Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Ocean’s Song
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I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
I would like to thank my beta, Awdyr, for his help in this chapter.
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17 April 1995, Mount Olympus, Greece
Perseus rolled his eyes as he cut through his seventh Harpy with a simple jet of water, before conjuring a wave from thin air and pushing through the rest of the monsters coming at him. He conjured spears of water, impaling them easily into the single eyes of the Cyclopes trying to attack him from behind.
He then took control of his water by turning it into razor-sharp whips that encircled him, killing everything around him in a single attack, with dozens of creatures perishing in seconds. He took a deep breath, feeling the residual energy of his water magic coursing through his veins. The battlefield around him was momentarily silent, littered with the fading forms of defeated monsters. But Perseus knew better than to let his guard down.
He had been separated from his teammates in the Labyrinth, not that he was expecting for them to stay together during the entire quest, given what the prize was. It was an unspoken agreement that they would inevitably split up, but not go fight one another until the very end, until they were the only questers remaining. However, Perseus didn't expect to be alone so quickly. The Labyrinth was a lot trickier than he read, and there was something alive about it.
Perseus thought that the stories in the books at the Academy were exaggerated, that the entire place actively wanted to keep them there, wanted to kill them all. However, the way the walls shifted exactly to split them up, the way beasts and monsters spawned exactly at the worst moment, it was all so unnatural. The mental effect was far more subtle than he expected. Even he, who had mastered his mind and could shrug off most mental effects, ended up being slightly affected and needed to purge his mind of any foreign influence every few minutes, which got annoying very quickly. In the end, he just crafted a small crown out of solidified water that casts that spell for him.
All those stories about the Labyrinths, from the mouths of the few who escaped it, if anything, were watered down from the real thing.
He wished that his teammates were alright. He had picked them because they were the ones he found to be the worthiest and it would be a loss for them to die alone in this place, especially since there wouldn't be any bodies to bury. After all, what died in the Labyrinth belonged to it.
Unfortunately, the Labyrinth acted more like a passageway to the realms of Olympus. The mountain itself was infinite and there was no real reason to climb them. He expected that most of the other schools would do just that, try to actively climb the mountain. In a way, he hoped they did. It was safer for them to never reach the Labyrinth.
Perseus learned to navigate through it by conjuring some mist, which he could use to map out his surroundings. It was frustrating to keep doing it as the Labyrinth shifted, but he eventually found one of the exits.
Still, it was a clever trick of his father, making them all so distracted trying to win an impossible race, to forever keep the golden apple out of their reach. There were probably enough challenges up the mountain to keep them occupied as he finished the challenges themselves.
The realm he had found himself in was definitely not Hera's Garden. If anything, it felt more like a hellscape than anything else. It was just a barren expanse stretching endlessly beneath a blood-red sky. The ground was cracked and desolate, with plumes of steam rising from fissures that glowed with molten heat. Jagged obsidian rocks protruded like the broken ribs of some ancient beast, and the air was thick with the scent of sulphur and ash. In the distance, twisted silhouettes of dead trees stood as lonely sentinels, their branches clawing at the oppressive sky.
Suddenly, the jagged stone next to him began to move again, the massive stone blocks grinding against each other with a deep, resonant groan. Perseus braced himself, muscles tense, as he watched the corridor ahead twist and reshape.
From the shifting walls, a figure emerged—stumbling, almost falling—into the dim light. It was a girl, her dark skin marred by deep gashes that crossed her chest, each wound oozing dark, coagulated blood. Severe burns covered portions of her body, the raw flesh a painful contrast against the uninjured skin. Her clothes were tattered remnants, barely clinging to her battered form. She moved with the sluggishness of someone teetering on the edge of consciousness.
Without even thinking, he ran towards the dying girl and used a part of his water magic that he rarely ever got to exercise. Some of the most controlled Water Magic masters could heal using it. Perseus wasn't one of them; he was a destroyer, just as his name suggested, and his raw power came at the expense of his refined control. However, he did learn how to slow down the progression of injuries with water. It was something that took him too much time to learn, but it was a bit of a necessary skill to have.
With that done, he quickly rummaged through his potion bag and took out some Nectar. It was a pretentious name for a potion, being compared to the Nectar of the Gods, but it was by far, the most potent fast-acting healing potion made in Greece, and it cost a fortune. He didn't know why he was wasting one of them on a virtual stranger, but it just didn't feel right to let a girl die just to be stingy. He had more than enough Nectar to last him months. He had used all of his savings on his preparations for his quest. He could spare a single dose, really.
