Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson world or characters, or anything related to the Greek Mythology world etc., I'm just a fan :)
Penny
Everyone was quiet. Percy was hugging Penny, Thalia hugged Annabeth, and Hermes kneeled next to his son, moving his fingers through his blond hair silently.
The rest of the gods arrived a few minutes later in their full war regalia, thundering into the throne room and expecting a battle.
Hermes rose up from his son, snapping his fingers.
A beautiful, white and green shroud made from a tender fabric covered Luke immediately, and Hermes stood up, closing his eyes for a moment and inhaling deeply.
When he opened his eyes again, Penny saw no trace of the deep agony that was there a second earlier. His stoic expression persisted, even when Apollo walked up to him slowly, deep, honest sympathy in his golden eyes, his face frowned in concern.
He offered no words, but instead patted Hermes' back. Hermes nodded to him, his face flashing with pain for a mere second before returning to its stoicism.
He was avoiding her gaze, too.
Was he angry with her?
Dread settled in her stomach, twisting it uncomfortably.
She did give Luke the knife.
And she was the reason he had to go through this whole ordeal in the first place, perhaps it was a bit too much for Hermes? To lose his son that way, and on the day they finally reconciled.
"Twins," their father called, awe in his voice. "What... what is this?"
"Dad!" Penny left Percy's embrace, and without a word, even though she knew she was making a scene, she hugged her father tightly.
He hugged her back, his strong arms closing around her body.
"My brave daughter," he smiled into her hair, "the hero of the prophecy. How glad I am to find you alive, I cannot tell you."
"Thanks dad," she sighed as she pulled away, her eyes moving again to Hermes, whose eyes stayed on his son on the floor, "but I'm not the hero. Luke is."
"... Luke?" Her father seemed confused, but then understanding flickered in his eyes, "oh. I see."
His eyes moved to Hermes too, and his eyes scanned Messenger God's grief-stricken face.
"Why was he here before us?"
Penny felt her cheeks heating up. "I… I called him here."
Her father frowned in confusion. "Called him how? And why?"
Too much to explain, too little time to do so. Not to mention how much her father probably won't appreciate the close bond she developed with Hermes.
She shuffled her feet against the ground, and her father watched her with suspicion.
"Well," and he sighed, "it appears like we'll have a lot to talk about… soon." She nodded. "Anyway, I for one am happy both you and your brother are alive and well. And I'll go and congratulate him when, er… matters calm down some," And he nodded to her twin, who was hugging Annabeth as she cried into his shirt.
Penny chuckled softly at the sight, and when Annabeth pulled away from Percy and turned to hug Thalia, Poseidon nodded with a smile.
"It seems my chance has arrived. Excuse me."
"Thanks dad," she smiled up at his tall form, "you're the best."
"Likewise, Pen," he surprised her with the intimate nickname only those closest to her used for her, and she beamed at him with adoration, "I'm proud of you, my girl."
/
The Three Fates themselves took Luke's body.
Penny hadn't seen the old ladies in years, since she'd witnessed them snip a life thread at a roadside fruit stand when she was thirteen - three ghoulish elders with bags of knitting needles and yarn.
The Fate held up the snippet of blue yarn - and Penny knew it was the same one she and Percy had seen four years ago, the lifeline they'd watched them snip. They had thought it was one of their lives. Now she realized it was Luke's. They'd been showing them the life that would have to be sacrificed to set things right.
Penny's eyes wandered to meet Percy's eyes, and the twins exchanged a charged moment between them - overwhelming relief over being alive and having their twin alive, deep, gripping sadness over Luke's death. Then both their gazes wandered to those they cared about, the two that were probably most effected by Luke's death.
Percy to Annabeth, whose knees buckled at the sight of the three surrounding Luke. He caught her before she could hit the floor, and hugged her close to him.
Penny's eyes searched for Hermes, and her throat closed with choking sadness at his bright, glimmering eyes, filled with an expression so lost, so sorrowful.
And he… and he still hasn't looked at her since this whole thing started.
Was he blaming her? Why did she have to meddle, why did she make him lose his son that way?
