𝒮𝑒𝒸𝑜𝓃𝒹
"Myths Change, History Forgets, Yet Golden Eyes Remain Ever Watching"

New Olympus. A bustling city where demigods, both Greek and Roman alike stood united. A unified demigod city to behold. Some were hurrying off to whatever responsibilities awaited them. Some were seated outside of restaurants, slowly sipping a cup of tea. 

Some were satyrs looking for the next Greek Half-Blood to bring back to the city. Some were water nymphs sitting by the lake. And even some were gods, minor, or major, in disguise. 

But there was one person who was unlike any other, even among gods.

He strolled through the city in leisure. His overcoat flowed behind him as he took in the sights. 

His topaz eyes perused the cityscape, feeling amusement at the architecture of New Olympus. 

This was but one of the instances where he spent his leisure time walking through the city. He still could feel a faint smile creeping every time he saw the safe haven of demigods. 

A hub of peace and prosperity. Where the cultures of Romans and Greeks collided in a beautiful fashion.

"Morning," an acquaintance greeted. Percy gave a small smile and a polite but curt nod of the head as he continued walking.

He strolled through the walkways, occasionally bumping into people he knew. They would exchange greetings, and he returned them in kind. Even taking a mere stroll through the busy city, he encountered some pleasant surprises in the short time he was out and about.

Sometimes, when talking to the people he met, he'd sometimes be reminded of his friends. From a past long gone. A constant what if that kept coming back in his long life.

 He shook his head and continued walking.

His walk came to a halt, standing outside a certain building that he was particularly familiar with.

Although he was sure to keep it low-key, the man was an outlier among the crowds of people in the city. An outlier even amongst gods.

In his long life, he witnessed many a tale. Where gods were usurped. Where kings were dethroned. Where tyrants were punished justly. And where kingdoms were born and burned to the ground. 

As the sun rose and fell through the thousands of years in his existence, his eyes remained ever watching, his ears ever listening. 

His wisdom and knowledge were more than all the people in the city combined, including the disguised gods among the populace. 

He was, after all, doing the same thing.

He witnessed mountains erode, seas dry up, and lands crumble beneath their feet. Nothing was safe from the passage of time.

He was a man of many experiences. A man who has lived many lives.

But there was one thing he hadn't done.

Try and live a mortal life.

Hence why he stopped at the front of a humble building nearing the edge of the city.

What was the building?

A coffee shop.

He was there for work.

Percy gave a small hum at the thought and went inside the building. 

He was immediately greeted with the familiar but cozy feeling that the coffee shop brought. He had been working at the coffee shop ever since it was built. He did, after all, establish the coffee shop. 

He had met countless people throughout the month. The coffee shop wasn't all too popular, but it had a steady flow of loyal customers who were nice and friendly. 

Living a mortal life was something that Percy hadn't experienced. And a person of his age, new experiences were the only thing that he looked forward to. Him being thousands of years old, he'd practically experienced everything.

"Early today?" asked a person near the counter, staring at Percy with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, let's just say I had nothing else to do."

He shrugged, "Who am I to judge, I got here earlier than you."

"Moving forward, I am quite surprised that you have the time to be here. Heard you were quite busy these past few days," mentioned Percy, hanging his overcoat on the coat rack.

"Had some free time and decided to check up on the good ol' coffee shop. How's it been by the way? You know you can hire some help right?" He raised his eyebrow.

"I'm quite aware. But I have yet to tire of working here. And besides, the shop isn't that popular to require new staff," he explained.

"True, true." 

"So how're things going with Calypso?" Asked Percy.

Leo's eyes lit up with excitement. "I'm planning on taking her out on a date tomorrow, any ideas on where?" 

Percy silently pondered, and a few seconds later opened his mouth for a response. "There's a small restaurant near here, directly beside the fountain."

"You've been there?"

"Indeed."

"Any tips on what to order? What to expect?"

Percy pondered his words "Sit near the balcony. I'd suggest you take her there at night. It's right near the lake. You can see the moon reflecting on the water giving the area a nice glow."

He clicked his tongue. "Gotcha."

"Anyways, are you perhaps going to help me set up the shop before opening? Or are you just going stand there?"

"Nah, I'd rather watch," joked the child of Hephaestus. "Kidding. I do owe you for that date suggestion."

