[Unknown location...]
Above, far removed yet observant, the Fates themselves stirred.
The Fates rarely felt surprise. Yet tonight, at their loom of infinite strands, their shears and needles hesitated.
A thread had changed.
Not snapped, not tangled—but changed. The words of a prophecy, once immutable, now bent. The one they have carefully thread with had been tampered with, rewritten by an unseen hand. Such a thing was impossible. And yet it had happened.
Someone with authority higher than their own had dared to intervene.
Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos exchanged troubled glances as they read the threads of prophecy. Their hands trembled ever so slightly over the spools.
Someone—someone powerful enough—had rewritten fate itself. A chill of disbelief ran through them. No mortal, no demigod, no god had ever defied them so directly... yet there it was, undeniable, written in a forceful hand.
The eldest of the Three hissed, "A hand that should not exist change the fate in our place."
The middle one whispered, "The reborn boy walks the path, but it is not the path we spun."
The youngest trembled. "Who is it, to change Fate itself?"
Their loom quivered as their gaze turned toward the world below.
Unbeknownst to them, that hand belonged to Sally, the one none have ever guessed.
Unseen by anyone else, she traced her fountain pen through the air, words forming and floating around her. Each stroke subtly adjusted the events of the world—the "next chapters" of the story being rewritten before anyone's eyes.
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[Santa Monica beach, after they dealt with Hades...]
The sky above the beach was unnaturally dark, a bruised tapestry of swirling clouds that seemed to sense the tension below. The ocean churned angrily against the sand, each wave lashing as if anticipating the violence to come.
Percy stood at the edge of the shoreline, trident in hand, its polished surface reflecting the faint flashes of lightning. Beside him, Adamas' blood red hair glinted in the dim light, her eyes scanning the horizon with measured focus. Annabeth had removed her invisibility cap, her sharp gaze fixed on the waterline, and Grover pawed at the sand nervously, reed pipes jangling faintly at his side. Sally, already rescued and now present, hovered slightly behind the group, a golden glow faintly emanating from her hands as she clutched the mysterious book and pen. The glow, the book, and the pen are all invisible to everyone but her.
"Poseidonas," Adamas murmured quietly, sensing a strange tension beyond the storm, "my domain has reacted again. Be ready. Something, or someone, is orchestrating more than just this fight. We must finish this conquest."
Percy's grip tightened on the trident. "Let them watch. I've dealt with gods before. Let's see what this war god wants."
On cue, Ares appeared. He didn't walk. He erupted from a burst of fire and sparks, bronze-red armor gleaming like molten metal, an aluminum baseball bat slung casually across his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled to life beside him, headlights turning the sand an ominous red.
"Ah," Ares boomed, voice ringing across the empty beach. "Lord Uncle Sea King's brat, the demigod with an unknown origin, and the mortal who was finally rescued from Lord Uncle Hades' clutches. How delightful."
Percy's trident hummed faintly. "We're not here for your amusement, war god."
Ares laughed, sparks flying from his armor. "Everything you do is for my amusement. Every step, every swing of that pretty trident of yours. And yet here you are, foolishly confident. How utterly adorable."
Adamas placed a firm hand on Percy's arm. "Ignore him and calm down, Poseidonas. The unknown beings are watching and this is only the beginning."
"Let them watch," Percy muttered under his breath.
A faint shimmer appeared in the sky above, three presences manifesting like sentient stars:
「The Constellation "Father of the Rich Night" observes with keen interest.」
「The Constellation "The One Who Twists The Plotline" relishes the drama.」
「The Constellation "Sadistic A■■ & R■■" laughs in anticipation of the violence.」
Sally's subtle golden glow pulsed faintly, unnoticed by all but the last two Constellations, who recognized the authority behind the hand that wrote destiny itself.
Percy narrowed his eyes. "Let's get this over with."
Ares stepped forward, swinging his bat lazily, sparks flying with each motion. "Clever Sea Spawn, but you're way over your head."
Percy didn't respond verbally. Instead, he advanced. Every strike, every feint was calculated, precise, and almost casual. He barely used his hydrokinesis in this fight—Percy used the terrain, the sand, the debris, his movements flowing with a natural skill that humiliated the war god. Each swing of his trident met Ares' bat with ringing resonance, driving him back step by step.
Adamas muttered to herself as she observed, "He's barely using his elemental power and yet Ares is losing ground. As expected of my brother."
Annabeth shouted, "Watch his openings! Don't give him room to regain momentum!"
Grover, wide-eyed, whispered, "I've never seen him fight like this. It's like he's a force of nature himself."
Aidoneus commented proudly, "Despite with his current limitation, my little brother still manages to push my nephew back. Impressive."
The battle escalated, Percy pressing relentlessly. Ares swung, ducked, and lunged, but Percy's movements were a blur. Each parry, each counter, exploited Ares' own momentum against him. Sparks flew, sand exploded underfoot, and the waves crashed rhythmically, responding subtly to Percy's rhythm.
Ares growled, "This isn't possible. How does someone who barely touches water move like that?"
Percy smirked faintly, blade meeting bat. "Skill beats muscle. Every time. And as a god of war, you are barely using your brain. You lack the skills needed to be a true god of war."
His comment made Ares enraged deeply. His strikes much more sloppy with more firepower. But every time, Percy parried back.
