◢◤ Chapter 9 ◢◤

Hiya fellas! All I got to say this time is enjoy the chapter ! And read the AN at the end if you're so inclined. It's important-ish.

Disclaimer: Yeah. The characters and the rest of the PJO universe ain't mine, as much as I wish they were. I gain no monetary benefits from this.

The dam finally broke its resistance against the flood and Percy let the tears sting his eyes and roll down his cheeks.

Percy stayed in Hera's comforting embrace for what seemed like an eternity. Finally composing himself, he took a small step back and looked at Hera gratefully. "I… Thank you, Mom" he said softly. He looked over her shoulder and saw Poseidon and Hestia, proving that he had felt their presences correctly.

Quickly, he walked to his father and hugged him tightly. Poseidon, however, did not return his son's hug immediately, as he had a rather confused look on his face and was looking between Percy and Hera in bewilderment. Percy contained the sigh of resignation that threatened to escape his lips.

He knew that the time when he would have to tell his father of Hera's adoption of him was at hand. He shot Hera a covert look and noticed the same expression on her visage. Upon catching him looking at her, she nodded tightly, letting Percy know that he had her permission to tell Poseidon if he so wanted.

"Thanks for coming dad" Percy said quietly before turning and hugging Hestia, who awaited him with a sad smile and open arms.

"I ahh… why… you're welcome" Poseidon trailed off, doubly surprised.

Percy almost melted in Hestia's embrace, such was its power. Tendrils of soothing light were shooting into him in copious amounts and Percy gave Hestia a grateful look before stepping back.

Poseidon found his voice and could not contain an outburst. "What is the meaning of this !? What is going on ?!" he said with a raised voice, the air around him shimmering with the power he was releasing.

Hera was about to speak up, and by the looks of it, rather angrily too, but Percy came in between them almost immediately, putting his arm on his father's shoulder soothingly.

"Dad, I'll… explain everything in a while. Right now, we need to get to Olympus and take Annabeth... Annabeth's body with us. Her mother will want to know" Percy said, keeping his tone respectful. Upon seeing the conflicted look in Poseidon's eyes, Percy immediately said "Please dad. Do it for me, if not for Annabeth."

Having made up his mind, Poseidon nodded once. "But I will want an explanation of what is going on here."

"And you shall have it. On Olympus, if you wish" Hera stepped in. "Everything shall be explained, but we must first honor Perseus' wish and transport the body to Olympus. Doubtless, Athena will want to see her daughter as well."

Poseidon nodded gruffly before snapping his fingers and transporting himself, Percy and Annabeth's prone form. The other two Olympians immediately followed, disappearing in successive bursts of bright light.

As they appeared, Percy immediately took stock of his surroundings and saw that they were in the throne room on Olympus. Poseidon raised his hand and his trident coalesced out of thin air, shimmering with power. He raised it above his head and sent up a powerful burst of godly power

Almost immediately there were flashes of light as the rest of the Olympians teleported in. At once, all eyes turned to Percy standing next to a still body. It took a moment to settle in before suddenly, Athena had rushed to her fallen daughter and had knelt beside her, checking for vitals. She drew back, a melancholy expression on her face which she did not even bother to mask.

"Annabeth. She's... dead" Athena announced to the gods who had been looking on with breaths bated.

Immediately, there was an uproar as Apollo and Hermes started whispering to each other rather loudly and some of the goddesses, mainly Demeter, starting murmuring amongst themselves. Zeus, quick to grow irritated, slammed his lightning bolt onto the floor, letting loose an ear shattering clap of thunder that silenced the Olympians immediately.

"What is the meaning of this? Poseidon, you called the council" Zeus said, turning to his brother. "What happened here?"

"I am afraid I do not know all of the details. Perseus was involved, however. He probably knows what happened."

On cue, everyone turned to Percy. "The stage is yours, boy" Zeus said grandly, sitting down on his throne.

Percy took a minute to compose himself. He was not a deity, and so, his eardrums had nearly shattered from the force of the blast Zeus had released. Presently, however, he began his account, starting from when the two demigods had gone to the beach to spend a day together right up to where Hera, Hestia and his father had appeared.

He told them all about the army that had attacked him and Annabeth as they prepared to leave. His voice cracked slightly when he got to the part where Annabeth threw herself into the path of the oncoming spear for him.

The gods listened in slight amazement as Percy told them everything. Obviously, Percy had shown great skill in defeating countless hordes of monsters with a large risk to his own life, but somehow, he managed to keep himself put of the spotlight, focusing instead on how well Annabeth had fought and how brave she had been to throw down her life for his.

By the end of it, some of the gods were grieved, Athena most of all. Surprisingly, it was Poseidon who had left his throne to comfort her, putting a hand on her shoulder to get her to compose herself. After a little effort, Athena managed it and gave Poseidon a slight, watery smile to which he nodded and then returned to his own throne.

Hestia then voiced the question that had been running through the minds of more than a few of the Olympians. "But how did the monsters find them in the first place? It's not like such an army would just happen upon two lone demigods. They were sent by someone for sure."

"But how? And by whom?" Apollo questioned.

"Gaea" Percy and Athena said at once. They looked at each other in a moment of unity before Athena pressed on. "It could only have been Gaea. The way the army just seemed to appear. Gaea controls the earth. She could have opened up a chasm from where the monsters would emerge close to Perseus and my… my daughter. Besides, she is the only one who openly opposes us now. Killing Perseus would be a large advantage, as he is more or less the unofficial leader of the campers and is the best demigod warrior to boot" Athena said frankly.

The gods were stupefied at Athena's bluntly honest admission about Perseus and it was a while before most of them could find their voice.

Artemis, who had retained her cool demeanor throughout, now nodded at Athena's explanation. "It does make sense, sister. What do you think we should do?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do" Athena said helplessly. "We can't even take precautions against another attack such as this. Perseus says his powers were bound somehow. It can only have been the work of Gaea. We can only hope that she expended most of her power doing so and won't have enough power for another such attack."

