Percy Jackson - The Record of The Journey of a Mortal Who Become a God

When Ikki, Grover, and Percy were about to follow Mrs. Dodds, along with the rest of the class, Mr. Brunner stopped them.

"Mr. Jackson, do you have a moment?..."

He called Percy, who told Grover and Ikki to keep walking before heading toward Mr. Brunner to see what the Latin teacher wanted.

While Percy was talking to Mr. Brunner, following his friend's advice, Ikki and Grover continued to follow Mrs. Dodds. The group she led made their way casually toward the exit, passing through several familiar hallways filled with artifacts whose stories had been told by Mr. Brunner earlier.

Ikki followed a little farther behind the group. He walked calmly, lost in thought. Although he had paid attention to the field trip, it only occupied a part of his mind.

Being in the museum where the story of the books he had read would begin brought an inexplicable feeling of expectation and curiosity—experiencing something from a book in real life. It also made him think deeply about the knowledge he had of this world.

Thus, ever since he arrived at the museum, he had divided his mind into two parts: one paid attention to the field trip, while the other focused on various aspects of his knowledge about this world's future—a knowledge that was rather limited.

Now that the field trip was over, he shifted his focus entirely to what he knew about this world.

He only remembered general information about several people who appeared in the books and left an impression on him, some events from the first book, almost nothing from the second, and few things from the others.

The one thing he knew for certain and which worried him a bit was the return of the Titan King in the future.

Ikki was pulled out of his thoughts when he noticed something—a small crack on the side of one of the hallway walls leading to another room.

Noticing this unexplored room, curiosity led him to stop following the group and head toward it.

He entered casually and examined the room. What came into view was a space filled with statues of animals, steles, and mosaics. In the center of the room was a well-preserved Greek statue.

The statue depicted a woman in a knee-length dress, barefoot, with her hair styled in a bun. She held a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other, with a wolf beside her.

Ikki approached the statue and looked at the name engraved on a plaque below it. Since he no longer had dyslexia—having healed such issues through the [Hands of Nirvana]—he discovered he could spread the "energy" throughout his body to cure any illness or negative effect, granting him absolute immunity to debuffs like dyslexia and ADHD, traits of demigods with brains wired for Greek.

"Artemis..."

A familiar voice echoed in the room, catching his attention. Looking toward the voice's owner, he saw Mr. Brunner in his wheelchair entering the room and approaching him. As he rolled up to Ikki's side, he continued:

"The Goddess of the Hunt, archery, wilderness, forests, the Moon, splendor, virginity, and childbirth..."

"Mr. Brunner..." Ikki looked at the man standing beside him and spoke apologetically: "Sorry for separating from the group; I wanted to see what was in this room..."

Mr. Brunner looked at him with his usual smile. If one looked closely, they could see an intrigued glint in his eyes. As someone older and experienced, he could discern characteristics and emotions in a person with a glance. However, he couldn't see through the twelve-year-old boy in front of him.

Though still a child, who should have been emotionally transparent, Ikki possessed an aura of calmness as deep as the ocean—difficult to describe in words. Even if Mr. Brunner couldn't fully understand him, the months spent teaching him Latin taught him that Ikki was a good kid.

"It's all right, my boy..." Mr. Brunner spoke in an appreciative tone. "It's good to see a young man like you interested in history."

"That's true. People don't know how to appreciate a good book nowadays," Ikki sighed. "It's a bit foolish, honestly. From my perspective, stories are lessons; if you weigh it well, a book is something marvelous."

"Oh? And why is that?" Mr. Brunner appeared genuinely curious about his response.

"I'll give you an example. Take a hundred-year-old man; after living an extraordinary or ordinary life, he decides to write a book about everything he experienced. His experiences and regrets would be contained within that book, and you could gain lessons from someone who has already lived a full life, allowing you to avoid making the same mistakes. Isn't that amazing?"

"Books teach many things."

Ikki spoke with bright eyes.

Hearing his words, Mr. Brunner was both surprised and proud of the perspective Ikki had. Nodding in satisfaction, he said: "Exactly. Stories pass on very important lessons..."

Looking at the statue of Artemis, he slowly proclaimed, "Artemis's own story teaches us something..."

"Let me guess..." Ikki thought about the stories he'd read about Artemis and joked, "If you're born a man, you'll naturally be hated by Artemis..."

Hearing his words, Mr. Brunner chuckled before saying, "You're not wrong about that... But that's not it. Her story holds many lessons."

"One, for instance, is that she proved a woman doesn't need a man to live. That's something even a layperson can see from reading her story, although her methods are somewhat extreme and make her disdain for men quite evident..."

He laughed nervously at the end.

Ikki looked at the statue, smiled, and remarked:

"She has a peculiar combination of domains, doesn't she? Being the Goddess of Childbirth but also the Goddess of Virginity. It's somewhat contradictory..."

Mr. Brunner also looked at the statue and responded: "Many have thought the same. However, it's better not to question the domains of a goddess..."

"It's not a debate, just an observation at best," Ikki said calmly.

He glanced at Mr. Brunner and curiously asked:

"Artemis made a vow to remain a virgin forever, right? But there was the case with Orion, which has many versions. I'm curious, which one do you think is true?"

