Author's Note: I had a lot of fun with this chapter, so I hope you guys like it! It has a bit of banter and good old character development along with a healthy mix of plot being developed. This fic is officially over 53k words! This is insane for me! I've never actually written something this long before, so this is a huge deal for me!

QUICK WARNING BEFORE YOU READ ON! There is a song in the last section of this chapter, and while it will seem easy to skip over and just read the prose parts, I really want you guys to read the song, too. It's very important!

As always, please let me know what you think in a review! :D

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympians and all things related are property of Rick Riordan and Disney Hyperion. I am not making any profit off of this work in any way, shape, or form.

Fort Olympus


Chapter 7: History


The two green tridents met in the air. Athena had her back to the city, and Poseidon was standing with his back to the sea. The two rivals struck once again.

The sea and the sky churned and responded to the duel of the two gods, each threatening to overthrow the other.

After many strikes, counterattacks, and parries, Athena disarmed Poseidon. The Sea King's trident flew into her other hand, and she pointed both weapons at his throat.

He changed into Neptune.

"Good match," she said curtly, throwing his trident back to him.

The scene melted away.

Light poured through an opening in the clouds. The city of London sprawled out before them.

"We will stay here until the United States fully defeats the United Kingdom," a female voice said curtly.

"Good. We've been going back and forth for too long now."

The dream changed again.

"Ah yes," the surroundings rumbled. "The heroes have decided to escape their haven. They've made the right choice. But perhaps they need… a bit more incentive."

The scene of New York burned away.

In the throne room of the gods, the Council of Sixteen Olympians were gathered. None were on their thrones, but there was intense mingling and conversation within and amongst each other.

"But why did it take so long?"

"Is it true that she's still not at peace?"

"Jesus, I thought having two forms was hard!"

"You know that we spent the same amount of time in Britain as we did Rome."

"Be careful of love, my daughter; I cannot protect you forever."

"Watch yourself, brother. She is millennia old, old enough to make her own decisions. Be careful how you tread."

"I can take care of myself, father. I am not a newly born babe that you must coo over. I know how to lead. I am your right-hand."

Frank woke up from his dream, confused. He didn't know what that had been about even in the slightest. All he understood from what had happened these past few days was that something big was going to happen, and he was part of another Great Prophecy. He groaned. Literally, the last one involving him and his friends had ended two weeks ago. Couldn't they get a few months of peace before going off to war?

He cleared his head and returned to his sleep, barely registering that Nico's bed was empty.


"Couldn't sleep?"

Annabeth turned to see Nico approaching.

"Yeah," she responded after a minute. "You?"

He shrugged. They were both in bathrobes, looking towards the walls of the fort. Absentmindedly, she remembered that Divisions 4 and 5 were on duty tonight.

"Nightmares?" He asked after a minute.

She glanced at him through her peripheral vision. "How'd you know?"

"I've been to Hell, too, you know," he deadpanned.

Annabeth didn't respond and turns back to Temple Hill.

"Yeah," she finally said. "It was nightmares."

Nico nodded. "Do you want me to get Percy?" He offered.

Annabeth shook her head. "Let him sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."

After a pause, she looked at him out of the side of her eye. "Why are you up?"

He said nothing for a minute. "I was worried about the prophecy," he admitted.

She gave him a sad nod. "I can empathize."

She still found it slightly strange that she had to look up to face the kid who had been three inches shorter than her just two weeks ago.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He turned to her with a blank expression. "What for?" He asks cautiously.

"I always thought you had a crush on me," she admitted. "I treated you so badly."

Nico waved it away. "It's okay. I'm used to being ignored and treated that way."

Annabeth didn't have anything to say to that.

"Did you know?" He asked finally.

"That you liked Percy?"

Nico eyes wouldn't meet hers, but he nodded.

"No," she admitted. "But I guess I'm not surprised too much."

He turned to her, surprised. "You're not mad?"

She laughed, a rich, full laugh at that. "Nico, why would I be mad? All you've ever done is protect Percy; you never tried to take him away from me."

"That didn't stop you from being jealous of Rachel," he pointed out.

"You're observant," she noted.

He snorted. "I'm the first Champion your mother's taken on since Odysseus; I would hope that I was observant."

Annabeth smirked. "What I meant, Nico, is that Percy seemed interested in Rachel, so I was jealous of her. But he obviously had no interest I you."

Nico laughed. "Well, thank you for not putting me on the list of Annabeth Chase's enemies."

Annabeth scoffed. "Please, I'm not suicidal."

He raised his eyebrow in amusement. "And that's why Wisdom's Daughter is dating the Sea Prince, then?"

"I love him," she said defensively, but her grey eyes betrayed her amusement.

Nico chuckled. "Trust me, I know you love him. And that he loves you. Aphrodite said as much when she and the other gods asked me to take over the patronage of both Camps last year."

"Why did you do it?" she asked, curious.

"Why did I what?"

"Why did you become Patron of both Camps?"

Nico sat down, rubbing his temples. She didn't understand what was wrong.

"You okay?" She asked, kneeling down to meet his eye.

"Yeah," he responded, still rubbing his head. "Just a headache. Stupid Tartarus."

