CHAPTER 29: Verdicts and Decisions

The courtroom was dead silent, not a single soul moving. The room was packed solid, with every important Denizen that existed present in the room. Art, Chiron, the jury, Reyna and friends, the Heroes of Olympus, the Morrow Days, the Dawns, the Noons, the Dusks, and the rest of the gallery were in their proper positions. And beside Chiron sat eleven gods, all looking down at the floor.

Reyna could not help feeling nervous, though she didn't know why. Perhaps it was the atmosphere. It was a very tense environment in the courtroom presently, as expected. Even someone who had no idea what was happening would have been made nervous just by standing in that room.

Reyna knew, however, that her nervousness stemmed from elsewhere. Hers was the simple worry of someone waiting to see if their hard work gleaned any results. She was like a detective who waited to see if all her hard work investigating resulted in a conviction, like a student who studied hard for a test and was hoping for a good grade.

The seven chosen ones of the gods, however, looked nervous for a different reason, Reyna knew. Their worry was of concern for their parents. Their feelings were surely to be conflicted, wondering if they could forgive their parents for their monstrous acts. They seemed worried for them nonetheless, hoping that their particular mother or father would get off.

Lord Sunday, the chief judge, was in his chair in the center of the dais upon which the Days sat. His presence loomed over everyone, even Art, and his expression was so serious it could have silenced a crowd gathered to watch a comedy act. The other Morrow Days were no less daunting, each looking over the room with a piercing gaze.

"Has the jury finished its deliberations and reached its verdicts?" Lord Sunday asked, turning to the jury.

"We have," said the foreman, who stood up.

"Very well," said Sunday gravely. "In each case, for each god, you will state whether that particular defendant is guilty, not guilty, or whether your decision was deadlocked. If found innocent, the defendant will be released and be given freedom of the House, with permission to live within the House in peace for eternity. If deadlocked, the defendant will be given a stern warning, and will be forced to perform community service for the good of the House. If found guilty, the defendant will be sentenced by us according to the guidelines provided by the prosecution, as both sides agreed to. Does the jury understand?"

"We do," said the foreman.

"Good," said Sunday. "On the charge against the goddess Aphrodite, how does the jury find?"

"We find the defendant guilty," said the foreman.

Piper let out a small gasp, and put a hand to her mouth.

"On the charge against the god Apollo, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant guilty."

Rachel nodded her head firmly.

"On the charge against the god Ares, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant guilty."

Frank clenched his fists, and turned white as a ghost.

"On the charge against the goddess Artemis, how do you find?"

"We are deadlocked," said the foreman.

"Very well. On the charge against the goddess Athena, how do you find?"

"We are deadlocked."

Annabeth looked visibly relieved.

"Very well," said Sunday. "The charges against the goddess Demeter have been dropped."

Demeter, standing in the back of the room, smiled faintly, Persephone at her side.

"On the charge against the god Dionysus, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant not guilty," said the foreman.

"On the charge against the god Hephaestus, how do you find?"

"We are deadlocked."

Leo did a miniature fist pump in the air.

"On the charge against the goddess Hera, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant guilty."

"On the charge against the god Hermes, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant not guilty."

"On the charge against the god Poseidon, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant guilty."

Percy closed his eyes, looking grim.

"And on the charge against the god Zeus, how does the jury find?"

"We find the defendant very guilty," the foreman concluded with a twist.

"Very well," said Sunday. "The Court of Days thanks the jury for its service. The six defendants found guilty will remain behind for sentencing. The three found not guilty are free to go, and the other three will receive their community service assignments from Superior Saturday at this time tomorrow. Court is adjourned."

Sunday slammed his gavel on his desk, and everyone behind Reyna stood to leave. The Denizens were buzzing with chatter as they left the room, while the jury left more silently. Hermes and Dionysus were absolutely jubilant, as they skipped toward Demeter in the back without a care in the world. Athena, Artemis and Hephaestus were a bit disgruntled at the thought of community service, but seemed overall relieved. The six gods found guilty looked incredibly fearful, especially Aphrodite and Apollo.

Reyna and her six friends stayed put, though, and so did their seven counterparts.

"Approach the bench," Sunday instructed the six guilty gods. They followed the instruction reluctantly, even Zeus and Hera seemed to have all of the fight knocked out of them. Ares tried to look defiant, but the chains around his wrists betrayed the appearance. Poseidon was looking at his feet, Aphrodite was wringing her hands, and Apollo was visibly shaking.

Good, said an evil voice inside of Reyna. Let them know fear for once. Then she shook her head, wondering at how such a malicious thought rose in her head.

"You all have been found guilty," Sunday told the six gods. "Before I pronounce sentence, does anyone have a statement to make?"

Chiron opened his mouth to speak.

"Not you, counselor," Sunday clarified. "Anyone other than the attorneys present."

Silence dominated the room. Reyna sure as hell had nothing to say, what else could she do to incriminate these gods further? Looking around her, everyone else's mouths were zipped tight. Her friends were all holding their peace, clearly having nothing else to add to the discussion. The seven demigods to her left, though, had more tortured looks on their faces, as if they wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out. Reyna knew what they were thinking, they wanted to say something in the gods' defense but couldn't think of what. As if the trial wasn't convincing enough, the fact that their own children couldn't defend them was damning indeed.

