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The Resolution
.of when we say
..by littlemusings

"I would die for you, my love."
- The Pretty Reckless

Camp Half-Blood

Chiron was not an easy centaur to make anxious. He had a reputation for being the best trainer of demigod heroes, and being the son of Kronos-though he detested the very true notion-emphasized that fact. But now that his greatest student of all time was dead, and his satyr protector, unconscious, he felt extremely helpless. It was always like this. The best of the heroes, felled by their own protection. And, in Percy Jackson's case, his Styx shield was broken and penetrated by a mere mortal. It was strange, though.

He kept on wondering to himself for the rest of the evening, why didn't Grover die as well when Percy did? Though he didn't want either of them to depart from this world; it was strange for an empathy link.

Thus, he halted the creation of Percy's funeral shroud, which was supposed to be made by his half-brother, Tyson, with assistance from the Athena cabin. Because, who knew? Percy might still be alive…but he had just received word from Nico that he was definitely down in the Underworld, being judged at this very moment…

"Chiron," Mr. D grunted, clearing his throat as he approached his colleague. Chiron turned around, arms folded, and he nodded to the god of wine curtly as a courtesy.

"Mr. D," Chiron returned gravely. "Any news from Olympus?"

"So far, we've heard nothing from Poseidon or Zeus. Athena is currently on her way to see her daughter, and Hades is currently judging the brat-I mean, Perseus," Dionysus sighed. "I know you've never heard me say this about any of the other brats we take care of at this camp, but I sure hope Jefferson…I mean, Jackson, gets what he deserves."

The centaur raised an eyebrow.

"Elysium, I mean," the god smirked. "Isles of the Blest, you know. Rebirth three times and all that jazz. Barbecue and music and parties all day long."

"I won't tell anyone you said that," Chiron laughed without humor. Dionysus patted his shoulder.

"I know you love that kid. He'll get Elysium, or ol' Uncle Fisheye's going to get pretty pissed off about that. After all, I saw the ocean today. It's not pretty. Waves and all that."

"I really do hope so," Chiron whispered, watching the stars appear in the sky.

New York City

Athena quickly put on her best mortal disguise-chic, classy glasses, a dark grey pencil skirt, and a white buttoned-down shirt. Anything to look intelligent and deadly at the same time. As she headed for the elevator, she paused and looked behind her twice, and once she perceived that no one was around, she pressed the button for the first floor.

"Going somewhere?" a mischievous voice snickered. Athena frowned and turned around to see Apollo standing behind her in all his glory, wearing mortal teenage wear, folding his arms with an eyebrow arched speculatively.

"I'm going to help my daughter, if that's what you're wondering," Athena said coldly, as the elevator dinged and opened for her to enter. Muzak began to flutter out of it. She was about to step in when Apollo appeared in front of her again, blocking her way. "Apollo," she began, gritting her teeth. "Excuse me."

"You can just poof down like a regular goddess instead of taking the visitor's entrance," Apollo grinned. "Come on, sis, you're Athena."

"I prefer to make a normal appearance instead of unceremoniously poofing," Athena snapped angrily, "into the hospital. I don't want to cause a scene. Even if there is Mist."

Apollo shrugged. "Let me give you a ride, then."

Athena raised her eyebrows as he pulled her into the elevator and they zoomed down the first floor and into the mortal world.

They got off the elevator, nodding curtly to the doorman, and Apollo snapped his fingers twice. Out of nowhere, a black BMW M3 Convertible appeared out of nowhere and in front of the Empire State Building. Athena rolled her eyes as she stepped into the shotgun seat and they zoomed down the street towards the hospital.

"What in Zeus' name happened to your Sun Chariot?" Athena gaped at him.

"Fixed it up a little. The scary black flaming van thing didn't work for me after a while, so for now, it's a zappy, trusty convertible. Easier to get around in. And…aha! We're here!" he exclaimed, screeching to a halt in front of Brooklyn General Hospital. Athena stepped out, and looked back at her half-brother.

