The Vanishing Hero

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Normality

3RD PERSON POV

Percy has been traveling throughout Canada for the past year training and fine tuning his birthright abilities to unmatched potential. He began training with temperature manipulation of water on his own finding no success. Frustrated, he steeled his determination and took a step back to try simply controlling ice. Not creating it on his own or manipulating nearby water to cool to the solid state, but starting with the snow itself. It was straining work. His muscles were aching constantly, but after some time he was able to use the snow to create barriers and shapes to his liking. However he couldn't take the water itself and manipulate its state of matter. That is, until he met someone he hoped he wouldn't come across again.

~Flashback~

Percy had been out in the cold wilderness of Canada for 2 months on his own finally being able to manipulate the snow that coated the forest on his own, but was still unable to take the water from the flowing stream and turn it to ice or steam. Beyond frustrated, he let out a massive yell before falling on his back in the snow and sighing deeply.

"Well, look at how the little hero has turned out." He snapped up and drew Riptide at inhumane speeds and took up a defensive position against the voice. "Relax hero, if I wanted to kill you, I would've already done it."

"Khoine." he growled. "What do you want? I already put Gaea back in her slumber, there's no need to fight me now." "Tsk. Tsk." she clicked with a smirk on her face making Percy feel very uneasy. "After you demigods managed to escape me and I heard word of Gaea's slumber, I simply returned to my ice palace to escape retribution from the Olympians." Percy eased up slightly at this, but still remained on guard. "So, what do you want?" he nearly spat at her. "I see you're exploring the extent of your father's powers and trying to manipulate the ice. I wish to offer you a deal." Khoine said with a sickly sweet smile on her face.

Percy narrowed his eyes and motioned for her to continue."If you can defeat my annoying brothers in combat, I will train you." Percy stared at her wide-eyed before narrowing them again and asked, "And pray tell, why would you want me to defeat them? How do I know this isn't a trap?" She chuckled lightly at this and said, "Again hero, if I wanted you dead, then you would be. Besides, my brothers are annoying brutes who bicker with each other all day and then complain to me about it."

Percy weighed his options. On one hand, he would progress much faster with the Goddess of Ice and Snow directly training him. But what was to stop her and her brothers from keeping him trapped and torturing him for his exploits in the Second Giant War? After contemplating for 5 minutes, he had his answer. "Alright Khoine. But you must swear on the Styx this isn't a ploy to capture and torture me." She rolled her eyes at the demigod and said "I swear it on the Styx." Thunder rumbled in the background and she flashed him to her palace.

Percy's fight with the brothers of the snow goddess wasn't the hardest he had been in. Not by a long shot. But trying to adapt on the fly to the icy ground while dodging strikes from the two gods wasn't all sunshine and rainbows either. Eventually he saw his opening. He blasted one of the brothers with a high pressured stream of water to buy time as he parried the strike of the other and disabled him, hitting the hilt of his katana to the temple. He fell like a sack of bricks. He then rushed the disoriented brother whom he blasted with water and slipped into his guard with one of his throwing knives at the god's throat and his katana at the back of his neck.

Khloine stood from her throne and clapped at the display of skill shown by the demigod that wasn't present years ago. "Rest now Perseus. Tomorrow we begin your training." And she flashed him to a room where he proceeded to collapse onto the bed and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.