"No? Not even their own children?" Sunday mused. "Very well, we are ready to pronounce sentence. Saturday?"

The room seemed to suddenly stiffen, as if everyone's nerves had just shot through the roof at the mention of sentence.

Saturday stood, papers in hand. "After brief but fruitful discussion, and since there are no statements to be made, we have come to a proper sentence in light of a guilty verdict, which we have. The gods have ruled over the Earth for about 4,000 years, and thus we sentence them to 4,000 years mining in the Deep Coal Cellar."

Apollo shrieked in horror, at the same time that Art exclaimed "that's it?"

Saturday raised a hand. "Allow me to clarify," she said. "They ruled Earth for 4,000 years as time on Earth flows. They will serve in the Deep Coal Cellar for 4,000 years, as Earth time flows."

"Oh," said Art. Then he bowed. "As the judges decree."

"What does that mean?" Aphrodite asked in a strangely hopeful tone. "Does time flow more slowly here? Will we get out sooner?"

"Hmm," said Arthur from where he was standing. "Let's see. From the time that I overthrew Grim Tuesday to when I was taken into the Border Sea was about twenty-four hours on Earth, and about a year in the House." He smiled suddenly.

"I don't understand…" Aphrodite trailed off.

"I guess you're not good with math," Nico cooed. "It means you'll be in there for nearly a million and half years, House time."

All six of the gods paled.

"This court is adjourned!" Sunday announced.

"Enjoy!" Leaf told the gods cheerily. "Pleasure doing business with you!"


Frank's head was on his knees as he stared glumly into the distance. He was outside the courtroom; the sentencing hearing having just come to and end. It hadn't gone too well, since his dad got sentenced to a million and a half years mining coal. He would be long dead before he came out, and that thought scared him.

Still, he felt conflicted. This whole time he had believed that the gods had been captured by evildoers that would do them harm. Then he came to the House, and his perspective had been entirely flipped. He felt like he had been blinded his entire life, and that the blindfolds had suddenly come off, revealing the gods for who they were and what they did. Did his dad do terrible things, yes. Did he deserve his sentence, possibly... He had no idea what to think, he was his dad, after all.

His friends seemed to be having similar thoughts. Jason was pacing furiously across the grass. Annabeth was hugging Piper furiously, who was still tearful. Hazel and Leo seemed to be in a fierce discussion about the topic, while Percy was staring into the distance, similar to Frank himself.

"Were you not at the trial?" Hazel exclaimed. "They clearly did bad things, and the judges were very fair!"

"You're just saying that because your dad was pardoned!" Leo shouted back.

"I am not!" Hazel replied indignantly. "And boo hoo! Your dad got community service, how horrible!"

"Will you two stop it?" Percy demanded sternly. "There's no point to all this yelling."

Leo slumped to the floor in defeat. "I can't believe this," he muttered. "And Calypso is prancing around as if everything's fine!"

"The gods did imprison her for millennia," Annabeth pointed out. "I bet she's relishing the irony, that the shoe is on the other foot now."

Silence followed that comment, as no one seemed to know what to say. The sullen silence seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, threatening to all seven of them. Frank felt it more than any of them. His entire life fighting for the Twelfth Legion, there had always been a course of action. Hope had never faded, there was always a way out, a way forward. Not today, though. For the first time in Frank's life, it was simply over.

"So, that's it, isn't it," Piper whispered, summing up all of their thoughts in a nutshell. Frank knew what she meant. Being demigods had been a monumental part of all of their lives, and now it was all gone, with the suddenness of a shift in the wind. Their paths in life, so secure and straightforward a week ago, were now foggy and fraught with uncertainty. Where would they each go from here, now that the gods' time on Earth had come to a close?

And that was only seven of them, Frank knew. What about the other demigods, both Greek and Roman? He hadn't seen them since the battle, but was told they were being housed in a place called the Middle House. What would they do? The Twelfth Legion, once so compact and orderly, now blew in the wind like loose leaves. There were so many questions, so many uncertainties, and no clarity.

"Yeah, Pipes," Jason said sullenly. "That's it."

"That attitude won't get you very far, you know," said an assertive voice, the one voice that Frank least wanted to hear.

In front of them, standing tall and strong like a warrior, was Reyna herself. She was wearing one of the uniforms that Frank saw on the battlefield, and it saddened him to see that it seemed so natural on her. Her hair was tied back in a single braid, and her eyes were gleaming, but emotionless. Beside her stood Rachel Elizabeth Dare, wearing a deep green robe, akin to the color of the grass at her feet. She too, looked unfazed by this meeting.

The same could not be said for the seven demigods. Jason didn't even bother looking up, which Frank attributed to the fact that he had already spoken with Reyna. Percy and Annabeth wore matching sullen looks, and Piper and Leo were trying to suppress glares. Hazel was friendlier, even giving Reyna a small wave.

