I don't own anything. The story belong to to the Rick Riordan who had the fantastic idea and the author.

Son of Rivers By Pixel-Up

Rank 10 - Words Small: (33,000)

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of Rick Riordan's books. I really don't want to say this every chapter:D

Percy's POV

I walked up the hill adjusting the my backpack. I patted Peleus and asked him,"Can you watch this for me Peleus? It has something very precious to me."

He only snorted smoke at me. I took that as a yes and tucked my backpack between his forelegs. Then I continued walking down the hill.

Its been four months since I had been able to see my home.

Camp Half-Blood looked beautiful in the setting sun. Soon, the moon would come out and shine brightly over the Artemis cabin. I decided to take a walk by the beach and clear my head to prepare myself.

It's been one year since the 2nd Giant war and we finally had peace. No more prophecys hanging over head and because of my first wish in the Titan war, there were at least a hundred new cabins for each minor god and goddess.

The stars started to come out and I lay back on soft sand to watch them. They provoked bittersweet memories of the friends I've made and all the friends I've lost. But the saddest memory is always triggered by one constellation... The Huntress. She was once a hunter of Artemis and she was also once my friend. She died in my third quest, she was one of the first friends of mine that died and she was certainly not the last.

I wish I could have stopped her death, all of their deaths. But I can't, which hurts me even more because of my fatal flaw. I would destroy the world to save a friend but when the Fates cut the string and I have no power to stop it at all, it hurts me more.

"Hey Percy, I can't believe your back already!" Shouted a very familiar voice. I snapped out of my thoughts and twisted my head around to see two familiar faces. I smiled at them "Nico, Thalia, I missed you guys."

Nico stood in his classic goth outfit with black jeans and a black leather jacket with several chains that looked like they could also be used as weapons.

Thalia looked the same as always with a green day shirt and her hunter parka, she was also wearing her tiara that states that she is the Lieutenant of the Hunt. I ran up and hugged them both. "When did you get back? Thalia asked. "About 2 minutes ago Pinecone Face" I teased.

Only response I got was a punch to the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?" I asked, rubbing my arm. " Just cuz your a Kelp Head," she replied.

"So what are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be on your knee and proposing to Annabeth?" Thalia scolded me smiling.

"Shut up! I don't want anybody to hear," I hissed looking around nervously. "Sorry," she replied.

She did not look very sorry. "Can we see the ring now, please?" asked Nico, jumping up and down. We just stared at him. "Hey Deathbreath, I thought you grew up already?" teased Thalia. Nico's cheeks flushed. "Sorry," he mumbled looking down. Thalia looked at me and we both cracked up laughing.

"But seriously, can we see it now," Thalia asked. my hand slipped into my pocket and stroked the soft velvet. I considered taking it out and showing them but decided against it. "Sorry guys, but it's a surprise," I wink at them.

"Fine, but you better do it at the campfire," whined Nico. "I was planning to Zombie Dude." I replied.

We started walking to the camp talking to each other like it was any other day. This was how life should be, peaceful and calm with no prophecy hanging over my head.

"So how's immortality treating you?" asked Thalia. I snapped out of my thoughts. "Pretty good, but you know that it's the same immortality that the hunters have," I said.

When we had defeated Gaea and the Giants, the Gods wanted to turn the Seven into Gods. We decided to change that gift into partial immortality and to give Hestia and Hades their throne back. The two Gods and Goddesses were very thankful and Hades gave permission for any of the Seven to enter his domain. That made Nico really happy cause now be would get more company.

It was nearing about 8:00 and I could hear the cheers from the campfire. Wait, cheers? Singing yes, but cheering no.

"Do you think someone's been claimed?" I asked Thalia. She just shrugged in response.

We jogged up to the campfire and I saw my father. I was about to go hug him when he said, "Hail, Orion true son of the Sea God, leader of Camp Half-Blood." The crowd continued cheering.

"Wait, I have a brother? Since when? And how is he the leader of camp?" I quietly asked Nico. "I have no idea, I haven't been here since you left," he replied. I looked at Thalia questionably. She shrugged as well.

I started to walk through the crowd and what I saw made my blood run cold.

Sitting on a bench in front of the campfire was a boy that had to be at least 18 years old, the same as I was and he had to be a son of Poseidon. He had the sea green eyes of a son of the sea but they were darker than mine. His hair was a shade lighter and shorter than mine. He wore a cocky smirk but I thought maybe I could bond with him anyways. How wrong I was.

Sitting next to him, under his arm, was Annabeth. My Annabeth. I thought maybe they were just friends but that hope was crushed when he leaned in and kissed her.

And she kissed him back.

I stumbled back and Nico caught me. "Man, I'm so sorry," said Nico, pity showing in his eyes.

I regained my balance but the situation got worse, almost knocking me over again.

My brother Orion stood up suddenly and turned to face Annabeth. My Annabeth. He kneeled slipping a small black box out of his pocket.

In my mind, I was screaming. NO NO NO. Tears started pouring down my face.

"Annabeth Chase, will you marry me?"

The crowd grew silent in anticipation. She covered her mouth with her hands. "Yes yes yes!" she started crying in joy. The crowd started cheering, my father one of the loudest there.

I looked at my friends. Nico looked pale and scared? Thalia looked like she was holding back sobs.

A strange feeling started to overcome me. It was unpleasant but I relished the feeling of it.

I realized what it was.

It was pure fury.

It overcame my sorrow in a flash.

I took a step forward. "What exactly is going on?" I spoke slowly. The crowd immediately grew quiet. I walked towards the happy couple, the crowd parting for me. Annabeth's eyes were wide and she looked shocked.

"Per-Percy, h-how are you here? You d-died" she stammered "I am very much alive Annabeth," I spat, "But the real question is why? Why would you do this to me, after all I did for you?" I asked quieter.

The entire camp was watching us, completely shocked. Good for them, I thought.

"How many of you know how much I have suffered in my life?" I asked directing this at our audience. My only answer was complete and utter silence.

"Really? Then why don't I educate you," At this point all eyes were on me.

"When I was twelve, I went on a quest to the Underworld to rescue Zeus' MasterBolt to prevent a civil war among the Gods. At twelve, I beat Ares in a duel. It was then when I found out Luke, son of Hermes was helping Kronos rise," I said quietly.

"My second quest was when Thalia's pine tree was poisoned and I snuck away on a quest to save the camp by finding the Golden Fleece in the Sea of Monsters. We survived the Sirens and defeated Polyphemus, a cyclops. We saved the camp and rescued Thalia from her tree."

I took a deep breath and glanced at Nico and Thalia who moved to stand protectively next to me.

"I went a extraction mission with Thalia and Anna-her," jerking my head head in her direction,"To find a pair of powerful demigods, Nico and Bianca Di Angelo. We were attacked and Annabeth was kidnapped by the Titan Atlas. Bianca joined the Hunters and was chosen to go on a quest to save Artemis who had been forced under the sky."

I look up at my awestruck audience. "The quest members was Thalia, Zoe, the last lieutenant of the hunt, Bianca, Grover and would have been Phoebe but I snuck away on the quest instead to save Annabeth."

"I fought and defeated the Nemean Lion and along the way..."

I look at Nico but his face was startlingly blank.

"Along the way in the junkyard of the Gods, Bi-Bianca sacrificed herself to save my life." "We reached the Garden of the Hesperides and managed to reach the top of Mount Tam, where Atlas once held the sky. Where Artemis now held the sky. I took the burden of the sky to allow Artemis to fight instead." "The only thought in my head was Bianca gave her life for me, I could hold the sky. Artemis tricked Atlas under the sky once more but not until he...not until he killed Zoe," my voice impossibly soft.

"Artemis placed her soul in the stars to remain forevermore."

"My fourth quest brought me deep into the Labyrinth, to prevent Luke from invading the camp. I fought monsters and navigated the maze with a clear sighted mortal. I made my peace with Nico and separated from Grover and Tyson who went of to find Pan. Annabeth and I went on a side quest for Hephaestus to locate one of his forges. I went there and was attacked by sea demons. I caused Mount St Helen's to erupt and for Typhon to wake up. I was landed on the island of Calypso and was offered to escape my prophecy. I could have become immortal and escape my life. But I chose to return for my friends because I was loyal to my friends, to my family. I returned to camp and once again entered the Labyrinth. We found Daedalus and found out he had already helped Luke but was eventually betrayed and helped us escape."

I took a deep breath. These next few parts were going to hard.

"I was there when Pan faded, I was one of the few who were blessed by the Lord of the Wild. "

"I managed to find my way back to Luke's ship where Kronos' sarcophagus was located. I found out Luke had bathed in the River Styx and had hosted the Titan Lord's essence. We managed to escape but not before Nico was revealed as a son of Hades."

I take a moment to glance at my audience. They were awestruck, shocked, and scared? I looked at my father and saw he had tears in his eyes.

"That was when the Battle of the Labyrinth began. To cut a long story short, many brave heroes passed but we managed to win. Daedalus returned to help and asked Nico to kill him to close the Labyrinth. Th-there were t-too many shrouds that day.

I swallow deeply looking at my too companions, both openly sobbing.

"I knew that Kronos would try to attack Olympus so I gathered every single half-blood to defend Olympus. Forty Demigods, 30 hunters, and an assortment of nature spirits was all we had to defend Olympus. The bravest heroes of the age, who gave their lives to protect the world. It was also then when I bathed in the River Styx to prepare myself to fight Kronos. I also read the Great Prophecy that had always governed my entire life,"

"This was my prophecy-

A halfblood of the eldest Gods, Shall reach sixteen against all odds, And see the world in endless sleep, Hero's soul cursed blade shall reap, A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze."

"The final battle happened in the Throne Room. Annabeth reminded Luke of his promise to her and managed to wrestle control from Kronos. I made the choice to save Olympus, I gave Annabeth's knife to him and he stabbed himself in his Achille's heel, killing Kronos."

Everyone was completely silent except for Annabeth who was sobbing into my brother's shoulder.

"I made an even bigger decision at the awards ceremony. The Gods offered me godhood," I paused,"And I declined"

The entire audience erupted in yells and questions but I lifted my hand and stopped them immediately.

"I declined for for two reasons, one was I promised to Luke that I would make sure the Gods payed more attention to their children, I made them all swear to claim all their children by the time they turn 12 and that every God would have a cabin at camp, Olympian and minor."

"The second reason was for her. I declined godhood because I loved her," I spat. "I could have escaped my fate but I chose you." directing my statement at her. "But it seems as if you didn't do the same."

"Later, Hera that took my memories and Jason Grace from Camp Jupiter to unite the Camps against the newest threat. Gaea was rising. To shorten a very long quest, Annabeth fell into Tartarus and I chose to fall with her. We escaped and then we fought the Giants in Greece and managed to kill them with our parents but not before Gaea woke."

"And I managed to kill Gaia by myself with no help."

"The Seven chose to add Hades and Hestia to the council and received partial immortality instead."

"And then Athena, decided now I had to earn her approval to marry her daughter by defeating Landon and taking the Golden Apples of Immortality."

"Which brings us to here," I finish slowly. My voice had been rising during my entire speech.

I slip my hand into my pocket and take out a small,black box and open it, showing the contents to everyone. Every girl gasped there, even Thalia which Nico smirked at. Inside the small, black box nestled in soft silk, was a ring worthy of Hephaestus. A pure silver band made up the body of the ring, etched into the silver were sea-green wave designs that seemed to move in the firelight. The main cause of such rapture were the ring's jewels. There was an emerald trident in the center, the exact color of Percy's eyes. On either side of the trident was two storm grey wings-owl wings. Etched along the base of the wings were the words- Forever and always

I looked at Thalia and Nico and they seemed to get my messege.

They took a step back.

"Ple-please Percy! I thought you died! I thought you would have wanted me to move on!" Annabeth cried out reaching out for me.

