Well, hooray for longer chapters right guys? Anyways, hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 2: A Test of Willpower

When he had entered the portal, he had expected to be on the other side of it, wherever it was. He wasn't counting on the fact that perhaps maybe instead of being an instant teleportation, it would be a trip through a hall of stars and galaxies in the night sky, and also the fact that he was being propelled forwards at a fast rate, not too fast to cause whiplash, but very close. Eventually when he couldn't take any more, the ride abruptly stopped. Percy found himself in what seemed to be literal space, which made him pause. He never signed up to be out of his own planet and be floating in the night sky, but now that he thought about it, the Rivers never did say where he would be going, and neither did the person who had asked for his help. And on top of that, if she could make portals out of thin air, why couldn't she go into space? It was easily a possibility, and then he made another revelation. Although it sounded silly, was it possible that there was other life on other planets, perhaps very far away from their own universe? After all, no one has ever found a way to reach even the closest another known universe, since close was nearly 800000 parsecs was it called? And that translated to about a kajillion kilometres away, so yeah. That wasn't happening anytime soon, and the son of the sea was pretty sure no god, titan or even primordial could help anytime soon. If this was true, then who he was helping was much more powerful than she had first seemed. Over the years, he had been able to sense this aura of power around beings, and at first the women didn't seemed to be too powerful, but now she was steadily growing in strength, and he felt it.

He suddenly was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a rumbling. He looked in front of him to see something rising from the starry night. As it took shape, he realized what it was, an arena, much like the Colosseum back in Rome when the Seven sailed through the Mare Nostrum, except it was just as black as space, and nothing else. He strode forwards into the open gates he saw, and once he did they closed on him. There was nothing in the arena, but he was still uneasy about all of this. For good reason too, with how many had tried to kill him but failing to succeed. A voice suddenly resonated from all around, speaking to him. He immediately recognized it as the women that he was to help in her endeavors.

"Please don't think this as treachery. I just wish to test you, since whatever lies ahead on this road will be very difficult, both physically and mentally." At this, Percy pulled out both of his pens before uncapping them, prepared.

"Then by all means, let the test begin. I will take down all that you toss before me." The women sounded relieved at this, since Percy could hear it in her voice.

"Then allow me to start your test." she said, before a snap was heard. Percy immediately felt drowsy, before he collapsed onto the floor, still clutching both of his weapons in hand.

Line Break

If he had didn't know about the women, he would have thought this to be an attack on his mind perhaps, or an ambush. But by now, even if no one could have could have figured out he was doing this, he had pinpointed his employer in a sense. After all these years of being a demigod, he had also learned to analyze his situations and others, and judging with all the information he had on his employer even if it wasn't much, he believed that she wouldn't be the type to do something like that. From what he could gather, she had spoken only the truth for the entire time. This was truly just a test to see if he could face the oncoming horrors, whatever they were. He found himself in a blank white space, holding Riptide and his brand new pentadent. He looked around for anything that could be anything that would help him proceed with this so called test. However, finding nothing, he decided to try and walk around to see if anything else could be seen from beyond.

So he went off, warily as he tried to find out what this test was about. His employer did say that it would be both physical and mental, but how would it be physical if he was unconscious and now just walking in blank space? He was confused, but he pushed forwards. He needed to complete this, so that the women would judge him worthy to help. By now he had been traveling around for who knows how long, since he didn't keep the time, but then again, perhaps there was one way he could check. However, he had vowed to never pull it out again. The memories were too much for him, and yet it also reminded him of the good times. It would also really help him along the way in this journey, so after all of this, with shaking hands he pulled a sea blue watch out of his pocket. He strapped it onto his left wrist before he checked the time. His plan backfired however since the watch was frozen, like time didn't move in this landscape. He sighed.

"Guess it's reasonable. After all, it's not just any landscape, but a special one for my mental test."

He looked at the watch on his arm sadly before he pressed a button on the side. The watch suddenly expanded, the color changing to bronze as it enlarged itself into a round shield. Many images were depicted on its surface. It wasn't the first one his brother made, no he lost that way back in Alcatraz. This had been a new one, a gift from his cyclops relative. After the Second Titan and Giant War, Tyson had many new ideas for what to display on this forged masterpiece. Now on the outer edges of the shield were the names of his many friend and those of who had fallen during those wars. The rest of the shield was covered in images of either himself, Tyson, Annabeth and Grover. With all the new adventures they had, many new pictures were on the shield. The most prominent one in the middle was Percy in the battle of Manhattan, facing off against Hyperion in his own personal hurricane. Others showed the original images from the Sea of Monsters, the battle against Polybotes and his army at Camp Jupiter and many more. All in all, Percy had loved the new shield, and he was glad that Tyson had made him another. However, after he had left, he had started to have bad memories of what had happened, and these days he had started to once again blame himself with all the deaths. No matter who talked to him, no one could change his mind. Now that he had brought his shield back out, he realized that maybe this what the women was talking about. Would this be his test, to try and forget the past and look forwards to the future? Perhaps.

