Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Percy Jackson Heroes of the Olympus.
A/N: This is my first fanfiction, so no flames please! I admired Falling for A Goddess by Aix98 and Everlasting Promise by StarBlade176. Both of them have great stories, so you should check them out :) Drop a review if you can, but please, be nice to me. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Percy's POV:
After the war against Gaeia, a Primordial Goddess, I expected to face a time of peace. I wished that everything would simply cool down. Maybe I would finally be able to spend time with my girlfriend, Annabeth, and my friends from the Roman Camp, Camp Jupiter. Of course, I never had such luck. I thought the war had solved our problems, but everything simply became worse. Monsters became restless and attacked demi-gods relentlessly. I didn't know why, but I did know that half-bloods were barely making their way to Camp Half-Blood, the Greek camp for the demi-gods. Usually, they were alone because the satyr that acted as their protector had either died from the violence of the monsters or the were eaten by the drakons. As for Annabeth and me, life did not turn out as well as I had expected. One day, I had woken up and had gone to find Annabeth in the Athena cabin, but all I had found was a letter addressed to me from Annabeth.
Flashback
Coming back from a quest, I was excited to see Annabeth again after months. As I walked up the hill and past the pine tree, an Iris Message popped up and Nico, my best friend, who was a son of Hades, appeared in front of me.
"Hey Nico, long time no see!"
Nico smiled. "Yep, I missed you too Perce. I will stop by the camp when I have my time. It is kind of busy in the Underworld."
Then, I heard a man bellow with rage. "NICO! WHERE ARE YOU! DON'T SLACK OFF!"
Nico's smile dropped as soon as he heard the man. "Well Percy, you heard my dad, so I think I would have to go now. See you soon!"
"Alright death breath. Something must have happened to make Hades mad. You should really go check it out. Bye!" As soon as he gave me a painful look, I waved my hand through the mist, and the message disappeared in front of me. I gradually walked up Half-Blood hill, smiled a bit when I thought about Annabeth and my friends.
I walked down to the Big House once I had a clear view of the camp and saw Chiron, the centaur and my mentor, waving at me happily .
"Percy, my boy, you're back! I take it that your quest was completed safely?" Chiron said with glee while hugging me tightly.
"Yes Chiron. It was extremely successful. May I ask, where is Annabeth?" I asked.
Chiron shifted uncomfortably, refusing to meet my eyes. "I'm not sure about that. She seemed to be busy. Go to the Athena cabin and ask them." Chiron replied nervously.
There was a funny feeling in my head, but I knew that the only way to find out was to go to the cabin. "Alright, thanks!" I said.
I made my way to the Athena cabin, actually, I tried to. When Chiron told the campers about my return, all my friends including the Stoll brothers, Clarisse La Rue, came running at me, and tackled me to the ground. Every single camper had smiles on their faces, which was heartwarming, except for the children of Athena, they looked rather pale. It was as if they had done something wrong. Speaking of children of Athena, Annabeth didn't appear to be among the crowd. I frowned at that, but was distracted by all the overly hyper campers.
"So Prissy," Clarisse, daughter of Ares, said while punched me playfully on the shoulder. "The camp never felt the same when you weren't here; I mean, no one had the guts to fight me." She said before rolling her eyes.
"Well Clarisse, I guess you should brace yourself. I am here now, and you will be begging for mercy before you realize it," I said with a smirk.
Clarisse raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, Jackson? Well, bring it on!"
"Sorry, I have things to catch up. I will meet you in the arena in one hour," I said while my thoughts drifted to Annabeth.
Leaving the campers behind, I headed towards the cabin of the children of Athena. It looked like a miniature version of the Parthenon from Athens. But to ensure privacy, instead of having only stone pillars to support the roof, it also had gray slabs of stone in between. It had a majestic aura to it, despite it being only a fraction of the original's size. Overall, it seemed worthy of the goddess of Wisdom's children.
As I knocked on the door, Annabeth's second in command, Malcolm, opened the door and greeted me with a small smile.
"Hey Percy, where were you?" he asked.
"I was on a quest" I replied, trying to peek inside the cabin. "So... where is Annabeth?"
Malcolm's face suddenly dropped as he fidgeted around and refused to look me in the eyes. "Oh right Annabeth. Well, she is not here now, but she left a note for you " he said, reaching on the shelves and pulled out an envelope.
"Oh. Thanks" I said, feeling somewhat confused.