"No, daughter of Athena, you just forgot about me, like everyone here." my voice filled with such venom cause everyone to flinch. "It seems as if Athena's smarts skipped a generation huh?"

Rachel stepped out calmly,"Percy, please don't do anything rash,"

"And why should I listen to you, to any of the people that betrayed me?" I hissed.

Rachel looked like she had just been slapped. "Percy please, this isn't you," she pleaded. "Shut up! Stop acting like your my friend," I growled,

"I bet the gods wanted this to happen! I think they wanted to crush me!" I yell at the sky.

The sky only thundered softly in the distance.

"To the gods," I say bitterly dropping the ring into the campfire.

My father stumbled like he had been struck. His legs collapsed and he fell to his knees, the crowd watching in a stunned silence. After what seemed like forever, Poseidon slowly looked up.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly a single tear slowly making a trail down his face.

"Too late" My response made him bow his head once more.

"Percy, please forgive me. I love you!" Annabeth cried out stepping out to me.

In a flash, my blade was at her throat. "It would be so easy for me to kill you right now," I whispered. "But that would be too easy."

"How dare you do that to my wife?!" Orion yelled. I just smirked at him.

I removed my blade and shoved her into his arms where he glared at me.

Suddenly every single camper rushed forwards including Chiron who had just appeared, I think they were trying to restrain me.

But that didn't happen.

I swiftly turned riptide around and pointed it at my chest.

And everyone froze.

"Percy, please don't do this, this isn't the answer," Chiron pleaded. "Trying to act like you care? Well too bad, I don't buy your trick."

Nico and Thalia stood right next to me once again. "Please don't do anything rash," whispered Thalia.

Of course I ignored her. I knew I couldn't live here anymore, it was not my home anymore, and Camp Jupiter has my other friends, but it is too familiar to Camp Half-Blood. I looked up and saw the Huntress.

Then, I had a brilliant idea. Well maybe not brilliant, actually it could most likely kill me later but I had to do it.

I slowly took the sword off my chest and caused a massive sigh of relief to emanate from the crowd. I looked at my sword, so many memories forged through this sword.

Too many.

Then I had a brilliant idea.

I capped riptide and held it in my palm for everyone to see.

"I return this sword to its original form." The pen shimmered and slowly shrank into a blue hair clip.

Zoe Nightshade's hair clip imbued with her immortal power.

"I renounce my ownership over this sword," That caught everyone's attention causing a massive gasp from the campers assembled. They knew how much riptide meant to me.

"I return riptide to it's original creator and owner, Zoe Nightshade. That's when Thalia fainted in shock but Nico caught her.

Riptide started to glow a deep blue color- the color of the ocean at its deepest depths.

Riptide shimmered once again and started to rise out of my hand. It slowly started to pick up speed until it passed higher than I could see, but something remarkable happened.

The stars glowed brighter than normal.

More specifically, a single constellation.

The Huntress.

While everyone was gawking at the change, I took that as a sign.

I turned and sprinted out of the campfire. I managed to get up the hill before I started to hear the shouts. I ran up to Peleus, grabbed my backpack and gave one last look at the place I had once called home.

The yells started getting louder and my resolve hardened. I turned back and ran down the hill-towards freedom, towards a new life.

Not once looking back.

Chiron's POV

We had been searching for hours with no sign of Percy. After the first hour, Poseidon flashed away to Olympus to alert the other gods of the situation. I of course, was worried for my student but did not underestimate him. Normally demigods would perish within a day in the normal world without a weapon, but this was the greatest hero alive. Every monster was afraid of him.

Everyone was guilty including me.

How could I have been such a fool? He was the greatest hero alive, he wouldn't die so easily on a quest. Hades or Nico would have told us at least if he died.

"Heroes, it's getting to late, we shall continue the search tommorow," I shouted, my voice echoing through the forest.

"But Chiron, we have to keep looking, I-we need to apologize to him," cried Annabeth.

I looked at my student with sympathy. She was the closest thing I had to a daughter and I cared about her very much. "It is much too late for us to find him, we will continue the search at first light, I promise," I told her.

Orion slung his arm around her and directed her towards her cabin. I called out to the remaining searchers to bring them in.

As we were walking back into camp, I turned and looked back into the depths of the forest.

"Please be safe Percy," I whisper before turning and galloping back into camp.

Poseidon's POV

I flashed on to Olympus, still shocked from what had happened. I didn't know whether to be happy my son is alive or ashamed on giving up on him so easily. I sat down at my throne and banged my trident against the hard, marble floor calling the council of the gods.

Fourteen gods flashed in. "Poseidon, what is the meaning of this meeting?" Hades asked. "I just learned tha- where is Aphrodite? She is suppose to be here, Hermes, can you please get her?"

Hermes nodded and flashed out.

"I just learned that my son is alive," I start to say when Zeus stood up furiously and yelled,"Then why call a meeting? We have more important things to do," he glared at me.

"You didn't let me finish, my son is alive and found out Annabeth is engaged to marry his brother.

At this point, Athena stood up furious. "What! I sent Perseus on a quest to gain my permission to marry my daughter and she-she does this!"

Artemis stood up as well,"I agree, Perseus is a great man and did not deserve this,"

"Wait, you sent him on a quest without telling me! I thought he was dead," I murmured the last part. I could feel the storms raging the Earth but I could care less.

I had abandoned my favorite son for a lesser one. I could see why he hates me now, I thought sullenly.

That was when Hermes flashed in carrying someone.

It was Aphrodite.

"What did you do to my wife!" thundered Hephaestus getting up from his throne lunging at Hermes.

"I didn't do anything, I found her on the ground and sobbing her eyes out," He quickly said while handing her to her husband. Hephaestus held her for a moment then gently placed her in her throne.

I had to smile at that. After the Giant War, Percy managed to convince the council to act more like a family, something Hera enjoyed immensely.

Wait, Percy.

"Wake her up!" roared Zeus which was sufficient in waking her up.

Aphrodite sat up suddenly and stared at the rest of the Olympians assembled.

Then she burst out crying.

Her sobbing shocked the assembled gods.

"Aphrodite, what happened? Are you okay?" asked Athena hesitantly.

"Did you not feel th-that?" Aphrodite stuttered

"Feel what?"

"That wave of power just a few minutes ago" Aphrodite's voice became strong and she turned to stare at me.

"I know what exactly what it was, Poseidon, would you like to explain what transpired at Camp Half-Blood?" her voice uncharacteristically serious.

At this I stuttered. "I have no idea what could have ca-caused this,"

She raised an eyebrow,"Really,or would you like me to tell the other gods?"

Everyone else was watching in a stunned silence at the one-sided conversation and how different Aphrodite was acting.

"Fine, Percy appeared at camp right when his brother proposed to Annabeth. He saw the entire thing and threw the ring he made into the campfire. Then he ran off," I growled out annoyed at the disrespect she was showing me.

"And when did you feel the wave of power," she questioned.

"When-when Percy threw the ring into the fire," my eyes widening as I realized the source of power.

"Well, I don't understand what's going on," snarled Ares.

"Wait," Athena started," Do you mean..." She stared at Aphrodite questioningly.

"Will someone tell me what is going on? I assume we all felt the power surge, NOW EXPLAIN!" roared Zeus.

"The power came from Perseus or more specifically the ring," replied Aphodite still glaring daggers at me.

"How could a ring do something like that?" asked Apollo.

"Because it forged from a promise, from love. It was created from love which is why it affected my domain, and in turn, me," Aphrodite said.

"When did you get so smart?" asked Hermes who was awestruck

She, of course, ignored this.

"But why would this affect us? We are not all gods and goddesses of love," Athena pointed out.

"Because it was pure love. love that is the hardest to find. I haven't felt love like this in centuries."

"And because his heart was broken, he discarded the ring, destroying his ability to love again,"

"Why would that stop him from loving?" I pointed out

"Because he put all his love into making the ring, he literally sacrificed his ablitity to love, to us," Aphrodite stated, throwing her hands up. "How am I the only one to know these things?" she said exasperated.

"Because your the Goddess of Love," pointed out Hermes, hi-fiving Apollo.

"I believe we need to find Perseus, he is too powerful and we need to know if he is still loyal to Olympus. Will the Hunters search for him?" said Zeus, looking at Artemis.

"Of course father," Artemis then proceeded to flash away.

"Meeting adjourned," and with that, Zeus disappeared in a massive bolt of lightning.

Everyone else flashed out except for me, Aphrodite and Athena. Athena finally sighed after an uncomfortable silence."Look Lord Poseidon, Percy's disappearance is not your fault-"

"Yes it is," hissed Aphrodite, "It is his fault along with your daughter and the rest of camp. You abandoned him for another son, treating him like a tool, you used him until he was not needed anymore. You used him to get yourself attention and when he no longer provided it, you turned to your next son. It is most definitely your fault,"

"And now it's up to you to fix it," she glared at me one more time before disappearing in cloud of perfume.

Athena looked at me sadly, before flashing away.

I was alone.

"What have I done?"

Artemis was not having a good day.

Actually, that would have been an understatement.

It has been three weeks since the Hunt had been ordered to find Percy Jackson.

And it seemed that he had vanished off the face of the Earth.

For the first time, it seemed the hunters would fail.

That did not sit well with the hunters.

Even worse, was the lack of monsters. All along the east coast, nature spirits were reporting a frustrating and worrying declining amount of monsters.

The hunters were suppose to hunt, but how could they hunt if they had no prey?

The Hunt was currently camped in Colorado, investigating the monster disappearances that seemed to move west.

The hunters were just sitting down to eat when there was scream from the forest. Immediately, every hunter had their bows ready.

There was a loud crash from the bushes just outside their clearing and surprisingly, a dracaena slithered out.

Okay, slithered out would be exaggerating, mused Artemis. The creature was cut all over its body, and could barely crawl.

It looked up and saw the hunters pointing their bows at it.

The monster froze, then looked behind it and continued to limp towards us with a terrified expression.

"Stop!" called out Thalia stepping out towards the beast, with her bow still pointed at the dracaena. The creature fell to its knees, or where it's knees would be if it had legs instead of snake tails.

"Pleasesss help me," she cried out. "Why would you ask the hunters for help?" Phoebe asked.

"Because h-he is here," It managed to stutter out. "Who is here beast" demanded Artemis who walked up to Thalia.

"The Hooded One,"

"Who the hades is the Hooded One?" Thalia demanded.

"H-he is The Destroyer," she whimpered. "Well that helps a lot thanks," Atlanta, one of the senior hunters called out.

The dracaena's head snapped around to stare at the bushes she had climbed out. "He'sss here!" she started to sob.

Out of the bushes stepped out a man, wearing black jeans and a black hoodie.

Every hunter pointed their bows at the new threat. "Who are you?" asked Artemis. He just cocked his head to the side and continued to stare at the dracaena while it sobbed.

"Answer the question boy!" snarled Phoebe.

The dracaenae shrieked suddenly and disintegrated.

"What did you do!" demanded a furious and also slighty scared Goddess of the Hunt. Monsters can only disintegrate like that when faced with a god's true form.

The man did not respond and just watched the hunters with a slight smirk on his face.

And suddenly, one of the hunters shot an arrow at him. He just grinned widely and thrust his hand up.

Stopping the arrow an inch from his heart.

The man's demeanor changed immediately. He grabbed the arrow and snapped it, letting the fragments fall to the ground.

"That wasn't smart dear hunter," the man's voice echoed eerily around the clearing.

"Wh-who are you?" Thalia's voice shakily asked. She hated how she was feeling. She was suppose to be strong, not frightened.

"I believe your mistress already knows that answer," was his simple reply.

And Artemis did know the answer and she was scared of it. If someone was capable of scaring a monster to asking the hunters for help, it was truly a being to be feared.

"Are you The Destroyer?" she asked warily.

"Yes,"

The man seemed to change his attitude immediately.

