So, I haven't been able to write because all my teachers are giving us tests and projects due right before Christmas break. Once I get these done, I should be able to write a little bit more. Also, I turn 16 in several days! Yay!

Chapter 2

Roughly 3 Years Later

Hades was nervous. It had been about three years since he had started to prepare for war, and he had a nagging thought that he was forgetting something. He had had this thought for about three years now, and it was driving him crazy. He just couldn't seem to figure out what it was. And as he was doing his best to make sure his kingdom was secure, he wanted to be sure that he wasn't missing anything crucial.

He was brought abruptly out of his thoughts as he neared his destination. The council of the Underworld. Now, the members of this council didn't necessarily live in the underworld. But at some point or another, all had spent some time there, and often met together to talk and discuss whatever problems they had. They had not had a meeting in over four years, because Hades had shut down the underworld. This was the first time since then that he would allow them to meet.

The council met on the side of a mountain near the wastelands surrounding the underworld. There were four ancient stone pillars there, carved in a language that no one recognized. They were arranged on each of the cardinal points; North, South, East and West. In the center of the pillars was a sleek black stone slab. The slab had been there along with the pillars for as long as Hades could remember. Much like the pillars, there were runes engraved on it as well.

As Hades walked in, conversation ceased and all eyes turned to him. Everyone else was there. Hecate, Titaness of magic, witchcraft, and crossroads. Eris, goddesses of chaos, strife and discord. Nemesis, goddess of balance, retribution, and vengeance. Morpheus, god of dreams and leader of the Oneiroi. And Thanatos, god of peaceful death, and lieutenant to Hades.

At this council, each person was to be treated as an equal. So, they each were in charge of their own chair. You could sit on any chair you wanted, but the bigger and grander of a chair, the more disliked you were. So, Hades made a black stool appear, and sat down. All eyes were on him, which made him quite uncomfortable.

"Yes?" He asked, obviously they had been talking about him before he entered the room.

The other five of them glanced at each other, before turning to look at Thanatos.

"Hey, don't look at me! I don't know why he did it, just because I'm his lieutenant doesn't mean I know everything about him!"

Hades sighed. "I'm sitting right here, you know. You could just ask me."

Again, the other five seemed to be having a silent conversation, before Nemesis turned Hades. "We were wondering, why has the underworld been on lock down? Also, how do you figure that we can finally have this meeting now when we haven't had one in quite a while? Did something happen to make you change your mind?"

Hades rubbed the side of his face with his hand. "So that is what this is about. Alright, it seems only fair that I explain some of my recent actions. Tell me, have any of you felt any of the signs from the pit?"

Thanatos nodded, but the rest were still. "Then let me tell you what I have discovered. Our tale begins around five years ago, when I first began to feel stirrings from the pit. At first, I ignored them. I figured that some powerful monster must have done something extremely evil, and that the stirrings would soon cease. They didn't, and after a year of this I brought my findings to the Olympian Council. Zeus told me I was being paranoid, and that all was well. It was then that I began to pay more attention to these stirrings. If Zeus thinks everything is okay, then something was most definitely not."

Here he paused, as laughter went around the room. He allowed himself a smile, before continuing with his story.

"The stirring never stopped, only growing more powerful. And as they did so, I slowly began to realize what this entailed. My father is rising."

Nobody noticed Morpheus's slight, guilty, flinch when Kronos was mentioned.

Hades continued on. "Since I realized that, I redoubled my efforts to alert the Olympian Council to the oncoming threat. Zeus shut me down, repetitively. Finally, after the Summer Solstice meeting three years ago, I gave up. I told them that they were on their own. If they wish to ignore the oncoming threat, then I will let them. But, I would not idly stand by either."

Here Morpheus interrupted, trying to gain some sort of tidbit of information, that would be useful to his Lord Kronos. "Is that why-"

But that was as far as he got, before a cloaked figure decided to make their move. They had entered, unnoticed by all, through the doorway whilst Hades was talking. Then, they stealthily crept closer and closer towards an unsuspecting Hades. When Morpheus had started to talk, all eyes had swung towards him. He was interrupted when the cloaked figure grabbed the back of Hades head, and smashed it into the stone table. With shouts, the other five stood up, only to watch the figure disappear into nothingness, along with Hades.