"We better get on with it then," Leo stood up from the counter and cracked his knuckles.

And after a few minutes, and Leo almost setting something on fire, they were finally ready to open.

As the day went on, the two served the customers with whatever drink they liked. Most of the customers they already knew by name. Most of the customers were regulars and visited almost daily. Some visited weekly. And there were one or two new faces mixed in that wanted to try something new.

"It's been a while since I've served coffee, Jesus Christ my feet are killing me," he complained stretching his legs.

"You get used to it after a while."

The bell near the door chimed signaling a customer. 

The two turned towards the door, preparing for another customer.

A certain blonde with stormy grey eyes walked inside the shop, taking her surroundings. Her gaze drifted to the man in front of the counter.

"Oh, hello, we've met before haven't we?" She asked, turning to Percy. Said person gave a small nod.

"Yes, Miss Chase. The Museum. A few days ago," he replied politely.

Leo leaned in the counter, surprised. "Oh, so you two have met each other?" 

"Anyways, hey Annie!" Waved Leo.

"So this is where you sometimes sneak off to. I didn't know you ran a coffee shop," she crossed her arms.

"Hey! Jason also comes here, don't put all the blame on me! And besides, Percy is the one that usually runs it. We just drop by from time to time whenever we're free and help when we have nothing to do for the day," he explained.

"Anyways, are you even any good at making coffee?" She asked, concerned.

"Decent at best. He's usually the one that's in charge of making it. He makes the best brews!" The son of Hephaestus patted him on the back.

"Thank gods. I would've been way more concerned if you were the one making them," she joked.

"I take major offense to that."

"Good."

Right as Leo was about to make a retort, the door opened again, and in walked Calypso.

"Well that's my cue," clicked Leo's tongue.

"Hey," greeted Annabeth.

Calypso gave a small smile. "Didn't expect to see you here."

She shrugged. "Just wanted to try something new. You here for a drink?"

She shook her head. "Just coming to pick Leo up for something."

"Aww, how sweet," Leo said in a mocking baby voice.

"Never mind, I'm leaving." 

"Hey- Hey wait!" Shouted Leo as he scrambled to catch up to the now-outside Calypso.

"Truly a dynamic duo," Percy said, earning a small chuckle from the blonde beside him.

He turned his attention back to the customer in front of him. "So, anything in mind?"

"Uh..." mumbled the child of Athena. "Can I have a black coffee?"

"I'll get right on it," replied the incognito deity.

Percy turned around and started work on making the brew. He placed the coffee cup onto the counter behind him and made quick but expert work of it. 

"Judging by the books in your hand, the dark bags under your eyes, and the pencil placed atop your ear, I'd guess you're in real dire need of this cup," Percy noticed, grabbing the now-finished cup of hot coffee and carefully placing it in front of the counter.

"Right on," she sighed, looking at the cup in front of her.

"May I ask what's it about?"

She sighed taking one small sip of her coffee. "Something about Architecture."

"I have an idea of what I want to do, but I'm finding it so hard to make any sketches about it. And I'm lacking way too much info right now." She complained.

"What's your idea?"

"Something about the Five Ancients. But I'm finding so little information about them that it's getting on my nerves," she signed, frustrated.

"Ah, so that's why you were at the Museum," he recalled.

"Yeah. Learned a bit from it," she said. "But the only thing I know is that they purged the world of ancient monsters that rivaled gods. A long grueling battle of the ages, they say. Other people would do something based on that, but I feel like I'm missing something. Something to make it different from other interpretations."

"I feel like I'm literally about to explode," she groaned, rubbing her temples.

Percy chuckled. "It seems you have quite the predicament there."

"Right?" She said frustrated. "Most depictions of them are they were summoned, then purged the world of the worst of the worst. Then once they finished their tasks, their calling, they saw no reason to stick around, and promptly split. Never to be seen again."

"So others base it off of that, but I want to put my spin on it."

Percy nodded, opening his mouth for a reply.

"History is but a recollection of past events. A recording of the truth, so they say. But even then, it gets warped, the truth gets clouded, and the meaning gets hidden. They say that history is written by the victors, but even the texts that are written get warped by the passing of time."

"Stories may have strayed so far from their source that the whole thing might be a different story altogether."