Almost menacingly.

"I am the Destroyer, the fear of monsters,"

The man dropped his voice to a low whisper that the hunters had to strain their ears to hear.

"Do not dare try to find me or everything you know will be razed to the ground,"

And the man disappeared without a trace.

I stumbled when I reappeared in my campsite. I knew it was a bad idea to provoke the hunters even if their expressions were hilarious. I sat down hard at the tree stump I used as a chair. That disappearing act was a new trick I had found. I named it vapor travel. It must have been an ability children of Poseidon have.

Poseidon

I stopped thinking of him as my birth father. As if he truly cared for me.

Vapor traveling is similar to shadow traveling by children of Hades. But it is a lot more challenging.

Imagine this. Instead of going through a shadow, I have to focus my water powers and literally break down every molecule of my body and change it into water vapor. I can then move myself around but it only works for short distances, then I have concentrate to turn back. It is immensely tiring.

Definitely harder than shadow traveling.

I threw back my hood and glanced at my pathetic campsite. It consisted of a fire pit, a sleeping bag and my backpack.

I grabbed my backpack and opened it. Inside was my most valuable possession.

Inside the backpack lay five golden apples.

The apples of immortality.

This was the goal of my quest. To beat Landon and retrieve the apples.

It took months of training, living in the wilderness to prepare my body and mind.

And I did it.

I defeated Landon the Undefeated.

And what good did it do? I have no one now, my family at Camp Half Blood have found a new hero.

My brother, Orion.

My new life was challenging, that was for sure. For a week I was attacked by monsters, until they realized how much of a threat I was.

They must have thought I would have been an easy meal, a lone demigod, without a weapon.

They were wrong.

They call me the Destroyer for a reason. With no weapons I could kill monsters in an instant. How?

By evaporating the blood in the bodies.

Quite fun, but also quite tiring.

Of course I left a few alive. I wanted them to spread a rumor and a message to other monsters.

The rumor was that there was an all-powerful being that hunted and killed monsters mercilessly.

The message?

That the hunters would become the hunted. I hated seeing innocent demigods killed by monsters and I needed to blow off some steam.

And by steam I mean be as violent and destructive as possible.

I mean seriously, the look on the dracaena's face right before it died was priceless. I mean really, was I so terrifying that a monster would beg the Hunters of Artemis for help?

I zipped up my backpack and focused on the water vapor in the air. I made it pick up my backpack and place it by my sleeping bag. I have been training my water powers to do anything for me, that was how I stopped the arrow from killing me.

Now for the next part of my plan, I thought wryly. I condensed the water vapor to create a mist.

To create a rainbow.

I clutched my last golden drachma.

After a moment of hesitation I threw my drachma into the mist.

"O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, show me Sally Jackson,"

The mist shimmered and changed to a familiar small apartment. My mom sat on the couch alone. Apparently Paul was out. My mom was holding something in her arms a small bundle of cloth.

In a snap, I knew what it was.

"Hi mom," my voice cracking at the end, my eyes were threatening to start tearing up.

Her head snapped up.

"Percy, you've grown so much!" Than she noticed my eyes tearing up and she realized why.

"This is your little sister, Andromeda," she said happily, showing the sleeping child to me. She had to only be a few months old with a small patch of black hair and blue eyes.

"She's beautiful," I say softly, tears of happiness sliding down my cheek. I was so happy for my mom and Paul. I could have a new family member to take care of.

"I love her, when can I come visit my new sister," I ask eagerly.

"Actually Percy, there is something I have been wanting to tell you," she said avoiding looking at me.

"Yeah, what is it?" I was impatient, I wanted to see my new sister so badly. I wanted to give her the life I could never have.

"Percy, I don't think you should visit her," she began before I cut her off.

"What! Of course I'm going to see her, she's my sister!"

"Please Percy, don't make this harder than it already is. She is full mortal, and I want to keep it that way. I want her to be safe and oblivious to the Greek world. If you visit, you will attract monsters," she pleaded.

I was heartbroken. First camp, then I am banned by my own mother to see my sister.

"B-but please! I want to know her, I want to watch her take her first steps, I want her to have the life I could never have," the last part came out as a whisper.

"And you can give her that by not bringing her into the mythical world," she said firmly but also sadly.

More tears started to slid down my cheeks, but this time they were not from joy.

They were tears of a broken man.

This was the last straw, everything was finally taken away from me.

And I grew angry. "Fine, I will never visit her and you will never tell her of her brother, happy?" I snarl

"First camp, then my own mother betrays me,"

"Wait, Percy, what happened at camp?" she asked.

"Like you care! No one cares for me, I am loved by no one," I yell.

"Percy, what are you talking about? I love you, and so does Annabeth," defended my mother.

That drive me over the edge.

"Goodbye mother, see you in the Underworld," I spat out and slashed my hand through the mist ending the connection.

No one

I had no one

And what does a man want when he has nothing and no one?

That's easy.

He wants to die.

But first, I needed to say goodbye to the few people who actually cared for me.

I quickly picked up all my gear and wiped the tears furiously from my eyes.

I needed to go west.

To Camp Jupiter.

To see the friends who did not abandon me.

I turned and started walking west, through the forest.

As I walked, one stray thought crossed my mind.

Goodbye

One week.

One week was all it took for me to reach Camp Jupiter.

Not bad if I say so myself.

Especially if you were hunting monsters the entire way.

Currently I was watching the tunnel that leads to Camp Jupiter. There was two guards at the mouth of the tunnel and I really did not want to alert them.

I stood up from my crouched position and stretched my back. I was just outside the eyesight of the guards.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out a bag of drachmas. I formed some mist and chucked the bag through, it disappearing with a pop!

"Thank you Iris, for not revealing my location," I mutter. I knew she heard me because the mist faded away and left a gluten-free ROFL cupcake.

I had to chuckle at that.

I picked it up and weighed it. It would make an excellent distraction.

I crept closer to the tunnel entrance. Taking aim, I threw it at the guard at the right.

He went down like a rock.

The other guard drew a bow and looked around nervously for any enemies.

He turned to help his comrade and I chose that time to enter.

I vapor-traveled past the guards and through the tunnel. I passed over the Little Tiber and reformed myself. I made sure my hood was over my face and I headed towards New Rome.

There was a reason I was at New Rome. The rest of the Seven decided to live here except for Annabeth who stayed at Camp Half-Blood because of me.

A sharp pain went through my heart at the thought of her.

I pushed her out of my mind.

I had some people to see.

And apologize to, a small voice whispered in my head.

Shut up, I told it.

It was nearing sunrise and I knew Romans and Greeks alike would be waking up and either going to college or wandering the streets like I was now.

But at the moment, I liked being alone.

I thought of what I was going to say. Nothing came to mind.

The first apartment I found was Leo and Calypso's.

They got together when Leo asked for her to be freed at the end of the war.

I walked up to the door and knocked twice. A bleary eyed Leo opened it after a few minutes. "Yeah? What do you want?" He asked tiredly.

Then he saw me.

He dragged my into his house and locked the door.

"Where the hades have you been? We thought you were dead then you show up only to disappear for weeks!" he yelled "Please be quiet, I don't want anybody to hear us," I hiss at him mortified that someone would hear us.

"Fine," he said running his hands through his messy hair,"What do you want?"

I swallowed.

"I came to say sorry," I whispered.

"For what?" Leo looked confused.

"For everything I have ever done and-"

I swallowed again.

"-and everything I will do soon."

"What the hades does that mean?" he demanded.

But I was already gone.

The next apartment I visited was Frank and Hazel's.

Same response as Leo except that Hazel slapped me before I left.

Finally, it was Jason and Piper.

Instead of Jason opening the door, it was Piper. She looked at me and then she slapped me.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" she screeched.

"Ouch Piper, careful on the ears, will ya?" I said annoyed "And why does everyone keep slapping me?"

"Do you know how worried we were? How worried Annabeth was?" I flinched at her name.

"I don't care what she feels, it can't be anywhere close to how I feel," I snarled trying to control my rapidly increasing anger. "Percy... what happened to you?" she said looking at me sadly.

"They did, she did, it doesn't matter who did it, only that it happened," I whispered.

I look around their small apartment. Then I realized something. "Where's Jason?" I ask curiously.

"He's out..." seeing my pointed glare she continued," He's out looking for you,"

"What! Why?"

"You may not see it but the rest of us do. You can't go fight a war with a group of people and not come out as friends. Everything we have ever done together created a bond between us, we are your family," she said firmly.

"But we always fought each other and argued, why would he risk his life to search for me," I yell exasperated.

"Are you serious? Do you not understand what I just said?" she said incredulously. "We are a family and each and everyone of us would sacrifice ourselves to save another. You are our brother," she replied, placing her hands on my shoulders, looking at me seriously.

"Fine," I grumbled but I was secretly grateful for their loyalty to me.

"So when are you going back to Camp Half-Blood?" she asked curiously.

I stiffened. "Hopefully never,"

She looked at me pityingly.

I didn't want it, yet I was thankful.

"You are a true friend Piper, take care of the camps and the other seven for me,"

She frowned, "It sounds like your saying goodbye,"

I laughed at that.

"Whatever happens Piper, remember me, remember everything I have done for Olympus. Keep the legend of Percy Jackson alive, so that one day a more worthy hero might take my place,"

"But-"

"Please, do it for me," I stared into her eyes, trying to convey the importance of what I was trying to say.

She swallowed nervously but then determination lit up her eyes.

"No matter what people say, you are a hero, a true hero, the greatest hero," she told me, her voice unwavering.

"That was a long time ago,"

She glanced back up at me. "Don't you dare-"

"Percy Jackson was a hero, he would do anything for his friends but he died. He died along time ago. I am nothing more than a memory, I am broken," I whisper. "But thank you anyways."

I start to vapor travel away, but not before catching one last glimpse of her sad smile before it faded away.

I stood in front of the DOA recording studio in Los Angeles or in the mythological world, the Underworld.

I push through the doors and strode up to Charon at his desk. "Next trip," I told him flipping him a coin.

"Certainly," was his only response as he headed to the elevator.

The elevator was empty inside except for the two of us. "I know what you are going to do," Charon said calmly not looking up at me. "There are other ways, you don't have to do this," he said as the walls of the elevator slowly melted away.

"Not for me," I told him. "I will admit I dislike you, but it is not your time to die, you have many more years to live and I really don't want to see you earlier then I have to," he said finally looking up at me and I saw something in his eyes I thought I would never see from him.

I saw pity.

He continued, "You do not need to kill yourself-"

I interrupted him with a harsh laugh. "I don't plan on killing myself, I pride myself on being smarter than that Charon,"

He just looked at me sorrowfully before turning away. The elevator was now a barge floating alongside the millions of dreams that were thrown away when a person died.

We were on the River Styx.

I unslung my backpack and held in front of me. "To the Lady Styx," and I dropped it into the river.

Charon raised an eyebrow, "What was that suppose to do?"

Instead, I just watched the river. The point where I dropped it in started to glow and the whole river started to bubble. For a second, I was afraid that I would be vaporized but a blue glow spread across the entire river, dissolving every lost dream, leaving the river clean.

"Well that was interesting," was Charon's only response. His bluntness was refreshing. Suddenly, something out of the river jumped out and landed in my arms. I examined it.

It was five metal water bottles held together by a length of cord. I pulled one out and held it closely. It was made of Stygian Iron and each of them was empty. I gave a silent thank you to the Goddess of the Styx.

We finally reached the pier where Charon would let me out. As I stepped on land, I heard Charon call my name one last time. " Perseus Jackson, whatever happens and if you survive the night, remember, you are a hero,"

It was the exact same thing Piper said to me.

"And if you tell anyone, I will deny it," I laughed as he turned and directed his barge back down the now clean, waters of the River Styx.