"I suggest that you go to the beach to read it, " Malcolm replied with sorrow. It showed in his stormy grey eyes.
"Alright. See you later" I said, walking toward the beach rather disappointed. I opened up the envelope when I reached the beach and began reading the letter:
Dear Percy,
Where in Hades did you go? Chiron said that he did not know, but I am willing to swear on the River of Styx that he knew. Why are you hiding things from me? Does that mean you don't trust me? This cannot go on. War is over, why are you still doing quests and training. Whenever I wanted to talk to you, you simply ignore me and continue on stabbing the training dummies. Then, you will disappear for months, telling me that you were on a quest. Do you think I can believe you? You are spending less time in our relationship and how is it fair for me to love you more? As a result, Seaweed Brain, I no longer want to commit in this relationship. I no longer love you the way when we first started dating anymore. I am tired of you and, it is either you apologize to me, or try to find another girl that will put up with your absence.
Regards,
Annabeth.
Tears were flowing down my cheeks as I read the letter over and over again. I couldn't fathom the ruthless truth that I had just read. It felt like something had stabbed me from behind, into my heart, over and over again. The pain that I felt was far greater than was bathing in the River Styx. I felt broken, shattered as I crumbled to my knees. The dam that held back my feelings burst and then came the flood that was despair. "No..." I whispered to myself, still refused to believe that my Annabeth had left me, forever. "HOW? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!" I yelled with rage as the sky darkened immediately, and the sea became restless.
As Percy raged, a deadly green aura was engulfing him, whipping everything that came near. It was as if a fire had burst forth from his soul and was trying to reach the heavens. Water was being kicked up haphazardly by the sheer overwhelming force of his power. Numbers of water tornadoes formed near the coast of the Long Island. They did not form gradually or naturally. An enormous hurricane sprang to life as Percy's rage continued to go on. The ground shook intensely and water vaporized on sight. There was an explosion, blowing up anything within 100 yards. The waves around me started to churn rapidly. Pushing inland, the sea flooded everything. Several square miles of swirling tides crashed into, and obliterated everything in its path. Nothing was spared. Following this destruction, was something that came from Gaia's nightmares: a tempest. Despite being a Son of Poseidon, it was as if he also had control of the very winds. Trees were ripped off their roots. Pebbles, stones, and even boulders were lifted from the dirt and sent flying in erratic manners. This destruction covered over an area the size of two football stadiums. Yet, the storm vanished just as quickly as it had built up.
Percy's POV:
I made myself calm down when I heard footsteps and murmurs coming toward the beach. As soon as I did it, the hurricane disappeared at the very moment I did so. I got up to my knees and surveyed the surroundings, and I was shocked by the view in front of me. It looked like a natural disaster came and messed up the place, literally. Everything around me was flattened, the large boulders and stones had somehow managed to fly across the whole beach. The fertile soil on the beach edge, and the forest beyond that was completely decimated by the salt water from the sea. It was unlikely that plants would be able to regrow in the next ten years, I thought.
I quickly ran away from the beach, avoiding some questioning looks from the campers, and stormed into the Poseidon cabin. Pictures of Annabeth and I were hanging in my cabin. One of the picture was taken secretly by my cousin Thalia as Annabeth and I shared our first kiss. The thought of my ex-girlfriend made me explode again. I uncapped my pen, Riptide, and started to slash wildly at the pictures. Before I realized what was going on, I heard screams coming out from each directions by the horrified campers as the sea had responded to my rage and nearly destroyed the camp under my wrath. I quickly gathered myself and gathered all my accessories. Once I was done, Without looking back, I stepped out of my cabin and left the place that shaped me into the warrior that I was now. I was grateful to meet Chiron and all my other friends. Faces of them flashed in my head as I thought about the good old days, where we shared blood and sweat in the battles, but willing to sacrifice for each other. However, the place only brought back painful memory to me, so I left without notice.
End of flashback
I was wandering in the woods by myself, trying to avoid monsters. Being the only son of Poseidon, I have the strongest scent among all the demigods that are alive. Monsters were attacking me frequently the last few days. I was attacked by a group of Hydra few days ago, which I pulled off a painful fight. One hydra managed to bite me on my thigh and poison me along the way. Luckily, there was a river near me. As soon as I defeated all the monsters, I jumped in the river and felt relief washing over me as the water was curing my wound. 'Heh, one of the perks to be the son of Poseidon' I thought.