Did she ruin everything?
The Three Fates gathered up Luke's body, wrapped in the white-and-green shroud, and began carrying it out of the throne room.
"Wait," Hermes said, his eyes now blazing.
Sometime during the havoc of the Olympians entering the room, the messenger god changed his outfit and was now dressed in his classic outfit of white Greek robes, sandals, and helmet. The wings of his helm fluttered as he walked. George and Martha curled around his caduceus, murmuring, 'Luke, poor Luke.'
Penny felt warm tears pooling in her eyes, and lately she had been a right mess, emotions swirling and playing her at all times. But truly, witnessing Hermes this way, a broken man really, was beyond difficult for her.
Hermes unwrapped Luke's face and kissed his forehead. He murmured some words in Ancient Greek - a final blessing.
"Farewell," he whispered. Then he nodded and allowed the Fates to carry away his son's body.
She knew he was avoiding her gaze when his eyes traveled around her and skipped her as he looked beyond her. Tightening his jaw and clenching his lips, he closed his eyes and flashed to his throne, the only one to do so as the rest of the Olympians moved around and repaired the throne room.
She looked up at his huge form, still on his throne, his eyes far away as he stared at the wall across of him. She then gulped; mourning Luke, mourning over Hermes' agony and mourning the loss of the brief, short-lived connection she shared with the God of Messengers. It was inevitably over.
She then felt a warm hand at the small of her back, and she turned around to the God of the Sun, Apollo, smiling at her warmly, his eyes watching her fondly.
She sighed brokenly and reached out to him, and he hugged her immediately, pulling her closer to him.
"Shh…" he stroked her hair as she cried, her face heated and burning from her tears.
"I… I've ruined it, Apollo…"
"Ruined what?" And he pulled away, watching her seriously, "you've saved everything. You're a hero, Penny."
"I've, I've…" and her eyes wandered up to Hermes again, "he'll never get over it, Apollo…"
Apollo's eyes wandered up too. "He'll… take a while to heal, yeah. But…" and he narrowed his eyes at her, "you're not blaming yourself, are you?"
She shrugged, her eyes red. "I made him come here. I made him… face Luke. I fear I overdid it…" and she swallowed a sob, fresh tears splashing to her cheeks.
"What happened?"
"I… I knew Luke was hurting, and most of all because of his father. And I knew - that hurting was his entire motive for everything. So, so to reach him, I -"
"You brought Hermes so he can apologize to Luke."
"Yeah. He, he did."
"And then what happened?"
"He…" she inhaled, "he forgave him."
Apollo's eyes widened with surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah. I also brought Thalia and Annabeth with me, and the three of them there rooted him and made him see the full picture. Then he… he…"
"Smart, sensitive girl you are," Apollo complimented her, his eyes moving to scan Thalia and Annabeth.
"Yeah?" She smiled tearfully, "I don't feel so smart. Or sensitive for that matter. I ended up just hurting everyone. I deserve him hating me."
"That's harsh. Not to mention false and absurd," Apollo said, but was distracted when the doors opened and the heroes shuffled in, among them his children. "Ahh! My brave kids. They fought well, huh?"
Penny smiled at him. "Very well. Amazing kids you have there."
"Aren't you sweet. Yeah, I think I'll go greet them. Take care, Penny."
/
Left alone in the middle of room as around her everyone moved around, talked and mingled, she felt disconnected to it all. Fully intending to go to her father's throne and sit down against it on the ground, she was surprised, not to mention a bit worried when Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, approached her.
"Hello again, Penelope," she smiled, "I'm here to fix the beauty crisis we're facing."
"Beauty crisis? What -" but she needn't ask, as just like a year and a half before, the goddess touched her head, and the familiar, energizing feeling of one of the gods freshening her up took over her.
Should she even bother with the mirror? She wondered when Aphrodite handed her a mirror with a smile.
She really couldn't care less about how she looked.
She gazed at it briefly and then plastered a smile on her face. "Thank you, Lady Aphrodite."
"You're welcome, Penelope. And worry not, a fire strong enough will not be put off by tears."