After just a single sip, the girl's wounds closed and scarred over, the burns didn't fully heal but had gotten a lot better – the wounds were probably cursed or something and Nectar only worked on injuries, not diseases or curses.
She took a deep breath, before falling unconscious, stable but still technically wounded, and Perseus felt something settle between them, and his eyes widened at the realization of what had happened. He had saved a dying enemy from certain Death. Sure, she wasn't a mortal enemy, but she was an obstacle to his greatest desire, where her Death would have been advantageous to him. He had saved her life, expecting nothing in return, and a very old form of magic occurred.
A life debt. A true life debt. It was a very rare phenomenon, because how often did people save their own enemies, without expecting anything in return? And now, Perseus found himself bound to this stranger, a girl whose name he didn't even know.
With a closer look, Perseus recognized the girl as one of the British Champions. That surprised him. He didn't expect any of the foreigners to figure out how to enter the Labyrinth, let alone how to leave it, even if she was deathly injured while doing so. And that's without even having access to the knowledge he had on the Labyrinth.
Perseus was tempted to leave her there, to fend for herself. It was the logical thing to do. If the British were able to breach the Labyrinth, then it was entirely possible that other schools could, and that one of the other Champions might get to the Gardens through sheer dumb luck. He would lose the chance to save his mother, which was the reason why he went on the quest in the first place.
It would have also been far simpler to just not deal with the life debt at all. It was a form of magic that was very chaotic and that very few people actually understood, and Perseus didn't like the sound of that, even if it was to his benefit.
And yet, something stopped him, as he reminisced on his nights with his mother where she told him tales of the old Greek Heroes, of the man he was named after and the people they saved, the feats they accomplished. No, he would help her, and at least he'd know if there were others that were as close as he was to the Golden Apple.
It only took a couple of hours for the girl to wake up. Perseus had conjured a cup of water for her to drink, which she did with gusto, "Where am I?"
He honestly had no idea where he was either. He had been tempted to explore the realm around him, but even after hours' worth of effort trying to map it out with his mist, he had only figured out that it was nothing more than a barren land filled with feral magical creatures. Instead, he replied, "You came through the Labyrinth. Do you remember?"
"The Labyrinth…" she thought before stiffening, "I remember. Cedric betrayed us and we fought this demon thing with the fire whip. It could control the Labyrinth and even came back after we turned it into pieces. It hit me… I should be dead. Am I dead?"
Perseus didn't answer her immediately, having been taken aback by the description of the monster that attacked them. It sounded like Kampe, one of the first monsters ever recorded in the Labyrinth. Its features changed over time, supposedly when it assimilated different monsters and gained their strengths. But it always had a fire whip and control over the Labyrinth. The cursed burns could have been caused by the fire whip in question. It was described as a force of nature, unable to be stopped, unable to be escaped, without ending up swallowed up by its cursed flames and ash. It was pretty much invincible, being able to be healed from any wounds. It was slow, but unpredictable, like someone's inevitable demise.
The very few survivors had been people who ran away, abandoning their comrades as bait. Even then, they barely survived, relying on sheer luck or narrow escapes through hidden passages. Kampe's legend thrived on fear—the tales said her flames could consume souls, and those who escaped felt marked, haunted by phantom burns that never truly healed. The girl's survival was nothing more than miraculous if she had truly fought Kampe.
He finally spoke, his voice steady. "No, you're not dead. But it's a miracle you survived your encounter with that particular creature, not for a lack of trying."
"Who are you?"
She tried to stand but winced, the pain evident in her eyes. Perseus moved to help her, offering his arm for support. "Easy there. Your wounds are severe, but I've done what I can to heal them. And to answer your question, my name is Perseus, I'm one of the champions of the Olympus Academy. And you are..."
The girl smiled at him, "Angelina Johnson, a champion of Hogwarts. I suppose I owe you my life. At least, I'm out of the Labyrinth. That had to be the silver lining."
Perseus ignored the solidification of the binding between them and noticed that the girl hadn't even noticed the magic. She must have been too tired to notice it. He didn't blame her, she was on the brink of Death just minutes prior, "Well, not to burst your bubble, but we'll need to get back. This place is barren, we won't be able to stay here for long. We need to find another exit, hopefully, to wherever your teammates are, if they survived, that is."