Annabeth looked at him sympathetically. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Anyway, I took it because someone had to, especially since we were on the verge of war."

Annabeth looked at him in surprise.

"Someone had to protect the heroes from dying before they had a chance to live."

"But you could have died yourself!"

Nico laughed bitterly. "I'm not needed, Annabeth. You know that. I'm just a plot device and a pawn in the overall chess game."

"No, you're not," she argued.

He raised his eyebrow at her. "Do you really believe that, or are you just trying to make me feel better?"

She was quiet for a minute. She remembered the only times she had ever even given Nico a second thought, when he was needed; when they needed an extra army, an extra fighter, a guide, or another demigod who could jump from place to place.

"You're more than a pawn, Nico," she said finally. "You deserve happiness, too."

"This is my happiness," he said, sounding completely unhappy. "Keeping the legacy of Hestia and Athena alive and protecting demigods so that they can keep saving the world. That is what I'm meant to do."

"You can be so much more than that."

Nico said nothing.

"Have you picked a lieutenant?" He finally asked.

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"As Marshall. Have you picked your lieutenant?"

"No," she said. "I didn't feel the need to just yet."

"You should," he said sadly. "By the sounds of the stupid Great Prophecy again, it looks like we'll be going to war again soon."

"Let's stop thinking about that right now," she said urgently. "Nico, I really don't want to think about war again. I just want to enjoy the peace we have right now, even if it's only for a few days."

Nico laughed. "There's no such thing as peace when we're demigods."

Annabeth glared at him. "Okay, Mr. Optimism, let's pretend that there's peace, why not?"

Nico shook his head in amusement. "Have you picked with units you'll be sending out to the other strongholds?"

Annabeth nodded. "Malcolm to Nashville, Dakota to Sonoma, and Larry to San Francisco."

Nico looked at her in worry. "Are you sure it's right to split up based on Greek/Roman lines?"

Annabeth hesitantly nodded. "I'm sending half-Roman and half-Greek units with them."

Nico nodded. "Hopefully they don't all kill each other."

The two observed the night around them for a while.

"Nico," Annabeth said softly and slightly in fear, "do you know who's Britannia?"

Nico looked at her oddly. "Before you mentioned her that day, I didn't even know that it was a thing. All I know is that stupid song that the Brits sing every year."

Annabeth snapped her eyes to him. "What song?" She asked sharply.

"Uh… I think it's called 'Rule Britannia' or something."

"Do you know the lyrics?"

Nico looked at her strangely. "Uh, some of them, yeah… Why?"

Annabeth's face broke into a grin. "That might be the key to the mystery," she muttered.

"Uh, sorry, Annabeth, but I'm not singing."

She laughed. "Don't worry, I don't want to hear what is your most beautiful voice, I'm sure."

"I think it's time to return to our quarters now."


"Heroes and strategos," Annabeth called over the three docks. "You know your duties. All laws of Demigods apply while you are abroad at all times. Be mindful of enemies, protect your allies, and stay in touch with Fort Olympus. Be careful."

With Roman salutes to the Council of Demigods, the three triremes took off from the docks to go to their assigned strongholds. The FOS Olympic was dispatched to Nashville. The FOS Lion's Head was dispatched to Sonoma. The FOS Demigod was dispatched to San Francisco with the largest detachment to defend Camp Jupiter.

"We will meet in the Council House for today's meeting in one hour's time, my colleagues," Annabeth said before turning away with Percy accompanying her.

The others left as well, leaving only Frank and Hazel on the beach.

"I had a dream last night," Frank admitted to his girlfriend.

Hazel turned to him in worry. "What was it about?"

He shared his dream with her.

Her eyebrows scrunched together, and she muttered Latin curses under her breath. "Do you know who said each of those lines?"

Frank was taken aback. "Uh, no," he admitted, feeling stupid. "What does it mean?"

Hazel shook her head. "I had the same dream last night," she admitted.

Frank was shocked. "What?"

Hazel nodded. "I didn't know what it meant, and I thought I was going insane. I wanted to ask Annabeth about it, but she wasn't in her bed when I woke up."

"Nico wasn't in his bed, either," Frank remembered.

"Do you think either of them know something?"

Frank thought about it for a second but shook his head. "If Annabeth knew anything, she would tell Percy. And Percy can't keep his mouth shut. I don't know about Nico, though."

"He might," Hazel said softly.

"Let's go find him," Frank said, determined.

"Sure you're not going to pee your pants on seeing my brother again?" Hazel teased.

Frank felt all the blood in his body rush to his face. "It was one time! And he threatened to kill me if I hurt you! I think I was allowed to be nervous."

Hazel cracked up. "Come on, Frank. Let's go find my overprotective older brother."

"He scares me," Frank admitted as Hazel led him towards Nico.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"Uh… He can summon armies of the dead with just a wave of his sword, he has the blessing of two Olympian gods, and he's the son of one of the Big Three. What's there to be afraid of?"

Hazel laughed again. "He's not as bad as you think he is," she promised.

"Doubt it—Hey!"

Frank pouted after Hazel had smacked his arm.

"And what can I help you two lovebirds with?" Nico asked, his voice emotionless and his eyes dark and foreboding.