As soon as he was out of sight, I grabbed a water bottle and focused on my water abilities. It took work but I managed to control some of the river water and directed it into a bottle. I twisted the cap tightly shut and thought, "One down, four more to go," and with that thought, I headed deeper into the Underworld.

I passed through the crowds of the undead, I saw the occasional monster but as soon as they saw me, they took off in the other direction. I saw Cerberus in the distance and he barked at me. I smiled at him.

The next river was the Lethe. I was extra careful with that water. I didn't want to end up like Bob.

After that was the Acheron, the river of woe. Then the Cocytus, the river of lamentations, and finally the Phlegethon, the river of fire and healing. Soon, I had five heavy water bottles filled with the most dangerous waters in the known world. I walked back towards the banks of the River Styx. I grabbed my last drachma and evaporated some water from the Styx. That took some effort.

I created a mist and threw it in. "Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering, show me Nico Di Angelo," I say tiredly. I really hope he doesn't kill me.

His face showed up on the message, his expression changed from shock to anger to relief. "Hey Nico," I say nonchalantly. "Everyone is panicking, trying to find you and when you call me, the first thing you say is Hey," he said slowly, obviously trying to calm down. "Yeah sorry about that, but can you do me a favor?"

"Maybe," he looked at me suspiciously.

"Can you get Thalia and everyone else at both camps including the gods. I got something to tell them,"is

"What for? And where are you?" his glare changed to a look of curiosity. "Underworld and can you just do it?" I begged him. "Fine, but you owe me," and he cut off the connection.

I grimaced. This was going to take awhile.

So I started to set my plan in motion.

I opened each bottle gingerly, treating it like greek fire. I made sure each bottle was secure on the ground, I'd really hate to spill some.

When that was done, I waited.

For exactly one hour, and I know that because I counted.

I saw a massive shadow form about twenty feet away from me and saw it deposit a large group of demigods. I bet Hades helped with that. When they regained their footing, one of them looked up and saw me. It was Nico.

"Perseus Jackson! Where the Hades have you been!?" I flinched as he glowered at me. "Um... Hey?" I offered weakly. "Son, I would prefer if you didn't use my name as a swear word," said a very annoyed Hades. Nico ignored him.

I looked at the crowd and recognized my friends. Thalia, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Leo and many more. People that cared about me.

None of them stepped out, instead they were watching me with mixed expressions. I realized they did not want a replay of what happened at the campfire. Smart.

I saw Athena finally take a step forward. "Perseus, stop this madness and come home," I shake my head softly at that, "Not anymore and I have a feeling that is hasn't for a long time," looking at Annabeth who gave a strangled sob.

"You deserve to know why I brought you here," I heard a cough from the crowd,"Actually Perce, I brought them here," Nico put in. "Shut up Death breath," I said smiling. I had a feeling that was the last time I would smile in a long time.

"May I have your full attention please!" I shout, clapping my hands together, startlling a few campers. "Actually, I already your full attention. Whoops," I muttered that last part.

"I gathered you all here today to say goodbye,"

"Um... Fish Face, you've been gone for weeks, why say goodbye now?" said a confused and also furious Thalia. I matched her glare with a calm stare. "That was only temporarily, this will be more... permanent."

"What does that mean Perseus Jackson? If you hurt yourself, you hurt all of us, is that what you want?" That was Rachel. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Really? How about when you hurt me?" I gestured to the rest of the group. "How about when you all hurt me? I saw you at the campfire, saw all of you there." I saw the curious and angry faces of my roman friends and amended that statement. "Except the Romans of course and a few of the Gods."

Finally my father, stepped forwards, "Percy, I-"

"Save it!" I snarled, cutting him off. "I don't want to listen to you,"

"After all, I'm only useful when I save the world right? Any other time you go to the next hero until you need me again," "Percy, that's not true! I love you!" Annabeth finally cried out. I glanced down at her hand and saw a small flash of light. I knew what to say next.

"Really? Then why are you still wearing my brother'sring? That's a load of minotaur dung and you know it.

I shake my head sadly at them, my anger draining out of me. "You don't understand," I whisper, "I'm so tired, tired of everything," "I'm tired of being used and I'm tired of being betrayed,'

I turn towards Athena, "You were right Lady Athena, my flaw would be my downfall,"

"My flaw does not just mean I would sacrifice the world for a friend, it means when I am betrayed by the ones I trust, the ones I am loyal to, it kills me. It hurts, it hurts so much."

"So what are you going to do Jackson? Kill yourself? I never thought you would take the coward's way out," sneered Clarisse. My eyes narrowed.

I will the water of the Underworld to float out of the bottles. I start to make separate steams that float around my body. "What is that?" asked Athena curiously. "The five rivers of the Underword,' I said with a small smile.

Too late, realization and horror reached their faces. I forced each river to accumulate over my head, trying to combine them but the waters repelled each other like magnets. It hovered over my head ready to drop. "Percy! Please, don't do this," Annabeth cried, finally shaking off her shock.

I smiled sadly, "Go, go be the hero I could never be. Become true heroes,"

I closed my eyes.

"I renounce my titles as Fear of Monsters, Bane of Titans and the Defeater of Gaea. I renounce my title as Hero of Olympus." I closed my eyes.

"I renounce Poseidon as my father, I renounce my powers over water,"

I opened my eyes.

I only managed to see one last horrified expression on all of my friend's faces before the five Rivers of the Underworld crashed down on me and everything went black.

Time seemed to stand still for the heroes. At the foot of the Giant King Porphyrion, lay two bound demigods. And not just any demigods.

Two of the Seven, Annabeth Chase and Leo Valdez. Everyone froze, watching with horror as Porphyrion slashed a deep cut into both of the demigods hands, letting their blood hit the base of Mount Olympus.

"With this sacrifice of blood, I awaken the Earth Mother!" he roared as he gleefully watched as the ground seemed to absorb the blood.

I watched in fear as the entire Earth shook as Gaea, the goddess of the Earth finally awoke. I couldn't move. We had failed and the end of the world was probably at hand. Part of me wanted to run to Annabeth and Leo and free them while everyone was distracted. The other half of me was rooted to the ground in terror. I had not even been this afraid when we faced Tartarus, but the overwhelming sense of guilt overcame me.

We had failed.

I tried to move but couldn't. I looked down and saw that I actually couldn't move because the Earth held me in place. I struggled to break free, but the Earth would not relinquish it's hold on me.

The Gods, Greeks and Romans alike, watched in silence as the Earth split open, revealing a chasm that must have gone all the way to Tartarus. A lone figure rose from the gorge and opened her eyes.

I caught my breath. Gaea was beautiful, she was not made of dirt as everyone assumed but rather had flawless skin the color of coffee, her long straight hair was the color of obsidian. She had high cheek bones and a regal expression.

But that didn't change how evil she was.

Her eyes were green, but nothing like mine. Where as mine were sea green, hers was the green of an untamed forest. A bright green, the color that catches your eyes and hypnotizes you. The eyes of a true daughter of Chaos.

It finally sunk in what we were fighting. I've fought Gods and Titans, but Gaea was on a whole other level. I tried to remember what Gaea was. She wasn't just a god, she was a more powerful, she was one of the oldest goddesses.

She was a Protogenoi.

A Primordial.

Suddenly, our chances for winning seemed very low. But we couldn't give up. We had to win.

I turned to my friends.

My family.

"We need to rescue them, Piper and Hazel, can you do that?" I ask them. They nod grimly back at me. I continued, "Jason and Frank, protect them," they both nod but Frank looks at me questioningly.

"What are you going to do Percy?" he asked. "I got Gaea," I replied flatly,"No one touches my friends," My friends just look at me sadly, resigned to the fact that they could not change my mind.

I turned to the gods and demigods. Both were battered and exhausted. Too many were injured. Too many were missing.

Too many were dead.

I raised my sword and spoke clearly.

"I once fought in a great battle, very much like this one. We succeeded against impossible odds. And we will do so again."

"You are the greatest heroes of the ages. Your bravery is unmatched and strength is immeasurable. Today, we fight, not just for ourselves, but for the future. We fight for our loved ones, we fight for the future generations that will look up to us in respect. We fight for a life without tyranny, a life worth living. We fight, FOR OLYMPUS!"

The two armies, one Greek and the other Roman, roared consent as one. Today they might die fighting but they would die in honor. They would die for each other. Today they were not separated by the aspect of their parents, they were family.

They were one.

I took off running as the army charged behind me and started to engage the monsters. I saw my father fight Polybotes and Zeus blast lightning at Porphyrion. I glanced over to my friends and saw Frank, as a giant eagle, carry Hazel across the gorge. I also saw Jason carry Piper using his son of Jupiter powers. Smart. Don't travel by Earth. That was Gaea's domain and her's alone.

And I did the stupidest thing I ever done in my whole life.

Worse than fighting Ares, worse than bathing in the Styx or even fighting Kronos.

I charged Gaea.

A sneer adorned her face as she waited for me to approach. A sword appeared in her hand. A sword that looked hewn from the mountainside. Its jagged edges looked deadly as she swung it lazily back and forth. "So the lone demigod has come to defeat me," she mocked me. I shivered unintentionally. Her voice did not match her appearance, it was rough as if she hadn't used it for centuries. It reminded me of two rocks being ground against each other.

My stride faltered. I was injured and exhasted from fighting all day. Even if I was at full strength, how could I even hope to defeat Gaea?

My thoughts were interupted by a harsh laugh from Gaea. "Doubting yourself now, Perseus Jackson?" I cleared my head. Even if I died today, I would die protecting my family.

I met her strike with my own.

For a second, her smile faded, but returned ever so quickly.

"Look around Perseus, you can't possibly win. The Gods are tiring and my sons are still strong as ever. Look around at the demigods, how many of your brethren are dead or missing? Give up and you will have quick death,"

My vision turned red.

"One, my name is Percy. Two, stop threatening me with death, it's getting old. And three, never mention my family!" I yelled.

I shoved her back and tried for an upward slash. She blocked with her blade faster than I thought possible. "Don't you see? Everything you are fighting for will fall, it's not a matter if but a matter of when. Just give up now,"

"Never!" I snarled glaring.

We fought back and forth, parry, thrust, block. Every move I tried was blocked by her impenetrable defense. And every time she attacked me I could barely deflect the attack. Each hit felt like a battering ram.

I don't know how long we were fighting, but I could hardly move my sword. My moves were getting sluggish. I saw Frank and Hazel free Annabeth and Leo and they headed towards their parents to help fight the Giants.

Then, with horror, sick realization hit me.

Gaea was only toying with me.

She was not even showing me a sliver of her true power.

And that made me mad.

With a final effort, I shoved her back, surprising her. I took a few steps back. Gaea, sensing victory, offered me one last chance. "This is your last chance Jackson, give up now and you will suffer less," she smiled smugly, assuming I was giving up.

I did no such thing.

Grasping the last vestiges of my powers, I focused my most powerful ability. The hurricane.

As it's power was building up, I raised my sword and charged one last time. Gaea laughed as she lifted her sword to what she thought would be her final blow.

It didn't happen that way.

I feinted to the left.

And Gaea fell for it. Her eyes opened up in horror as I spun to the right and thrust my sword into her heart.

She laughed, "I am a Primordial, one strike cannot-"

She didn't get any farther as a hurricane erupted from within her.

She screamed as my most powerful attacked ripped her physical form apart, this hurricane was the strongest I had ever made and my already low energy drained dangerously lower.

She managed one last glare filled with utter loathing as she crumbled into golden dust.

The battlefield was silent as everyone watched with awe and respect at the single demigod who had taken down a goddess.

Then I blacked out.

I sat up gasping for air. I blinked furiously as I tried to take in my surroundings.

"Sit back little one," a soft voice spoke from my right. I looked to my right and saw a beautiful woman.

She had black straight hair that fell to her waist. Her skin was the color of cocoa and her eyes were a deep, dark blue, almost black in color. She wore a traditional Greek chiton and golden sandals that climbed up her ankle. She also looked surprisingly familiar.

