Disclaimer; I don't own the Percy Jackson series, but I really, really want to!

Perseus Dies in the End

Present

Location-Mt. Olympus, Throne Room

"… leaving only one in twenty couriers mauled or poisoned since March. As you can see, Overnight Express is running spick and span." Hermes concluded with a smile.

The Olympians nodded in approval, shuffling in their seats as Hermes returned to his throne. Dionysus seemed bored out of his mind, reclining back and twirling an oversized bottle of chardonnay. Ares kept twitching, fingers tapping impatiently, angry eyes hidden behind dark shades, lips curled in an irritated sneer.

Pre-solstice meetings were crucial in keeping balance and order between the gods, a careful display of influence and endless negotiating, though if it were not for the mandatory attendance, few of the divine being's present would have arrived. Athena had reorganized the proceedings to cater to all, meaning reports of the god's dominions needed to be given, entertainment was scheduled, and gifts were planned for the true solstice.

"Well done Hermes." Zeus affirmed, dismissing the younger god and turning his attention to Athena, "What matters are there still to discuss?"

The goddess of wisdom pored over a seemingly never-ending scroll for a long minute, looking up to recount; "All that remains is for the floor to voice any new business."

Ares straightened in his chair, glaring daggers over his sunglasses, daring anyone to speak up. The war god especially disliked these meetings. Who needed to plan a party when you already have the goddess of beauty, the god of wine? Indeed, Ares was more than ready to charge out into the fray, no doubt headed for some forsaken warzone in the world.

When no one stirred, Zeus nodded. "Then let us adjourn until the solstice. I need not remind you the importance of our convergence; I expect you all to be present, or there shall be consequences."

For the first time in the meeting, Poseidon stirred, raising an eyebrow at his brother, silently challenging the threat. Noticing the attention, he was receiving, Zeus clarified.

"There are matters of importance that can only be taken care of at that time, matters that require us all. Now, until that time…" Zeus trailed off as the massive gold doors to the throne rooms slid silently open.

A lanky girl with out of control, bouncing ruby curls skipped in, self-assured smile glowing as she approached; the Oracle.

Ares let out something between a groan and a growl as gods shifted, following her every step. The Oracle finally came to a stop in the heart of the room, deigning to give small courtesy, paint splattered toga shimmering with what looked like gold and glitter.

"Sorry to bother, but I've got some news." She announced, folding her arms and slouching forward.

"It could not wait? You have come unannounced to an assembly of the god's mortal. What matter of yours could not wait for our approval?" Zeus growled.

Poseidon and Hades sat back in their thrones, rolling their eyes.

"And the call me a drama queen," Hades muttered.

Apollo cleared his throat looking pointedly at Zeus. "Father, this is the Oracle remember? Rachel wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't important."

Zeus gave an aggravated grunt, his expression stormy. After repeatedly rebuffing his companionship and her overall stubborn, mortal nature, the two fallen into anything but the best of terms.

Apollo sighed, flashing a brilliant smile down at the Oracle. "So, Rachel, what's the word?"

The Oracle in question hadn't had a chance to open her mouth when Apollo let out a chuckle. "You know, I was at this coffee shop this morning, had a couple babes with me, and they had this poetry corner thing going on. Some guy was making the most fantastic haiku's you have ever heard. Besides mine of course. Anyways, he was doing one on 'the word'; surprisingly good. I think it went like this- 'News is'"

Artemis cut in before anyone could strangle her brother for yet another haiku.

"What news do you bring Miss Dare?"

Rachel straightened herself, gauging her audience before saying "Over the past week, I have had several visions. I collected as much information about it as possible, and now I stand here before you. Gods of Olympus, Kronos has returned, and unless stopped, he will reclaim his full power."

There were explosions of divine power at that, shouts and echoes shaking the throne room to its core and sending Rachel sprawling. Athena deadpanned as her meeting delved into chaos, gods hollering to be heard, arguing with each other, jumping off their respective thrones and advancing, the sound steadily growing louder and louder.

Demeter and Ares were hollering in each other's faces, Hera and Aphrodite were slapping the other, Apollo had turned to babble onto a now very drunk Dionysus, while Hermes, and Hephaestus, while Artemis, Hades, and Zeus were all trying to rage on about something.

Poseidon, still relaxed in his chair, shook his head in shame. The ocean god rose, a glowing trident materializing in his outstretched hand, letting the weighted shaft slip and crack against the marble tiles at his feet. The ground rumbled and pillars trembling, the far-off cacophony of a hurricane silencing the room.

