Percy POV

It was supposed to be over, a happy ending. Well, I was totally wrong. Blame the fates. I did absolutely nothing wrong.

To be fair, the war was over after all, with Kronos down for the count. The award ceremony was progressing smoothly, with Tyson getting his new, erm, stick, and Grover being made a member of the Council of the Cloven Elders. Even Annabeth got a pretty decent reward, after all, being made the official architect of Olympus.

"But not me," I thought bitterly, "Not me. I always get the short end of the stick."

Sitting under a tree, I recalled the events that unfolded just a few hours ago.

"PERCY JA- "Poseidon announced when he was interrupted by a female voice. I recognised it. It was Iris, the goddess that kept nagging about those drachmas. "I apologise for the interruption, Lord Zeus, but there was an important Iris-message for the Olympians some time ago. I figured I would save it till now, since you were in battle then.

"It can wait," said Poseidon, not wanting to delay the ceremony any longer.

"I apologise again, but this is really important, and it also has something to do with our young hero over there," Iris said, shooting a glance at me.

"All right, this better be really important," growled Poseidon as the Olympians flocked to the king of the gods to see the message.

The air shimmered, and while I couldn't see anything from the other side, I heard a voice. Specifically, mine.

"I told you, the plan isn't working," I… said? I frowned. Nowhere in my memory, did I have any recollection of this… event.

"Just trust me, Jackson. I know what I'm doing. Today, the gods shall fall, and the Golden Age shall return, once and for all." A voice reassured. I've heard that voice before. Where have I, though?

"I… Alright- "my voice said, before getting cut off, and the Iris-message dissolved.

Where did this conversation happen? Who was talking to me? I was snapped out of my thoughts as I felt everyone's intimidating glare. My eyes widened as I realized what was happening. Here, in Olympus, I was being accused of treason, betraying the gods.

"I… I- "I started, but was immediately cut off by Zeus.

"Perseus Jackson, you are accused of treason against Olympus," Zeus said, his voice booming across the throne room. Why me? I've done everything. I even won the war for them. I finally understood what Luke meant by "a pawn of the gods". The gods held no trust in their heroes. One mistake, one false claim, and we were meant to be disposed of?

"Father, but- "Thalia interrupted, but was immediately shushed by a harsh look by her father.

"Seeing as how we won the war today, and I'm in a good mood," Zeus continued, "I'll let you defend yourself, just this time around. Prepare your worst, son of Poseidon."

"Lord Zeus, h… how do you think I could betray Olympus? What about my fatal flaw?" I started.

"Loyalty to the enemies, that is," Ares muttered. But I heard it. And so did the gods. All of us shot him a look, and he, well, shut up, as he rightly should.

"Look here, Perseus. Talk to me, not father. I am the goddess of wisdom, strategy, and reason. Convince me you're innocent, and you convince everyone here." Her voice held no emotion. But I could see it in her eyes – she wanted to help me. She desired to help the boy, the boy she'd been chasing away from her daughter (chase. Haha. Get it?) all this time, the boy who she finally approved after four long years. She couldn't bear to see her daughter heartbroken after that, after all she'd been through. Maybe. Just maybe, there was hope for me after all.

I held back all my anger, all my disappointment and sadness, all emotion. What I was about to say next was about to determine my entire life. I thought rationally, ordered all the information in my head, and for the first time in my life, I had a plan. A plan that could possibly get me out of this mess.

I took a deep breath, and I imagined that I was talking to Athena, and Athena only. The gods weren't here. My friends weren't here, only the two of us, and that served to give me some confidence.

"Lady Athena, how could I be accused of turning against Olympus? I… I've done so much over the past few years. I've retrieved Lord Zeus's master bolt, revived Thalia's tree, and I defended camp half-blood during the Labyrinth invasion. I even fought Kronos for the sake of Olympus! And my fatal flaw is loyalty. How could I not be loyal to Olympus?"

Athena nodded, and said, "Go on."

I was confused. What else could I say?

My confusion must have shown on my face, because the next thing I knew, her voice hissed in my mind, "The evidence! We're talking about the Iris-message, not your achievements!"

I froze. I never expected that I would have to argue about some Iris-message I had never seen. I had to say something. My mouth threatened to verbalize my thoughts, calling them idiots, calling them dumb for believing in some shady Iris-message over the hero that helped them win a war. But I held my tongue. This isn't the time, I told myself.