"Frank and I had a dream last night, Nico," Hazel began.

Nico raised his eyebrow and motioned for the two to continue.

Nico's brows scrunched together in concentration after he heard what had happened in their dreams.

"You know what it's about, don't you?" Hazel asked, seeing the gears turning in his head.

"I have an idea now," he said.

"Well, what is it?" Frank demanded, peeved that Nico was hardly saying anything.

Nico shook his head. "I think it has to do with a prophecy."

"The one Rachel gave last week?" Hazel asked.

"No," Nico shook his head. "The oldest unfulfilled prophecy in history… One that stretches back to the First Titanomachy, ten thousand years ago…"

Frank and Hazel shared a look of worry, and Frank pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arm more firmly around her waist.

Nico watched the action impassively, but part of him disapproved.

"What do you mean, Nico?" Hazel asked, fear in her voice.

"I don't fully know myself," her brother admitted. "But I think… I need to see Annabeth."

He turned abruptly away from them and started walking briskly towards the Council House. "I'll see you guys later."

Frank and Hazel shared a look of worry and fear.

Hazel buried her face in his chest, letting her tears of fear through. "What's going on, Frank?" She muttered fearfully into his torso. "What are we going up against this time?"

Frank soothed her as best he could and kissed her, but he didn't know what to say. Truth be told, he himself was extremely worried. How could a ten-thousand-year-old prophecy be coming true now?


"You can't be serious," Annabeth said quietly. Percy had long since left for the arena to train with Jason and Piper. Nico had found her, and they'd gone to her personal office in the Council House.

Nico nodded sadly and fearfully. "I don't know all of the details, but I think that's what this all means."

"But didn't Zeus thwart that prophecy?"

"I don't know anything for sure," Nico admitted. "But I think this is at least part of the story."

"Okay, let's say for argument's sake for a second that this is correct, and that this is what all this new Prophecy and all means. But how does this whole Britannia stuff fit into the equation then?"

"I think we need to figure out who Britannia actually is first."

Annabeth sighed in frustration. "Life's never going to be easy for us, is it?"

Nico laughed. "Annabeth, we're demigods. Life was never easy for us to begin with, and as we get older, it only gets worse. You know this."

Annabeth gave him a half-hearted glare.

"Go," Nico said finally. "Go find Percy. I think he needs someone to make sure he doesn't skewer Jason on the battlefield."

Nico saw the gears in Annabeth's head turning. "No," she decided. "We're going to go find Jason and Percy. I need to test out my theory. Go find Thalia and meet me at the arena in ten minutes. Hurry!"

With that, Annabeth sprinted out of the room, and Nico left a minute later to follow the orders of his Marshall, still confused.


"Annabeth wants us in the arena," he told Thalia after finding her in the main temple.

The Sky Princess raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

Nico shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well then, let's not keep her waiting shall we?"

The two rushed to the arena, where Piper, Reyna, and Annabeth were sitting on the bleachers and Percy and Jason were standing in the fighting arena.

"Okay, Annabeth," Jason began. "We're all here. Now what do you want?"

"Wait," Reyna interrupted, turning to her fellow Daughter of War, "Are you sure you don't want Hazel here, too?"

Annabeth nodded. "Hazel was never trained like these four. She doesn't have the same sort of recklessness or fire that these four have—"

Said four children of the Big Three began loudly protesting but Annabeth spoke over them. "And until we have a Daughter of Neptune with us, I'm not going to be testing out my other theory."

"Wait, what theory?" Percy questioned.

Annabeth turned her withering glare to her soul mate. He flinched. "If you would let me finish for once, Seaweed Brain," she admonished in exasperation, "you would find out, now wouldn't you?"

Percy squeaked out a "Sorry!" much to the amusement of everyone around him.

"Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you guys to do a training session together ever since we were in that siege last week."

"Huh?" The four (Thalia, Nico, Percy, and Jason) asked.

"Honestly, sometimes I don't understand why the children of the Big Three are always the most stupid demigods," Annabeth said, annoyed.

"But that's why we always fall in love with the smartest demigods," Percy grinned cheekily.

Annabeth's face flushed but she glared at her boyfriend. Everyone else laughed at their antics.

"Anyway, my point is that on the battlefield, when Percy, Nico, and Jason were executing Battle Formation 86 Delta, they were basically a whole division of soldiers all by themselves. So I've been wondering if we could replicate that and make you guys into a weapon of destruction for Fort Olympus."

"Gee, thanks for saying we're nothing more than a weapon, Annabeth," Percy said.

"You're so lucky I love you, Percy, or you would be dead by now."

Percy merely gave her his traditional mischievous grin. "You know you love me."

Annabeth glared at him but continued. "Anyway, since Percy, Jason, and Nico were such a formidable force, I was wondering if we could make it even stronger if Thalia took part, too."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Jason asked.

"The plan is to have two mock duels against Division 1, which will be commanded by Reyna and myself. The first mock duel will be all four of you. The second mock duel will be just Jason, Nico, and Percy. Got it?"

The four children of the Big Three nodded.


"Well that was easy enough to decipher," Annabeth said after both mock duels. "Division 1, you are dismissed."

The heroes marched out.