"I'll wait here. Go talk to Annabeth," he smiled a little, and backed into a parking space. She smiled back at him, and it fell as she walked into the hospital. She disliked hospitals quite a bit; it smelled like Hades when he came to visit for the Winter Solstice-death and sickness. Plus, the building didn't have much class; she could've built it better. She scanned the building with her stormy grey eyes and walked quickly past the receptionist and towards the morgue, where the death stench was even greater than at the entrance.

It was there where she found Annabeth slumped against the nearest wall, asleep. She was dressed in a powder-blue dress and was wearing sneakers. Typical.

She sighed and folded her arms, looking at her daughter sadly. "Annabeth," she stage-whispered. The twenty-one year old girl shot up and after one second of gaping at her mother's presence, she stood up and bowed.

"Mom," she whispered. Athena blinked and held out her arms, and when Annabeth hesitated, she motioned for her daughter to hug her, and she did.

"Happy birthday," the goddess began awkwardly, which was strange for her since she wasn't used to such close contact with her own daughter. "But I guess it's not a very good day at all, isn't it?"

"No," Annabeth mumbled, her voice muffled in her mother's shirt. She looked up at the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. "You came here."

"Yes. I…I came to comfort you. I couldn't stand to see you like this, Anna. I just…well…I couldn't."

"Thank you" was all her daughter responded with.

"That boy…Annabeth, I knew you truly loved him. I could see it in your eyes. And he loved you too," she separated from her daughter, and held her shoulders with both hands. "It wasn't his fault. I personally sent one of the lesser deities to search for the killer and bring him straight to me. It's a tad bit difficult, though. He's much more slippery than we thought."

"I want him dead." Annabeth shrugged off her mother's hands, punching the wall next to her. "It's his fault…it's…it's his fault he's…he's gone," she choked.

Athena gave her daughter a calculating look and sighed, gesturing for her to sit down, and she kneeled next to her.

"Don't give way to revenge. That is not your fatal flaw, nor should you ever submit to it," she stated sternly. Annabeth gave her a wary, exhausted look, as if she had aged several years.

"I'm not-" she began, offended, but her mother cut her off.

"You're not that hard to read at times, my daughter. And…I'm guessing…" she looked up at the morgue door, "Something…or someone, rather, is going to save Perseus."

"Nico," Annabeth stated bluntly. "He's trying."

"Not only Hades' son. We sense that a part of Percy is still anchored to Earth. That is the extent of what I know Nico di Angelo has figured out, and he is exactly right. What he is going to do…I don't know yet, but whatever it is, it's risky." Her voice softened. "Just figure out what that anchor is, and you better take care of it. You're an extremely smart and capable girl."

Athena winked at her daughter. And with that, the goddess was gone, and the loud roar of an engine was heard outside of the building.

"Mother!" Annabeth shouted, but she was already gone. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and frowned at the morgue door. She looked around for any doctors or nurses, and pushed through the door, biting her lip. She knew immediately what her mother had meant by the anchor. She knew it was a superficial thought, but somehow, she just knew who it was.

She tiptoed to Percy's body and stroked his hair. She tried to avoid letting the grief of her loss overpower her. "I love you. I'll get you back somehow," she whispered to him. "I…I'll watch myself for a while. Just for you." Once she said that, she walked out of the room, hesitated a little before walking out the door, saw his face one more time, and walked out of the hospital.

The Underworld

When the judges came in, it was as if a wave of memories crashed upon Percy, making him jolt upright in his seat. The pain was almost unbearable.

"Percy, happy birthday, kiddo!" his mother exclaimed, laying out a huge blue birthday cake out to his ten year-old self. "Make a wish."

And he blew out the candles.

The scene changed quickly.

Gabe was on one of his other drunken ventures around the house. His poker friends had just left the house. A six year-old Percy sat in the corner of his bedroom, playing with two superhero action figures his mother, Sally, had bought for him.

"Where's my damn money?" he heard the man shout. Percy looked up from what he was doing and bit his lip, looking from the door to his toys.

Then, Gabe walked into his room.

"Percy, where's my fucking money?" Gabe exclaimed. Percy's eyes widened as Gabe started at him, his face contorted with rage. Just then, he heard the front door unlock, and his mother ran in, still wearing her Sweet on America uniform.