Most of the gods, having recovered their wits by now, nodded in joint acceptance. Zeus turned to Percy with a furrowed brow. "Perseus you said that after Annabeth went down, there was still a large number of monsters remaining. How did you manage to destroy them alone?"

Some of the gods leaned forwards in their thrones as the same thought had been nagging at some of them. Artemis, as always, looked indifferent. Dionysus was concentrating on a wine magazine, and Percy doubted he was paying attention either.

He hesitated slightly before answering. "Well, I managed to somehow break the shield thingy that was surrounding the area" Percy said. Some of the gods barely contained chuckles at his not so articulate explanation while Hera and Poseidon both smiled in affection. "And, well, then I managed to kill them. Got lucky, I guess" he finished modestly.

"Well, he more than managed to kill them" Hestia said dryly. "He… Well… Why don't I just show you?" she said, waving her left hand smoothly. At once, the fire in hearth rose until it resembled a roughly circular screen.

An image of Montauk beach appeared in the flames, barely recognizable. Even Percy himself was shocked. He had never imagined that he was that powerful, or could unleash that much energy spontaneously. The area had been turned into a mess. Trees were lying here and there, uprooted, a couple of them even lying on the road and deep cracks had scarred the terrain and the road alike for a few miles in every direction. The sea, Percy noticed, was calmer and the storm that had been brewing had disappeared, probably due to Poseidon's calming influence on it.

Even the gods were shocked. Percy had never thought he'd see a god's mouth dropping open in shock, yet, Hermes was doing an impressive imitation of a fish, his eyes bulging slightly. Even Zeus looked slightly shaken, his eyes roving over the image in the flames. The only ones who weren't showing surprise were Poseidon, Hera and Hestia since they had already seen it. Dionysus was doing a good job of appearing unconcerned and Artemis, as usual, looked completely unfazed, except for a slight glimmer in her eyes.

Hestia made the image disappear with another wave of her hand, and the flames returned to their original size. The gods were conversing amongst themselves and Zeus was looking at Percy slightly suspiciously. "So much power in the hands of one demigod" he muttered, more to himself the an anyone.

Poseidon was quick to rise to his feet. "Brother, do not even entertain the notion. I know what you're thinking. Percy has been nothing but loyal to Olympus, and you forget that he is my son. His fatal flaw is loyalty, for Hades' sake."

"Hey!" Hades objected from his throne, although if one looked closely, a faint upward quirk of Hades' lips could be noticed.

Zeus glanced at Percy once more before turning back to Poseidon. "Okay, brother. I will not harm Percy, provided he remains loyal to Olympus."

Percy answered before his father could even open his mouth. "Of this, you have my oath, lord Zeus. I would never go against Olympus."

Zeus nodded gruffly. "Okay then, boy. You are free to go."

"Not so fast!" Poseidon interjected. "You owe me an explanation, Percy" he said.

Percy nodded. "I did promise" he admitted. "Well, my lords and ladies, this is something you should know as well" he said in a louder voice to reach all of the Olympians without difficulty.

Although most of the deities had no idea what Percy was even talking about, some of them found themselves leaning forward in their seats in anticipation. "Well… uhh… My lady Hera… she uhh" Percy faltered, feeling slightly self conscious.

Hera let him off the hook. "I think what Perseus means to tell you all is that I have adopted him" she stated calmly.

Uproar was immediate. Zeus was looking at her aghast. Poseidon, on the other hand, looked as it he wanted to strangle the queen of the gods. The rest of the deities had varying expressions of surprise on their faces. Out of all of them, Hestia was the only one who seemed to be calm, and she even had a small smile on her face, indicating her amusement.

Zeus finally found his voice. "You what!? How could you!? You're the goddess of marriages and fidelity! This is clear betrayal of our marriage vows" he blurted, too incensed to think clearly about what he was saying.

Hera turned on him at once, radiating immense power, making Zeus flinch slightly. Percy, having never seen Hera angry, looked on in amazement. "You would talk to me of marriage vows? Of fidelity? I can hardly count the number of times you've been with mortal women behind my back." Even angered, Hera was keeping her cool, her voice calm and her expression passive, although Percy could see the anger in her eyes and in the way she held her body. Aside from that, Hera was radiating anger and it was visibly shimmering around her in a cold white sheet of light. "Furthermore, adopting Percy is not a breaking of my vows. It's not as if I birthed him myself" Hera said acidly.

With each of her statements, the mighty lord of the skies, Zeus shrank back slightly in his throne, mayhaps at the look Hera was giving him. "Uh, dear, may we discuss this later?" he asked Hera delicately.

Hera favored him with an exasperated huff. Apollo broke the silence with a soft laugh. "Well, we know who the boss in this relationship is anyways" he commented dryly, making some of the other gods chuckle in mirth. Zeus did nothing but glare at his son.

"We are done with this" Hera said dismissively.

Poseidon jumped to his feet. "We certainly are not! Who even gave you permission to adopt my son?!"

Hera got right in his face. "Who decreed that I had to ask you for permission, Poseidon? The choice was mine and mine alone. It was up to Perseus to accept or reject my offer. In any case, you had no say in his matter."

Poseidon was about to reply heatedly when Perseus broke in. The demigod had been watching from the sidelines but had decided to step in when he saw that things were starting to get heated. "Dad. Please stop. Lady Hera asked me for permission to adopt me. I accepted at once. There is no reason to fight. I am still your son, am I not?"

Poseidon seemed to accept this before another thought came to him. "But what about Sally!? You already have a mother, and you can't forsake her for Hera, goddess though she may be."

At his words, Perseus' eyes darkened with a glimmer of anger and a slight flicker of loss. A couple of the gods gasped as a ring of fire surrounded Percy. "You mean to tell me you don't know?" he asked, voice lowered.

"Know what?" Poseidon asked confusedly. "This is besides the point, Percy. What about Sally!?"

"My mother is dead!" Percy roared in anguish, causing flames 20 feet high to escape from his body. A scab on his heart opened up again as the topic of his mother was brought up so publicly.

