Percy didn't look, but he could hear the doors slam shut behind him. The Fates closed their eyes and began to chant with incoherent words he couldn't understand, but for some reason sounded familiar. The hairs on his arms stood on end as the temperature in the room noticeably dropped. His tunic, still ripped from when he'd made bandages for Jason's arm, began to flap as wind blew around the room out of nowhere. The gods retreated several steps, giving the Fates space, and Percy found himself and Reyna doing the same. Unintelligible words began writing themselves on the ground beneath the Moirais' feet, spreading out in the shape of arms in a spiral. The text glowed, and Percy remembered it from the Hollow. A green tinge seeped into the air, its currents becoming visible as the same smoke from the Temple of Apollo leaked into the room.

Then he collapsed to his knees, his fingers suddenly digging into his scalp while he cried out in pain. He felt as if someone had dug their fingers into his eye sockets and squeezed as hard as they could. Visions swam rapidly through his mind, one after the other. He couldn't hear the chanting, see the gods, or feel anything other than the pain.

He saw two underwater cities, one grander than Olympus and the other slowly falling to pieces. Then a vortex appeared, blocking them both from view. It raged violently for several seconds before rapidly calming down until it fully dissipated, revealing the two cities to be gone, now replaced by an even greater one that seemed a blend of both their styles. Then he was no longer underwater. He saw a rift, a massive crack in the ground dividing two lands of darkness. A black palace stood on either side, each surrounded by three fields; again, one was crumbling while the other prospered. The ground began to shake, and rocks fell from a ceiling too high to see. The palaces started to drift toward each other, the chasm closing. When the tremor was finished, the rift was gone, and the castles were one, the lands and fields combined. Last, he saw two clouds of equal size from below. One trickled feebly, a spark of lightning rarely illuminating it in white light while the other crackled and poured in a raging storm. The two clouds began to drift together, both rapidly shooting off arcs of lightning at each other in increasing intensity the nearer they got. Soon they touched and swirled together until there was only one cloud of doubled size. The rain turned to hail, and electricity sparkled from within ceaselessly. Then the cloud let loose one massive, ultimate blast of energy directly at him.

The visions stopped, and the pain ceased. He took a moment to regain his composure before noticing the silence — the chanting had finished. Looking around he could see only the Fates and the sleeping Greeks, the Romans and even the spiral of text missing. He looked to his side and saw Reyna down on one knee in a sweat, one hand clutching her forehead while the other held the ground for support. She must've experienced as much pain as he had, but it looked to alleviate before he had the chance to worry. She looked around, obviously as confused as he was.

"What just happened?" she muttered.

"A distraction, for your mortal eyes," Clotho answered, even though she should have been too far away to hear the question.

"You shan't have survived bearing witness to the ritual," said Atropos.

"Then why didn't you just have us wait outside?" Percy asked.

"Because then you wouldn't have been able to comprehend," said Lachesis.

"Comprehend what?"

"Unity," the Fates said as one.

Percy was still confused and was about to state as such, but then his eyes seemed to focus better. He saw that he wasn't in the same palace anymore. The throne room he now stood in was a lot more spacious. The walls bore not even the smallest crack and were colored snow white instead of the previous dull grey. The hearth in the center was about twice its size, although it remained unlit. The gods, condition unchanged, slept in different thrones as well. Before they'd been uniquely styled, but more or less the same. Now each one was completely customized for their occupants. Hephaestus's was constructed out of primarily metal with gears and other mechanical parts. Zeus's was made from solid gold and intricately etched with finely detailed images. Dionysus's was woven entirely out of grapevines, and Poseidon's looked to have been carved out of a massive pearl.

"Where did the Romans go?" Percy said, then gestured at the sleeping gods. "Why aren't they awake?"

"Have patience, demigod," said Atropos.

"Ancient laws are no simple matter," said Lachesis.

"But unity has been achieved, thanks to your efforts," said Clotho.

They waited, and the gods eventually began to stir. Percy's eyes were on his father. His heart started beating faster, and his hand had found its way back to Reyna's. The gears on Hephaestus's throne began to spin, and other parts moved as well. A small ember appeared in the hearth that quickly spread, soon turning into a flame. The wood ignited and then burst out into a full blaze. The goddess laying next to it got to her feet, burning eyes open, and the other gods soon followed suit. They all looked dazed and mostly confused, but they were awake.

"Welcome back to the world," said the Fates.

Zeus's eyes snapped to them at the sound of their voices. He stepped forward, then stumbled. His entire form flickered. It only lasted for a fraction of a second, so it was hard to be sure, but Percy swore that he had looked like Jupiter just then. He tripped and changed shape momentarily once more, then a third time which sent him falling back into his throne. The other gods then began experiencing the same thing. They had trouble keeping balance as they blinked between two different forms. Only Hestia didn't seem affected.

"Stop this!" Zeus yelled, seemingly at no one in particular.

Then he changed once more, but it wasn't a flicker this time. Jupiter sat in his place.

"You repay me for saving you by fighting?" said the Roman king indignantly.

He turned back into Zeus. "I will not wake to be your servant!"

Realization struck him like a brick. Percy knew what unity was, and was so dumbfounded that he didn't even see Hestia walk over to them. She changed into Vesta and put a hand on both his and Reyna's shoulders.

"Come," she said. "It'll take some time for them to adjust."

