Chapter 21: Percy meets Odin
"Jackson had returned to New York. He had gone alone to Olympus while the others went to talk to Chiron. Upon entering, he saw a tall man with an eyepatch, two crows on his shoulder, as well as a cane. He was a beast in a black suit with a tie, short gray hair like his beard, and two wolves by his side.
"Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon and Sally Jackson," the man said, looking at Percy. He froze, feeling a greater pressure than with Ares, making it difficult for him to breathe or string together words.
"Yes, sir, who are you?" Percy managed to say, struggling to speak.
"Ah, true. I am Odin, the Father of All," the man said with a surge of power.
"Are you the God who watched over us on the trip?" Percy asked, gasping for air.
"Ah, sorry about that. You can now breathe normally. To answer your question, no, it wasn't me; it was my son, Erik, who was watching over you," Odin said with a smile. He turned to look at the person at the reception.
"What was it? You open that door, or I'll blow up the entrance," Odin said, his staff changing into a golden spear, pointing at the person. The guy quickly opened the elevator, muttering, "Greeks, always disdaining everyone and terrible service. My hotel has better things."
"Then, sir, there are more Gods?" Percy asked Odin.
"Quite a few. We meet on Saturdays to play cards. Shangdi from China, Vishnu from India, Huitzilopochtli from the Aztecs, among others, Mr. Jackson. Most of them are here," Odin explained, giving Percy a headache.
"So, are there more kids like me in the world?" Percy asked, surprised.
"Oh no, only a few, which you can count on one or two hands, depending on the time and pantheon. The Greeks, well, that's another topic. You don't know the birth systems," Odin said, leaving Percy with a sense of wonder about his stay in Hermes' cabin.
"Why did your son watch over us, Lord Odin?" Percy inquired.
"Mmh, it's a complicated topic, boy. You'll know when I talk to Zeus," Odin said as they arrived at Olympus, where magnificent palaces made of marble and gold awaited them.
Inside, giant figures sat on thrones, with one empty seat filled with swords and weapons. Zeus, in a navy blue diplomatic stripe suit with a platinum throne and a gray trimmed beard, sat beside a god who looked very different, dressed like a permanent sandpiper in Key West. He wore leather sandals, khaki shorts, and a Bahamian T-shirt with coconuts and parrots.
Percy approached the thrones and said, "Father," without raising his head.
"You shouldn't go to the master of the house first," Zeus bellowed.
"Peace, brother," Poseidon intervened, but Zeus was not placated.
"You continue to claim it, to the spawn you gave despite the oath," Zeus said angrily, while Odin coughed.
"Thalia Grace, December 21, 1988, Los Angeles, California, Mother Beryl Grace, brother Jason Grace. Do you want me to continue? The one who breaks oaths is not exactly Poseidon or Hades since the hero was born on August 18, 1993," Odin said, smiling at Zeus, who became angry. A woman looked at him with hatred.
"Odin, what are you doing in my domain?" Zeus said, standing up and facing Odin. Odin's suit changed into terrifying black armor. His staff became a magnificent spear, and he advanced, creating a terrifying atmosphere.
"What am I doing in your domains? We warned you after the Second World War. All the other Gods did not want more Greek disputes. Forgive us for the war of independence, secession, the first world war, and the second world war. But your tantrum seriously affected several seals, especially that of some old acquaintances. Do you remember Serapis? Or do I have to remind you what happened and how many Gods he devoured when we had to intervene?" Odin said, causing panic among the Gods.
"Besides, my son helped solve all your problems. Jackson, did Hades give you anything?" Odin asked, pulling out a laptop.
"Yes, he gave me this," Percy said, taking a flash drive, which a crow promptly brought to Odin.
Odin created a table, opened the laptop, and said, "Now, how does this go?" He took out a notebook and put on reading glasses.
"Okay, click here, not there," Odin began to curse a couple of times in a language that Percy didn't understand.
"Jackson, come here. You know how to use this," Odin said as Jackson approached and looked for the pendrive with a video.
"Jackson, let's start," he said, and the video showed Erik's fight with Ares, how he defeated him, and how Ares was forced to reveal the truth. Like a camper, he betrayed everyone.
"That would explain why Ares is not present. Now, analyzing all the clues, Ares' intention is obvious: to start a large-scale war," said a woman who resembled Annabeth.
Zeus roared Ares' name in anger, shaking the ground, but Ares did not appear.
"He will not appear. He was injured in the duel against Jackson and was attacked by Hati and Sköll when they found out who he works for and the curse he gave to Jackson," Odin explained, upsetting Poseidon.
