[Room 210, Jackson Residence, Montauk Apartment, Montauk...]
The sea hummed softly outside their home in Montauk, its rhythm steady, unchanging—at least to mortal eyes. But inside the apartment, the air felt heavy. For in that very apartment room held beings not like any of the gods of this world. Eldritch beings older than those imperfect Greeks.
Sally Jackson stood near the window, her fingers tracing the glass with words of an unknown language as if trying to hold back something vast and endless pressing from the other side. The glow in her eyes—one blue like the ocean, the other gold like a dying sun—flickered faintly, and it made the entire room shiver slightly. Then, glowing words started to appear and spread throughout the apartment room. It sealed off the room from outside interferences.
Percy exchanged a glance with Adamas and Aidoneus, who was sitting by the dining table, silent, her gaze sharp and a bit uneasy while Aidoneus lounged on the couch in his teenage form, his expression the same as his former siblings as well.
Aidoneus broke the silence first. "Poseidon, Adamas, how did you both end up like this?"
They both explained everything that had happened to them. From their deaths to their childhood to Sally to their time in Camp Half-Blood to when they entered the Underworld. He listened to them with rapt attention.
Aidoneus, seeing that they were also asking him about his situation, also told them about his own death. Upon hearing that he died during his fight against Qin Shi Huang in Ragnarok, both Percy and Adamas unleashed their killing intent until both Aidoneus and Sally calmed them down. He then continued his story, from his own arrival to how he met both Hades and the Constellation who's divine aura is also similar to his as well.
Percy and Adamas, after remembering about the three new Constellations who were watching their own journey in retrieving Zeus' lightning bolt and rescuing Sally, both came to the conclusion that one of them might be another alternate version of their brother.
After explaining each of their own stories, Percy turned to Sally.
"Mother," Percy said finally, voice careful. "What happened to you?"
Sally turned to look at them. The smile she gave was kind, but it didn't reach her eyes. It's like she's looking through a screen. "What do you mean, dear?"
"You're... different," Adamas murmured. "Your appearance changed. You also look and feel more divine than the Greek gods of this world."
Aidoneus straightened, his tone low. "I also sense no mortal thread in you anymore, Sally Jackson. Your divine essence feels more ancient than the forces of this world."
Sally took a deep breath. "Please, just call me Aunt Sally like Ada here, Aidoneus. As to my new look, when I was trapped in the Underworld, something found me. No—something remembered me. I began seeing flashes of other lives, other "stories". Pieces of things I couldn't and shouldn't possibly know. And then, slowly, I realized those fragments weren't just dreams or figments of imagination. They were memories."
Percy frowned. "Memories of what?"
She smiled faintly. "Of creation itself. Of ink and story, or of digital codes in zeroes and ones. I started to feel the world bending whenever I spoke, or even write. I could nudge things—events, destinies. Change their order. And when I tested it, the stars and the worlds listened."
Adamas blinked, her voice soft but trembling. "You can change fate."
Sally nodded. "Not exactly as how the Fates do, but as the one who writes them. It's like I can reach into the core of the world and rewrite a single sentence. When I do, everything rearranges itself to make sense of that one change."
Percy's hand trembled slightly. "Mother, are you saying that you're—"
"I am an A■■."
Her words suddenly dissolved. The sound fractured, sharp and wrong, as if a tv just broke and no programs could be shown, only white noise.
The world froze. Air thickened, color drained. Every living beings existing within this universe could feel like gravity was weighing heavily on them. Even the ticking of the clock stuttered into silence.
Percy clutched his head. "Sh*t. What—what was that?"
Adamas pressed her palms against her ears. "D*mn it! I can't hear what she was saying. It's like the universe itself refuses to let us hear it." Despite me being her R■■.
Sally tried again, her voice trembling. "I am an A■■."
The sound warped again. Her mouth moved, but the meaning was erased, as if censored by a greater script.
Aidoneus stood up. "Aunt Sally, it looks like you're being silenced. That's not just mere power nor divine intervention. Some higher being has purposely censored your own words.."