"Gabe!" Sally exclaimed, frightened. Percy looked from his mother to Gabe, then frightened, he ran to his piggy bank, and shook out five dollars his mother also gave him for his first day of kindergarten the next day. He ran to Gabe, and kicked him in the ankle, handing him the bill. Gabe grunted something incoherent and stalked off, his balance wavering, leaving Percy's mother to hug her tightly as she cried.

Another memory came.

It was a quest, nearly four years ago. The battle in Manhattan. He was holding onto Annabeth, who was just stabbed by one of the wayward demigods; it was so long ago, Percy couldn't recall his name at the moment…Wasn't it Ethan Nakamura…?

"Annabeth," he whispered, his voice turning desperate.

And just at that moment, it was as if the memory morphed into something out of a nightmare.

"Percy, I…" Annabeth gasped.

No, that's not what happened-Percy thought, panicking. This really isn't what happened!

"Annabeth, you're hurt, we've got to get you to the Plaza Hotel, they'll fix you right up-" dream-Percy groaned, his heartbeat racing. "And…and…I'm here! Percy! I'm here, Annabeth! Don't let go just yet!"

Dream-Percy quickly radioed Travis Stoll at the Plaza.

"See? They're on their way!"

"I…love…" She was fading. Quickly, and he could feel it. It was eerie, to have her in his arms, waiting for the Fates to cut her string. Her, the truly consummate survivor of them all-

"P…Pe…Percy," she uttered, "I…love…y…" She shuddered, and was still.

"NO!" Percy shouted, and he found himself back in the Judgment Pavilion; the judges already in their seats, whispering about him and watching him pointedly. Nico was back at his feet again, shaking the chair to wake him up.

"Perce, what the hell was that?" Nico hissed. Percy gasped for air, gripping the death judgment seat as tightly as he could.

"Couldn't…couldn't breathe…" Percy gasped, running a hand through his transparent hair. "Couldn't…I…" he stiffened at the sight of Hades raising an eyebrow as he stood behind his son. "Uncle," he grunted.

"It's about time; it's been nearly ten minutes," the god muttered, shaking his head and walking back to his throne-like chair in the middle of the judges. "Nico. Get back here," he added, frowning to his son, who was watching his father with a confused expression. Nico nodded, looked back at his friend, and hurried to sit next to the lord of the Underworld.

Percy looked around at who was judging him carefully: it was silly, really…Isaac Newton, Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare, and other notable figures from time. But then, once he reached the end of the row of judges, his already stopped heart nearly stopped once again. What the heck…?

Luke Castellan was sitting at the end of the table, right next to J.D. Salinger. He looked the same as he did in life, but younger, and his telltale scar was gone from his face. Elysium had done him good. Luke gave him a wink, and Percy's eyes widened. But, for some reason, King Minos wasn't there, as he should've been…

"And if you're wondering where Minos is, Jackson," Hades snapped, as if reading his thoughts, "I've told him to get off his throne for once because I know the man's full of so much bias, it would fill the Styx with even more regrets than an old woman who spent her life taking care of fifty cats rather than fix her own life up. It took very much persuasion to give his throne up for just one teensy little trial."

But of course, this isn't just a 'teensy little trial' to you, uncle.

"We now come to call the judgment of the very recently deceased Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon," Hades sighed, as if this were normal for him. "Do you have any regrets to speak of before we examine your lifespan and discuss the final resting place for your poor, withered soul?"

Percy noted the sarcasm. He thought for a moment about things he should seriously admit, but there was only one main one that should be noted.

"I regret not asking Annabeth Chase to marry me," he shrugged, raising his eyebrows and looking at the judges curiously for their reactions. "It's true," he said, nodding to Luke, who was smiling broadly. "I was going to do it sometime, but I guess I was a complete idiot not doing it soon enough, like, today on her birthday."

"And that is all?" Hades smirked, raising his left eyebrow humorously.

"I also regret not just calling a pick-up truck to get my broken car at the community college so I didn't have to wait near that alley to find a taxi…" he added, his voice trailing off at the end.

