Hey guys, so I'm sorry if I am not updating as fast as I could be, I'm kind of having a writers block. I know where I want to go with this story, and maybe with sequels to it, I'm just having a hard time actually making my way there. So, my apologies for making y'all wait so much, just trying to let you guys know what's up.

Chapter 21: Insanity

Olympus third person POV:

The god's erupted into chaos, all except Poseidon. Poseidon sat in his throne, to distraught re realize what was happening. He knew it was a false hope to believe his favorite son was gone. Tartarus would have made sure that Percy was dead. After brooding silently amongst the chaos of the Olympian council, he had enough.

"SILENCE," Poseidon yelled, fed up with the immaturity of millennia old beings, they acted like high school freshmen. "Percy is dead, and all you fools can do is argue? About what? Whether or not Tartarus would actually kill Percy? Of course he would. Percy was probably our key to victory. There is no doubt that Tartarus -the primordial god of the pit, father of monsters, and many other nasty things- would kill the only thing standing between him and victory."

All the other gods looked at him, and felt ashamed that they always argued among times like this.

"If Percy isn't coming back, why would he say he is?" Hermes questioned.

"Because, Percy's thing was alway keeping his soldiers optimistic." Athena said. "He alway put his troops and their moral ahead of his own."

Everyone was shocked that Athena was speaking up for Percy. Last they checked, she hated Percy for having the nads to date her daughter.

"Just because I don't like the fact Percy was dating my daughter, does not mean I hate him," Athena stated, making all the other Olympians wonder if she was reading their minds. "Perseus was a fine warrior, the finest we have seen in our entire existence. He was also a good man. Everything that he has been through, would break almost any other demigod. Poseidon, you had a very good son. Even with what little we can teach our children due to limited contact with them, you taught him what you could, and it helped him in more ways than you can imagine."

"Thank you Lady Athena," Poseidon quietly said.

"About that limited contact," Zeus started, "I feel it would be beneficial to have more time with our offspring, to teach them the ways of the gods, prepare them for quests, battles, et cetera. But we must still be careful about revealing what the fates have put ahead for them. All in favor to spend more time with our kids to teach and mold them?"

Every single Olympian hand went up. It's been just as hard on the gods to stay away as it has been for their kids. This could indeed get very tricky though, because the human side of the demigods, alway curious, will ask many questions, many of which are better to stay unanswered.

"I know, it will be difficult, but, staying away has proven worse results. Since this new war began, we have been side by side with our children, not fighting their battles, but being with them, giving them the reassurance that we will not give up on them, that we do in fact love them, and they have only benefited," Zeus said. Probably the wisest and only not stupid statement to ever come out of his mouth.

"Aye, brother." Poseidon spoke up.

The other Olympians followed Poseidon's lead and started agreeing with Zeus, surprised he said something intelligent.

"I do believe this concludes our meeting," Zeus said with finality.

"Shall we tell the other demigods Perseus's last words?" Apollo asked.

"No, it would only set them into a frenzy of false hope. We cannot risk that kind of backlash when Percy doesn't come back," Athena said. "We have spent millennia lying to our children, normally to keep them safe, this is not the time for that, at least, until we can find out Perseus can defeat the odds once more."

Everyone else grudgingly knew that she was right, like always. With that, the Olympians started to walk away in different directions, all but one.

Zeus was alone in his throne, thinking. He missed Perseus, he didn't hate Percy, he just couldn't show emotion as the king of the gods, even to his own, and after millennia of that, it was weighing him down. He was lost in thoughts of what he could do, when his wife came up beside him and hugged him out of his thoughts.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"I've just been thinking. All the time we've been gods, I've been the king. It's stressful, I can't show emotion, I can't be relaxed, I have to be the one to set the example. The most emotion I have ever been able to show was to turn my daughter into a tree so she wouldn't die," Zeus looked at his wife. "I am sick of being king."

Hera looked at him in shock. "You're what?"

"I am sick of being king. The responsibilities, lack of emotion, it gets tiring after four thousand years," Zeus said.

"You could always give one of your brothers the throne," Hera suggested.

"Poseidon would be a very good king, he should have been all along. I just don't know if he will accept it. He doesn't want the glory." Zeus stated.