"Well... As you said, there are many versions of that particular tale. No one knows which is true, and only Artemis herself could answer that..." Mr. Brunner smiled as he said this.

"You talk as if she's real," Ikki said, lightly joking.

Mr. Brunner simply smiled before turning his wheelchair around and saying: "Come, let's have lunch. We don't want to keep everyone waiting..."

Saying this, he moved his wheelchair out of the room. Ikki calmly followed.

...

Outside the museum, the group gathered on the stairs. It was lunchtime, so traffic on the streets and sidewalks had increased, with most people leaving work to grab lunch.

In the sky, dark clouds promising a heavy storm loomed over the city. However, nobody seemed to pay attention to them.

Ikki sat on the edge of a fountain with Percy and Grover, all three unpacking their lunches.

"Did you get detention again?" Grover looked at Percy and asked.

"Not from Mr. Brunner..." Percy thought about the conversation he had with the Latin teacher and replied moodily, "I just wish he'd cut me some slack sometimes. I mean... I'm not a genius..."

"Everyone knows that, Seaweed Brain..." Ikki said casually, with a touch of amusement.

"Hey!" Percy looked at him, offended.

Ikki looked at him, amused, before calmly declaring, "I think you shouldn't worry too much about it. Just do what you can. I'm here to help—although don't come to me if it's about romance."

The last part of his words was spoken with resignation, recalling the failure he had in his past life.

Sometimes, he found himself thinking about it; his past life felt more and more distant. As the days passed in this life, he was slowly forgetting it, which was both a relief and a source of unease. He feared losing his sense of identity and becoming someone else.

Hearing his friend's words, Percy smiled widely and playfully punched Ikki's arm, his bad mood disappearing completely.

"Can I eat your apple?" Grover asked Percy.

Percy shrugged and handed him the apple.

Ikki took a bite of his sandwich and began observing the various vehicles moving along Fifth Avenue. His gaze shifted to the rest of the class in the distance. He saw several boys throwing cookies at some pigeons.

While the boys were up to something foolish, most of the girls were chatting or eating—except Nancy Bobofit, who was trying to steal something from an elderly lady's bag. As expected, Mrs. Dodds wasn't noticing a thing.

As for Mr. Brunner, he had parked his wheelchair at the base of the disabled ramp. He was eating celery while reading a novel. A red umbrella was stuck to the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized coffee table.

The three began talking softly about the trip and what they might do over the summer.

Unfortunately, their conversation didn't last long; Nancy Bobofit walked over to them with a few of her henchmen and decided to dump her half-eaten lunch on Grover's lap.

"Oops..." she said, smiling with bits of her snack stuck in her crooked teeth.

Ikki stared at her coldly and indifferently. He was beginning to feel that she was crossing the line.

Percy seemed blank for a moment before becoming furious, his sea-green eyes glowing with anger. He stood up and was about to get into trouble when Ikki stopped him again, reminding him of the principal's words.

Reluctantly, Percy sat back down but didn't take his fiery eyes off Nancy.

That's when something utterly inexplicable happened. The water in the fountain formed a whip-like shape, grabbed Nancy, and pulled her, causing her to fall butt-first into the fountain. The loud splash drew everyone's attention nearby.

Especially Mrs. Dodds, who quickly approached. Seeing the teacher coming her way, Nancy shouted:

"Mrs. Dodds, Percy pushed me!!!"

Ikki had clearly seen the water take shape, and some children did too. They began whispering to one another.

"Did you see... the water... it seemed to grab her..."

Percy, meanwhile, was trying to make sense of what had happened. But seeing Mrs. Dodds looking his way, he knew he was in trouble.

There was a triumphant fire in the math teacher's eyes, as if he'd done something she had been waiting for all semester.

She glared at Percy with an ugly smile and said in a sweet voice, "Now, my dear..."

"I know. A month of cleaning workbooks..." Percy muttered gloomily, knowing he'd likely be in detention for the next month.

"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said, leaving no room for argument. She turned and was about to walk toward the museum when she was stopped.

"Wait!" Grover stood up desperately, saying, "It was me. I pushed her... Percy had nothing to do with it!!"

Percy looked at him, perplexed. Even Ikki glanced his way with momentary surprise. Grover was terrified of Mrs. Dodds, yet he still tried to protect Percy. This touched the son of Poseidon's heart.

Mrs. Dodds shot Grover a glare so furious it made his scruffy chin tremble.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood..." she practically growled.

"But..." Grover tried to argue but failed.

"You... stay... here..." she pronounced each word categorically, sending Grover a terrifying look that made him shrink back.

Grover looked at Percy desperately.

"It's okay, man..." Percy said, patting his shoulder.

"Thanks for trying," Percy added.

"My dear," Mrs. Dodds barked at Percy, "Now!!"

Ikki watched the two disappear into the museum before standing up and telling Grover, "I'm going to the bathroom..."

"No, wait," Grover said, but Ikki pretended not to hear and quickly entered the museum.

"Damn," Grover muttered, looking at Mr. Brunner to get his attention, but the teacher was engrossed in his novel.

