AN: I know there are many stories about how Percy gets betrayed by Annabeth, and how he has PTSD from the two wars he fought, but I wanted to present both in a unique way. The betrayed Percy stories and stories where Annabeth dies are some of my favorites, as they have helped me recognize and deal with my own PTSD. However, I feel that many of the authors either don't have PTSD or it manifests itself very differently for them than it does for myself. Also, I chose to write this story using a character in Greek mythology, yet unused by Rick Riordan: Dolos the Greek spirit of trickery. Dolos is either the son of Gaia and Aether or Erebus and Nyx depending on your mythological source. He is also kind of an apprentice to Prometheus, a character I feel the Percy Jackson fandom underrates due to the little time he was in the story, even though his impact was great. I chose to use Delos, because why not. I will also have Annabeth betray Percy at a very different time in the story, which you will see if you continue to read. Sorry for the long note, but I wanted to make sure readers knew what was going on. However, my favorite PJO ship is Pertemis, and while this will be a slow burn, it will pay off. Trust me.
PS: The intro will be about Dolos, not so much about Percy and will change very little from the canon story at first. The intro chapters will be slow, so i will try and publish them in quick succession. Good thing PTSD makes me sleep less huh. Also, this is my first large story I've ever written, so critiques would be greatly appreciated.
PSS: Even though I have PTSD and depression, I have never been suicidal. I know some of the depressing Percy stories involve him cutting himself, attempting suicide, etc. but I don't really feel comfortable writing that without having that experience. Plus, many use fanfiction to escape, and while seeing that might help some, I don't think I will be able to help. So, if you are worried about reading that, you don't have to. Percy will get to a very dark place, but not there.
The Greatest Tragedy Prologue: The Battle of Manhattan
Delos POV:
"Damn you Apollo" were the words I uttered when I woke with the rays of sunshine that came through my tent at the encampment of Kronos' army, one mile from the Empire State Building. Today was supposed to be the big day for Prometheus and I: today was the day we were supposed to persuade Perseus Jackson, the champion of Olympus and son of Poseidon, into getting his army of demigods to surrender Olympus to us. What Prometheus and I did not know was that Perseus's fatal flaw was loyalty, something we would soon come to regret. After waking up, Prometheus and I had breakfast along with Kelly the empousa in order to develop our strategy for the impending surrender. What happened after I met the boy shocked me to my very core, not only did he take Pandora's Jar, but he also never opened it. Perseus had so much faith in the demigods he fought alongside, had so much faith that his father would aid the other Olympians to fight Typhon at the expense of his Atlantian Palace, and had so much faith in his ability to defeat Kronos as the child of the Prophecy, that he never opened the jar.
Every other fighter in the Battle of Manhattan paled in comparison to Percy during these few days: he extinguished the light of Hyperion, engaged the Clazmonian Sow in aerial combat, fights a drakon he knows he cannot kill, presents the deceased Aphrodite spawn as a hero to the Greeks; even though she was a spy for us, leaves the pithos of hope with the eldest spawn of Kronos, dares to sit on the throne of his father, offers "redemption" to the son of Nemesis, and most impressively understands that only the damned son of Hermes could be the one to kill the Titan King. Once my mentor Prometheus and I learned of the fall of Kronos to the child of Poseidon, we fled New York and chose not to show our face until we learned of our pardons from when Perseus rejected godhood. While Prometheus was grateful for his pardon, I was infuriated with the son of Poseidon who sent my half-brothers back to Tartarus. This 16-year-old child had ruined our chances to topple the upstart Olympians and reinstate the children of Gaia, my mother, as rulers of the universe. For that he would pay, not with his life; at least not at first. That day was the day I swore to ruin the life of Perseus Jackson, for what good is the spirit of trickery, if he cannot ruin the life of one simple demigod.
AN: Hey guys, what did you think of the prologue. I know it was a bit short, but the actual chapters will be longer. I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I know I will enjoy writing it. The next few chapters will come out soon, but I am about to start finals week, so just know I will be a bit busy.