"This is a council, not a coliseum. Treat it as such" Poseidon turned back to Zeus "Let the girl speak."

Zeus gave a gruff nod as the gods slowly returned to their seats, huffing and tugging at his beard before addressing the Oracle.

"The threat of Kronos has been dealt with before, and he will be dealt with again. We saw to his fall personally, we ensured that he would be unable to reclaim his powers. The Titan armies were crushed and disbanded, even their own palace, Mount Othrys, reduced to nothing more than a scrap heap. The threat of Kronos is nothing new. The solstice would have allowed us to decide to pursue him further, but he is no threat at this time."

Rachel shook her head. "You don't understand. He already has returned to power; or at least as close as he can get. He is readying his forces as we speak. By the solstice, Olympus will be no more."

The murmurs returned once again, but a single glance from Zeus and Poseidon quieted the assembly.

"Indeed? Since you seem to be privy to our enemy then Oracle, what are we to do? How has our Father returned so suddenly, where has he been hiding? What action is required to vanquish him once and for all?" Zeus' gruff tone let his impatience slip past. He did not like being corrected, especially when the threat of destruction was involved.

"Your destruction and your father's rise can be averted. It is time for another Moirai Trial."

The Council went quiet. Hermes sat up, eyes wide, hope shining through.

"A Moirai Trial? We are discussing the fate of Olympus and you suggest a Moirai Trial?"

"In his current state, Kronos can only be defeated by a demigod. So yes, I do suggest a Moirai Trial. The Fallen will save Olympus. As for why Kronos suddenly decided to man up and attack us… that's complicated. But I do know that it involves demigods. Seven of them to be exact. He's using them already, has been for a while."

Another murmur stirred through the gods.

"Attacking us through our children? Not a wise strategy, we have kept tabs on them all, none have vanished or run off as when Kronos first started raised his army before." Athena interjected.

Rachel just shook her head again. "I told you, it's complicated. And I'm not the one with the answers. The only one who does know-"

"Father" Hermes came to his feet, twitching nervously "Father, might I make a request?"

Rachel frowned, trying to go on, but after studying his scrutinizing his son for a long moment, Zeus gave a curt nod.

"Father, I know that you traditionally in the Moirai Trials, Poseidon, Hades, and yourself choose our hero, but I would ask that you give my son his chance. He has spent many years waiting for this opportunity at redemption, and has proved his worth time and time again. I know he will not let us down."

Zeus let out a grunt, thinking carefully. "Your son? Luke Castellan?"

Hermes nodded eagerly.

"You wish for me to send the Lightning Thief to defeat Kronos?"

Zeus turned to his brothers, raising a quizzical brow. Hades shrugged his shoulders, tilting on his throne and toying with the shadows in the room. Poseidon stared down hard at the ground, brooding and silent.

There was little doubt that he wanted to send a different fallen hero, but no one would side with the sea god and his spawn.

Zeus returned his attention to Hermes. "Your son is a renowned warrior, an experienced fighter, and a dangerous enemy. To have stolen from the gods takes either extreme courage or an extreme lack of brains. Against Kronos, perhaps this is the recipe for success. If he succeeds, Luke Castellan shall be Redeemed, and his crimes against Olympus shall be forgiven. Collect him immediately."

Hermes nodded ecstatically and Zeus turned back to Rachel. "Our champion for the Moirai Trials has been chosen. What further knowledge do we require for this quest? What dangers do we face?"

Rachel coughed nervously, eyes flashing around the room trying not to at any god directly.

"Actually, your champions have been chosen."

Silence.

"Excuse me?"

Rachel ran a hand through her frizzy hair, smiling nervously. "This will be a dual Trial. The Moirai allowed you to choose a champion, but the Moirai have one of their own as well."

"A dual Moirai Trial? I thought we all agreed those were off limits because everyone wound up dead by the time they finished the Trial. Half of them didn't even finish!"

Apollo quieted Hermes, before turning back to the Oracle.

"Maybe you should elaborate." Apollo hinted, glancing around the room.

The majority of the gods disliked breaking certain customs; the Moirai Trials were a tradition that was never changed or corrected. No one wanted to mess with a second chance given by the Fates.

"The Fates respect your decision, but they are the Fates. They don't abide by your rules," Rachel shrugged, "You choose any hero you deem worthy of a second chance. The Fates new they would be instrumental in completing the Trial. This is too big for one demigod though. Without the Fate's champion, the Trial will fail and Olympus will fall. You need their skill, their experience, and their power to survive."

