"No," said Percy, feigning far more confidence than he felt. "I can't accept your offer." There was a palpable silence that none of the gods or demigods in the room were willing to break.

"No?" Zeus replied with a dangerous tone. "You think yourself above our gift?" A faint scent of ozone wafted through the room, and if Percy listened closely enough he could hear the sound of far-off thunderclaps. That probably wasn't good.

"Never, Lord Zeus," he said, putting in more humility than he had managed in his entire sixteen years. "I just… have a lot of life left, you know? And I think there's something else I'd rather have from the Gods."

Zeus worked his jaw as he mulled it over. He knew that the king of the gods had never held much of a soft spot for him, but Percy figured he'd earned a bit of leeway after saving Olympus.

"The council must deliberate on this matter. You were not supposed to refuse, Jackson," Zeus finally said. With that ominous statement, the gods flashed away, leaving their children sitting in the throne room alone. There was another long pause. No one could quite believe what had just happened, and they sat in shock.

"Humph," said Annabeth, "only you could somehow mess up being offered godhood, Seaweed Brain." A nervous shock of laughter arose from the other campus, but it was quieter than it should've been. They'd lost too many over the past days to laugh like they had before the war.

"You know me, Wise Girl," Percy replied, "mistake is my middle name." He drew her into a hug, ignoring the collective 'oohs' of the campers.

"You should have done it," she murmured into his ear quietly. "Now you've pissed off the gods and who knows what they'll do to you? Di immortales, that was stupid." Percy held her a little tighter in response, the reality of the past few days finally setting in. He'd commanded an army, fought two titans, and damn near spat in the face of the gods. He was still there with Annabeth though, and a manic grin sprang across his face.

"I'm still here, and I don't plan on going anywhere," he said aloud, not caring who heard. "Besides, I think they owe me one after all these years." A cheer came from the other campers at that, and the somber mood began to clear. Even though the horrors of war hung over them, the campers needed a break, so they began to celebrate. The Stolls broke out their stash and began to spread it around, taking IOUs at rates that would've made Hades blush. For all the years they'd been at camp no one had managed to figure out where they hid it, and everyone in the throne room gave a small prayer of thanks to Hermes.

Amidst the chaos of the rapidly growing party, Percy slipped away with Annabeth to a quiet corner behind a pillar. As they stood in the silence, they took a long look at each other. A thousand moments passed between them, and neither knew where to begin.

"Percy, I…" For once words failed Annabeth, and as she trailed off, unsure of what to say, and she began to cry. She'd been holding herself together through sheer force of will for the past few days, and losing Percy was the last straw.

"It's okay, Annabeth," he said quietly.

"No, it's not okay. How could any of this be okay?" she replied hotly. "They can't take you away. We fought too hard for that." Even half-crippled and covered in monster grime she was still as fierce as ever, and the thought brought a wry smile to Percy's face.

"I already told you, I'm not going anywhere," he said with an undercurrent of steel. "And even if the Gods do turn me into seawater, you can just tell them you wanna redesign Elysium or something."

"That's not funny, Seaweed Brain." She tried to keep the glare on her face, but it didn't stick. It never could around Percy.

"Of course it is, Wise Girl. I'm hilarious." Annabeth socked him in the arm and gave him a small smile, but it wasn't the full laugh that it should've been. She took a step closer to him, and they embraced each other again. As she did she ran her hands over his back, looking for wounds that weren't there. It was an old ritual of theirs, and even though it was pointless it made him breathe a little easier.

"If… If they take you, Percy, promise me one thing," she said softly.

"Anything. You know that."

"Don't forget about me. And visit when you can." There was a resigned tone to her voice, and it made Percy feel like he'd already lost.

"You know I won't leave you, Wise Girl."
"The gods don't always give us a choice, Percy," she said with a bitter note. "And you've forced their hand. They have to do something. You practically spit in their faces."

"I don't regret it," he replied. "This place is pretty spiffy, but it's no Camp Halfblood." He waited a pause and gathered his courage. "Plus, it's missing a couple of people that I care about."

