Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus Series.

Story: Perseus and the Monster Force

Chapter 44: Betrayed

Jason's POV

On board the Neptune's Gamble

Reyna and I stowed our bags in one of the cabins with Dakota. Dakota placed his bag on a bunk before he walked back toward the lounge area, leaving Reyna and me in the room.

Jason, a voice said in mind; the voice was my father's. I stumbled slightly, but Reyna didn't notice.

I looked at Reyna and forced a smile. "Why don't you go back to the others; I need to go to the restroom first," I said.

Reyna smiled before she kissed me on the cheek, her smile widened as my cheeks reddened. She walked out the door with a proud look in her dark eyes. I swallowed hard before I walked into the small bathroom. I closed the door behind me and set the latch. A few moments later an Iris Message appeared before me. I could see the proud and determined face of my father in the image. I bowed politely and said, "My lord."

Jupiter smiled at me. "Well done on retrieving the bolt, my boy," he said proudly.

I smiled at the compliment; it was an unusual thing to receive from the King of the gods. "Thank you, sir."

"I have ordered Triton to bring the weapon to me, but I have a question for you," Jupiter said, his electric blue eyes that were identical to mine flashed in determination and with a hint of warning. I nodded. "What can you tell me about the son of Poseidon, this Perseus?"

I gulped. "I'm sure you know as much as I do," I said, trying my best to not show my unease.

Jupiter frowned at my answer. "You know more than you're telling."

"I don't know what you mean," I replied nervously.

Jupiter glared at me; the look made the hairs on my arms stand on end. "You're lying child, it does not befit the role of a future Praetor to lie to the King of the gods, especially when the god is his father."

I bowed my head again, trying to make up for my falsehoods. "I swore to never tell," I said.

Jupiter's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did you swear on the Styx?" I gave him a curious look for a moment before I shook my head. "Good, then I order you to tell me this secret."

I felt sweat pour down my face. I couldn't disobey my father's direct order. "His mother," I began as my father's facial expression urged me to continue. "is Lady Lupa."

My father's blue eyes widened before lightning rumbled overhead. He sent me a glare before he swiped his hand through the message. I looked into the mirror above the sink, my face was pale and my brow was covered in sweat. I turned on the water and splashed my face. I took a few deep breaths before I turned and opened the door to the bathroom. I froze at the sight of Reyna standing before me with her fists clenched tight in anger.

She reared back and punched me square in the face hard; I stumbled back, but caught myself on the sink. "How dare you break your promise," she yelled. The look in her eyes broke my heart; I hadn't just disappointed her, but I could tell that she believed that I had betrayed her and the others.

I lowered my head to avoid her gaze. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't disobey him."

"Your father cares nothing for you. He just sees you as a tool, something that he needs when it suits him. Juno cares more for you than Jupiter," Reyna said angrily. I looked up to see her walk out the door, but she turned to glare at me one more time. "I care about you Jason, but I don't know if I can ever forgive you for such betrayal. Percy has saved our lives, but you turn your back on that to please your father. You better hope that he's more forgiving than me." She turned and strode out of the door. I just stood there frozen in the doorway of the bathroom. My face hurt from the punch; I could feel the blood drip down from my broken nose. I took a few deep breaths before I left the room and walked toward the others, knowing that I might not make it out of this quest alive; I just never realized that my teammates might be the ones to kill me.


Triton's POV

Mount Olympus – throne room

I appeared in the middle of the throne room. I looked around and spotted Hestia by the hearth, stoking the flames. Aunt Hera sat on her throne, but no one else was in the room. I bowed to the Queen of the gods. "Lady Hera," I said.

Hera gave me a small smile, which was more than I had expected. Her brown hair flowed past her shoulder and her brown eyes locked onto the weapon I held in my hand.

A sudden clap of thunder and a golden light announced the arrival of the King of the gods. He wore a dark blue pin striped suite with a red tie. His mouth was set in a deep frown as he studied me. A flash swept across his blue eyes when he saw the master bolt in my hand. He raised his hand and the bolt flew from my grasp and into his hand, lightning struck above the throne room once again, but with an intensity that shook the entire building.

