A/N: So its been awhile. World is a bit different than it was last time we were here, so I hope everyone is staying safe.

I'm not great at this writing thing- so this chapter has been edited by the amazing CrystalHeartZyx. Check them out because if you enjoy this chapter they are the reason.

The story continues...

The Twin Archers immediately flashed into the throne room of Olympus and were greeted by the waves of rage radiating from their father, whose body was sparking with electricity. The two shared a worried glance as they walked to their respective thrones and waited for the other Olympians to join them.

There were very few things in this world that could properly frighten the Olympians, but the sight before them would certainly qualify.

Zeus was many things - he was overly dramatic, he acted like a child if he didn't get his way, and he certainly wasn't the best father. But he was still the King of Olympus, and one of the most powerful gods in the whole Greek world - matched only by his brothers and overtaken, in theory, by some ancient monsters that had come before the gods' very existence. He was unpredictable on a good day…

But today ranked up there on one of the days where Zeus might end up causing another global disaster. They had never witnessed such anger from him.

One by one the council appeared, and by their surprised expressions, they too were alarmed by the pressure that filled the room. Eyes darted around the throne room trying to determine which of them had angered Zeus to such an extent.

As soon as Hermes appeared, Zeus's eyes locked onto the messenger god. "Hermes!" the thunder god boomed. "You are to bring Hades here immediately! I don't care what he's doing or where! He doesn't have a choice in the matter; he will be here!"

It was obvious that Hermes had absolutely no idea what was happening, but seemed content that it was not directed at him. With a simple nod, he disappeared to fetch his uncle.

A moment later, a final flash filled the room accompanied by an ocean breeze. The air pressure from Zeus only grew higher.

Artemis knew what was happening. If her father's bolt had been stolen, he would be convinced that one of his brothers had done it. It was playing out exactly like the enemy wanted, and the Olympians were caught unprepared.

She glanced at Apollo. They both knew what they would have to do. The ones that forced their hand would pay dearly, but first they had to disarm the world's largest powder keg with a very short and very fast burning fuse.

As the shadows grew longer signaling her uncle's arrival, Artemis used a small part of her essence to send Zoë a message. She told the lieutenant to have the Hunt ready to move as quickly as possible and to have Percy and Thalia get their gear and make sure they were presentable. It was possible that they might have to come to Olympus, and she wanted her children to be prepared. World-ending threat or not, one could be stylish when facing certain doom at the hands of an angry god. Focusing on their connection, the goddess could feel the huntress stiffen. She too knew the time had come.

Hades suddenly appeared on the small guest throne and calmly looked around at the gods. It was obvious that he was aware of the circumstances as well and one could only hope that he and the twins could keep the council from imploding.

With barely controlled rage Zeus growled to the gathered Olympians, "I've gathered you all here today to announce that my bolt is missing."

The majority of the present gods all began shifting in surprise. Even Poseidon - who usually ignored his brother's ramblings, sat up in his throne.

"Uh, you have tons of bolts," Dionysus muttered.

"The Master Bolt, you idiot!" Zeus snapped.

The wine god held his hands up in surrender, but he refrained from saying anything more.

Artemis internally sighed. The Fates had finally caught up with her. It was one thing to know of coming disaster; it was another thing to experience it.

"Would anyone else like to comment on the matter?" Zeus roared. "Perhaps one of my brothers would like to offer a confession so that we can settle this matter as quickly as possible?"

The air pressure doubled as Poseidon slammed his trident against the marble floor beside his throne.

"You can't possibly believe that I had something to do with this, brother," the sea god hissed. "Do you take me for a fool? There may have been a time that I was interested in your throne but that has long since passed. None of us here want a repeat of the last battle between us."

"Really brother?! Even though I made no further action against your demigod, you still felt the need to go after Thalia to take revenge against me! You could have very easily had the child steal the Master Bolt and force me to step down!"

Considering the past animosity between the brothers, Zeus would obviously suspect Poseidon as the only one brave enough and bold enough to attempt to challenge him in such a way. Regardless of whether or not Zeus's temper followed logic - and this was Zeus they were talking about - it was easy to predict that creating strife among the gods was as simple as making Zeus paranoid that his throne was at risk from within, letting the gods and their pride tear themselves apart.