Sally's golden eye dimmed. "Then it looks like I am not the only one in this universe."
Despite the barrier being set up, a soft wind slipped through the open window, scattering pages of an unfinished manuscript on her desk. The pages flickered between blank and written, as if two realities were fighting over what story should exist.
●
●
●
[2 days later, at Camp Half-Blood...]
Under his mother's pleading, both Percy and Adamas returned to Camp Half-Blood, with Aidoneus following besides them. The recent events—the prophecy, the fights, the stolen items, the manipulation of fate—still weighed heavily on him. The three felt the eyes of the camp on him as they walked towards Chiron, though no one dared to approach them. Everyone in camp could sense the change in both Adamas' and Percy's auras. They were also curious of the new person besides them, whose aura is also as powerful as the duo. His own appearance immediately caught their attention.
Chiron awaited at the Big House entrance, his expression calm but alert. "Perseus, Adamas," he said, his voice carrying the quiet authority of a centaur who had seen more wars and quests than most demigods could imagine. "You're back." He then turned his attention to Aidoneus. "And who is this young man in here?"
Perseus just ignored him in favor of reading his mother's new manuscript. Adamas was about to answer when Aidoneus held her shoulder to stop her. He introduced himself instead. "I take it you are Chiron, yes? I am Aidoneus Vasiliás Inferis, and I am both Adamas' and Perseus' older brother. I've heard of you from them."
This made Chiron confused. Brother? With their different surnames? But when he remembered how both Adamas and Percy acted during their time in Camp Half-Blood, he decided not to voice out his thoughts.
Later that evening, Grover came by. "G-Guys, I'm h-heading out to continue my search for Pan," he stuttered a bit, voice casual but heavy with purpose. He was about to put his hand to both Adamas and Percy's shoulder until he felt a heavy aura. He saw Percy and, for some reason, Aidoneus, glaring at him. Well, Aidoneus was only smiling softly at him if it weren't for the killing intent that he released.
Annabeth, after having reconciled with her family, stopped by as well. She gave the four a nod, her own expression reflecting relief and trust. "Stay sharp, Grover," she said softly. "I have to go as well and do my own things. I have a bad feeling that something bad might happen."
Both Adamas and Aidoneus watched the two leave. Percy, in a very rare moment of mercy, actually looked at them both, with an unreadable expression on his face.
The camp was safe, for the moment, but the threads of fate were fraying—and somewhere beyond the camp, someone else was already making their next move.
The three decided to stay in the forest. Percy continued his reading with Adamas and Aidoneus also getting a portion of the new manuscript to read and edit it as well. Soon, they realized weren't alone. At the edge of the training grounds in the forest, Luke Castellan trained with his new sword, Backbiter, slicing through practice dummies with lethal precision.
The three narrowed their eyes. Adamas nod in confirmation.
It's time for the final part of the prophecy to commence.
●
●
●
The three approached Luke with a purpose. They emit a bit of an air of authority all over them.
Luke paused, turning toward them with a faint, forced smile, his tension obvious to the siblings. "Perseus," he said, voice calm but edged with something darker. "I see your journey has been treating you well."
Percy and Adamas faced him. Aidoneus decided to lean his back to one of the trees, observing everything with interest.
Luke's grin widened, understanding the reason why they approach him. "I suppose it's time you guys knew the truth. You see, this isn't just about me betraying you both who I considered as my friends, despite your indifference to me, Perseus. It's about the failure of Olympus, the wasted efforts of their so-called heroes. And for that, they must pay the price."
A sharp snap of his fingers interrupted him. From the pit beside them, a scorpion the size of Percy's hand leapt, its stinger glinting like obsidian. Percy's and Adamas' eyes narrowed as they realized what he was planning to do and what the last prophecy entailed.
Luke nodded toward the creature. "They're fast. Fifteen-foot jumps. The stinger can pierce through steel and can kill you in a minute. Consider this a demonstration."