However, the fact that Annabeth had left had annoyed me a lot. My fatal flaw was personal loyalty. Athena once told me that I will do anything to save the ones I love. When Annabeth left me, pain washed over me, and I felt like there was nothing to fight for anymore. I felt empty, furious, and betrayed by the one I loved. I unleashed my anger again, but before I can make a huge mess, I found myself standing in front of an eight years old girl. I managed to control my anger because a wave of warmth washed over me, and I realized it could only be Hestia, Goddess of Hearth.
"Lady Hestia" I said, bowing politely to the Goddess.
"I sense that there is something bothering you, young Perseus."
I miserably told Hestia about my situation. I told her of my last quest and of how, when I came back, I was abandoned by my once girlfriend. Apparently, she couldn't take the demo-god chaos anymore. When I was done, Hestia looked at me with sorrow written all over her face. However, what the Goddess said next will shock me for centuries.
"Would you like to be my champion, Perseus Jackson?" Hestia asked.
"c-champion?" I asked incredulously.
"Yes, you can be my champion, and I will be your patron." Hestia said smiling at me kindly.
Without hesitation, I accepted the offer. Since in my darkest time of need a person, or deity, came and offered me a chance to once again have something to fight for.
"You will have an ability to use fire. Take my hand, and I will officially make you my champion." She said.
I felt cozy as the warmth spread around him, then suddenly I felt my hands and eyes were on fire. I was right. I was on fire, literally. Hestia smiled at me, and summoned a mirror out of nowhere.
"What-t happened, why are my hands and eyes covered with green flames? Is there a way to extinguish the fire?" I asked nervously, still looking into the mirror with disbelief.
Hestia chuckled and said, "Don't worry. You only have to concentrate and think about it. This is your new power, Percy. I suggest that you work on flame powers daily. Oh! and the coolest thing is that you can light any weapons on fire, including your Riptide."
"Thank you Lady Hestia" I said.
"No need to thank me, my champion. Just remember that there is still someone that loves you on this planet" Hestia said and kissed me on the cheek. "I will be going now. Just remember, if you get frustrated, just come to the hearth, the original hearth."
Hestia hugged me one last time and disappeared into flames as she flashed herself away. I grinned widely and thought "This is going to be awesome."
Few days gone by after I got a new patron and awesome fire power. At first, I got exhausted by summoning fire and food. Yes, since Hestia is the Goddess of Hearth, I was able to summon homemade food whenever I want. However, it took up a lot of energy to do so. I still haven't figured out whether using my energy to make food actually has a positive net worth of calories… The first time I tried to summon a steak, I passed out due to the energy that required the task to complete.
I was deep in my thoughts while walking aimlessly in the woods as a trap sprang to life and caught me in the ankle. I was dangling upside down from the tree, cursing silently at whoever placed the trap in the middle of nowhere. Then, a horn sounded about a hundred feet to my right and I heard groups of people come shuffling through the forest, heading toward my direction. Before I realized, numerous silver arrows were pointing directly at my torso and my head, and I knew exactly who was surrounding me. Hunters of Artemis.
"What do you girls want?" Percy growled.
"Percy! Where have you been for the past five months. I asked Nico, but he said that he didn't know." said a girl among the hunters.
"Thalia?" I asked.
A girl with spiky black hair and a pair of electric blue eyes was standing in front of me. Relief flashed through her eyes but was soon morphed into anger. Before I could explain, she slapped me furiously across my face and punched me in the stomach, hard. She then did a powerful uppercut. As a result, I flew and wrapped around a tree.
"Um… Thalia? Can you untangle me first? I promise you that I will explain everything to you," I said, pleading for mercy.
Without looking at me, she slashed her silver hunting knife across me as I fell from the tree, landing face first to the ground. I bent my knees slightly as I pushed myself up from the ground, looking at the hunter who had just greeted her best friend with punches. Surprisingly, she was smiling at me, probably because of the way I fell from the tree.
"Yes kelp head. NOW YOU BETTER EXPLAIN YOUR ABSENCE FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS." Thalia said while electrocuting me slightly with her power.
Thalia is the daughter of a Big Three, Zeus. She joined the hunt when she was fifthteen. She is one of Percy's best friends and his supernatural cousin. They argue endlessly, but they love each other in a brotherly and sisterly way.
"Owwww, Thals, what was that for?" Percy said innocently.
"I don't have time to talk to you now. Zeus ordered Artemis to find you because something is going on in Olympus" Thalia said.
