Not entirely sure, but this could be the penultimate chapter of the Last Olympian. I might extend it to two more chapters. Hope you enjoy.
I fell through the sky.
I was high enough to see the battle below in all its might. The giant forces of Hades' undead and Kronos' forces had spread over multiple blocks. A sea of fighting raged beneath me as I plummeted to the earth. It was slowly getting closer. In the distance, I saw a massive storm…Typhon. He was approaching Hudson River, and I could see ten glowing dots around him. Occasionally, tiny streaks of colour shot from one, and Typhon stumbled. I saw a golden dot near his head. It glowed brighter, and a massive lightning bolt crashed into the creature's head. The father of all monsters tilted sideways, but righted himself almost instantly. However, the golden glow had vanished, as if it had teleported.
I looked down, and saw Hades, surrounded by seven Laistrygonian Giants. He held out a hand, and every one of them had their flesh burnt away by black fire. The skeletons turned, and began fighting the Dracanae shield wall. The scene was getting closer.
And closer.
The top of the Empire State Building was speeding towards me.
I sped past it, soaring down the side of the skyscraper.
Then I vanished. The noise of battle vanished. I still heard fighting, but it was almost quiet compared to the massacre outside. Surprisingly, I heard Percy's voice saying,
"…isn't balance. Kronos doesn't build. He only destroys."
I turned around excitedly. The ruins of the doors to the Olympian throne room lay in front of me. But…how?
"I give you my blessing."
A heavy, powerful voice had spoken. It sounded like someone had injected a male with testosterone. But instantly, the smell of ozone filled my nose. I spun, and Zeus, King of the Gods, stood there, battle armour crooked, a metal cylinder, about a metre long, in his hand. It was shaped like a lightning bolt. I was too surprised to speak, so Zeus spoke again.
"I know you like my daughter. I don't particularly like you…but then…I don't like most demigods."
"Uh…"
Zeus' eyes flickered with lightning.
"I must hurry. Typhon will advance faster without me there. I give you permission to…date…my daughter."
He shuddered as he said that, like it disgusted him, but he was still saying it.
"But…"
I held my breath.
"…You need to keep her alive to do that."
He pointed his free hand at the ruined door. I wordlessly turned. I was still in shock that Zeus, of all the gods, would save me…let alone bless me. I realised he was actually telling me to keep Thalia alive, but still.
"I have to go. Save Olympus for us gods…demi-titan…half-brother."
Then he vanished in a crackle of electricity. My mouth fell open. Zeus, just called me a half-brother. Sure, he seemed restrained, and said it like Rollo and Ragnar said 'brother' in the Vikings show (Watch it. You'll find out), but he still said it. I turned, and felt my back. My sword had miraculously appeared back in its sheath. I brought it out, the wonderous metal sliding noise filling my ears, then charged back into the throne room.
The first thing I heard was Kronos screaming,
"BAH!"
And slashing his sword through a smoke screen in Hestia's Hearth. Then he rounded on Percy. Grover leapt in front of him, but the advancing Kronos swept him aside like a rag doll. He smacked against a throne on the far side of the room, and was knocked out. Percy sidestepped and jabbed under Kronos' guard, but Kronos seemed to know the move. He countered the strike and disarmed Percy with a simple technique, catching Riptide with the flat of his blade and twisting. Riptide fell across the floor and straight into an open crevasse I hadn't noticed. I could smell the fresh air, and knew Percy's sword had just plummeted down to Manhattan.
Thalia lay against her Milady's throne, blood trickling gently against her head. She didn't seem able to stand, but saw me.
"FAYDEN?!"
Kronos wheeled around, and saw me. Percy whooped with joy, and Annabeth look like her mom had just hugged and kissed her. Kronos' glare was equally scary and amusing, as he was very obviously hiding his fear.
"How. On earth. Did you…survive?!"
He spoke through gritted teeth, and the anger in his voice matched the alarm. He had tried to kill me many times over my life. All because he was aware I could be the one person capable of stopping him. Now, he thought he'd finally done it, but I survived. The fear that he would lose could easily be seen in Kronos' eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it arrived. I sent my power into my sword as he rushed me, and his moves were shown clearly before me. With his speed advantage gone, it was just Luke's sword skill…supposedly the greatest swordsman Camp Half-Blood had had in over 300 years…versus mine.
We spun at each other. His sword came up. Mine met it. A feint down into a thrust. I pretended to fall for it then spun away. Backbiter sparked against Astyfilaka and we battled across the throne room…father and son. He backed away and threw his sword at my face. The move didn't surprise me. I was in a trance as I flipped out of the way, then ducked as the sword flew back to Kronos from behind me. He jumped the distance between us, and slammed down. I thrust up, meeting his blow. The power behind the strike and block shuddered along the blades, leaving them ringing.