"What are youtalking about?!" Poseidon bellowed, his voice growing to match his brother's. "I have no children; you killed Perseus and his mother."

Hearing this, Artemis took a deep breath. This had to stop before it went any further. Her calm and cool voice cut through the throne room. "Poseidon is innocent, Father. I'm afraid there are things we need to discuss."

The council stared at her, curious as to what the moon goddess had to say. Her father watched her intensely. While he was prepared to fight his brother, he wasn't looking forward to it. Even consumed by his anger, he was willing to hear one of his favorite children speak.

"10 years ago I was hunting near Montauk when I heard the roar of a powerful monster. I couldn't let such a creature near my hunters so I went to investigate. There I found the Minotaur attacking Sally Jackson and Poseidon's Infant son on the coast." There was a loud gasp and the heavy atmosphere thickened, but she continued speaking. "She was calling for Uncle Poseidon, but he did not appear. I quickly slew the beast, but not before the beast managed to wound her. She must have had Clear Sight because she recognized me as a goddess and asked that I care for her child. I called Apollo to attempt to heal her, but unfortunately, she passed. For 10 years I have raised him as my own son, and Perseus couldn't be a more perfect child."

She looked at her uncle and could tell he was ready to explode, while Zeus looked more confused than angry.

Artemis pressed on. "Then five years ago, it was brought to my attention that a young maiden was in danger in Rhode Island. I found Thalia running from several Cyclopes, and I took her under my protection as well. She must have gotten too close to the ocean and Poseidon noticed her. Apollo and I feared that the Great Prophecy was coming to pass, so for the past 5 years, we've been training them in preparation. And I have to admit that though she has not sworn any oaths to join the Hunters, Thalia is still like a daughter to me. And regardless of the fallout of my actions, I am keeping both of them with me in the Hunt." Before anyone could protest, Artemis hardened her gaze, speaking loudly and firmly over anyone that would dare interrupt her declaration. "I swear it on the Styx."

A thunderclap rang out across the throne room, and the promise was final.

All she could do now was wait for the penny to drop.

The council of Olympians was stunned into silence, trying to process all the information. They certainly hadn't expected so many curveballs all at once - first the theft of the Master Bolt (which was scary enough when an actual war between Zeus and Poseidon was at stake), and then Artemis's declaration that she had taken in the children of the two deities and now basically held the fate of the Great Prophecy in her hands.

Usually, the most intense thing that happened at these meetings centered around petty arguments and basic complaints (that often got ignored or unfairly settled). It was hard for many of the current gods to fathom that after so many years of relative peace, something might start another war among them.

Suddenly, Artemis held up her hand and summoned her bow in order to block an incoming attack. But before she could defend against anything, a small breeze exploded to her side and Hades was standing in front of her throne just to the side. His hand was clenched around Poseidon's trident, the prongs aimed at her - not far from clashing with her bow.

Poseidon was on his feet, having straight up thrown his trident at Artemis across the throne room.

Hades stared calming at his brother, the sea god surprised that his weapon had been caught - and by Hades no less. Artemis was an Olympian, but she was obviously considered Poseidon's lesser; she knew she would need to defend herself, but striking back against Poseidon was another thing. She was a powerful goddess no doubt, but the elder gods dwarfed their children in terms of power. Had she managed to intercept the incoming attack it would have certainly hurt. It was doubtful that she would be able to win any further confrontation with him.

"Now Brother, there is no need to be upset with our niece. It is not her fault that as your lover and child lay dying on that beach you never appeared. She has given Perseus and Thalia a far better life than they could have had at camp. Apollo even throws them better birthday parties than I've ever seen you manage. You probably don't even remember how old your latest child is."

Artemis would've never gotten away with saying such things to her uncle, so she was glad - now more than ever - that Hades was on her side. Poseidon looked absolutely murderous at his brother's patronizing tone, but Hades didn't miss a beat - probably something about being the oldest child and ruling over something as complex as the underworld and all its…staff. Hades was used to dealing with bullshit on a regular basis, especially that of his brothers.