She fought to keep on her smile, even though she wanted to frown at her, and as soon as the goddess walked away to give makeovers to her own children, Penny strode decisively to her father's throne and crumbled at its feet, crossing her legs and burying her head in her hands.
She ruined it.
The world was saved, but some were left broken beyond repair. She looked up at Hermes again, watched his clenched lips and hooded eyes and shook her head again in despair.
Conch horns blew. She looked up to notice Tyson hugging Percy and talking to him excitedly about surviving and fighting.
Then their dad re-entered, giving Percy a long hug.
She was content at remaining hidden from their eyes for now, from any eyes, wishing nothing more than to escape from this room, run to her bedroom in her mom's house and disappear beneath the covers.
She then felt something warm on the side of her face, and her neck prickled as the hair on her arms stood up.
She slowly looked to the side, and noticed Hermes looking away quickly, still on his throne. She gulped and inhaled deeply again, setting her eyes forward.
Zeus' voice boomed for the gods to gather, and one by one, they joined Hermes on their thrones.
Her dad approached her slowly, still in human form as he helped her up.
"Go join your brother."
She nodded mutely as he popped to his throne.
She walked to her brother in the quieting room, and felt the Olympians' eyes on her back. As soon as she reached her brother, he took one look at her miserable expression and pulled her into his arms, uncaring about the gods watching them.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and together they turned around to face the gods.
/
Zeus went on and on about the bravery of the gods.
Penny felt strong enough to pull away, and kissed Percy's cheek, smiling up at him.
He smiled back. "I'm glad you're not dead, Pen."
"And I'm…" and she smirked, "I'm glad to be the older twin now."
Percy arched his eyebrows. "Well, we won't allow that. We'll fix it, soon enough."
"As for my brothers," Zeus suddenly said, drawing the twins' attention to him, "we are thankful -" he cleared his throat like the words were hard to get out, "- erm, thankful for the aid of Hades."
The lord of the dead nodded. He had a smug look on his face, and Penny smiled at that. If there was something Hades, and especially his son, her beloved friend, Nico deserved, was praise and appreciation. Hades patted Nico on the shoulders, and Nico looked happier than Penny had ever seen him.
It was things like that, that made swallowing easier for her. And lightened that awful weight in her stomach.
"And, of course," Zeus continued, though he looked like he was in pain by merely saying these words, "we must... um... thank Poseidon."
"I'm sorry, brother," Poseidon said. "What was that?"
"We must thank Poseidon," Zeus growled. "Without whom... it would've been difficult -"
"Difficult?" Poseidon asked innocently.
"Impossible," Zeus said. "Impossible to defeat Typhon."
The gods murmured agreement and pounded their weapons in approval.
"Which leaves us," Zeus said, "only the matter of thanking our young demigod heroes, who defended Olympus so well - even if there are a few dents in my throne."
He called Thalia forward first, since she was his daughter, and promised her help in filling the Hunters' ranks.
Artemis smiled. "You have done well, my lieutenant. You have made me proud, and all those Hunters who perished in my service will never be forgotten. They will achieve Elysium, I am sure."
She glared pointedly at Hades.
He shrugged. "Probably."
Artemis glared at him some more.
"Okay," Hades grumbled. "I'll streamline their application process."
Thalia beamed with pride. "Thank you, my Lady." She bowed to the gods, even Hades, and then moved over to stand by Artemis's side.
She then gave Penny an approving smile, mouthing 'sorry'.
And Penny couldn't help herself from smiling back.
They were two opposites, two different people, but Thalia came through in the end. She did the right thing.
And looking back, more often than not, Thalia challenged her. It wasn't always in the nicest way, more often than not it was harsh and unnecessary, but it made Penny more confident and sure of her way. In the end of the day Penny was glad Thalia never gave up on their side and fought with them. She was an impressive fighter.
"Tyson, son of Poseidon!" Zeus called. Tyson looked nervous, but he went to stand in the middle of the Council, and Zeus grunted.
