One year until the war

Origin

Chaos and the rest were watching an all-out spar with Percy fighting Aether, Hemera, Artemis, and Thalia in the training arena and was currently in a deadlock with the two primordials. Percy feinted right and threw a punch to Aether's midsection and disarmed him of his broadsword making it clatter to the ground and used the momentary distraction to throw a haymaker towards Aether knocking him out of the fight and into a wall. Hemera struck at him with her glaive but was put on the defensive once Percy got within her space and struck with unmatched agility and aiming for quick blows to end her involvement in the fight.

Hemera was knocked out by a side-kick to the abdomen sending her into Aether who was slowly getting up making him groan in pain at the sudden impact of his sister.

"Why are you so fat?" Aether groaned out and pushed his sister off of him.

"I'm not fat!" Hemera retorted and slapped her brother upside the head for the insult.

Nyx, Erebus, and Ouranos simply rolled their eyes at the way the two were acting, while Gaia was throwing rocks at Percy making him dodge and evade every once in a while.

Artemis started advancing on Percy with her new hunting knives and tried to break his guard but encountered resistance in the form of Percy's hidden blades popping out of his gauntlets and locking her blades with his. Thalia went around and tried to hit Percy from the back with Aegis. Percy dropped to a knee when Artemis struck the back of his leg with her own and a jab to the side but narrowly dodged the follow-up strike from Thalia's spear, rolled forward to avoid the flurry of bladed strikes and retracted his blades, and pulled his xiphos out once his roll ended and started to attack the two females making them stop their offensive strikes and resort to parrying, blocking and evading his strikes.

Thalia went for a wide swing trying to knock Percy off balance but failed when he grabbed the end of her spear and flung her towards Artemis and threw the spear to the side making Thalia summon her knives.

"He's doing remarkably well is he not?" Ouranos asked the rest of the spectators.

"He has improved leaps and bounds. There is no doubt that he could defeat his past-self in his current state even if we hadn't blessed him or have taken him as my champion," Chaos replied in earnest.

The conversation was paused at the sight of Percy cutting the very large rock that was about to hit him from behind that was thrown at him by Gaia. Percy barely avoided the lunging strike from Artemis but failed to block the roundhouse kick from Thalia sending him back and disorienting him temporarily and used the shadows to pull him directly behind them to avoid them taking advantage of his temporary disorientation. The three of them were a blur of speed and the sounds of blades crashing caused it to reverb in the room. Artemis took a step back and summoned her bow before taking a few shots aiming for the center mass of Percy but were all dodged by Percy except for one which he caught and threw behind him all while smirking underneath his mask.

Percy parried the incoming blade strikes before spinning himself in between the two and grabbed Thalia into a rear hold and popped his left blade out and placed it a few inches away from her throat while she flipped her left knife into a reverse grip and placed the tip over his ribcage and Artemis placed her knives in front of his own throat while his sword was hovering over her stomach. Percy willed his mask away and left his hood up and had a grin on his face that was visible to all.

"Draw?" Percy asked the two remaining combatants.

"Draw," Artemis said with a grin on her face that wouldn't have appeared if you beat her in a spar a few centuries ago because she wouldn't have accepted that a male beat her and pulled her knives away from his throat while Thalia did the same and Percy removed his sword from its spot above her stomach and his blade away from Thalia.

"Well done son," Nyx said with a smile on her face at the pride that was radiating from her in regards to her son.

"Did you have to hit me so hard?" Aether said while rubbing the spot where Percy laid a haymaker on him.

"No, but I did say I would be upping the intensity from last time," He replied with a chuckle "besides you weren't the one getting rocks thrown at you unless you would like to be?" He added with an eyebrow raised.

Aether paled at the sight of Gaia summoning a rather large rock and smirking at him rather wildly and shook his head repeatedly.

"Good decision," Gaia told him and dropped the rock on the floor letting it shatter into multiple pieces.

Percy just chuckled and slipped his hands into Artemis and Thalia's drawing smiles from the two at the feeling.

Six months until the war

Percy was in the weight room working out while thinking about the past few years, everything that has happened to him, how crazy his life has become, and how he wouldn't give this up or change it for anything else.

Flashback(about a month after his return)

Percy was nervously pacing outside Artemis and Thalia's room. He was going to ask them out on their first official date today which he planned to do a few weeks ago but kept doubting himself every time he approached them and simply scrapped his plans thinking that it wasn't good enough. It got to the point where it was noticeable to his family how he was acting because of it until Chaos pulled him aside while he was looking over some battle plans a few days ago.