Percy seemed to try and help, but he couldn't get close. Both of us seemed to flow from sword attacks to magical attacks as fluidly as water. Kronos thrust at me and I twisted. He responded by running forward, his eyes glowing. My sword shifted up out of my grip, but magically righted itself in time to block and attack. In return, I threw my sword at him, sending the katana spinning at his chest. It bounced off his invulnerable body, and then flew back to me as my feet glowed. I sped towards him, jumping. I caught my sword and kicked him in the face at the same time. Kronos went spinning as I landed, but sprang up immediately.
We battled across the whole room. Never did one spot become christened by our fighting for longer than a few seconds before one gave way and another pressed forward. I was pressed against the throne of Apollo, and Kronos grinned, swinging up in a downward strike. The bottom of the throne touched my head, so it was easy to duck under. Kronos' sword sank into the sun god's seat, and stuck there for a few seconds. I slid out of from under the throne, and my fist lit up. When it collided with his face, he sped backwards faster than he should've of at that force, complements to my power.
There was just one problem with this. I was fighting at the same level he was. And I was tiring. He wasn't. As he came forward, swinging his sword, I made my first mistake. His weapon blurred, and I could barely keep track. Desperately wanting him to stop spinning it, I fell for his faint. He stabbed at my shoulder, and I twisted to block, but the backbiter slipped down and stabbed against my thigh. I screamed out in pain, and fell backwards. Kronos laughed.
"Had enough, little hero?"
I limped to my feet, and a small golden shield appeared around me as he struck again. His blade slowed down, and he pulled it out, surprised.
"I'm impressed. That is not easy to do. Is it?"
And suddenly the shield shrank. It had become so much harder to hold the thing. Even as it outlined my body, my arms were shaking. Kronos leisurely advanced, but unlike any other fight, where he could take time-outs whenever he wanted, he couldn't do that here. Not as much as me, but Kronos was tiring. I decided to fade the forcefield, and swung forward. Kronos swung up to block my attack, then with a heavy swing blocked my second attack to his waist. He was openly laughing now.
"You cannot beat me, little son. I am a TITAN!"
A massive forcefield blew me backwards towards Zeus's throne, but I slowed myself down, and kicked both feet off the armrest, spinning towards Kronos. He merely sidestepped, and I struggled to land on my feet, stumbling. Percy finally joined in, Riptide seemingly appearing back in his hand. But he lasted seconds. Kronos swung three times, and Percy was held with a sword to his neck. A flick of his hand, and Poseidon's son had collapsed against his father's throne.
The Titan turned to face me again, but Annabeth's voice cried out of nowhere,
"STOP!"
Kronos whirled, and swung at her. She managed to catch the strike on the hilt of her dagger. It was a move only the fastest and most skilful knife fighters could've done. Showing miraculous strength, she stepped closer for leverage, and for a second, with their blades crossed, she stood face to face with the Titan lord. She gritted her teeth, and managed to groan out,
"Luke. I understand now. You have to trust me."
Kronos roared in outrage.
"Luke Castellan is dead! His body will burn away as I assume my true form!"
I managed to get to my feet. I looked around. Percy was struggling up from the floor, Thalia was still slumped at the foot of Artemis' throne, and Grover was out cold. Kronos pushed against Annabeth, but she held her ground, locking his blade with her knife. Her arms trembled as she said,
"Your mother…saw your fate."
"Service to Kronos!" the Titan roared. "This is my fate."
"No!" Annabeth insisted.
Her eyes were tearing up, and I watched in confusion, now on my feet. I could barely hold my sword upright. Annabeth continued,
"That's not the end, Luke. The prophecy…she saw what you would do. It applies to you!"
Now I knew she was delusional. I didn't want it to apply to me, but Rachel had made that quite clear. I tried to edge closer, but made about a centimetre of ground every ten seconds. Still, I tried.
"I will crush you child!"
"You won't," Annabeth said. "You promised. You're holding back Kronos even now."
"LIES!"
Kronos pushed again, and this time Annabeth lost her balance. With his free hand, Kronos struck her face and she slid backwards. I saw Percy suddenly rise from the ground, and we both limped over to the tired Titan. Kronos loomed over Annabeth; sword raised. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked out,
"Family, Luke. You promised."
Every step was painful. I could see Grover stumble to his feet over by Hera's throne. Thalia was breathing shallowly, but she was slowly moving upwards. Neither were fast enough. Before any of us could do anything, Kronos staggered. He stared at the knife in Annabeth's hand, the blood on her face, and seemed to mutter the word 'promise'.
Then he gasped, as if for air.
"Annabeth…"
But it wasn't the Titan's voice. It was Luke's. He stumbled forward like he couldn't control his body.
"You're bleeding…"
"My knife."
Annabeth tried to raise her dagger, but it clattered out of her hand. Her arm was bent at a funny angle. She looked at Percy, silently begging him.
"Percy, please…"
Suddenly, he could move. I struggled forward as he surged, and scooped up the knife. Percy knocked Backbiter out of Luke's hand, and it fell into the Hearth. Luke didn't seem to notice. He took a step towards Annabeth, and I surged forward a few steps. Percy growled, and said,
"Don't touch her."
Anger rippled across Luke's face. Kronos' voice answered,
"Jackson…"
I gasped. His entire body was glowing. He inhaled again, and Luke spoke.