"Now, if you're going to throw a tantrum, Brother, feel free to leave, because this council has more important business to attend to. If you're quite done, however, I ask that you return to your seat and refrain from attempting to send any of our dear family to Tartarus. Or else you will be dealing with all of that paperwork."

Hades then threw the trident back to his brother, the sharp weapon spinning through the air before Poseidon easily caught it without a word.

Zeus, Poseidon, and the rest of the Olympians simply watched as the Lord of the Underworld quietly returned to the guest's throne and sat down with a satisfied silence.

There was true irony in Hades having to keep peace in a realm that was not his own.

Though some thought that Hades drew the short end of the stick when it came to ruling over the Underworld as opposed to the skies or sea, in all honestly, Hades was the most mature and dignified of his brothers - content with retreating to his own realm where he was in charge, organized, and was allowed to reject his brothers and their constant banter between sky and sea.

The Underworld was his and his alone - a place where all human souls ended up eventually, no matter where or what they did when they were alive. Hades wasn't exactly missing out on anything when he could just read up on experiences in the Overworld without actually having to do any stressful interacting himself.

Only Hermes had an all-time pass to come and go as he pleased. But that was because Hermes was…well, Hermes. He ensured that Hades himself didn't have to leave the Underworld to deliver important messages, and in return, Hermes acted as a psychopomp to help deliver souls to the Underworld in his free time.

That wasn't to say that Hades didn't have his temper and he had his fits about anything involving the Overworld that interfered with the Underworld. Most of the time, Hades would have been as prissy as Zeus or Poseidon about being forced to exit his domain for foolish affairs, but when it came to children - his own or those of his brothers - Hades at the very least took an interest.

Death meant many things to Hades, but it was life that he truly felt held weight. Or so that was Artemis's theory as to why Hades had accepted both Percy then Thalia into his life as a supportive uncle. Killing a brother's child was one thing. Raising them to love Hades more than them was another - it was a subtle but effective insult in the highest regard, and Hades would make sure that Percy and Thalia lived as long as they could to insult his brothers under his support.

It gave Hades life to be able to demonstrate how much more mature he was in a situation like this.

Zeus was first to speak, clearing his throat. "Regardless of my daughter's actions, you have no right to start a fight in the throne room, Poseidon. Please refrain from taking such actions again."

Poseidon's scowl suggested that there were going to be a few deadly storms and tsunamis soon, but he kept his voice as flat as possible when he spoke. "Yes, Brother."

Turning from Poseidon, Zeus looked at Artemis. "Artemis, while I may not approve of or understand why you have taken in the demigods…you have not technically broken any laws. You found them while you were hunting, so their fate would fall under your domain. They are also not your children so there are no laws stating they can't be in your care." Zeus let out a sigh and his expression softened. "I suppose I should thank you for protecting your sister. When she disappeared, I assumed the worst and dismissed the search, but perhaps she has had a better life away from Olympus." Zeus's face hardened once more. "We will continue this discussion after we address the fact that my Master Bolt has gone missing."

Apollo sat forward. He usually didn't have much confidence when it came to speaking up during political matters – let alone saying anything that the council would take seriously - but Artemis knew he had changed in the past few years. Apollo sat up straight with an imposing presence, looking like a true member of the Olympians; he looked like his words should and would be taken seriously - even by Zeus himself.

"Father, I think it would be wise to let Uncle Hades speak. We have much to discuss…and none of it good."

And with that, they begin what would most likely be a long and hard fight.

The residents of Mt. Olympus were growing more concerned by the minute. The commotion in the throne room was unlike any the residents of Olympus had heard in decades - maybe even centuries.

And whenever such turmoil occurred, bad news was sure to follow.

The Olympians were in complete disarray; gods and goddesses were shouting over each other, trying to get a foothold in the conversation to voice complaints and fears and asking for order while simultaneously making order impossible.

The news that the Mad Titan may be stirring again was too much for many of the council. The second generation of Olympians seemed confident in the gods' abilities to put down the Titan again, while the eldest gods could only remember the hell they had been through millennia ago and were afraid. Their power was not what it once was, and they had barely won back then.

What hope did they have now?