"Alright, check if his regrets are flowing in the River Styx. If they're not, we can assume he's lying or that some weird supernatural thing is going here. Shakespeare, I want you and Salinger to go out there and check with border patrol to see if any new regrets came within the last hour."

Shakespeare sniffed superficially, and walked out, Salinger skulking behind him, feet shuffling.

Hades leaned forward on the table. "Just a security precaution," he smiled, then leaned back. Percy smirked.

"I see you're really hoping to send me to the Fields of Punishment," the twenty year-old laughed, his eyes darting slowly towards Nico, who was shrugging, slightly panicking.

"Are you ready to cross-examine him now, men and lady?" Hades stated grandiosely, nodding courteously towards Cleopatra, who smirked back spitefully.

"What is this, the American Justice System?" Percy snorted. Nico shot him a look that read don't fuck this up, man! Percy immediately calmed down and folded his hands in his lap, looking at the judges expectantly.

"Hades, I think I'd like to go first," Cleopatra smiled, her eyes oddly catlike; her voice filled with so much acid. Hades shrugged, and gestured for her to begin. Grinning even a larger grin, Cleo stood up and walked in front of Percy, arms folded. She adorned a long, white Egyptian dress, and her accent sounded oddly Mediterranean.

"Why, hello, ma'am," Percy began, nodding his head. Cleopatra snapped and a chair appeared behind her, which she sat in immediately. Percy caught a glimpse of numerous Egyptian glyphs covering the chair.

"Hello. Percy Jackson, in any moment of your life, did you ever cheat on Annabeth Chase, or any other girlfriend or fiancée you've ever had?"

Percy held back another snort. "I'm happy to say that I've only ever been with Annabeth Chase, and surely you don't believe I've ever done anything rash to her."

"Is that so?" the former Egyptian queen laughed with derision. "What about Calypso? After Annabeth had kissed you so quickly before fighting the telekhines just five years ago?"

Percy stiffened. "I wasn't with Annabeth back then. You know Calypso…she likes herself a good hero," he said quietly. He knew Atlas' daughter was extremely lonely. She was kind, but she had known so many heroes before him. She was only a 'what-if' to him.

"I see. I am finished," Cleopatra sighed, standing up. The chair disintegrated. She walked back to her judgment throne and sat, looking extremely bored already.

Hades groaned inwardly and looked around the table. "Anyone else want to ask Mr. Jackson questions?"

The room was completely silent.

Then…

"I'll go," Luke shrugged, standing up. Hades frowned and nodded as Luke walked towards Percy, snapping so that his own chair, a regular plastic one, appeared for him to sit on.

"Hey there," Percy smiled. Luke laughed.

"Hi, Percy." He paused. "I seriously can't believe you're here."

"Neither can I," Percy laughed awkwardly. "Alright. Your question. Shoot."

Luke thought for a moment.

"Imagine yourself four years ago, and you're in love with Annabeth, as much as you are now. Would you have sacrificed Annabeth if she were the child of the prophecy, killed her to make the world a better place-to preserve Olympus?" he asked after clearing his throat.

Percy stared at his former friend, pearly eyes to pearly eyes. "That's the most unanswerable question in the world," he snapped bluntly. Luke arched a speculative eyebrow and folded his arms.

"I'm waiting for your answer, Percy."

If she were the child of the prophecy, if she were a child of the Big Three instead of me…What the hell kind of question is this…? I mean if he asked if I were in HIS position would I kill myself, then yes! But not…his thoughts faltered.

"We're waiting, Jackson," Cleopatra cleared her throat. Percy frowned deeper and came to a consensus.

"I'd do it. Then I'd kill myself for doing it," he said finally.

Luke nodded in approval, stood up, and walked back to his judging seat, his plastic chair dissipating faster than Cleopatra's hieroglyph mini-throne. Hades folded his hands together and sighed.

"Let's change things around for a bit and talk about his sentence already. We've seen him as a hero, and let's face it, he didn't die the most heroic death ever. But he has been Olympus' hero for the past few years, from minor scuffles to major battles against the titans," he began. "And in one of those years he has been offered immortality-what, Nico?" he snapped impatiently as Nico cleared his throat loudly to gain everyone's attention.