Percy reacted immediately, dodging with ease, summoning his trident, and slicing the scorpion with a clean stroke. The venom never reached him. Adamas manipulated her aura to trap Luke. Both of them pointed their weapons at his neck, the blades nearly piercing through him and his neck bleeding.
Luke's expression darkened and he shivered with fear as well and he began to speak again. "Don't think that I act alone. Lord Kronos's whispers have guided me. I stole the Master Bolt and Hades' Helm during the winter solstice because I believed the gods would never change. I thought, if I forced their hands, war would come, and Olympus would crumble."
Percy's eyes narrowed. Adamas questioned him, "And the hellhound at the camp back then? That was part of this too?"
Luke nodded carefully, blood flowing down from his neck. "Yes. It was meant to instill fear, to push you onto the path you were meant to take. However, you," His voice faltered slightly. "You interfered. Your indifference. Your take on the entire thing like it's nothing to you. Those ruined a part of my plan. You were supposed to follow our plan for you and brought the lightning bolt to Tartarus."
Percy exhaled, his face frowned as he remembered how the quest endangered his mother. "I see. So the betrayal, the theft, the chaos—it was all orchestrated by you because you felt wronged by Olympus. By your very own daddy dearest."
Luke's eyes glimmered with anger and regret. "He's not my father! I wanted justice. Lord Kronos promised me freedom from their endless cycles of sacrificing heroes. However, you and Adamas were both in the way of my goal."
Luke's form began to blur, shifting and vanishing into thin air. "The next move is yours," Luke's voice echoed, fading.
Percy lowered his trident, unleashing his own divine aura to bring down Luke. His aura then forcefully enveloped around his body and Luke realized that he couldn't escape. He could feel his aura slowly piercing through his limbs like acupunctures poked through him with a force of a 4kg sledgehammer.
"GAHHHHHH!!!"
Luke then can feel a sudden emptiness on his right side and he realized that Adamas cut off his entire right arm to the elbow.
Luke screamed in pain. Tears streamed down his face as he could feel the immense pain of his right arm being cut off. Despite the pain, he spouted some bullsh*t. "Y-You should t-thank m-me. Every time I l-live, those g-gods tremble. M-Maybe the u-universe is trying to t-tell you s-something, Perseus, Adamas."
Percy's eyes darkened in annoyance. "Filthy human garbage like you has no right to lecture me."
Percy moved. As he was about to swing his trident to cut off his head, Adamas felt something disturbing. The flow of 『reality』 suddenly moved like a tempest. She felt her own domain shivered in confusion.
Then she sensed it.
An edit to the script.
Percy's final strike should have ended it. Sally's manuscript itself demanded Luke's death. But the air shivered.
Percy froze mid-motion. The trident hovered inches from Luke's neck. The color drained from the world again accompanied by a sudden white noise.
Adamas staggered as she felt her ears bled from the white noise. "What the f*ck?! Why did the plot change?!"
Miles away, in Montauk, Sally dropped her pen. A page of her manuscript on her desk began glowing lilac. The ink bled across the paper, words rewriting themselves in real-time.
She tried to rewrite the words and imbued her pen with more than half of her divine aura but for some reason, her access to that particular page was blocked.
"No. No! Who changed my script?!" she cried, fighting against an invisible force editing her own work.
The ink twisted into new words:
Łᵾꝁɇ ȻȺsŧɇłłȺn đøɇs nøŧ đɨɇ. Ŧħɇ wøɍłđ sŧɨłł nɇɇđs ħɨs sħȺđøw.
Sally's pulse quickened. Her hand gripped her pen tightly. "You're rewriting my work!"
The words twitched again, writing another line.
「You changed too much, Sally Jackson. Luke Castellan must not die. It will be boring if he's gone in one arc.」
A blue hologram appeared right in front of her. A voice—echoing, distant, disembodied—spoke from both everywhere and nowhere.
She gritted her teeth. "Who are you?"
「Let's just say, someone who wants chaos to happen in stories.」
The light from the page exploded outward, shaking the room. When it cleared, the ink settled. The final line glowed faintly:
Łᵾꝁɇ ȻȺsŧɇłłȺn łɨvɇs.
