I do not own PJO or HOO. Uncle Rick does.
The fighting around me had stopped. They all looked up towards me and Gaea. Her howl of pain attracted the attention of the Olympian army and what was left of the Giant army. I looked down not believing what I had done. What I saw was Riptide buried to the hilt in the abdomen of Gaea. "Percy you did it. You did it. Finally..."
I would have been just as excited as her were it not for the malicious grin on Gaea's face. As I turned around running towards Annabeth, the girl I love, time seemed to slow down. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried to get to her she was too far. All I heard was Gaea's weak laughter before my vision went red. However, not from rage. No, what happened was something that would leave me so devastated I wouldn't be able to recover. Right in front of my eyes two human sized boulders arose at the sides of Annabeth. With the speed of a bullet they closed. The red in my vision was the blood that had been splattered everywhere.
I stopped running, in fact I stopped everything. Breathing, moving, even my heart seemed to stop. No thoughts went through my head. Then I felt it weld up in me. It wasn't sadness, nor depression. It was pure and uncontrollable rage. The kind that would make people question your sanity. I heard a rabid howl that I recognized as my own. My body went into auto pilot as I summoned water around my hands and solidified them into frozen spikes. I wrecked havoc on what was left of the Giant army. The monsters and demigods alike showed fear beyond imagination. Even the gods were greatly disturbed by my show of power as I made hail rain. Hail that was in the shape of spikes. They came crashing down at the speed of a bullet, completely destroying anything that got hit. They rained upon my enemies as my allies retreated. Most likely afraid I would attack them too in my blind rage.
I went on slicing all my enemies until only one Giant was left. He laid on the floor trying to crawl away from me. He looked back at me, big mistake. The look in my eyes paralyzed him on the spot, it was the look of a madman. I simply touched his back with one of my spiked arms. Ice began to spread throughout his body until he was completely incased. The ice shattered killing the last giant left. All the demigods and gods watched as I gust calmly walked up towards Gaea. If it wasn't for the two spikes attached to my armed and the golden dust and blood of giant covering me I could just as well be walking through the park. Which is what I think scared them the most.
"It may be millennia Jackson, but I'll be back. I'll be back and I will take the world that is rightfully mine." In a deep and very low voice I heard myself say, 'No you won't'. For the first time fear was clearly visible in Gaea's face. I stabbed her with both hands impaling her all the way through. I don't know how I had managed to do it or why the thought even came to my mind. It was as if something was simply planting instructions into my head and I followed them to the letter without even thinking.
From the Greek I knew I understood that I was taking her life force somehow. The gods looked at me in complete shook. This was obviously something a demigod like me isn't supposed to know about or even be able to do. Yet a golden light began to glow around Gaea. The light seemed to separate from her as it began to seep into me.
After the... ritual, yeah that sounds about right. After the ritual was over her body began to disappear. She didn't explode into golden dust or crumble into dirt. No, she just stopped existing. If I remember correctly she was fading. Soon nothing was left of her. Then pain overcame me, like lava running through my blood vessels. They even began to glow golden as well making it look as if I had glowing blood. The light died and with it the pain. I was left weak, unable to do anything more. I was weak, yet I could feel that I was much stronger now. I collapsed on the ground as I gave into the darkness.
I opened my eyes with difficulty. Almost as if they hadn't been open for quite a while. After I had rubbed the soreness out of my eyes I began to get out if bed... wait, bed. Then the memories came rushing back. Victory, Annabeth, Gaea, Freaky Ritual, Pain, Darkness, and... nothing more. I must be in some type of infirmary, but I didn't care. The only thought going through my mind at the time was, 'She is gone'. that thought repeated itself in my head. Apollo walked in and jumped slightly when he saw me awake.
She is gone.
He came over to me and tried speaking to me. "Percy, I'm glad to see you awake. Now there are a few things you must know..."
She is gone.
"...Percy are you even listening to me. Hey snap out of it cousin." He shook me snapping me back to reality, somewhat.