"I…well, about his immortality offer, dad," Nico said slowly, "He may have turned it down in the past, but the gods of Olympus owe him a great debt."

"We've already claimed all our children and such," Hades growled, giving his son a dirty look.

"Yes, and Percy did that for the benefit of the other demigods, and not for himself. So therefore, in my personal opinion, you all owe Percy himself his life back," Nico said coyly. "It's only fair."

Luke smirked and nodded in approval. That kid thinks fast…

"What about Luke here?" Hades added, gesturing towards the son of Hermes. "He practically gave himself up for Olympus! He also bathed in the River Styx, and was felled by his own Achilles' Heel as well! He should've been granted that immortality four years ago."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Lord Hades," he began slowly. "In all honesty, during my trial, I really didn't request to have my life back. I've heard it be possible to bring someone who bathed in Styx back, but really, I wouldn't like it. I've heard it's pretty painful, too. I wanted to be free of all of my regret, everything I did in life."

Percy was astonished at Luke's statement.

"But, Percy deserves this. He brought me to myself again in the end. He gave up immortality for another reason, to help the unclaimed so that they wouldn't end up like me, lost, confused, and raving mad. He didn't want them to fall into Kronos' hands like me and Ethan Nakamura, among others."

"He has a point," Cleopatra purred, batting her mascara-covered eyelashes. "I vote for immortality."

"I do, too," Isaac Newton nodded in approval. "It is seemingly fit for a young man of such valor. When I examined his lifespan just before this trial, he has done much to help his friends and family. Even his fatal flaw is his personal loyalty."

"Add me to that list," Luke grinned, leaning back in his chair, feet on the judgment table. "Get ready for the fabled pain of revival, Perce," he added, grinning. Percy returned the grin.

"I vote immortality," Lincoln nodded, tipping his large hat.

And all around the table, the judges voted yes. Even Nico, who wasn't a judge in the first place, gave his input, completely without bias.

All who was left was Hades.

The lord of the dead hesitated.

"Seeing as all the judges are raving mad and lunatic, voting for revival, I'd like to have my say, and agree. I kind-of owe you for putting me in brothers' graces once again. They still send me Christmas cards. Hah!" Hades laughed. "Just to warn you, kid, being revived and becoming immortal at the same time is pretty scary. Hurts a lot too, which is pretty much the fun part for me. You see, I run the revival process, and once you're revived, and restored in your own body, I get to grant you your immortality and hand you my list of requests, one by one."

"Requests," Percy muttered. "Alright. When's this…revival thing going to go on?"

"In a few minutes, I expect you in my palace. Nico will guide you there," Hades muttered. "Jury dismissed."

And in a flash, the judges disappeared except for Hades, Nico, and Luke. Hades walked up to Percy and folded his arms. The skeleton guards backed up and waited by the flaps of the tent.

"You're a very peculiar dead person, you know."

"I can see that," Percy said carefully.

"You can talk to Nico very eloquently. You were dream-shocked by the judges upon their entry."

"Even I don't know, uncle."

"Maybe it's the Styx aftershock."

"I guess so?"

"Plus, your regrets didn't flow into the River along with every other mortal's silly dreams and wishes."

Percy frowned. "Why?"

"Hell, how do I know?" Hades snorted. "You're just…strange. I can't wait to see you alive and kicking again, though it would've been nice to have your skeleton reanimated into one of my soldiers. But I guess," he sighed, "we might need your skeleton when you get your body back. Plus, much of the requests I might make may deal with just a teensy bit of strenuous activity."

"That sounds…riveting," Percy simpered.

"I'll see you in my palace later," Hades said coldly, and with a flash of light, he disappeared, leaving Percy with Nico and Luke.

At first there was silence, which was quickly broken by Luke.

"What happened when we came in, Percy? Dream shock?" he asked worriedly, frowning deeply.

"I guess, whatever that was. It felt weird…" Percy muttered, finally standing up from his chair. He still felt woozy from the sudden attack of memories, rubbing his head gingerly. "Like I was being pounded fifty times a second in the head."

