Divergent Path

Wings and Reluctant Family

Chapter 6: Wings and Reluctant Family

A feminine figure towered over Artemis' human form. She stood nearly seven feet tall, clad in a flowy dress decorated with the moving form of the universe. Every god and goddess in the throne room dropped to kneel in the direction of the figure, none faster than the king of the gods. But Percy still stood, transfixed by the shifting cosmos in front of him, watching supernovas give birth to nebulae and new stars. He tilted his head up, finding himself staring into kind, immensely powerful eyes.

"You're.. you're Chaos," he whispered, processing the impossibly ancient being standing only inches from him.

Yes. Her voice seemed to come from all directions. She spoke softly, but her gentle tone did little to hide the power she possessed. Percy finally caught up to the gods and went to kneel, but was stopped by Chaos, who signaled for the Olympians to rise as well. After returning to his throne, Zeus started to speak, an unfamiliar timidness in his normally confident voice.

"Lady Chaos, it is an honor for you to be here. But, may I ask, why have you come to accept a promise personally? It is foretold that your sacred vow is sealed with a light shake of the world itself," he said.

It is. But it has been millenia since anyone has sworn on my name, and this vow was taken by a demigod that I have had a unique interest in since what you call the Second Titan War. And with the war now coming to this universe, it is the best opportunity for me to bestow a gift as well.

In hushed tones, the council speculated about the gift Chaos could be referring to. Were they about to gain the creator of the universe itself as an ally for the war? Ares especially seemed to think so, giddy with excitement, wondering what kinds of weapons she had available at her disposal. Artemis held her doubts, but decided there was no harm in asking.

"My Lady, will you be on our side in the fight against your son?"

She felt strange asking this to the most powerful being in the universe, as if there would even be a "fight" if Chaos herself decided to intervene. The woman smiled sadly at the goddess of the moon.

I imposed heavy restrictions on myself long before I created this universe. I am incapable of directly enlisting on any side of a conflict, or my own contingencies will wipe this universe from existence.

Ares groaned quietly from his throne. He ignored the potential erasure of the world, mainly dejected that he wouldn't see any impossible feats of power from her. Artemis and most of the other gods simply nodded at the reasonable explanation.

But as the Creator, I am always on the side of life. Although I am very limited in my ability to contribute to a cause, what I can do is select a champion that I consider worthy of my favor.

Her eyes shifted to Percy, as did the rest of the room. He stood dumbfounded after he realized what she was implying.

"Wait, what? I-I don't know if that's the best idea, Lady Chaos. There are a bunch of other people, like my friends, that would be more worthy. O-or gods, too. Like Lady Hestia or Lady Artemis, they would both do a better job than I could," he stammered, in shock that the god of gods would place this kind of faith in him.

Attempting to reject the greatest gift ever offered in this room, downplaying his own achievements as well. How can you be this way, Perseus? Artemis thought to herself, surprised time and time again by the demigod's actions.

That only makes me certain of my choice. It is your character along with your prowess that moved me to this decision. You will be my champion.

Percy considered protesting again, but Chaos locked eyes with him. His body stiffened involuntarily and her eyes glowed a blinding white. Even the gods had to shield their vision from the shining light. Percy panicked slightly as he felt his body begin to change. Several seconds passed before the light disappeared. Percy's sight readjusted to the room's lighting while the gods awaited the results of the transformation.