"She is gone. She is gone. She is gone. She is gone! SHE IS GONE!" My voice grew from a low mumble to a scream that would have woken all of Manhattan. Tears began to pour from my eyes in a constant stream. I was holding my head, gripping my hair tightly, and rocking back and forth in a fetal position. I must have looked like I had lost it. Which was probably not far from the truth.
I hadn't noticed as Apollo took me by the shirt, lifting me off the bed, and slamming me against the nearest wall. "Snap out of it Percy! You have to move on, dammit! Your still alive and so you should be grateful for that. Now I'm not going to just watch as you turn into a insane person that is crowded by depression." I looked over to Apollo to see he had a few tears lining the side of his face. He was right. I can't dwell to much. It wouldn't be fair for the rest who cared about me.
"Thank you Lord Apollo. I needed that." He have a small laugh at the formal title.
"You don't need to be so formal anymore Percy. Now we are at the same level. You're actually higher in status than me if anything." I must have looked completely lost because Apollo just gave a small smile. "We'll explain everything during the award ceremony. Which by the way has been put off until you wake up so we should probably head there." Without warning Apollo took hold of my shoulder and flashed us to the throne room. There all the surviving members of the army and the Olympians and other gods who helped were there. Some where smiling while others look just as saddened as me, probably having lost someone like me. I looked around but found no empty seat for me. Apollo just gestured for me to sit in a guest throne with the rest of the gods that weren't Olympians. I decided to not question him and walked over to the throne. It was a simple throne it had no particular details to distinguish it from the other guest thrones. It was maybe eight feet smaller than the Olympian thrones. As I walked over to it I noticed I began to grow until I was the size if the other guest gods. I sat down and looked over the room to see most people looking at me. Before I began to get too uncomfortable Zeus spoke up.
"We are gathered here today to reward those that are worthy. We have all fought hard, some more than most, and so those individuals shall be granted a gift." Some looked excited by this while those who lived through the Titan war already knew how this went. "Now if the remaining members of the seven aside from Perseus would please step up." They did as they were told and Leo, Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel stepped up. "If Nico de Angelo, and Thalia Grace would also step up." They too stopped up like the others. All seven kneeled in front of Zeus.
"The seven of you will now be known as the Gods of Heroes. Each of you will specialize in a certain area of weaponry or skills used by demigods. Leo smithing, Jason sword, Piper short blades, Frank archery, Nico necromancy, Hazel agility, and Thalia spear." The Olympians all stood up and shot beams of energy at the seven demigods. They were encased in a golden glow and when the light died down they had a golden aura emitting from them. I could tell that while not the strongest they were now gods.
"Perseus Jackson, step forward please." I ignored the fact that Zeus was actually being kind to me and walked over to the center as the seven newly made gods retreated to guest thrones. "I would offer you godhood again boy. However, that would be useless." Now I may not be the smartest person but from what happened with Gaea and the way I was being treated I drew to the conclusion that I was already a god. "And so we shall grant you a wish, as long as it is reasonable an within our power." A wish. Anything I wanted. Annabeth. That's it I can just wish for them to bring her back to life. I'm sure they would agree. No they wouldn't. I'm just getting ahead of myself. There's no way they can, it's against the accident laws. I looked back up to the gods who must have seen me go happy and then depressed again. They knew what I wished for, but just like me they knew it wasn't a possibility.
"I only wish for two things. I want Hades and Hestia to be given a position in the Olympian council." Zeus simply nodded probably expecting this. When he nodded two new thrones arose from the floor in which Hades and Hestia then flashed into.
"Now I'm sure you have already figured out that you are a god Perseus. Now we only need to stablished your domains." As soon as he was finished three bright lights announced the arrival of the Fates.
"We are here to announce the new domains of lord Perseus." The sister to the left proclaimed. Now the one the right. "Lord Perseus, please step up." I did as I was told and the third began to speak. "We are here to grant domains to, Lord Perseus Retriever of the Master Bolt and the Golden Fleece, Traverser of the Sea of Monsters and the Labyrinth, Bane if All Monsters, Slayer of Titans and Giants, defeater of Kronos and Gaea, and Savior of Olympus twice over.." she gave me a look as if to say 'don't you dare get anymore titles or we'll add Cursed by the Fates to the list'. Finally all three spoke in unison, which still creeps me out. "Lord Perseus, God of the North, Lower Temperatures, Ice, Time, Earth, and Wolves." An interesting choice of domains. I expected to be a minor god of water, but instead I was given some really strong domains. My guess is that I received Time and Earth as a result if defeating Kronos and Gaea. They simply nodded once done and flashed away.