"Doesn't miss many meals, does he?" Zeus muttered. "Tyson, for your bravery in the war, and for leading the Cyclopes, you are appointed a general in the armies of Olympus. You shall henceforth lead your brethren into war whenever required by the gods. And you shall have a new... um... what kind of weapon would you like? A sword? An axe?"
"Stick!" Tyson said, showing his broken club.
"Very well," Zeus said. "We will grant you a new, er, stick. The best stick that may be found."
"Hooray!" Tyson cried, and all the Cyclopes cheered and pounded him on the back as he rejoined them.
Penny's heart pulsed happily at her brother so elated. She was there at his lowest, so it made her unbelievingly giddy to see him at his best and happiest.
"Grover Underwood of the satyrs!" Dionysus called.
Grover came forward nervously.
"Oh, stop chewing your shirt," Dionysus chided. "Honestly, I'm not going to blast you. For your bravery and sacrifice, blah, blah, blah, and since we have an unfortunate vacancy, the gods have seen fit to name you a member of the Council of Cloven Elders."
Grover collapsed on the spot.
"Oh, wonderful," Dionysus sighed, as several naiads came forward to help Grover. "Well, when he wakes up, someone tell him that he will no longer be an outcast, and that all satyrs, naiads, and other spirits of nature will henceforth treat him as a lord of the Wild, with all rights, privileges, and honors, blah, blah, blah. Now please, drag him off before he wakes up and starts groveling."
Athena called, "Annabeth Chase, my own daughter."
Annabeth squeezed Percy's arm, then walked forward and knelt at her mother's feet.
Athena smiled. "You, my daughter, have exceeded all expectations. You have used your wits, your strength, and your courage to defend this city, and our seat of power. It has come to our attention that Olympus is... well, trashed. The Titan Lord did much damage that will have to be repaired. We could rebuild it by magic, of course, and make it just as it was. But the gods feel that the city could be improved. We will take this as an opportunity. And you, my daughter, will design these improvements."
Annabeth looked up, stunned. "My... my Lady?"
Athena smiled wryly. "You are an architect, are you not? You have studied the techniques of Daedalus himself. Who better to redesign Olympus and make it a monument that will last for another eon?"
"You mean... I can design whatever I want?"
"As your heart desires," the goddess said. "Make us a city for the ages."
"As long as you have plenty of statues of me," Apollo added.
"And me," Aphrodite agreed.
"Hey, and me!" Ares said. "Big statues with huge wicked swords and -"
"All right!" Athena interrupted. "She gets the point. Rise, my daughter, official architect of Olympus."
Annabeth rose in a trance and walked back toward the twins, and Percy grinned at her and whispered something into her ear. She beamed back at him and started to mumble and scratch her neck nervously.
"Perseus and Penelope Jackson!" Poseidon announced. Their names echoed around the chamber.
All talking died down. The room was silent except for the crackle of the hearth fire. Everyone's eyes were on them - all the gods, the demigods, the Cyclopes, the spirits.
She saw Hermes' eyes watching her as his face remained serious and solemn, and his fingers tightened on his caduceus.
Feeling weak all of the sudden, she was happy for Percy's hand, tightening around her own.
Hand in hand, they walked forward to the middle of the throne room.
First they bowed to Zeus. Then they knelt at their father's feet.
"Rise, my children," Poseidon said.
They stood uneasily.
"Great heroes must be rewarded," Poseidon said. "Is there anyone here who would deny that my children are deserving?"
Next to her, Percy looked around at the gods, as if expecting someone to protest.
"The Council agrees," Zeus said. "Percy and Penelope Jackson, you will both have one gift from the gods."
Penny felt too overwhelmed to say anything, and next to her, Percy hesitated. "Any gift?"
Zeus nodded grimly. "I know what you will ask. The greatest gift of all. Yes, if you want it, it shall be yours. The gods have not bestowed this gift on a mortal hero in many centuries, let alone two, but, Perseus and Penelope Jackson - if you wish it - you shall be made gods. Immortal. Undying. You shall serve as your father's lieutenants for all time."
What?!
Her eyes widened and then settled on the floor. Next to her, her brother was flustered. "Um... gods?"