"Really, Seaweed Brain? You're on the brink of death and that's the best you've got?" she told him with an unimpressed gaze. "Given the circumstance, I'll let you off the hook, but I expect better work. C-." Then she leaned forward to kiss him, and it almost made the past two days worth it. They stood that way for a while, holding onto the moment until a flash of light came from the center of the throne room.

"Unacceptable! I'd think our children would know how to behave a little better!" came the shrill voice of Hera, affronted at the chaos the throne room had devolved into.

"I guess that's our cue," Annabeth murmured, and the two strode away from the column hand in hand. The look that Athena shot Percy was sharp enough to kill, but even that was overshadowed by Aphrodite's swoon.

"Order!" said Zeus, and a roll of thunder rumbled through the room. "We may discuss our children's behavior later, but there are far more pressing matters to attend to. Step forward, Perseus Jackson." Everyone quieted down at that, even the gods, and the demigods gathered in the center of the room while the gods took their thrones. Percy dropped hands with Annabeth, and as he started to walk forward she pressed a kiss to his cheek. He could still feel Athena's glare boring into the back of his head, but for once he wasn't particularly worried. Annabeth had filled him with the confidence to face down Titans; one irate wisdom goddess wasn't enough to faze him. He didn't bother with kneeling to face the gods. After they'd spent an hour deciding his fate, he really couldn't be bothered.

"The council has reached a verdict, Jackson," rumbled Zeus. "Despite the disrespect you have shown the gods, you have served Olympus in the highest capacity and will be rewarded." The words seemed to physically pain Zeus, and Percy dared to let himself feel hope. "For your service against Kronos, you will be made a god and join us as the thirteenth Olympian. For too long the council has lacked a force to break the deadlocks, and you will bring balance as the final member."

"Are… are you serious?" he said weakly, barely able to process.

"The council does not joke, as you will soon realize. Now Jackson, do you accept?" The words came with a strong current of danger, and Percy knew that it wasn't a question as much as an order.

"Of course, Lord Zeus," he said, aware that any other response would leave him a smoking crater in the ground. "I'd be honored to accept your generous offer." He held as much bitterness out of his reply as he could, but the lightning flashing outside let him know that he failed.

"You will be given the domain over nature and natural disasters, in succession to the great Lord Pan. Do not make us regret this honor." Percy took a glance at the campers behind and saw that they were looking at him with reverence. It creeped him out, and he turned back quickly. Half the gods were giving him encouraging smiles and the other half looked like he'd killed one of their kids. Thinking back on the past few days, he realized he probably had.

"Kneel, Percy," said Poseidon gently. If anyone else had told Percy that he probably would have told them to stick it where the sun didn't shine, but Poseidon, whatever his faults, was his dad. As he knelt he heard a small cry come from the demigods, and he didn't need to look to know that it was Annabeth. He risked a final glance back and saw her looking directly into his eyes. Her tear-stained face was twisted into a sad attempt at a smile, and she held a shaky thumbs-up. Kneeling between all the thrones, Percy realized he'd never felt worse.

"Brace yourself, Perseus," said Zeus. "This will not be pleasant." At his declaration, each of the gods held up their objects of power. Some looked reluctant, but none were willing to disobey Zeus. Each symbol let off a golden glow, with the master bolt glowing brightest of all. They began to pulse in unison, flickering to a strange beat. It was oddly beautiful, and if it didn't mean the end of life as Percy knew it he might've even enjoyed himself.

The flickering reached a crescendo, and a golden sphere formed directly in front of Percy. It crackled like plasma, and it was almost painful to look at.

"Step forward, Perseus Jackson, and claim your destiny," said Zeus. Percy did as he was commanded and walked until he was within arm's length of the sphere. As he reached out to touch it, he couldn't help but think of all the things he was going to lose. Baking blue cupcakes with his mom, going to art shows with Rachel, and holding Annabeth's hand on the sound. All of it was gone, and it was enough to make him want to do something monumentally stupid.

Percy turned his head and yelled, "I'll come back to you." It was an idiotic promise and one that he had almost no chance of keeping, but he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he didn't, immortal or not. He turned back to the fiercely sparking orb and laid his hand on it. He felt a pain worse than the River Styx and heard the far-off sound of someone screaming. Then he felt nothing.