"And so for a legend to exist for such a long time, interpretations are bound to sprout up. Each individual can believe what they want to believe."

"But if you ask me?" Pondered the bartender.

"I think they were more than just a group of people gathered for their collective calling. Something like a family, and less like mere acquaintances, don't you think?" 

"Who's to say some weren't even in a relationship?" Percy shrugged, wiping the countertop with a clean cloth.

"Of course, I'm but a bartender. My guess is as good as anyone."

Annabeth was silent, the gears slowly turning in her mind.

"You just might be on to something," she said, grabbing her pencil and writing something on her notepad.

She took one last sip of her coffee and grabbed her books. "You might have just given me an idea. Thanks!"

Percy smiled. "Anytime."

And she immediately dashed towards the door, ready to start whatever idea suddenly popped up in her mind.

---{+}---

"...das."

"mi..."

"Midas!" 

"Hey Midas!" 

Percy woke up, looking around groggily.

"You just missed it," groaned the voice from beside him.

"I dared Neptis to try and grab that apple from the tree without using any of her powers," explained the fire deity beside him. Ignis, the deity of fire explained, trying to recount what he just saw to the groggy primordial of the earth.

"She did make a valiant effort, let's be clear," answered the primordial of the sky, Celeste.

"Yeah, but did you see her faceplant?" He asked with a grin. "I've never laughed so hard in my life." 

"Let me guess, you enchanted the tree or something?" Levina, the primordial of lightning asked.

"Mhm. Well, sorta." He answered. "I superheated the tree right as she was about to grab the apple."

"Of course you did."

An angry deity of the seas came stomping to the group of four. If looks could kill, the fire deity would long be dead by now.

"I am this close to gutting you Ignis," she warned, anger evident in her voice.

"What did I do?" He feigned ignorance.

"Oh you know what you did," she seethed. 

"I have no clue."

"I'm about to rip your head off."

"Look Neptis calm down. Maybe the tree was just deceptively hot that you didn't notice it. Here you go blaming for everything-"

"Your symbol is still there dumbass."

"..."

He opened his mouth, trying to formulate an excuse.

Then promptly closed it.

"Uhh, global warming?"

The fire deity disappeared in a burst of flames, leaving nothing but a circle of scorched grass in his wake and a fuming sea deity.

"Oh he's so dead once he comes back," grumbled Neptis, the Monarch of the Seas.

The primordial of the skies laughed beside Percy as the primordial of lightning tried to calm her fuming friend.

"Those two are always at each others' throats," she chuckled.

"Never seem to go a day without Ignis getting on her nerves," noted Percy.

"Well, that's their charm I suppose," she shrugged. "Anyways, got a good nap?"

"It was alright."

"Well since you're already awake, fancy going on a stroll with me? Who knows, we might find a boar or something on our small stroll," she shrugged, standing up and offering a hand to Percy. He gladly accepted, hoisting himself up and dusting the dirt off of his clothing.

The duo left the fuming deity of the sea, and the primordial of lightning who was trying to calm down said deity of the sea and failing.

The duo walked through the grassy plains, the wind blowing softly, a light breeze sweeping through the valley, giving it a calm and serene feel. 

The Five Ancients were stationed at a valley of flowers where they chose to set up camp. When they first were tasked with purging the world of monsters, they settled on the valley, thinking their camp would be temporary.

Over time, they grew accustomed to it. Setting up their camp permanently. They made dining tables, small cabins where they could store equipment, and training areas where they could spar. 

Not only had they grown fond of it. The view of the valley was breathtaking.

"What's on your mind, Celeste?" Percy asked, breaking the silence.

She raised her brow. "Whoever said that I had something on my mind?" 

"If you didn't have anything to say, you wouldn't have asked for a walk," he deadpanned.

"True," she nodded.

Percy crossed his arms in stoic anticipation, awaiting her answer.

"Well, we're getting closer and closer to completing our duty with each passing day," she started to say.

Percy nodded. "It seems so. The earth is starting to bear more and more life for each demon we vanquish."

"And well," she started. "I'm kind of nervous about what would happen next."

"Next?" He asked with a raised brow.

"You know," she tried to say. "What's next? After all of this is over."