"You claim that my son was used," Zeus said with disdain.
"Yes, Erik, my son, discovered that both Jackson and Ares had dreams induced by their father. The only difference is that Jackson resisted them as a hero, while another boy named Luke Castellan is on the side of Kronos," Odin revealed, leaving the room in stunned silence. Hermes looked ready to go find his son.
"He is dead. We killed my father," Zeus said furiously.
"Sealed, seals are not forever. When was the last time they were checked or renewed? There is a difference between killing a being and sealing it," Odin said.
"Never," Athena responded, realizing that the seals had never been checked.
"That's why the seals need to be monitored. Perhaps they think we're not adding bindings to Fenris," Odin said with disdain.
"Now that everything is clear, I must warn you, Zeus, to keep an eye on your affairs. Don't expect us not to act if the end of the world breaks out," Odin said before leaving. But at the exit, he turned around.
"Ah, Perseus, I honor you as a hero. When you are in your darkest moment, your friends will help you overcome the toughest adversities. You never walk alone, and there are always people behind us. When the time comes, trust that person," Odin said, and Percy glowed as he walked away.
Things became heated when Zeus forced me to return the master bolt. When I returned it, I took it out of my backpack.
"Matter concluded. I have to go purify this lightning in the waters of Lemnos to cleanse the human stain from the metal," Zeus said, standing up and looking at me. His expression softened slightly. "You've done me a great service, boy. Few heroes would have achieved so much."
"I had help, a lot of help. Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase," Percy said.
"To show my gratitude, I will spare your life. I don't trust you, Perseus Jackson. I don't like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus, but for the sake of peace in the family, I will let you live," Zeus declared.
"One more thing: you fly again, and I will disintegrate you with this," Zeus warned, moving the Master Bolt and making everything shake before disappearing in a lightning bolt.
Afterward, Percy and his father talked about Cronus and his mother. She was waiting for him at the exit of the Empire State Building, watching them just in case. They arrived with Gabe Ugliano, who had been released because he paid his bail. Sally was about to take him to a very beautiful place, and when I say beautiful, I mean infernally hot, like tossing him straight into Muspelheim and having him roasted alive, two birds with one stone: stinking up that place for eternity and getting rid of the idiot.
"Calm down, boy. Your destiny is foretold," a voice said behind Percy, and he smelled the sea.
"Lord Poseidon, Lord of the Seas," Percy greeted him.
"Erik, Son of Odin," Poseidon said, to which Percy made an ugly face.
"Bad relationship with your father?" Poseidon asked, surprised.
"Meh, the same one they had with Cronus, only he wants me dead more than in his stomach," Percy replied.
We watched as Percy returned to camp. We were the first to return alive since Luke, which was terrifying. Chiron approached us when we were more relaxed.
"Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, you've done an excellent job solving the Zeus lightning theft case," Chiron praised.
"We couldn't have done it without help from the Son of Odin," Percy acknowledged.
"Wait, it was a Son of Odin who helped us," Grover realized.
"Chiron, sir, I knew from the beginning that he helped us," Annabeth confessed.
"Yes, Grover, a Son of Odin. To answer your question, Annabeth knew. My old friend Mimir told me that he was sent on a mission to investigate the origin of the disturbances, and on top of everything, he gave me something for you three," Chiron explained, taking out a package.
The three of them opened it and found Lotus Hotel and Casino Platinum Cards.
"They are safe. They are the spoils of war. And there is another thing: this is a secret that you will only know when you put a drop of your blood on these runes, and you cannot share it with anyone, not even your parents," Chiron added, giving them three runes.
"What are these?" Percy asked.
"Runes, one of the ways of using magic in the Norse tradition. This one is Dagaz, representing changes, transformations, or new beginnings. Remember that what you see is a secret," Chiron instructed.
The three nodded and looked at each other, wondering who would dare to use the rune first.
"Who goes first?" Grover asked, glancing between Percy and Annabeth.
Percy and Annabeth exchanged glances, and Annabeth said, "Go ahead, seaweed brain," handing him her knife.
"Because I," Percy said, pricking his finger and touching the rune with his blood. He fell silent for a second.
"Wow, that's cool," Percy said, surprising the others.
"What did you see? How did it feel?" Annabeth asked, excitedly.
"Try it," Percy said, passing her the dagger, and she cut her finger.
"Holy gods," she exclaimed. Finally, it was Grover's turn, who nearly fainted when he discovered the bar.
Erik was relaxing on the 3rd floor of the bar, lying on his bed, watching TV quietly when the doorbell rang. Erik went downstairs and found Samirah with a small bruise on her cheek.
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