As she finished her sentence, Artemis, the maiden Goddess of Hunt and Moon showed up with a small chuckle. The relation between her lieutenant and Percy was exactly like Apollo and herself. She hated all men, especially Orion. However, Percy was different, and she knew it.
"Lady Artemis" I said while bowing politely to the Goddess.
"No need for that Perseus. The reason I am here is because of Zeus. He summoned you to Olympus. Take my hand, and I will flash you their. Hunters, stay where you are and set up a camp for tonight." Artemis commanded.
Artemis's POV:
As Percy and I flashed to the throne room on Olympus, every throne was occupied by a God except for mine. All the Gods nodded at me when they arrived. As I flashed to my throne, Percy bowed to his father, Poseidon, and knelt in front of Zeus.
"Rise, my nephew" Zeus said.
"So why am I here, Lord Zeus? Can't I relax after the war, maybe a few years?" Percy asked.
"Do you not wish to be in my presence?"
"Lord Zeus, I did not mean it that way."
"Very well, I will forgive you this once. However, the business I called you here for today is for none other reason than your victory in the Titan War and against Gaeia."
Percy bowed and asked "What is it, my Lord?"
"I will grant you, Perseus Jackson ,the Hero of Olympus, Godhood. You rejected my generous givings the first time when I offered you a year ago. Now, it is different. So you are here to receive it without denial." Zeus said authoritatively. Obviously to refute such a demand would be equivalent to disobeying the god.
Artemis could see that Percy was thinking. After a minute, she saw him frown. "What is wrong with him? Why won't he accept Godhood. Isn't that every man's dream?" Artemis thought. However, there is a part of her brain told her that Percy is different from other men. Indeed, Percy had held the sky for her, so she could fight against the Titan Atlas. She flinched when she remembered the death of Zoe. She quickly let that thought drift away and convinced herself that Percy was just acting noble.
"Um.. Lord Zeus, I mean no disrespect, but I would like to reject this offer. Your benevolence is enough for me; however, I have a special request." Percy said calmly.
"Then what is it, son of Poseidon?" Zeus asked impatiently.
"I was thinking that if you can return the thrones of Hades and Hestia?"
Zeus flicked his finger and suddenly two thrones came out from the ground of the throne room. One of them is black with skulls on it, and the other one has a color of red that radiated warmth. Hades walked to his new throne and nodded at Percy. Hestia walked up to Percy and hugged him. "Thank you so much Percy!" It shocked many of the Olympians, but they made no mention of it. After that, she walked to her new throne that was placed next to Aphrodite.
"Thank you, my Lord" Percy bowed. Artemis saw what Percy did for her aunt and uncle, she approved by nodding and smiling at Percy. When Percy was about to leave, Zeus stopped him.
"I did not say you could take leave, Perseus Jackson." Zeus said.
"Pardon me?" Percy recoiled. 'Hadn't we finished business already?'
"You, Perseus, have yet to become a god."
"Sorry, my Lord. I do not want to become a god." Percy said with an undertone of annoyance.
Then the whole throne room started to shake under Zeus's rage. Artemis knew that Percy had humiliated all the Gods by rejected Godhood two times.
"PERSEUS JACKSON! YOU WILL NOT REFUSE ME AGAIN! ACCEPT YOUR GODHOOD AND BECOME AN OLYMPIAN!" Zeus yelled with all of his godly authority. Surprisingly, Artemis saw that Percy was calm. No emotion was seen on his face, but his eyes were full of pain. "What is wrong with him?" Artemis thought.
"Lord Zeus, kill me if you wish. There is not much meaning left for me to live anymore," Percy said calmly. His eyes were dark green, radiating pain.
Athena then asked "Perseus, you cannot die. What about my daughter, Annabeth. What will she do? Did you dump her?" Artemis could see anger on her sister's face.
Hearing her name, Artemis saw Percy flinch. He raised his head and stared at Athena with pain, hatred. Soon, Artemis knew that there is something wrong going on. She thought that Percy was just like other men, breaking girl's heart. However, what Percy said next shocked her.
"DON'T DARE ACCUSE ME. SHE WAS THE ONE THAT LEFT ME BEHIND. YOU THOUGHT I BROKE HER HEART? WELL, IT IS COMPLETELY OPPOSITE!" Percy yelled. "What? A girl had broke a man's heart? That is impossible!" Artemis thought.
