Percy Jackson is twelve when he finds out he is part angel. Able to see both the divine and the ordinary, he and the others of his kind walk a fine line of existence. They are also marked. Each of the half-angels has a pair of wings.
At sixteen, Percy Jackson saves the world and discovers that not all heroes are on the same side. It is a lesson he will not soon forget.
Later, when he is told he will save the world again, this time with a group of six other half-angels, he grits his teeth and says nothing. No one complains to the Archangels and lives to tell about it.
"You hate them too?" Percy asks Leo. The Latino boy nods, his wings that are the colour of flame shifting nervously.
"They did nothing to stop the death of my mama. I will never forgive them." he says darkly, hands twisting metal into strange shapes.
When Annabeth is sent on a quest by herself, gray wings curled about her tightly, as though she can make herself disappear if she tries hard enough, Percy growls and swears to himself he will be there to meet her at the end.
"They owe us nothing!" Percy shouts to the group of five plus Nico.
"He's right, you know." Jason adds. "I mean, how powerless are they? Apparently so weak they need our help constantly." He looks around the table, sky blue wings flaring angrily behind him.
"You're right. I saw horrors no one should ever have to see, and my own father did not lift a finger to help." puts in Nico, his shadowy black wings faded from his journey through Hell.
When they arrive to rescue Annabeth, Percy falls into Hell with her. It turns out Nico's right. Hell is home to things more awful than Percy ever tells anyone, and, while he is willing to defend his friends, he makes a vow to himself that nothing will harm Annabeth again. And he comes out changed, with more power than ever before, ready to fight against the Archangels.
"Don't you feel it?" Piper asks Hazel late one night. "Everyone here is a bomb and the Archangels just lit our last fuse."
Hazel nods thoughtfully. Her wings, black as Nico's but metallic instead of shadowy reach around to touch Piper's pink ones. "Yeah, I know. The Archangels had better be ready when we come back."
After they defeat Gaea, the Seven and Nico come back. They settle into life again, but never quite the same way.
"So, can you?" Leo asks. Hazel breathes deeply,
"Yes. I can use the Mist to shield Bunker 9 so the Archangels can't see in, but I think you'll pay for this." she warns, lifting off the ground and beginning to weave a net of magic around the workshop, wings flashing as she works.
Leo watches her, uncaring of punishment as he molds a dagger in his hands that have become as hot as the flames his wings appear to be made out of.
Percy starts practicing. He learned how to manipulate liquid, any liquid in Hell. From poison to blood, he can use it to kill. The first time he does it is when a minor demon sneaks up on Annabeth. He had sworn to her never to use his power, but it escapes before he can help it. Nico sees him and tells him it's a good thing he's on their side.
"Do you understand me now?" Annabeth asks the two twelve year olds.
"Yeah." they say in unison. Brown wings flap as they prepare to fly back to the archery range. "The Archangels are not good, even though they are on the good side."
Frank is there waiting for them. He warns them that they cannot trust in the Archangels to deliver them. The only thing that matters, that stays, is the trust they place in their fellow half-angels. As soon as he finishes delivering his warning he flies away, a single feather, red as blood, left behind.
As the years go by, one by one, the Seven start to turn on the Archangels and become more and more powerful until they decide it is time. They will storm Heaven and overturn the Archangels, replacing them. They will be stronger. More powerful. Better.