"Now that your domains have been granted, I will propose an offer to you; join the Olympian council. You are a very strong god now, also one of the few that have power in the north. We would like to have you as a ally." I was surprised. I mean yeah my titles are cool and all but I didn't think I would be at an Olympian level. I went over my options. I could either accept and probably become the errand boy of the Olympians. I would be tied to help them whenever they needed me, and I would have responsibilities like the other Olympians. Well I have no desire to stay here or at camp, they remind me too much of Ann... her. I can't even bring myself to think of her name or I would surely break down like I did with Apollo. I didn't want to go around doing whatever Zeus orders. I also wanted some peace and quite. I needed time by myself. Time to recover, if I ever do. I looked back at Zeus and gave him my answer.
"I am sorry Lord Zeus, but I must decline your very generous offer. I will not go against Olympus, I swear by the Styx to that. However, I wish some time of piece and quite." He simply nodded respecting my decision which surprised me. I had expected him to blow a casket. Instead he was very calm. I guess he has changed into a more just ruler. It could just be because we just won a war, but I hope he stays like that.
"Very well Perseus. Now that you are a god you can do as you please. We will not bother you, that is as long as you don't betray us. Well that marks the end of this reward ceremony. The throne room will be arranged to hold a party so that we can celebrate." He clapped his hands and all the thrones were gone and tables were set up for people to eat and talk. The center was empty so that people could dance. Some tables were set with different varieties of food and drinks. I didn't want to be here so I simply left and walked the streets of Olympus for what was to be the last time in a very long time. As I walked I found a little memorial section that read above in a gate. 'HEROES OF OLYMPUS'. I walked inside and there was a marble wall that had the name of all the demigods that have died over the course of the two wars. In a deeper section there were statues for demigods that were grater than most. The stood statues of Beckendorf and Selina holding hands, there was of Luke Castellan, and eve a statue of... Annabeth. Not a single detail was sparred. It showed her every mark that distinguished her. Even the streak of grey hair that we both shared. She was in her regular camp clothes consisting of jeans and a orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. She had her Yankees cap on holding the front with her pointer finger and her thumb. She was smiling like she had always been. She looked just the way I wanted to remember. I felt something wet hit my shirt and that's when I noticed that I was crying.
"It's a shame Perseus. You are the only honorable man there is. The only one worthy of being with a woman. Yet now you are heartbroken. I can tell you that she is now enjoying Elysium, so to help you fell better." I turned around to find Artemis looking at me with a sad expression.
"It's not fair to her. She didn't have to die. Now she is probably waiting for me in the underworld, but now I'm a god. We'll never get to see each other again." I couldn't stand any longer I felt myself weaken again. I slumped down onto the ground with my head in between my hands. Artemis walked over to me and she hugged me which surprised me more than when Thalia came out of her tree.
"I know Perseus. But don't worry she knows that you are a god now. Hades says that she has moved on and says she wishes you do the same. I hear from Hades that she's even thinking about rebirth since you are a god now. So don't worry yourself. Find piece and tranquility. Who knows maybe one day you might even fall in love again." I simply nodded. I can guarantee that I did not want to fall in love again, at least not any time soon. "What will you do now that you are a god?"
"I think I will spend some time in my domain, you know get used to it. So I'll be heading for northern Canada and Alaska probably. I don't know how long I'll stay there or if I'll even be back. All I know is that I can't stay here much longer. I need to get away from here for some time." She nodded understanding and stood back up.
"I understand Perseus, but promise me something. Don't change. You are the only true man that is out there. I have grown fond of you and if you turn into a monster like the rest of the male population, well I would be very saddened. Also don't lose yourself while you're out there, and be careful, you may still hold power in the north, but if something were to happen to you we won't be able to do much."
