating Zoe who wanted to ask the same.

"You'll find out soon enough. But heed this… do not spread the language as it would only cause more chaos. Only teach certain words to the people you could trust impeccably and not on how the language could be used. Finally… think of the supreme word I taught you," Ananke waited until they knew what she was talking about to continue in her explanation.

Zoe immediately recalled the word. Its meaning was 'space' and she could see the true depth of it. She couldn't even fathom to comprehend how this word alone was more useful and at the same time more dangerous than the entire language.

"Space?" questioned Bekendorf.

"Yes. That word encompasses everything and nothing. It is among the seven supreme words. I won't teach the others to you. If you need to find them out, seek them from the other continents or try to contemplate them like the elves do in other continents. Do not under any circumstance teach this word to anybody… or any other supreme word you come across for that matter. Most of the people would not be able to comprehend it. Even if they comprehended it only a rare and powerful person could utilize it. And those are the people you want to look out for as most of them would only stand against you."

"Yes, ma'am," Charles replied and the four of them nodded as they gradually understood the danger of the word.

"Now let's get back to your companions," Ananke said. "Now that you are familiar with the Kirai alphas, which only leaves us with the betas. They are also known as kyorai. They are the work force in a kirai colony. Unlike their alphas, they mostly stay underground to protect their nest. They follow their queen without any questions and since we don't know which kirai would end up as the queen, we need to perform a little ritual to get them under your control."

The last creature which Ananke summoned up was quite different from their alpha species. For one they didn't have any wings nor did they have a prominent tail. Their forelegs were more developed than their alphas and the claws on them were distinct. But they retained the lithe body and the overall silhouette.

"They must have some special characteristic for them to lose the ability to fly. Evolution would not give up an advantage unless some bigger advantage is obtained," Percy commented.

"You are right Perseus. They do have a striking ability that set them apart from their alphas."

Ananke didn't elaborate further while the four of them looked at her blankly.

"Come on, you have to s that now. You can't keep us in the dark after telling something like that," whined Percy.

The goddess laughed which reminded Zoe of trilling birds in the forest. Charles cracked a grin because Percy broke character for the first time in a long time. Even Zoe and Silena had to smirk. It was nice to see Percy going back to his old habits from time to time no matter how quirky they were.

"Fine… I will tell you. These creatures have the unique ability to eat ore and separate them to their constituent elements. Mind you that this would not work with organic materials. This ability was what drew the invaders into their homes. These creatures would have furthered their industrial might and increased their galactic power. But it all went downhill because they couldn't be tamed unless you controlled the kirai and those creatures would rather die than to be under the yoke of another. After that their eco-systems failed and the whole world died because of it."

Zoe and Silena felt tears in their eyes after listening to Ananke. These creatures had a natural ability which another race wanted to exploit. And since they couldn't exploit it, they destroyed their homes and left them to extinction. It seemed like petty conflicts like this wasn't just native to their world. Wherever they went, species that had power always subjugated and enslaved the lesser ones.

"What was the ritual you talked about?"Zoe asked slowly.

Ananke swiped her hand and more than three hundred eggs appeared around them. They were separated into three clusters. Each egg was the size of a football and was of varying colors. None of the eggs were similar to one another as vine like patterns decorated the shells.

"You three come here," Ananke ordered to Charles, Zoe and Percy. "Go to the clutch that call you the most."

The trio walked to the three clusters much like they did when they were drawn to their familiars.

"Silena dear, why don't you join Charles with his? I know the two of you will be joined together and build a family. What is his is yours. Am I correct?"

"Yes, my lady," Silena replied courteously and joined Charles at his side.

"Now cut your hands with these knives and smear your blood on all of the eggs in your cluster." Ananke provided them with a decorative knife that had runes covering every inch of its surface.

Zoe cut her hand and blood stared to pour out. Not wanting to contemplate how she still had blood when she had already died, she turned to the task at hand and started to smear her blood of the eggs. While the trio was engaged in the task Ananke was slowly muttering something that was most likely a spell that was part of the ritual. As soon as the blood touched an egg it glowed slightly and the blood was absorbed leaving a clear shell.

By the time Zoe turned back after finishing her task, Percy and Charles had already finished with theirs.

Zoe could already see the value of these creatures. In a world where automated machinery would most likely never exist, they were a gift. They could revolutionize any country that they resided in. Though she wished otherwise, these creatures would be a massive help in warfare. She didn't want to utilize them as beasts of burden because she knew that they were sentient and their cognitive ability was on par with that of a child. She swore to protect them and make her family do so as well because they would be the key for their dominance in their world.

Jealousy was the start of the decline of every civilization and she would protect their even if it meant to keep these majestic creatures a secret from the world.

Ananke muttered something and each of the felt that something had changed within them again.

"What was that?" Zoe asked after the tingling feeling went away.

"That was a pocket space created for each of you that is attached to your soul. All these eggs and the egg of your familiar will be store there. I also left some surprises for you to find when you open them. Once you open it, everything has to be taken out and you can't use it again. So make sure to open them at the right time."

"Finally… Perseus, I have something for you," Ananke vanished the eggs and summoned eight puppies.

"Puppies?" Percy questioned.

"Not just any puppies… these are the offspring's of your pet hellhound and Cerberus."

They were nothing like the pets they kept at home. They were more like wolf pups with their diamond shaped head, bushy tail and thin waist. All of them were pitch black. Only their eye color varied. Since Zoe had worked with wolves extensively, he could tell that these pups would be phenomenal by just a glace. Even if they cross bred the pups with normal dogs or wolves, they would still exceed the quality of the hunting wolves Artemis utilized. Plus if they had retained the abilities of their parents, they would turn out to be quite fearsome companions.

"What happened to Mrs. O'Leary? Percy asked in frantic as the puppies frolicked around him like he was their parent. Some even tried to climb up him by getting on their hind feet and placing their front paws on Percy's legs.

Percy immediately knelt down and the puppies gushed at him while he petted each and every one of them. Zoe could see that they had already formed a bond with Percy and they saw him as a part of their family.

"She perished during the attack. I don't think she would be reforming anytime soon. These pups are a new species, carrying both the traits of their mother and father. I believe that they would be best left in your care because they would be used as weapons if the immortals of your world knew of their existence."

Percy looked devastated. Zoe knew that his pet hellhound was one of the closest friends he had even though it was the size of a large garbage truck. The hound had come to visit him in many occasions during their stay in Elysium. Zoe too had grown attached to the overgrown dog and often laughed as it slobbered Percy up in its happiness.

"I will look after them," Percy said with determination. "But how will they come with us?"

With a wave of her hand, Ananke converted the puppies into shadows and they went inside Percy.

"They will be inside of you until you wish to call them out like the eggs. Once out they can't go back in," she replied.

"What else?" Charles asked after Percy settled down.

"Nothing, except to send you away. You three will be real siblings this time," she pointed at Percy, Charles and Zoe. "Learn all you can after your birth. I will give a heads up to your parents. Good luck my children."

"Wai… birth?" was all Percy could say before Zoe felt like she was being squeezed into a tunnel.

Ananke watched as they flew backwards at breakneck speeds and finally disappeared.

"It's time," she whispered and gradually faded away.

AN: And that's a close on the events on earth. Now to Westeros.

What do you think? Don't forget to review for they give me the motivation to continue.

Chapter 932 - 2