When Hades woke up, his head killed. He found himself slumped over in a wooden chair. The chairs back and arms were curved in such a way that sitting comfortably was impossible. The back was curved, and the arms extended far past where a human's would have ended. He looked up when a voice spoke.

"About time you woke up, I didn't hit you that hard."

"Wha? Who?" Hades was still a little groggy.

The figure stepped forward into the light, and pulled off their cowl. It revealed a slightly, no, thoroughly pissed off Chaos.

"What, Chaos!? Why did you kidnap me? Did I do something to offend you? I haven't seen you since the third crusade, and this is how you greet me?"

Chaos stared at Hades, her annoyance rapidly changing into confusion. "What do you mean? I saw you just over three years ago."

Now Hades was also confused. "No, you didn't. I haven't seen you since the third crusade. Are you feeling alright?"

Chaos glared, before her face changed into a thoughtful one. "Hmmm, I know I spoke to you three years ago, but you don't remember it. Would you allow me to check you for any sort of memory blocking potion, or spell?"

Hades nodded. "Just, if you find anything, let me know."

"Why?"

"So I can kick their fucking ass! Nobody better have touched my memories."

Chaos nodded. Fair enough, she thought. She placed her hand on Hades head, and ran through his memories. After several seconds, she removed her hand.

"So?! Did you find anything?"

"No. I didn't find anything to suggest that a potion, spell, or any form of mind wiping residue. You're clean. However, you did forget our talk. So someone or something did mind wipe you. It is very concerning that they could hide how they accomplished this from me, the Creator. Even worse, they might have discovered what I showed to you."

Hades curiously asked, "What did you show to me?"

Chaos nodded. "I think I'll tell you what happened first. Three years ago I brought you here to show you something important. On that day, I had you swear an oath of secrecy. You did so. I also asked you to prepare for war. You don't remember that, but prepared for war anyways."

Hades nodded, somewhat guiltily. He was planning to stay out of this war. Unsure of what Chaos would say to that, he decided to keep his mouth shut and wait.

"You don't remember what I showed you, neither do you remember your oath. So I will remind you of your oath before I reveal this secret to you again. You promised to keep whatever I told you or showed to you secret unless I told you otherwise." Chaos took a deep breath before continuing. "Do you accept these terms?"

"Well it seems I already have, so I accept. Now will you show me whatever this thing is?"

"Not a thing, Hades." Chaos said as she reached out a hand, pulling Hades from his seat and leading him down a hallway. "A person."

She pushed open the door.

"You took him!?" Hades was pissed. Here was one of Hades favorite people, one of his few friends, and some of his only family. "How could you!?"

Chaos chuckled. Hades looked at her, incredulous. "I'm sorry, it's just, you said the exact same thing last time. Anyway, let me explain, again, why he is here." Chaos proceeded to explain what had happened, all those years ago. How Artemis and Percy had been in love, how Orion pushed the two apart, and how Artemis killed Percy. Hades sat there with his mouth wide open in disbelief.

"So you're telling me that they liked each other?" Chaos nodded.

Hades sat there in thought. "That means-"

"If you say 'Ares owes me 5,000 drachmas' then I will gut you like a fish."

Hades gaped at her. "H-how did you know what I was going to say?"

"We've had this conversation before."

"We have?"

"Yes. You just don't remember because somehow you've been mind wiped."

Hades groaned. "I hate the face that someone managed to pull that over me. I should ask the furies if they know anything about that. Maybe they'll have an idea on who did it."

"Okay, when you get back, you do that. You may have forgotten about Perseus, but at least you started to prepare for war. It is weird that you forgot about Perseus, but remembered that you had to prepare for war, to help him."