She looked up and saw Zeus rolling his eyes. "You'll make a dimwitted god, boy. But yes. With the consensus of the entire Council, I can make you both immortal. Then I will have to put up with you forever."
"Hmm," Ares mused. "That means I can smash them to a pulp as often as I want, and they'll just keep coming back for more. I like this idea. And yes, I'm looking at you Penelope."
She blushed beet-red and looked up to Ares grinning menacingly at her. Poseidon, Hermes and Apollo frowned at him.
"I approve as well," Athena said, though she was looking at Annabeth, and Penny assumed she was pleased with Percy staying away from her daughter.
Percy glanced back. Annabeth was trying not to meet his eyes. Her face was pale.
Well, his choice was obvious.
Hers was not.
She felt that heated stare again, and she looked up to see Hermes watching her, with an emotion that made her heart pace pick up. His eyes watched her attentively, slightly narrowed, and there was something glimmering in them, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
Was that… was that hope?
That realization made her heart hammer against her chest.
"No for me," Percy suddenly said, and her heart sank.
That is, she knew he'd refuse - but to know for sure that if she went for it her twin will not join her…
The Council was silent. The gods frowned at each other like they must have misheard.
"No?" Zeus said. "You are... turning down our generous gift?"
There was a dangerous edge to his voice, like a thunderstorm about to erupt.
"I'm honored and everything," he said, and Penny had to swallow a smile at her brother's informality. "Don't get me wrong. It's just... I've got a lot of life left to live. I'd hate to peak in my sophomore year."
The gods were glaring at him, but Annabeth had her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were shining. And that made Percy straighten in place, his shoulders squaring.
Her brother was in deep.
Well, she was glad it was Annabeth. If she had to share her twin with anyone, Annabeth was a girl she approved of.
Hermes' eyes were still on her, she knew. Resisting the urge to look at him again, she kept her eyes on her brother.
"I do want a gift, though," he said. "Do you promise to grant my wish?"
Zeus thought about this. "If it is within our power."
"It is," he said. "And it's not even difficult. But I need your promise on the River Styx."
"What?" Dionysus cried. "You don't trust us?"
"Someone once told me," he said, looking at Hades, "you should always get a solemn oath."
Hades shrugged. "Guilty."
"Very well!" Zeus growled. "In the name of the Council, we swear by the River Styx to grant your reasonable request as long as it is within our power."
The other gods muttered assent. Thunder boomed, shaking the throne room. The deal was made.
"From now on, I want you to properly recognize the children of the gods," Percy said, looking around him. "All the children... of all the gods."
The Olympians shifted uncomfortably.
"Percy," their father said, "what exactly do you mean?"
"Kronos couldn't have risen if it hadn't been for a lot of demigods who felt abandoned by their parents," he said. "They felt angry, resentful, and unloved, and they had a good reason."
Penny's eyes flickered to Hermes, and he was not watching her now, watching his caduceus instead, his eyes shining.
Zeus's royal nostrils flared. "You dare accuse -"
"No more undetermined children. I want you to promise to claim your children - all your demigod children - by the time they turn thirteen. They won't be left out in the world on their own at the mercy of monsters. I want them claimed and brought to camp so they can be trained right, and survive."
"Now, wait just a moment," Apollo said, but Percy was on a roll.
"And the minor gods. Nemesis, Hecate, Morpheus, Janus, Hebe - they all deserve a general amnesty and a place at Camp Half-Blood. Their children shouldn't be ignored. Calypso and the other peaceful Titan-kind should be pardoned too. And Hades -"
"Are you calling me a minor god?" Hades bellowed.
"No, my Lord," he said quickly. "But your children should not be left out. They should have a cabin at camp. Nico has proven that. No unclaimed demigods will be crammed into the Hermes cabin anymore, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins, for all the gods. And no more pact of the Big Three. That didn't work anyway. You've got to stop trying to get rid of powerful demigods. We're going to train them and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect. That is my wish."
Zeus snorted. "Is that all?"
"Percy," Poseidon said, "you ask much. You presume much."
"I hold you to your oath," he said. "All of you."
