AN Have fun :) Almost at the end of the second act and things are getting tense.

Chapter 11 Verdict

Annabeth POV

He sat on the chair next to her bed, holding her hand. His cloak was worn out and scorch marks dotted the dark fabric. Sam's arms were covered in sigils and runes that looked like faded tattoos. He turned to me. His buzz cut had started to grow and his eyes were hollow and tired.

'Do they have their verdict?'

'They haven't started yet, but you need to be present for this, ancient laws decree it,' I said clutching my dagger in one hand, magical restraints in the other.

'Why send you and not, say, Frank or John?'

'I volunteered,' I replied. 'Now, stand up and let me get the restraints on you.'

'Alright.' He stood and gave Sarah a brotherly kiss on the head.

Sam held out his hands and I slipped on the reinforced gloves that held his fingers, hand and wrists in a rigid position. Next I attached them to each other, while threading a silver rope through the openings to hold his hands in front of him as we walked. I tugged at the rope as we exited the room.

In the hallway stood the others. Percy, Frank, Nico, Thalia, Reyna and Piper had weapons drawn and formed a perimeter around us. Reyna advanced and stood before Sam. She held out a crutch.

'Take it off,' ordered the armoured praetor.

'I could use a hand,' he muttered raising his bound hands.

Frank lifted him up, while Sam gave Reyna instructions on how to safely remove it. After a tense couple of minutes the celestial bronze leg popped off and Hylla handed Sam the crutch to walk. We slowly made our way out of the hospital and walked towards the hearth of Camp Half-Blood.

Harley POV

'We have gathered here today to discuss the matter of Sam Parker,' announced Chiron slamming a hoof against a piece of marble. 'My lords, my ladies, the floor is yours.'

We sat on chairs provided by the gods. I found myself sitting next to Annabeth, cabin 20 and several of Sam's friends at camp. News had travelled fast and now we found ourselves divided between those who stood with Sam and those who agreed with punishment, which included most of the Hunters, Romans and Ares campers. The Seven had chosen to remain rather impartial to the feud.

The hearth was bright thanks to Hestia's excellent care. Next to it sat Sam who was flanked by Circe and his mother. The other Olympians sat on improvised thrones in an inversed U-shape, dressed in regal looking toga's and all holding a symbol of power. Several minor gods sat in the audience.

'Has the accused anything to say before we begin?' asked Chiron.

'I do,' said Sam turning towards us. 'Joanne Harley and Reyna Ramirez?'

I turned to Reyna who stood in the back. She shrugged with a puzzled look. 'Yes?' I asked.

'Will she be safe after this?'

'She will be safe as she recovers,' I answered. 'You know my creed.'

He nodded as Reyna advanced. She spoke. 'The legion takes care of their own.' He nodded.

'Is that all?' asked Chiron.

Sam did not answer but stood there head held high on one leg.

'Then we shall proceed.'

The gods all stared at Sam before Hestia was the first to speak.

The young girl with the brown dress and red eyes turned to the audience. 'Sam came to us just before dawn. He arrived at the throne room in an agitated state, which is understandable considering what he had just been through.' Hestia paused, probably to think about the wording. 'He asked us to safeguard his sister, he wanted to ask Sarah Parker's grandfathers to be sure that his request came through.'

'He used some foul magic to transform us into our Roman forms,' argued Ares.

Lou and John exchanged nervous glances with Circe who nodded slightly.

'I agree that his methods could use some refinement,' continued Hestia. 'But he did it for his sister, who just lost her parents in a brutal attack, ordered by Nyx.'

'He had his wish granted,' continued Aphrodite. 'Transformed us back and then Zeus attacked him first.'

'I did not, he transformed us by force,' screamed Zeus as thunder roared through the sky.

'You threw a bolt of lightning at a grieving mortal who was obviously out of his mind, father,' said Athena pointedly. 'He was already on his way out.'

'And yet he still stands before us here now,' said Ares smugly. 'No mere mortal could survive a bolt thrown by father.'

'Of course not, but then again, I am not a mere mortal,' said Sam.

'The defendant will be silent,' said Chiron.

'Sam used the mecha to throw a bolt of lightning back at my brother,' said Poseidon gripping his trident. 'Hades and I then proceeded to advance on him. Hades then broke the floor of the throne room and had Parker plummeting to the earth. Thanks to some bursts of wind, Sam fell into the surf at the beach. The mecha is still there.'

