Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or the Heroes of Olympus series. Wish I did, but I don't. :P
This chapter is dedicated to all those who have reviewed or favorited my fanfic or followed me and to all of you who have waited patiently for the second chapter of the fanfic. Thank you for sticking with me and for reading the fic. To all of you guys here's the next chapter.
Chapter 2: Could This Day Get Any Wierder?
Athena POV:
A child! He was only a child, yet the mortals had showered him with nothing but cruelty. The deep welts on his back and arms were proof enough of the atrocities he had endured at such a young age. As I carried the child with me through Olympus I couldn't help but sigh at the unwanted attention I was garnering.
'I should have just flashed into the palace', I thought as I entered the throne room with the black haired boy.
I must have been quite a sight as nearly everyone present there greeted me with a gasp.
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Poseidon POV:
Just as I was wondering why Owl Face was running late, she entered the throne room. Her shirt was stained with blood which was clearly not her own, but what immediately caught my attention was the child in her arms. I would recognize that head of black hair anywhere and if he had had his eyes open I was sure that I would see my own sea green eyes looking back at me.
"Percy!", I said getting off my throne and rushing to her side.
" What is going on here, brother? How do you know this boy?", and that was obviously said by my insolent little brother Zeus. I didn't answer him immediately as I had reached Athena and had more pressing matters to attend to, my son's safety for instance.
"Where was he?", I asked her softly. She looked at me as if she was seeing me for the first time in her existance. I admit that I had never spoken to her without yelling but that didn't mean I was going to treat her with scorn when she had obviously rescued my only son.
" I found him washed up on a beach in Maine.", she informed me, her eyes boring into me as I looked at Percy. I knew she was expecting an explanation for my unusual behavior just as much as she was waiting to hear my answer to Zeus' question, who by the daggers I was feeling on my back was probably fuming at the lack of an answer from me. I took Percy from Athena and walked over to Apollo. Apollo and I had always been on great terms. He was one of my more interesting nephews along with Hermes, who had always come through when I was in need.
" Can you heal him?", I asked.
It must have been the pleading look I was giving him or the sight of somebody hurt that made him immediately start healing the cuts, welts and bruises on my son's body. Apollo might not show it outside but he was a real softie by heart. I could hear Zeus grinding his teeth in frustration behind me, so to pacify him as well as to stop Aphrodite's annoying cooing in the background, I answered his question. I took a deep breath, met his eyes and said,
" He is my son, Perseus Jackson."
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Apollo POV:
" Can you heal him?", Uncle Poseidon asked me with that look he got in his eyes when he really needed something. That look coupled with the sight of the little boy in his arms, I couldn't resist. I started scanning his body for broken bones and the like while simultaneously healing the superficial wounds on his body. The welts on his back were obviously made by a whip and I sure didn't want to be there when Uncle Poseidon found the person - too mild - the beast who had done this. I shuddered at the thought of Uncle Poseidon's temper. As a matter of fact, Hermes and I seemed to be the only peaceful gods in Olympus. Everyone else had raging tempers and frequently lost control and erupted like volcanoes. Uncle Zeus had the habit of striking everything or everyone in sight with lightning while my sister, Artemis, had the habit of targeting me when she had to blow off some steam. Boys and me were some of the things that angered her on a daily basis.
Anyhow, as I was healing a crack in the boy's skull, I heard Uncle Poseidon's voice say, " He is my son, Perseus Jackson."
WHAT?
Did he just say son? But... But then ... he was the child of the prophecy! As I pondered this, I could feel a wonderful haiku coming on. Oh! I couldn't wait to share it with the rest, but the drama that was unfolding before me was a sight to behold.
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Zeus POV:
I had not been in a good mood so far that day. Hera and I had had a petty quarrel about something as frivilous as me not calling her 'beautiful' as soon as I woke up in the morning anymore. She was still fuming in the throne next to me. On top of that, today had to be the winter solstice, meaning that my two older brothers - who hated me with a passion - along with the rest of the Olympian Gods and Goddesses were going to convene in my throne room to discuss meaningless issues and argue with eachother.
'And Hera calls this a perfect family! Pfft!'