Percy got a lot of steely looks. Strangely, it was Athena who spoke up: "The boy is correct. We have been unwise to ignore our children. It proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused our destruction. Percy Jackson, I have had my doubts about you, but perhaps -" she glanced at Annabeth, and then spoke as if the words had a sour taste, "- perhaps I was mistaken. I move that we accept the boy's plan."
"Humph," Zeus said. "Being told what to do by a mere child. But I suppose..."
"All in favor," Hermes said.
All the gods raised their hands.
"Um, thanks," he said.
Then all eyes moved to her. All godly, mortal, and mystical eyes.
And yeah, she was not amazing under pressure. Let alone, that much pressure.
"Penelope Jackson," Zeus said, "you may still be granted immortality, if that's your wish."
And just like that, she was to decide the rest of her life in a mere minute.
Next to her, Percy watched her uneasily, his euphoria over his wish being so well accpted fading already.
True fear was in his eyes that she'll accept, and they'll separate.
And she could understand that fear - she felt it gripping her, just as tightly.
If she was honest, her reason to accept was Hermes.
But she wasn't too sure about him at the moment.
He wasn't indifferent to her, of that she was sure, but that was no reason for a forever either. Gods have infatuations all the time. The demigods that filled the room were proof of that.
Not to mention how heartbroken he was over Luke's death, and how very involved she was in his demise.
Can he forgive her? Can he look at her in the same way? She wasn't sure.
They were nothing yet, nothing official and not much unoffical either. Everything was implied, but nothing was stated, or assured.
She didn't even tell her mom about it…
No. It wasn't yet anything to build on.
And Percy… how can she live without him?
But then, but then, she simply didn't know yet. She needed to digest all that's happened these past few days. She wasn't ready to decide on her entire life yet.
The gods watched her impatiently.
"Well?" Zeus demanded.
"I…" she squicked and then cleared her throat, "if possible, I would like for some time to decide. It's too big of a decision to make in mere minutes."
That did not sit well with most of them.
Many of them grumbled in annoyance; Hera frowned at her disapprovingly, Zeus glared at her, and Ares looked like he wanted to make a target out of her head.
Most angry was Dionysus. "Two insolents!" He raged, "one lectures us as if on a high pedestal, and the other belittles it and would let us know when she decides!"
Penny winced and took a step back.
A few mumbled in agreement. Percy and Poseidon had matching angry glares on their faces.
"It's completely reasonable, Dionysus," Hermes suddenly spoke up, frowning at him, "it's not an easy decision to make, and it's not a stretch to ask for time."
"And how are you objective in the matter, Hermes?" Ares sneered at him from his throne, "everyone knows of your fondness for her."
Penny felt like she was going to faint, her heart beating in her ears and her face paling.
To have everyone discussing openly and even mocking her very fragile, very unofficial connection to Hermes…
Hermes wasn't as white as her, and instead appeared a bit blushed, but he didn't seem embarrassed. More angry than embarrassed.
His eyes lightened up in a dangerous gleam, his tone icy. But despite his apparent anger, his voice was very controlled and his words concise. "A couple of years ago, Lady Artemis made the disturbing claim that we do not know how to treat our heroes. It appears she was right. I am not innocent of that, either. My own son died because of the way we're forced to treat our children. Percy Jackson has dedicated his wish to ensure we treat them better, and now a girl who was willing to die for Olympus, who fought the Titan Lord himself and one of the two heroes of the prophecy is treated as an immature brat for merely asking for time to decide? Thinking deeply into a decision is a wise thing to do, not a disrespectful thing!"
Many seemed surprised by his anger, a few nodding their heads in agreement and a few shaking their heads in dissatisfaction.
"Thank you, Lord Hermes," Poseidon looked gravely around him, "I'll ask again, is anyone here going to argue that my two children are not deserving of a reward, after protecting Olympus summer after summer, risking their lives again and again so that we continue to govern? So that every deity in this room would not be stripped of power? Therefore I ask that they'd be treated with dignity, and I see no reason not to give my daughter the days until the Winter Solstice to decide, it does not harm us in any way, to wait with that. Brother, please," and he turned to Zeus, "you must see the logic in that."