She led the two of them out of the palace and into a new city of the gods, Zeus/Jupiter still arguing with himself (Themselves? Each other?) behind them. Olympus was dying and decrepit no longer. The tents were gone, buildings larger and more pristine, grass greener and flora more plentiful. The roads were more ornately paved with some kind of metal akin to silver, but more precious, filling the linings of the bricks. Everything just looked so impossibly grand that it was awe-inspiring. The city no longer appeared strictly Greek as it had before. Instead, all of the buildings seemed to mix the architectural styles of both Rome and Greece perfectly, and no building looked more like one than the other. He had to wonder if those visions he'd seen were more literal than symbolic, and that he was now standing on the one and only Olympus.

He and Reyna continued following Vesta away from the palace. He could see a couple minor gods leaving their homes, apparently having taken little time to adapt to the change.

"I — we," said Vesta, "will also need to adjust, as this is new for all of us. But we — that is to say, Hestia and myself — were more or less prepared for this. I cannot say the same for the others."

"So. . ." said Reyna. "All of the gods have. . . merged?"

"Not just the gods. It's more complicated than that. It's not just about Hestia and me, Jupiter and Zeus, Neptune and Poseidon, et cetera sharing bodies. It's about the two pantheons as a whole becoming united and the unification of all domains. All of the seas are now governed by one being, and the same applies to all of the Underworld and all of the heavens. If all unity meant was simply making two equivalent gods one, all that would have happened is the Roman gods would share in the Greeks' curse."

"I don't get it," said Percy.

"Let's sit."

They reached a round pavilion filled with tables and seating. The braziers lining it lit up one after the other the instant Vesta stepped into it. She picked a bench without a table and sat, gesturing for them to do as she had.

"There are special cases that wouldn't survive the forced slumber had the cure to it been just merging with their counterpart from the other pantheon," Vesta explained after they sat down. "Janus, for instance, is — was — unique to Rome. The Greeks do not worship an equivalent to him, so he did not unite with anyone, but he'll still survive the inevitable fall of Rome, whenever that may be. The same can be said for Lupa and several others. Similarly, Phorcys was never adopted by the Romans, so he also did not unite with anyone, but he'll still wake if he hasn't done so already. Hercules is a complete idiosyncrasy, in that he did not have a counterpart but is worshipped by both Greeks and Romans all the same. In fact, he's the only Greek god that did not fall asleep, as he'd renounced the name Heracles during the rise of Rome and declared himself a Roman god, joining our pantheon."

"He can do that?" said Reyna.

"He alone could, not that his decision means much anymore."

"I'm sorry, but," said Percy, "I still don't really get what you're trying to say. What exactly is 'unity'?"

"It's not easy to explain, but I'll try. Ancient laws are less verbose than human laws. They're a lot harder to understand, as they're not written. They are not worded rules that gods and men have to follow, but primal powers of the universe that bind reality. The basic premise of the ancient law of unity deals with the paradoxical nature of two nearly identical pantheons existing at once. So long as they remain separate, the world and its powers are divided. A Greek worshipper would not meet a Roman worshipper in the afterlife. A mortal favored by Poseidon could not be guaranteed a safe voyage if he's not also favored by Neptune. Zeus could want a storm over Rome while Jupiter wishes it to be sunny. Unity is not something that was just now put into effect to combine the pantheons; it is something that was always active, helping to ensure that chaos does not result from these contradictions. The law as a whole is inappropriately named, as only a small aspect of it deals with the unification of two pantheons. That part is more easily understandable and a lot more simplistic — should both sides make a peace offering to one another, either can invoke the law and make the two pantheons become one. Are you with me so far?"

"Yeah, I think so," said Percy.

Reyna's brow was knitted in that way she does whenever she's thinking hard about something. A nod was her only response.

"Now that unity has been achieved, and only one pantheon exists, all powers are combined and controlled by one body of gods. But this was not possible without many compromises. For true unity, we cannot have things in twos. There cannot be two kings, despite Rome's current beliefs with its system of government. There cannot be two goddesses of the hearth, and there cannot be two gods of the sea. Even if we shared a city and stood side by side, powers would still be divided. One being must control an entire domain for true balance. So this is why we had to combine with our counterparts."

"So, if you're 'one being'," said Reyna, "is Hestia. . .?"

Vesta morphed into the Greek counterpart in question. "I'm still here. Thank you for bringing that up. There are now two minds in one head. Vesta and myself are one goddess, but also two. This is a contradiction, and because of that, the law of unity is more necessary now than ever. Our experiences are largely identical, as are our personalities, interests, and thought processes, but I can see our slight differences clearer than ever before. We are distinct from one another, more so than I once believed, and therefore it'll take some time for us to fully merge. I daresay soon enough we'll be as close as a madman is with his split personality. Eventually, we may even sync up entirely, and we'll truly be one. I imagine I am not overstepping my bounds by assuming my description of the situation applies just as aptly to the rest of my peers."

"This is starting to make sense, but. . ." Reyna said.

"You're still missing information," Hestia finished for her.

Percy nodded in agreement.

"I'll try to be as succinct as possible," the goddess continued. "Power and belief are resources, limited like any other. There is only so much among the gods, and so many ways it can be split. They cannot be expended, as wealth or food can, but they are necessary for our survival. Power is divided between the two pantheons. It is divided again amongst the deities of each pantheon, but it is still connected. Power as a whole was divided equally between the two pantheons, while belief was dependent on mortals. After the enactment of Rome's policies following the fall of Greece, the Greek gods had less worship and consequently less power, yet the Roman gods' power stayed the same. Should the Romans have failed to invoke unity, the Greeks would have faded, and their power would disappear, leaving only half in the world. Then Rome would fall, and the remaining gods would be too weak to survive. Invoking unity merged the two powers as one, creating one interconnected pool that all deities draw from. So even should belief grow too thin, we're strong enough together to persist regardless.