"Okay, Thals, uh, so let's not ever have you fight alongside these guys. You're too much like your father."

Thalia smirked while the three Princes just looked at her wearily.

Simply put, the four of them hadn't worked well together. Thalia had immediately taken charge, and she did everything opposite of what the other three were doing. "I like my independence," Thalia said simply.

Annabeth nodded. "So Battle Formation 86 Delta will remain as it is. But, I do want to make one change."

They turned to her in question.

"I want Percy and Nico to change positions—"

A loud blast came from behind the arena just at that moment, interrupting whatever Annabeth was about to say next.

"Drill it again," someone ordered.

The Councilors exchanged looks of confusion before going to see what was going on.

Around the corner, they saw Leo holding a blast of fire from his hands. It was going out thirty feet, but strangely, it wasn't incinerating anything in its path. Leo had immaculate control.

"Enough!" someone on the other side ordered.

The flame vanished, and Leo stood there panting.

"Better," Calypso said. "But you need to focus on your breathing. And hit the gym more. You can't expect to learn how to control your powers with a scrawny body like that!"

Leo's face flushed but nodded. "Yes, Calypso."

"What is going on here?" Percy demanded. His and Jason's eyes were flashing.

Leo turned to them with a grin on his face. "Hey guys!" He waved them over. "Calypso's teaching me how to use my fire powers."

"What does that mean?"

"She's teaching me how to use my powers," Leo repeated. "Just like Percy can control water or Jason can control air. Calypso's teaching me how to control fire."

Percy and Jason exchanged confused looks.

"How do you know anything about fire control?" Jason asked Calypso.

"I'm a goddess, Jason Grace," she replied coldly. "I have seen many things in my lifetime, many which you would never even be able to dream of. I can teach Leo how to take control of his fears and lead his way through life with more strength and courage."

After a moment of awkward silence, Reyna spoke up. "We will leave you to it, then. Be careful not to burn anything or anyone important, Leo." She looked sharply at Leo, as though she still hadn't forgiven him for having fired upon New Rome. "Come, my fellow Councilors. We have other business to attend to," she ordered.

The others of the Council of Demigods retreated, leaving Leo and Calypso to their own.


"Care to spar?" Jason asked Percy, who was hacking away at a dummy in the arena.

Percy turned to him with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged and nodded.

Jason pulled his gladius, and Percy drew Riptide.

Within two minutes of sparring, Jason was disarmed, and Percy's sword was at Jason's throat.

Jason looked at him in shock.

Percy capped his sword and gave Jason an apologetic look. "Sorry man."

"Dude!" Jason burst out, half indignant and half amused, "that was crazy!"

"Yeah, well, you know." Percy shrugged.

"How did Nico stand for so long against you in those war games?" Jason asked, finally understand how Percy had defeated Ares, the god of war himself, in single combat when he was a mere twelve-year-old.

"I don't know," Percy admitted. "Nico's the first demigod I've sparred with since Luke who actually managed to stay up with me for so long."

"Percy, I heard a lot of rumors and legends about you when I came to Camp Half-Blood. People here looked at you like you were a god."

Percy's ears turned slightly pink at that.

"As a curious friend, can I ask you what all you've done?" Jason finished.

Percy looked away to the Athena Parthenos on the docks for a minute before nodding. "I think we need to be at the Council House now. The meeting's going to start soon. How about we chat over dinner and exchange stories? I've heard a lot about you, too, at Camp Jupiter."

Percy gave a grudging smile to Jason, one which the Sky Prince returned.


"I swear," Percy grumbled as he and Jason sat down with their food, "Annabeth makes those meetings boring on purpose just to make me mad."

Jason cracked a smile. "You know that's not true."

"Whatever," Percy muttered before wolfing down his four slices of pizza.

"So what's your story?" Jason asked.

"You first," Percy shot back.

Jason's eyes glazed over as he thought back to his childhood, something that seemed so far away and long gone now.

"I don't know what else to tell you. You already know most of it. Thalia was born nine years before me. Our mom was an alcoholic. Thalia was born to Zeus; I was born to Jupiter. Hera was furious that Zeus had broken his oath twice. And Zeus offered her my life as her Champion at the age of two."

He knew he shouldn't sound so bitter towards his Patron's actions, but Jason couldn't help it. Percy patted his back in sympathy.

"Anyway, Hera said that a Greek and Roman demigod being born to the same family had never happened, so she separated us. She claims that it was for my own safety—"

"But you still don't buy it."

"Mother Hera," both Jason and Percy bowed to their Patron Goddess, who had formed out of thin air right across the table from them. She was wearing her Greek chiton with her hair down and a lotus flower bracelet. The platinum crown that signified her as the Queen of Olympus rested on her brow.

"No need to give me fake respect and honor, my Champions," she smiled wryly. "I know that neither of you have any affection for me."

"Yeah, well, do you expect me to?" Jason snapped at the Queen. "You steal my life away at the age of two, and you wonder why I don't respect or like you."

"On the contrary, Jason. I am well aware of your reasons as to why you dislike me. And to be fair, you have right. But you must understand that the right action is never the most popular one. I did what I had to do to keep my family safe from civil war. And whether you like it or not, you are part of my family. You are my stepson and my nephew."

