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Nine Months Since The Incident
Percy had been promoted to shift leader at the community center as a reward for his work within the center. He had proposed a new initiative of starting a youth swimming league, which had gotten picked up and became popular.
The children around Percy's apartment didn't have the best influences and had a bad pattern of starting to engage in delinquent activities at a fairly young age. They would learn the culture of crime and drugs from the older generation and they would grow up surrounded by it, taking their lessons to the streets. They would then mentor the younger generation and teach them how to be just like them, starting the cycle over again.
Percy had thought about that when he was walking to work and passed by a few twelve-year-old's smoking weed in an alley that was littered with colorful graffiti of curse words. In the artist's defense, it was pretty good. The kids were giggling and laughing about how "bad" and "hard" they were. However, when Percy had passed them, they scrambled away.
He thought about how he wasn't the best-behaved kid when he was in school years ago, but the intervention of Camp Half-Blood had saved his life. He most likely would have ended up in jail, or worse, if he would've kept having those "accidents" that would harm people. Fortunately, Camp gave him an outlet and an opportunity to succeed in something. It taught him discipline, honor, focus, and gave him a home where he didn't feel so different and alone.
Percy decided to take that same concept and apply it to swimming. He had gone to his boss, Josh, in his office. Josh was an interesting character; he had the good looks of a god and believed that his body was the greatest gift that he could ever give to mankind.
"My body is an oiled machine. Water is my blood. Vitamins are my food. 15k runs are my hobby. If you're sick, take the rest of the day off. If you're sick and you come near me, you're fired and I will exact my vengeance upon you within the next week," he would usually say.
Percy had walked into his office one day a few months ago, and his boss swung his chair to look at him. His desk was littered with different stacks of papers, floating rings, swimming trunks, and those water toys that people…mostly kids, play with in the pool. Josh had tanned skin, a chiseled face, and brown hair styled in a cropped haircut. His smile could power New York for a day, and his muscles rippled under his clothes. Even though he must have been pushing forty, he and his vibe reminded Percy of those camp counselors who tried way too hard to be cool.
When his boss registered Percy in his office, he pointed at Percy's face. "Perrrrcyyyyyy Jackson! How may I help you today, my tanned, aquatic brother?"
Percy silently wished he would never call him that again. "Hey, I was wondering if we could possibly start a swim team for the community. I think it could help kids get off the streets and focus their attention onto something productive and constructive. We can make it free to learn how to swim, and then they begin to pay monthly once they start to participate in meets and competitions. It would help decrease crime around the area, especially based on the premise of the Social Disorganization and the Social Control theories of crime."
Josh blinked and his usually permanent smile flickered. "Sorry? Are you calling me disorganized and controlling?"
Percy blinked in return. "Uh, no, they're actually theories of cri-"
"Good! Glad to hear it. I will make sure that gets done. Let's do this!"
Josh's smile was plastered on his face once more, and he clapped his hands and ran out the door towards no destination in particular. Percy watched him go.
The Social Disorganization and the Social Control Theories of crime were concepts that Annabeth had taught him. The former basically said that a person's environment is primarily responsible for the choices they make; a neighborhood with a lack of initiatives, bad schools, and high unemployment can prompt crime in the area. The latter said that every institution that someone is a part of provides a sort of set of expectations and an environment that controls a person's behavior. As an example, if Kofi wanted to join the swim team, he might not mug the lady outside the community center because he may get arrested and be unable to join the team. In that case, the institution of a swim team served as a control for Kofi's behavior.
Annabeth had been impressed with how much he retained of her lessons, but Percy tended to learn best when it applied directly to him in the real world. He did want to help the youth in the city, but never really have the time or the job title to do anything about it. Now, he did. Kind of.
Recently, Percy was on his lifeguard chair watching Carly teach the kids how to swim. The smell of chlorine wafted through the air. The sound of screaming and splashing was pervasive and unending.