The gods frowned and muttered amongst themselves, but in the end, consensus was reached; "Then we have made our choice. Whom have the Fates given us?"

Every face but Poseidon's looked curiously at her, waiting for a reply. Poseidon's gaze was locked on the tiles at his feet, lips moving in what almost looked like a silent prayer. The oracle seemed to shrink under the gaze of the gods, before whispering a name.

"What?"

Rachel whispered the name again.

"Speak up girl!" Hera snapped.

"Perseus Jackson." Rachel said, voice squeaky and sharp with fright.

If the explosion of noise before had been ear shattering, then this explosion was earth shattering. Rachel doubted she would ever hear clearly again.

"Never!"

"The Traitor!"

"Murderer!"

"Maybe If Tartarus froze over!"

The gods roared, the very foundations of Olympus shaking with their fury, thunder booming overhead, wraiths screaming, and the gods themselves started shining, their divine forms fighting to be seen, to show their utter disdain and anger at the world, and especially at that name. Poseidon seemed frozen in place, eyes wide. The Oracle stumbled across the room, reaching into one of the great bronze braziers that circled the room. Reaching past the burning logs, she scooped up a handful of soot and ash, twisting away and back to the center of the room, scattering the burnt material in the air.

The ashes hung suspended for a moment, black and grey turning to glowing green, the particles spinning into a cloud that consumed the whole room. A booming voice, ancient and terrible reverberated through the room, the Oracle's magic crashing down upon the gods.

OLYMPIANS HEAD ME WELL

All light in the room died in the shadows of the magic, the writing mass of glowing ass changing. Images stirred inside, two warriors advancing upon an army of gold, seven heroes bound in chains unable to escape.

These warriors drawn by blood and fate

Seek heroes' sins and slaves of hate

Undone shall be the Titans Wrath

Lest Death so choose a different path

A bond of time to end their days

Or else Olympus will they raze

The gods watched as the boys fell, the scene shifting to Olympus in ruins, flames pouring out of their sacred home. The ash cloud grew, Kronos consuming the world as the magic died, firelight flickering back into existence.

The Oracle was panting hard, eyes ghostly green, voice hoarse.

"Perseus was Kronos' most trusted warrior, the titans champion. Without him there is no way to know how to stop Kronos, and even then, only with the help of Luke. Like it or not, you need Percy."

The gods were silent for the longest time as she stood there, panting hard, the last of the Oracles power waning after delivering her message.

Hermes was the first to regain his voice; "I don't care what you show me, how could we Redeem him? Don't you know what he's guilty of, do you even know why he's here?"

Rachel shrugged. "I'm just the messenger. If you would like to go tell the Fates that they got it wrong and that they need to pick a different champion, be my guest."

Ozone tinged the air, Apollo discretely motioning for Rachel to get back as Zeus stewed under a literal storm cloud.

Athena rose from her throne. "Logically, our choice has been made for us. I feel we need no further argument. I understand we have all lost much at the hands of the boy, but this is the purpose of the Moirai Trials. The chance at Redemption, to prove themselves and truly return to us; it should be considered."

"There isn't a way to Redeem both of them in the same Moirai Trial, you know that!" Hermes exclaimed.

"I didn't say that both heroes would be Redeemed. I just said that there would be two champions." Rachel chipped in.

The gods whispered back and forth, glancing at Poseidon. His previous astonishment was now carefully hidden, and solid, unfazed wall staring back at the council.

Ares finally seemed to take an interest. "Wait, if only one gets Redeemed, that means until one of 'em gets offed, they both have to keep going. They'll have to fight, and one of 'ems going to kill the other. Hehe, I like this plan. The two strongest fallen heroes going head to head. I'm game."

Typical, but helpful.

"And with that juicy little history I gave them, having to kill each other, watching them die in each other's arms; oh, it does sound so romantically tragic," Aphrodite said, a dreamy smile spreading across her face.

Rachel shuddered, silently praying to Apollo for a way to keep away the insane love god.

"It is out of the question. Perseus-"

Poseidon sat up. "I move we allow Percy to go on the quest. There is an equal chance that my own son may not succeed, and you may all get your wish for his death. But until that time, you need him. Not allowing him to spite a prophecy would be as foolish as our father swallowing us to avoid his destiny. Who sides with me?"