'From what we have heard, Sam then walked towards this very hearth to rest, while campers and Chiron advanced on his position, correct?' asked Hestia.

'That is correct, lady Hestia,' said Percy from the audience.

'Step forward, son of Podeidon,' said Zeus.

Percy made his way towards the hearth and bowed to the gods. 'Let me recount the events.'

Percy POV

People came running from all directions to check out the source of the noise that had come from the beach. I had uncapped Riptide to anticipate a monster attack by Nyx, but had to stop when someone came stumbling from the beach pathway and fell down next to the hearth.

'Who is it?' asked Annabeth as she caught up with me. Thalia trailed after her, spear and Aegis drawn.

A shout from John McMiller answered the question as he shouted Sam's name. We saw the elder mage skidding to a halt and turning his brother on his back as the aura dissapeared. Piper joined him and held a flask to Sam's lips. As we arrived we heard Sam coughing and slowly regaining his senses. They took a seat next to the hearth. Sam panted as he looked at me, anger still filling his eyes.

'Guess I owe you father some tribute,' he spoke.

'What happened?' asked Annabeth as the Hunters and Amazons joined the party.

'Nothing much. Had my wish, Hades threw me out. Guess Poseidon had a helping hand in my landing.'

'You assaulted Zeus,' said Thalia stepping forward.

'What?' we chorused. I clutched Riptide even tighter.

'Lady Artemis told us through IM.'

'What did you do?' asked Chiron nervously.

'I asked them for a favour, they didn't listen to me,' he replied with a growl. 'I finally got Zeus down a peg.' His magical aura started showing again.

We, the Seven and Reyna and leaders of cabin 20, exchanged nervous glances. 'Sam, we all realize that you are grieving,' started Piper. 'But you can't go on like this. You need to calm down.' She had laced it with Charmspeak.

'And you need to learn to shut up, McLean. Your little mind control won't work on me.' He took off his cloak and exposed his bare chest and arms, covered in sigils and runes. I wasn't an expert on Charmspeak, but you need to be quite powerful to resist Piper's. And those symbols weren't looking good either.

'Sam,' said John. 'You're radiating quite some magic, anything I can do to help?' John stared at me and Jason and nodded. 'Those runes are quite dangerous if not properly contained.'

'No. I've done everything that needed to be done. For now.'

'Attacked Zeus?' said Suzan incredulously. 'Lady Artemis must becoming insane, there is no way Sam could've done that.'

'It was self-defence,' said Sam as he poked at several sigils. 'I threw a bolt back at his smug face, much like the one Thalia and you always have when you think you can win the fight. Guess it's Big Three material.' He grinned at that.

'There is no way,' said Suzan with a stammer. 'Impossible.'

'Enough talking, get him contained,' hissed Thalia as she advanced with her spear aimed at his chest, but Sam didn't move nor raise a barrier. He simply sat there as we all stepped back from his increasing aura.

Thalia collapsed the blade and poked Sam in the chest, yet he did not respond.

'He's using magic,' said Lou as she approached us. 'And not so much of it as you'd think. He's on to something. Better get him restrained fast.'

'You're not going to defend him?' I asked as Annabeth slipped on her Yankee cap.

'That is not my brother, but Nyx. She got into his head. John, ready every ounce you've got, we're going to need it.'

'You're not fighting him,' John said. 'You need to keep the baby safe.'

'I know, but he's got the edge here. You're not seeing are you?'

'Seeing what?'

Sam grabbed the blunt end of the spear and jerked it back at Thalia, hitting her in the chest. She stumbled backwards as Sam grabbed hold of the spear. His hand glowed brightly for a second and then he held a can of mace in his hand, which he casually threw aside. Thalia released a scream as she charged at him with a raised Aegis, but he simply threw a sigil at it and suddenly it was a watch again. Sam threw a spell at her, which made her fly back against Jason. He started walking towards Cabin 20, but got surrounded by us. Everyone had a drawn weapon.

'It's as if he can see the magic,' said Lou with a sad smile.

'The gods have finally met their match,' said Sam with a grin as his eyes seemed to glow brightly. He squeezed sigils between his hands and in a flash, I was holding Riptide in pen form. There was a moment where everybody was now carrying everyday items instead of weapons and shields. Annabeth turned visible while wearing the Yankee cap.