Zeus finally had enough of the shouting. He pounded his fist against the armrest of his throne, accompanied by a ferocious roar of thunder, as if banging a large, thunderous gavel (actually, he might consider getting one of those for the council room). The room was quickly silenced.

"This council will come to order and you will be silent. Athena, what do you make of all this?"

Olympus needed to mobilize quickly based on this startling information, and Zeus's first priority was to consult his wisest daughter.

"If the Titan King's consciousness has reformed enough to begin pulling strings in the mortal world, we need to begin war preparations," Athena said bluntly. She didn't try to mince words or assure everyone that it would be all right or to take things slowly - she was a woman of cold hard logic and strategy. She was a war goddess. "His goal would most likely be to topple Olympus and take revenge on his children. Even if he doesn't have a physical form right now, there are no shortage of diversions he could use to keep us busy while he reforms."

"But how could he possibly escape from Tartarus?" Ares snapped. He glared at Hades. "Aren't you supposed to be in charge of keeping dead things dead?! This better not be another Sisyphus incident."

Hades sighed. "I assure you, Thanatos has not been captured. But though I have control over the Underworld and keep the path to Tartarus well-guarded, there may be another way around having to reform and crawl free of Tartarus himself." He glanced at Athena.

The wisdom goddess nodded. "There is the possibility that he skips reformation and seeks out a host, in the event that he could find one compatible - strong enough to both support his consciousness and power as well as strong enough for him to pose a significant threat to us; he wouldn't just choose a random mortal off the street. We would also need to assume that the prophecy is coming to pass based on what Artemis has said."

Zeus's face darkened at her words, and he almost seemed to age before their eyes under such grim news. Though a god could appear however they so chose, it was easy to understand how such information could cause the countless years on his person to leak through to the surface.

"Unfortunately, I think you may be right, my daughter." He sat up straighter to fully address the council. "After the Second World War and the announcement of the Great Prophecy, Poseidon and I forced Hades into a pact to not sire anymore demigods out of fear of their power and the destruction that can and would result from our children. It would seem that Hades was the only one to keep his word…" he admitted lightly. "The Master Bolt has been stolen. Our father is stirring and the Prophecy seems imminent. The past is finally catching up to us, and we must meet it at every turn. Thankfully, I believe we can. The children eligible for the prophecy have been preserved and trained by a goddess - Artemis and her Huntresses. They are loyal to Olympus, and it will be in our best interest to follow my daughter's leadership in regards to what we will do with them."

Artemis was stunned. Their father didn't try to smite them, didn't even put up a booming argument, but was being…inspirational? Supportive? Was she hallucinating?

She glanced over at Apollo, but he looked just as baffled as she felt. He shook his head and shrugged at her.

"Artemis," her father's booming voice called out, regaining her attention. "Please bring the children before the council. On the Styx, I promise no harm will befall them." A thunderclap solidified his word. "It has been proven to this council that fate will not be denied."

Still in shock, she simply nodded and flashed out to retrieve her children.

And so it had begun.

The moon goddess arrived in her Hunters' camp to find that Zoë had indeed gotten the camp packed and the hunters were ready to move. She was thankful that it had turned out to be unnecessary. Her father had not reacted as she had thought.

Maybe it was Zeus using the opportunity to claim the moral high ground over Poseidon, or perhaps he was just pleased that Perseus would have no loyalties to the sea god. Whatever the case, the fact that Thalia was alive and well seemed to mean more to him than Artemis had predicted.

Her biggest concern was Poseidon himself. The fact that he had lashed out at her in the throne room was obviously expected, but she hadn't anticipated that he'd actually attempt to physically strike her - in front of the whole council, no less!

Artemis had been prepared for a long and arduous argument with both her father and her uncle, but both had reacted in ways she hadn't expected - Zeus being uncharacteristically calm, and Poseidon being uncharacteristically enraged. Poseidon was usually very laid back in most matters, even when it came to dealing with Zeus and sometimes Hades.

Artemis truly wondered how Poseidon felt about his son. She continually wondered why Poseidon hadn't helped Sally or Percy on that day, when they were so close to his domain. She hoped to find out one day.