Ares' hand shot up into the air, closely followed by Aphrodite's. After a few seconds, Athena, Dionysus, and Apollo raised their hands. Poseidon looked around desperately. Rachel knew how these votes worked. The god who brought up the decision was never allowed to vote, leaving an odd number to decide; no chance of a tie, no chance of a huge civil war among the gods. Right now, with only five hands, Poseidon was still one vote short of a victory.

Zeus' storm cloud thinned with a simple "And all opposed?"

Zeus, Hera, Artemis, Hephaestus, and Hermes raised their hands. Demeter shook her head when Zeus and Poseidon looked to her, choosing to abstain. The two could hear her muttering about politics and lack of poor nutrition sending people crazy. Five to five, Demeter passing and Poseidon unable to help. Which left one final gods.

All heads swiveled to the far side of the room, where Hades sat in the shadows, brooding.

"So, it all comes back to me. Of course." Hades gave a dry grin.

"What is your vote brother?" Poseidon asked.

Zeus asked, voice dangerously low, "Yay or nay?"

Hades laid his head back, closing his eyes as the shadows seething around him as he brewed. The room was silent for what felt like an eternity, the god of death humming every now and then. All present watched with baited breath as he finally opened his eyes and spoke.

"Let the child murder rot for the rest of eternity and watch my home and myself burn, or let him run wild with the possibility that he may die and I can kill him later myself. Yes, I like that plan. Let the Poseidon's brat go. Athena was right, our choice was made for us. Revenge upon him is the Fates apology."

Zeus growled, and Poseidon gave a silent sigh of relief, before turning back to the Oracle.

"It is decided."

Rachel nodded, hiding a smile, before saying "I'll get them the knowledge they'll need for the quest as soon as they're released. I have nothing further to say until the solstice."

Zeus clenched his fist before saying "Any other business?"

His angry tone left no little to the imagination. Zeus was not happy about letting Poseidon's son, out, especially if he had a chance to be Redeemed. "Then we are adjourned."

In a blinding flash of golden light and a peal of thunder, Zeus vanished, closely followed by the other Olympians.

Hermes dashed out the gold doors, his task now to unleash the two chosen champions. Rachel glanced at him, knowing that she would have to catch up soon to help out the fallen heroes.

Footsteps approached, and she looked back, finding Poseidon before her. "Thank you."

Rachel shrugged. "It's all the Fates. Percy's a good friend, I know he'll make the right choices."

Poseidon nodded, forlorn look on his face. "If only I had gotten to him before Kronos… He would never have had to experience this miserable fate. This will give him the second chance he deserves."

Rachel glanced away, avoiding eye contact, before heading towards the door. "Oracle?"

Rachel flinched as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She could feel those sea green eyes boring holes through her head, poor baby seal eyes that begged for consolation. Why did the gods notice everything?

"You know something else? Something about Percy's chances in the trials. What's wrong? Please, he's my only son."

Rachel heaved one last sigh, before turning back.

"Percy's past is what is going to change everything. Luke is important to the quest, but everything rests on Percy and how he reacts to everything. Every little thing that happens from this point on can completely screw it up. Right now, your biggest issue is how Percy going to respond to being forced to be with Luke."

Poseidon nodded, but he was still waiting.

"Just leave it at that, please my lord. This is not something you want to know."

Poseidon just shook his head. "I have to know. I have to help him."

Rachel shook her head, but Poseidon tightened his grip, staring pleadingly into her eyes. Rachel pushed him away, stomping away. Poseidon stayed where he was, watching as she reached the door, eyes locked on her as the golden doors eagerly opened for her. She had just set a foot in the hallway when she froze. She wavered there for a few, horribly long seconds.

"I've looked at the future from every possible angle I could. I've run through every scenario. You want to know what happens? You really want to know why I'm scared? It doesn't matter what the outcome is. It all amounts to one simple thing. To defeat Kronos, Perseus has to die."

Okay, so your probably lots of questions right now (Or I totally failed and your completely lost and/or bored out of your mind), but I promise they'll get answered soon (BTW if anybody doesn't know Moirai=Fate) But if you have answers you want now, just PM me. Anyways, please, please, please read and review, helps with updates, moral, and just lets you know if you're a good writer, if you suck, or if you need to fix some things up. Hope you have a great morning/day/night, and I promise to get to the good stuff soon, just stick around a little bit longer. Thank you, loyal readers, (Oh yeah, SHOUTOUT to H. N. Dots, you so totally rock, thank you!)