"Percy," At the call of his name Percy pulled his head from the documents piled around his desk.

"Huh? What's happening?"

"Eloquently put. Anyway, mind telling me what's got your brain in a twist these past few days?"

"Uhhhh,"

"I won't tell them if that's what you're wondering,"

"Fine...so I might be struggling to think of a place to bring Artemis and Thalia on for a date,"

"Oh,"

"Yeah,"

"Well, what's the actual problem? I have a hard time believing that you can't think of a place to take them,"

"..."

"Come on kid, You're easy to read when you act like this, so just tell me and I'll try to help if I can,"

"What if eventually, I lose them? The same thing happens to me again that happened all those years ago,"

"You think that they'll eventually leave you as the Athena spawn did."

Percy nods his head while looking down.

"Do you honestly think that they will do that to you? I might not have been with any female but I'm pretty sure that Artemis and Thalia are badly in love with you. Both of your moms would tell you the same thing and I'm sure Sally would have told you to at least give it an attempt or would have kicked your ass for leaving them hanging like this,"

"But-"

"Did I ever tell you the talk I had with them when you were still missing?"

"Wait what? You guys talked?"

"Yeah. You know they came back for you, right? They came back because they're in love with you,"

Chaos proceeded to tell Percy about the conversation he had with the two of them back in that forest and leaving him jaw-dropped at what Chaos revealed to the two of them about him.

"Look just go with your gut and tell them what's going on in that head of yours," Chaos said before walking away leaving Percy to contemplate his words before he bent his head down to resume his review of the plans surrounding his desk.

That talk with Chaos brought him to where he is now and kept staring at their door and hesitant to knock on it with his hand hovering over it ready to knock before he drew his hand back multiple times.

"Come on Percy you fought Ares when you were twelve and faced the Olympians, Giants, and Titans after that, but this is what wrecks your nerves?" He said in an attempt to hype himself up and get rid of his nerves.

Percy decided to just do it and promptly knocked on Artemis's door knowing that Thalia would probably be in there as well. Percy waited a few seconds before the door opened revealing Artemis dressed in casual wear and Thalia lounging on the couch behind her and fiddling with her spear.

"Percy!" Artemis said in surprise

"Hey Artemis, Thalia," He replied with an uneven and nervous tone in his voice which was noticed by the two of them.

"What's wrong? You have that look on your face where you're nervous about something and you're acting weird, so just spit it out." Thalia bluntly said making him smile slightly at her bluntness.

"Well since we are dating now...I was wondering and or possibly thinking if you maybe wanted to go out on a date?" Percy asked nervously and rubbed the back of his neck to calm his nerves and looked at anywhere besides the two who held his heart.

Thalia grinned at his nervousness though she did have her nerves to calm down. Artemis was thinking about it before she nodded her head knowing that he might have wanted to talk about something as well.

Percy's face lit up when they agreed.

"So when?" Artemis asked.

"How about tonight? If you don't have anything to do then?" he replied and received a shake of their heads. "Great! I'll see you tonight then!" And walked out of the room and closed the door.

"He's different when it comes to other males," Artemis noted with a tilt of her head making Thalia snort.

"He's like an enthusiastic child when it comes to people he considers family and friends. He was a lot better before everything happened to him though," Thalia said with a frown on her face at the last part.

Four hours have gone by since he asked them on a date and he was in his room ironing out the final touches of his outfit which was just a navy blue button-up and a pair of slacks. Percy gave one last look at himself before he left his room and walked to Artemis and Thalia's room and knocked on it.

Thalia opened the door and her eyes widened at the sight of Percy.

"Damn," She said and a bit jaw-dropped at the sight.

"What?" Percy said with a grin on his face.

"Nothing...it's just that you clean up nice and make me feel underdressed," Thalia said and invited him into the room.

"You look great!" He said to Thalia and earned a smile from her.

Thalia chose to go with her usual style consisting of her leather jacket, graphic-tee and ripped jeans knowing that Percy didn't care about what she wore, but the sight of Percy did make her feel overwhelmed at the fact that she's going on a date with him.

Artemis walked out in more conservative clothing fitting her style with a silver blouse and jeans with her hair in its usual hunter's braid. Percy went wide-eyed at the sight of the goddess.