While his friend was in a desperate state, Ikki ventured into the museum instead of heading to the bathroom as he had claimed.

He knew Mrs. Dodds' true identity—one of Hades' Furies.

Knowing this, he obviously wouldn't let Percy face danger alone. While he knew his friend would be fine due to his knowledge of this world, including parts of its future, he simply couldn't ignore his best friend in peril. Especially since this was the real world; he couldn't assume everything would play out like in the books he'd read, as there was an anomaly in this world—himself.

As an anomaly, just by existing, the future he knew could be altered. He was also aware that his actions would bring more changes. After all, the present was as fragile as a butterfly's wings.

Calmly walking through the museum, he finally reached the two in the Greco-Roman section. Apart from them, the gallery was empty.

"We're not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said, the expression in her eyes more than furious—it was malicious.

Seeing her expression, Percy turned pale and nervous.

"It was only a matter of time before we found out. Confess, and you'll feel less pain..." Mrs. Dodds demanded.

Percy became even more nervous. He had no idea what Mrs. Dodds was talking about. Could she have discovered the illegal stash of candy he was selling in the dormitory? Or maybe they found out he'd copied his report on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without even reading the book? As his thoughts spiraled, a terrible idea came to mind. If the teachers found out about his plagiarized work, they might revoke his grade—or worse, force him to read the book!

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he felt, breaking into a cold sweat.

"Well?" she demanded again. Seeing the boy's nervousness, she believed he had what she sought.

"Ma'am, I don't..." Percy tried to explain.

"Your time is up..." Mrs. Dodds hissed. Her eyes began to glow like hot coals. Her fingers stretched into claws, and the coat she wore morphed into large leather wings.

In mere moments, she was no longer human. With bat-like wings, claws, and a mouth full of yellowed fangs, she had assumed her true form—Alecto, one of Hades' Furies.

Percy froze completely, staring at the mythological creature in front of him. Alecto moved, diving at him with her claws aimed at his neck.

Ikki, who had arrived just in time to see everything, moved quickly. He vanished like a ghost. In just an instant, when the Fury's claws were about to strike Percy, Ikki appeared in front of him and kicked Alecto square in the face.

The force of the kick sent the Fury flying backward like an arrow. She crashed into several marble statues, breaking them, and her body only stopped when it hit the museum wall, which cracked like glass from the impact. She then fell to the ground with the debris of the broken statues piling on top of her.

Percy stared, wide-eyed, at his best friend, who had appeared in front of him and sent the monster flying into the museum wall with a single kick—something humanly impossible. He seriously thought he was dreaming or hallucinating.

At that moment, as he questioned whether he was dreaming or hallucinating, he felt an overwhelming drowsiness. Before he knew it, he fell asleep, collapsing forward, but Ikki caught him and gently laid him on the ground. He had used a basic magical spell to make Percy sleep—something he had learned over the years of studying mana.

His attention turned to the Fury, who rose from the debris and hovered in the air before him.

"Damn you, demigod!" she shouted, launching herself at him with a roar. Her claws slashed through the air, aiming for his neck.

Despite her speed, to Ikki, she was incredibly slow. In his mind, he thought of ways to deal with her quickly since he could sense someone approaching their location.

He dodged the claw by leaning back as if the world moved in slow motion. The Fury passed over him, just as he had planned. Raising his palm toward her chest, a fiery ball resembling a miniature sun appeared before contact.

When the sun struck the Fury, she simply ceased to exist—more specifically, she evaporated from existence due to the intense concentrated heat. Before his back hit the ground, Ikki turned and rolled, landing in a brief superhero pose.

He looked at the palm of his hand with a glimmer in his eyes.

This technique was called Nine Yang Suns. It transformed his normal Qi into something as hot as volcanic lava. He could then compress his Qi into fireballs that resembled miniature suns, making them even hotter and more potent. At its peak, this technique could dry up a lake almost the size of an ocean in an instant.

Evaporating a single Fury was nothing.

He had developed this technique inspired by several powerful characters he'd read about who used solar powers. It had taken years of study to shape his Qi the way he wanted. He found it easier to do with this energy than with others. His "source" could even take the form of solar energy to make the technique stronger, but he thought that would be overkill. Besides, its destructive power was difficult to control, even for him.

Sensing the approaching presence moving away, likely someone coming to help, he looked at his friend and wondered how to approach this situation. His friend would probably think it was a dream, which was fine—it could help them both maintain a semblance of normal teenage life for a little longer.

It was all he could do to help him because he understood well that ignorance brought happiness. He even thought about repairing the statues to make his friend think it was just a dream and avoid any doubts, but he didn't have that capability. The best he could think of was creating new statues using [Presence Manipulation], inserting their presence into empty spaces, but he hadn't mastered the skill to work with non-living things. So he had to leave the area as it was...

Although his friend might suspect his "dream" was real, there was a chance he would dismiss it for a while. That was good for Ikki, as he didn't know how to explain his powers to his friend. It was better for Percy to discover the demigods and the camp first.

With that in mind, he woke his friend using a counter-spell and left the hall quickly.