Artemis dreaded to think that Poseidon had actually wanted Percy - and by extension Sally - to die. While raising Perseus day in and day out, of course it had crossed her mind that Poseidon might've wanted to eliminate evidence that he had broken the oath he'd taken with his brothers to help prevent the Great Prophecy. Artemis continued to affirm that Poseidon hadwantedto help but just hadn't been able to. Sadly, it didn't make Artemis's worries and imagination go away.

She could hardly predict how Poseidon would act upon seeing his son – Artemis's son - or how Percy himself would react to meeting his supposed father. The boy held a grudge against Poseidon for not saving Sally Jackson, and it was unlikely he would be thrilled to see the god. While he never met his birth mother, she, of course, held a special place in his heart.

While most things in the Hunters' camp seemed to be in order, she spotted one oddity. Zoë and Riley were fawning over her son and Thalia. Riley was trying to flatten out any wrinkles in Percy's jacket while Zoë seemed determined to fix Thalia's hair. The sight was almost enough to make the goddess giggle, but it reminded her that this was what she wanted to protect. Olympus be damned if needed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Percy's voice. "Mom! Please tell them that we look fine!"

"Pleeeeease!" Thalia groaned, nodding in agreement and in the process making Zoë's attempt at fixing her hair pointless.

Artemis debated whether or not to save the two of them from the Huntresses. She was not entirely up to speed on mortal fashion but they seemed to like the clothes Apollo brought for them - Thalia had even asked for those boots she was wearing by name. Her brother assured her that while it wasn't very colorful, it was tasteful. And she had to admit that - even if she didn't completely understand - the two looked incredibly striking.

"All right, all right!" Percy exclaimed. "Leave it be or I'll make Alex help me purposefully mess it up."

"If you went in front of the gods looking like you'd gotten mauled by a screech owl, that probably would be a problem," Riley admitted.

"Fine," Zoë conceded. "But at least straighten your hair."

Thalia swatted Zoë's hands away and swept her fingers through her short dark locks so that they were at least all pointing in the same direction. "Happy? Can we go already?"

"Alex!" Percy called. The owl dutifully flew over and landed on Percy's outstretched forearm - protected by his bracer - before then moving to take up its position on Percy's shoulder (he was wearing a shoulder guard under his clothes that he basically never took off for Alexander's sake).

Percy had developed a silent routine with Alexander very quickly, finding that Alexander seemed to understand English and Percy's instructions on the first go, and any time that Percy felt discomfort, Alexander was quick to respond.

Unfortunately, there was no helping Alexander's talons - it would be foolish to try and dull them, especially if Alexander was supposed to defend Percy when he was in need - so Percy wore bracers whenever he could, and when he couldn't Alexander just stayed close by but didn't land on his person.

Beyond that, there weren't many problems with how the two interacted. Most of their problems came when Percy started using Alex to annoy or ward off Thalia when they were having arguments. Though Thalia quickly fell in love with the idea of an animal companion (and Alexander seemed to like her as well), in the end, Alex would always choose Percy's side out of loyalty, regardless of personal affections.

"Alex is allowed to come too, right?" Percy just seemed to realize an issue. "Are animals allowed? Is there an animal waiting room?"

"You act as though Alex would actually allow himself to get left behind." Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Alexander is your companion and protector," Artemis said. "Especially being a gift from Hades, I'm sure that it can't be disputed - especially when your Uncle Hades wants you to show off Alexander as well."

Percy beamed. "All right! You get to come with us to meet the gods, Alex."

The owl spread and flapped its wings lightly as if to express excitement. It actually looked more like Alex was trying to stay balanced as Percy shifted, but the sentiment was still there.

Artemis gave them a once over.

Percy and Thalia shared a lot of interests over the years, one of those being their color pallets - or rather, their lack of one. Percy sported a black bomber jacket with the black shirt that Apollo had gotten for him years ago underneath, its silver moon and gold sun design shining out. Artemis wasn't sure if her brother enchanted the garment or simply replaced it when it was time. He had a pair of distressed jeans and hiking boots, both black.

But what was most impressive were his weapons. The pitch-black sword at his hip was quite menacing and the stunning silver and gold bow and quiver on his back shimmered amongst the darkness of his attire.