To be quite honest, Zeus has always been jealous of his brother. He acted like a king with such ease, he wasn't trying to be king, but he had a natural authority and leadership that people just tended to follow. Zeus felt like he always had to work extra hard to be that authoritative. In truth, Poseidon was even more powerful than Zeus. Zeus just couldn't admit that, as king, he wasn't the most powerful. That, and people think Zeus's master bolt is the most powerful weapon in Olympus, but Poseidon's was also made by the Telekhines, and had the same power. Hades was offered a weapon, but he didn't want one, although, the fear he can produce can be quite effective. The only difference between Zeus's bolt, and Poseidon's trident, was, well, one's a lightning bolt and the other is a trident.

"You're brother has always been the most humble of us Olympians. At the end of the day, you have to decide for yourself, my lord," Hera said.

Annabeth POV

I sat in my bed after my shower, lost in thoughts. Was Percy's life force really still out there? Where was he if he was? All these thoughts kept flying through my head, when I heard a knock at my door. I walked over and almost opened it, when I realized, I was still naked, and cursed myself for almost being so stupid.

"Be there in a sec!" I yelled as she ran to her room to grab a fresh pair of panties, bra, and just threw a symphony blue silk bathrobe over myself.

Another knock rasped at my door.

"I'm coming! Hold your pegasi!"

I opened the door to see my mother and Poseidon.

"Hello Annabeth, we just wanted to stop by and see how you are doing," Poseidon said kindly, his green eyes twinkling, but a hint of sadness etched into the corners.

"I'm, fine I guess. About as good as I can be I suppose," I answered blankly.

"That's good to hear," My mother said.

"Please, come in," I said motioning them to come inside.

"We need to talk," Athena said.

"About what?" I inquired.

"With Percy…." She hesitated.

"Dead," I bluntly said, still processing my dream.

Poseidon jolted at the word. I have never seen a god so distraught and sad. But he had another emotion, one I have seen many times in those same eyes in Percy, determination. The determination to do whatever it takes, the determination to not give up, and if anything tries to stop him, it would be the last act of their life. I now know where Percy got that steely look that could scare off a T-Rex. The determination in Poseidon's green eyes made him look scary, like an ocean about to erupt into a massive hurricane.

"Yeah, Percy has put you and Poseidon right behind him in rank, so, you are in charge of strategy, while Poseidon is in charge of carrying out Attacks," Athena.

"Okay. I will do my best. For Percy," I said tearing up.

"For Percy," Poseidon agreed.

My mother herself was tearing up.

"Percy was a good man, Annabeth. He fought bravely, and had Tartarus engaged in a fair fight, Percy would have won. Once this war is done, there will be monuments of Percy on Olympus. Artemis has already made him a constellation, and put him among the greats, where he belongs." my mother finalized. I lost it, I just hugged my mom and cried into her.

Poseidon himself started crying off to the side. Making me wonder if Percy truly was his favorite child Poseidon has ever sired.

Third Person POV:

Somewhere mysterious in a galaxy far far away. Or about northeastern US where pizza is a breakfast delicacy.

"What do we do with the contents my lord?" said a gruff voice in the dark.

"We leave it. Use it, feast from it's power," said a deep voice.

"How do we know it can't escape or get stolen?"

"I have laced it with magic, millennia old, to hide and seal it. Magic older than the Olympians themselves. The only person not on our side who can possibly open it would be Hecate, the titan of magic, or Annabeth Chase. Hecate is very very powerful when it comes to magic. As for that Chase girl, well, magic only goes so far against the powers of love unfortunately."

"Love indeed is a curse in its own rite, and a damn powerful curse at that."

"Love is a sickness that must be eradicated. I intend to do that. Darkness shall encompass the earth, and all of this cursed planet shall be consumed by my pit," Tartarus proclaimed. "And you, Atlas, will be leading the charge onto the Olympians and their spawn."

"Yes my lord. It is my honor," Atlas said.

At last, the titan of war gets to fight after thousands of years trapped under the sky. Months of training since Kronos' spawn took his job from him. Atlas can, at last, get his vengeance. The first target he has set out is that damn moon goddess, Artemis, for imprisoning him a second time, preventing him from furthering his fight against Olympus. This time, Atlas is not holding back. Tartarus has pulled all the reigns off of Atlas. The war dog, is out of his kennel.