"He's…he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please…"
"NO!"
Kronos bellowed and spun around, looking for his sword. It was sitting in the embers of the Hearth. He stumbled towards it. I managed to gain a little energy, and stumbled after him. Kronos had pushed Percy away, and grasped his sword. Then he hissed in pain and dropped it. His hands were smoking and seared. The Hearth's flames had grown red hot, and, if I wasn't going insane, I swear I saw a translucent vision of Hestia in the flames, frowning at the Titan lord with disapproval.
Luke turned and collapsed.
"Please, Percy."
He had managed to walk back over to where Percy and Annabeth lay injured at the foot of Athena's throne. Percy looked like he was about to stab Luke, but then Luke said,
"You can't…can't do it yourself. He'll break my control. He'll defend himself. Only my hand. I know where. I can…can keep him controlled."
His skin was glowing red hot, like gold being melted to be reforged. His face was turning gold. Percy raised the knife, but looked at Grover, and Annabeth, then Thalia. His eyes rested on me, and we both whispered the same thing.
"You are not the hero. It will affect what you do."
We were, however, saying it for different reasons. I got my energy back, and started slowly walking over to where they all lay. Luke groaned.
"Please. No time."
We couldn't let Kronos evolve into his true form. We'd be incinerated by just being near him. He wouldn't be stopped. Percy stayed still for a few seconds, then handed the knife to Luke. I groaned as I hurried over there.
"Percy…no…"
Luke held the knife…then started unlatching the sides of his armour, exposing small bits of his skin just under the left arm. It would be a very difficult place to hit in a fight. I struggled forward, and, as Luke held the knife to his left arm, he glanced at me. And that was all it took. His eyes suddenly turned gold, and Annabeth yelled,
"NO!"
Kronos flipped the knife and thrust forward towards Percy. With sudden, untold speed, I lunged. My hands wrapped around his wrist. I twisted, wrenching his arm. Kronos cried out, and I thrust his own arm towards the spot under his arm. With the knife in his own hand, I pushed his hand into it, and the blade disappeared into the skin.
Luke, for it was Luke again, howled in pain. The glow seemed to have faded massively. Then, his eyes glowed like lava. A massive aura of energy smashed into all of us, but I thrust up a shield. It careened up the shield, forcing me to slide back. When it faded, we all saw what was left of Luke. He was sprawled out by the Hearth. On the floor around him was a blackened circle of ash. Kronos' scythe had liquefied into molten metal and was trickling into the coals of the hearth, which now glowed like Hephaestus' forge. Luke's left side was bloody. His eyes were open…a calm shade of blue. His breath was a deep rattle, like someone was knocking a stick against his ribs.
"Good…blade."
We all gathered around him. Luke gazed at Annabeth.
"You knew. I almost killed you, but you knew…"
"Shh."
Her voice trembled as much as her arms.
"You were a hero at the end, Luke. You'll go to Elysium."
His shook his head weakly.
"Think…rebirth. Try for three times. Isles of the Blest."
Annabeth sniffled.
"You always pushed yourself too hard."
He held up his charred hand, and Annabeth touched his fingertips.
"Did you…"
Luke coughed and his lips glistened red.
"Did you love me?"
I immediately glanced at Percy. He had ever so slightly tensed. Looking back to Annabeth, I saw her wipe tears away.
"There was a time I thought…well I thought…"
She looked at Percy, and seemed to only just realise he was there. I didn't even notice Thalia until she wrapped a hand in mine and gently squeezed. I looked up at her, and she looked back, tears in her eyes. I nodded sadly, and she gripped my hand. Annabeth finally replied,
"You were like a brother to me, Luke. But I didn't love you."
He nodded, like he was expecting it. Then he winced in pain.
"We can get ambrosia," Grover said. "We can…"
"Grover," Luke gulped.
"You're the bravest satyr I ever knew. But, no. There's no healing…"
Another cough. He looked up at me at last.
"Fayden?"
I stared at him.
"You, are…are a great fighter. Better than me."
I smiled sadly.
"Kronos feared…feared you."
This surprised me, but I just nodded, and muttered,
"Thank you."
Luke shook his head.
"No…thank you. When you…stabbed me. You saved Anna…Annabeth's life. Kron…he was going to…"
"I know…"
He nodded again, and said,
"Thank. You…for doing…for stabbing me. You…you are the hero…of the…the prophecy."
Finally, he gripped Percy's sleeve. I didn't need to be a son of Hades to know he would be dead in about a minute. His life force was failing.
"Ethan. Me. The unclaimed. Don't let it…don't let it happen again."
Percy spoke quietly.
"I won't. I promise."
Luke nodded, then his hand went slack.
About five minutes of pure silence later, the gods arrived in the throne room, wearing full battle armour, and preparing for a fight. Instead, they saw me and the others crowded on the floor. Poseidon stepped forward.
"Percy?"
The god had awe etched across his voice.
"What…what is this?"
Percy stood and faced the Olympians.
"We need a shroud."