Percy's necklace swung from his neck; it had all his Camp Half-Blood beads, a few small tridents, and Calypso's beads/bracelet charms, with the petal hanging straight down the middle. His mother had woven Calypso's bracelet and his Camp Half-Blood beads into one necklace that Percy wore every day.
When Josh or any of the kids asked Percy what his "SPQR" markings meant, he told them that it was a tattoo that meant "Some People Quickly Run." Josh especially approved of that and told him that he had gotten the job partly because of that.
As he looked out towards the pool and saw them splashing each other and having fun, Percy thought the initiative had been a good turnout; about fifty kids between the ages of seven to twelve showed up at the pool, ready and willing to learn during their first meeting. They were a little difficult at first, but after a flash of his Wolf stare, they would quiet down and pay attention. They were actually good students when they applied themselves. They reminded Percy of himself.
As forward as Carly was romantically, she was a good teacher. When they were quiet, the kids seemed to really love her (which was definitely not because they had a crush on her). Things between he and Carly weren't as bad. Though it was still a bit awkward, both had respect for one another's skills regarding lifeguarding. Carly was a good teacher and he was a good swimmer/savior of reckless kids and non-swimming adults.
The clock struck five and Percy blew his whistle. "That's time!"
He was met with a collective awwwww.
"Just five more minutes!"
"Come on, Percy!"
"If I get you a donut, can we stay longer?"
Percy shook his head, thought the donut was tempting. "You all have been here since my shift started…at ten. We've been here for seven hours, I'm sure you all need to get home. Let's give Ms. Carly a high-five and we will see you on Monday."
The kids swam over to hug Carly instead as Percy hopped out of his chair and headed to his car. He drove back to the apartment and when he entered, he saw two people playing with Cyrene.
At one year old, Cyrene was an expert crawler and had even taken her first few steps. She has consolidated the entire task of eating for herself, taking things in her small hands and putting them in her mouth with limited accuracy. She had started to say words like, "Mama," and "Per-Per," but never "Paul," or "Da-Da." She had a funny habit of going on long rants about something and having only a small percentage of the words be actual words; the rest of it would just be babble. However, it was babble that Cyrene was quite passionate about, so Percy sit there and act like he was listening by nodding his head and smiling.
The two people playing with her seemed to be having a lot of fun. One had hooves for feet and a mop of curly hair on his head, accentuated by large horns and thick muscles. The other had long, straight black hair with a black and silver shirt and camo pants. She had a glowing outline around her body and electric blue eyes.
He grinned at them. "Thalia! Grover!"
They both smiled and ran forward to give him a three-person hug. While in the embrace, Percy thought about Thalia.
Ever since Artemis had gone out of his way to come to his apartment and tell him to stay away from Thalia, he felt weird about the packages he would get. They were all unopened in the corner of his room, and as much as he wanted to open them and hear all about how she was doing, he felt like he was doing…something by just stacking them. It wasn't like he could find her and tell her to leave him alone; she was all over the country on countless adventures.
But he thought about her every day. Multiple times every day. It was like he couldn't stop. He would find himself talking about her to his mother, who would be eating and nodding.
"I think you should ask her out," she would respond every time.
Every time, Percy would shake his head. "Artemis told me to specifically stay away from Thalia."
His mom had put a forkful of spaghetti in her mouth before responding. "I thought you said you were impertinent. I thought you were the one who stood up to Ares, the one who refused to bow for Mars, the one who verbally attacked Mr. D, the one who stood tall against Hades when I was taken. This is my son, the one who follows his heart no matter what trouble it gets him in."
One day, Percy relented and twirled his spaghetti. "What if she says no, Mom?"
His mother had grabbed his hand. "If she knows you, she knows how much of a catch you are."
"You're supposed to say that. You're my mom," Percy had grumbled.
She smiled in response. "Yes. But it's also true, so…double win for me."
Now that Thalia was here, he didn't know how to feel. However, he didn't have time to think for long because Grover stepped forward. "Percy, we're taking you to Olympus!"
Olympus wasn't someplace that one could just "visit" on a road trip.
Percy blinked. "What time?"
He had learned to not ask "why" for things like these; he usually found out the reason fairly quickly.