Third person POV: The Plaza

Some of the seven were gathered up in a room at the plaza, mourning over Percy's death. They had just heard about it. In the room was Piper, Leo, Jason, Frank, Hazel, Reyna, and Nico. Annabeth was still in her room crying, even after Poseidon and Athena left her. Annabeth didn't know if she could ever heal from this, or if she could ever picture herself with another man. Back in the room, some of the seven along with Reyna, Nico, Rachel, and Calypso (A/N I'm just going to call them the saviors, rather than the seven with Reyna, Nico, Rachel and Calypso) were quietly chatting. Talking about past quests and heroic deeds that Percy did.

Frank was currently recalling when Percy had gotten some killer whales to help them on their way to Washington from New Rome on the quest to Alaska. Everyone else was laughing, picturing Percy having an argument on which way to go with 30 foot whales, and if they needed a map or GPS.

Hazel then pitched in the story, "So, Percy is at the bow right? And he's looking at the whales, and then yells at them 'Guys! I'm pretty sure we aren't lost! No we don't need to ask for directions! What do you mean you lost the map?! You don't have thumbs TO hold a map anyway!"

Everyone lost their shit at this.

"So in response, the whales then spat water at Percy, who said 'It's not my fault my dad gave you fins instead of hands! Hey! That's not nice to say! No you wouldn't be able to shove your fist up my ass! Would you rather be a dolphin? I know a guys who can make it happen!" Frank said.

The laughter only increased with the thought of Percy boxing with an Orca, trying to avoid getting a fisting session.

After the laughing died down, the mood turn somewhat somber. The sadness creeping into the room like an inevitable storm. You know it's coming, you just don't know when, and how bad it will be.

"I miss Percy. What are we going to do guys?" Piper asked.

"I miss him too beauty queen. We have to fight still," Leo said. "That's what Percy would have wanted. That guy never knew when to quit."

"He was a very admirable soldier," Reyna said, still having feelings for him. "Leo is right. Percy would want us to keep fighting, no matter the cost. We have to give it everything we have."

"Damn right we will," Jason pitched in. "I got a replacement for my old gladius-pilum dual weapon. It does the lightning thing as well. So we at least have that going for us."

"We won't let him down. We're gonna win this war," Frank said.

For the first time, Nico said something, just two words, though he said them with a fire and passion that made it impossible not to listen and repeat. "For Percy!"

"FOR PERCY" Everyone else yelled in unison.

It may be a losing battle, but the saviors won't go down without a fight.

Under the sky, on top of a mountain.

Nicholas strained under the weight of the sky. He was angry at everyone, his father for putting him here, the gods for being foolish, and that Jackson boy. He was kept informed as to the state of the war, and Jackson's state. Nicholas was plotting and planning a way to get back at everyone. He was going to tear the world a new asshole. His father did teach him a new power, one that Kronos himself used that made him so effective in the last war, and nearly winning. Now, that power was Nicholas's, all he had to do, was escape.

"How is it going my little pet?" said Atlas walking up to him.

"Fuck you. I am going to get out of here, and put you back in it myself. Don't you know who my father is?" Nicholas spat.

"I know who he is. Dead!" Atlas bursted into laughter. "Your daddy was stupid enough to face Jackson. He couldn't beat Jackson when he was a normal demigod, what in the world made him think he could beat Jackson as a god, I don't know."

Atlas got right in Nicholas's face.

"Just know one thing, you are as useless, arrogant, and foolish as your father was."

Nicholas spat in Atlas's face.

"Haha, got attitude problems have we? I believe an eternity under the sky will fix that. With Jackson out of the way, we have this war won. I'm off the leashes, and free to do whatever I please. This war won't last much longer, and I can guarantee that Tartarus won't want one of his useful followers to hold the sky, so it looks like you're stuck there."

"Just you wait, I will escape, and I will prove myself." Nicholas said.

"You already have. You've already proved how worthless you are. Just like your father." Atlas said and walked away.

Atlas third POV

Atlas felt free, the freedom of now reigns. Being able to go wreak absolute havoc upon the Olympians and the demigods. He thought of a place, and teleported in front of the Plaza, ready to destroy absolutely everything that moves. And things that don't move. Fuck it, the world will burn.