"That's the simplest I can put it. Obviously, it's a lot more complicated than having one resource called 'power', as there are varying forms, and it's all intangible — challenging for a mortal mind to comprehend. In reality, every god draws power from different sources — their domains — while power as a whole is still shared. As a result, every source of power was combined, but this was impossible while two beings drew from a single one. Myself and Vesta could not separately draw from the same source, so we merged. This applies not only to gods, but titans, primordials, and other deities as well. The conjoining of individual gods was a side-effect, not the primary goal. Do you understand now?"

"For the most part," said Percy, "but you said two gods couldn't have the same domain, and that's why they merged. But in each pantheon, there are multiple war gods, for instance. Ares, Athena, Enyo —"

"Domains are also more complex than that. War is but a word. War, in essence, has many aspects to it, which are divided among those gods you named. Athena personifies strategy, tactics, and warfare; Enyo personifies destruction, carnage, and bloodlust; Ares personifies conflict, battle, and rivalries. Just because there are multiple war gods or multiple sea gods doesn't mean these gods have the same domains."

"Oh."

"Is there anything else I've failed to explain?"

"Only one thing," Reyna said. "Why now? If unity is so beneficial, why did you never make the offerings and invoke it before?"

Vesta replaced Hestia. "Many reasons — none of them great. Both sides wanted to feel superior to the other. Neither wanted to admit they needed one another. In essence, it was hubris. Should the Romans have made a peace offering a thousand years ago and the Greeks made theirs today, it'd make no difference. It was because of this simplicity that a silent agreement was made never to acknowledge the existence of two pantheons. We all knew we had counterparts, but refused to concede that fact. Admitting it would open us up to vulnerability. Should the two pantheons declare themselves either enemy or ally, it opens the way for trickery and deceit. It creates the possibility that just one rogue from both sides makes the offering, in which case either party could invoke unity against the other's will. But so long as there is 'officially' only one pantheon, unity stands as no more than a threat to one's own solidarity of mind, so there was never an incentive."

"But why not even when the Greeks started to fall asleep?" Percy asked.

The goddess changed back to Hestia, who shrugged. "Zeus was stubborn. I had no choice but to scheme to make it happen after he'd already gone under. He'll probably be angry for a time because I went behind his back, but he could never stay mad at me for long. Jupiter only jumped at the invitation to the now non-existent Greek Olympus because he didn't see the harm in declaring superiority over us if we were already asleep. Little did he know that his wife and Jason had already made Rome's offering, and you and I had made Greece's."

It was a lot to process. Half an hour passed, and Percy was still digesting all the information he'd been presented with. The two goddesses — one goddess, wait, no — had broken it down very well. He understood everything they/she had told them, but it still took some time for him to piece it all together with everything that he knew and experienced before today. He almost wished she had lied and made it sound a lot more convoluted than it actually was. It was difficult to accept that everything had been leading up to the culmination of this decade long issue, yet the solution had been something so simple — each side gives a gift and the Fates do a fancy ritual and that's it. In truth, it actually was more complicated than that, since it relies entirely upon godly politics which is a headache in and of itself. So it was both simple and complex — another contradiction.

While Reyna and he processed, bouncing thoughts off of one another from time to time, Olympus livened up surprisingly quickly. Minor gods emerged from their homes looking well; others appeared in flashes of light. Some found each other and struck up conversations while others went toward Zeus/Jupiter's palace. Soon enough, its doors opened permanently and didn't shut. Apollo even descended with a dazzling grin, waving and complimenting the gods he passed — Percy couldn't tell if he was his Greek or Roman counterpart. The Olympian gathered nine women under a gazebo near the center of the city, drew his bow from his back, which promptly turned into a harp, and then led them in a song that carried over the entire city. It was a joyful melody that made Percy feel nostalgic even though he'd never heard it before. It reminded him of home and the people he'd lost, inciting him to feel proud of the virtues they'd stood for and the people they were, rather than sad about the manners of their deaths. Some gods even began dancing while others just drank wine from the kegs Dionysus/Bacchus had snapped into existence.

"It seems the festivities have begun," said Hestia.

"Festivities?" said Reyna.

Hestia turned into Vesta. "Of course. This is a cause for celebration, after all. This decision is bound to be controversial and fraught with antipathy, but for the time being, the gods have been saved. Most of them have compromised enough with their counterparts to throw a party. You should join in."

Percy had not been expecting to attend a party of all things. Jason was dead. Celebrating was the last thing on his mind. He just wanted to take some time alone with Reyna to deal with everything that had happened. But, even as he was thinking this, the music filled him with a strange sense of optimism. Perhaps it was a time to celebrate — Jason's life, his deeds, and his sacrifice. He'd willingly died for this quest, and now it had officially succeeded. It was time to be happy, to enjoy the victory — at least for a little while. He could be sad later.

Reyna got to her feet and stood in front of him, extending him her hand. "Let's go. Your father will probably want to see you."

He stared at her hand, suddenly nervous. "Right. My father."