Grover grinned and shifted his weight from hoof to hoof. "Not sure. They say that it's a ceremony of mystery, which is their way of saying it's a secret. But they want us three to come."
Percy looked at Thalia, who was smiling as well; she and Grover were so excited that it was impossible for Percy to not feel the excitement as well.
"MOM! I'm going to Olympus!"
"Okay!"
Percy smiled and turned to Grover and Thalia. "So how are we getting there?"
"With these," Grover took out three white pearls that reminded Percy of the ones he had received on his first adventure. He put them on the ground and Thalia and Percy stood in front of one, ready to step on it.
Cyrene tried to walk over, but ended up crawling. She got to him, stood up shakily, and hugged his leg. "Per-Per."
Thalia's eyes shined and Grover smiled. His mom came out from the bedroom and saw Cyrene hugging her son's leg. She smiled and scooped her up. Though she was in her mother's arms, Percy's sister was still reaching out to Percy as if she didn't want him to go.
Thalia's smile widened. "She's so cute."
Percy's mom bounced Cyrene. "Yeah, she's starting to pick favorites now. Percy is definitely a favorite."
"Yes, he is."
Percy found his hands starting to get damp, and he looked at Thalia and Grover. "Are we ready?"
The two of them nodded and Percy kissed Cyrene on the forehead. On the count of three, they slammed their feet on the petals and disappeared in a golden-white swirl of light.
They reappeared in the throne room of Olympus, and it still took his breath way. Even with more than six years of demigod adventures, he'd only been to Olympus a few times. Huge columns rose to a domed ceiling, which seemed to be rotating with the constellations in the sky. The walls were marble white with gold linings flowing all through it like liquid. There were twelve massive thrones formed in a U shape, with Hestia tending the fire in the middle of the shape. All of the Olympian gods were sitting on their throne. Even the minor gods were there, standing around the fire pit to form a weird concentric U, where the Olympian gods were on the outside U, and the minor gods were in the inner U. Percy saw statues of the most popular demigods behind the thrones and he saw Annabeth's vision in the finished throne room.
Percy, Thalia, and Grover had appeared right in front of the hearth fire, but no heat was aggressively slapping them in the face. Hestia smiled at him knowingly, then went back to the fire. Zeus sat on his redesigned throne in his usual pinstripe suit. To his left was Poseidon, dressed in his usual fisherman's garb and to Zeus' right was actually Hades. He lounged lazily in the chair and regarded Percy with a quiet ferocity. Percy realized that the Big Three was finally sitting together, next to one another. Hera had been relocated to the middle of the left side of the "U" shape, and she did not look happy. Athena gazed long and hard at Percy, making him bristle with discomfort. He turned away, only to see Artemis doing the exact same thing. Ares shimmered between this form and Mars.
Zeus stood and lightning flashed at the top of the throne room. "Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, and Grover Underwood. We call you here to offer our gratitude for saving Camp Half-Blood and eliminating the threat of Arachne."
Percy narrowed his eyes. "Well, we really couldn't have done it witho-"
"We have news for you," Zeus continued. Percy realized that interruptions were a habit of gods.
The three heroes looked up to Zeus expectantly; they had never been called to Olympus for any news; they would just send a letter or send a dream. Whatever the news was must have been important to call them to the throne room.
"Annabeth Chase has been reborn. She has had her memories wiped of her previous life, but her essence is now on this planet once more."
Percy's heart tugged. He didn't know how he should feel about that; it was nine months since she had chosen rebirth, and Percy guessed that there was no waiting time. She had a new life, and like Beckendorf said; he hoped that she finds the peace to live a normal life. He remembered his mother being surprised that Percy was getting over Annabeth and getting on Thalia so quickly. Paul had reminded her, though, that demigods are trained as warriors and are taught that death is a very real possibility in their adventures. Plus, it's not like she died and her entire being ended; she was reborn somewhere. It was almost like she had been recycled.