Then, Percy stepped back, creating distance, and Ares revealed the reasoning behind his plan—a flashback manifesting in Percy's mind, something Ares had confessed to Adamas a few hours prior:
"Adamas, the prophecy was right," Percy remembered telling Adamas. "'You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't this world's Hades. Someone else pulled the theft. They stole Zeus's master bolt and Hades' helm, then framed me. Poseidon will get blamed. Zeus will get blamed. Hades will get blamed. By sundown, the three-way war will begin. And that someone... is the war god himself."
Ares' grin now looked crueler, more deliberate. "You were supposed to die, Sea Spawn. I didn't personally steal the items, but I made sure the game unfolded perfectly. You'll be blamed, Poseidon will be blamed, and Hades will be furious. I've orchestrated it all."
Annabeth protested, "But they're your family!"
Ares shrugged, sunglasses glinting. "Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching relatives fight."
Percy only clicked his tongue in disgust of his actions. "You're a fool. You underestimated us, and now... this ends."
Without warning, Percy lunged, each strike precise and unstoppable. Ares tried to retaliate, but the skill, speed, and timing of Percy's strikes were overwhelming. Every swing of the trident anticipated, every feint calculated to perfection. The fight was a masterclass in weapon control, not brute elemental force.
Aidoneus, standing slightly behind Percy, placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down and be steady, brother. Let the art of combat speak. Precision will shatter him faster than fury ever could."
Sally's golden aura flickered faintly, her eyes scanning for threats, subtly shielding Percy, Adamas, and Annabeth from the chaotic sparks that flew.
Finally, Percy disarmed Ares completely, forcing him onto one knee in the sand. The beach was torn and scarred by their battle. Percy's trident hovered near Ares' chest, calm and dominant.
Ares, chest heaving, looked up through the sand-streaked sunset, looking at Aidoneus who was beside Percy. "You feel... like my Lord Uncle Hades, but... you're not him. Who... who are you?"
Aidoneus didn't answer, letting the silence and the weight of his presence speak.
With a resigned motion, Ares produced Hades' Helm of Darkness from the ski cap he had carried, tossing it toward Percy. It landed with a dull thud, spinning slightly. Grover blinked, awestruck.
Annabeth stepped forward, "We need to move. The Furies will want answers about this theft."
Aidoneus smiled faintly at Percy, pride evident in his expression. "Good work, little brother. You've not only defended yourself, but preserved the balance of this conflict—for now."
Sally, unseen by all but the watching Constellations, continued her silent work, adjusting the threads of fate in midair with her pen, a faint golden glow trailing the ink. She alone understood the full consequences of her actions: the rewritten prophecy, the shifted narrative, the power she wielded above even the Fates themselves.
And above the storm-darkened sky, the Constellations observed, intrigued, and amused.
「The Constellation "The One Who Twists The Plotline" notes the author's hand at work. Influence confirmed.」
「The Constellation "Sadistic A■■ & R■■" smiles at the subtle cruelty of rewriting destiny itself.」
「The Constellation "Father of the Rich Night" watches silently, unaware of the full scope of power at play.」
Percy turned to his companions, water and sweat dripping, trident in hand, sand plastered to his armor. "Let us go. We'll return this bolt to Zeus. Those incompetent Olympians won't wait for us any longer."
Adamas nodded. "Indeed, Poseidonas. We'll show those fools who the real Olympian gods are. They'll regret ever messing with us."
Aidoneus stepped in between Percy and Adamas, clasping their shoulders firmly. "And we shall. As siblings, as allies, and as we traversed through this unknown destiny bend for us, we shall face this together."
Somewhere above, in the sky filled with watching stars and constellations, the future twisted quietly under Sally's pen, waiting for the next chapter to unfold.
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The battle had not gone unseen.
From the shadows of the sky, three winged figures descended. The Furies. Their burning eyes locked onto Percy, but for once, there was no malice.
"We were wrong," Megaera hissed.
"It was not you who stole the Helm," Tisiphone rasped.
Alecto bowed her head. "The truth is clear now. Our Underworld's King has been wronged, and you are not the thief."
Grover gaped. "Wait—they're agreeing with us? That's... new."
Annabeth muttered, still trying to process. "The balance of the gods... it's shifting." She turned slightly to look at the siblings, "Could it be because of them? Just what are they and why do they feel like they possess more authority than the Big Three themselves?"
The Furies vanished as swiftly as they had come, leaving behind only the scent of brimstone and ash.
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That night, as the others rested, Sally sat apart from the group unnoticed by everyone else. Her emitted a golden light. That golden then flared into being. A pen and book was then formed and hovered above her palms, the pages whispering with an unknown script.
She weaved her hand and wrote. Words in midair, glowing before sinking into the parchment. The story she wove was not merely recorded—it became and formed into life.
She paused, her silvery hair glinting under the dim light, her heterochromatic eyes distant.
"...I have already changed more than the Fates themselves dared touch," she whispered to herself.
Her lips curved faintly. "And I have rewritten the last line of the prophecy. They will never see it until it's too late. Even the Fates themselves will have no idea that I was the one who rewrote this world's story plot."
Her eyes lifted skyward, though she knew her words reached farther than Olympus.
"...Thank you, my dearest niece Adamas," she murmured. "The only reader of this book's true form."
The pages turned on their own, ink shimmering with divine weight. She wrote again, quietly, secretly reshaping the destiny of gods and men alike.
Somewhere in the stars, constellations flickered in amusement. Two in particular watched with uncanny awareness—
「The Constellation "The One Who Twists The Plotline" smirks at the change in this universe's plotline.」
「The Constellation "Sadistic A■■ & R■■" is looking forward to the upcoming chaos the author in this world will come up with.」
And they alone knew that the "author" walked among the mortals she had written.