She waited patiently. After spending a few moments psyching himself up, Percy grabbed her hand, stood, and then kissed her. He felt her smiling while it lasted, her other hand resting on his shoulder. He pulled away and smiled gratefully before turning off toward the palace, not letting go of her hand.

Inside the palace, the music could be heard just as loudly as before. All of the torches and braziers had been ignited and were burning in varying colors. A handful of tables had been set up, including one long one which was piled with luxury foods and drinks, ambrosia and nectar only making up a small part of the assortment. The Fates were nowhere to be seen, which Percy was glad for. The war gods were all seated around one table while Ares and Mars attempted to arm wrestle each other. Dionysus/Bacchus was kicked back with a goblet in his hand while telling some sort of grand tale to a group of gods, a man who could only be Hercules himself being the only one who appeared to be really listening to him. Aphrodite/Venus — he remembered her name! — was pretending to be uninterested by the male gods trying to chat her up, but was clearly reveling in the attention. Even Hades/Pluto looked to be having a lively discussion with Hecate/whoever her Roman counterpart was. In fact, the only ones who didn't seem to be enjoying themselves were the wolf goddess Lupa, who was off brooding by herself in a corner (in all fairness, it was difficult to accurately read her emotions) and Jupiter/Zeus, who was sitting in his throne and merely spectating.

As they walked in, the king met Percy's eyes, but didn't make any attempt to talk to him. Percy looked around for a bit before finally spotting his father off to the side having a conversation with Vesta, who'd somehow made it there before them. Percy let go of Reyna's hand because his was starting to get sweaty. He began to walk toward the god of the sea but was intercepted by someone only a second later.

"Perseus, Reyna Arellano," said Hades. He looked a lot like Pluto, but the differences were clear enough to deduce which he was.

"Lord Hades." Percy bowed respectfully.

Reyna did the same.

"I believe I owe you my thanks," said the god. "It is due to your efforts that I am standing here, after all. But as for Jason Grace, I can only offer my condolences."

Percy didn't have a response.

"Thank you, Lord Hades," Reyna said after a pause.

"I felt that the two of you deserved to know that I shall be seeing to it that your friend goes directly to Elysium where he belongs, and where he'll meet his sister. The gods shan't forget his sacrifice." Hades met Percy's eyes. "May he requiescat in pace."

The god of the dead then transformed into Pluto, who told Reyna her mother wished to talk to her again, and then promptly walked away.

"Again?" Reyna said.

"You don't sound pleased," Percy commented.

She sighed. "All she did while you were away was lecture me and refuse to talk about Hylla. I don't want any more of that right now."

"Maybe it'll be different this time. Enyo's in there too, now."

"Yes, that'll be beneficial," she said sarcastically. "My already distant mother now has a second goddess of carnage in her head — that should help her be more maternal."

"Fair point. I wouldn't turn her down, though."

"Neither shall I. Good luck." Reyna kissed him on the cheek and then split off toward the war gods' table.

By the time Percy reached his father, Vesta had finished her conversation with him and disappeared somewhere. So, Percy took a deep breath and approached him. Poseidon saw him immediately and gave a welcoming smile, but almost looked apprehensive. Percy didn't know whether he imagined that part.

"Uh, hi da — oh!"

Percy had begun speaking in a small voice but hadn't gotten the chance to finish, as the moment he was in range, his father had pulled him into a tight hug. Several moments passed before Percy regained himself and hugged him back. He felt the urge to weep; he should be crying right now, with tears of both joy and sadness. But with everything that had happened in so short a time, it seemed his tears had run dry.

"My son," Poseidon said through a sad smile after breaking the embrace. "There are so many things I want to say to you and so little time to say it in. I'm just so sorry for the things you've had to endure, the tragedies. Your mother. . . such a horrible end for such an incredible woman."

"Were you. . . watching?" said Percy, surprised he could speak in a steady voice.

"I was dreaming while under. I assume the rest were too. I watched you grow, suffer, survive, fall in love twice — a daughter of Athena being one of them, of all people. At least that's over."

"Did you just —?"

"But Reyna seems an excellent match for you. Another daughter of a war goddess; it seems you have a type."

Percy's cheeks reddened. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"I can see you really love her. Tell me — do you intend to marry her?"

That image came into his mind again; he saw it more clearly than ever before. He and Reyna sat cuddled up together on a couch inside a home they owned — it could have been located anywhere. A hearth was burning warmly in front of them to show that Vesta was still watching over him. A toddler with Percy's green eyes and Reyna's facial features was joyfully swinging around a wooden sword, putting up a real fight against the wall while his mother laughed. His name was Jason — his name would be Jason.

"I do," Percy answered.

His father smiled, then turned up his palm between them. "Then, I have a gift for you, to give to her."

A dazzling pearl necklace appeared in his hand on a piece of fabric. Percy stared at it for a moment, then took it after Poseidon nodded encouragingly. He carefully wrapped it up and stowed it away.

"She's Roman," his father said, "so I doubt you'll be tossing her any apples. I'm sure she'll appreciate this more."

"Thanks. But you'd really prefer I marry a Roman than — wait, can we go back to the part where you said Athena was Annabeth's mother?"

"You never even suspected? With that girl's brains, it should have been a safe assumption."

"Annabeth doesn't like assumptions."

The sea god frowned. "I haven't spoken to Athena yet — I can't bear to face her. She was unbearable enough before, but two of our children being an item will take some time to forget. But as for the marrying a Roman thing, that's one grudge I won't be able to hold with Neptune in here." He knocked on the side of his skull. "I'll concede that Greece wasn't doing itself any favors when Rome swept in, and we didn't do as much as we could have to stop it."

