Percy sat in a worn wooden bench in the middle of Central Park. He was alone; he should have been on Mount Olympus, in the reward ceremony, but he couldn't bring himself to face Annabeth.
Sunlight dimly shone behind clusters of clouds, and the grey sky seemed to match his mood. The air was cool and crisp, but he didn't mind. He didn't know what to think about Annabeth's betrayal. She had just left him, convinced that he couldn't give her the life she wanted. She never even told him what she wanted.
Maybe he was supposed to know, but he wasn't a genius. He couldn't read minds. He wasn't enough for her, his love wasn't either. Both were tossed aside so easily, he wondered if she ever loved him at all. She said she did, she acted like she did. But did she?
The son of Poseidon was a two war veteran, having taken down three 'boss lords', Kronos, Porphyrion, and even Gaea, with numerous monsters, titans, and giants in between. Sure his armor wasn't golden like Jason's, but he wasn't one to be so flashy; sure he was a bit scratched up, but coming out of a death match to lull the earth mother back to sleep tended to do that to someone.
Percy still didn't know what Annabeth wanted in life, so he couldn't understand how Jason, a younger, more idiotic, self-absorbed, Roman, could give it to her. Didn't she know he'd die for her? What happened to the Annabeth that would've died for him?
He had a lot of questions, and he wasn't entirely sure he could answer all of them.
But for right now, sitting alone on a park bench seemed the best place to be. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his tattered jeans, and his fingers curled around Riptide when he felt someone clasp their hand on his shoulder from behind.
"Percy, we're waiting for you," a deep, smooth voice said, and he recognized it to be Poseidon, his father.
A ragged sigh escaped the teenager's lips, he wasn't ready to see them yet.
"Father, is it really necessary? I'd rather stay here," Percy asked his dad, glancing to his left where the sea god had moved.
Poseidon sat on the bench and looked at his broken son, "I'm sorry, son. I wish I'd known. I'm sure someone better will come along, the Fates won't leave you like this, I'm sure they can't be that cruel." He tried to encourage Percy, but the hero didn't respond right away.
Sea green eyes met sea green eyes, and the pain in each was well concealed, to everyone but the other.
"Come on, the others are finished being rewarded. The filthy spawn of Jupiter was awarded a new sword, the majority of the council declined his request to become an immortal. Athena's brat was commissioned to reconstruct the original Mount Olympus the son of Hades was given permission to live in Elysium with his mother, the daughter of Aphrodite was allowed minor immortality, though she didn't asked for it. Hephaestus's son was given an apprenticeship at his father's forge, and the daughter of Belona has been rewarded a new Pegasus, and you have yet to be gifted."
Percy nodded, accepting it for what it was, "Alright, father."
Poseidon smiled, "Close your eyes."
The teen obliged, and felt himself being teleported to Olympus. When he reopened them, he was standing in the throne room. The marble floor was sturdy and cold, and the towering beings around him made Percy feel puny, even though he was a good 6'4.
All of the Olympians, plus Hades and Hestia, were there, each eyeing him with unreadable expressions.
He approached Zeus's throne, and bowed, before turning to his father's throne, and kneeling.
"Perseus Jackson, you have proved to be an asset to the gods of Olympus, twice over," Zeus began, "and as such, we will reward you with two gifts. We have also chosen a reward for you that you must accept."
The last part of Zeus's declaration somewhat scared the demigod, but he shrugged. It didn't really matter now anyways. "Alright. I ask that you swear on the River Styx to grant my requests if they are in your power."
The sky god rolled his eyes, before agreeing. Thunder rumbled as the gods muttered their oaths.
"I first wish for Hades and Hestia to join your ranks as Olympian Gods. They deserve it for all they have endured."
Heads snapped in his direction, but he ignored them and continued, "My second request is that the Greeks and Romans be forever at peace with one another. The Roman losses at Camp Half Blood were too great to ever occur again, and even two of my Greek brethren lost their lives to the insolence of war."
Percy glared at Ares, well, Mars, or-never mind. He glared at the war god before turning to Zeus.
"I hold you to your oath, Lord Zeus."
Hades and Hestia both looked to him with great respect as Zeus wordlessly waved his arm, making two thrones appear on opposite sides of the room. Hestia's looked like a comfortable rocking chair, minus the fact that it seemed to be on fire. Hades's throne looked like his own in the underworld, full of skeleton parts and dark leather upholstering.
Zeus scowled at him, obviously unhappy that he was forced to give Hades a throne, "Now that your requests are finished, it is time you hear our demand. You, Perseus Jackson, will become a god."
The expression on his face was comical, "But, but I-"
Zeus interrupted him, a devilish glint in his eyes, "That is an order, Perseus. You are far too valuable to the gods to ever perish, and the Fates themselves have spoken, they will personally transform you."
Percy's mouth was still gaping like a fish when Zeus said something in Ancient, Ancient Greek, and he blacked out.
Percy couldn't see, but he could still feel. He was lying face-up, bare chested on something cold and hard. He assumed it was the throne room's marble floor, but he hadn't the faintest idea why he didn't have on his hoodie. He felt a gentle hand lift his head up, and pour a warm liquid onto his scalp. The same hand began to rub the substance into his head, and he began to feel fuzzy.
Something long and soft was being draped around his abdomen, and another one of those somethings was wrapped around his forehead. They felt suspiciously like yarn strings. He felt the all-too-familiar slice of a knife on his chest, directly over his heart, and began to hear loud chanting. He couldn't understand what they were saying, but the blood pumping out of the cut was beginning to get uncomfortably warm.
He could feel a heat rising in his body, one like a fever, and it quickly became intense. The chanting got louder, and then, it was silent. His innards didn't feel like they were in an oven, and he began to cool down. The stickiness on his chest seemed to disappear before he heard it.
"All Hail Perseus, God of-"
Then, he passed out again.
Okay, I'm new at writing, and this is my first PJO fanfic. I'm not sure who the pairing will be, but no Percabeth for this one. I'm thinking Reyna, or Piper, or Aphrodite, or Thalia, or who knows! What do you guys think?