"Isn't that weird, though?" Percy piqued in.

"My brother and husband…" Hera mulled. "You get used to it."

"Not to be rude, Aunt Hera," Jason interrupted, "but why are you here?"

Hera gave him a sad smile. "I am here to tell you both each other's stories, those which you might not even know yourselves."

Jason and Percy exchanged confused looks.

"I took you away from your mother and sister when you were young, Jason, for two reasons. One, I freely admit that I was furious with Zeus' infidelity, especially after having taken the oath to have no demigod children. Two, I did it so you and your sister wouldn't have destroyed each other in the traditional Greek and Roman civil wars."

"But why would we have destroyed each other?"

"Jason, you weren't around for the last two millennia to observe the West's civil wars and revolutions. You don't understand how bad it would have been, and as children of the Sky King, you and your sister would have powers to rip each other apart sinew by sinew. As much as you hate me for what I did, you need to realize that I did it to keep you and your sister safe from each other's wrath."

Jason looked unconvinced.

Hera gave him a sad look. "Like I told you before, Jason, I am the goddess of the family. It is not in my nature to hate my own family, no matter what I've done in the past. I've done horrible things to all of my godly children, the worst to Hephaestus. But in the end, I want my family to stay together. And to make sure my two stepchildren wouldn't kill each other, I had to separate you. I was given a prophecy by the Fates right after World War I that I would cause great grief to my two stepchildren through separation, but when the time was right, I would reunite them. And unless the rift between Greece and Rome was healed, it would not be the right time to reintroduce them together. I did what I had to do."

Jason looked at the table sadly. "You could have at least told me."

"Jason, you were two," Hera laughed bitterly. "I don't quite think you would have understood if I had told you then. You need to understand that I did what I had to do in order to keep my family from destroying each other. And even if you don't realize it, I have been protecting you from the beginning. I do not abandon my Champions, even if they are the illegitimate children of my husband. After Jupiter gave you to me as Juno as my Champion, I swore on the River Styx that I would protect you from Jupiter's wrath."

Hera changed into her Roman form with the goatskin cloak and a golden scepter in her hand.

"I led you through all your quests, and I showed you the right way."

"So what did you do to protect me as your Champion, Queen Hera?" Percy asked bitterly.

Juno smiled wryly. "I will get to you, My Favored One. Be patient."

Percy looked shocked at the title Juno gave him.

"You joined Camp Jupiter at the age of three, and you served almost thirteen full years in the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, the chosen legion of Jupiter himself. You went on many quests, beginning with your first one at the age of thirteen. By the time you were fourteen, you were elected praetor. You defeated the Titan Krios and the Giant Enceladus, probably your greatest achievements. But you have killed many monsters and led many assaults and battles. I commend you, My Champion. And understand that whether or not you love me, I do love you as the son I never had. I always watched over you; I always protected you. I was watching over you whenever you needed help. I kept your path as safe as I could, and even when I wasn't able to protect you directly, I made sure you had help. I sent you towards Reyna's companionship, and I sent you towards the friendship of Piper and Leo. I did what I could to protect you from the wrath of the world."

Jason looked at his Patron in a new light. He sighed. "Mother Hera, you know that I'm not going to just start loving you after that speech, right?"

Juno laughed. "I'm a goddess, my Champion. I've seen people rise and fall for thousands of years. I know what will and won't happen. I know what how humans act. I have no illusion that either of you two will start to love after our meeting today, but I do want you both to hear my sides of your life stories."

Jason nodded. "Thank you," he said honestly. "I appreciate it, Mother Hera."

Hera gave him a sad smile. "Anyway, Percy, you wanted Jason's life story. I gave you what I could. Do you want the other details?"

Percy looked between Hera and Jason. "I don't know," he admitted. "It sounds like he's had a rough life."

Hera burst out laughing. "Percy, compared to your life, Jason's wasn't that bad at all, and you know it."

Percy looked down, avoiding their eyes, and Jason looked at Percy in shock. Hearing that, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know Percy's story all of a sudden.

"Percy, Jason faced many monsters in his life, but because of the nature of the legion, not nearly as many as you have. There's a reason you're considered the greatest demigod of all time."

Percy looked at Hera in sadness. "I don't want to be called that, Aunt Hera. I hate it," he admitted. "If I was truly the greatest demigod of all time, I wouldn't have made so many mistakes and hurt as many people as I did."

"Percy," Jason said softly, "you're human, a hero, yes, but still a human. All humans make mistakes. The gods know how many I've made."

Thunder boomed at that. Hera waved her hand in annoyance, and the thunder stopped.

"Jason's right, Percy," the Queen turned to Percy. "What makes you great isn't necessarily what you've achieved. It's what you decided to do, and it's the fact that you learned from your mistakes. Very few heroes learned from their mistakes, but you are one of the few. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

Percy didn't meet their eyes.

"You wanted to know of my Champion's life story, Jason," Hera said, "I will relate it."

Percy looked at the goddess.

"Percy, when you were born, your mother prayed to me to protect you from Zeus' wrath. She knew that Zeus wouldn't be happy. She sacrificed a lot to get my goodwill. I appeared before you as a babe, probably not more than two months old, and gave you my blessing. In thanks for the promise to protect you from Zeus' wrath, your mother offered your life to me as my Champion."