"You know. . . I still get angry sometimes — remember why I was in the rebellion in the first place."

"But deep down, you understand that this is a best-case scenario. Greece had peaked and begun to decline long before you were born, and it was never going to rise back up. Rome may not have had noble intentions in conquering our land, but that doesn't change the fact that they did our people a favor. You see the parallel between that and the rebellion, don't you?"

It took Percy a second. "Yeah. Bad intentions and evil deeds happened to turn out for the best. If Luke hadn't done the things he did, I might never have gone over to Rome. I might never have seen Reyna and Jason again, and never brought about the deal that made Rome repeal its oppressive policies."

"Indeed. I know you wish you could have gotten where you are without so much bloodshed —"

"I was naive. Nothing ever gets done without bloodshed."

Poseidon gave him a sad look. "It would seem that way, but that doesn't mean you should actively seek it out —"

"I won't."

"— or stop trying to avoid it."

"I won't," Percy repeated, his voice strong and eyes fierce with determination. "Because I finally know what I fight for. It's not just one cause I can support, one army or another, these people over those people. I fight for the betterment of all people, and the longevity of everyone's lives — because that's what's right. In the past, I believed I could get everything I wanted without a drop of blood being spilled, but that was impossible from the beginning. Lives will always be lost and cut too short, but that doesn't mean doing everything in your power to mitigate it doesn't achieve anything."

His father smiled with twinkling eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Perseus. Words can't express how much. Wherever you choose to go and whatever you decide to do, I'll support you. I wish I could have been a part of your life and wish I could be the father you deserve, but alas, this isn't the case."

Percy's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Poseidon sighed. "It's. . . complicated. There are rules, consequences, to meddling in mortal affairs. Gods aren't meant to grow close to their demigod children. That's why you have no siblings — I try to avoid more disappointment. I'll not be able to speak to you as much as I'd like to or be there whenever you might need me."

"Oh," Percy said dejectedly.

"I will still be watching, though. I'll see you from time to time when I'm able, too, so don't think we need to say goodbye. You're my son, now and always."

Percy smiled, despite the disappointing news. "Thanks, dad."

"As much as I'd love to talk for hours, I don't want to steal you for too long. There are others who wish to speak with you."

"Who?"

"Hermes, to name one. Both Jupiter and Zeus refuse to admit it, but they have things they wish to say to you as well."

"Why would Hermes —? Oh."

"I promise I won't let him harm you."

"That's reassuring. But I wanted to ask you something first."

"To delay your awkward conversations?"

Percy smirked. "That's a benefit. But. . . why do gods keep calling me the 'Savior of Greece'? I don't get it. You said Greece will never rise again. Is it just referring to waking the Greek pantheon?"

"Only in part. We gods will remain Greek and Roman, and those cultures will follow us as civilization expands across the world. Mortal customs will change, and they'll have long since labeled our pantheons as mythologies, but tiny pieces of Greece will still exist everywhere. And our true culture and customs will survive in full with future demigods, who'll live both in their present world — which will have evolved to be unrecognizable — and ours. If you'd have let us fade, Greece as we know it eventually would too. History will have forgotten us and moved on. The descendants of today's Greeks would still live in the same lands with the same labels, but the spirit of Greece would have been long since dead, never to be revived. But because you saved the gods, mortals and we will work together to make sure that that spirit survives, even if they don't know it. When Rome inevitably falls, we will not continue hovering above these withering lands — we will move with civilization as it expands westwards, continuing to spread our influence."

"Oh. So I saved Greece metaphorically."

"Certainly not. Greece's spirit is far from intangible. You can go down to any newer city now and see small pieces of Greece scattered about. Don't sell yourself short."

"If I'm being honest, a small part of me hoped that title meant something larger, something big down the line."

"This is big — bigger than you realize. Think on it a while, and don't keep a grieving father waiting."

"What —? Oh, right. Forgot about that." Percy spotted Hermes looking sad off at the edge of the room.

"Real quick, though." Poseidon snapped his fingers. "Can't have you attending a party with that tattered tunic, now can we?"

Percy looked down to see his clothes had been instantly cleaned and restored to perfect condition, meaning his midriff was no longer exposed. He was very grateful for that.

The sea god patted him on the back, and Percy walked toward the father of a demigod he'd slain — there were a lot of parents of demigods he'd killed present, actually, but only Hermes seemed interested in him, at least for the moment. He noticed Reyna sitting at the war gods' table with her mother, not looking all that pleased, for some reason. She shot him a look that said, "Help me!" but he could only shrug apologetically and continue toward the messenger god.

"I can't imagine you can even begin to understand what it's like watching your son slowly devolve into madness," Hermes said when he reached him. "I hope you never have to."

"Uh. . ." was all Percy could say.

"You needn't try to explain yourself. You killed Luke because you hated him, and had good reason to do so. I wish, more than anything, that I could have been there for him and his mother when they needed me. I could have stopped him from becoming the person he was at the end of his life. You never would have had to make that choice."

He paused to take a sip of wine. "A part of me will always resent you for what you did, even though I understand why you had to do it. My son passed a point of no return before you ever met him. He was never going to get better because I couldn't be there for him. Perhaps I should be grateful you stopped him before he could commit even worse deeds, but I'm not. I should feel sad that he's dead, but I'm not. I only grieve for the boy Luke was before he held the love of his life in his arms while she died, taking the good in him with her."