"Who are you?" I managed to croak out. She smiled sadly at me, "I think you know Perseus,"

"It's Percy,"I replied automatically. But she did look familiar.

My eyes traveled down to her dress. It flickered and wavered but I managed to catch a glimpse of somethingvery familiar.

It was an old teddy bear. A thrown away dream.

I knew who she was.

"Lady Styx," I said respectfully, bowing my head slightly.

"You recognize me," she noted.

"Where am I?"

She sighed, "You are in my domain, the first river if the Underworld, the Styx,"

To say I was confused would be an understatement. "If this is the Styx, why does look like this?"

A second later, I asked the more important question. "And if this is the Styx, why haven't I dissolved yet?"

She smiled warmly at me. "It appears like this-" she gestured around the room, "because I willed it too,"

Her expression suddenly darkened. "I will answer your second question shortly," I opened my mouth to argue but she just flicked her hand and my mouth shut with a snap.

"What exactly were you trying to do when you doused yourself in the rivers?" My mouth finally opened, "I have no idea what your talking about,"

She threw her hands up in exasperation, "Fine, I will remind you. You had an idea that using the five rivers will-"

I cut her off, "Will cause someone to fade rather than die, destroying their soul completely, leaving no chance for an afterlife,"

She looked at me carefully, her eyes flowing like that of a river. "And you wonder why it didn't work,"

It wasn't a question.

"When you immersed yourself in the water, you did dissolve," she said quietly, looking down. "Then how am I alive?" I asked, scared and curious about her response. What she said chilled me to the bone.

"You are immortal,"

I froze, my thoughts traveling at a million miles an hour. After what felt like forever, I managed to stutter out, "Wh-What?" My expression must have been priceless because she laughed, a soft laugh that echoed before falling silent. Her eyes glistened with mixed emotions, joy and was that sadness?

"Percy," she began, "When you bathed in the rivers, it dissolved your mortal soul, they were too powerful for you too handle, including that you gave up your demigod abilities which means you had even less power,"

"That doesn't explain why I'm here,"

She looked proudly at me, "You managed to do the impossible Percy Jackson," her voice full of respect.

"When your mortal soul was incinerated, your body absorbed the essence of each river, making you immortal. In your body lies the essence of each sacred river; Styx, Acheron, Phlegethon, Cocytus and Lethe. You have united my sisters once again and for that, we are forever grateful,"

"I still don't see what that makes me," I finally said.

After what felt like eternity, she finally responded, her voice impossibly soft.

"Percy, you are the heart of the rivers, the son of the rivers. You are my son," she said, holding her hands out.

My mind went blank. I could have a new family, a family that would love me.

What I did next surprised me and my new mother.

I lunged out of my bed and ran into her arms, embracing her as she whispered loving words in my ear as any mother would. "I always wanted a son," she whispered as sobs racked her body.

I made up my mind. Nothing would harm my new family. "I will love you forever, I swear it on Styx," I whispered back at her. I couldn't see her face as she hugged me but I knew she was smiling.

Eventually, she pulled away, tears staining her cheeks. I used my hand to brush them away. She smiled and in her eyes I saw something I had only seen in a few people.

Love, Pure love. She loved me and I loved her. And I would never leave her.

"Come, lets meet your other parents," she said while pulling out the door. When I finally exited the room, it shimmered before disappearing. For the first time, I saw the Styx while not dissolving.

It was beautiful.

The water was dark but pure. I could see through the river perfectly but I assumed that was because "I was one with the river". We walked along the riverbed as I could feel the emotions of the river. I tried to remember the power the Styx had. It was the greatest oath you could swear but it had domains as well. The Styx was the River of Hate as well as the River of Mortality and Invulnerability.

I was pulled out of my musing when we approached four beings. They had to be gods, they emitted power that just flowed out of them. But I didn't feel any urge to bow and grovel at their feet, they felt almost familar.

That thought was wiped from my mind as I was tackled.

I hit the ground with a grunt as I was enveloped with a hug by a women with bright red flowing hair. She kept crying and muttering, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I looked up to my mom with an expression that clearly said help me!

She just chuckled and said, "Don't look at me and why don't you say hello to your other mother,"

I froze again as the women on top of me pulled back just enough for me to see her face. She had bright red hair that formed curls, her pale skin accented her rose red lips.

But what captivated me were her eyes.

They moved and flowed like the Styx except her eyes were flames. Continuously moving, never halting in their actions. I knew who she was. Her eyes reminded me of a certain river in Tartarus.

"You're the Phlegethon," I guessed.

She squealed happily and hugged me tighter.

"Now now, little sis, don't kill our new son so quickly," a new voice called out.

Phlegethon let go of me as I turned to see the owner's of the voices. I already assumed they were my other parents.

The one on the left stepped forwards and I assumed it was the Lady Acheron. She wore greek armor with a red cape. Her brown hair was done up in a bun. She wore a stern expression, the one of a commander. Her eyes were a murky green but they shown with determination and pride.

She ran up giving me a hug and a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you Percy, for reuniting my sisters," I blushed at that.

I turned to the sister in the middle and was confused on who it was. She wore a dark blue chiton and radiated a sense of melancholy. Her obsidian black hair fell down her back. She was dark skinned, much like Lady Styx.

It only took one glance at her eyes to know who she was.

Lady Cocytus

Tears ran streams down her cheeks as she burst out sobbing.

Then I remembered. She was the Goddess of the River of Lamentations.

Oh

I rushed to her side and held her tightly. She clung to me and I looked over at my new parents. They were laughing holding their sides. This must have been common. I just rolled my eyes.

I finally pried her off me and she bounded over to her sisters like nothing happened.

I turned to the final sister. It was obvious who she was. The first clue?

She was not paying any attention.

"Hello? Sister?" Acheron tried but the last sister did not even look up. I sighed, walked up to her and hugged her. Her eyes focused and she looked at me warmly. "Hello mom," her smile grew even larger. "My name is Lethe," she said with a tone of finality. "Really? I didn't know," came a very sarcastic reply from Lady Styx. She wore a pure white dress that shimmered faintly. Her skin was the color of porcelain. Her eyes were gray but not that of a child of Athena. I had to turn away from her gaze, I was starting to become light headed.

I turned to face them. They were my family. A grin spread across my face.

Then, a thought crossed my mind. "If I'm immortal, does that mean I am a god?"

Acheron waved her hand and six seats appeared. "Sit, this will take awhile,"

"Let's start off with this first, do you know who we truly are?" I was confused by this but I still responded, "You are the goddesses of the rivers of the Underworld,"

She sighed and said, "That is only a half-truth. We are stronger than most gods, we are the children of Hydros, the Primordial god of water and Nyx, the Primordial goddess of night. What does that make us?"

Different choices ran through my head. Were they Titans? But I realized something. Primordials are stronger than gods or Titans combined. I had only won against Gaea because I surprised her.

They were Primordials.

"I see you have figured it out," Lethe noticed. "Bu-but how?" I asked stunned. "This is a little known fact, Primordials are personifications, are they not? But then aren't naiads and nymphs simply a spirit that inhabits a natural object?"

"That's what we are, we are the first river nymphs, we are personifications in our own right. And we are powerful."

"You are our son, which makes you even stronger than us," I wanted to speak but Styx's eyes flashed for a moment. "We will continue this conversation later, we have some guests,"

Styx waved her hand and we suddenly appeared on the banks of the Styx. And in front of us were three familiar beings.

"Lady Fates, why are you here?" I ask, bowing low.

"Perseus Jackson," I flinched at my full name, "You have broken an Ancient Law. The Rivers were never to meet, they were cursed to stay in their own domain,"

"That's not fair!" I protested but they continued regardless, "And you have defied the fates,"

That stopped my parents who were walking up to my side to protect me. "How did he do that," asked Phlegethon, uncharacteristically serious.

"The rivers are too powerful to be together, yet he managed to bring them together. He is the heart of the rivers."

"Yeah? So? How is that a bad thing," I asked them frustrated. I knew they were the all-powerful fates but why would they stop the five sisters from meeting?

"And you have returned someone from death, someone very close to you," they said together. I was confused by everything. I brought someone back to life?

The three sisters of fate moved to the side as I saw a prone figure on the ground behind them. I ran to her but froze. It was impossible, but the girl on the ground was an old friend. A friend that died in front of me.

Laying on the ground, very much alive, was Zoe Nightshade.

I rushed to the side of Zoe, as her eyes slowly flickered open. "Percy?" I helped her sit up as she tried to regain her bearings. "Where are we?" she asked before she suddenly clenched her eyes shut as her body shook. "What's happening to her?" I yell at the Fates, which in hindsight was a terrible idea. "Percy, maybe you shouldn't yell at the Fates," Lethe said nervously, looking between me and the Fates. "No, that's fine," said the Fate holding a ball of yarn.

Lachesis, the Measurer of Life.

She continued speaking, "He is, after all, our nephew,"

"You're joking right?" I finally said once my brain processed the words. Their expressions didn't change once. "The Fates are the Eldest children of Nyx, formed from the essence of Night and Destiny or Nyx and Ananke. Very much the same way you were reborn. That makes them our older sisters," said Styx carefully.

"Terrible sisters," I heard Phlegathon mutter but everyone ignored her. "But to answer your question Perseus, she is being forcefully brought back to life," said the Fate with shears, the one who cuts the thread of life, Atropos, the one who cannot be changed.

"Forcefully?"

"The Doors of Death were sealed, she was brought back by the imbalance of power when you returned her immortal power," I held Zoe tighter as her convulsions slowly ceased, and her eyes, black as volcanic rocks, opened and met mine. "What happened to thy eyes?" Zoe asked startled, not noticing our location or our godly "guests". I looked up at Styx questioningly. She looked at me with pride before summoning a full length mirror. I let go of Zoe and stood up, gazing into the mirror with awe.

It was me and yet, it wasn't me at the same time.

I stood at my old height of 6'2 and had the same messy black hair. My facial features had changed, making me look like an ancient Greek king. I looked godly. But what captured my attention the most were my eyes.

They flowed and twisted, moving like a living creature. They flashed red, dark blue, then black before ending back on red. It was unsettling to say the least. But also mesmerizing at the same time.

I looked down and yelped, what was I wearing?

I had a traditional Greek chiton but it was dark blue, I was wearing golden sandals that traveled up my ankles. I was visibly more muscled than before. I glanced back at the mirror.

"Cool clothes but how do I change?"

"I wake up after dying and thou are concerned about the way thee is dressed?" I heard Zoe say before she faltered. "Wait…Did I really die? It seems like it was only a dream," She said in soft voice. I turned and strode back to Zoe holding her tight as sobs racked her body. "It's okay Zoe, I'm here. I won't ever leave you," And I meant it.

I pulled Zoe with me to my waiting family and the Fates, waving my hand and imagining the mirror was gone. To my surprise, it disappeared. It seemed I had natural talent and my powers. Zoe looked at me curiously through her tearstained eyes but I sent her a look. Later

Zoe's eyes widened as she kneeled in respect. "Why do you kneel for us child? Are you afraid of us?" The Three Sisters of Fate spoke in unison. Zoe surprised me by answering in a determined voice, "I kneel not because I fear thy power, but because I respect thee and the balance thy maintain in the universe,"

The three sisters nodded to each other, "You have proven yourself worthy,"

Zoe shifted uncomfortably, "Worthy of what?"

Lachesis spoke separately, "To become our champion of course, our nephew," she stared at me disapprovingly, "Our nephew brought you back to life by an imbalance of power, he changed fate but we sense that you will be needed in the future. We give you the offer to become the First Champion of Fate, do you accept?"

Her face held a myriad of expressions, first shock, and then it slowly shifted into pride.