That's when he saw something. Whatever it was, he didn't like it. It was just this bodiless blob just sitting there. He had no clue where it came from or how it got there, but he was ready. The son of Poseidon raised his weapons before he cautiously walked forwards towards it.

"Whatever you are, I'll take you out." he muttered. As he walked closer, the blob still haven't moved an inch. However, that changed once he got close enough. It started to take from until it vaguely resembled a human being. It raised its hand and a sword appeared in its hand, made out of the same substance that made up itself. It then pointed it at the son of the sea. Percy in return matched it.

"If it's a battle you want, than it's a battle you'll get." he said before he charged. They clashed head to head, swinging at each other each trying to gain the upper hand. Neither of them had been able to manage that, however that was soon about to change. Percy had been fighting for a while, starting to tire as he held Riptide. He had decided to keep his pentadent in his pocket for this fight for now. He realized that he would need something else to gain the upper hand, so he pulled out his pentadent and recapped Riptide, putting his trusty sword safely away. He uncapped the fountain pen and his pentadent rose out of it. He held it in one hand, the bottom on the ground so that he was holding it like a staff.

"Maybe using the water will help me win this." he thought. But his opponent had other plans. A voice was heard from the blob.

"Why?" Percy froze.

"No." he whispered. "Not them…"

The voice belonged to none other than Bianca Di Angelo, the first casualty of the Second Titan War.

"You should have argued more. Why did you let me do it? Why did you let me die?" she asked.

"I-I d-didn't mean too!" Percy tried to say, his voice cracking. "I-I just c-couldn't…"

"You failed me and my brother." she said sadly. "I guess I couldn't trust you at all, like Nico said." Her voice then disappeared, but Percy only got a slight reprieve when another voice took Bianca's place. One by one, Percy heard the voices of his old dead friends, scolding and blaming him for everything that had happened. The son of Poseidon was on his knees, his head in his hands as he slowly started to go insane, just like in Tartarus. Eventually, he started to slowly believe that the voices were right.

"I did do all of this. I killed them all. If only I had been stronger, none of this would have happened." So now he just laid there, contemplating his life and how he could redeem himself.

Line Break

She was worried. It had been so long since Percy Jackson had gone into his test. It had been abnormally long, and now she was wondering if he was fighting a losing battle. She prayed not. She truly needed his help. If he couldn't help her, then no one could. No one alive in this universe would ever be able to do it.

"Please, succeed. I need your help, so succeed." she whispered.

Line Break

The voices penetrated through him, telling him lies that he thought real, and he felt all the pain he had locked away for so long.

"I can't do this." Percy thought. "Better I end this now than suffer for any longer." He pulled out Riptide shakily, preparing to try and end his own life for a second time, when the voice abruptly stopped, and then replaced by one loud and clear voice instead.

"You have not failed. Instead of cowering and running away from your fears, you must instead face and eventually conquer them. They are not real. Forget the past, what was done is done. Stop beating yourself up over it, and move on. Fight for the future, not the past. Live, Perseus Jackson, and fulfill your destiny!" the voice shouted. Percy looked upwards, his head somewhat cleared and confused. The voice had disappeared, and now he was met with silence. He looked at his hands, still slightly shaking, before he clenched his fists and reclaimed his pentadent, still standing where he left it. He took it, before he strided forwards confidently towards the blob.

"Whoever you are, you were right. I've been running away for far too long. I must face my fears, let they consume me." he said quietly. He pointed his pentadent at the blob.

"You are not real." he announced. "Begone, and never return. I will face the future, not my past. I fight for what's left, and for all who have fallen." The blob simply melted into the floor, and Percy was once again left along. He looked at his pentadent, and like he was struck by a sudden bout of inspiration, he said, "Στροβιλίζεται παλίρροιες. Whirling Tides. That will be your name." His weapon seemed to glow with an ethereal light before he was sucked away.

Line Break

He found himself lying on the floor, staring up at the stars. As he sat up, he groaned. All of his muscles ached, possibly from the battle, even though it had been in his mind.

"Thank goodness." he heard, and he saw the women hovering over him suddenly.

"So, I completed the test?" he asked.

"You definitely did. Now, you are ready. Come with me, I'll show you where you're going to go." They both vanished and appeared suddenly, and as Percy stood, he was met with a large city within reach. He could walk there easily if he wished.

"If you must know, we are on another planet in the universe." the women told her. "Walk there and ask to join the army. You'll be accepted. I'll join you eventually, but for now you're on your own." Percy was about to ask a slew of questions when he was stopped.

"Please, I know you still need to ask me many things, but please wait it out a little longer. I'll see you another day, but for now just head off to the city. Please." she said, pleading again. Percy sighed.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you later." The women stood up.

"You will." she said confidently before she disappeared again. Percy stared at where she once was before he stared out towards the city, and the start of his new life.

"Well, let's go to the Emerald City shall we?" he murmured before he set off for the army that awaited him, and whatever laid ahead.