His voice cracked.
"A shroud for the son of Hermes."
The Three Fates themselves took Luke's body. I wasn't particularly glad to see them, but Lachesis nodded respectfully at me. Atropos glared, and walked over. Her rasping voice seemed to weaken me even more.
"Do not think that with Styx' help you can avoid us. You insulted me…your life will not be peaceful. Far from it."
Then she turned back to Luke's body. The third Fate, Clotho, glanced at Percy, and I saw his eyes glaze over, as if his life had just flashed before his eyes. Actually…it might have done. Before I could do anything, a voice filled with hate entered my mind, and I would've jumped two feet in the air if I wasn't so tired to even walk.
"A technicality."
It was Styx. I watched as Luke was carried out of the throne room, and understood. I had sworn to kill Kronos. But instead, I killed Luke, the host of Kronos. Technically, at the time of the stab, it was Luke I was stabbing, but Kronos' spirit was still inside him. A technicality. I wasn't sure if she would hear me, but I thought about the River Styx, deep down in the underworld, and said in my head,
'Thank you.'
No response. Then the soft noise of an underwater river gurgling appeared in my mind. No voice spoke, but the sound the river made wasn't angry, like the Styx usually was. It almost seemed to be gurgling, 'Your welcome'.
My mind snapped back to the present. I was in the throne room. Surrounded by Olympian gods. Cool.
The next few hours blurred, and I mean metaphorically, as I can do that literally. Percy asked Zeus to light up the Empire State Building blue, and the god didn't even blink. Most of the gods set about repairing the throne room, which, as you would expect, didn't take long. Percy and Grover tended to the wounded. The sky bridge had repaired itself, and the surviving campers and Hunters came to greet us. Connor and Travis Stoll had survived with minor injuries, their swords still hovering defensively above their heads, as if now hardwired into attack. Katie Gardner had said that Rachel was spotted at the bottom of the Empire State Building after the battle, but no one had known where she had gone.
Nico came into Olympus and everyone welcomed him with claps and cheers. Hades was right beside him, and the god seemed surprised to watch his relatives clap so warmly towards him. I doubted anyone had ever welcomed with any enthusiasm, let alone lots of it. Clarisse was still shivering from her time as a block of ice, and Ares had shouted about her drakon slaying while she awkwardly stood there, not knowing what to say. No gods came up to me. I guess that's the benefit of not having a parent on the Pantheon. However, Artemis did have a short conversation that left me fearing for my genitals. She had walked over, and I bowed respectively, as Artemis was one of the gods I liked. Then I froze at what she said.
"I know you like Thalia."
I looked up at her, and she was glaring.
"And I know she likes you."
Then, she had leaned in, and grabbed my collar. Whispering hard in my ear, she said,
"You think you can just take a Hunter from me?!"
Now, even terrified, I had standards. So, I replied,
"Yes. She likes me, I like her. Deal with it."
For a few seconds, I thought she was going to vaporise me, but then she let go and laughed. I stood there, confused. Finally, she spoke through her grin,
"I knew since before she joined. I was surprised she joined."
I nodded, smiling again at Artemis' violent sense of humour. Then she frowned again.
"However, if you ever break her heart…"
She mimed holding something in her hands, and slowly dragged her hands across it in a sawing motion. I so desperately wanted to grab my balls and run away, out of pure instinct, but grinned nervously and replied,
"Yep. Message…too loud and clear."
She laughed again and slapped my back.
"Now that's not possible. I still owe you training lessons. I'll get back to you."
"Uh…you're a goddess? Since when do you owe anyone anything?"
She smiled down at me.
"That may be true, but I pride my honour as chief part of my life."
I nodded, then said,
"Why did you let Thalia join if you knew she liked me?"
"Because I knew she would be a great Hunter. She would help my Hunt in a time of great need. I always knew she would not stay forever, constantly gushing about you as she…"
"I…do not…gush!"
We both turned to see an annoyed Thalia, glaring at Artemis. The goddess laughed and walked off. She rounded on me and I raised my hands.
"Hey, I didn't say it. Although…"
She was suddenly on the backfoot.
"That's the second time someone from the Hunt has said that. Talked about me a lot, did you?"
I was smirking, but she didn't seem to get the joke. She spluttered, then mumbled,
"I may have mentioned you once or twice. Or…"
She saw my face.
"Hey! Stop making fun of me!"
I burst out laughing, and wrapped an arm around her waist, saying,
"I'm never going to stop doing that! Get used to it."
She let out a half defeated, half humorously exasperated sigh, and allowed me to steer her away. We talked for a while, before she wondered off to other people and I mingled again. I found myself talking to Nico, which was odd, as we had rarely spoke.
"Fayden."
"The saviour of Olympus himself!"
I spread my arms wide and he let out a small grin.
"Shut up, piss taker."
"Death breath."
"Slow poke."
"…Ok, that last one was actually pretty good."
Nico grinned, and said,
"So. It must be weird for you, with your dad dead."
"Weird? I love it!"
Nico smiled, forcefully though, I noticed.