"What would we do? What would be our purpose? It makes me nervous, but also excited. For once, we wouldn't have to focus on fighting. On being a tool for war," she said with nervous excitement.

"So that's what's been bothering you lately," Percy noted.

"Aren't you at least a little bit worried or excited at the prospect?" 

"I'm going to be perfectly honest. I have not thought that far. It is rather difficult to think of tomorrow, when all our conscious moments, we need to be alert. We could always fall in battle." 

"Oh don't be like that," she slapped his shoulder.

"Anyways, I think we found our meal," she nudged him, pointing at the distance.

Quite a distance away was a deer that was peacefully grazing on the grass, not a care in the world. 

"Do you want to take it, or will I?" Asked the Overlord of the Earth, turning to the girl beside him.

"I got it," she said.

She held out her hands as a small throwing knife made out of the sharpest gales materialized in her hand. 

She clutched the magical weapon and threw it at the distance. 

The knife curved through the air like a homing arrow and hit the deer straight through the heart, killing it instantly. 

"Could've gone for the head. That would've been more impressive," he shrugged.

"Keep talking. We both know I could've gone for the head if I wanted to."

"Of course you do."

"Now since I got the kill, you may have the honor of carrying it back," she smiled, patting him on the back.

"Figures."

---{+}---

"This deer tastes so good!" Ignis exclaimed, feasting on his portion of the deer.

"It would've tasted even better if my left arm wasn't absolutely busted, right Neptis?" he glared at the primordial of the sea beside him. She stuck her tongue out.

"You really make the best meals Levina," complimented the primordial of the winds, taking a small sip from the cup beside her.

The Master of Thunder smirked. "Thanks. Quite proud of how this one turned out."

"It's truly nice how the flavor blends in together to make this meal truly an unforgettable one," mocked Ignis in an overly fancy voice.

"It sure would've been nice to use both my hands though," he slowly turned his head to his seatmate comedically.

"You're welcome," she smiled, punching his sprained shoulder lightly.

He reeled back in pain. "Jesus Christ woman!"

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot," she apologized.

"No way in hell you forgot." 

"You're right, I didn't," she smirked.

"Moving on, it'd be nice to get a meal as fancy as this every day, don't you think?" Neptis turned towards the primordial of lightning pleadingly.

Said primordial sighed. "We both know that I only cook something as fancy and extravagant as this whenever we defeat a powerful monster."

"Well let's defeat more of them then!" Ignis replied.

Neptis scoffed. "Moron."

"Speaking of, how many do we have left?" Celeste asked, turning towards Percy.

"The five reptilian monsters that harnessed the elements. Then the king of the monsters for our final, most arduous task."

"Thank Chaos we already defeated one of those. That was tiring!" The ruler of fire said exasperated, taking a sip of his wine.

"Not thanks to you," replied Neptis.

"Hey! It was immune to fire, what was I supposed to do?"

Levina shook her head, amused. "They share the same domains with us, no?" 

Percy nodded. "It seems so."

"So which ones are left?"  

Percy thought for a second before opening his mouth. "A serpent of the sea. A lindworm of the earth. A wyvern of the sky. And a drake of lightning."

"Judging how our fight went with the dragon of fire, at least one of us would be near useless for the fight," noted the Monarch of the Seas.

"We'll need to be more careful going forward," Celeste added. "We're essentially going into a fight with one less person."

"Even then, it seems like two of us is quite enough to take one of the beasts down," Percy noted.

The rest nodded in agreement.

"Relax and sit back," Percy added. "We deserved this rest. The night is young and we still have a few days before we need to start preparing for our next battle."

"Finally! Someone's speaking my language!" Smiled Ignis. "Midas is right! We deserve this rest."

Neptis rolled her eyes, whispering under her breath. "Says the one who did nothing."

"Let's have a toast tonight," he said raising his cup of wine.

"It's been a while since we last had a feast this grand, so we might as well make the most of it," he held his cup above the table, waiting for the others. One by one, they all joined in the toast, agreeing with his words.

The night continued as they talked and talked. The sound of joy and merriment was present throughout the camp. Laughter and cheer constantly echoed throughout the night as they talked and talked about whatever was on their mind.

The moon shone above the Five Ancients. As if smiling.

For they were more than just colleagues, more than just acquaintances.

They were more than that.

They were a family.

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