Artemis noticed his reaction and smirked and walked over to him and Thalia.

"So Perseus where exactly are you taking us?" She asked with curiosity showing where he planned to take them for their first date.

"Well, I thought you'll be more at ease with your environment so it's somewhere in the woods. If you'll just grab onto me then I can take us there via shadows," And offered his hands to the two.

Artemis and Thalia grabbed his hands and were pulled into the shadows and reappeared in a clearing next to a forest with a basket and blanket under it and sitting on a rock.

"Thought somewhere more quiet would be better unless you want to go somewhere else?" Percy asked nervously and waited for their answer.

Artemis shook her head rapidly and said "No no, it's fine. It's perfect," She said with a small smile.

Percy let out a sigh of relief and waved a hand and the basket and blanket were set up in front of them. The three comfortably sat on the blanket.

Artemis being the perceptive hunter that she was, noticed that Percy was hiding something from them and tried to resolve it as soon as possible.

"Something is bothering you. Spit it out," She said rather bluntly making Thalia have to hold in another snort at her half-sister and friend's bluntness.

"I really rather not ruin the date with my problems. I already had enough shit happen to me and I really don't want to ruin this for you," he said with a solemn look on his face.

"You went through the trouble to plan this out for us, so you won't ruin it but if we're going to be dating then you have to be open to us, which now that I think about it sounds really weird coming from two females that led an all-female group that hated males but my point still stands," Thalia said while inching her way towards him from her seated position.

"She does have a point about us being open to each other if we are going to be dating each other," Artemis said in agreement making Percy bow his head in defeat knowing that he possibly ran the risk of destroying a relationship that's barely begun if he didn't tell them.

Percy let out a deep sigh and rubbed his hand down his face and looked up at the night sky.

"I know you two talked to Chaos during the time I was missing and I know you came back and I'm grateful for that, but why?" Percy asked, still looking at the sky.

"I thought that we already had this talk in the infirmary when you first came back?" Artemis asked in confusion.

"I need to know. For the life of me, I keep thinking that this is one big joke and I don't know if I can handle you guys leaving me as the others did all those years ago," His voice breaking slightly at the actions of those he considered his friends before and fought for.

Knowing that Percy was serious about this, Thalia and Artemis looked at each other for a few seconds before nodding at each other.

"You," The two of them said in unison

"We came back because of you. I-I made a mistake the first time I left...I thought that my father would change his mind and allow me back, but he won't change because his ego won't allow it. It wasn't until when Chaos talked to us in that forest did I realize how much you actually mean to me. You are different from the rest and you saved us without hesitation even though it brought you back to the place you hate. Even after the initial way I treated you when we first met, you still found a way to have feelings for me," Artemis said quietly.

"I practically left you to be the child of the prophecy after what happened at Othrys while I joined the hunters. I left you alone even with the help you had at the time. Why do you still love us?" Thalia asked and looked him right in the eyes with unshed tears.

"How could I not love you two? You're both smart, strong, determined, beautiful, fierce, courageous and you don't take shit from anybody, so how could I not?" Percy asked and ran his hand through his hair.

"And you are brave, loyal, a warrior, intelligent, skilled, and everything else that makes you into the person you are now and that's why we love you," Artemis said and surprised Percy at her declaration.

"For the longest time, we thought you were dead and that we missed our chance to tell you because you were down there, but you came back. I'm ready to be with you if you are," She added and took his hand in hers.

"Same with me Perce," Thalia said and grabbed his other hand.

Percy closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again and said "Alright, then I'm all in. We'll take this slow and you'll dictate the pace." Percy replied and looked at the two of them.

"That's all we ask. Now I didn't get changed and come all this way just for the food to be sitting there untouched," Thalia said in an attempt to lighten the mood and it worked judging by Percy's laughter.

The three sat on the blanket on the clearing and directly below the night sky while eating and laughing at each other when the time called for it.

End of flashback

Percy was brought out of his reminiscing when he felt two pairs of hands on his shoulders and the weight of the bench shift slightly.

Percy turned slightly to face his two girlfriends.

"So this is where you've been throughout the morning," Thalia said from his right.

"When did you guys get here?" He asked.

"We got back from our hunt a few minutes ago and asked your mom where you were since we didn't see you at your usual spots and told us that she saw you go in here," Thalia replied from her spot.