"Don't worry Artemis I'll be the same man I am now. Maybe a bit different, but certainly for the best." She turned around and walked out of the memorial leaving me once again alone. Loneliness, something I'll have to get used to. I turned over to look at her statue. I tried summoning some flowers and soon a dozen white roses appeared in my hand. I laid them at the feet of her statue. When the flowers came in contact with the floor frost began to spread everywhere incasing it in a sheet of it. The frost had created a beautiful pattern decorating her whole statue. After that I was gone in a breeze of cold wind.
I found myself in some wild area of Alaska. Snow covered the entire area. I used to like the snow and cold just as much as any other person. Now, now I felt right at home with the white rabbits running around, the owls flying by, the snowflakes slowly falling down. Wolves howled from all directions. Their master had finally arrived. I'm not sure what took over me but I howled right back. My howl literally shook the ground in a show of dominance. Without thinking I tried something I had thought of. I turned into a wolf. However, I wasn't a regular wolf. I had a perfect and smooth white fur with ice blue eyes, but the difference was that my teeth were unnaturally sharp along with my claws, and I was an easy six foot tall on all fours. Definitely not a regular wolf. I ran in a random direction allowing my instinct to guide me. I was free here in the northern wilderness, a free spirit. Soon I found a cave, which was surrounded by wolves all looking much like me but regularly sized. As soon as they saw me they began to howl acknowledging me as their leader. I trotted over to the center and gave my own howl that stood above all the others. They all bowed to me and one especially large wolf walked over to me and bowed his head.
"Hello Milord. I am Michael, your second in command, and this is your pack. Please lead us."
"Michael, all of you, raise your heads. We are wolves, we bow to none, that includes me. I will lead you all, but respect your singularity. Give me your trust and I will promise to be the best leader that I can be."
"I am sure you will be a great leader Milord.
Around two centuries later
Silver. It ran along my forest, and I followed it. I was but a gust of cold wind, unnoticeable to any. A large group of girls in sliver camouflage parkas stepped out into the clearing. They were mostly around early teens aside from a few that were younger or older. I had detected a powerful being heading into my territory but due to being in the north her aura was to weak to distinguish who she was, but now I was more than certain. Artemis and her Hunters. My guess is they were hunting some large monster or a big group of them; otherwise they wouldn't be so far up north. Then I saw what they were hunting. Out stepped four Drakons, the Minotaur, and around twenty hellhounds. With Artemis's prowess with a bow and about twenty or so hunters I'm sure they can take them, so I just waited nearby just in case I had to step in. They were doing good, Artemis had dealt with a Drakon and the hunters another. Some hunters were keeping the Minotaur at bay. The hellhounds were about halved in numbers but I noticed how they were spread out around them, in a circle, and that's when I noticed the great amount of reinforcements waiting by in the woods.
With Artemis powerless they won't stand a chance, I knew I would have to step in. As soon as I drew to that conclusion the Minotaur roared signaling the rest of the monsters to come in. Soon the Hunters and their misstates were surrounded by around five hundred monsters. Mostly hellhounds and a few more Drakons. I flew into the battle circling around the monsters until I stopped in front of Artemis and solidified into my wolf form. Standing at six feet I wouldn't be able to do much so I changed into my thirty foot tall form.
Now I could see the fear and hesitation in the monsters. I growled a deep and menacing warning saying something along the lines of 'You stepped into my territory, now you will pay'. I dashed forward with so much force the ground under my paws cracked and caved in. The snow lifted high into the air as I leaped into battle. I began to circle into monster flesh without stopping until they had either fled or turned to dust. I looked back to see Artemis as calm as ever; however, I can't say the same about her Hunters. I turned back into my six foot tall height. My voice rang throughout the area even if u wasn't physically speaking. "Hello Artemis, it has been far too long since I've seen you last."
"It sure has Perseus."
(A/N: So hey guys, and gals, most of you might not know me since I'm rather new to FFN, but I first started to write this story in Wattpad, and it gained some popularity, and recently I got a computer so I can actually upload on FFN as well, which is what I'm doing. If you liked it, don't worry I'll try to upload the rest of what I already have on Wattpad, and if you read on Wattpad as well and wish to not wait, then you can go read what I already have uploaded.