Hades winced. "Actually…"

"Don't tell me you forgot." At Hades' silence, Chaos exploded into, well Chaos. "Pray tell then, why exactly were you preparing for war? Surely you weren't going to just hide in the Underworld, not attacking unless attacked. Right? Surely you wouldn't be so stupid as to do a thing like that"

Hades meekly nodded. "That was what I was going to do. But if I had known that Perseus was alive, then I would have prepared for all out war."

Chaos scoffed. "I should have slammed you harder into that table…"

"Hey!"

"Whatever, what's done is done. Lets go wake Perseus up."

"Perseus."

"Perseus."

Percy slowly opened his eyes. Everything was blurry, and really bright. He closed his eyes, before slowly opening them again.

"Perseus."

The voice was louder now. It rang off the inside of his head like a bell. He groaned, before pushing himself up to a sitting position.

"You're finally awake. Can you hear me? What is the last thing you remember?"

He groaned as he rubbed his eyes. When he opened them again, he could make out the faint outline of someone, who was standing next to him.

"Hello? Can you hear me? Helloooo?"

"I-," Percy started. His voice was hoarse, and it hurt to talk. "Water," he managed to croak out.

The figure, who had solidified into someone unrecognizable to him, wordlessly handed him a cup of water that seemed to have been materialized out of thin air. Percy drunk greedily, water trickling out the corners of his mouth. When he had drained the glass, he set it down gently with a 'clink'.

"Who are you?" He rasped.

The woman shook her head. "Heroes these days, no manners whatsoever."

Percy frowned, before realizing she was right. She had apparently saved him, and until he could figure out who she was and what she wanted, it was best to play nice.

"Thank you, now who the Hades are you?"

From the corner of the room, the shadows began to pull away forming a figure. Hades stepped out, with a smirk on his face.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't say my name like that, nephew."

"Uncle?!"

"Nephew?!" Hades' tone was questioning, almost mocking.

"Uncle! What- who- how- What is going on here?"

"I believe that that is a question better answered by her." Hades inclined his head toward the woman, who Percy had forgotten about.

She was about 5 feet 9 inches, or about 175 cm tall. She had pitch black hair that reached down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a black shirt and skintight black jeans that fit her form well. Both the shirt and the jeans were decorated with what looked like stars, and when Percy squinted to get a better look, he could have sworn that they were stars, because they seemed to give off an almost ethereal glow. Her eyes were pitch black with white flecks in them, like the night sky themselves.

She smiled at Hades, before turning around to address Percy. "Hello Perseus, it is a pleasure to finally meet you when you are conscious. I am Chaos."

Percy frowned, had she been watching him while he was sleeping? That was just creepy. Then the rest of her words caught up with him and he gasped.

"C-Chaos, like Lady Chaos, the creator of the universe?"

"The very one. Now, we have a lot to talk about, so If you can just sit tight and I'll explain everything to you."

Percy sat there with his mouth wide open. Off to the side, Hades was laughing. He had been looking forward to this day for several years, and had predicted Percy's reaction. Knowing Percy, he was probably about to-. Percy leapt out of the bed, kneeling down on the ground in front of Chaos.

"My lady, please forgive me. I did not know whose presence I was in. I humbly apologize-"

Chaos interrupted him with a huff. "Please don't bow." She sounded as if she was pleading with him. "It gets so annoying, and I really don't like people placing themselves above or below others. Also, drop the 'lady'. Just call me 'Chaos'. So stand up, we have a lot to talk about and not that much time."

Percy straightened up, his face red. Hades was snickering. He had done the same thing when Chaos had first introduced herself to him. Even 3 years later, he still felt a little bit weird not addressing the creator of the universe by some sort of title. But, she was the creator of the universe, so if she wanted no title, he wouldn't use one.

Percy sat on the edge of the bed as Chaos started the long process of bringing Percy up to speed on what had happened in the last 2000 or so years.

"Percy, before I tell you what has happened while you were asleep, I have a few questions for you. Is that alright with you?" Percy gave a hesitant nod yes. "Great!" Chaos exclaimed. "First question. What is the last thing you remember?"