"It's the effect of the judging, I believe. They look back on your life." Luke began pacing around the room. He paused. "Percy, can you promise me one thing when you get back on Earth?"

Percy nodded fervently. "Anything, of course."

"Watch for Annabeth. She's like my little sister. Though she's tough-as-nails, there's just a part of her…well…that might not accept that you're back."

"But I told her-" Nico began. Luke cut him off, naturally.

"Yes, you told her that. But it's just the fact that he's going to be immortal. You told her ways to get him back, alive and kicking, but now she's getting that and him living past her life expectancy."

Percy's eyes widened and remembered exactly why he turned down the gods' offer four years ago. It was for Annabeth. She, herself, gave up serving Artemis in the hunt just to avoid living as he grew old and died. But wouldn't she be happy, though? Maybe he would take her as his immortal wife years into the future?

"Just take it slow, Percy. She'll know what had happened to you down here. She's sensitive to that kind of stuff."

Percy nodded as Luke smirked.

"I've gotta go," he said softly.

"Thanks for everything, Luke," Percy smiled, holding out a transparent hand. Luke took it, grinning, and with that, he disappeared.

"He went back to Elysium. There's only a certain amount of time he's allowed out from there, and judging usually lasts about an hour, and I think dad gave him a little extension," Nico smiled, trying to pat Percy's shoulder, but his hand slipped through every time. The two friends laughed.

"Let's go to the palace, shall we?" Nico grinned. Percy nodded, taking a breath of air. It felt weird, being dead, yet breathing in the Underworld atmosphere; the air felt hollow inside him.

"I think we should just get this over and done with before your dad changes his mind."

With that, they made their way to the palace, and that was the last thing Percy remembered before everything went black.

Once darkness engulfed him, the pain began.

Poseidon was furious. The ocean was thrashing; the nearest sea-faring towns were swamped with salt water, and the distant sound of water crashing against rocks was heard even from the bottom of the ocean, at his castle. Along with the fury came his heart breaking ever so slowly. He had found out his favorite demigod son, the one child he had complete faith in, Percy-Perseus-had died, and now for reasons unknown, his body had been stolen from the hospital it was being kept at. It was utter disaster.

"Calm yourself, Poseidon," his wife, Amphitrite, pleaded, grabbing his arm. He shook it away immediately. "He was only your demigod son!"

Poseidon spun around, breathing heavily, anger swelling in his chest. "He was not only my 'demigod son', Amphitrite!" he growled. "His mother is heartbroken, his girlfriend is in pieces, and I don't even know what the hell happened with his trial in the Underworld! I KNOW NOTHING! DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT FEELS?" he screamed in rage.

Amphitrite sighed and sat down on the nearest chair, her hair flowing upward with the fizzing current that engulfed the room with Poseidon's rage.

"Yes, I do," she said softly. Poseidon huffed, and walked out the room with fury.

No one could understand his pain, his agony at the news of his son's death. It was unbearable.

"Hello, brother," a coy voice said from behind. The lord of the sea spun around and frowned deeply at his brother, Hades, via Iris Message.

"What do you want?" Poseidon spat. "What happened to my son?"

"You'll find out. I think he's on his way," Hades cackled.

"YOU LIE!" Poseidon's eyes widened, and he lifted his trident, and blasted the Iris Message angrily. He breathed heavily and-

"Fa…father…" a voice whispered hoarsely behind him. Poseidon froze and turned around slowly.

It was Percy, clearly alive. But then, as Poseidon approached him, Percy collapsed into his arms, breathing slowly, clearly asleep.

This was madness, it seemed.

Author's Note: Whoo! Sorry I left you with another cliffhanger there! I really hope you like this story so far. It's going to get a little bit more tense as time goes on. What about Hades' requests? I wonder what's going to happen…hahaha. You, my dear readers, will find out soon enough. Thank you so much for the feedback and story/author alerts. They make my day! Now if you will please leave a review…I'd really, really appreciate it. I need as much feedback as I can get if I'm going to continue this story. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan, therefore, I don't own the Percy Jackson series. I'm not The Pretty Reckless, so I don't own the song "Make Me Wanna Die", either. It's pretty good, it's off the Kick-Ass soundtrack.