Then she felt that the ground was shaking. The sky was getting darker and it started to rain heavily along with thunder. At first, all the gods looked at Zeus for his powers to come under his control, but the look on Zeus' face told them that it was not himself that was controlling this power. It was Percy. All the Gods gasped as they realized how powerful Percy is. Then, the ground shook intensely, making all the Gods and Goddess fall off their throne. Except for Artemis. She remained on her throne, sitting there shocked, confused, and even frightened. Hera looked at Artemis and gestured her to comfort Percy since she was the one that didn't get affected by Percy's rage. As Artemis put her hand on Percy's shoulder, she can feel that Percy tensed up and looked up. When his green eyes met Artemis's silver sparkling eyes, she can feel that Percy calmed down a bit. Then, the shaking ceased and Percy stood up.
"I am sorry, my Lords and Ladies." Percy said with an emotionless tone. "However, I will never accept godhood!"
"No Perseus, you will either accept the offer or die by my hand" Zeus growled.
Percy looked up and locked eyes with his father, hoping that his father will help me. However, Poseidon shook his head and said "Son, you had better accept the offer. Your immature decision had hurt Zeus' and our pride. My only suggestion is that you either accept the offer or face our wrath." Percy was furious. Even his father decided to side with Zeus. He even called him immature.
"I see that you will not yield. Hephaestus, tie him up" Zeus commanded.
Hephaestus flicked his fingers and a Celestial bronze chain was wrapping around him. When Percy tried to escape, the chain only became tighter, which made him yell out in pain.
"Ares, I think you will like what I am going to tell you next" Zeus grinned. "Now, go and torture Perseus, and remember don't make fatal wounds!"
"It is an honor, father" Ares smiled sinisterly as he walked up to Percy.
Percy was furious. He knew that Ares hated him because he defeated the God of War when he was twelve and he humiliated his daughter, Clarisse, several times in fact. What happened next was not pleasurable. I saw that Ares pinned Percy on a wall with his dagger. He then started to punch Percy in the stomach and in the face. Blood was dripping down from Percy's mouth. However, Percy knew that he should not give up to the Gods. After getting punched in the stomach several times, Percy fainted. Zeus told Ares to stop as he snapped his fingers, and a bottle of nectar appeared from nothing. He forced Percy to drink it and after a minute, Percy was back to consciousness.
"I think that the young demi-god was strong enough to stand the blow of Ares" Zeus said. "Alright my fellow children and brothers, take your turn, but remember, DO not make fatal wounds."
Percy was shocked that Hades walked up to him and gave him a punch in the face. Percy had just returned his throne about an hour ago, and this was how he treats him? The next one was Zeus. "Oh my Gods," Percy thought. Zeus came up and said nothing, but began grinning crazily at Percy. Zeus summoned his master bolt and shot out a blast of pure lightning at Percy. Percy roared as the pain blazed through his body. His body began steaming, literally, and his shirts were all burned up. It seemed that Zeus wanted more fun, so he forced Percy to drink more nectar. Then continued to zap him with glee. Zeus continued his game until Percy's skin was deep red and steam was coming out in clouds. However, Percy did not give up and refused to show any signs of weakness to the Gods. The gods took their turns in humiliating, torturing, and mutilating Percy's self. All the gods had gone, except for two. One being Hestia and the other being Poseidon. Hestia herself thought it was inhumane to be doing something like this and thus abstained from participating. Although the real reason was that she could not bring herself to hurt her champion, as well as hurt the one that brought her throne to Olympus. Poseidon on the other hand, walked up to Percy. He thought that his father would show mercy towards him. He was completely wrong.
"Father?" Percy asked.
"You are no son of mine. You brought shame to the family, and I am ashamed to have you as my son. Now, brace yourself Perseus Jackson" Poseidon snarled.
As Poseidon summoned a wave of water, Percy grinned. "I see Gods make mistakes as well." As soon as the water hit him, he surrounded the chains with thin layer of water and froze it along with the chain. All his wounds were gone and he felt refreshed due to the healing factor he had when in contact with water. Percy then broke the chain and started to run out of the throne room. The gods were all shocked to the point that they could not react in time to stop Percy from escaping. When they realized that their prisoner had escaped, they roared in anger as the ground stumbled. Percy was relieved that he managed to escape, but he also knew that he needed to hide because all the Olympians are hunting him now.
A/N: Here is chapter 1, hope you guys enjoyed! Leave a review and give me feedback. Thanks!