Thalia was much the same, but instead of the bomber jacket she had a black parka and she had sleek knee-high boots instead of thick hiking boots. Her spear was currently stored as the bronze ring on her finger, her shield was sheathed as the vambrace on her arm, and finally, she had a silver bow on her back. The two would most certainly make a statement.

"Thalia. As an Olympian, I give you full permission to help me beat the ichor out of Aphrodite if she even glances towards Perseus."

None saw the blush on the boy's face nor the evil grin on Thalia's as they flashed away to Olympus.

The three of them along with Alexander reappeared outside of the throne room.

Percy and Thalia gazed around them at the great hall in awe. Neither had ever seen anything so grand. Which was to be expected, Artemis guessed. Growing up with the Hunt and the occasional field trip with Apollo couldn't really compare to the immortal city. Even Alex was gazing around 360 degrees to scout the area.

"Now you two," the goddess began, gaining the children's attention, "the council can be incredibly intimidating, but do not worry. Apollo, Hades, and I myself will be there. Just speak when spoken to and be respectful. If you are dismissed you can sit by my throne or the hearth until the meeting is over. I'm confident Hestia would enjoy the company. She enjoys all friendly company, and when within her domain, you're safest from any the gods wrath. Hestia's peace resolves conflicts even among my father and uncles on some of their worst days."

They both nodded in acknowledgment and quickly saluted her like the rest of her Huntresses did (which had, of course, rubbed off on Percy and Thalia despite them being under no obligation to salute her).

Artemis placed her hands on Percy's shoulders and looked into his dark eyes with sympathy. Artemis couldn't remember ever seeing a mortal with such beautiful eyes. In the years since Hades gave the boy his blessing, the once bright sea green had darkened significantly. Whereas they once resembled calm waters, they now share their color with stormy seas.

Though Artemis supposed that wasn't unnatural, considering Poseidon could shift between the peaceful and violent depending on his mood; he was the embodiment of the seas - all chaotic, unpredictable aspects of it. Still, most of the time, Poseidon was the smooth, kind tide. Most of his violent storm nature went to his (legitimate) daughter - but that was a story for another day.

Artemis sighed, speaking softly but sternly - a tone she had learned as she learned what it meant to raise a child. "Perseus, I know that you have plenty that you would like to say to Poseidon. I understand, and the time will come eventually, but for now, I ask that you please hold your tongue. If he speaks to you, treat him like any other god; that would most likely bother him more than any words possibly could."

Percy nodded with a determined smile. "I understand, Mom. He's no different than the rest of the gods, at least for today."

Artemis only grew more concerned by his supposed indifference. He knew the time for…proper introductions would come, but that didn't make facing the man for the first time any easier.

Artemis couldn't imagine what it was like for Percy. On the one hand, he'd only ever heard stories about Poseidon - he'd never experienced his father first-hand, so meeting him in person might have no effect on him. It could be hard to associate the neglectful deity that he had probably conjured in his head to the god he met in the throne room. On the other hand, he could veryeasilyproject the image he had built of Poseidon onto the man he met in the throne room.

Artemis had pretty much always known about her father and the vengeful Hera who had caused Artemis and Apollo's mother, Leto, so much suffering while Hera tried to prevent Leto from giving birth. Artemis had never really had to conjure any images of Hera for she had known of Hera's cruelty as well as her heartbreak from the very beginning. Heck, she hadn't had to imagine what kind of terrible man Zeus was for both cheating on his wife and getting Leto pregnant to face Hera's wrath.

For mortals, it wasn't so simple. For Percy, who was still so very human and as imaginative as a human could be, it might not be that simple.

"Alright. Father simply wants to meet the two of you and present you to the council. He'll probably talk too much and ask you a few questions. It should be simple for you. I raised both of you; you'll be great. But this is the important part: do not come across as arrogant or timid. Arrogance angers the gods; do not expect that your ties to your parents or to me will be enough to bail you out of insulting them or others. If anything, they'll be expecting things out of you because of your parentage and my guidance. Therefore, you cannot come across as pushovers either. If they think you're weak or easily manipulated, that'll be bad on multiple fronts. Just do as I taught you and use your common sense."