Hermes cleared his throat. "I'm rambling, I apologize. I only wished to let you know that I forgive you, Perseus."

"Oh. Well, uh. . . thanks. And I'm sorry," Percy said.

"Yes. Well, enjoy the party." Hermes finished his wine and tossed the goblet aside before turning and exiting the palace.

Percy stood there for a moment, then turned away from the exit back toward the partygoers. He didn't get two seconds to think about going to Reyna before Jupiter met his eyes and beckoned him forward. Not having a choice, he approached the king.

"I suppose you think you're all high and mighty," said Jupiter. "Enjoying in Olympian festivities, having personal conversations with one god after another."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "I suppose I do."

"Watch your tone, boy. And have you forgotten your manners? You bow before kings."

Reluctantly, Percy gave an exaggerated bow. The Roman god seemed content enough with it.

"Hmph," he said. "My other seems to be under the belief that you deserve thanks. I am under no such assumption. I'll not concede that this course of action was either good or bad — perhaps a bit of both. But I thought you might like to know something."

"And what's that?"

"Gods aren't the only ones affected by this. You'll notice Trivia over there has merged with Hecate. She may be a goddess in granted title, but she's a titaness by blood. The rest of her kind merged as well."

Percy felt a weight lift from his heart. The oath he'd sworn to Atlas had been fulfilled then if that were true.

"That includes," continued Jupiter, "those that were no longer threats. Our titans were all in Tartarus. Now many have risen to join those of the Greeks that my new comrade once spared. Our enemies are stronger now, resulting from this. And they'll not stand idly by."

"But Kronos and Saturn are still down there, aren't they?"

"For now. He doesn't have the strength he needs at this time, but one day, give it a few centuries or so, he could very well rise again with his brethren's aid. But I'm sure that all sounds great to you. You didn't piss off Styx and don't have to worry about a war with titans in your lifetime. But know that no monsters have merged. There's enough for two pantheons out there with only one to go after. You've unified their focus. They'll be stronger. You think that won't affect you?"

"Would you rather I have let the gods fall?" Percy asked, annoyance seeping into his voice from the injustice.

"The past is in the past. Like I said — I'll not concede whether this was good or bad. I just thought you should know that everything isn't all happy and sunny. There are consequences to this, so I made you aware of them."

Jupiter was then replaced with Zeus, who looked only slightly kindlier. "Onto a less grizzly topic. It is customary that demigods who've done the gods a service are rewarded. So let's get this done with. What do you demand?"

"Uh, what?" said Percy.

"A reward, boy. You — are — due — a — re — ward. For what do you wish?"

"It can be anything?"

"Within my power."

Percy glanced at Reyna. "What about her?"

"Unless I'm mistaken, you already have her."

"No. I meant, doesn't she get something too?"

"Hmm. I suppose so, but Bellona already has enough gifts for her. Now, stop wasting my time and tell me what you want before I change my mind."

Percy looked at Reyna again. He felt compelled to consult her on this. A god was offering him anything he wanted; she should be involved in the decision. But Percy knew what he wanted already and doubted she'd have any objections. Even still, a small, selfish part of him feared telling her before Zeus could lead to him choosing something different. He knew what his reward should be, so he'd seize it right now before he could change his mind.

"Jason," he told Zeus.

The sky god gave him a flat look. "I cannot bring back the dead, boy. This one is especially impos —"

"I know," Percy said impatiently, even though he felt a sense of disappointment at hearing it said aloud. "That's not what I was going to say."

"Never," Zeus warned, "interrupt me."

"I'm sorry."

"Say your piece."

"Your son — his son, whatever — deserves to be commemorated. He needs a proper funeral with the proper rights. And his sacrifice should be honored, forever. No one should ever forget what he did."

Zeus looked at him for a bit, but it was Jupiter who saw him. After a moment, he glanced above Percy's shoulder and bellowed, "Hephaestus!" The forge god then lumbered over to them, one leg strapped in a metal brace akin to the ones Daedalus and Archimedes III wore. He had a hideous, deformed face partially covered by a scruffy beard and spoke in a gravelly voice.

"Father," he said.

"Jason Grace is to have a statue built in his honor within this city," Zeus told him. "You'll choose an appropriate place for it and construct it post-haste."

"What should the inscription say?" the god of blacksmiths asked.

Zeus looked at Percy expectantly.

"Oh, uh. . ." Percy scratched his head. "I don't know. I'm not exactly a poet."

"A memorial needs a plaque," Zeus said flatly. "If you can't think of anything. . ."

"Ask Reyna," Percy said.

Both gods stared at him.

"She knew him a lot longer than I did," Percy explained. "And she's smarter than me. She'll know what it should say."

"So be it," said Zeus. He nodded to his son.

"It'll be done." Hephaestus returned the nod and limped away.

Zeus's voice drew back Percy's gaze. "Gods cannot venture into the Hollow of Prophecy, as you well know. I cannot obtain his body. If you insist on a burial or cremation, you'll need to venture back and ask the Moirai for his corpse yourself. Should you choose to do so, there's little guarantee that they'll say yes."

"Oh," Percy said, disheartened.

"With or without the body, his funeral is in your hands. There were more people in his life who would wish to attend than just yourself and your lover."

Percy sat on that for several seconds. "Will that be all, my lord?"