"Thank you Triton," Zeus said. He looked a Hera, and then toward the goddess of the hearth, his eyes narrowed when he looked at Hestia. The goddess in her eight year old form shifted uncomfortably in her seat near the great ceremonial fire of Olympus. "Please stay nephew; I must speak to my wife and sister about a topic that you should find most interesting." I eyed my Uncle suspiciously.

Hera studied her husband before she inquired, "What do you wish to speak to us about?" Hestia stood from the hearth before she made her way over to my side.

Zeus's electric blue eyes darkened. "I know that Perseus's mother is Lupa," he said as he looked for a reaction from his eldest sister. Hestia for her part remained unfazed, but I knew her mind must be reeling from all of the possible outcomes from this admission from the King of the gods. I truly felt worried for the safety of my brother. He turned from Hestia; it appeared that he hadn't seen in her reaction what he had anticipated.

"How did you discover this?" Hera questioned.

"Jason Grace, my son, informed me of my brother's treachery. He has gone against one of our most important laws. He has mixed the two pantheons, that is something that cannot go unpunished," Zeus replied. Jason, that little bastard, he would soon feel the wrath of the sea, if I had anything to say in the matter that is.

I could see the turmoil in Hera's eyes, the disbelief the boy that she cared for had divulged a secret that he promised to keep. "What do you plan to do about it?" Hera asked.

Zeus stood from his throne. He looked at me for a reaction, but he didn't find what he looked for. "I'm surprised that you are not shocked by this revelation," he said to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I know of my father's unfaithful ways, that doesn't shock me, but I am surprised that he would go against the law that forbids interaction between Romans and Greeks," I replied.

Zeus nodded. "I understand," he said, but I knew he really didn't, the man was more unfaithful to his wife than my father ever was to my mother. He turned back to Hera quickly. "My brother must be summoned here." Hera nodded reluctantly. "Hestia, you shall travel to Atlantis with Triton to bring my brother here, is that understood?" He looked at the goddess of the hearth with narrowed eyes.

Hestia never flinched from his gaze. I could tell that this unnerved the King of the gods. "I will do as you request, brother." Hestia grabbed my hand before both of us were engulfed into an orange light and disappeared from the throne room. We reappeared into the throne room of the Atlantean palace. My mother was conspicuously absent from her throne, but my father's eyes grew big when he saw me with Hestia.

"Sister, why are you here?" Poseidon questioned. His eyes never left Hestia, but I could tell that my presence didn't ease his mind.

Hestia smiled at her brother, but there was sadness and fear in her fiery eyes. "Zeus knows about Percy's mother."

It was like a quiet bomb went off in the throne room. My father fell back against his throne with such violence that I though the marble and celestial bronze might break apart. I had never seen my father look this way before; his eyes were filled with such intense fear, but also anger at the same time. His hands were shaking as he tried to right his position on his throne. He took a few deep breaths before he was finally in control. "What does he want?"

It was a simple question, but one, that I knew had many ominous possibilities. "I believe he wishes to punish you for your transgression," Hestia replied.

Poseidon frowned at the answer, but he eventually nodded his head in acceptance. "I take it that both of you are here to see to it that I go to Olympus."

"Father, I knew about Perseus, and I harbor no ill will toward my brother," I said.

Poseidon smiled; it was the first one that I had received from my father in many years. "I'm proud of you Triton. I know my infidelity toward your mother brings you pain, but you also know that neither of us love the other." I nodded before a wave of sadness engulfed me.

I looked down at the ground sadly. "I know father, it hurts sometimes, but it is a fact I can't change." My father stepped down from his throne before he pulled me into a hug. "I love you son, no matter my feelings toward your mother, remember that," he whispered. I felt a tear leak from my eye. We pulled apart before my father turned toward my aunt.

"Sister, I am ready for my punishment. I knew this day would come," my father said. Hestia gave him a reassuring smile before the three of us disappeared into an orange light.