Percy's face scrunched up into a look of intense concentration. "I, I don't remember." He said, panicked. "Why can't I remember anything? What happened to me?"

Chaos put her hand on Percy's cheek, turning his head to look at her. "Percy, I locked your memories." Percy looked at her, a look of confusion on his face. "Can I have them back?" Chaos nodded. "However, I must warn you. If I return your memories to you, then all of them will return to you. Even the ones you wish you could forget." Percy nodded his head. "Yeah, yeah. Can I have them back now?"

Chaos maintained eye contact with him for several seconds, before nodding her head in agreement. "There. I returned them. Try thinking, what was the last thing you remember."

"Just like that? No snap of the fingers, or clap of the hands?" Chaos nodded. "Now, what was the-"

"I know, I know. What was the last thing I remember."

Percy thought for a moment before answering. "I remember I was in a forest, somewhere in Greece. I had been wandering for some time, and I was getting tired. I remember thinking, 'that's weird, I've never been tired before' before closing my eyes for a moment. I was just going to take a small nap. Then I wake up, and here I am."

Chaos smiled sadly. "That is correct Perseus, but I am going to have to ask you to look back a little further."

"I was…" Percy shook his head angrily. "How important is this question?"

Chaos looked at him sadly. "Very. I needed to be sure you remember what happened."

"Why!?" Percy all but shouted. "Of course I remember! How could I not? Especially since she didn't believe me! Her best friend!" For a second he thought he might have gone too far, yelling at the creator of the universe herself. But Chaos simply sighed sadly.

"I know, Perseus. But that memory is important to you. It is a part of who you are. You may wish you could forget it, but no matter what you do or try, the memory will stay with you. And I know it hurts, but you must be able to accept it and move on. Otherwise it will eat you up from the inside."

Percy sullenly stuck his face in his hands. From somewhere inside his hands, Chaos heard him say, "Can we move on and explain what and where I am?"

Chaos sighed. "Yes Perseus, we can. But remember what I said." Percy mumbled something into his hands, something Chaos decided to pretend that she didn't hear.

"Moving on," she began. "There is a lot you don't know about, and I believe in ripping the bandage off quickly, instead of prolonging the pain by slowly peeling it off. So, the first thing you need to know is you are dead. You are dead. You faded about 2100 years ago, after the incident."

Percy's mouth dropped open. "Y-you mean that I've been asleep for two thousand years?!"

"Yep."

"So why am I here now? More importantly, how am I here now?"

"That is where I come in. When I saw what happened, I quickly put your body into stasis. You were fading, and I knew that you were still needed. So I fed you positive memories, until you stopped fading. As time went on, I knew that I would not be able to easily reintroduce you into society. Especially after what had happened. So I kept you asleep, til the time was right. I fed you more memories, or rather, information on Earth. As time went on, and technology advanced, I fed these new inventions into your head as well. So you should know what everything is in today's world."

Percy interrupted. "But why? Why go to all the trouble for me? You're the creator, I'm sure that you didn't do this just to be nice. What reason did you have to preserve me?"

Hades shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. He was pretty sure he knew why Percy had been preserved, but he didn't want to voice his doubts.

Chaos sighted. "You're right." She sat down at the foot of his bed, next to him. "Several hundred years ago, or something like that, I didn't pay too much attention-"

Hades cleared his throat.

"Right, sorry about that. Anyway, some time ago, a prophecy was given. The prophecy goes like this."

A half-blood of the eldest gods

Shall reach sixteen against all odds

And see the world in endless sleep

The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap

A single choice shall end his days

Olympus to preserve or raze

"OK, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Because there was more to the prophecy."

Behind Chaos, Hades gave a start.

"I hear all prophecies before they are given, and as soon as I heard this, I knew I had to stop everyone from hearing it. It would have given my interference away. So when the Oracle went to speak, I stopped her mid-way through. The rest of the prophecy is as follows."