Stunned, Poseidon could only look at his son. "Wha… When? How?" he asked, finding his voice.

"You didn't know" Percy said to himself numbly, realization dawning. He was quick to explain. "A few dracaenae. Attacked their apartment. Killed both mom and Paul… I… I was too late" Percy said, head lowered in sadness, the flames around him dying away.

Next moment, he was enveloped in Poseidon's arms. Percy had not even noticed the flames, nor their disappearance, yet he felt his father's arms around him and looked up, trying to give him a smile of gratitude. He failed.

Poseidon looked at him with a sad smile. "You couldn't have done anything. I'm actually ashamed of myself right now. It has been too long since I have checked up on her. I'm sorry, Percy. I don't even know how long you've been in this state."

Percy looked his father in the eye. "I was not without comfort, dad. Lady Hera and Lady Hestia found me afterwards and offered me comfort. I have grown close to them both, and they to me. I think" he added uncertainly. Hera and Hestia both smiled in assent.

"We have, young hero" Hestia supplied for his benefit.

"When my lady Hera asked me about the adoption, I was a bit hesitant, but after thinking about it a minute, I accepted. Lady Hera is, to me, much like mom was, giving me comfort and caring for me as only a mother could. I figure that, rather than an insult to mom, I'm doing her an honor by remembering her through my lady" he bowed his head toward Hera, who was smiling softly in pride. In truth, all the gods had been taken aback at his fierce defense of Hera.

Poseidon nodded, a smile now adorning his own weathered visage. He turned his face to his sister/sister- in-law. "In that case, you have my gratitude for taking care of my son, Hera. I apologize for my outburst."

Hera took it graciously. "Of course. You could not have known this beforehand. All is well."

Athena was the one to break the silence that fell afterwards. "Of course!" she said rather loudly before shaking her head and muttering.

"What is it, daughter?" asked Zeus. Artemis snorted lightly, so that even Percy with his heightened senses barely heard it.

Athena looked up distantly before her eyes sharpened and gained focus. "Do you people mean to tell me you guys didn't notice?"

"You know we didn't, Athena. Come on, spill the beans" Aphrodite said impatiently.

"He just somehow summoned flames, and you're saying you didn't notice?" Athena asked incredulously.

A sudden silence dropped upon the room as most of the Olympians suddenly took on various expressions of chagrin. Hera and Hestia were as cool as cucumbers, as could be expected. Having figured it out already, Artemis too, had an emotionless expression on her face.

"Ah… yes…" Apollo trailed off.

Athena waved her hands impatiently. "So, I asked myself. How does Perseus have the ability to summon fire? He is not a son of Hephaestus nor is he blessed by him. Apollo's blessed demigods do not gain fire powers. That leaves Hestia. But Hestia has never blessed a demigod before" Athena listed off, before glancing at Percy piercingly. Her eyes seemed to go right through him as if she was trying to X-ray him.

The gods turned to Percy for the answer. The demigod had just opened his mouth to speak when Hestia stepped forward to stand beside him. "There is a first time for everything, is there not?" she asked simply, looking at Athena.

Athena nodded with a small self satisfied smirk. The smirk brought many memories to Percy's mind. Countless times in the past, Annabeth had favored him with the same expression when she had solved a particularly difficult problem. The gods, meanwhile, merely stared, shocked. Even Dionysus was paying attention now, and Apollo's eyes had widened to comical proportions.

Hestia snapped her fingers irritably and as if a spell had just been broken, Apollo's mouth snapped shut. "Come now. Does it really come as such a surprise to you all? I think all of you would be forced to admit, although some more grudgingly than others, that Perseus is one of, if not the greatest demigod who has ever lived." Here, her eyes found Ares, who nodded, although grumpily. "Furthermore, he has done me a favor I would be hard pressed to repay" she said, glancing at her throne. "And I am happy to say I do not regret it. Perseus has proved his worth and I have deemed him worthy of receiving my blessing. Does anyone have an objection against that?" she asked, finding the eyes of everyone in the room, one by one, and holding her gaze on them for a short time.

As one the Olympians shook their heads before settling in their thrones again. Zeus looked as if he had wanted to voice his thoughts, but had refrained. It may have had something to do with the glare Hera had turned upon him, but Percy was not sure. Hestia gave him a light pat on the shoulder before returning to her throne.

Now, Percy spoke. "My lords and ladies, I would now ask a favor from you if you are willing to listen."

Zeus looked around at each of the Olympians in turn. When he did not receive any objections, he nodded his head. "Go ahead then" he said gruffly.

"I request that you let me have a… a short break, if you will. From everything. I would like to leave camp for a time and return when I am ready to do so."

Zeus' eyebrows rose in suspicion. "I do not like this, Nephew. What if you turned against us? Or joined one of Olympus' enemies? I cannot allow you to become a threat to Olympus" he declared.

"My lord Zeus, uncle, you already have my oath of loyalty. I will remain true to it and when Olympus has need of me, I shall return" Percy said, trying to be diplomatic.

Zeus considered his words for a long minute. Finally, he nodded his head in assent. "Well, if you so wish, you may leave your camp for a while. Gaea, although she is gaining power, is still a long way away from returning to her body. Apollo said that we have at least 2-3 years before that happens. I am sure she used her final vestiges of her energy to revive the giant king, Porphyrion, and it will take time for her to regain that power. Does anyone object!?" he said loudly, his words ringing around the throne room.

Again, no one objected. Percy bowed to Zeus and rose with a grateful expression. "Thank you, my lord. I will not give you cause for regret over this decision."

"You'd better not" Zeus deigned to mutter and received a glare from Poseidon and a disapproving look from his wife. "As for Annabeth Chase. A funeral shroud will be burned in her honor at camp after dinner tonight. She was a great hero and architect to boot. She will be remembered. May she attain Elysium" he said. His last words were echoed by a few of the deities.

Zeus now rose. "Is there anything else to discuss?" he asked of the room at large. Receiving no affirmative responses, Zeus stood up, gave the occupants of the throne room a regal nod and held his hand out to Hera.

