Percy Jackson - Beyond the Gods

The helicopter sliced through the morning sky with a constant, powerful roar.

Ikki maintained a calm expression as he piloted, his eyes scanning the instruments and the landscape below with precision. The strong wind buffeted the aircraft slightly, but for him, it was like driving a car on a slightly bumpy road—nothing that would cause him to lose control. The rest of the group was scattered among the seats, some observing the world outside through the windows, while others simply tried to relax during the trip.

After two hours of flight, they finally approached San Francisco. The city, surrounded by hills and bathed in the soft morning light, looked like a living painting. The iconic Golden Gate Bridge stretched majestically over the bay, its red towers emerging from the thin mist that still lingered over the water. The waters shimmered under the touch of the first rays of sunlight, reflecting the colors of the sky as they gradually became clearer.

The city itself was a mosaic of classic and modern architecture—colorful Victorian houses scattered across the steep hillsides, mirrored glass skyscrapers gleaming in the distance, and traffic beginning to pick up pace in the streets.

Ikki reduced altitude, flying low over the Embarcadero, one of the busiest areas of the city. There, the piers extended along the coastline, with anchored boats swaying gently in the water.

The Ferry Building, with its imposing clock, stood out among the commercial buildings along the waterfront. The smell of salt and sea air mingled with the aroma of coffee and fresh bread from the bakeries beginning to open their doors.

He needed a safe place to land. He couldn't simply set the helicopter down anywhere without attracting unnecessary attention—they had already caused enough commotion simply by flying over the city.

"There," Zoë suggested, pointing to a building ahead. "On the Embarcadero Building."

Ikki nodded, maneuvering the aircraft with precision. The building had a flat, spacious roof, perfect for an improvised landing. The location was still relatively empty due to the time, which meant fewer witnesses to their unconventional arrival.

The helicopter landed softly on the roof, the blades still spinning as Ikki shut down the engines. However, the impact of the landing did not go unnoticed.

A little below, on the docks, a homeless man sleeping peacefully on a pile of cardboard boxes awoke startled by the noise of the aircraft. His eyes widened as he saw the military helicopter landing there, and he panicked.

"My God! They've come for me!" he shouted, stumbling as he tried to get up. "The White House has fallen! The invasion has begun!"

He darted away, yelling to anyone who was nearby, while the group inside the helicopter watched the scene.

Grover blinked a few times, dumbfounded.

"Did… did that really just happen?"

Ikki just sighed, removing his seatbelt.

"It seems so."

Thalia tried to stifle her laughter, but a short chuckle escaped.

"At least it was more subtle than I expected."

Zoë, however, didn't seem as amused as the rest.

"We have to get out of here before we draw too much attention to ourselves."

Ikki agreed, already opening the side door.

"Let's go. We have a lot to do."

One by one, the group began to descend from the helicopter, smelling the fresh sea air mixed with the concrete and metal of the city.

They had arrived. Now it was time to proceed with the plan.

The group moved quickly through the streets of San Francisco, avoiding the busiest areas until they found themselves in a secluded spot on the docks. They were on the West Coast now, where Artemis was supposed to be. But the only clue they had to find her was Nereus.

They had no idea what monster Artemis was hunting. If everything had gone as planned, she would have already met the group during the mission, but that hadn't happened. Now, they were stuck at the ferry docks with little money and few options.

Ikki leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, while the others tried to decide what to do next.

"We need to find out who the monster is," Zoë said, looking at the others. "Without that, we're still flying blind."

"But how?" Grover asked, scratching his head with concern.

Ikki looked at him and answered directly:

"Nereus. That's what Apollo told me to do, find Nereus."

In ancient times, even before the great gods took their thrones on Olympus, there were primordial forces that ruled the elements of the world. Among them, the vast and unfathomable sea had its own lords. And among the wisest and oldest was Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea.

The son of Pontus, the primordial sea itself, and Gaia, the Earth, Nereus was born with the essence of the waters in his being. Unlike the other sea gods, who were tempestuous and unpredictable, he was serene, wise, and benevolent. His power came not from the fury of the waves or storms, but from the deep knowledge of the currents, the creatures, and the secrets that rested in the depths.

The satyr frowned.

"The old man of the sea?"

Ikki nodded.

"I have to find him and force him to tell us what he knows."

Upon hearing the name, Zoë grimaced in disgust.