Thunder filled the air and in an instant lightning rained down upon him. Jason and Thalia held hands as a storm swept at dirt and the hearth, but nothing. Sam emerged from it unscathed holding a ball of sparking energy in his hands.

'That was not nice,' said Sam with double voice.

He released the energy, but it bounced back again the barriers the mages had conjured. It threw us back a couple of feet.

I felt Lou pushing past me and Jason. John yelled at her to step back, but she had reached her younger brother. They stood there as the storm died down. Hunters approached with drawn bows and arrows.

'So the big sister comes to rescue,' said Sam. 'You won't be able to save me.'

'Of course I will, that's my job as a big sister.'

'Lou, get back here,' yelled Suzan.

'Listen to her and let me do my thing, the gods need to know what it feels like.' Sam readied some magic as his sigils glowed. He aimed his hands at Lou. Lou reacted by grabbing the mage in a hug. The Hunters stepped forward. Sam screamed and tried to get free from her grasp but to no avail. The magical aura even seemed to decrease. Tears streaked his dirty face.

'Sam would never willingly hurt me or his niece, now get out of his head or by the gods I will have your head on a stake.' From Sam's nostrils and ears flowed dark smoke. The smoke solidified into a figure. Her skin was ashen but the dress was black as the night with a galaxy floating near her waist. Wings appeared from her back. The last thing to manifest were her glowing eyes. In rising sun stood the first of the gods, Nyx.

'You are quite the demigod, Sam Parker. It was a pleasure to reside in your twisted mind. See you again soon.' Sam fell to the ground sobbing. Lou shook his cloak to rid it from dirt and draped it around his shoulders.

'Restrain him,' demanded Thalia.

'Wait up, Thalia,' Annabeth replied stepping forward. 'We need to be sure about this. You realize Nyx was controlling him, right?'

'Maybe she didn't,' said Thalia as she nodded at a Hunter.

The Hunter approached and bound Sam by the wrists with some silver rope before lifting him up and dragging him from the circle back towards the hearth of camp.

Annabeth POV

'Thank you, Percy,' said Hestia.

'Where do we begin?' asked Zeus. 'This mortal has assaulted me in my own throne room, whilst also endangering the life of several demigods in the process. He may or may not have been under the influence of an external force, but the question remains as to whether Sam Parker is a danger to the demigod community. I hereby open the debate on the gravity of the charges,' finished Zeus.

'I say we motion to disintegrate him,' said Ares. 'This mortal defied us, defiled us even. I say we have him thrown into Tartarus.'

'I vote for his release,' said Aphrodite. 'The emotions he felt during the attack are all stemming from the love to protect his sister. He only wanted to make sure she was protected at camp Jupiter.'

'This demigod had insulted us on more than one occasion,' said Hades twirling the blade. 'Yet, I think sending him to Tartarus is a bad idea. He might start another rebellion down there.' Nervous chuckles arose from the audience and the gods. 'I say we let him live, but punish him nonetheless.'

'I concur,' mumbled Sam.

'Shush,' said Hecate.

'Although I can understand all sides in this,' said Athena gesturing at Ares and Aphrodite. Of course you do mother, you're the wise one. 'I do agree that Sam poses a certain risk to the demigod community, therefor I suggest we have him exiled.'

People gasped and murmur arose from the audience. Sam stared at Hecate. They exchanged pained looks.

'Are you all nuts?' yelled a voice from the back. I turned around and saw Cali standing up wearing full armour. Gina tried pulling her back down. 'This is Sam we're talking about. He defeated Pandora and kept us all safe when nobody else could. He sacrificed his life for you.'

'Who dares interrupt the gods,' boomed Zeus.

'Cali Mayweather, daughter of Kymopoleia, granddaughter of Poseidon.' Cali stared at Zeus without backing down.

'Former lover of the defendant,' commented Aphrodite with a smile.

'Of course we know that,' said Athena. 'But that is in the past and does not concern the present.'

'It doesn't concern you,' replied Cali. 'This is between Zeus and Sam.'

'Sit back down, Caliope,' said Poseidon. 'I vote for his release, Nyx is forging plans for war and we need him. Anybody who can deflect a bolt can fight at my side.'