"It's why I'm so loyal to my family, isn't it?" Percy asked softly. "I'm the Champion of the Goddess of Family."

"To be honest, Percy," Hera said sadly, "I don't know how much of your loyalty to those you love comes from me and how much is in your nature. I think you loved your family even before I was involved. My blessing just made that love stronger."

Percy looked at the goddess thoughtfully.

"After I took you on as my Champion, your mom did what she could to protect you, and combined with my blessing and Poseidon's love for you, we managed to protect you for twelve years. I'm so sorry that I couldn't protect you longer."

Hera looked at her Champion in grief. "I wish I could have protected you longer. I wish you didn't have to go on your first quest at the age of twelve with virtually no training—"

"Hold up," Jason interrupted. "You went on your first quest when you were twelve?"

Percy didn't respond, and he turned his gaze back down.

Hera smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, yes, Jason, he did. But not only that, Percy killed his first two monsters, a Fury and the Minotaur, with zero training at twelve."

Jason gaped at Percy. "Dude, no way!"

"Yes, way," Hera said, amused. "But don't worry, my son, he's done much more than that. His first quest was to the Underworld. He defeated Medusa, Procrustes, Ares' boar, Ares himself, and Luke Castellan all at the age of twelve. If that wasn't enough, he fought and defeated Laistrygonians, the Colchis bulls, the Stymphalian birds, the Hydra, and a whole bunch of other monsters on his second quest at thirteen. He defeated the Nemean Lion, a prototype of Talos, the Manticorn, and undead warriors at the age of fourteen on his winter quest to save Artemis. He killed two empousae, the Cyclops Antaeus, hundreds of dracanae, Geryon, many hellhounds, and many other monsters on his summer quest into the Labyrinth. There is no count to how many monsters he's killed in the Battle of Manhattan. His feats after the Battle of Manhattan are legendary. In his life, he has defeated Ares in combat as well as the Titans Atlas, Iapetus, and Hyperion. He has also defeated the giants Polybotes, Porphyrion, Agrios, and Pallas."

"Queen Hera," Percy interrupted, embarrassed, "I did all that with a ton of help."

"That's true," Hera conceded, "but you fail to ever accept your own accomplishments, so I am doing it for you. My Champion, you deserve all the credit you get, even though you don't actually want it. You are known on Olympus as the 'Bane of All Monsters', 'the Greatest Demigod of all time', and the 'Human God'."

Percy slumped down. "I don't want to be called that."

"Oh, but my son, you already are called that."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Percy halfheartedly argued.

Hera gave him a proud smile. "I'm glad you're my Champion, Percy, even if you resent and hate the fact that I am. I'm proud to be your Patron Goddess, even though you don't want me around."

Percy sighed. "That's not true, Queen Hera," he admitted. "I'm proud to be your Champion, but I wish you would tell me why you hadn't paid for Nico's passage through Geryon's ranch."

Tears began to fall from Hera's eyes. "You must understand, Percy, that Nico's path is his own. He must prove his worth and loyalty to whomever he chooses by himself. The Moirai have left him be, and the gods have been careful when interfering with his life as well. I wanted to help him, trust me when I say I did, but I couldn't."

"You said that he didn't belong," Percy said dangerously.

"I never really believed that. Nico di Angelo is the most powerful demigod of all time. You are the greatest, but he is the most powerful. He has achieved things and powers that you both can only imagine. His power and birthright ascend straight through the ancient thrones."

Percy and Jason exchanged confused looks. "What birthright?" Percy asked suspiciously.

Hera gave him a wan smile. "It is part of the latest Great Prophecy. You will understand after it is finished. Let me just put it this way: There is a reason that my husband fears his brothers. And there is an even stronger reason that my husband fears Nico even more now. If Nico wanted to…"

Hera stopped herself. "Well, just suffice it to say that he is more than just the Patron of Demigods. So far, he seems to have chosen our side, and for the sake of humanity and the Flame of the West, I hope he will continue to do so. My sister is the wisest and oldest of all of us. I trust her judgment. My husband and brother might not, but I sense loyalty in young Nico. But I also sense fear."

"What do you mean?" Jason demanded.

"Nico has been abandoned by everyone and everything he had ever held dear. The only constant in his life was death. His father preferred his sister to him. His mother died. His sister died. His stepmother hates him. All of the people he considered to be his friends have abandoned him. And he was ignored by the one person who promised never to forget him after the Second Titanomachy."

Percy flinched and looked down—that would be him.

"Fear has moved into his heart where trust should be," Hera said softly. "He doesn't want to believe that this is real. So far, the only constant he's ever had was my eldest Sister's patronage. He even fears that one day Athena will turn on him. He still believes that nothing is permanent. He doesn't want to open up about his past to anyone because he's tried of being abandoned by those he trusts. He doesn't want to take the chance anymore."

"We'll change that," Percy and Jason said in determination, steel glints in their eyes.

Hera smiled at both of them sadly. "I know you both do you best, but you must understand that a lot would have to change for him to change his perspective on life, and he won't be so quick to trust you after all you've done in the past to him, Percy."

