You walked into the stables and looked at the two spare stalls, where the two perytons resided. One preened it's feathers, not even offering you a glance. The other tilted its head and stared at you curiously.
"Hello." You said. The feathered stag blinked.
You are not of Pompeii. It replied in a rich feminine voice.
Alright, they have antlers whether they're a girl or a boy. Good to know. You thought to yourself.
"Um, yes. Er, no. I'm not a child of the Gods of Pompeii. I'm a Greek demigod."
Ah. The peryton regarded you with an amused expression. It has been many years since I have met one of your kind.
"How many?"
A couple thousand years, give or take. She let this sink in. The Greeks and Romans knew us once. Your gods gave us names. There are only twenty-four perytons in existence...we are named for the letters of your alphabet. I am Epsilon.
"Only twenty-four? Did there use to be more of you?" Epsilon made a soft braying noise...perhaps the peryton equivalent of a laugh.
No. We were created to be the steeds of the Olympian gods, Greek and Roman. We are invincible, immortal. I was once the goddess Athena's ride.
"What happened?" You asked.
When Mount Olympus was removed from Europe, the perytons were left behind. It was an accident, but we found a new home with the Gods of Pompeii, who had also been sidelined.
"How sad." You murmured. Epsilon tossed her head, causing the watching pegasi to nicker nervously at the sight of her massive antlers.
We have moved past it. Yet here I am, talking to the daughter of my former rider's greatest rival.
"Oh." You said awkwardly. "You didn't like Poseidon, I guess."
I never liked any of the gods, only the goddesses. Female perytons will only speak to other creatures if they are also female. Likewise for males. That is why he won't talk to you. Epsilon said, pointing her nose at the other peryton, who was still preening his feathers.
That is Omikron, former steed of Mercury. Do not try to convince him to speak with you...it is considered rude.
"I have a brother, Percy. Will he talk to him?"
He should. Epsilon turned her head toward the open stable door. You followed her gaze to where Leo stood.
Omikron is usually quite gentle. He might even speak your language to that boy if left alone with him.
"Alright. I'll see if he's up to it."
I shall speak to you again soon, I hope. Epsilon said, nodding her head to you and trotting to the back of her stall to eat some hay. You walked over to Leo.
"The twin's chariot should be easy to fix. How 'bout these guys?" You grinned.
"Well, they only talk to humans the same gender as them. That one's a boy-" you said, pointing to Omikron. "And he'll talk to you if I leave you alone with him." Leo's eyes widened.
"Let me get this straight. This day started out with me riding a pegasus. And now you want me to speak with a feathery stag-eagle that crashed in the camp."
"Pretty much."
YOU ARE READING
Running with You (Leo Valdez x Reader)
FanfictionSequel to Fighting for You. It's been two months since (Y/n) and Leo survived their quest together. Everything has been pretty normal since then, but that's about to change. When a chariot pulled by two giant winged stags crash lands in Camp Half-Bl...
