[ AN: I have to admit, I'm only doing this because I read so many other "Chaos" fanfics and I found a lot of them good, but lacking. Here's my take on the whole "Adopted by Chaos" idea. Honestly, I've borrowed so many ideas from so many different stories that I'm just gonna say one big "thank you" and one big "please don't hurt me" to the amazing authors who came up with these ideas.
This starts with a very different alternate ending to the Giant War. I'm just going to assume you all can pretend most of Blood of Olympus didn't happen, and skip right to an epic alternate ending. And by the way, unfortunately, I'm not Rick Riordan. ]
Chapter 1: The Sacrifice
Percy stood in the center of the throne room of Olympus. All around him on the ground stood the Seven, all the demigods, and all the Hunters of Artemis. Their faces were set in masks of cold rage, betrayal, and disappointment. All around him, on their twenty-foot thrones, sat the angry Olympians. Only one throne was empty.
Hestia herself now stood before the Olympians. It was her face that was the hardest for Percy to watch. Hers and Annabeth's. Annabeth looked broken, her gray eyes dull and lifeless. Hestia—hers was the face of a mother about to kill her own child. She had always seen him as a friend, almost as a son. But now . . .
Percy couldn't stand it. He was almost about to sob, but he held it in by sheer force of will. He wouldn't cry. Not in front of them.
Perseus Jackson, twice the Savior of Olympus, was in chains, about to be killed by the very people that he had nearly died protecting. In the flames of the hearth of Olympus, Hestia was displaying Percy's memories. The gods watched with growing horror.
[ Percy's memories, from the final battle, the day Gaea awakened... ]
Percy stood alone before Gaea, watching the life draining out of Annabeth's eyes. Gaea held a blade. Not a sword, not a spear, but a dagger. The coward. Well, to be fair, Annabeth had tried to sneak up invisibly on Gaea, a desperate plan to damage her while she was apparently waking and vulnerable.
Nobody could have known that the whole "waking" phase was an act, a move by Gaea to fool the demigods into rushing into attacking.
The worst part was, Percy was the one that had given the suggestion, to surprise-attack Gaea. And now Annabeth was dying. Percy could see the crimson blood on Gaea's blade, which stuck out of Annabeth's back.
"No," he whispered. He wanted to scream. "No! Annabeth, no!"
And everyone else was dead, or fighting to the death. Jason, Frank, Piper, Leo, Hazel, the Olympians, everyone was barely holding their own against Gaea's children. Many giants had fallen, but most had not, and now that the Earth had risen, the surviving giants became ten thousand times stronger, and wave upon wave of Earthborn only made things worse.
But Percy didn't think of that. He saw Gaea, he saw Annabeth, and the next thing he saw was red. He took a step forward, Riptide suddenly bathed in a poisonous sea-green light. To her credit, Gaea only smirked, licking the blood off her dagger as Annabeth fell to the ground. That was too much for Percy.
Strangely, Percy felt like there was something he should say at that moment. Something that his whole life had been leading up to. Something about Chaos. Chaos? he thought. Where did that come from?
"In the name of Chaos," he said. "I, Perseus Jackson, trade my life for Annabeth's. Please, let her live. Whatever time she has left, give that to me. Five minutes should do."
And to his surprise, the air around them seemed to darken, radiating raw power. Everything around them stopped, as if drawn to the darkness. Everyone stopped fighting, time stood still. And in the back of his head, Percy heard an amused voice. Alright, Perseus Jackson, your wish has been granted. You have five minutes. Show the world what you're made of.
Somewhere far beneath his building sea of rage, Percy almost laughed. He felt different somehow, as if his mind and body were suddenly freed from invisible shackles.
"Five minutes for what?" hissed Gaea, genuinely confused.
"Five minutes to kick your ass," he growled back.
[ Annabeth's memories of the final moments of the battle... ]
To Annabeth, watching those five minutes, the world seemed to stop. Nothing moved, except Percy, Gaea, and the blinding light of Riptide between them. Nothing made a sound, except for Gaea's screams. They were locked in a fight, dagger against sword, Gaea flailing helplessly and Percy landing slash after slash.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Annabeth realized that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy. To storm or fire the world must fall. Gaea was certainly falling, not to a storm of wind or water, or to a real fire, but to a storm of Celestial bronze, and the fire of Percy's rage.
Annabeth had never seen Percy move this fast. Maybe she was seeing things because she was half-dead, but Percy seemed to be surrounded by a dark sea-green glow. Riptide glowed even brighter, with a radiant darkness, moving faster than anyone's eyes could follow.
And then the entire world seemed to move, as Gaea unleashed her power. But above it all, Annabeth heard Percy's roar, "You wanna play that game, Mudmouth? Let's see who wins, then, the Earth, or the Son of the Earthshaker!"
And he struck Riptide into the ground, and everything began to rumble. Everything, down to the roots of Tartarus. The whole planet shivered, and the region immediately around Percy exploded in an earthquake of a magnitude even Poseidon himself couldn't achieve. The only stable spot of land was where Annabeth lay.