"Old Nereus, is it?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know him?"

The Huntress sighed, looking resigned.

"My mother was a sea goddess. Yes, I know him. Unfortunately."

"And where can we find him?" Atalanta asked, intrigued.

Zoë gave her a tired look before answering.

"He's not hard to find." She pointed to her own nose. "Just follow the smell."

Ikki adjusted his posture, crossing his arms as he listened to the discussion, before saying, "Leave it to me."

As soon as Zoë mentioned the smell, Ikki focused on his sense of smell. He filtered out all the aromas of the city—the oil and smoke from the heavy traffic, the sea air coming from the bay, the strong smell of frying food from the street stalls, the mold from the damp alleys.

Then, there it was.

It was unmistakable.

Strong like seaweed rotting under the sun, mixed with dead fish and stale brine. A damp, heavy stench, as if a piece of the most polluted ocean had been dumped in the city and forgotten there. If the sea had an ugly side, that odor was its signature.

"I'll be back…" As soon as he finished saying to leave things to him, he added.

Thalia frowned.

"What?"

Before she could answer, Ikki moved.

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.

.

The city became a blur. The buildings, the streets, the cars, the people—everything turned into an indistinct sequence of shapes and colors as he traveled at impossible speed.

His senses were at a level normal humans could never comprehend.

Each particle of dust suspended in the air seemed motionless to him, as if time around him were frozen. Radio waves passed through his body, so slow he could catch them with his hands. The sound of horns and voices stretched into distant and distorted echoes, as if traveling through the vacuum of space.

He could see the curvature of the Earth faintly outlined on the horizon, even within the city.

But Ikki wasn't distracted. He already knew exactly where to go.

The putrid smell of Nereus, that grotesque mixture of warm seaweed and dead fish, was unmistakable.

In less than a microsecond, Ikki crossed the city.

If an ordinary human tried to process what had just happened, their mind would simply collapse.

He materialized next to Nereus, who was huddled in a dirty corner near the water. The old man didn't even have time to notice his presence.

Nereus was curled up in his filthy robe, snoring in a secluded corner near the water, when he felt something strange.

An instant later, he was yanked off the ground like a rag doll.

"WHAT—?! AAAAAAHH!!"

The world around him turned into a blur. The wind whistled loudly in his ears as he was carried at an absurd speed. It all lasted less than a second.

Suddenly, he felt his feet touch the ground again. But something was wrong.

He blinked a few times, confused.

"Huh?"

When he realized he was no longer where he had fallen asleep, he looked around. He was in an alley surrounded by young people with unfriendly expressions.

Above all, he realized he was being held by the collar by a young man with black hair and intense eyes.

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.

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.

.

The group blinked, stunned.

To them, Ikki had simply disappeared and returned in the same instant. Only now he was holding a disheveled old man by the collar.

Nereus was plump, his belly pressing against the belt of his old, yellowed pajamas. His once-white bathrobe was grimy and frayed. The fabric dragged on the ground, filthy with dirt. His scraggly beard seemed to have been dyed yellow by time and neglect.

And, of course, he stank.

If Santa Claus had given up on Christmas, abandoned his sleigh, and spent decades sleeping in landfills, he would probably look like that man.

Ikki held the old man in the air with ease, as if he weighed nothing.

"Here he is."

Grover covered his nose.

"Ugh, he smells like a dead fish!"

"He *is* a dead fish," Ikki replied impassively.

Nereus blinked a few times, confused and irritated.

"What the heck—?! I was sleeping!"

"Now you're awake," Ikki said unceremoniously. "And we need to talk."

Nereus struggled a bit, but Ikki's grip was firm.

"Hey, hey, hey! I don't have time for this! Let me go!"

Nereus thrashed in Ikki's arms, but it was useless. The boy held him as if he weighed nothing, with an irritating calmness. The old man snorted, trying to gather his thoughts, but all he could smell was the strong stench of brine and rotten fish coming from himself.

"Heroes! Why do you always come after me?" he grumbled, crossing his arms childishly, as if offended that they had interrupted his nap.

"Because you know things," Atalanta said with a raised eyebrow.

"So? Knowing things isn't a crime!"

Thalia snorted, crossing her arms.

"Depends. Do you want to tell us willingly, or are we going to have to convince you?"

Nereus widened his eyes, frowning.

"Tsk! Always with the threats! Today's youth has no respect for their elders!"