A broken oath must be fulfilled

The heroes soul may yet be healed

Hidden in the shadows his friends are near

And he will return to fight the fear

Percy's head snapped up. "Fear? Are you certain?"

Chaos nodded.

Percy groaned, placing his head in his hands. He muttered something that neither Hades nor Chaos could understand.

Hades frowned. "Chaos, what is this fear?"

"Not what Hades, but rather who. Fear was Percy's Giant. The reason none of you had heard of him, was because Percy wasn't an Olympian during the first Giant War, and therefore shouldn't have had a giant opponent. However, he did."

Hades turned to Percy, who still had his head in his hands. "Percy? Who is this Fear? Why didn't you tell us about him?"

Percy sighed, looking up. "That is a good question, Hades. I am not actually sure if I am allowed to tell you about him, or how I killed him."

Without turning, Chaos interrupted. "You have my permission. You can tell him everything."

Percy nodded. "Thank you, Chaos. Now, to answer your question. The Giant War hadn't fully begun, when the fates approached me. They told me that I was to go somewhere and purge the evil from that place. They would not tell me where, or what the evil was. They promised nothing, but asked anyway. And I accepted. They transported me somewhere, and no, I don't know how they did it. They just did. I was in a hellish landscape. If I hadn't known any better, I would have said that I was in the Pit itself. I started forward and then I-"

Percy paused, his face screwed up in confusion. "Then I-I don't remember!? How can I not remember? Chaos, do you know why I have no recollection of that event?"

Chaos slowly nodded. "I had hoped this wasn't the case. I believe that the reason you can't remember any more, is because the Fates have blocked it."

"Why would the Fates do that? If Fear is rising again, I need to know how to defeat him!"

Chaos sighed. "The only reason that I can think of is that Fear is indeed rising again, and they are blocking that memory for whatever reason. Who knows why the Fates do anything? They must have their reasons. I will attempt to say what I can, but if the Fates have blocked it, then even I won't be able to tell the story.

Chaos opened her mouth to speak, but frowned. She shut it, then tried again. Again, nothing. She opened her mouth one last time, and this time was able to say, "I know that after you defeated him, the Fates granted you the domain of Courage. That is how you are able to inspire people the way you do. I know that without it, you would have been hard pressed to unite the Olympians in time to face the Giants and their Hordes. But other than that, I can not say."

Percy groaned. "So not only is Fear rising yet again, but I also have no idea how I defeated him last time. This stinks. Is there anything that I can do?"

Chaos nodded. "The third line states 'Hidden in the shadows his friends are near' I believe that this refers to the Assassins."

Hades broke in. "I am inclined to agree with you, Chaos. However, the Assassins haven't been seen since Percy disappeared. What makes you think they are still around?"

Chaos opened her mouth to speak, but Percy was quicker. "That's exactly it, Hades. If the Assassins haven't been seen, then they are doing what they are supposed to do. If they had been seen, then either their standards are slipping, or it would be a rogue branch. The only question is, will they still have some of the same hideouts? Or will we have changed our bases completely?"

Chaos spoke up. " Before we address that Perseus, I need to finish answering your question. I kept you from fading for several reasons. First, I believed that you are a valuable asset that would be needed later, and I was right. Second, and I do not mean to offend, but it must be said. Secondly, the gods are weak. They have grown complacent, sitting on their thrones. Their children are even weaker. They sit behind their walls and hide. Quests are few and far between. You remember the Titan and Giant wars, correct?"

Percy and Hades nodded. How could they forget? The enemy had had vast hordes of monsters, as far as the eye could see. And that wasn't mentioning the Titans or Giants themselves.

Chaos continued. "None of them are prepared for a war of this magnitude. I need you to thin out their ranks. I want you to go and find the Assassins and go to war. However, this must be done in absolute secrecy. You can not alert the gods to anything you and your Assassins do."

"What?" Hades was shocked. He opened his mouth to speak, but Percy cut him off.

"How come the gods can't be alerted?"