"I'll be along in a bit" Hera told him.

Zeus frowned slightly, and then flashed away with a clap of thunder while a bolt of lightning struck the ground he had been standing on.

"Show off" Apollo uttered with a smile, not unkindly, before flashing away after a smile and a wave to Percy.

The other gods followed suit, a few of them stopping on the way to talk to Percy. Hades stopped by Percy, and apologized for Annabeth's death. Percy asked about how Nico was doing in the underworld. Hades supplied that Nico was now officially a prince of the underworld and was helping his father keep the peace.

Aphrodite too, stopped by. Percy had noticed her giving him slightly unsettling stares during the meeting and he had done his best to ignore her. "My my, Percy, how handsome you've gotten" Aphrodite said huskily, pushing herself at him.

Percy dodged. "This is not the time Aphrodite. Please, leave me alone."

"Oh, but you'd enjoy my company. I could take your mind of Annabeth and everything else that's happened" she said suggestively leaning forward.

"No!" he raised his voice. "Leave me alone!"

"Best do as he says, Aphrodite" Athena said, suddenly appearing at Percy's shoulder. Behind her, Hestia, Poseidon and Hera were standing in a rough circle, conversing in hushed tones, glancing his way now and then.

Aphrodite seemed to consider for a moment to defy her sister but one look at the expression in Athena's piercing grey eyes was enough to quell the feeling. "Okay, okay" she grumbled. "I'll go. But this isn't over Percy" she said, winking at Percy before disappearing in a puff of pink smoke.

Percy groaned weakly. "Thank you, my lady" he said, bowing to Athena.

"Of course" she replied. "Perseus, I uh… want you to know that I do not blame you for Annabeth's death in the slightest" she said sincerely. "Also, you should not blame yourself. Her decision was hers alone and there was nothing you could have done to change it. Do not dishonor her memory by saying that her sacrifice was your doing" she said, her expression darkening slightly as she said the last part.

A weight that Percy didn't even know he'd been carrying was lifted off his shoulder, even as he tried to hide a shiver. Predictably, hearing Athena, the goddess of logic, pointing it out to him made him believe that he had not been at fault.

"Thank you, my lady. My condolences for your loss" Percy said formally.

Athena surprised him by laying her hand on his shoulder. "I know what my daughter meant to you, Perseus, and I know what you meant to her. I am sorry that everything ended before it could even rightly begin. Do come back safely" she said, tipping her head toward the ground. "Excuse me, I must have some time to mourn" she said.

Percy bowed respectfully, and Athena disappeared amid a smoky grey flash. Next, it was Poseidon who came to his son.

"Son, I'm sorry for your loss. I know how you must be feeling."

"Thanks dad" Percy said honestly.

"You're welcome to come down to Atlantis with me and stay for as long as you want" Poseidon offered.

Percy smiled at his father. "Thanks a lot, dad, but I can't. I think I need some time alone."

"Well, okay son" Poseidon said. He wrapped his son in a strong hug. "Be safe."

"I'll try" Percy said. Poseidon then flashed away in his signature sea green mist.

Hestia and Hera now approached him. Hestia got there first and pulled Percy into a hug. "Stay safe, my champion. Stay in touch and remember. I will always be there for you. When you most lack hope, come to the hearth. You will find solace" she said solemnly. "I am sorry about Annabeth Chase. She truly was a one of the greatest demigods I've known."

Percy smiled at her when he pulled back. "Thank you, my lady. I will remember your words."

Hestia smiled sadly before disappearing in a swirl of warm orange fire.

Hera now came forward. "From the moment I saw you on that beach, I figured you were going to do something like this, so it doesn't really surprise me" Hera sighed. "It doesn't mean that I like it in the slightest. Would you mind telling me what your plans are?"

Percy suddenly looked abashed. "Well, I don't really have one. All I've figured out as yet is that I have to get away from everything. For a while, at least. I just need something to take my mind off… today" he explained.

"Well, I have an idea, if you're willing to hear."

"Of course, my la… mom" Percy said.

"How about you spend some time with the amazons?"

"The amazons?" Percy said in consternation.

Herald mistook his tone for confusion. "Yes, the amazons. They're a tribe of…"

"Female warriors who set up the online retailer company as a front" Percy cut in with a smirk.

Hera could not conceal her surprise. "How do you…?"

"I learnt a lot when I was at camp Jupiter. Reyna, the praetor told me about them" Percy explained.

"I see" Hera nodded in understanding. "Staying with them for a while has its benefits. As their patron goddess, it will be easy enough for me to get them to let you stay for a while."

"What good'll that do me?" Percy questioned, still slightly confused.

"There's a couple of benefits. Firstly, you'll be able to train with the amazons. Their fighting styles and battle prowess are quite amazing. It would also help to get your mind off… recent events" Hera faltered. "Also, I will be able to more or less know how you're doing at any given time."

At hearing of being able to train, Percy's eyes had glinted in interest. "Okay, I'm hooked. Can you take me to them?"

"Of course" Hera smiled. "I'll come to camp after Annabeth's ceremony, if that is alright with you."

"Perfect! Thanks, mom" Percy said with a smile. Hera returned the smile and gave Percy a quick hug.

"I'll flash Annabeth's body to the big house. Chiron will know what to do" Hera told him.

"Thank you. I'll see you later, then?" he asked.

"Without a doubt" she reassured him with a smile.

Percy nodded and walked a few feet away before giving her a final smile and flashing himself away. Hera was left in the throne room alone, with only her thoughts to accompany her. She had seen right through Percy's smile, her being the goddess of the emotions having something to do with it. She knew that Percy had put on a brave face for her benefit, but she had seen it in his eyes. Or rather, hadn't. Percy's eyes, normally so expressive had been hollow with grief, the usual sea green shimmer all but absent. She shook her head sadly before transporting Annabeth's body to camp half blood and then flashing herself to Zeus' palace.

