Disclaimer: I do not own this series

Chapter 14: Leap of Faith

This section is in Annabeth's POV.

"You're saying that there are Roman demigods?" I asked again, still not able to wrap my brain around the concept. "B-but-"

"If there are Greek demigods why can't there be Roman demigods?" Kier shrugged.

"So why haven't I heard of them before?" I demanded. "There must be hundreds of you guys. I haven't met any Roman demigods on quests or anything."

"Well it's common knowledge that the Greeks and Romans never got along," Kier said. I glared at him. Was he implying that I was stupid? "When ever Greeks and Romans meet blood is usually shed. It's no surprise that the gods try to minimize contact between the two groups."

"So that's why we are warned against traveling to the West Coast," I said slowly. It started to make sense now. "And especially the Bay Area. Is that where the Roman camp is?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Kier said, not giving anything away. "That is, if you don't die first."

And that brought us back to the topic of why I was being held hostage.

I scowled at Kier. "Who are you working for."

"No one you need to know. Someone powerful that has the potential to destroy all of humankind."

"The Titans?" I asked. "We just defeated them though.

"Not the Titans. Someone more powerful and deadly. The gods won't stand a chance against what is coming."

"Not unless us demigods help the gods out," I pointed out. "It worked for this war. It'll work again."

"But the gods are already terribly weak, and with Artemis missing..."

I looked up quickly at Kier, my neck screaming in pain from the sudden movement. "What do you know about the Hunters of Artemis," I demanded.

"Oh don't worry, I only injured them so that they are barely alive," Kier said casually.

"You monster," I muttered. "Why are you doing this? You don't have to be against us."

"Who said I was against you," Kier's eyes flashed with anger.

"Well you have me tied up in chains so I assumed-"

"We could use more help from the demigods. Demigods do not have to suffer because of the wrongs of the gods. We can join hand in hand and defeat the gods."

I shook my head, looking at Kier with disbelief. "Are you insane? Do you know what will happen if the gods are destroyed? The balance of the world will be completely tipped!"

"Aren't you tired to Zeus telling us what we can and can't do? Don't you think it's time we take control of our own lives? Imagine a world-"

"No, you're insane," I muttered. "You don't know what you're talking about. Who ever is whispering in your ear-"

"Oh don't worry. No one's whispering evil thoughts to me. These are my own thoughts. Like my father always says, 'There's time for a beginning and an end.' Don't you think the gods' time is up? It's time for the demigods to shine."

I closed my eyes, unable to say anything.

"You could join us, you know. Or you could die at the hands of my patron."

"I'd rather die than do something outrageous as destroying the gods."

"Well you did send Kronos back to the pits of Tartarus," Kier pointed out.

"That's because he was evil! No matter what the gods do, we know that they are doing things for the good of the earth. The Titans were plain selfish."

Kier looked around uneasily. "Watch what you say," he warned. "She's listening."

"Who?"

"My patron."

This section is in Percy's POV

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Grover bleated nervously. "I really really really..."

I let Grover's voice fade into the background as I mentally prepared myself for what I was going to do next. I felt like there was a hurricane in my stomach and my throat was becoming dry. Scared? Of course I was not scared. Jumping into the River Lethe was no problem for me. It was probably the easiest thing I would ever do.

All jokes aside, yes, I was scared. Terrified, in fact. The last time I had taken a plunge into the River Lethe I had barely made it out alive with my memories. It was only thanks to my water manipulating abilities that I still had my memories.

"It's cool Percy. It's just like fishing," I muttered underneath my breath. "Don't make a big deal out of it."

"Percy." Nico looked at me with concerned eyes. "I know there has to be some other way-"

"Nico I already told you there's no time. Gaea is stirring and-"

"You know it'll be easier to fight Gaea as a god, right?" Nico interrupted.

"Either way, Gaea is still thousand folds more powerful, regardless if I'm a god or not," I said. "Besides, I'm hoping that Annabeth will fight beside me if I become mortal again. I feel like I'm disconnected from all my friends. This is the only way I can fix things."

Nico shook his head silently. "You really messed up."

"I know," I said simply. "I know. If I could go back to that moment I really would but what's done is done."

"How can we be sure that his memories are there?" Nico wondered. "Has anyone tried searching for memories inside the Lethe?"

"There's always a first for everything," I shrugged. "If I lose my memories, tell Annabeth that-"

"Percy," Nico interrupted again, "as much of an idiot you are, I have complete confidence that this will turn out well. Of all the stupid things you have done, you managed to make a victory out of all of them. I'm sure that this will be the same."

"But what if-"

"Just shut up and go swim."

I grinned at Nico and he smiled back. "Thanks for doing all of this for me," I murmured. Nico and I had not gotten along well at first, and he had given me to Hades once in a trap, but now I knew that I could trust him.

I stared at the River Lethe, its pearly white water mocking and taunting me. I was a god now. I could take on the Lethe and defeat it. The river would not be taking my memories today. I took a deep breath and jumped.

A/N: Do you guys prefer slower updates with longer chapters or faster updates with shorter chapters? If there's no clear preference, I think I will just do faster updates with shorter chapters (~1000-1500 words). Sorry, I just don't have enough time to make chapters that long with all of the summer classes/activities I'm doing.