The Sleeping God

...I hate chapter titles. so much

He didn't know how long he had been burning, only that it was okay as long as the heat never touched the precious thing held against his chest. 

He was falling too, lights and sounds so loud and bright they were impossible to take in, to hear anything, even his own thoughts over the cacophony. 

"You have to go. Zeus has sent an army, all of the monsters who you have defeated, titans that hate you and the beast rises in his pit. Its not safe, my son. Your sister will follow your mother and stepfather if you stay."  

"Yo, Perce.  We don't have any say over here so you'll need this. I stole it from Hera. Good luck, cousin." 

The apple burned his throat and set his blood to flame. 

"Who knows what it's like over there. What if you need light. Take this. I don't need it, not with my children cheering me on." 

"I will not win this war, but I will gladly fight for you, my son. Take my power." 

"I suppose you can have this as well. You'll be hopeless without my sneaking skills." 

"I suppose I can be gracious this one time, here. Use my power to bring people joy, Peter Johnson." 

"If we're giving him gifts, then I suppose I will join in. Through my power, the friends you make shall never be far, even after they cross." 

"Thank you brother." 

"Consider it payment for trying to kill him during the titan war." 

"What?" 

"If my husband is gifting you his power, then I will give you some of mine. May the forests never be barren with this gift." 

"What do you mean, Brother?"

"You need more than forests, dear. The fields will be golden with this gift." 

"Don't change the topic!"

"You're just trying to outdo my husband." 

"My daughter loved you, and you did her. Hopefully you will learn from my power and be as brilliant as her in battle. Know that you have earned my blessing, and respect and I miss her just as much as you."

"I may have liked Hazel best, but she would want you to have this. Here, Perseus Jackson, take the gift of magic, and bring mystery to your new home." 

"I don't have much to give, but if Estelle find love there, I give you the power to ensure she is never separated from them. I'm sorry I can't do more." 

"Ha! Take this, Perseus Jackson, and the beasts of the forest will call you friend." 

"Its time, Percy. Hold on to Estelle and don't let go. I love you my son." 

And then he was falling. 

Suddenly the noises stopped, and he was free falling, the wind whistling past his ears,the bundle still tight against his chest as he forced himself under the bundle and impacted the ground, cratering the earth and several trees, the scent of the ocean on the breeze along with the musk of upturned dirt. 

The last thing he heard before everything went dark, was voices speaking in a foreign tongue. 

_________________
He opened his eyes, struggling to focus on what was in front of him, to pull his consciousness back from the world and into a human form. 

It felt like he had been dreaming for years, of red-haired people that felt important and needed to be protected. 

If he ever got back home, he would kill Hermes for shoving that golden apple down his throat while he was distracted by his father's Zeus raised an army to kill you so we're sending you and you mortal sister away to another dimension as our final fuck you before the world is destroyed speech. 

Strands of magic whispered through the air, swirling around him and rustling the paper. 

He couldn't sense anyone in the building, but there were a couple outside, who were singing? Who knew what was up with that. 

Strands of folded paper dangled from the ceiling and attached to ropes that encircled the hard platform he had been laying on. 

Someone had changed his clothes, jeans and camp shirt replaced with elaborate robes that were distinctly Japanese. His clothes had been rather beat up, having been snatched out of a fight with a literal army of monsters by his father, a slumbering Estelle shoved in his arms as soon as he arrived in Atlantis. 

His hair had grown too, almost down to the small of his back, where his only weak point had once laid, but someone had been caring for it while he was unconcious, as it was smooth, and done in an elaborate braid with jeweled pins of various animals running down his black hair in a spiral to the end, the one on the back of his neck feeling distinctly like a pegasus. 

Looking around, he realized he was inside some sort of temple, recognizing the interior from some of Annabeth's brochures of places she wanted to go. 

The bed he had been laying on was situated directly across from the door, where Percy imagined an altar would be, and he immediately got a bad feeling that he may have somehow started a religion while unconcious. 

A child laughed outside the doors and memories suddenly raced back. 

Percy rolled off the altar, groaning as his knees hit the unforgiving stone floor and fought his way to his feet just as the door opened. 

Several people came in, mostly young girls not even teens, with dark red hair wearing red pants and white overcoats, carrying various trays with food and shiny bits of metal and pearls.

When they noticed he was up, they immediately started gasping in shock, kneeling on the floor in a deep bows. 
Hermes better hope Zeus killed him because I will. Percy swore. "Where is Estelle?" 

His voice echoed and the girls flinched, trembling as the true voice of a god, (which Percy was working through his rage for) rattled the building. 

Percy took a deep breath and reigned in the energy flowing under his skin, before repeating himself. "My apologies.. Where is the girl I arrived here with?" 

"Lady Hoshi?" One of the priestess said, not looking up but speaking at least.

Percy blinked. No one had mentioned becoming a god meant you understood multiple languages, because he was pretty sure he hadn't spoken Japanese until ten second ago. "Yes. Where is she?" 

"If you will allow me, Sleeping God, I will fetch her for you." 

"Do so." Percy said, sitting back down on the altar, already resigned to whatever he had been up to while unconcious. Weirder things had happened. Didn't Dionysus party so hard he became a god? He wasn't sure power napping was the same but he was starting to become concerned. 

The girl, who couldn't have been more than eight, scampered off. 

"The rest of you can stand. That can't be comfortable." Percy said, sympathizing with the followers of Olympus, who wouldn't stand up until the Olympian had passed.
Percy reached out and used his enhanced senses to follow the priestess that had left. It felt like how he would sense water, but instead of just the liquid, it was everything, including life, if the golden silver ball of light in everyone's chest was what he thought it was.
 
The other priestesses were just getting up when the youngest priestess came through the door, an older woman leaning on her for support. 

The woman had long brown hair streaked with grey and when she looked up, it was with familiar blue eyes, the same eyes he had seen on his mother. 

"Estelle?" He said, shock in his voice. "How long was I-" 

"Almost 80 years, Percy. I missed you."