Later, I had realised just how many people we had lost in the battle, and well, just how long I had actually been gone. It was a month since the battle I lost in, and everything had changed. Below us, New York was in crisis. They thought that Terrorists had been bombing constantly, and with more force than ever. Really, it was a tonne of monsters, and the Titans blowing the place up in an attempt to draw out the remaining gods. It had been working up until recently. Hades wouldn't go down because his land was the underworld. New York wasn't tied to him at all. Aphrodite wasn't actually of the family; she was technically a Titan, and wasn't hurt by the destruction of New York. If she could do enough, however, she would be down there. Hephaestus had lost one of his legs, which had been taken by Kronos. He was working on a mechanical one, but was doubtful about how much he could actually do once he got it. Apollo wasn't going to throw himself away until we had a better force. So basically, we'd just have to sit up here until the Titans forced their ways up and inside. A few of the minor gods had escaped, but wouldn't help us. At least they weren't on the Titans side this time. The worst part, however, was that Annabeth had been killed. I know she'd be back soon enough, but the thing is, it was horrible not being with her, and I had no idea if she were in Tartarus right now, or what. The name made me think. I had no idea what he had done to me – I didn't feel any different. I still had the trident, however. I was planning on using it in my next battle. I'd figured I wasn't going to find a 'twice lost blade' any time soon, so what the hell?
I sat on the edge of the lake, looking around Olympus. The city was dying. Apparently, I wasn't tied to New York, because I was a new god. I felt no harm from what was going on down there. But I was worried about my mother and Paul. I hadn't seen them in so long, and the Titans might have targeted them. They didn't even know that I was a god. I wanted to go down there, but I knew that the second I did, every single Titan would pour down onto me. If we were lucky, they didn't know I was back, and wouldn't expect me, so they'd let some of the Titans stay behind when they finally made it to Mount Olympus. I sighed slightly, staring into the water. Suddenly, a girl was sat beside me, looking into the water too. She looked about my age. She had long brown hair, and blue eyes. Her skin was tinted a faint blue, and she gave off a glow of the water.
'I wonder if the Titans will at least leave the lakes here…' She mused, staring into her home. 'The Titans won't get a chance to destroy them. Not while I'm here.' She shook her head slightly. 'You know you can't do this on your own. You're going to need a miracle to win.' I nodded, looking down into the water. 'I can tell you one thing, though' she added quickly. 'Your dad has faith in you. He said Montauk, and you'd know what that meant' I leapt to my feet, scaring the poor girl near to death. 'Thanks. You might just have helped save Olympus and western civilisation.' I grinned at her. With that, I sprinted off from the lake, going to find Rachael.
Minutes later, I ran into the throne room, where she was sat by the fire. 'Rachael!' I called out. She turned to face me, jumping at the sudden shout. 'What? You nearly gave me a heart attack!' She scowled at me. 'Tell the gods that if I don't return, to stay up here… no matter what.' She started to protest, but I motioned for her to turn around. She did so involuntarily, and I exploded into a burst of light.
I was stood outside my holiday cabin, where we used to come every summer. I heard talking from inside. I walked straight to the door, rapping on the door. A few seconds later, it swung open, and something jumped on me.
'PERCY!' My mother exclaimed, giving me probably the most forceful hug in the history of man. 'Where the hell have you been?' She scowled at me. 'I've been worried sick about you!' I sighed slightly, and motioned for her to go inside. I followed her in, to meet the best sight in days. Sat in the front room, were Paul and Annabeth.
As soon as I saw Annabeth, I felt a mixture of pure happiness, and guilt. In fact, if I weren't a god, and invincible, I probably would have died from the look Paul was giving me. 'So, Percy… when were you planning on telling us you got married?'