'Exile would eliminate him from our current problem,' said Artemis.

'You cannot!' argued Hecate. 'He had clouded judgement, he wasn't himself.' She positioned herself in front of her son.

'He wants revenge for his loved ones, I say we let him have it,' argued Nemesis from the audience. 'It would please me to see him crack Nyx' skull.' This got some cheers from people. 'Let him fight.'

'So you'd like to see me dead?' asked a familiar voice from the shadows. Nyx smiled as she stepped into the light from the hearth.

Sam released a guttural scream as he made a magic prosthetic leg appear and was armed with two of his axes. He moved towards Nyx, but she simply sidestepped and dodged his attacks. Even when he threw fire at her, the goddess was unfazed.

'Do you see it now,' said Nyx as she grabbed hold of Sam's neck. He growled at her. 'He's a rabid dog that needs to be put down. 'I showed you his true nature.'

Two arrows flew right past her and landed in a tree. Eve and Lianne stood back with drawn bows and notched arrows. 'Unhand him you witch,' spoke Eve.

'Praetor, did it not say that a child of magic and doors would break Olympus?'

Reyna lowered her sword and shield. 'Yes, the lines dictate it.'

'And did he not break Olympus? As far as I can see, the Olympians are divided and Olympus has been torn apart when he plummeted from the sky.'

Reyna nodded.

'And Zeus, has this demigod not promised you to keep the young demigods safe after his defeat of Pandora?'

'He has,' said Zeus.

'Would you consider this safe? Olympus in shambles, a demigod who can't control his temper or powers roams this camp freely. What if you had perished in his attack? He cannot even distinguish reality from a Mist illusion. I say you exile him and make him forget about us. If not, I will be forced to take action.'

'You will not touch my brother,' said Suzan arming herself.

'Yeah, harm him and you die,' said Cali as she unsheathed Sternbane.

More people arrived weapons and stood waiting for someone to do something. I spotted George brandishing a warhammer.

'Do you all not see that he is causing another war among demigods,' said Nyx gesturing at the scene before them. Sam was clawing at her arm. 'Take your responsibility and exile him. If not I will have to do it myself and it won't be pretty.'

The Olympians all stared at one another. 'All in favour of exiling the demigod, Sam Parker, and distorting his memory, raise your hand,' said Zeus meekly. Damned coward.

Zeus, Hera and Ares immediately voted for. Moments later Demeter and Hades joined them. Slowly Artemis and Dionysius raised their hands.

'That is a tie,' I said. 'We…'

Athena cleared her throat and raised her hand.

'Mother?' I asked. She avoided my gaze.

'The majority of Olympians is in favour of exile,' said Nyx happily. 'That solves our problem here.'

'Nyx,' said Zeus. 'We will keep our end of the agreement, you must as well. Have Typhon return to Tartarus and leave the demigod camps alone.'

'I will,' said Nyx a little too sweetly before casting Sam aside and vanishing.

Sam screamed and grabbed his forearm where the tattoo was glowing. Circe and Hestia approached him. I couldn't see it all, but the bars had vanished.

'Hecate, as the goddess of Mist and magic, I must demand you take care of your son's magic abilities and memory,' said Zeus.

'I will not,' declared the goddess glaringly. 'I had one son exiled because of your stubbornness, I will not have his powers bound and have him undergo a lobotomy.'

'Then Circe will have to do it,' declared Zeus.

'Mom, I can't. I haven't done a Mist manipulation of that scope in centuries. It'll turn him into a vegetable,' pleaded Circe. 'I am a minor goddess of magic for Hades' sake.'

'Can you bind his powers?' asked Hecate coldly.

'I will need help, five to form the coven to ensure the strongest bounds,' said Circe.

'Then I shall do my part as decreed by ancient law,' said Hecate. 'But understand this, Olympians,' she spat. 'After this is all over, I will leave and not return until you are all begging me to come back. If one of the voters approaches me, I will have your children clawing their own eyes out in fear. Is that clear?'

No one answered.

Hecate turned to Circe. 'Let him say goodbye and then bring him to the hospital. I will return shortly.' The goddess vanished.

And with that we found ourselves staring at a sobbing demigod, who was hugged by his pregnant sister while the other mages stood nailed to the ground.