Then time seemed to unfreeze, and the battle around them resumed. Percy stood still, eyes closed, holding Riptide in the soil, struggling to keep Gaea's power at bay. For all his talk, Percy was still fighting a Primordial. In terms of raw power, he was out of his league. Gaea took the opportunity and rushed at Percy, dagger ready.
Annabeth watched, helpless, unable to move, unable to scream. She watched as Percy opened his eyes for a split-second, right before Gaea reached him. Annabeth saw him look up. At her.
He mouthed four words, that infuriating crooked grin returning to his face.
"Always together, Wise Girl."
And then Gaea stabbed him in the chest. And he brought Riptide from the ground up in an arc, burying it in Gaea's throat, stabbing straight through her neck. And the whole world screamed.
Percy pulled Riptide back and kicked Gaea in the chest. Both Gaea and Percy collapsed to the ground, Gaea flat on her back, Percy on one knee.
For a moment, Annabeth thought it was over. But then Percy struggled to his feet.
He stepped forward and plunged Riptide into Gaea's arm. And then again.
Annabeth was terrified. This wasn't Percy. His eyes were golden like the sun. He was surrounded by a blinding white light, not darkness. Riptide was glowing, not radiant and dark, but bone-white and cruel. Percy slashed away at Gaea, somehow not killing her, but giving her hell. Gaea collapsed to the ground, again, face-first.
He tore at Gaea's back, landing a thousand different cuts. He hacked off fingers, and feet, and finally, put his sword to her head. With every cut, even the gods and giants trembled in fear. The planet had begun to rumble as continents cracked and split. The battle around them faded into silence.
Everyone stood in horror, watching Percy torture Mother Earth. Slowly, Percy kicked Gaea in the side to toss her face-up, and though Annabeth couldn't move or speak or do anything, she could see. Annabeth could see Gaea's tears.
"Guess the Earthshaker wins," said Percy, his voice cold and cruel, his sword at Gaea's neck. And somehow, Annabeth knew that if Percy killed Gaea, it would be the end of the world. Gaea wouldn't die. She would fade, into nothing.
At that moment, the moon goddess Artemis rushed into Percy from the side and tackled him to the ground. "Enough!" she screamed. "You're killing her!"
Percy rolled and kicked Artemis in the ribs. Somehow, though he was just a demigod, his kick knocked the breath out of her. She lay on the ground, heaving and coughing up ichor. All the other gods stood rooted to their spots in shock.
Percy growled. "Don't interfere, Moon Goddess! Isn't this what you want? You Olympians, you forced me to be your pawn, to do your dirty work, to fight your wars! I will finish them as I see fit!"
Artemis leapt to her feet. "Who are you, you monster? Where is the Perseus I knew?"
Percy only laughed. If Annabeth could describe that laugh in one word, it would be evil. "This is the Perseus you knew, Moon Goddess. This is the Perseus you and your Olympians raised, into a killer. A cold-blooded soldier!"
"Give him back!" Artemis roared, lunging at Percy with her silver hunting knives.
Percy met her with Riptide drawn, disarming her in seconds. That suddenly seemed to spark the battle again, as the giants took advantage of the gods' shock and attacked. The gods, caught up in their own battle, could only watch as Gaea bled to death and Percy fought Artemis.
Suddenly, Gaea's body sank back deep into the earth. In a twisted way, Annabeth was glad. That would keep Gaea alive, and out of Percy's reach.
But Artemis was his new target. Percy had disarmed her, and knocked her to the ground. "Yield. I don't want to kill you."
"What is wrong with you?" Artemis screamed, struggling to her feet. "I will not yield until you return to your sanity. I will defeat you, monster, if it costs me my life!"
Suddenly, the air around Percy seemed to glow as blindingly white as Riptide. "So be it."
Apollo, Zeus, the other Olympians tried to help her, but suddenly, the giants as well were surrounded by the blinding white light. They became unstoppable, and hell-bent on keeping the Olympians from interfering. Annabeth wondered if the giants were even fighting for Gaea anymore. Their eyes had gone bright golden like Percy's.
Zeus managed to fire a bolt at Percy, but with a flick of Riptide, the demigod swatted it away like a fly. A few of Apollo's arrows also reached him, but not a single one touched his skin. Percy moved too fast.
What came next, Annabeth would do anything to erase from her memory. Coldly, cruelly, systematically, Percy hacked Artemis to pieces. Artemis, the Olympian goddess of the moon. No matter what Artemis did, there was no escape. And with one last step, he stabbed her in the chest and finished her. She screamed.
"Don't worry," said Percy with an ugly smile. "I don't hate you, so I won't make you fade. But sadly, you will spend the next decade or so reforming in Tartarus."