As for Frank, he took to staring at his shoes for fear of revealing his confused expression. He was a fair person, and he knew that he couldn't hold what Reyna did against her. Looking at it from her perspective, he could completely understand why she did what she did, at least in hindsight. Still, he couldn't erase the fact that Reyna has always been someone he looked up to, someone to emulate, before she completely did a 180. So, as usual, he didn't know what to think or feel.

"How long have you been listening?" Frank asked.

"Not long," replied Reyna. "We were looking for you guys anyhow."

"For what?" Percy asked.

"To say goodbye," Rachel answered. "Nico wishes all of you well, he said he already said the farewells he wanted to."

"Yeah?" Leo spat. "What makes you think we want to say goodbye to you?"

"Leo!" Hazel exclaimed.

Reyna chuckled. "I can understand why you're angry, really, I don't blame you for it, even after all of this time has passed. As a matter of fact, I expected it."

Leo's anger was replaced by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Leo Valdez," Reyna replied. "I know who you're really angry at, all of you." She paused, looking each of them in the eye. She had them captivated, and she knew it.

"You're not angry at me, at us," she continued. "At first, that was probably the case, until the gods were defeated. Then, the seven of you sat through the trial, and were exposed to all of the nasty things the gods did over the millennia. And then your anger shifted, not at me, not at them, but at yourselves. You all thought, 'how could I have risked my life fighting for them, those awful beings?' Your anger surprised you, so you merely shrugged it off as anger toward us, and let it be. Am I right?"

That question didn't even need a reply to be answered. She had hit the nail on the head. The anger started to fill Frank before he could even do anything about it. He had spent so much energy fighting monsters, when the real monsters had been the gods he was fighting for. It made him angry, and sad. The gods were demons, and he had perpetuated their demonism.

"Our point," Rachel spoke up, "is that you shouldn't be angry. You are all good people, every last one of you. You were only misguided, that's all. You thought that the gods were the best possible rulers of the world, you didn't know you had other options. You are all brave, kind, and honorable, and don't think for a second that you aren't."

All the anger seemed to dissipate, replaced by shaky sobs and resigned sighs.

Reyna stepped forward, putting one hand on Frank's shoulder, and the other on Percy's. "Go back to Earth," she said. "Go to school, learn, and go to college. Get your degrees, master your chosen professions, and succeed. Get married, buy a house, and have children. All of you. Live the normal mortal lives that I know you've always dreamed of."

Frank himself started to tear up, but he nodded firmly. Deep down in his heart, he had yearned for a normal life for a long time. As for Reyna, Frank discovered that she still was a person to look up to, someone who gave good advice and looked out for people. She looked the part, too, like a trueborn leader. That uniform, the regal stance, the enlightened eyes. She was aptly named, he realized. Reyna, in Spanish, meant queen, after all.

"Wishing you all the best," Reyna finished. She nodded, smiled, and turned to leave. Rachel gave them one last wave and followed her. Frank and the others would never see them again.

Annabeth would go and follow her life's dream. She would become one of the world's leading architects, designing numerous buildings and complexes across the United States. Percy would use his combat experience and the remnants of his marine abilities to graduate from the top of his class at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He would serve in the Navy for over forty years. He and Annabeth got married, and they have four children.

Jason, learning from his experience watching trials, decided to become a defense attorney, a very successful one. Piper, though her friends from high school thought she would be a smash-hit fashion model, she decided to take a different course. To everyone's surprise, she became a professor of psychology at the University of California Los Angeles. She and Jason, a married couple, have two children, twins.

Leo opened up a very successful mechanic's shop, with the help of Calypso, who was permitted to become a mortal and descend onto Earth. The two even opened up a couple of taco restaurants. Preferring not to have children, the two live happily together in their home in Houston, Texas.

As for Frank, his knowledge of animals proved useful, leading to his becoming a veterinarian. Eventually, he had enough money to open up his own zoo, which he owns with his wife Hazel. Hazel herself became a jeweler, dealing with many precious metals on a daily basis. They have two daughters, Emily and Marie, and a third is on the way.

They plan to name her Reyna.


"Well, what took so long?" Suzy complained. "The tea is going to get cold."

"Goodbyes can take a long time," Reyna explained. "If you do them right."

"Thanks for waiting," Rachel added.

"We've been waiting nearly three weeks for all of this to be over," said Arthur with a smile. "What's a few more minutes?"

Reyna smiled. Three weeks? That didn't sound right. You normally didn't make special friendships in three weeks.

Still smiling, Reyna took her mug of tea in her grasp and raised it up. Her six friends beside her did the same.

"To a successful mission," Fred began.

"To a hard-fought battle," said Leaf.

"To a happy outcome," said Rachel.

"To a just ruling," said Nico.

"To a dandy celebration!" Suzy exclaimed.

"To a safe and secure Earth," said Arthur.

"And to a long-lasting friendship," Reyna finished.

"Cheers!" they all exclaimed at once, clanging their mugs against the others. They each took a long, happy sip of their delicious tea. Savoring the taste on her tongue, Reyna was filled with nothing but happiness.

Yes, she thought, this is where I belong.