"I'm not proud of what I did," Percy whispered, ashamed.

Hera gave him a sympathetic look. "I know, Percy, but you must realize that in your quest to save all of your family, you had forgotten the one family member who probably needed your attention most. To save your love, you gave up the one who needed your support and protection most."

"I will give it to him now," Percy growled, determined. "I will protect him now."

Hera shook her head sadly. "You can't protect him anymore Percy. You had your chance. It's his turn and responsibility now. He is the one who protects you, now. And it's been this way for a year now. You must understand that it's too late for you to make amends. He's already given up on ever having friends. He's taken on his role of protector and accepted his mantle. He is your patron now, not the other way around."

"With all due respect, Queen Hera," Percy said, annoyed, "you've watched over me for my whole life. You of all people should know that I don't follow the will of the Fates or the gods easily. If I want to do something, I will do it."

"You're not going against the will of either the Fates or the gods with this, Percy. Here, you're going against the will of Nico di Angelo, which is a whole different matter. If you want to help him see that he is still accepted and a part of your family, you will have to do more than just protect him now. And you're not out of this, Jason. You treated Nico at Camp Jupiter the same way Percy treated him at Camp Half-Blood. I know you both want to make amends with the Ghost King, but if you want to, you will have to do more than just protect him."

The queen stopped her speech and looked at both of her Champions sadly.

After a minutes' silence, she spoke again, "Oh, and Percy, know that I will not curse your wedding if you decide to get married, or you, Jason. Percy, you've found true love. Trust me when I tell you this: This is the rarest of the rare. Cherish it and protect it. And when you're ready to get married, just let me know. I will bless your marriage with all of my power. Good luck, my Champions. I am proud of you both."

Percy looked at Hera in shock while Jason looked down at his lap, thinking about how he had to admit to Cupid that he still wasn't sure if he had found true love or not.

"Lady Hera," Percy said softly. "Thank you. Thank you for protecting me and for teaching me the importance of family. Thank you for being my patron and for putting up with my craziness. You aren't as bad as the myths say you are."

Hera laughed bitterly. "Yeah, well, that's what happens when the country you're patron of is actually misogynistic."

"Wait a minute," Jason interrupted. "You were patron of Greece?"

"Jason, you've read The Iliad," Hera said. "What are the Greeks called?"

Jason looked at her in confusion.

"Achaeans," Percy interrupted, "Danaans, and Argives."

Hera nodded and motioned for Percy to continue.

Jason still looked confused, but understanding slowly began to dawn onto Percy's face.

"The Argives," he muttered. "The people of Argos, your holy city."

Hera nodded.

"It wasn't just your holy city, was it?" Percy guessed.

Hera shook her head. "When the Greeks said Argos, they were not just referring to the city-state. They were referring to the whole country. So yes, I was patron of all of Greece."

"But I thought you were Patron of the Roman Empire?" Jason asked in confusion.

"I was the Patron of the City of Rome," Hera corrected. "The Capitoline Triad were the Patrons of the Empire."

"Juno, Minerva, and Jupiter," Jason remembered.

Hera nodded again.

"But wait," Percy interrupted. "Why is Athena always portrayed and described as the Patron of Greece, then?"

"Ah that's the great mystery, isn't it?" Hera smiled. "Out of all of us, Athena has the most forms. Well, she's tied with another god, but he's not as important as Athena's forms."

"What?" Percy asked, perturbed.

"Every nation that the West has a part of has a different version of the Olympian gods. And all of these nations have a national personification. It just matters where you will find it. Athena was the national personification of Greece, but she was also the Patron of many other countries. I give you this hint: Britannia is perhaps her most famous form that isn't Greek or Roman."

Percy and Jason exchanged looks of confusion yet again.

"Who is Britannia?" Jason exploded. "We've been hearing that stupid name every day these past two weeks, and not a single one of us knows what it is."

Thunder boomed, and a trident materialized just where Jason's hand was a minute ago, its points thrust into the table.

Hera looked amused. "I wouldn't call the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy 'stupid', Jason. Trust me, if you get on her bad side, not even I could protect you."

"Wait," Percy said. "So that means Athena is Britannia?"

"It's one of her forms," Hera replied.

"How many forms does she have?"

"Enough," Hera said. And with a smile, she vanished.

"Well that was helpful," Jason muttered.

"Actually, I think it was…" Percy said.

Jason looked at him like he'd gone crazy. "You okay dude?"

Percy nodded absentmindedly.


That night, Annabeth's dream was no better than the one she had of Tartarus the night before.

Two people were getting married. Both had flowing dark hair. They were both facing Hera in front of them, so she couldn't tell who they were.

The scene was faded and was replaced of Royal Albert Music Hall. She didn't know how this was, but she knew it was true. The Hall was full to the brim. The stage had a full orchestra and choir, and the audience was wearing clothes that clearly didn't belong at a classical music concert.

To large applause, a woman entered the stage from left as the orchestra had already picked up the melody.

She was dressed in a traditional Greek chiton, had a shield on her left arm, held a green trident in her right, and had a helmet over her head.

Behind the orchestra and choir, Athena stood in the exact same garb and weaponry as the woman in front of the orchestra. Somehow, Annabeth knew that she was the only one who could see Athena in the Hall.