The pair saluted in the same way the rest of the Hunters did, along with the same synchronized response (that they had practiced with the Hunters as well). Even Alex joined in, pulling his wings in and sitting up straighter, as if at attention, on Percy's shoulder.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Yes, Mom - ma'am!" Percy corrected himself.

Artemis felt the corners of her lips tugging into an enduring smile. She resisted the urge to reach out and ruffle Percy's hair in the motherly way she'd been doing for the past few years purely out of instinct. Now was not the time. Now they needed to get serious.

"When the council is ready for you, the doors will open. I'll see you both in just a moment."

The children nodded together, though Artemis could tell the two of them were putting on a brave front. And who could blame them? She would be more worried if they weren't nervous about their introduction to the Olympian gods.

Artemis flashed back to her throne to announce that her son and sister were ready to appear before the gods.

The throne room doors opened and the two demigods walked through them. The only sounds were their boots clacking against the marble and the fire popping in Hestia's hearth. They looked over to the fire and saw the child-like goddess who smiled warmly at them as she tended to the flames.

Most of the other gods seemed indifferent to their presence. Apollo was giving them a thumbs-up from his throne. Hades seemed pleased that his gifts to Percy were on full display. Zeus was giving Thalia a warm look, unaware and/or uncaring of Hera's scowl. Aphrodite was staring at Percy in a less than wholesome manner and the love goddess was quickly met by an arrow and a death stare, courtesy of Artemis.

Athena's inquisitive gaze was drawn to Alexander's place on Percy's shoulder before her eyes drifted to the weapon on his hip. She raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing glance towards the Lord of the Underworld - who was practically grinning from ear to ear.

Poseidon was much harder to read. His face held no expression, but his eyes were locked on Percy - as was everyone else's.

His clothes. His sword. Alexander. Every inch of the boy was under the gods' scrutiny.

Percy caught the sea gods' stare and quickly averted his own eyes. He didn't want any of his displeasure with his father to leak through and start anything. He'd promised his mother to remain polite and he intended to uphold that promise.

He wanted to look at Poseidon, to finally associate a face with the man that he'd hated since his childhood. But there were more important things.

As they reached the center of the throne room Zeus spoke, his voice booming as always. "Thalia Grace, my daughter. Perseus Jackson. Welcome to Olympus. I'll be frank with you both. Neither of you are supposed to exist, yet with my brother's and my own…carelessness here you stand. The prophecy that we have tried to avoid has now arrived and we need your help. Though it pains me to admit that I have been…wrong…if not for the actions of Artemis, Olympus may have been unprepared for the coming threat. This council recognizes you as the children of the Great Prophecy, and from now on shall treat you as such - my daughter as the most likely recipient, and Perseus as the second."

Thalia tensed. It was clear she was highly uncomfortable with the prophecy - especially the idea that she was at the center of it. Percy looked equally disturbed.

Artemis had told them both that, as children of the Big Three, it could possibly apply to one of them. It was why she and Apollo had taken such care in their training. Just in case. Now, their dreaded fate had come to pass.

"Since Artemis has made clear her desire for both of you to stay with her and the Hunt, I will honor that wish. The Hunt will begin the search for the Master Bolt at once. Consider this a chance to prove yourselves to this council. The rest of the gods will cease all unnecessary duties and begin searching; report any information to myself and Artemis. Acknowledge!"

The remaining gods on the council pounded their hands against their armrests in a synchronized 'BOOM!'

Percy and Thalia jumped. Alexander spread his wings in surprise and nearly let out a screech.

The method was a quick way of getting an acknowledgment of the King's orders from the entire council at once, and by pounding their fist, the gods on the council were agreeing that they understood Zeus's orders and agreed to follow his word as if making an oath in the Styx.

Being a council of deities, the process worked because Zeus was actually capable of discerning if even one council member didn't pound their fist or didn't pound it with conviction - and therefore wasn't agreeing to Zeus's word and orders. It allowed council members to be heard when they had problems to bring up and didn't have a big voice like the Olympians.

Zeus often scared most of them into compliance when it came to his official orders, but otherwise, most things that the council voted on were actually discussed through this method and Zeus was just there to enact the final order.

"All but Artemis, Apollo, and Athena are dismissed," Zeus concluded.