"I… I, that wasn't real. It never happened. The message was fake," I managed to get out. Tears threatened to spill. Was I going to lose everything here? Maybe mom would never see a blue message. She probably wouldn't go jump off roofs, though. I laughed weakly at the thought.

"Percy, are you claiming that the Iris-message was, perhaps faked? Are you claiming that that incident never happened?"

"Yes?" It sounded more like a question, as if I was doubting my own words.

"Perseus, Iris-messages are a form of communication we have used for millennia. If they're so unreliable- "

Zeus cut her off. "No, Athena, never mind that. Apollo, is the boy telling the truth?"

"I… I don't know. It's being clouded from me." Apollo replied, "There's some power at work here."

Zeus' eyes widened in realisation. "Perseus Jackson, you will tell us who you're working with. Now." His voice held no room for argument. His usual electric blue eyes now reflected a dark storm, possibly with a lot of lightning, which was what I was sure I was going to get hit by. The master bolt crackled in his hand.

I sighed. No way I was going to get out of this alive. "Lord Zeus, I have already told you I am loyal to Olympus."

Meanwhile, through all this, Annabeth's face was pale. She looked just like me, when I had a panic attack, thinking I would lose her to the Hunters. I looked at her, a silent plea for help. And she looked at her mother.

"Father, it is possible that- "Athena started, but was immediately cut off by Zeus.

"Athena, NOTHING is possible. It is EVIDENT that this boy, this little traitor here, is working against Olympus," Zeus spat, "We shall now hold his trial. All in favour of disintegrating the boy?"

"Brother, at least make my son's punishment less… harsh. We won the war after all," Poseidon pleaded.

"Fine. All in the favour of… erm, banishing the boy from the Greek world?" Zeus smiled. Obviously, I would get killed by monsters, and it would be no different.

Hands went up. By that, I meant almost every Olympian raised their hands. The only ones who didn't were – Artemis, gee, thanks a lot, I thought, taking the weight of the sky was really worth it, huh, and surprisingly, Ares.

"I'm sorry Perseus, but I believe in evidence more than personalities, or feelings," Athena's voice whispered in my mind.

But the feelings of gratitude I have for the gods who supported me could never compare to ones of betrayal and disappointment.

My own father didn't vote for me. My own father. I thought. I expected him to value his family. I felt betrayed.

"Ah, brother, could I have a private word with Perseus before his… punishment is carried out?" Poseidon asked.

"Of course," Zeus nodded. Maybe he did have feelings after all.

Poseidon flashed the both of us to his palace.

"How could you?" I exploded, "I am your son! Your own SON! You betrayed me! I expected, expected you to value your own family!"

"Olympus is also my family." He countered, "And it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"You could have at least shown, shown that you love me!"

"Perseus, I do love you, and- "

"You know what they say, showing is better than telling. And you failed to show."

"Perseus, there are more important things at stake here. You must understand-"

"Important things?"

"I couldn't possibly go against Zeus. He is always paranoid, and I might even get accused of being a traitor."

"Oh, so just like me?"

"Percy, you must understand. Olympus is an immortal family. Grudges can be carried over millennia. You are just a mortal- " He pleaded once again, as I cut him off, my patience running thin, and my bottled rage exploding.

"So, I'm just another mortal to you? Do you think… do you think in a few thousand years… that there will be another Perseus Jackson? Am I a just another dispensable pawn to the gods?"

"Percy, I didn't mean it like that- "

"Poseidon, I don't want to see you ever again. Just take us back to Olympus."

He sighed, and we were back.

"Perseus Jackson, you are now banished from Olympus, and Camp Half-Blood, or any other place worshipping the gods," Zeus announced.

I still couldn't believe it. I was getting kicked out of my own family. Hiding the tears that threatened to spill, I simply walked out of Olympus, glancing at Annabeth, taking care so that no one, including my mother, would see and recognize me.

A/N:

Hey guys, thanks for reading. It's my first fanfic, and it's my first time writing a story like this, so I have no idea what the standards are, and I went with a (standard) betrayal plot. Please tell me if I do have things to improve on (or you could just tell me how awesome I am) in the reviews! Constructive criticism is always appreciated :D