Annabeth watched as the golden ichor seeped into the soil beneath Artemis' body. Annabeth watched as a patch of wildflowers blossomed around the corpse as if the earth herself were mourning the goddess' passing. Annabeth watched as the body faded into golden dust. Annabeth watched as Percy licked the golden ichor off of Riptide's edge just as Gaea had licked Annabeth's blood minutes before.
And that was too much. Annabeth suddenly found her voice, and screamed. "Percy!"
Then Percy's eyes widened, and reverted to their normal beautiful sea-green, and Riptide slowly faded from the blinding bone-white to its warm, reassuring bronze. The white glow faded from everywhere, including the giants. But Riptide was still coated in golden ichor. Percy's eyes filled with tears.
He roared at the sky. "Chaos! What happened? I traded my life for hers! I was supposed to die! Why?! Why would you do this to me?!" And then, he paused, as if he had really heard an answer from the heavens.
And Annabeth watched, helplessly, as he fell to the ground, sobbing. The tides of battle turned, every giant was killed, but when everyone gathered at the spot where Artemis had died, Percy was still there, golden ichor on his sword and lips.
[ In the throne room of Olympus... ]
The gods watched all of Annabeth's memories in silence. In the end, the only sound was the crackling of an angry hearth. Percy let the tears flow freely now, as he saw what he had done. He remembered, of course, but not like this. Not clearly.
His memories of the end of the battle were hazy and bright, as if behind a veil of blinding white light. He knew he would never have killed Artemis. She was one of his favorite goddesses. But he had done it. He had watched her body crumble, he had seen the gold dripping from Riptide's edge.
He had no way to claim he was innocent. He had no right to claim he was innocent. But he knew that he had not done it. It was not him. It was, as Artemis had said, a monster. He knew, because Chaos told him in a dream, the night before this day.
I know you're innocent, Percy. Forgive me. I gave you your five minutes, and I intended it to be just that. I would have let you die. But someone interfered. Someone seized your mind, someone as powerful as I am. I could not stop them. Forgive me.
Chaos, the Creator of the Universe, asking for Percy's forgiveness. He had heard Chaos' voice, telling him it was going to be okay. Telling him he was going to be sentenced to death, but that she would not let him die. Asking him a question.
Will you fight for me?
And Percy, in the dream, had asked, Why? I fought for the gods, and I ended up becoming worse than the monsters I killed. I fought in the name of loyalty, and the very people I was loyal to are going to have me killed!
Chaos had replied, I can give you something more to fight for. Something that will never abandon you. Something you don't have. A true family.
And that promise, that would be enough for Percy to desperately hold onto hope. Because hope is a strange flower, which grows best in the darkest places.
Percy had lost all hope that the Olympians would listen to his side of the story, though. The gods were all staring at him, enraged. Even his father, Poseidon. His face was dark, and sad, and hurt. Hurt beyond repair.
Zeus was the angriest. Without pause, without even taking a vote, he lifted his master bolt. "Perseus Jackson, for the murder of Artemis, Olympian Goddess of the Moon and Hunt, we sentence you to death."
"We're not even going to vote, it would be unanimous," Apollo interrupted, his eyes uncharacteristically cold. "The only thing that keeps us from torturing you for all of eternity is everything you've done for us. Consider a quick death your reward."
Hestia held up a hand, silencing them. "Any last words, Percy?"
He stared up at the sky. "I forgive you, Chaos. And I guess I'll take you up on that job offer. And you, Fates, you three old hags! I hate your sense of humor. Do you find it funny that I'm about to die by the very master bolt that I saved on my first quest?"
"Done complaining?" asked Apollo dryly.
Percy raised his head high, meeting every god's eyes. "I can understand if you don't believe me when I say I didn't do it. I can understand if you don't forgive me. But please don't forget me."
Zeus raised his master bolt. Percy caught Annabeth's lifeless gaze, and his sea-green eyes glimmered. He mouthed the promise again. "Always together, Wise Girl."
And then Percy Jackson was killed. The lightning struck his body. He didn't scream, but he writhed in pain. And for a moment, there was a brilliant flash of light. And then he was gone. The shackles were empty.
All was silent.
Out of nowhere, a woman appeared. Her skin was pitch-black, but lit by thousands of points of light, stars and galaxies. The Olympians stared at her in shock.
"Lady Chaos," said Athena, kneeling. The gods followed her example, as did the demigods. Only Annabeth didn't kneel. Chaos walked over and patted Annabeth's shoulder.
"Sorry, dear," Chaos said to her. Chaos turned to face the Olympians and only shook her head. "You fools. You idiots. Another war is coming! He was your only hope. " She paused. "And by the way, HE WAS INNOCENT!
The whole throne room exploded with whispers and shock.
"Now all you can do is pray that he will have the heart to return to you," said Chaos softly.
Annabeth's hazy eyes suddenly focused, as if registering only one word. "Return?" whispered Annabeth, under her breath. Chaos somehow heard it, and winked at her before disappearing. The moment she left, the entire throne room erupted into—for lack of a better word—chaos.