Zeus cleared his throat. "Poseidon, while brave, your children are still quite brazen in manner, allowing themselves to behave as they please. However, even I can't argue that they've served us well. I see no harm in granting the girl time to decide."
"All in favor?" Hermes asked again, and raised his hand immediately, along with Poseidon, Apollo, Zeus, Artemis, Hephaestus, Demeter and Aphrodite.
A majority.
"It is settled then," Zeus declared, "the matter would be discussed in six months. Now, Olympus was preserved, and therefore I declare an Olympian party!"
And Penny was in no mood to celebrate when while all the gods flashed down to human size and conjured tables, music, food and beverages for a party, Hermes walked fast, avoiding her eye contact and disappearing outside.
A/N
Life is a bit crazy right now, and so I'm sorry for not having an organized updating schedule. But as I mentioned before I have around 12 chapters from this point onwards fully written so worry not ;)
200k words and counting XD I don't know what to say about that, only that don't be surprised if it'll pass the 300k mark...
guest - It makes perfect sense to me :) Apollo even mentioned something of the sort in The Titan's Curse. As for including Hermes... thank you :) It just seemed like the fitting way for Penny to solve it all. I hope I answered some of your questions with this chapter, and as for Ethan Nakamura, well, I honestly just couldn't find a way for him to be properly shown in my story, and I didn't want to do half of a job. You could say that developing Nico as a character took some of Ethan's spotlight, as the focus Ethan should have had in book 4 went to Nico instead. So no, you didn't miss anything :)
Oh, you guessed it! I won't tell much, but HoH is going to be quite difficult for Penny as it did for everyone :)
Thank you so much for your kind words and your review :)
AndrewIsGOAT - Thank you for reviewing :) It's a fine balance, I'm afraid. But I read similar comments when I wrote my version of book 1, only then it was 'Penny doesn't do much' haha so in a way we came full circle ;) But again, thanks and you're right, but in a way each gets their spotlight.
TheMeister7 - Ughh thank you so much for that brilliant compliment! I'm so glad you liked it :)
As for my updating schedule, it's inconsistent, I'm afraid haha but don't worry, as I said we have many already written chapters ahead. :)
Emily - As always, thank you Emily, your kind reviews never dissapoint :) Let me tell you some behind the scenes secret - I actually had a fully written chapter in which Penny never calls Hermes and instead he dies without knowing all that, but then Penny uses Nico's help to grant them one last conversation :) So rest assured, I was never going to let them avoid that conversation :) It bothered me, too. Poor Olympians, often forced to hurt their loved ones against their will and then they're the ones forced to face the consequences of that :(
Heheoop - Thank you so much, you're so kind! Sounds wonderful, I'll check it out :)
the7horcrux - That's very understandable :) Apollo will go through things, even if not ToA specifically.
- Yes I'm not even sure why she bothers to hide it at this point haha
- Yes, Apollo sure is wise when he tries to be ;)
- Yes me too XD It fits my inappropriate humor rather well haha that's the reason why I can write spoof and parody well, I have a sense for absurdity and anticlimactic moments ;) It really is a surprise that no one here has produced a decent parodyFic for the PJ universe, I mean, it shouldn't be so hard... But I'll shut up now.
- As always, thank you so much :) You're the best!
EnigmaticHufflepuff - Hey! Welcome aboard, new readers always make me happy :)
Yes, it will continue into HoH. Thank you so much :)
Three123 - Well there you go :)
123wwww - ughh I'm so sorry my silly brain just saw 123 each time and thought it to be the same name...
Oh no, if he is then I didn't intend him to be... Percy is a brilliant character, in my story and outside of it :)
Thank you so much :)
Belle Charzar - Oh hey, so glad to have you back! :)
Do I mind you recommending my story? Of course not! Honestly I'm so flattered! I'm also glad I managed to surprise you, and I'm even happier to cheer you up with my little piece :) So as always, thank you for your wonderful review :)
DawnScarlet19610 - Done, thanks