Clockwork

39

"Percy, I can't keep doing this. Since everyone knows who you are and they think it strange for me to have 'lost' a soul, it's only a matter of time before someone puts two and two together and find out who you refer to as your... 'sources'." Thanatos echoed. 

"Speaking of, you 'lost' a soul? How the--? I thought I was bad with excuses." Percy said, remembering the lie he had told the Council.

"Be lucky I lied to my boss at all,'' Thanatos said.

"Yeah, okay," Percy said.

"What is it, Jackson? Unless this is you finally offering your soul to me to take it to the underworld, I suppose you have something to ask."

"Okay, let's go down the list. How's Luke?"

"Hakeem graduated from kindergarten today, and I have confirmed that both of his parents are human without the Sight.''

"Thank you. Ethan?"

"Still in the underworld, I doubt he'll choose to be reborn for a while."

"Bianca?"

"Nadia is having a good life. Nice and mortal. Now, are we done with the updates on your dead and reborn friends?"

"Yeah of course. Let's speak on live allies. Carter and Sadie?"

"They are a little too skilled in the art of hiding. Even I haven't been able to find them."

Percy sighed. At least that means they're not dead, right?

"Magnus Chase?"

"He has heard of what his cousin has done to you and your family. But since he lived in a realm for another Patheon's deceased, I can't see him much."

''Okay, tell me more about Jasmine."

Death froze again, looking at Percy curiously. "What is it you want to know?" His voice was stable since he was no longer rushing about, but Percy figured that Death being here meant no one was dying anywhere else.

"Hey, don't stop collecting souls, please. We don't need any more dead-but-not-really-dead people walking around here," Percy said, frowning at the god of death. When Thanatos continued with his work, Percy continued.

"She told me that she lived with her mother until she was thirteen and that she'd been alone for three years. Seeing that she was twenty-four when I found her, and I'm not saying I'm a mathematical genius, but that doesn't add up. What happened to her?" Percy asked.

"Have you not considered asking Jasmine herself about this?" Death asked. "Not directly, and it seems to be a heavy topic," Percy said.

"Don't you think that's a good enough reason to not talk about it?"
Thanatos asked.

"Did she accidentally kill her mother?" Percy asked bluntly.

Thanatos fell silent before asking, "Did she tell you that?"

"No, when I first met your daughter, she looked away and held her hands close to her. She told me she was with her mother until she was thirteen. Today, on the ride over here, she told me she first discovered what she could do when she was thirteen," Percy said. "I made an assumption based on that. Is it true?"

"No Jackson. You've got it wrong." Thanatos said. "How so?"

"Jasmine's mother died when she was born. Jasmine tends to blame herself for that." Thanatos said.

"But then how was her mother with her until-- was she raised by a ghost?" Percy asked.

"Yes, you aren't the first soul I've 'lost' in my existence. Though that time, I felt responsible. Jasmine was premature, nothing had developed correctly, but in my choice to keep her alive her mother died. She didn't kill her mother, I did. But she still blames herself, especially when her mother went to the underworld."

"Why'd she leave?"

"Jasmine discovered her powers, not the ones that kill living things, but one that can guide spirits. Her mother had known that, and she initiated the hug that sent her to the underworld when she thought that Jasmine was ready. I watched over her for almost 7 years, but then I lost her."

"You lost her, Thanatos?" Percy said, raising his eyebrows.

Thanatos sighed and stopped moving. He shook his wings, extending them before tucking them behind his back, and walking towards Percy's uninhabited body.

The grass sprouted poppies after every step, and he pointed his finger at his daughter.

"Wait--" Percy said, thinking that the god of death was about to kill his daughter but stopped when nothing happened.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you can't kill her," Percy said.

"No one can, Percy, she doesn't have a soul. I can find anything-- with a soul. Adrien, at least anyone he's working with or for, is easy to track, but I didn't know who'd taken her. I'd been slacking with the souls and Hades had noticed. I can only be in so many places at once. I didn't even look for Adrien until you asked me to."

"So are there just parts of the world that just don't die?" Percy questioned.

"Different pantheons. Different gods of death. I'm not the only god of death in the world, or in my family. Tartarus has his reapers, and Hades does have the power to guide souls if the time calls for it."

Percy guessed it made sense about Thanatos not being able to be everywhere, even though Percy had witnessed him being in several places at once during their conversations but maybe he wasn't traveling big distances.

There was a sudden thud. Percy reached for a weapon-- Riptide, a gun, a knife, anything-- then he remembered that everything was on his body.

"Hey Percy, I thought you were meeting with my dad?" A tired Jasmine said. "I should go before she tries to get my attention and knock me over. Of course, I forgot to ask the whole reason I even called you. Adrien?"

"A deity is blocking me from pinpointing his soul. Kind of similar to when Hephaestus harbored you, but this one has a much stronger aura, and to put it simply, it oozes ill intent. Be careful the next time you see him. Luckily, I can track his child. But you must go, Olympus is in unrest. I will send someone to guide you, but only one person can fly under Adrien's radar." Thanatos warned. Percy nodded, walking towards his body.

"Wait, what do you mean Olympus is in unrest?" Percy asked, freezing in place.

"Those sons of Tyche you brought in, they're omens. Bad ones. Now go." Thanatos said, blinking away before Percy could say anything else.

Percy stepped back into his body and turned to Jasmine.

"Come on, we've to get back to Olympus," Percy said.

Clockwork, there's trouble here, you need to come ba--

Hephaestus started but the thought cut off short.

"Let's go." Percy urged Jasmine, already bounding towards the car.

Oof.
Hoped you enjoyed that though.
Stay safe and all that good stuff and write you later.
Bye 👋