Percy materialized on the hill overlooking camp, right beside Peleus. The young dragon gave a low welcoming sound as Percy appeared. "Hey, boy" Percy said, patting Peleus' lowered head. Peleus made a pleased cat-like purr before nudging Percy playfully.

After a few minutes, Percy was able to take his leave of the young dragon and make his way down to camp. Most of the camp seemed deserted, and Percy knew why. It was about dinner time, and even at this distance, Percy could hear the low pitched rumble of many different conversations. When he reached the dining pavilion, he was struck by how mournful everything seemed.

The usually cheery voices of the campers were hushed and some of them were wearing sorrowful looks. Annabeth's brothers and sisters from the Athena cabin were completely silent, picking at their food. Percy saw some of his friends seated at their own tables. Jason was at the Zeus table, looking worried.

He was the first to see Percy and immediately jumped up. "Percy's back!" he yelled, already in the act of making his way to his cousin.

Reaching Percy, he gave him a strong hug. "Perce, you okay? We just got the news when we were sitting for dinner. I'm really sorry that…" he trailed off, the expression in his eyes making clear his worry for his cousin.

"Well, I'm coping fine, and I'll be up and about in a few days. You'll see" Percy said, feeling a slight pang of hurt as he lied to Jason.

Before Jason could say anything, all of Percy's closest friends reached the two, having been roused by Jason's yell. Katie gave him a strong, tearful hug, and Percy, not knowing what to do, gently patted her back until she had composed herself. Nico, Travis and Connor, and Will gave him comforting pats on the back, asking how he was doing and if they could help in any way. Clarisse, however, surprised him the most. The daughter of Ares had no word of condescension for him, for once. Instead, she settled for a pat on his arm before stepping back wordlessly. That in itself spoke volumes to Percy.

Chrome came galloping up just then. "Percy! What… what happened?" he asked, the expression on his face clearly betraying his sadness and anguish. Percy suddenly realized what Chiron must have been going through right now.

The centaur had been like a second father to Annabeth and had known her the longest of most everyone at camp. Her death would certainly have shocked and saddened him.

To comfort his mentor as well as he could, Percy took a step forward and gave Chiron a hug which was returned just a shade too hard, confirming Percy's thoughts. Looking over Chiron's shoulder, Percy realized that most demigods were still in their seats, although they looked like they wanted to get up.

Chiron, noticing where Percy was looking waved a hand off handedly. "I ordered them, rather loudly, to stay seated. They do listen to instructions, you know?"

Percy nodded. "Of course they do. Well, as for your question. Me and Annabeth were attacked by a small monster army. It was just me and her against 150 or so of them. We were doing well until… Annabeth jumped into a spear's path that was headed straight for my chest, there was no way I was dodging that. She saved my life" Percy said, his expression taut, giving away nothing as to his inner emotions.

Chiron nodded, with a watery smile. "It's just the kind of thing I'd expect from her" he said proudly. "Well, we must do her the honor she deserves. Lady Hera also sent us a funeral shroud, so we're all set to… to do it now" Chico said.

Percy nodded, a slight twinge of gratefulness towards Hera welling up inside him. "Let's do it" he said.

"Campers! To the beach" Chiron announced, striding towards the big house. Percy followed him, while his friends and Jason went to join the rest of the campers. There was a subdued silence between Percy and Chiron as they walked to the Big House to retrieve Annabeth's body and burial shroud, both lost in their own memories.

Upon seeing the shroud, Percy stopped short. It was elaborately woven, yet simple. It was colored grey with a pattern of brown owls along the borders. In the middle, it had a larger owl, with startlingly grey eyes that reminded Percy eerily of Annabeth. Annabeth's body was lying neatly inside the shroud. Upon seeing her face, a thousand memories he had with Annabeth made their way to the forefront of his mind, and it was all he could do to maintain his calm façade.

At Chiron's nod, Percy lifted the shroud from the front while Chiron did so from the back. Carefully, they made their way to the beach. The campers who had assembled on the beach parted to let them pass, creating a path down the middle of the group. Percy heard many sounds of wonder at the beautiful shroud and held his head higher, although he had no apparent reason to do so. They finally placed the shroud where the beach ended, ready to push out to sea. Malcolm Pace, Annabeth's sibling and until now, the junior counselor of the Athena cabin came to stand by them wordlessly. Solemnly, he put a drachma in Annabeth's pocket.

Percy knew that this was done to secure passage on Charon's ferry which would take her soul to the main Underworld where her soul would first be judged before she would placed in the Fields of Punishment, Asphodel or Elysium. Percy knew she would not yet achieve the Isles of Blest, but hoped that she made it to Elysium. Knowing the kind of demigod she had been, however, Percy had no doubts that she would.

Chiron held out his bow for Malcolm to take. An arrow would be lit with fire and when the shroud was a short distance away, would be fired upon and burnt. It was considered a matter of honor and the task would usually be undertaken by one of the deceased demigod's siblings. It came as a surprise to Percy when Malcolm bowed his head in respect and did not take the bow.

"Percy. I… we" he indicated his siblings, who were standing a short distance away "we would like you to do it. Annabeth spoke highly of you, and everyone knew how you two were inseparable, and all the quests you completed together are a testament to the fact" Malcolm said, voice surprisingly calm.

Percy nodded at once. "I will accept, of course. Thank you for the honor, Malcolm" Percy said formally.

Malcolm just nodded, his eyes now resting on his dead half-sister's face. He went close to the shroud and knelt next to it. He muttered a few words and then stepped back, going to stand just behind Percy. Many demigods now came forward to pay their final respects to Annabeth, Percy's friends among them. By the time it was over, many a face was moist with tears while others were on the brink.

It was Matthew and Chiron together who reached forward as one and pushed Annabeth's shroud lightly. Immediately the current took hold and Percy willed the currents to start taking the shroud out to sea. When it was 25 yards or so away, Chiron held out his bow to Percy.