"I accept,"

The Fates each placed a hand on her forehead and she started to glow a bright white. I didn't look away because I knew I wouldn't disintegrate. After a moment, the sisters pulled their hands away and the glow faded away. Zoe's outfit changed from a silver hunter's outfit to a startlingly white cloak with a hood. She had a silver bow over her shoulder and a long hairclip in her hair. With a shock I realized it was riptide Zoe looked at herself appraisingly apparently liking the new look.

"Being our champion restores your immortality and increases your skills and senses. Now that you have regained your sword, Perseus will teach you how to wield it as he is the greatest Greco-Roman swordsman,"

I blushed at that, "I'm not the greatest hero, there are plenty of heroes that have surpassed me," I tried to argue.

Everyone sighed in exasperation; Zoe, my mothers, and the Fates. "One day Percy, one day you will realize your worth in the world," said Acheron gently.

"We must go, look after our champion nephew," said the Fates before they disappeared.

Zoe turned to me, "Now, will someone tell me what just happened?" she asked annoyed.

"Thou are insane," was Zoe's only comment after I told her what happened to me at camp and what happened to me when I bathed in the rivers. Apparently, when her spirit was placed in the stars, she joined the Court of Ouranos. Ouranos was still awake unlike his wife Gaea but could only maintain a disembodied form. He allowed her to view the events on Earth from the second Titan war and the second Giant war. So all I had to tell her was after I gave up riptide. She had pulled riptide from her hair and studied it, proving I wasn't lying.

Still, Zoe can be stubborn when she wanted to.

"Zoe, please," I sighed exasperated. We had been going on for hours and my ever so helpful mothers were watching in amusement. "No Perseus, I will not and cannot believe this-" she was cut off. "For the love of Chaos girl, your accent is annoying!" exclaimed Lethe while placing her palm against Zoe's forehead. There was a flash of a bright, white light and Lethe removed her hand. "There," she said satisfied, "I replaced your accent with modern English,"

"How did you do that?" Zoe asked incredulously before her eyes widened in surprise. "I'm the spirit of the Lethe which is the River of Forgetfulness, which deals with erasing memories…" Lethe gave a pointed look at Zoe.

Zoe still looked confused by I started to get it. "It means that the memories don't just dissolve forever, Lady Lethe retains all of the memories of every single person who takes a dip in her river. Which I think means she can transfer memories between people." I said. My mothers nodded in agreement and proceeded to tell Zoe to accept it or die.

That made me crack up because I knew they were not serious (well maybe not Acheron, she could be pretty menacing when she wants to) but Zoe didn't know that. Once I finished laughing and Zoe stopped glaring at me, I asked the question that was foremost on my mind.

"So what now?"

Cocytus smiled widely which was strange with tears dripping from her face but I ignored that. "The two of you will be a team, Percy will be the judgment bringer on those who break their oaths on Styx, and Zoe will reenact the will of the Fates,"

"So do we leave now?" I asked while gesturing at my ancient Greek attire.

"No," Styx said almost menacingly, "Now you train,"

I front-flipped over the broad sword that was swung at my knees, and swung my sword in my left hand. She parried and went for a quick thrust at my ribs. If I hadn't been training for a year, I would have never been able to block the strike. But luckily for me, I did.

I brought both my swords to the side and neatly flicked her sword to my left. That's when I saw my chance.

Twisting my body around, I knocked the broadsword out of her hands and I placed my twin blades on her neck, Alpha on her throat and Omega on the back of her neck. All it would take to kill her would be one swift movement.

"Do you yield?"

"I yield," Acheron said smiling, "It seems that the student had surpassed the teacher,"

I removed my swords and sheathed them on the scabbard on my back. I bowed respectfully and said "That it may seem to be, but I will always be your student,"

She smacked me on the back of my head and I let out an indignant yelp. "What was that for mom?" I whined, probably not sounding like the super powerful primordial I was.

"I know you too well Percy, you hate being respectful." Acheron said smugly, "You are still connected to the sea and the sea does not like to be tamed,"

I stiffened, "I do not see Poseidon as my father anymore Mom, and you should know that better than anyone,"

She just smiled at me like she knew something I didn't, but I couldn't really get mad at her.

"Now, you are going to be late," she said picking up her sword where it dropped. My heart sank, as I realized our match went on longer than it was supposed to. "Got to go Mom, I'll see you at dinner," I yelled over my shoulder as I took off running out of our makeshift stadium. Controlling the Acheron waters, I burst out of the river, and headed to the Heart of the Rivers. Even though the Rivers Goddesses could freely move throughout the world, they were accustomed to living in their river, so they normally resided there. And even though I first met them all in the Styx, they can't stay in their sister's domain for too long so they either meet in the mortal world or in my domain.

My domain or as my mother's refer to it, the Heart, is the one place in the entire world where all five rivers meet and mix. It was impossible to comprehend but I at least understood that it was my source of power.

I was the Heart and the Heart was me.

I finally reached the meeting place of the five rivers, watching the Acheron rush past me in a deafening torrent of water where it could finally meet its sister's waters. I crested the hill and was struck with a familiar, awe inspiring sight.

The Heart can appear as two very different things depending on how I feel or how it needs to function. It can be a paradise for great mortals or even greater heroes that I chose. It even surpassed Elysium in its greatness. The water's had properties that would give the dead a physical body.

Currently, it appeared as an island, mirroring Calypso's island home. The shore was made of pure white sand, not a glimpse of pollution could be seen. Palm trees flowed in the wind, and the sound of bird calls echoed in the forest. The waters glistened in the light, not shining like any river specifically but changed colors as it shifted. A wave would form of liquid fire and crashed into the shore as dark blue water.

And it currently only had one inhabitant living there.

But that was not all this paradise could do.

It could also appear as punishment worse than Tartarus. I chose the worst of the worst to be sent there. When an evil soul was sent to the Heart, the waters would swirl violently and would change to the darkest black imaginable. The soul would be tossed into the river as they screamed in agony. The Heart would literally disintegrate the soul, similar to being claimed by the Styx but they would not be kept alive. They would be erased from existence completely, not to return to any afterlife.

I ran to the shore, diving in and becoming the Heart as my conscious was spread throughout my domain. I needed to get to the island fast or I would be castrated.

Zoe did not like being kept late.

Camp Half-Blood

One year

We have been searching for one year, mused Thalia as the Hunters walked into camp

She had been depressed and angry at everything but Nico and the hunters these days.

She wanted to wring the camper's necks and some of the gods as well. She couldn't believe Poseidon would have another son and favored him more than Percy. She couldn't believe Annabeth fell in love with him. Even she could see that kid was trouble.

Annabeth

Thalia didn't know what to think about the girl she raised on the run. Annabeth knew what Percy did for her, Hades, everyone did.

But that didn't stop her.

A figure burst from the shadows on her right causing the hunters to aim their bows. Thalia waved them down when she recognized him.

"Hey Nico,"

Nico just nodded at her, trying to communicate a message through his eyes. She understood.

"Go set up at our cabin," she ordered, the rest of the Hunt did so immediately. As soon as they left, Thalia turned back to Nico, "Explain," she commanded.

He looked at her mournfully, worse than how Grover looked for months. "I've found nothing, he's not in the Underworld, so he can't be dead, and I haven't found anything in the mortal world. You got anything?"

"No, we even split the Hunt up and searched the entire country; we even went to Alaska, no sigh of him anywhere." Thalia said, shifting her bow nervously.

"How about that mystery guy you met when Percy first went missing, have you seen him again?" Nico asked curiously as they started walking into camp. "No, we haven't seen him and I'm glad we haven't, he freaked out Artemis,"

"Where the Hades is that Kelp Head?!" Thalia yelled exasperated, throwing her hands in the air. The sun was sinking and campers were streaming out of the pavilion, apparently having already eaten dinner. The two cousins headed to the campfire, as everyone else was too. "What's going on?" Thalia asked a random camper, "I don't know, we got a message from the gods telling us to be there," he said while shrugging. They sat down just as the fireplace flared up and the gods appeared.

Chiron trotted up nervously, "Lords and Ladies, what do we owe the pleasure?"

Zeus looked haggard as spoke, "We have had the opportunity to make some changes to the camps, first off, will all camp counselors step forwards,"

It took a while but eventually all of the counselors stood up front nervously. Katie grabbed Travis' hand nervously and Travis blushed brighter than the Ares' cabin.

"We have decided to give partial immortality to you because of your actions in the Titan War and the Giant War. You will serve as guides to future heroes and will fight in any recurring wars." Zeus announced.

There was a bright flash of light and the counselors stood a litter straighter with a proud grin on their faces.

"Second, we have decided to combine the camps here at Long Island, as certain events have proven in the past, it is finally time for you to live with your brothers and sisters," he said looking at Annabeth and Orion, who had just received immortality as he was a counselor, with his arm around her, "I trust our architect to create the plans for this?"

Annabeth just nodded proudly. Thalia couldn't help but wonder why Annabeth had changed so much.

"The centurions and Praetors in Camp Jupiter will have the same immortality as the counselors as well," Hestia added.

Zeus started to speak, probably to end the meeting but was suddenly cut off.

Rachel rose from her feet and swooned, her eyes growing green as the Oracle spoke through her,

"Risen has the Legends that cannot die,

Cursed are the ones who have lived a lie,

Fallen from the stars, a hero returns,

Seek salvation through the river that burns,

This is the End,

She collapsed as the gods and campers alike erupted in a deafening roar of questions and opinions.

Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, do not own Percy Jackson.

Percy's POV

I could hear my heart beating as five figures stood in front of me. Zoe stood next to me and she held her head proudly even though her eyes betrayed her.

This would be the day we can finally enter the real world. We hadn't been up there for five years. All our time was spent training and learning new skills.

I was dressed in formal Greek armor that reflected the current state of the Heart. Over my shoulders in a back scabbard were my twin swords, Alpha and Omega, crossed over each other.

They were dual wield blades, meaning I would hold one in each hand when fighting. The best defense is offense. Since I used no shield, I had to create a new fighting style for myself.

I had made a very unique fighting style, every attack would be a slash and I frequently spun in circles to confuse my opponent and to slash at them with both blades, one after the other. And I would never stop moving or take a step back. I learned to always deflect a strike, never stop it directly.

Alpha was a three foot long sword with the blade made of Imperial gold with a hilt made of silver that had designs crafted into it that resembled a flowing river. Omega was the exact opposite, it was the same length but the blade was made of silver, which was also a perfect monster slaying weapon, and the hilt was made of gold with the same gilded designs.

I was the perfect warrior, powerful, brave, and determined.

Deadly

Zoe wore her white cloak gifted to her by the Fates, which I once jokingly called it the designer clothing that were Fated for her.

She stabbed me with riptide.

It's lucky I am immortal, because I had to reform at the Heart.

Speaking of riptide, it was in the form of a pure white pin that shown in the light. Her braided hair hung over her shoulder.

The five figures in front of us took a step forwards and I could see them easily. My mothers; Styx, Acheron, Lethe, Cocytus and Phlegethon.

Each of them had a serious and solemn expression except for Phlegethon who smiled widely.

I kneeled, after everything I have done, I would finally be able to test my skills in the real world.

Styx stepped forwards, "You have trained for five years, five long years to become the best you can possibly be," she said her eyes shining with pride, "And you have achieved it,"

Acheron took a step forward while Styx stepped back in line, "You have become the epitome of a hero; strong, brave and resourceful. And yet, you are kind, loyal and merciful to ones that deserve it. I am proud of you Percy," she said with a slight smile.

Finally, Lethe stepped out, looking as calm and collected as ever, as well as slightly confused. "With great honor, we… what were we talking about again?"

My mothers groaned as Zoe stifled a giggle.

"We are doing the formal ceremony where we release Percy to complete his duties," explained Styx for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Oh…I forgot how it goes,"

Phlegethon bounded forwards, trying to help, "We bestow the ability to venture among mortals and carry out the wills of the Rivers. Rise Perseus of the Rivers, Primordial of the Heart, stand before us as equals and as our champion," she finished. A faint glow spread from her arms and surrounded me. When the light faded, I knew it was my turn to induct a new ceremony.