Percy's POV

On board the Neptune's Gamble…

I left my nephew in the control room of his boat as we departed Miami and headed out toward the Sea of Monsters. The weather was beautiful and the sea calm. I walked down the stairs and stepped into the lounge area. Dakota was asleep on one of the couches. Annabeth sat at a table studying a map of the Bermuda Triangle. Thalia sat across from her; she seemed to be lost in thought. Her beautiful blue eyes seemed glazed over, but I shook those thoughts away, I couldn't forgive her for hurting me. I looked for Jason, but he was conspicuously absent. Reyna walked out of a corridor that led to the two bow cabins on the boat. She was visibly shaken and her dark eyes were nearly black.

"Reyna, are you okay?" I questioned her.

Reyna looked at me; her eyes broadened before a determined looked crossed her face. "Percy, we all need to talk," she said before she sat down at the table between Thalia and Annabeth. The other two girls looked at her expectantly. I could tell that something bad happened by the look in Reyna's eyes and her stiffened posture. "I caught Jason talking to Lord Jupiter, in an Iris Message."

Annabeth's grey eyes darkened. "I thought the Romans didn't use Iris Messages?"

Reyna nodded. "Lord Jupiter sent the message, not Jason."

"What did Jupiter want?" Thalia asked suspiciously.

Reyna sent Thalia a pitying look. Thalia turned to look down the corridor; I could tell that she had a bad feeling about this conversation that Jupiter had with her brother. I think Reyna realized what Thalia thought as well. "Jason is okay, at least physically." Before Thalia could question further, Reyna continued, "Jupiter asked Jason about Percy. Jason told him about Percy's mother."

Before I could even register what she said Thalia jumped from her seat and yelled, "He did what?" Annabeth and Reyna both pulled back from the table at the raging daughter of Zeus before them. "Why would he do something so stupid?"

"Thalia, please calm down," Annabeth soothed. Thalia looked at her best friend, but her eyes showed that she was nowhere close to calm. "Calm down, he promised never to reveal that secret. He knew better and now…" She stopped talking when her eyes met mine. The anger was now replaced with something else, fear. Thalia Grace was scared, not for herself, but for me. Her emotions surprised me. Why did she care so much, especially after she nearly electrocuted me to death? Our eyes were locked in a war; a conflict to see which person would decipher the mood and the thoughts of the other.

"Why do you care?" I asked, not even really understanding the harsh tone in my voice.

Thalia visibly flinched at my question. A tear ran down her cheek. "I care Percy. I swear it on the Styx." Thunder rumbled overhead.

I stood there in shock. She cared, clearly a lot more than I ever thought by the oath she just proclaimed. "I don't understand," I said.

Annabeth chuckled. "She thought you were immortal, that you couldn't die from the lightning. She cares about you Percy, can't you see that?" Annabeth said.

I looked at my friend, the daughter of my adopted grandmother. I walked to a lounge chair between the couch that Dakota lay passed out on and the table in which the three demigoddesses sat around. I slumped down into the chair, my mind racing with thoughts, some about what Zeus might do with the revelation about my mother and the other side, my emotional side, which tried to deal with the news that Thalia cared about me.

Thalia wiped her tears away before she turned away from me. I didn't respond to Annabeth, all I could do was sit there and listen. "What does Zeus knowing mean for Percy and the quest?" Thalia asked.

"Worst case, your father tries to kill him, but I think he'll wait at least until we are back on the mainland. We're at sea, in Poseidon's domain, we'll all be safe here from the King of the gods," Annabeth reasoned. Thalia and Reyna both nodded in acceptance.

"What about Jason?" Reyna asked.

Thalia scowled at her little brother's name. "I should kick his ass, but what would that do?" She seemed so defeated and betrayed.

"Can we trust him?" Annabeth asked. Now that was the question.

Reyna looked at the daughter of Athena, thoughtfully. "I don't know anymore. I always trusted him more than anyone at camp, but now… I just don't know what to think." Join the club, I thought.

"Guys," Jason said from the corridor. Everyone, except for Dakota turned to look at him. I felt a fire in my stomach explode before an angry growl erupted from my throat; I charged the son of Jupiter. My vision red with anger and my mind clouded with one thought, retribution.

AN: That's the end of this chapter. What do you all think of Jason? We'll find out what Percy thinks next chapter. What will be Poseidon's punishment? Stay tuned more to come.