"Not when the elders smell like dead fish and refuse to talk," Grover muttered, still holding his nose.

Nereus tried to calm himself; the boy held him firmly, and the Old Man of the Sea felt his bones almost creaking under the absurd strength of this half-blood.

"The usual deal, I imagine?" Nereus tried to regain his composure. "You'll let me go if I answer your question?"

Ikki scoffed, having no patience for games.

"I have more than one question…"

"Only one question per capture! That's the rule."

Ikki tightened his grip, and a deep terror spread through Nereus's heart. It wasn't just ordinary fear. No. It was something primal, an instinctive warning that he was facing something far beyond what he should be confronting. His breath hitched, his body trembled, and before he could stop it, an unfortunate… accident happened.

The others grimaced at the smell.

"Screw what you think…" Ikki said, his voice icy.

Nereus gulped, completely subdued.

"First, Nereus. Tell me where to find this terrible monster that can bring an end to the gods. The one Artemis was hunting."

Still trembling, the Old Man of the Sea let out a weak laugh, trying to hide his despair.

"Oh, that's very easy," he said, a malicious glint in his eyes. "It was on the pier where you found me lying…"

The others widened their eyes, and Ikki narrowed his gaze.

"The deal is complete!" Nereus rejoiced.

With a *pop*, he transformed into a golden bird and tried to take flight, believing he was free.

Only to be caught again.

Ikki stretched out his hand, moving at the speed of light, and grabbed the bird in mid-air before it could even flap its wings properly.

Nereus chirped desperately, then, with another *pop*, returned to his original form, dangling by the collar like a drowned rat.

"Not so fast," Ikki said, dragging him back. "You're not finished talking yet."

Zoë crossed her arms, smirking.

"You will show us the way," she ordered.

Thalia shook her head, sighing.

"He really thought he was going to escape?"

Grover just grimaced.

"I'm still not over the fact that he literally crapped himself out of fear…"

Nereus huffed, but he knew he had no choice. He sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine! But you guys are really a pain, you know?"

Nereus, still uncomfortable and visibly shaken, had no choice but to obey Ikki's orders. They walked together for over half an hour, the city of San Francisco stretching around them, with its own chaotic rhythm. The cold, salty air from the ocean brought a sense of melancholy, and the sound of waves crashing against the docks was a constant reminder that they were on the edge of something much larger.

Finally, the Old Man of the Sea pointed to a pier ahead. The place was immersed in a soft mist rising from the waters, creating an atmosphere of mystery and unease. There were several homeless people huddled nearby, covered with dirty blankets, apparently waiting for a community kitchen to open for lunch. The scene seemed like a mixture of desolation and simple routine, where humans still tried to find some comfort in the small things.

Ikki observed carefully, his eyes scanning the scene with the calmness of someone accustomed to dealing with complicated situations. The smell of the place was strong, a mixture of saltpeter, fish, and sweat. But the strangest thing was something that seemed completely out of place in the setting: an elderly lady, with a flock of plastic flamingos tied to a shopping cart, placing them one by one in a carefully planned position.

She looked at them suspiciously, her eyes narrowing when she noticed the presence of the group, especially Ikki. She seemed to think he was some kind of threat, her gaze, tense and vigilant, fixed on him as if she was about to yell for help, or worse, accuse him of trying to steal her flamingos.

"Are you going to steal my birds?" she asked in a raspy voice, her hand resting on the cart as if ready to defend her plastic flock from any attempted theft.

Ikki frowned, before looking at the lady and then at the flamingos, clearly surprised by the strange situation.

"No, ma'am," he replied with a quick smile. "We're just looking for something… more important."

She didn't seem convinced, but the presence of the group—especially Ikki's threatening stare—made her hesitate for a moment, before slowly moving away, still protecting her birds.

Zoë watched all this with a raised eyebrow, shaking her head.

"Well, that was… peculiar," she murmured.

Grover chuckled softly, trying not to be noticed.

"I never thought I'd see a flock of plastic flamingos being so fiercely protected. Maybe the lady is the real threat here."

Thalia, with a slight smile, agreed with the observation. But Ikki's focus never wavered. He knew that the real target was there, hidden in the shadows of the pier, and Nereus hadn't lied—the monster they were looking for was closer than they thought.

With a discreet movement, Ikki signaled for the group to approach.