The meeting hadn't started yet as Athena was running late. This gave them a perfect opportunity to start arguing.
Demeter was giving Hades 'hell' for taking her precious flower away from her. That was centuries ago, when was she going to get over it?
Apollo and Artemis had started their usual banter regarding the uselessness of boys and him calling her 'sis'. Honestly, I didn't see the point in their arguing as I was sure Apollo wasn't going to stop calling her sis even if she turned him into an animal.
Hephaestus and Ares were glaring at eachother while Aphrodite looked on. That argument too was getting old. Aphrodite had been cheating on Hephaestus with Ares for longer than I cared to keep count.
Dionysus was drinking diet coke while giving me petulant glances. I wasn't going to change my mind regarding him... he was going to finish his punishment in Camp Half- Blood if I had anything to say about it... which I obviously did. He needed to understand the meaning of ' off- limits'.
Poseidon who was sitting to my right was arguing with Hades about whom Mother Rhea likes the most, while Hades was completely ignoring Demeter. I guess anything was better than hearing her rant, especially with the inclusion of anything related to cereal. Besides, everyone knew Mother Rhea liked me the most.
Hermes and Apollo were exchanging sly glances. I didn't like those looks as it usually meant some kind of prank was going to happen before the end of the meeting. I let my breath out in a sigh. My family could be tiring.
The monotony of the meeting was cut short when Athena walked in with a small black haired child in her arms. Before I could ask her who that was, Poseidon leaped out of his throne crying out " Percy!". I exchanged looks wth Hades. Could it be? Did Poseidon also break the oath?
" What's going on here brother? How do you know this boy?". I asked him. But Poseidon acted as if he hadn't heard. He asked Athena something which made her eyes widen in surprise, before she answered him with a scrutinizing look on her face. Poseidon still ignored me. He took the boy from Athena and walked over to Apollo and asked him if he could heal the boy. Apollo immediately started healing him. Poseidon still hadn't answered my question! Finally, he turned to me, seemed to take a deep breath and looked me in the eye and said, " He is my son, Perseus Jackson."
The entire throne room was filled with a defeaning silence. So it was true, even Poseidon had fallen off the wagon. Even though I knew the truth, I couldn't help but splutter a " WHAT?!".
I was echoed by one other voice in the room.
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Hades POV:
" WHAT?!", I couldn't help but echo Zeus when Poseidon declared that he had a son. To be truthful with myself, I would have expected Zeus to be the first to break the oath. Poseidon was comparitively tame when it came to dating mortal women. My youngest brother on the other hand, was - to put it bluntly - a playboy. As I looked at Poseidon's face after his little announcement, I felt that I would be at fault if I blamed him. After all, I still had Bianca and Nico. I couldn't do what Zeus had done to me - which had unfortunately resulted in my Maria's death - to Poseidon. I couldn't kill the boy and Zeus was sure to do it if I didn't intervene. So I stood up and walked over to Poseidon and placed my hand on his shoulder in silent support and turned to look at Zeus. Zeus was staring at me wide eyed and I could feel Poseidon's gaze on my face. We were all silent for a long minute before I felt that I was compelled to break the silence by telling them the truth that I had hidden all these years,
" I have a son and daughter too, Bianca and Nico di Angelo. They have been in the Lotus Casino for more than 70 years now."
Zeus looked like someone had stolen his masterbolt, which I was sure had never happened before. His face was red with suppressed anger while Poseidon quite contrastingly was staring at me in gratitude. I gave him a quick smile before I opened my mouth to reason with Zeus on the how the oath had to be broken inorder for the prophecy to be fulfilled but Zeus beat me to the punch -
" I have a son and daughter too, Thalia and Jason Grace."
WHAT?!
' Could this day get any weirder?'
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That's it people. Thanks for reading. PLEASE review. I love your comments and compliments. Next chapter will be up in a week.
I'm thinking of continuing the throne room scenario and the kids childhoods in the next two chapters before continuing with my version of the lightning thief. Sorry if anyone was disoriented with too many different POVs but I thought I would show different people's thoughts. Before signing off, can you guys give me some advice on whose POV it should be next?