"But…"
He leaned in.
"No one controls time anymore. No immortal holds the power. Do you…I don't know. Feel more powerful?"
I frowned.
"Nico, no immortal holds the power over traffic gridlocks, that doesn't mean someone random traffic warden will become a god."
He blushed, easily noticeable on his pale face.
"Ok, ok. Just wondered."
He grew silent, and from the little I knew about him, he looked like this when he was about to talk about someone you knew being dead. Finally, he said,
"I know I shouldn't really bring this up…but…your mom."
I stiffened, but some part of me wanted to know. I slowly nodded for him to continue.
"She went to Elysium. Dying to protect someone you love is kind of like an all-access pass to the premium content of Elysium."
I grinned at his explanation. I never really thought about that, but when he said it, it filled me with such happiness to know my mom was in Elysium.
"Thank you, Nico."
He nodded, and we both walked off again.
The final person I talked to…surprisingly, was Athena. It was a stiff conversation to say the least.
"Hmm. You did well."
I nodded silently. Athena continued,
"I…may have misjudged you."
Ok, who roofied the gods? Apollo? Dionysus? First, Artemis says she's ok with losing a Hunter to love, and now Athena is saying she was wrong about me? Apparently, I was thinking rather loudly, as Athena replied,
"No one…roofied any of us, Fayden. By now, I'm sure you will have realised, that, beyond our natural want of respect, most of the gods like you, or at least, don't feel indifferent towards you because you stand up to us. I found it annoying, that a mere mortal would dare presume to be wiser than us, but I have watched you. You are far wiser than I first imagine. Although…"
She seemed to pity me with her next look.
"While I know you will not, I would beg an apology to Atropos and the other two. That is fight you won't win."
Now, I may or may not have hit some personality points on Athena with this comment.
"Yeah, well, they said that at Marathon. And look how it turned out. I'll just watch my centre…make sure it doesn't crumble."
Athena smiled. The Battle of Marathon was a great victory for Athens against Persia, so naturally Athena would like the memory of the battle.
"See…you are proving me right already. I'm not a fool, Fayden. You said that deliberately, but still…er…how would you put it? Fair play."
Then she walked off, leaving me grinning. Soon, everyone seemed to be converging in the middle. The gods all sat in their thrones. Only Poseidon abstained, still talking with Percy. I could see Zeus getting annoyed, until finally he bellowed,
"POSEIDON!"
The god of the sea looked around. Zeus was glaring at him, but the god didn't seem to care. Zeus grumbled.
"Well, Poseidon? Are you too proud to join us at council, my brother?"
Poseidon looked at Percy, and winked, before replying,
"I would be honoured, Lord Zeus."
Poseidon strode over to his fishing seat throne, and the Olympian Council proceeded. While Zeus was talking, or should I say, milking the underachievement's of the gods to hide the fact we did everything, Percy had somehow ambled next to me, and Annabeth walked into the throne room, looking great for someone who was almost dead about four hours ago. She leaned in and whispered to Percy,
"Miss much?"
Percy whispered back,
"Nobody's planning to kill us, so far."
"First time today."
Percy cracked up, and Annabeth grinned. I leaned over, and whispered to both of them,
"I'd hold that thought."
Gesturing to the front of the hall, Percy and Annabeth glanced at what I was pointing at. Hera was shooting us some dirty looks. I decided to tune in to what Zeus was saying.
"As for my brothers. We are thankful…"
He cleared his throat, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he was supposed to say.
"…erm…thankful for the aid of Hades."
The Lord of the Dead nodded, a justifiable smug smirk across his face. He patted Nico's back, and the kid looked as happy as I'd ever seen him.
"And, of course…" Zeus continued, though he looked like he was standing naked during a concert, "We must…erm…thank Poseidon."
The god of the sea smiled mischievously.
"I'm sorry brother. What was that?"
"We must thank Poseidon," Zeus growled. "Without whom…it would've been difficult…"
"Difficult?" Poseidon asked innocently.
Zeus was smouldering slightly, and I called out,
"Spit it out, Lord Zeus!"
Then hid behind Percy, who looked like he was trying not to burst out laughing. A ripple of giggles ran through the demigods as Zeus glared at us, before continuing. I appeared again as he said,
"Impossible. It would have been impossible to defeat Typhon."
The other gods murmured agreement and pounded their weapons in approval, which I hoped they wouldn't do for every decision, as it hurt my ears. Zeus looked around.
"Which leaves us," he said. "Only the matter of thanking our young demigod heroes, who defended Olympus so well…even if there were a few dents in my throne."
I coughed quietly, being kind of to blame for that. He called out,
"Thalia Grace!"
She stepped forward, and looked nervous. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to be given to her, but Zeus promised to help refill the ranks of the Hunters. Artemis smiled, and said,
"I know you would like to see the Hunt at full strength, but there is something you want more. I know what it is. And you shall have it."
Thalia's face went pink, but Artemis simply stated,
"I relinquish you from your vows of charity and maidenhood you swore to me, and strip you of the benefits of immortality you no longer desire."