"It shall. Demigods don't often attend these celebrations, so make the most of the privilege you've been granted. Go mingle, or what have you."


The party didn't end for several hours. Over the course of its duration, the gods took to unity in very odd ways. Most seemed to be stable enough with two minds in one body, but Ares/Mars weren't the only ones competing with themselves. After several kegs of wine had managed to empty, the celebrations really livened up with some unique activities. Artemis, Diana, Apollo, and Apollo took turns in a shooting competition. They were so engrossed in trying to be better than their other selves that they didn't even seem to notice more gods were losing against them. Hermes and Mercury took turns running against a timer to see who could run from one end of Olympus to the other the fastest, but somehow managed to draw at every attempt. After a handful of scenarios like this with equally disappointing outcomes, it became clear that each god was equivalent to their counterparts in every skill — the only exception to this being that Athena was a far better fighter than Minerva. As soon as the gods were forced to accept this fact, the sound of metal against metal rang out over the heavens louder than the music that never stopped playing, as they teamed up with their counterparts to compete in contests that wouldn't end in draws — the majority of said contests were just duels. Ichor was spilled, and the spectators cheered. Even the losers of the matches were so engrossed in the excitement that they ignored the injuries they'd sustained and joined in the crowd's yelling as the next fight began.

Meanwhile, Percy and Reyna had taken the first opportunity to slip away and go for a walk around the edge of the city where no one could disturb them. They discussed some things, briefed one another on the conversations they'd had with some of the gods, and generally avoided bringing up Jason for as long as possible. All the while, Percy's mind was on that pearl necklace and the things Bellona had said to him. There were a couple of pristine moments of silence that could have been good points to ask the question, but he deliberated too long, and the opportunities passed him by. In the end, he decided it wasn't the time, which made him feel guilty considering the promise he'd made to Reyna's mother.

Their time of denial could not last forever, though. As such, they eventually stumbled upon the statue that Hephaestus and Vulcan had erected surprisingly quickly. A golden, life-sized Jason stood proudly upon a marble plinth. It captured his image perfectly. He wore a full suit of legionnaire's armor — the only difference being that Jupiter's symbol was engraved onto his chest piece — and held his sword pointed to the sky like he was about to call down a lightning bolt. A warm smile was permanently set on his face, identical to the one he often wore in life. It was so life-like that one could almost suspect that King Midas had gotten to him.

"I really miss him," Reyna said, her voice soft.

Percy put his arm around her shoulder. "I do too."

He continued looking up at his friend's face, expecting tears to fall. None did. A couple of minutes passed before Reyna finally pointed to the plinth where a bronze plaque was engraved with a message.

"He said that to me once," she said. "At one of my lowest points. I don't think he ever realized how much those words impacted me."

Percy read the plaque three times over, a smile forming on his lips. "It's perfect."

Reyna wiped her eyes. "I thought it more or less captured the things he stood for and the life he lived."

"It does," he agreed.

After a short silence, he added, "This lowest point? What was it?"

"I'll tell you one day," she promised. "It'd ruin the moment to talk about it now."

They found a bench across from the statue and sat together, silently comforting each other in their grief. They eventually began to tell each other stories about Jason, the statue's smile seeming to grow wider while they talked. They laughed at times and grew somber at others. It was still difficult to accept that he was truly gone, but both seemed to have run out of tears to shed. That probably wouldn't last, but for now, they were content just remembering.

A silence ensued, at least as silent as it could get while the gods were enjoying their mayhem in the background. This persisted for a time, the two sitting pressed up against each other, hand in hand before the statue. It didn't end until the final pieces settled into place within Percy's mind, and a revelation came to him.

"I was just thinking," he said.

"About what?" Reyna asked.

"Something Hestia said when we first met. She told us, me and Jason, that we were the bridge between Greece and Rome."

"You never mentioned that."

"I didn't know what it meant then. Even just now, I thought she was only referring to this whole unity thing, but I think it goes much deeper than that."

She waited for him to explain.

"She also told us that Thalia was his sister, and you know gods don't ever tell us things unless there's a good reason for it. I think she might have been trying to clue us in that we had a connection to each other long before we even met."

"Because she was with Luke and your — uh, Annabeth," she said, beginning to understand.

"It was always destined that we meet. Both Jupiter and Zeus having kids with the same woman sounds improbable, and likely unprecedented. It still happened though, which was only the beginning of the bridging Greece and Rome thing. They were separated, and Thalia wound up with Luke. Her death sent him down a spiral that inevitably caused me to go to Rome — to you and Jason. If we hadn't become friends, and you and I more than, the deal Rome made to the rebels would have never gone through. The rift between our countries never would have begun to lessen, and this quest never would have been done. It was always going to end like this, with us."

"Right," Reyna said in a hollow voice. "With you and Jason."

It took a second for the words to reach him. He looked at her, confused, and saw a strange expression on her face — shame.

"Uh. . . what?" was all he could say.

"It's always been the two of you, hasn't it? It's always been you two completing quests, while I sometimes just tagged along, having done very little."

He stared at her incredulously. "What are you even talking about? You've done so much!"

"You were the one to take down Luke and Marcus. You and Jason ran off on this quest while I sat back at Rome, delegating an army when we have no one to fight. Jason went off and killed the sea monster that guarded Kronos's scythe so that you could sweep in and complete another quest —"

The memory of a giant nest above the titans' underwater palace floated to the forefront of his mind, and his eyes widened. He'd made one mention of it while recounting his journey just a little while ago, and she'd pieced it together before him. During that time, she also hadn't given the kiss with Zoë a second thought, which just went to prove how amazing she was and how ridiculous all this talk about her inadequacy was. He needed her to stop rambling, and decided the best way to do this was to kiss her. This was a mistake.