Athena bore into his eyes as if she was hearing his thoughts and disapproved of what he was thinking. The Goddess of Wisdom had quickly become one of his least favorite goddesses after he heard about Annabeth. Zeus continued.
"We know that you three were close to her in her first life and you three even care about her up until this day. Would you like to know who she is in her new life? You would be able to protect her lest any harm come to her. We would be able to tell you if she is a demigod or if she will be involved in any other pantheon of gods."
Percy looked at Thalia and Grover, who were both looking at him. Through Percy's empathy link, he felt Grover's emotions and he knew Thalia well enough to tell what she was thinking.
Simultaneously, all three of them said, "Nah."
Grover stepped forward. His newfound confidence was really suiting him. "Thank you, Lord Zeus, for the offer. But I want her to have her own life. If it's still her essence, she will be resourceful and smart."
Thalia stepped forward as well. Zeus' eyes seemed to soften a little when regarding his daughter. Conversely, Artemis' eyes steeled a bit. "We would like her to succeed on her own merit. Our involvement will just attract more monsters."
Percy nodded. He was grateful for his friends; they had the same idea, but looked at it through different lenses. He stepped forward so he was parallel with Thalia and Grover.
"I think it would be best if we didn't know who she is. This new person, whoever they are, is their own person and deserves the chance to have control over their own life. Something that we," Percy beckoned towards Thalia and Grover. "-were never able to afford."
Poseidon stood and Zeus sat. Percy's father's power emanated from his body and his smile lines deepened as he looked at the three. "I'm going to get straight to the point, no big speeches. Percy, will you take godship once more? We have never offered godship twice, but we think you would make a really strong addition to the team. You would keep us humble."
Artemis' silver eyes seemed to melt his soul as she looked at him. He felt all eyes on him, including Thalia. Poseidon continued. "You would be Perseus, the God of Heroes, Tides, and Swordsmanship."
Zeus stood. "As well as the intern for the position of God of the Seas."
Percy looked at Zeus. He wasn't aware this was something you had to apply for. "Intern…?"
Aphrodite smiled. Percy didn't know how to feel about her. He knew that she had something to do with these feelings he had, especially since she had promised him a good tragic love story. He wondered if he was only feeling this way because she wanted to get back at Artemis for maidenhood, or at Thalia for choosing the Hunters over love.
However, she seemed in a good mood. "Of course. The gods won't be here forever. One day, we will fall and the demigods will oversee this plane of existence."
Percy almost passed out. Seeing himself on Poseidon's throne, controlling all the seas? That seemed like too much for him. But he supposed that was the point of the "intern" position; to help cultivate and develop his godly powers so when he would finally step up as the god, he would be experienced already.
He thought about it, though. He looked at Thalia, whose blue eyes were swirling at him. She nodded her head and gave him a small smile that warmed his heart.
"Not bad, Aquaman," was what she seemed to be saying. Thalia was immortal and ran with the Hunters of Artemis. If he couldn't date her and Annabeth was reborn into another life; what reason did he really have to stay mortal and die? Percy thought about all the good and all the bad that came with godship.
The bad:
He couldn't date mortal girls…? Was that a bad?
His friends and family would age and die around him and he would stay the same age.
He would be immortal. That's a long time to be Percy.
Ares and Athena would probably take turns kicking his butt.
He would never be able to escape this life.
He would have to pass the shift leader position to Carly.
His mother may be angry with him.
He wouldn't be a hero any more.
The good:
He would be able to protect his family by both being there and having the power to literally melt any monster that comes near them. Him living on Olympus would also get rid of his apartment search. He would be able to live there and not put his family in danger with his demigod scent.
He could protect Camp Half-Blood with his new powers.
Being the god of Heroes, Tides and Swordsmanship means that he's going to probably be overseeing and mentoring heroes.
He would get to hang out with his father for a while.
His mother may be happy that he is out of the constant danger.
He could talk about comics with Thalia all day long, for a long time.
He could be free from this life as a hero.
Percy realized that on both his good and bad list, he had one overlapping idea.
If accepted godship, Percy Jackson wouldn't be a hero anymore.