Thalia glowed silver, then it faded away, as a gasp rippled not only through the demigods, but the gods as well. Zeus didn't seem surprised, however. Thalia turned back to me, a wide grin on her face, and I don't think I could've stopped my grin if Ares had been in my range of vision. She ran back, and in front of everyone (something I'm going to kill her for later), she wrapped her arms around me, and kissed me.
For twenty long seconds, we kissed, and a shocked silence fell in the throne room. When I finally pulled away, cheers erupted from the demigods, Percy and Annabeth being the loudest. Glancing around, I saw Aphrodite, as she looked like she was about to faint from happiness. She blew a kiss at me, and a dove appeared above us, flapping its wings before exploding into white rose petals, which fell down on our heads. Thalia looked at them, confused, but I just gestured exasperatedly to the goddess of love, and Thalia laughed. When the cheers died down, Thalia stood next to me, her hand in mine.
Zeus looked rather disgusted, as any father would if they watched their daughter snog a boyfriend, but at least he didn't look angry. Although disgust may be underexaggerating. He might visit Mnemosyne later to have that memory erased. Anyway, he then called out,
"Tyson, son of Poseidon!"
The cyclops looked nervous, but he went to stand in the middle of the council.
"Doesn't miss many meals does he," muttered Zeus.
"Tyson, for your bravery, and for leading the Cyclopes, you are appointed general in the armies of Olympus. You shall henceforth lead your brethren into war whenever the required by the gods. And you shall have a new…um…what kind of weapon would you like? A sword? An axe?"
I gotta say, without disrespect intended (that's a lie, I'm about to insult someone, so disrespect highly intended), Zeus would make a pretty bad TV show presenter. Talking with Tyson, it was like he forgot his lines, and had to quickly be reminded. It was rather refreshing though, to be reminded of how surprisingly normal the gods really were, despite how high and mighty they acted. I mean, Demeter sat on a chair made out of corn, while across her, Poseidon chillaxed in a Hawaiian shirt on a fishing chair, and further down, Apollo was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, listening to music on an iPod. Hephaestus looked like he was sitting on a Transformer, and Aphrodite acted like she hosted Love Island…hang on! My mom watched that! She does host it! Anyway, that proves my point. Zeus' throne looked all grand and mighty, will Hades, his equal and brother sat on a guest bench by the fire. Hestia looked like a little girl, sitting on the floor. They just looked like kids. I caught Athena's eye accidently, and she raised her eyebrow as if to say, 'Not particularly hard to figure out, is it? They are children'. I smirked slightly, and she responded likewise, before turning her attention back to Zeus. I did as well, as he said,
"…new…er…stick! The best stick that can be found!"
"Hooray!"
All the other Cyclopes cheered and pounded him on the back as he re-joined them. Dionysus then called out,
"Grover Underwood of the satyrs!"
Grover came forward nervously.
"Oh, stop chewing your shirt. 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.
Dionysus sighed.
"Wonderful."
Several naiads came to help him up.
"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 honours, blah, blah, blah. Now please, someone take him away before he wakes up and starts grovelling."
Grover moaned from the floor as the nature spirits carried him away.
"FOOOOOD!"
Scratch what I said earlier. Zeus is a great presenter compared to Dionysus. At least Zeus has flare, a touch of drama. Dionysus literally couldn't be bothered to say all the words properly. Athena called out,
"Annabeth Chase, my own daughter."
Annabeth smiled at Percy, 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 out seat of power. It was come to our attention that Olympus is…well…trashed. The Titan lord did much damage that will have to be repaired. We can 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 at her mom's face, 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 aeon?"
"You mean…I can design whatever I want?"
Annabeth looked she'd been offered immortality. The goddess smiled down at her.
"As your heart desires. 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 seemed to walk like a zombie as she headed back over. Percy grinned and said,
"Way to go."
It seemed like she was at a loss for words.
"I'll…I'll have to start planning…drafting paper, and, um, pencils…"
"PERCY JACKSON!"
His name echoed around the chamber. All talking died down. The room was silent except the crackling of the Hearth. Everyone seemed to be looking at Percy. He walked out into the middle of the throne. First, he bowed to Zeus, then turned and knelt by his father. Poseidon smiled warmly.
"Rise, my son."
He seemed shaky as he stood.
"A great hero must be rewarded," Poseidon said. "And I can think of only one other who would deserve a gift from the gods as much as my son."
His eyes twinkled in my direction, and I looked away. I had never seen the gods all agree on something. But not one raised a complaint. Zeus spoke.
"The council agrees. Percy Jackson, you will have one gift from the gods?2
Percy seemed confused.
"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, but Percy Jackson…if you wish it…you shall be made a god. Immortal. Undying. You shall serve as your father's lieutenant for all time."
You could have heard a pin drop. I take back what I said earlier about Annabeth's face. The face of someone being offered immortality was actually quite different. Percy broke the silence.
"Um…a god?"
Zeus rolled his eyes.
"A dim-witted one, apparently. But yes. With the consensus of the entire council, I can make you immortal. Then I will have to put up with you forever."