She shoved him back and bore a hurt expression. When she spoke, she sounded angry. "What are you doing? This is not the time for that!"

"No, that's not what —"

"Kissing me isn't the magic solution that instantly makes problems go away, Perseus."

Percy held his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry! Just listen. I only wanted to shut you up for a minute, and kissing you usually calms you down."

She opened her mouth to retort, but he continued before she got a chance.

"You're amazing! Just listen to me. I was just trying to get you to stop saying crazy things about yourself long enough for me to prove you wrong. You're the strongest, bravest, most capable person I know. And I'm not trying to call you crazy, but to say you've not done anything is just so far from the truth. You were the first woman to earn the rank of both centurion and legatus within a Roman legion, and for good reason. Neither me or Jason could have done any of this without you. You saved my life several times. Luke would've killed me if not for you. Titan probably would've killed both of us if you hadn't saved us. And you were the mastermind behind the plan that took him down, as well as the one that took down the remaining rebels too. You've done so much, and I love you, and that's why I couldn't stand to let you keep talking about yourself like that."

She no longer looked angry, though still seemed unsure about something. Her cheeks were also red, which he found adorable. "Thank you. You still might have handled that better."

"I realize that now."

She smiled, but it didn't last. "You're right, I suppose, about all of that. It's just. . . I worked so hard my whole life to meet my supposed destiny, yet I don't even know what it is. I thought that becoming legatus would have been my peak, my crowning achievement, but then my mother spoke with me for the second time in my life and made me think I was meant for more. I thought this quest was it, so I resigned from my position and came to your aid just for the quest to end without me having played any real important role in it. Lupa trained me to be a soldier, a hero. But I've not earned that tile. How can I ever do anything bigger than this?"

"But you can do something bigger than this, more impressive at least. And you will — I know it."

Their eyes met, and Percy found it very difficult to not give everything away. He didn't like keeping secrets from her, but he couldn't tell her what Bellona had told him without giving away that he knew something he couldn't reveal just yet. The worst part was that he was allowed to choose when he shared the information, but that'd mean ruining something else. I want this to come from you, but wait until after you've asked her to marry you to tell her, she had insisted. He could ask her right now and then tell her everything, but this wasn't the right moment. When he finally came clean, she'd understand — hopefully.

"Why do you sound so sure?" Reyna asked.

Percy took a moment to find the right words. "I mean, look at where we are. This is a city of gods. You wouldn't be here if you didn't deserve to be. We're young and still have our whole lives ahead of us. This isn't your peak, and I'm absolutely certain of it. Whatever it is you wind up doing, you'll excel at it."

Reyna stared at him, and a smile settled onto her lips. "I really love you."

"I love you too. Your destiny is still ahead of you. Even though I hope mine is behind me, I'll be with you every step of the way. But we don't have to worry about that yet. We're allowed to take some time to ourselves, and just appreciate what we've accomplished."

She scooted closer to him. "That's a plan I can get behind."

After a pause, she added. "Now is the time to kiss me."

He grinned. "As you command."


A/N: Let me know what you all thought of this chapter. It took longer to write not mainly due to the word count (although that was a factor) but because of the difficulty of laying out the information in the right way. Almost everything I've been keeping under wraps until now is supposed to be revealed here, so if there's anything you found confusing or think that I didn't address, PLEASE leave a review and tell me so that I can fix it. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you tell me if there's anything you think I missed or didn't explain too well.

From here on out, the weekly update schedule is dissolved. What does this mean? Well, I'll be uploading chapters as soon as they are done, and I'll no longer be holding finished chapters until Sunday (which was only a day or two, more often than not. Don't feel like I skimped out on you, or anything. You got the same frequency of chapters, only with consistency). I'll also no longer be forcing a strict deadline upon myself. So a chapter could take more than seven days to finish, or it can take less than seven days to finish. You won't know, which is unfortunate, but it is for the good of the rest of the story.

Why am I doing this? Mainly it's because of the structure of the remaining chapters. I'm no longer doing episodic story-telling, which is how I've been able to manage thus far. It's easy to write on a weekly schedule when you have an entire outline for your story planned. I just carve out a chunk of the outline that I think it'll take me a week to write, do a more detailed outline, write it, edit it, and then upload it. I never needed to worry if I'm going to be able to fit everything in the chapter (except for the different P.O.V. chapters) because I can just push anything I couldn't write in time off to the next one. But because the remaining chapters are basically going to be one-shot, self-contained stories (that tie into the overall plot I've already set up, so don't think about skipping them. There will be a lot of information regarding Percy, Reyna, and some other characters post-epilogue that'll be revealed in them, too.), I don't have that option. And I don't want to restrict the length of them so I can get it written in a week. I'm going to write them as long as they need to be and work at the pace I need to, plain and simple. I hope you understand.

With that said, don't expect a long wait for the Epilogue. It should be out even before next Sunday (I apologize in advance if I don't live up to that claim). There might be a sizable break between the Epilogue and Reyna's chapter(s), though, as I want to rewrite Chapter 1 (as in, from scratch).

Anyway, see you all soon for the last chapter written from Percy's P.O.V. (but not the last one containing him!).