"Ahh. Well is there anything you two need? I'm just about done here anyway," He asked the pair, making them shake their heads.

"Let me head back for a shower and we'll do whatever you're feeling. No troops to train so I'm all yours." Percy said and stood up.

Thalia and Artemis both nodded.

Percy grabbed the two of them and shadow-traveled them to their room and appearing in the living room before he ran into the shower without saying a word.

Percy emerged from the bathroom ten-minutes later with his hair still slightly wet and was holding his shirt in one hand and a towel in another.

"So what's the plan?" He asked while taking the towel and rubbing his hair with it.

"I was thinking of a hike today," Artemis said and snapped her fingers making three packs appear and loaded for a day's hike and even more.

"Alright sounds good," And moved to grab a pack when Artemis stopped him and planted a kiss on his lips, and grabbed his hand.

"Zoe says hi," Artemis told him when he looked at her funny.

"Tell her I said hi back," He replied while slipping his shirt on.

"You can tell her yourself. She'll be joining us later," She happily said and handed the pack over to him.

"Even better then," He smiled at the news.

The three left their room and the palace shortly after Percy told his family where they were going for the day and appeared at the base of a small mountain.

Artemis summoned Zoe and the trio was met with the former huntress who had a smile on her face when she appeared.

"Hello Perseus," Zoe said with a warm smile on her face.

"It's Percy like I keep telling you and it's nice to see you again Zoe," He replied with a smile on his face as well.

"I will keep calling you Perseus because it is enjoyable to see you get annoyed by it and yes it is good to see you too," Zoe said and laughed at Percy's offended look.

Percy let out an oof when he felt Thalia jump on his back and turned his head quizzically at her.

"Think of this as more physical exercise for you. I'm helping with that," Thalia said with a cheeky grin.

"I'm already in shape though? You just don't want to walk uphill," Percy said accusingly though the humor was present in his voice.

"Oh, we already know that you are in very great shape, but as our boyfriend, you have to take care of us and that time is now." She said with a wink making Percy roll his eyes but making no move to remove her from her spot on his back.

Percy grabbed Artemis's hand and got a smile in return and the four started making conversation with each other with Percy trying to tune out the conversation when the three former hunters started about his non-existent archery skills.

"I'm telling you it's not me! The bow is the one at fault!" Percy said trying to get the three females to understand his problem with the weapon.

"Percy, you managed to shoot an arrow backward while aiming at a target in front of you! How is it that even with being Chaos's champion you still suck at archery?" Artemis asked him.

"Oh, that is a completely separate barrel of problems for another time. Now can we please stop talking about how I am a safety hazard around bows?" He said exasperatedly, making the rest laugh.

"Fine, but only because we love you," Artemis said before she planted a kiss on his cheek making him smile at her.

"And I am always grateful for your love," He replied and squeezed her hand gently.

"You better be or else I'll just shock you until you do," Thalia said and kissed his other cheek making him squeeze her leg that was wrapped around his waist in return.

"You are very whipped," Zoe pointed out to Percy who laughed but didn't deny it.

"Worth it," He said back.

The four of them continued the two-hour hike up the mountain with friendly banter being thrown between them.

Olympus

Chaos opened a portal to the middle of the throne room catching some of the Olympians who were in a heated argument off guard at his entrance.

"Well hello there," Chaos plainly said before busting out in laughter at the fear displayed on their faces.

"Anywho this is just a quick visit to tell you that my forces will be getting involved with the upcoming war. You'll see us in a few months and I got to tell you that some of my forces don't like you. You would be wise to cooperate with us if you want to beat Tartarus and his underlings." And made a portal out of the throne room leaving several shocked gods and goddesses but not before leaving some parting words for the goddess of the hearth.

"Hope still burns bright for he will not give up," And closed the portal behind him. Hestia's face lit up at the words and meaning behind it and looked to Hades who nodded in recognition at the message.

"Huh well, that's something you don't see every day," Hermes said.

"Wait so does that mean we're less fucked or more fucked since his troops hate us?" Apollo asked the room.

"Hope for the former, but dread the latter," Athena said from her throne.

Zeus was still in shock staring at where the creator stood a few minutes ago.

AN: My sincere apologies to those that have stuck with me so far for the late update on this. Schoolwork has been a hassle and I had to focus on that first. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did while writing it!

Peace and until next time!