"Hmm," Ares mused. "That means I can smash him to a pulp as often as I want, and he'll just keep coming back for more. I like this idea."
"I approve as well," said Athena, but I noticed she was watching her daughter. I turned as well, and I noticed Percy and turned around. Annabeth was looking anyway except Percy. Twice she met my eyes, desperate to not look at him. Her pale face was glistening. It reminded me of when Thalia joined the Hunt. She probably felt the same way. She looked on the edge of a panic attack. Percy turned back to look up at Zeus.
For a long thirty seconds, he didn't speak. Then, finally, he said,
"No."
The council was silent. The gods frowned at each other as if they had misheard. Zeus's voice had a dangerous edge.
"No? You are…turning down our generous gift?"
Percy hurriedly said,
"I'm honoured and everything, 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."
Of course. Percy, as smooth as Kronos' voice. The gods were all glaring at him, and Annabeth, as I turned to look, had her hands over her mouth. Her eyes were shining, almost as brightly as Thalia's had when her gift had been granted. I turned to look at Thalia, and she was smiling at the two. She met my eyes, and we both silently agreed, 'They need to get together'.
Percy raised his voice slightly.
"I do want a gift, though. Do you promise to grant my wish?"
Zeus thought for a second.
"If it is within our power."
Percy nodded. "It is. And it's not even difficult. But I need your promise on the River Styx."
"What?!" Dionysus cried. "You don't trust us?"
Now, I would've have just instantly replied, 'no', but Percy played a different route.
"Someone once told me…"
He had looked over at Hades.
"You should always get a solemn oath."
Hades shrugged.
"Guilty."
"Very well!"
Zeus looked rather grumpy.
"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, and thunder boomed, shaking the throne room. Percy started.
"From now on, I want you to properly recognise the children of the gods. All the children…of all the gods."
The Olympians shifted. Poseidon spoke up,
"Percy. 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. They felt angry, resentful and unloved. And they had good reason."
Zeus' nostril's 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 reach 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…"
But Percy interrupted Apollo as well.
"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…"
I was surprised that Percy mentioned Calypso, but if she was freed from her prison that would be awesome. She was fun to hang around with. Then I realised whose hand I was holding, and thought that I could delay that introduction.
"Are you calling me a minor god!" Hades bellowed.
Percy quickly amended,
"No, my lord. 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 any more, wondering who their parents are. They'll have their own cabins. And no 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 the, and accept them instead. All children of the gods will be welcome and treated with respect. That is my wish."
There was a ringing silence, that seemed to echo the same phrase, 'Damn son'. Or maybe that was just me. Zeus snorted,
"Is that all?"
"Percy," Poseidon said. "You ask much. You presume much."
"I hold you to our oath. All of you."
Percy had a lot of half glares thrown at him. Surprisingly, Athena was the one who spoke up.
"The boy is correct. We have been unwise to ignore our children. It has proved a strategic weakness in this war and almost caused our destruction. Percy Jackson…I had my doubts about you, but perhaps…"
She seemed to look at Annabeth and then spoke as if she'd just bitten into a lemon.
"…perhaps I was mistaken. I move that we accept the boy's plan."
"Humph. Being told what to do by a mere boy."
I don't really need to tell you who said that.
"All in favour," Hermes called.
All the gods raised their hands. Percy seemed surprised.
"Umm. Thanks."
He turned back to the crowd. It would seem quite strange to follow that, but with Zeus staring at me, I knew I was up last.
"Finally…FAYDEN THATCH!"
I had no parent to call my name, so Zeus did. My name had the same affect as Percy's, except Ares started growling under his breath. I squeezed Thalia's hand slightly, then walked confidently up to Zeus, and bowed down in front of him. I liked the way he was surprised I would bow.
"Fayden. It has not gone unnoticed that, while Percy was the subject of the prophecy, you are the one who killed our father…"
He seemed to include me in the 'our', something that caught the gods off guard until they realised who I was.
"So…I will give you the same gift as Percy. Fayden Thatch…you will be granted one gift from the gods."
I stayed silent. Everyone seemed to notice the 'Percy insulted us. Choose immortality' undertone, but only I noticed the 'I know you won't choose immortality, so make it painless' under-under tone. I coughed slightly and said,
"Um…I'm not really sure if I want anything."
The gods murmured, and Zeus looked like he wanted to hit his head with the palm of his hand.
"Nothing?"
I shrugged. Aphrodite piped up,
"I could remove that horrible scare on your body if you want."
I looked down, even though I couldn't see the 'Son of Kronos' scar on my chest. I shook my head.
"No. I'm proud to be who I am. It's a reminder."
Aphrodite frowned.
"Of what? Its ugly."
I turned to her.
"A reminder that Kronos was a little bitch when you chucked an axe at him."
This caused laughter among the gods, and Zeus leaned in.
"Did you actually do that?"
I nodded, replying,
"He squealed."
Zeus clapped his hands in a laugh. Poseidon was smiling as well, and he said,
"How I wished I could've have done that as well."