Just as they'd arrived, the gods teleported out with their normal flash one by one.

Poseidon was the last of the gods not requested to remain. He lingered for a moment until Percy fell into a shadow to fall into Apollo's lap - scaring the sun god who let out a very feminine scream. With a deep frown, Poseidon zapped away as well. The sea god would have words with his older brother.

When Percy had fallen onto the sun god, the cause of Apollo's shrill scream was less Percy's sudden teleportation and more the fact that Percy's sword had gotten a little too close for comfort to Apollo's family jewels.

While Percy was busy apologizing profusely, Thalia and Artemis found the whole situation hilarious and were laughing heartily at them.

The spectacle was completed by Alexander, who had decided to perch on Apollo's head and join in on the laughing. The bird was not one to miss out on the sun god's misfortune.

Athena was perplexed by the actions of her siblings and the two demigods as she stepped down from her throne towards them.

She found Perseus to be the most interesting. Though he may have been the son of her rival, the presence of the sea from him was muted or maybe diluted. She could very clearly sense the archers from him and Hades even more so. A son of the sea that had the powers of the underworld and who was surely proficient at, if not a master archer. The boy was a puzzle that she felt she had to decipher. He also had an owl, and even if it wasn't hers she found it…well, adequate.

Zeus, on the other hand, was surprised by the sight of his children acting so freely as he joined Athena. It warmed his heart to see Thalia so happy, and he hadn't seen Artemis smile like she was now in millennia.

It would have been so easy for him to have tried to kill Perseus again and punish Artemis for taking in his brother's spawn. But he was starting to see just how poorly such a plan could have played out.

It also helped that the whole situation seemed to anger Poseidon. That fact alone was enough for Zeus to accept the blessings and gifts Hades had so blatantly bestowed upon the boy. He could tell that Hades had been planning to spite Poseidon from the very moment he agreed to take in Perseus, and the amusement on Hades' face only confirmed it further.

All of this was new to him, but maybe it wasn't all bad.

The group slowed their laughter as they noticed the two gods approach. They instinctively quieted down as they waited for Zeus to speak.

"Apollo, we have confirmed that the thief left no evidence," Zeus began. "Athena believes that it would be best if the Oracle delivered a prophecy for the Hunt to follow. The Bolt must be retrieved." While he was speaking formally, Zeus couldn't take his eyes off of the owl that was sat happily on his son's head. The sight was bewildering to the thunder god, to say the least.

"Sure thing, Father," Apollo said, preparing to channel the Oracle of Delphi.

He took the opportunity to pluck the owl off his head and set it down on Percy's head instead, but the owl quickly jumped to land on Percy's protected arm, knowing that its talons would hurt Percy more than Apollo (being a god and all).

"Thalia, dear, the Oracle responds best to mortals. Please ask it for the information you require," Zeus prompted.

Thalia simply nodded. She still wasn't sure how exactly to act around her father. He seemed to be rather informal around her, but he was still one of the most powerful beings in the room. It wasn't surprising that he intimidated her.

After a few moments of concentration from Apollo, green smoke began leaking from his form. Apollo opened his emerald eyes, and when he spoke, his lightly distorted voice was that of a woman's. "Approach, seeker, and ask of me thy queries."

Percy and Thalia paid for a moment in awe. The two had obviously been told of the Oracle of Delphi by Artemis and especially Apollo, but this was their first time seeing it in action. Like most things that day, they were understandably unnerved by the process.

Trying to be brave in front of the gods, Thalia quickly found her voice. "How do we find the Master Bolt?"

The smoke thickened around them and the Oracle's voice amplified, coming from all directions as though swallowing the very room in a giant speaker.

"Scions go west, face the god who has turned,

Find what was lost, see it safely returned.

Descendants shall meet those they may soon call friends,

But only the one can be saved in the end."

With the Oracle's final words, Apollo's eyes fell shut and he exhaled, dissipating the smoke. When Apollo's eyes opened again, they were back to normal.

The sun god looked around at the other gods' faces to see only scowls. Even the demigods didn't look pleased. "What did I miss? Was it bad?"

Artemis sighed. "You could say that."

A/N: ...And the hunt for the Master Bolt begins. Leave a review.