I stood and faced Zoe, who in turned kneeled. I barely managed to stop myself from grimacing, I hate formalities.

I spoke the words I was forced to memorize by my mother Lethe, "I have taught you everything I know, every technique and skill I have ever learned or created. You have passed my goals and expectations and are now considered my equal. There is more for you to learn, but I cannot teach you, for you must learn it for yourself. You have spent many years training under me and now I release you from my teachings,"

She stood and looked at me seriously. Then she cracked a smile and I burst out laughing.

"Gods, I hate formalities," I said making my parents laugh.

The gates of Hades' palace opened slowly and menacingly as we walked through. My mothers decided to tell Hades about who I am and why there would be a new domain in the Underworld. I was supposed to be dead, so I was a little cautious on how Hades would react. The Furies glared at us from above the gates but did not attack.

I walked into the palace with confidence; I was a Primordial, who was actually going to attack me? Zoe, not so much, she kept a grip on her hairpin and looked for any possible threats. I didn't blame her, we were in unfamiliar territory.

"Wait, Zoe, lets scare Hades first," I suggested grinning manically. She sent me a scathing look at how I was acting but still pulled her hood over her face. I did the same.

We entered the throne room, and faced Hades who glowered at us next to Persephone's empty throne. We stood in front of him, neither bowing nor showing any sign of respect. Hades finally cracked, "Who are you, and why have you trespassed into my domain?" he bellowed angrily.

I gave a quick glance and nod to Zoe, "Hades, we bring news of the new god and domain that lies within the Underworld. I know that the Fates have told you about it and swore you to secrecy, but for you to know more, you must swear to never reveal the information I give you on the River Styx," said Zoe.

Hades looked thoughtful as he sat back in his throne, "How will I know you are telling the truth?" he finally said after a moment of thinking.

"I swear on the River Styx that everything we say is true," I finally spoke up. Hades turned his gaze to me before sighing, "Fine, I swear to keep the information I learn today a secret and to not tell anybody unless I have permission to do so,"

My aura flared when he said that, but Hades did not seem to notice.

"For starters, you have learned about the new domain, correct?" Hades nodded, "This domain is called the Heart of the Rivers, for it is the collection of the five rivers," Zoe said.

"Which five riv-that's impossible! They are never to meet, it goes against ancient laws!" Hades yelled out, furious that we were lying to him. We both glared at him until he realized that the Styx hadn't claimed our souls.

"Continue," he sighed after a moment of indecision.

"The five rivers created a new domain, which in turn created a new Primordial, now Hades, who was the last person to come in contact with all five rivers at once?" Zoe asked, trying to hide a smile that I saw clearly under her hood.

For a second, Hades expression was confused but it slowly changed into an expression of hope.

"Perseus?" he asked

I only grinned as I slung my hood back

"Hey Uncle"

"Perseus? But how, you died?" sputtered a shell-shocked Hades.

I smirked, "That's the million dollar question Uncle,"

He shrank down into a more manageable form and approached me nervously, "Explain," he demanded.

So I did.

After we managed to convince Hades through swearing on the Styx often and showing off our new powers. To say he was awed would be an understatement.

"Uncle, do you want to see my domain?" I asked while flipping my hood back on. He looked at me curiously but just nodded and followed me out the door.

We trudged across the black soil of the Underworld nearing the Styx. We followed the path of the river up until the ridge that overlooked the Heart.

That's when Hades walked face first into a force field.

I stifled a laugh as I said, "I, Perseus, allow Lord Hades to enter the Heart of the Rivers,"

There as a flash of light and Hades walked through, grumbling about ancient laws and powerful nephews.

He didn't see it but both Zoe and I grinned.

As soon as we crested the hill, Hades' jaw dropped, which was amusing to see on the normally stoic god.

"Welcome Lord Hades, to the Heart of the Rivers!" I say throwing my arms out to the side as my outfit changed to formal Greek attire.

We stood at pier of Charon's ferry, Hades and my mothers were there to send us off.

Hades flipped a drachma into the river and soon we could see the lantern on the ferry.

I turned to my mothers and gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They smiled sadly and gave some last minute tips except for Cocytus who was bawling her eyes out.

Hades clapped his hand on my back and disappeared in a swirl of shadows

Charon brought his ferry to the dock and stepped off. "Hello sisters," he said in a happy voice, "It has been too long,"

"It has," Styx replied, "I would like for you to meet our son."

"Son? I thought you were forbidden to have children?" he asked curiously. "Actually," jumped in Phlegethon, "He is a child of all of us and allowed us to be together again," His eyes shifted to me and he took a step towards me, "What is your name nephew?"

"Really Charon? You can't recognize me, I'm hurt," I say mock indignantly as I throw back my hood.

His face was priceless.

"We can explain on the trip, let's get ready first," interceded Zoe. Charon turned back and held the ferry ready as Zoe started to place our bags aboard. As I took a step forwards, someone grabbed my arm. It was Lethe.

"Please be safe son," she whispered, I nodded.

"And if you want to conceal your identity, I suggest creating a pseudonym,"

She saw my confused face and explained, "Like how Chiron was Mr. Brunner, chose a different name to go by,"

"I will, love you mom,"

And I turned away and stepped aboard, watching as their fading figures disappeared into the mist.

"Are you ready?" I asked Zoe.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "As ready as I will ever be," she admitted.

I took a step forward and the earth opened in front of us, showing our first glimpse of the real world in years.

It was beautiful, the stars were out and a cool nighttime breeze blew past us.

"After you my Lady," I said mockingly. She smacked my arm and ran out into the wilderness without a care in the world.

I followed her.

Because I didn't know how long we could afford to be careless.

"We need to pull back!" yelled a hunter as she fired an arrow into the nearing group of monsters. "We can't pull back, we are surrounded!" yelled Thalia as she drew her hunting knives, shifting into a better position.

The hunters had been stalking what had seemed like a pack of hellhounds. It seemed like an easy enough task especially with Artemis away on Olympus.

But of course, it wasn't that easy.

The hellhounds lead them to a trap, a seemingly empty clearing which became obvious that it wasn't when a small army of monsters surrounded them.

The circle of maidens started to close in on itself as the monsters closed in and as more of the hunters started to fall.

Thalia remained in control but not for long as she saw her friend Phoebe get hit by a black arrow. She just managed to not charge into her enemies and end up getting killed. She narrowed her eyes as she ducked under the jab of a dracaena's spear, thrusting her knives deep into the heart of the creature.

Even before it crumbled into dust completely, she turned to deflect a sword that was heading to the hunter next to her.

Suddenly as it started it stopped.

As if by an unspoken command, every monster took a few steps back, looking around nervously.

"What's this," barked a telekhine, "I thought he died?"

"Apparently not, you fool," hissed a dracaena, as her twin snake legs shifted agitatedly, "We must go before he arrives!"

"Too late," a voice echoed throughout the clearing, chilling the bones of everyone that heard it, yet the voice sounded eerily familiar to Thalia. She tried to remember but kept pulling up blanks.

But it became clear to her as soon as he stepped into the clearing. It was obvious who it was, same aura and voice of uncontrollable malice was evident in this being's presence.

The name leapt unbidden to every creature's lips that had met or heard of this being in front of them.

Or actually, only his titles as his name were unknown.

The Destroyer

The Hooded One

He took steps into the clearing, monsters and hunters alike both moving out of his path until he was standing in the middle. His face covered by a dark hood tilted upwards slightly, until only his smug smirk was visible.

"Runa!"

He shouted only one word but it still made every creature jump back in shock.

The hunters and monsters felt another presence enter the clearing but no matter how hard they looked, could not spot a new player on the field.

A white light flared on the opposite side of where the man was standing, causing everyone to look away unless they wished to be blinded.

When the light faded and everyone blinked away the spots in their eyes, gasps could be heard from every mouth.

It was a woman.

But not just any woman.

She was dressed in a pure white hunters uniform, with a white hood over her face. Such a stark contrast to the man who watched with amusement in his eyes. The only similarity was the same amount of power leaking off her presence.

It was as if the entire council of the gods inhabited her body, you just felt the need to beg for forgiveness.

She walked forwards until she was facing the hooded man, ignoring the monsters, either incredibly brave or they were of no concern to her.

Shall we play a game?" taunted the man as he unsheathed his dual swords which I hadn't seen before.

"We shall," spoke the lady in white, smirking playfully, her voice echoing in the same way the Destroyer's did.

And they disappeared.

For a second every living being in that clearing let a sigh of relief escape, believing that they had left.

That was not the case.

Immediately monsters started to fall silently as they became dust. Blurs of movement could be seen, but whoever it was didn't stop moving long enough for anyone to see them.

That was the screams started.

They weren't the screams of the dying but screaming of the living. Monsters ran in every direction trying to escape but as soon as they neared the woods, they dissolved.

Panic filled the air as each and every monster started to realize there was no escape.

The two figures suddenly stilled, one on either side of the huddle of monsters who stared back at them fearfully.

Thalia could finally see the weapons the two carried, the man in black wielded two swords at once with startling skill, one of the blades was gold and the other was clearly silver. He spun them lazily in circles as he stalked up to his prey.

The women on the other hand, wielded only a single blade. She sheathed it over her shoulder but not before Thalia got one glimpse of the blade.

It was bronze.

She pulled a pure white bow from her shoulder and aimed it at the cluster of monsters. As soon as she pulled back the string, a gleaming white arrow that slowly and surely moved to any monster that moved out of line.

The hunters were frozen in shock, two people, if they could even be called human, had single-handedly taken down a small army that had almost overtaken down the hunters.

If they were to turn to them next, the hunters wouldn't stand a chance.

That was the thought that came to a peak in every hunter's mind as soon as Runa fired a single arrow into the midst of the monsters. The arrow glowed a bright white before every monster was disintegrated within seconds.

"Aww, you destroyed our fun," chided the man, while Runa just stuck her tongue at him.

Thalia was awestruck, these two massively powerful beings were acting like children.

But that thought dissipated as soon as the man turned to her, "Show us your camp," he ordered as he brushed off monster dust as if it were nothing at all.

Artemis appeared in her hunter's camp, completely annoyed at questions Poseidon kept asking about his son, but after 5 years, it starts to become annoying to even omnipotent deities.

As she neared the campfire, she noticed all of the hunters clumped together, seemingly terrified. Confused, she headed towards them, the first hunter to see her started to get the rest of their attention. Soon as they all saw her, they all started to whispering, she could only catch bits of their conversations,

"What will she do?"

"Will she win?"

"What should we do?"

"The Destroyer,"

The last sentence almost stopped her in her tracks, he was here in her camp?

She pushed through the crowd and stopped at what she saw.

A menacing man dressed in black talking quietly with a woman dressed in white. She was wearing the same exact outfit of the hunters, only a different color. Her aura was familiar, almost as if she knew this being.

But that was impossible.

"Ah, Artemis, we were just talking about you, we need to talk," his voice did not echo as she remembered it did, but was as deadly as it was before.

They lead the way deep in the forest, finally stopping far enough away from the hunter's camp so they would not be heard.

"What do you want?" Artemis asked, crossing her arms and staring at them defiantly.

"We will tell you what we can, but first you must swear on the Styx that your will never tell any being, alive or dead, who we are, unless you have our permission," said the girl, deathly serious.

Within a second I made my decision, "I swear to your terms,"

"Thank you milady," said the girl as she pulled her hood off.

Artemis clapped her hands to her mouth in shock, her eyes tearing up.

"Zoe?"

"Yes, but I go by Runa now," she replied and Artemis just nodded numbly.

Her companion stepped forward and Artemis turned her attention him reluctantly.