"Thank you, Chiron, but I'd prefer to use my own" Percy said respectfully. As Chiron nodded, Percy twisted the ring on his finger, and his jet black bow appeared in his hand. He put his fingers on the bowstring and an arrow suddenly appeared. Most campers had not seen Percy with his bow and were stupefied by its beauty, nary a sound escaping their lips. The next moment, however, there were many strangled cried of surprise as the arrowhead caught flame, seemingly of its own accord. Percy took a step forwards, assumed his archery stance and drew back the string. He took a deep breath, let it out, and released. The arrow flew in a long, steady arc, swift and true and struck the shroud right in the center.

Percy had caused the flames on the arrow head to burn bright and strong, just a shade cooler than Greek fire, and this caused the shroud to catch fire at once. The whole shroud began to burn up, sending wisps of smoke into the air. It created an awe-inspiring sight, and the demigods stood transfixed for a while. After what seemed to be hours, the shroud finally burnt up completely and the Percy let the fire peter out.

Still murmuring amongst themselves in wonder, the campers headed towards their cabins without needing to be told. Chiron patted Percy on the back with a smile of comfort, although it was visibly weak. As Chiron left, walking sadly towards the big house, Percy's friends grouped around him.

Without being asked, Percy recounted the events of the past day, leaving nothing out, save his last conversation with Annabeth. His friends were good listeners, asking question at just the right time. All of them were wearing differing expressions of sadness and loss. Even Jason and Leo, who had not known Annabeth for too long were forlorn. Katie, who had known Annabeth since she had come to camp had a lost, gaunt look in her eyes.

The daughter of Demeter burst into tears when Percy spoke of how Annabeth had thrown herself into the spear's path. Without a hint of hesitation, Percy put his arms around her, holding her close as she let her grief go. After an eternity, she pulled back, giving him a tearful smile as she did.

"I can't even imagine how you'd be feeling right now" Leo spoke up, his voice forlorn.

"I'll be fine, Leo. Thanks for your support" Percy said, his voice even.

Katie glared at him, her cheeks moist while Clarisse did the same. The daughter of Ares was not crying but she was deathly silent, something which spoke of her true feelings. Percy noticed the twin glares and tried to give them an innocent look. Already, he knew what they were going to ask.

"Umm… What is it guys?" he asked.

"You've got that look in your face, Prissy" Clarissa growled.

"What look?" Percy asked, trying his best to keep his face expressionless.

"The one that suggests you're about to do something stupid" Katie spoke up, confirming Percy's hunch.

I should have figured they'd catch on immediately Percy thought ruefully. I can't let them know that I'm going. They'll try to stop me, to keep me here. They won't understand that I need to get away. Bile rose in his throat as he lied to his friends. "Honestly, guys, I'm not gonna do anything" he said, trying to keep his voice from breaking.

Clarisse harrumphed but dropped it, while Katie flashed him a cold glare. Jason bailed Percy out. "Guys, we've had a long day. We should turn in, we're all pretty shaken up" he said, before almost laughing at the rather comical look of relief on Percy's face as he flashed him a smile.

Their friends nodded, accepting the suggestion. Saying goodnight, they headed off to their own cabins, leaving Jason alone with Percy and Katie, who was standing stock still, her eyes lacking their usual cheery shine.

Without warning, she rushed forwards into Percy's arms for the second time that night. Percy, of course, had no clue how to handle it and tensed momentarily before haltingly putting his arms around Katie. "Percy, please don't do anything stupid" Katie whispered, making Percy's already broken heart feel a pang of guilt.

After a time she pulled back, said good night to Jason as well and headed back to her cabin. "I'll walk with you to your cabin" Jason said, falling into step beside Percy. They walked in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Jason finally spoke. "Good luck Perce. You stay safe, wherever you're going" he said solemnly clapping Percy on the back.

Percy suddenly halted, muted surprise in his eyes. Because of his sudden astonishment, Percy did not even think to lie. "How did you know?" he asked simply as they continued walking.

Jason scratched the back of his neck as he thought about it. "I think it's because I would wanna do the same, if something like this happened to me. I would want to get away from everything for a while, take life at my own pace, you know?"

Percy nodded. "That's it exactly. But it's no big deal, I'll be back. I can't say for sure when that'll happen, but I will be back" he said easily.

"I'll cover for you as long as I can" Jason said, before a thought came to him. "On second thought, I won't cover for you. I don't fancy getting maimed by Clarisse" he winced.

Percy grinned. "You haven't even seen Katie in a real rage yet."

"I don't think I want to" Jason chuckled wryly, and was joined by Percy.

"Well, don't worry, I'll write a note. You just have to act surprised when they come looking for me in the morning and find the note" Percy said.

Jason nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Perce."

By this time, they had reached the Poseidon cabin. "No, Jason. Thank you. For everything" Percy said honestly.

"What'd I do?" Jason asked confusedly.

"I dunno, I just felt like saying it" Percy said honestly.

"Since we're being all fluff-y now, I'll miss you. It was great, the time I spent with you the past few weeks" Jason said, chuckling slightly.

Percy let out a chortle. "Likewise, bro. Good luck here. I'll be back soon enough. Who knows, maybe you'll be back at camp Jupiter by then. If so, I'll come visit you there."

"Of course" Jason nodded and the two cousins hugged, shortly but meaningfully.

"Night Jase. See you soon" Percy said, managing to keep his voice somewhat cheery.

"See ya Perce" Jason replied before turning around and slowly stalking off towards his own cabin.

Percy stood rooted to the same spot, making mental pictures of all his friends at camp half blood, committing them to his memory. He felt a pang of sadness as he thought about Reyna, Gwen, Hazel and Frank at camp Jupiter. It had been a long time since he had left camp Jupiter. His attempts to iris message them had failed unexplainably.

"I can see you're going to miss them" said a soft voice, startling him out of his brooding state. He whirled and saw that it was Lady Hera.

Immediately, he bowed, noting Hera's displeased expression as he straightened again.

"Must you do that?" she asked exasperatedly.

Percy only smiled innocently. "It's out of respect for you that I bow to you, Lady He… Mom" he said. Even now, he had trouble coming to grips with the fact that Hera had actually adopted him.