Chaos looked pained. "I can not say for sure. It is just the way it is. For now, let's just say that if they discovered you were still alive, then not only would Olympus be divided, but they might discover my interference. And that is something that can not happen. Understood?"

Percy nodded, unhappy about the whole situation. "So, do you have any ideas on where I can look for my Assassins? Also, where are my weapons and armor?"

"Your weapons and armor are lost. Your Assassins may know where parts of them are, but I can guarantee nothing. As for the Assassins, I will give you a location. You must start your search in Utah. In fact, I will send you there as soon as we are done here. Is there anything I'm forgetting?"

Hades held out his hand and concentrated. A pitch black sword appeared there. "Here." he said, thrusting it toward Percy. "I have blessed the Stygian Iron so that you will be able to easily kill underworld creatures."

"Thank you, Uncle."

Hades smiled, "You're welco-"

"Shoot! I almost forgot! Percy, you need to know, you are no longer a god."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said, you are no longer a god. You are just a demigod. If you want godhood back, you must earn it yet again." Seeing his dismayed look, she elaborated.

"When I saved you from fading, you had already lost a lot of your strength. You were really near death, and all that other power has disappeared. If you want it back, you must earn godhood."

Percy gave a determined nod of his head. "Will I still have my powers? Not only that, but what about the abilities I get from my father? Will I still be able to control water?"

Chaos sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "One second, let me gather my thoughts." She took a deep breath. "First off, good question. I apologize for my earlier answer, which was very vague. To answer your question, you will have all of your powers, you just won't be as strong as you used to be."

Seeing as he was still confused, she elaborated. "You will have the ability to interact with all of your domains, but you won't be as connected as you would be. You will be stronger than any other demigod out there, and would probably be able to defeat a minor god. Maybe even a titan or Olympian, depending on the circumstances. So you shouldn't be too worried about this."

"Alright. Is there anything else that you want to tell me?"

Chaos pondered his words for several seconds. "Well, we covered that you are no longer a god, but a super powered demigod. We covered the prophecy and where to start searching for the Assassins. I think we got everything."

Hades nodded. "Actually Chaos, I have a question for you. You said that the gods couldn't be alerted to Percy's actions, but I already know of them. Are you planning to mind wipe me?"

"No, Hades. Remember our earlier talk about why I didn't tell Hestia about Percy? That is why I chose you, and why you are allowed to know what Perseus does. However, you are not just an observer. If Perseus needs help, then I expect you to be the one to help him. Also, keep in mind that war is coming. You have already started preparations for war, and those need to continue."

"Now, I think that's everything. I'll create a portal for both of you, and then off you go."

Across the room from them, a portal opened up. Hades and Perseus looked at each other, and then at Chaos.

"Just like that?" Perseus spoke up.

"Just like that."

Nodding his head, he strode forward into the portal and was gone. Hades made to follow, but Chaos stopped him.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I suspect that you have a traitor among you. Someone powerful enough to mind wipe you, without me finding out how. Keep on your toes, Hades. I will be returning you to your council, and for all we know, one of them could be a spy. Stay safe, Perseus cannot afford to lose your support."

Hades grimly nodded, before entering the swirling portal. As he disappeared, Chaos sighed, and shut the portal. "Good luck to both of you, Hades and Perseus. May the fates be with you."

Then with a slight 'pop' she disappeared.

Thank for making it this far in the story, I promise It should pick up a little in the next several chapters. Sorry that this took so long, but I have stuff going on and this is when I could get it out. I will still respond to pm's fairly quickly, again sorry this took forever. The next chapter will probably take forever as well, so apologies in advance. Thanks for still reading this. If you have pairing ideas let me know. I have no clue if I will pair him with anyone, and if I do, then I don't know who.

Also random question, where you live, when is the earliest you can get your drivers license? I know in Utah it is 16 years old. I was just interested and too lazy to look it up.

One last thing, I am putting the rating down to 'teen' because I don't plan to have anything mature in this story right now. (or probably ever, unless it is like a fight scene)

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing, and stay safe from Covid-19!