Yes, he would deal with the whole life debt thing after he healed his mother. He needed to focus on his goal and ignore whatever distractions that came his way.
"Oh, they will," the girl replied confidently as if she knew something that he didn't, "Although, I do hope Cedric does, if only so that I could wring that fucking traitor neck of his."
Before she could protest, Perseus activated the delta symbol on the wall, and they were sucked back into the Labyrinth and walked through.
The girl yelled, "What the fuck? Why would you bring us back to that hellhole?"
"Staying there accomplished nothing, and I do have a quest to finish, after all."
"Well, I'm still injured!"
Perseus simply shrugged, "You're perfectly welcome to go back, but by then, you'll be on your own when you inevitably return to the Labyrinth. That is if you survive the countless attacks by rabid monsters over there. To be honest, I'm surprised you're this ungrateful given that I'm the one who saved your life despite us being technically on opposite sides."
That seemed to have shut her up, "I'm sorry, I was just frustrated. And I promise that I want nothing to do with the golden apple, not anymore. I… I just want to go home."
She had whispered that last part and Perseus felt for her, he really did. He could feel it, how distraught she felt, how truthful her words were with their bond. Curious, he asked, "Then why did you even participate?"
The girl looked at the ground oddly shyly and muttered, "I wanted to be remembered, to have something that other people will describe me as other than 'the Chaser girl in Gryffindor'. I wanted to achieve something before graduating, where I'll probably work in a dead-end job, get married and have kids. I just wanted more, and I don't know why I'm telling you any of this."
Perseus knew the life debt made her feel very comfortable in his presence, and in a way, it made him feel comfortable around her as well. Even knowing that he wouldn't have normally said this, he answered, "I'm doing it for my mother. I'm hoping that a bite of a golden apple might save her."
"Oh," she simply stated. She looked so sad, so small, suddenly, "I didn't even say goodbye to my mother. She didn't want me to be part of the delegation and said it was too dangerous. I guess she was right. I hope I'll be able to see her again."
Before he could control himself, he spoke up, "Tell you what, I promise to make sure you come back home safely and that you make up with your mother."
The girl's eyes shone in unshed tears, "And I promise you that I will help you in any way I can to save your mother."
They both stood there in comfortable silence until they were rudely interrupted by a faint, sinister hissing echoing through the cavern. The air grew cold, and an unsettling stillness settled around them. Perseus's senses sharpened; something was terribly wrong.
"Do you hear that?" the girl whispered, her eyes darting nervously.
Perseus nodded, his gaze scanning the shadows. "Stay close," he instructed, his voice low.
Suddenly, the walls of the cavern began to shift, the stone surfaces rippling as if alive. From the darkness, slithering sounds grew louder, accompanied by a chorus of eerie whispers. Emerging from a shadowy passageway was a figure draped in tattered robes, her face concealed beneath a hood. But beneath the hood, glimpses of serpentine hair writhed and twisted—a telltale sign.
"A Gorgon," Perseus muttered, "Whatever you do, don't look into her eyes."
He closed his eyes and conjured a wave of mist, allowing him to map out his environment. Thankfully, it also blinded Angelina, so she couldn't really see the Gorgon accidentally.
Without warning, the ground beneath them trembled. From fissures in the rocky floor, more serpents emerged, their scales shimmering ominously. The creatures advanced, encircling them and cutting off any chance of escape.
"Get behind me!" Perseus commanded. He summoned a torrent of water, forming a protective barrier around them, and wiping out the snakes, only for the Gorgon to shift into a giant serpent, that leapt at him.
He conjured an immense trident, made of solidified water, ready to throw it at the monster, only for Angelina to point her wand at the ceiling and yell, "Bombarda!"
The stalactites fell like they were dozens of spears impaling the Gorgon in seconds, and Perseus followed by cutting off its head, as his namesake was famed to have done in the myths. Afterwards, he quickly cast a giant shield to protect them from the debris and gave the girl an incredulous look, "That was beyond reckless. How did you even know where the Gorgon was?"
"I didn't need to know where it was, only its general direction. And It worked, didn't it?" she answered cheekily, "Come on, we have a golden apple to find."
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I know some of you might not be loving this arc so far, and that's totally okay. But I'm really excited about the next few chapters—they're going to get a lot more interesting! I'd love to hear your feedback and any suggestions you have to make this better.
Thanks for sticking with me!
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If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
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