She waved a hand dismissively. "I already know that."

"A constant reminder doesn't hurt" Percy said, grinning mischievously, causing Hera to let out a small snort which was immediately suppressed.

"I'm certain arguing with you isn't going to change your mind on this" she said, yielding. Percy's only reply was a half smirk. "Oh well. I paid a visit to the Amazons, along with Athena. She is their major patron goddess, above me since she's more warlike" Hera explained.

"Does she know about my going there to train?" Percy asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but I had to tell her" Hera said, slightly tensing.

Percy smiled comfortingly. "It's okay. I trust lady Athena to not tell anyone. Besides, a couple of the gods should know where I am, in case there's an emergency."

"True" Hera replied. "Well, everything is settled. We haven't revealed your identity to the Amazons yet. We just told them that a demigod would stay with them to receive further training." Percy nodded in understanding. "Shall we?" Hera asked.

Percy nodded and immediately found himself engulfed in a bright flash of white light. They appeared right in front of a sprawling warehouse with the words emblazoned on the grey and white walls in a shade of orange.

"We are in Seattle" Herald explained. "This is the Amazon headquarters. This is where the Amazon queen sits her throne."

Percy nodded. "What is the name of their current queen?" he asked curiously.

"You'll find out soon enough" the deity replied. "I have a feeling you'll recognize her" Hera supplied, arousing his curiosity even more.

Together. The two walked towards the revolving doors under the sign which indicated that it was the reception they were headed towards. Percy stepped in front of Hera and pushed the door open for her. The queen of the gods nodded in thanks and entered, Percy by her side.

The room was nondescript, as could be expected of a normal warehouse, or what looked like a normal warehouse, anyways, Percy thought, chuckling to himself. The walls were a drab grey, as were the few armchairs that were placed at one side of the room.

Behind the receptionist's desk, a fair skinned young woman was seated. She had brown hair and was wearing a black suit, and was in the act of typing something into a computer. She did not look up when the two entered, engrossed as she was.

"Good evening, what can I… Oh, my lady Hera, it is an honor" the girl said, having looked up and seen her visitors. She bowed smartly before rising and appraising Percy. "Is this the demigod?" she asked.

"It is" Hera confirmed.

"Very good, my lady. Our queen is waiting in the throne room" the girl said respectfully. "I am to take you to her, if it pleases you."

"It does" Hera said with a smile in Percy's direction.

As soon as the receptionist rose from her desk, a door opened and another girl of about the same age stepped out. She bowed to Hera and nodded to her colleague before taking a seat at the desk.

The receptionist who had received them opened another door and held it open for Percy and Hera. As they walked along a dimly lit corridor, the girl turned to Percy. "My name's Kinzie, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Kinzie" Percy said affably. "I'm Percy."

"Perc… Wait… The Percy Jackson!? Savior of Olympus? Slayer of Kronos?" she asked in a machine gun manner, a spark in her eyes.

"Well, yeah" Percy said, squirming slightly, feeling self conscious.

Suddenly, right in front of Hera, Kinzie latched onto Percy's arm. "You will give me an autograph won't you?" she asked, leaning on him and looking right into his eyes.

Percy averted his own eyes quickly, looking anywhere but at her. Hera, amused, stifled a laugh, covering it up with a soft cough. As if suddenly reminded of the Queen of the gods' presence, Kinzie let go of Percy's arm and walked a couple steps ahead, blushing slightly. She opened another door and Percy stopped dead, awed by the size of the room they were now in.

A cavernous room stretched around him in every direction. Containers upon containers were piled on top of each other in orderly formations while smaller boxes and packages were kept a short distance away. Forklifts were zooming across the floor here and there while men worked together to lift boxes onto special carts. It was all extremely efficient to Percy.

Percy, however, was most caught off guard by the workers. All of them were men, wearing orange work clothes and orange hardhats. Aside from that, all of them were wearing iron collars. The only women Percy noticed seemed to be doing administrative and officer's work. Female guards were dotted throughout the room in pairs of two. The guards were wearing light armor, colored a dark shade of green. All were carrying long spears in their hands, with short swords at their waists.

Kinzie had noticed him looking at the workers. "We only use males for the grunt work. Some of them are our boyfriends or husbands. Most of them are prisoners of war" she explained helpfully. She led them across the room to where another door stood. This one, however, had a pair of guards flanking it on both sides.

Upon seeing Kinzie, the guards nodded a greeting, giving a short bow to Hera. One of them turned swiftly and opened the door before stepping back and standing to attention. Kinzie nodded at them to go through. The door opened into a short corridor at the end of which light could be seen and the murmur of conversation be heard. The tunnel itself was lit by torches and braziers on the wall instead of electric light.

At the end of the corridor were two more guards. These had bows slung over their backs in addition to the spears and were carrying shields in one hand. "These are some of the best amazon warriors. Second only to the warrior class I'm in" Kinzie said.

"You?" Percy asked, a trace of incredulousness creeping into his voice.

"Why yes" she smirked. "I could wipe the floor with you any day, hero of Olympus though you may be."

"We'll find out soon enough" Percy said out of the corner of his mouth, making her grin.

By this time, they had reached the corridor's end and the guards waved them on. The throne room of the amazons was huge. A hollow circular room, completely empty of objects except for a splendid throne at the far end of the room. The throne, while not exuding the level of beauty of the Olympians' thrones, was quite marvelous in its own right. It was made of a stone Percy did not recognize, black with grey and white patters embedded into it. Jewels decorated the arms and the area above the headrest, glimmering in the light thrown from the braziers and numerous torches.

Percy then looked upon the queen and his heart suddenly lifted. He rushed forward to stand but a few feet from the throne. Kinzie gave a yelp of surprise and ran after him, fleet and swift, while Hera brought up the rear calmly, having known this was going to happen.

Percy looked more closely. The features were right. The same long black hair, the piercing black eyes, vitality coursing through them. The same poise, regal bearing. But there was something different about her, something which he couldn't seem to lay a finger on.