The melody ended and the woman, obviously an opera singer, picked up the tune.

Just as the woman began singing, the scene of Royal Albert Hall vanished, but somehow the singing still came through.

When Britain first, at Heaven's command
Arose from out the azure main;
Arose, arose, arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter; the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
"Britons never, never, never shall be slaves."

As the first verse swam over her, Athena, in this form with the trident and shield, stood on the flagship of a fleet of about 300 ships. She looked out at sea with a deadly power, her grey eyes glinting with hatred at her enemies.

The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall;
Must in their turn, to tyrants fall!
While thou shalt flourish, shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves:
"Britons never, never, never shall be slaves."

The world map flashed over her with 40% of the world's landmass covered in the Union Jack—the British Empire. Athena stood over the map, glaring at her realms.

Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful from each foreign stroke;
More dreadful, dreadful from each foreign stroke!
As the loud blast, the blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves:
"Britons never, never, never will be slaves."

Athena grew larger and more powerful, a hurricane forming around her as she stood over the world and glared around her.

Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
All their, all their attempts to bend thee down!
Will but arouse, arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves:
"Britons never, never, never will be slaves."

Around Athena, blood spewed from the conquered lands, red, fresh blood that soaked into the hem of her chiton and stained it. She didn't seem to mind, though, and continued to glare at everything around her.

To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine:
Thy cities, thy cities shall with comerce shine!
All thine, all thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves:
"Britons never, never, never will be slaves."

Athena lorded over the city of London with her trusty trident and hoplite shield at her arms. She overlooked and protected the entire state. Her eyes reflected her anger and passion and her dedication to her duty.

The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair;
Shall to thy happy, happy coast repair!
Blest Isle with matchless, With matchless beauty crown'd!
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
"Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves:
"Britons never, never, never will be slaves."

The Nine Muses took form behind Athena as the goddess of warfare watched over the armies of Britain overrun the world map. She was ruthless, she was powerful, she was the act of killing itself. She could contain her people, but she refused. She encouraged them to conquer everything known to this world, to bring the whole world under her arm. The operating voice of the woman from Royal Albert Hall had long since vanished.

The Muses sang the chorus once again: "Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!"

Athena raised and swirled her trident, and the English Channel broke into tsunamis in response to the goddess' actions, and the Earth underneath her feet shook and cracked open.

Athena turned to Annabeth, and Annabeth didn't know if the goddess even recognized her own daughter like this. There was a fire and hatred in Athena's eyes, as if she was not in control of her own emotions. Annabeth was terrified of her mother. She looked like Ares, the god of raw warfare. She forced down the fear filling her heart and faced her mother. Athena's eyes looked like bombs exploding, and her hair seemed like a series of torpedoes.

"You united me, My Daughter," the goddess said, pride in her voice. "Now bring my third self to Olympus. Bring me my husband. Give me my fate. Find my crown. I am BRITANNIA IDES."

Athena threw her trident at Annabeth—

Annabeth snapped awake and rose form her bed, reaching for her throat. She was sure that Athena had skewered her throat when she had thrown that spear, but apparently not.

"Mom," she whispered into the night air. "What's going on?"

"Annabeth, you okay?" Piper asked from the bed beside.

Annabeth didn't say anything.

She collapsed back onto her bed, trying and failing to forget the maddened look in Athena's eyes as Britannia; it had terrified Annabeth. She was worried of what was happening...

Athena was supposed to be the goddess of logical warfare, not the mindless killer that she had just seen Britannia be—that was Ares' realm.


Author's Note: I'm very happy with this chapter. I struggled a bit with writing the beginning, but I got more and more confident as I kept writing. I hope you guys like it!

Also, if you're curious about which version of "Rule Britannia!" I had in mind when I wrote the scene, it would be Gwyneth Jones' version from the Last Night of the Proms from 1991.

As always, let me know what you think by leaving a review! :D

Review Replies:

Lupita: (Chapter 6) I'm glad you like it! :D I don't have much Nico in this chapter directly, but I hope you like what I've done with him here! And thank you for your kind words! I've never had people actually like my writing this much, so this means a lot to me. Thanks!

Son of Dragon: (Chapter 6) Thanks for your kind words! I will definitely be trying to keep a good balance between humor and seriousness as I keep writing! :)

Geek4Greek: (Chapter 6) Ah thank you so much! You have no idea how happy that makes me! I love writing this piece, so I'm definitely going to keep writing it! I'm not done yet! :D And I'm so sorry I made you stay up that late reading it hahahaha. On the other hand, thank you for liking my fic so much to do so! :D

TheGoddessIsAlive: (Chapter 6) Thanks! I've just started writing that oneshot, so it'll hopefully be up within a few days to two weeks or so! I'm really looking forward to posting it! :) And I hope you like how it's all turning out to be so far! :D

The Son of Hades123: (Chapter 6) That is not it but good guess! That's actually fanon haha; it never happened in Greek Mythology for real. And of course! I'm glad you like my story enough to keep reading! It means a lot to me!

TylerJacksonJr: (Chapter 6) Percy should become like Nico? Hm... What do you mean?