Sally stared, horrified. "Someone's editing my 『manuscript』."
Aidoneus, who was originally with the duo, appeared beside her after sensing a sudden change in the current world, shadows swirling in his wake. "Another being with a similar power to you," he murmured. "You must be careful, Aunt Sally. I can sense that they're far stronger than you."
Sally's voice was a whisper as she agreed to Aidoneus' warning. "Alright."
She gripped her pen tight, her teeth gritted in anger. Why did they change my manuscript when it's not their own work? Just who are they?
●
●
●
[Meanwhile, in Olympus...]
Thunder rolled. The skies darkened—not from storm, but from a narrative fracture.
Zeus stood in the grand hall, eyes burning like wildfire. "What is this distortion I sense?!"
Poseidon appeared beside him, face grim. "Even I don't know. My domain shifted—a disturbance within my very own territories."
Athena's holographic form shimmered to life. "The Moirai themselves are silent. Even they do not know the source."
Ares growled. "I feel a disruption of my own domain."
Apollo's voice cut through the tension, softer but unnervingly calm. "No. I feel like something has changed. Almost as if someone else was controlling our actions."
Hermes appeared next, leaning against a pillar, face pale. "Luke, my son, he should have died. I felt it—his soul slipping past the threshold, my connection with him almost entirely cut off. But now he's alive. Like someone has changed his fate."
Hera's gaze darkened. "Someone dared to alter destiny."
Zeus clenched his fists. Lightning webbed between his knuckles. "Just who do they think they are?! Only the Fates have that right!"
Poseidon's tone was quiet. "Not anymore, brother. I think this goes beyond Olympus."
A hologram suddenly appeared in front of every Olympians, the voice echoed through the hall, something more ancient than the Olympians.
「The s■■ has shifted. There are now new forces joining in to c■e the s■■ as they pleased.」
A tremor ran through the marble floor. For the first time in millenniums, every Olympian—every god and goddess—felt fear.
Zeus snarled, lightning splitting the sky outside. "Who dares to—"
「—write you.」
The hologram and voice vanished.
Thunder broke the silence. Poseidon turned toward the sea beyond the clouds, his expression unreadable. "The tides of fate, are no longer the Moirai to command."
●
●
●
[Elsewhere, The World In A Glitch...]
Across the mortal realm, reality itself began to stutter.
Camp Half-Blood's barrier flickered in and out of existence. Nymphs whispered that the stars above were moving backwards. Mortals near New York swore the moon blinked twice, then reset back to a crescent.
Percy's memories scrambled—his mind flashing between versions of events. He could remember killing Luke... and remember sparing him.
Adamas clutched her head. "This reality is breaking. Some higher forces are trying to change everything."
Percy gasped, grounding himself against a tree. "It feels like... I'm being rewritten."
From the distance, the sound of the ocean grew louder, harsher. The skies trembled with trepidation. The ground lightly shakes—an echo of Sally's will fighting to stabilize what little she could.
"Mother," Percy whispered. "what is she doing?"
Adamas' gaze turned toward the horizon, where the stars quivered and rearranged themselves into unfamiliar constellations. "She's trying to protect this version of the world."
Aidoneus reappeared beside them, his expression grim. "Aunt Sally was having trouble in stabilizing this world. Another being with similar power to hers but stronger was trying to erase it."
The earth rumbled beneath their feet.
The sky cracked, briefly revealing an expanse of infinite script—ink and stars bleeding into one another.
Adamas' silver eyes widened in horror. "If this continues, the universe will collapse. Neither any of us, even Aunt Sally will remain."
Percy lifted his gaze to the heavens, where lightning and text danced together in divine confusion.
"Then we stop them," he said.
Adamas met his eyes, voice soft but resolute. "And how do you fight the hands that write you?"
Percy's lips curved into a grim smile. "Simple. We rewrite ourselves first."
The wind howled. The stars burned. And the universe began to tremble under the weight of two clashing A■■s.
●
●
●
●
●
●
『Book 1 (Arc 1) End』
To be continued...