As Percy had come forward rather quickly without warning, a pair of guards had come to intercept him, classifying him as a potential threat. When he stopped however, and they were satisfied that he meant no harm, they retreated to either sides of the throne. The queens eyes were fixed upon his own.

"Re… Reyna?" he asked hesitantly.

Masked wonder shone in her dark orbs. "I am Hylla. Might I ask how you know my sister?"

Now Percy saw it. The small difference, which had been nagging him. The female was slightly older than Reyna, maybe around 20 years. "I. I was at camp Jupiter for a time. I befriended her."

Hylla had now adopted a slightly vacant expression, tapping the side of her head. Her eyes suddenly focused. "You're that demigod who sacked Circe's island with that daughter of Athena!" she exclaimed hotly.

"Perseus Jackson" Percy introduced himself, eyeing her warily.

"For days on end, when we were in the captivity of the pirates, we cursed you and your friend" Hylla said, the fire not completely gone from her eyes. "It has been long since that event occurred, however. I will give you another chance, Perseus" she said, calming down.

Percy nodded. "I will not disappoint you, Hylla."

Hera now broke in. "Hylla, see to it that he receives the highest level of your training. I will take him away a short time after the completion of his training" she announced.

Hylla bowed her head, but wonder shone in her eyes. "That is, of course, acceptable. But my lady…" she trailed off.

Hera looked amused. "You may speak freely."

"My lady, no one who is currently alive has completed the highest training. Only the amazons of old were as highly trained. Even the name of those levels have been lost through the passage of time." Hylla said.

"Perseus will be up to the task. As to that, I am confident. Hephaestus also gifted you thousand of his best automatons, I remember. Will you use those?"

"Yes, my lady. They have been programmed the right way and pose a dangerous challenge. Even my most seasoned warriors including myself have not managed to defeat more than three at a time."

"Impressive" Hera said, to the surprise of Percy, who literally burned through Hephaestus' auto bots during his own training.. "Hephaestus himself told me that even the strongest demigods could barely take on two at once and win."

Hylla's head lifted in pride. "We are no common demigods, my lady."

"Very true" Hera smiled. "Good luck, Hylla. I sense dark times ahead. May you have the strength to face them. I must now take my leave. I would say farewell to Perseus."

"Of course, my lady" Hylla said respectfully. "Thank you for your kind words, my lady. We will give you some privacy" she said, signaling her guards and Kinzie to follow and walking towards a door behind throne, almost impossible to make out since it was exactly of the same material and was the same color and hue of the wall around it.

Once the door had closed behind the group of amazons, Percy spoke. "I… mom, thank you for this. I could have thought of nothing better to do."

"Hush, Perseus. It was no problem. I know that you will train hard and hone your skills farther. The amazons, although they have not actively fought in many wars, are one of, if not the most skilled group of demigods." Hera uttered.

Percy smiled at her. "I will, mom. Give my warmest regards and love to lady Hestia and my dad, if you will."

"Of course" she said. She was about to continue when Percy almost slammed into her, hugging her. She immediately knew the cause. Percy was probably feeling overwhelming pain, even now, and would continue to do so for a long time yet. It was the best she could do, get him to train and keep him occupied. Already, she feared the cause of Annabeth's death, and prayed that Percy did not find out. If he did so, no doubt he would end up doing something rash, endangering himself without a second thought.

She therefore hugged Percy back comfortingly. "Be strong, Perseus" she said, making him mock glare at her. She just gave him a devilish smirk.

"See you, mom. Stay safe." Percy said, pulling back.

Hera nodded and smiled at him before vanishing in a vortex of bright white light, bright enough for Percy to have to cover his eyes, despite how he usually would usually not have to do so. As soon as Hera had left, Hylla reentered the room with Kinzie and her two guards.

"Perseus, it is now late. You will be shown to your room and be woken up at 6am to start your training." Hylla announced.

"Of course, Hylla" Percy said.

Hylla nodded to Kinzie who came forwards at once. "Let's go Percy! I'll be showing you to your room."

"What are we waiting for then?" Percy smirked, making her grin again.

Kinzie walked ahead of him again, leading the way. Throughout the path to his room, Percy examined and memorized all the features he could, making himself completely aware of his surroundings. A number of twisting turns, brightly lit corridors and a couple large warehouse rooms later, they arrived at Percy's room. Looking at the identical doors surrounding the one to his room, Percy deduced that this block of the amazons' headquarters consisted of housing units.

"Will you be needing anything Percy?" Kinzie asked him, handing him the key to the room.

"Thanks Kinzie, but I'm sure I'll manage well enough for one night" Percy said dryly.

"Well, see you tomorrow then. Goodnight!" Kinzie said, flashing him a bright smile.

"Night" Percy smiled back. As soon as the door had closed behind her, he locked the door and let out a wide yawn. Too tired to do anything but to go to the bathroom and change into more comfortable clothes. As he was doing so, he realized that he had been wearing the remaining tatters of the clothes he had worn that morning when he had gotten ready for his date with Annabeth.

He flopped onto his bed, a pang of loss coursing through him. The adrenaline and will to push forward that had kept him going throughout the day suddenly left him and he was overwhelmed by weariness. If a comfortable night of sleep was what Percy had been wishing for however, he was to be sorely disappointed.

He had barely closed his eyes when a window into his mind was forced open. "Percy Jackson" the malicious voice rumbled….

AN: hahaha, how about that for a cliffhanger? I'm sorry guys, you'll have to wait at while to find out. I have exams starting Monday and I won't be free for two weeks. After that I'll start posting chapters, although at a slower rate.

If any of you are wondering why I'm having exams while most schools in America have let up for the summer, well, here's an explanation. For the past two months or so, I've been on vacation in Europe, having taken a sabbatical from school and now I have to give them a bit later than I usually would be while my classmates are enjoying their vacations :D yeah…

And now, for the ending. I really do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, although there wasn't really any action in it. Review, favorite, follow. Seriously, review! I need reviews ! Haha, no pressure. See you guys around though. I'll miss yall ^/^ ◢◤