After the laughter died down, Zeus, still with a slight grin on his face, asked,
"But come now. Surely there must be something. If not a wish, then perhaps a magical item. A shield, or a new sword."
I automatically grabbed my keyring.
"I'm afraid nothing could be better than my sword now."
Zeus seemed stumped that someone wouldn't want a gift for bravery. Then I spoke up.
"However,"
The King of the Gods almost looked pleased to grant me something.
"I would like two things, now that I think about it."
Zeus frowned. "Two?"
I quickly amended.
"One. I can get the other myself, as long as Lord Apollo agrees to meet me after this meeting."
The sun god paused his iPod, frowning at me. Then he said,
"Uh…sure?"
I nodded, then turned an almost full 180 degrees to look at his sister. Addressing Zeus, I said,
"Lady Artemis owes me a fight. My one wish is that…Athena…"
I looked over at the goddess of wisdom, who seemed surprised.
"…teaches me all she knows about fighting with a sword. I'd like to fight Artemis somewhat fairly."
The goddess of the moon smirked. I stuck my tongue out at her. The demigods behind me were shocked out how easily I interacted with the gods, as if they were old pals, but really, I just wasn't intimidated by them. Athena coughed, but before she could speak, Zeus said,
"Hang on. My son Ares is capable in the area of sword fighting. Why not ask him?"
I glanced at the god, who had a sadistic smile on his face at the idea. Looking back at Zeus, I said,
"Because with all due respect, my lord, Ares and me don't really like each other. He'd less teach me and more…beat me up."
Ares seemed annoyed I'd 'foiled his great plan'. I continued, saying,
"Besides, I prefer fighting smart to wildly swinging in and hoping I hit the target, as I know Ares loves doing."
The gods laughed, Athena the loudest so. Ares went red and slumped annoyed into his throne, glaring. Athena nodded at me, saying,
"Very well. I will teach you."
Now, I said that because I know Athena and Ares had a rivalry over the best type of sword fighting, so Athena would be more likely to agree, and also because I do actually prefer fighting smart. I thought I was being really smart until Athena spoke in my head, saying,
'I know why you said that. Like I said before, fair play. I can never resist laughing at that buffoon war god. But I was going to agree anyway. I had to, and I wanted to. I enjoy training warriors.'
Damn. So much for being sneaky. Still, at least Athena doesn't hate me anymore. So, bonus.
Zeus seemed a little offput as I returned to the demigod crowd. Thalia smiled and laughed at me like I was an idiot, her endearing welcome. Percy grinned, and Annabeth smiled, maybe a bit miffed I'd be hanging out with her mom more than she would. Zeus cleared his throat, and shouted across the room,
"COUNCIL DISMISSED!"
Most of the gods vanished, and the demigods around me started walking back to the entrance, and head back down to Manhattan. Thalia seemed to want me to follow, but I pulled free and said,
"I've got to talk with Apollo, remember?"
She nodded and said,
"I'll wait for you outside?"
I nodded and she let go, walking out with the others. I turned to find the god standing beside me, at human height. His usual jovial expression was replaced with confusion.
"Why did you want to see me?"
I pulled my ring off.
"Apollo, don't take this in any offence, but with Athena teaching me with a sword, I rarely use my bow anyway. A weapon this powerful, it is wasted on me."
Apollo frowned.
"So, what, you're giving it back?"
I smirked.
"Trading it."
He laughed.
"Ah, I like you, Fayden. Your so confident, even among gods. Not many would dare demand something in return, after giving back a magical object gifted to them as if they don't want it. You're a dude."
I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but I nodded, and Apollo said,
"What do you want for it?"
"An IOU."
Apollo frowned.
"What?"
"I give you this back, and you owe me something at a later date. An I, O, U."
Apollo grinned.
"You know how to distribute power, don't you? I don't want Zeus hearing about those. He'll grow crazy, demanding IOU's from everyone. We've already been through every governmental class of ruling over the last few centuries."
I smiled. "Democracy?"
Apollo howled with laughter.
"Oh man, you are sharp. No, that is the one Zeus didn't try."
I grinned and waited. Apollo looked down at the ring, and then took it.
"Sure, why not."
I nodded thankfully. Before he left, I called after him,
"A small favour. Can you change the gods-awful elevator music?"
Apollo pretended to hold a hand to his heart, hurt. Then said,
"Nah!"
And vanished.
I shook my head, and walked out of the throne room. I met up with Thalia who was waiting outside, kissed her gently on the head and then we both descended back through the city of Olympus, now alive with colour and people, before traveling down the elevators, cursing Apollo for fun, finally stepping out into Manhattan, and for the first time in a while…
Not fighting anything.
I'm not really sure what to put here. My brain is kinda overloaded from finally being able to write about Thalia leaving the Hunters and getting with Fayden, and I love the scenes where the heroes are on Olympus. They're always so much fun to write. Next chapter will be the last chapter for my version of The Last Olympian, but not the last chapter of this fanfic. I'll explain in a proper Author's Note after the next chapter. Peace.