As he pulled his hood down, Artemis didn't recognize him until she saw his crooked grin. His eyes were different and his whole facial structure was different but the grin was the same.

"Perseus?" As he nodded, she was overcome with shock, "You are the Destroyer?"

"Yeah, about that name…" he trailed off, "It doesn't matter, I go by Raze now," he said firmly.

He was completely different from the brave, loyal hero she once knew.

He had died that day, torn to shreds by the ones he had once loved.

And his place was something completely different.

In his place was a killer, a man that would stop at nothing to achieve what he wanted.

And that frightened her.

For in his place was a monster.

A monster of their own making.

"Why did you not show yourself Perseus?" Artemis questioned me. I flinched slightly before replying, "Perseus was a hero and he is no more. Please call me Raze," I said stiffly. She gazed at me questioningly, but Runa was the one to answer, "We needed a name to go by so people don't know our real identities and Raze wanted to have a new life, so he chose a name that went along with a prophecy that foretold the destruction he could cause. He believes it is a fitting name and once you have seen him in battle, you would agree," she explained. "And for you?" the goddess of the hunt questioned.

"Well this boy," she threw a playful glare at Raze, "He wanted me to have a name as well so he didn't feel out of place, and for some reason thought a name beginning with R would be good. I will not lie, I do enjoy the name though,"

"I have so many questions and so little time!" Artemis said exasperatedly, throwing her arms up.

I just smiled and touched her forehead, he eyes rolled back into her head as I imbued her with my memories of our time training.

I looked at her collapsed form on the ground and then glanced at my companion as if nothing were wrong, "Shall we take her back to camp?"

"I believe so," replied Runa,

Then a thought hit me.

"But you're carrying her," I mutter childishly.

"Why? Afraid of one single goddess," she teased me.

"No, more like afraid of her hunters,"

She had to agree to that.

"What did you do to Artemis?" yelled my cousin. I smiled under my hood even if she couldn't see it. "Answer me!" she shouted as the rest of the hunters also drew their bows.

"Relax," Runa said soothingly, "she is fine, she is only experiencing our point of view of the past several years, she will recover soon," she said while handing Artemis' limp thirteen year old form to three hunters. They took her and placed her on a wooded chair.

Thalia turned her attention back to me.

"How do we know we can trust you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Have we given you any reason to doubt us?" I asked innocently.

She just narrowed her eyes at me.

"Hey! We could be the most honorable people you ever met or we could even be people you know or knew in real life," I tried to defend myself.

Obviously, it wasn't working very well with all the glares thrown at me.

Thankfully, Artemis began to stir. Runa looked at me and I gave her a nod.

She knelt at Artemis' side and she held her hand as she slowly awoke, her silver eyes blinking rapidly.

"Is it true?" she asked holding Runa's arm tightly as if she were a phantom.

"Yes milady," Runa spoke softly.

The hunters were completely shell-shocked at the turn of events.

Of course, I couldn't resist.

"Okay hunters," I said, clapping my hands together loudly, "This is a private moment, please go pack your bags, we are leaving,"

"How dare you order the hunt around boy!" hissed a girl I recognized as Phoebe.

"I said please?"

At that point, I would have probably been sent to Tartarus if Artemis hadn't interrupted, "No he is right, pack up camp you are heading to Camp Olympia,"

As the hunters dispersed grudgingly, I turned to the goddess of the moon, "Camp Olympia?"

"After you disappeared, the gods merged the camps, now the campers are a much better fighting force," she said begrudgingly, "As well as all counselors, praetors, and centurions have been made partially immortal,"

I took this information slowly. At my blank expression, Runa came to my side and placed her hand comfortingly on my shoulder.

"Anything else?" I asked, she nodded, "We have to go to Olympus,"

I tensed as did my companion, "I believe you swore an oath not to speak of our true identities," I said stiffly.

"No, not like that," she reassured me, "I can't tell them about who you really are but you can tell my father you are our allies and the threat we face,"

"No, Olympus is too dangerous, we must decline your offer but you will tell your father under a new oath," I replied calmly.

While she looked at me questioningly, Runa jumped in, "We created another oath, one that cannot be broken, one that makes an oath on the Styx like a pinkie promise,"

As understanding dawned on her features, I quickly added, "Don't worry about the wording, we will feed it to you during the meeting,"

We both bowed before I disappeared in a hurricane of Phlegathon and Runa disappeared in a white flare of light,

As Artemis flashed her hunters to camp, she waited only a second before flashing herself to her throne on Olympus.

Flicking her hand to the side, she caused the moon to flare dramatically, announcing a council meeting.

As the gods flashed in, Artemis could detect an obvious difference in the personalities in the gods.

Poseidon was depressed, his eyes a sickly green color. The sea seemed to be dead, not even restless, which worried several of the gods. Even his brothers feared he would fade.

And Aphrodite, she was almost a completely different goddess. She couldn't be called faithful but she had not had an affair with Ares since Percy had left. She said Percy made her change her ideals. She still had demigod children though, just fewer per year. And more and more were starting to take after her eldest daughter Piper, actually trying to survive, training and using their skills for good.

A voice interrupted her from her thoughts, "Daughter? Why have you summoned us?" Her father asked.

She turned to the King of the gods and answered solemnly, "We encountered the man the monsters referred to as the Hooded One today,"

As shouts and speculations filled the Throne Room, only Apollo saw Artemis' expression.

"Artemis? Are you okay?" he asked, uncharacteristically serious, stopping the entire assembly of immortals.

"No, not really, he had a companion with him and they told me of another threat coming. He wishes to remain neutral so far, but if he chooses to entire the war, he will be on our side," This decree was met with deafening silence.

Finally Zeus asked, "How do we know he isn't lying and trying to overthrow our reign?" he asked, paranoia evident in his voice.

"Artemis" a voice echoed through her head. She immediately recognized it as Raze's.

Suddenly she knew what to say.

"I swear upon the Heart of the Rivers,

An oath upon my own immortal soul,

I swear upon the Hero and Lady Fate, divine watchers of the world

If this oath is false or broken, I allow my soul to willingly fade."

"I swear everything I have spoken is the truth,"

The council was shocked by this apparently new oath and right when Athena was going to open her mouth to ask what is was, a presence entered the Throne Room.

"Phoebe Artemis, who have sworn an unbreakable oath, if you wish to proceed, any lies told will sentence you to the void immediately.

"I do," she answered determinedly.

"Then I declare this oath to be complete regarding this matter,"

And the presence left as suddenly as it entered, leaving flabbergasted Olympians behind.

We watched from the trees, perched high between the branches, at the bustling new camp.

Camp Olympia was definitely an improvement on both camps.

It was twice the size as Camp Jupiter and New Rome combined, with a mixture of Greek and Roman designs.

"Annabeth probably built those," I thought sullenly, but wiped that thought from my head.

"Are you sure it's here?" I asked Runa, her white cloak was down, letting me see her volcanic black eyes.

"Yes, I'm the champion of Fate, I'm sure," she said exasperated, throwing me an annoyed glare.

"I know you don't want to be here but-," I cut her off,

"No, I'm fine, I just want to be sure," I answered quickly.

I knew she didn't believe me but she let it go.

Suddenly, I felt a flare of energy, one that I had become familiar with.

"Quick it's happening," I shout as I throw on my hood and see Runa do the same. I leapt off the tree and landed on the ground and ran silently to the Mess Hall as the feeling got stronger.

As people walked by, we ducked behind walls and hid in the shadows as we waited for them to leave.

Soon enough, we reached the Mess Hall, both of us hiding behind a pillar that created a border for the campers to eat.

Fairly quickly, we could hear the shouting.

"How dare you do this to me!" screamed a woman's voice, pain evident in how she sounded.

I stiffened, I know that voice.

"But babe, I'm serious! I didn't cheat on you!" was the also familiar male voice, traces of fear in his voice.

"Piper told me! And the Stolls filmed it! I wish you were dead!"

I finally looked around the pillar to find a large group surrounding two people.

Two people I recognized.

Annabeth stood there with a furious expression on her face, a plain wedding ring in her hand.

"Does this mean anything to you Theseus?"

"Beth, I love you, I really do, I swear on Styx that I didn't cheat on you," he said smirking.

Obviously, he didn't know the consequences of breaking an oath on the Styx.

But Annabeth did, and she believed him because her shoulders slumped and he didn't erupt in flames.

Too bad they didn't know there are other ways to enact justice.

Me

I stepped into the hall, my boots echoing against the hard marble floor, the feeling had subsided to a dull throbbing, signaling a broken oath.

I was going to enjoy this.

"My my my, what a silly little godling," I chuckled, purposely changing my voice to scare my brother.

Annabeth's head whipped around to see who had spoken. Sadly, her eyes were met with my hooded face.

I stepped forwards, walking through the demigods and legacies, recognizing a few but I ignored them.

They parted for me like the Red Sea.

"Who are you?" squeaked out Theseus, obviously intimidated by the way I carried myself and Zoe who fingered her bow as she walked in behind me.

I could feel his fear.

And I relished in it.

He ruined my old life, taken away my friends and purpose in life.

My turn

"Didn't they tell you lying is bad Poseidon spawn?" I said mainly directing this at Annabeth.

Sure enough, she connected the dots and her face turned red.

As she raised her hand to hit him, I melted my body into water from the Cocytus and formed myself between Annabeth's punch and Theseus' face. Blocking her fist with my hand, I clicked my tongue mockingly. "Really Annabeth, I thought you knew better, it is not your job to ensure justice,"

I saw her expression change from angry, to scared within seconds. She knew what I meant.

"It's mine," I say, pushing her away and grabbing my brother's throat lifting him in the air. The other campers were too shocked or afraid to help him. He did, of course, break a sacred oath and is getting what he deserves.

Faintly, I could hear Runa's faint laughter in the background and smirked. She was enjoying this.

As was I.

"You have broken an oath on the Styx, how do you plead?" I asked him, enjoying his gasps of air.

"No-not guilty," he stammered, sobs racking his body.

"Really? I must be delusional then, what do you think Runa?" reverting to my normal voice, amusement clear in my voice.

"Fate does not lie," she replied mysteriously, confusing everyone but us.

"Well then Theseus, it seems like you are guilty and I get to have fun, what do you say?" I snarl in his face, already dragging him to a stone table. Flipping him around, he crashed heavily into the hard surface. Groaning, he tried to escape but I held him still.

Touching him, I turned all of the water in his body to Phlegathon water.

He screamed as he felt the effects, burning him throughout while also healing him.

The result was perpetual agony as he spasmed on the table, crying, begging for help.

His veins started to shine a fiery red, reflecting the power of the river flowing through his veins.

Some campers had to turn away, pity shining in their eyes.

Yet, they wore an expression of disgust.

Not to me I realized, while they certainly feared me, they were disgusted by my ex-brother's actions.

Annabeth tried to rush forwards to help him, but she was restrained by Runa.

"NO!" she screamed, "You monster!"

That stopped me, Theseus' sobs slowly subsiding as he felt the fire leave his body. Being called a monster, that was a new one.

"Well then, little Annie has hurt my feelings, so I will finish this up,"

Obviously, my brother thought that meant I was letting him go.

He was wrong.

As he tried to limp away, I hit his head with my fist causing him to slump to his knees.

I placed the palm of my hand against his head and my hand flared with a black light.

With one final scream, his body seemed to disintegrate into black water that seeped into the ground. "What did you do to him?" shrieked one of the Aphrodite girls.

"He's not dead if that's what you think,"

There were audible sighs from the girl. Most of the camp came to the same conclusion that I did, this was the girl that Theseus used to cheat on his wife.

"He has faded," and with that, Runa and I swept out of Camp, leaving behind a shocked and awestruck group of campers.

That's the part where I think the story is good. It is quite interesting however in the end like many authors they left is with a cliffhanger. If we get 5 review no 4 you'll see number 9 and so on.

Bye. My Dear Loyal Readers