Chapter five is out!

Sorry for the wait, everyone.

I wanted to thank imaginexwriter9 for helping me edit the chapter!

Chapter 5 - Introductions:

"Can we have a tour around Olympus?" Annabeth suddenly asked, her request drawing attention from everyone (minus Hera who left) in the room. "I would like to see the temples again."Across the room, Athena looked up from her book and had a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Travis gave Annabeth a grimace. "That sounds boring, I'd much rather pull a prank or two."

"I'm not opposed to a tour." Connor said, turning away from his discussion with Cassie. Travis shot his brother with a look of betrayal. Why would he want to go on a stupid tour when they could pull a prank or two? Connor was supposed to be his partner in crime.

Ashlynn stopped leaning in her chair when she saw a scolding look on Hestia's face. "I kinda wanna play some video games."

Now Apollo and Ares turned to look at the demigods. Perhaps this was their chance to bond with the demigods? Granted, Ares didn't really care for any kind of bonding (let alone with the demigods), but perhaps this could be an excuse to play one of those first-person shooter games Apollo was talking to him about the other day.

Seth looked towards Ashlynn in consideration. 'I wouldn't mind playing some video games.'

Travis shot a glare at Connor before turning to Ashlynn and shrugging. "I'd much rather try and prank someone, but I guess that works too."

Connor stared blankly at his brother before sighing. Did Travis not understand that he was scouting the area for the best places to set a prank? Sometimes being the smarter, less impulsive brother was a pain.

"We could break into groups?" Will suggested.

Seeing his chance, Apollo walked over to the group of teens. "If anyone's interested, I have a few video games at my temple." a proud look settled on his face that the children of Artemis and Ashlynn considered smug. "I have every console made within the next forty years."

Percy was about to ask how exactly he got all the future consoles but then thought better of it, Apollo was a god, after all, he probably had a way.

Meanwhile, Seth scowled briefly at the newfound information. Knowing too much of the future, no matter how insignificant, can't be a good idea.

"Thank you for the offer, Lord Apollo," Seth replied. "However, I think I will head to the archery range again today."

Apollo turned to Seth and stared at him for a second longer before shrugging in response. "Whatever, it's your loss."

Armani, seeing an opening to talk more with Seth about what he learned yesterday, turned to the auburn-haired boy. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Seth also gave a flippant shrug. "Do as you like."

Ashlynn turned to look at Angelica with a raised eyebrow. The black-haired girl stared at both Seth and Armani for a minute with her eyes narrowed in thought. Angelica just sighed and waved her hand in a 'whatever' motion before returning to her conversation with Dove, who seemed much more cheerful after having some coffee.

Turning to face Apollo with a skeptical yet hopeful look on face, Ashlynn asked, "You'll let us play the games and consoles that are further into the future than us?"

Apollo seemed to take a moment of consideration before flashing a blinding grin at Ashlynn. "I don't see why not."

The blonde grinned back just as brightly and Apollo blinked in shock. 'Holy me, that's a bright smile.'

Actually, now that the god thought about it, the girl looked quite similar to him, although that didn't really mean anything since he was a god and could change his appearance at will. Besides, since gods didn't have DNA, demigods rarely looked like their godly parent, more often than not they inherited random traits from their mortal parent's bloodline.

Nico also noticed something that surprised him about Ashlynn's smile. It wasn't so obvious before, but now that he figured it out, he was mentally kicking himself. The same hair color, almost the same skin tone (though Ashlynn was slightly more tan), similar athletic builds, the same eye color, and the same blinding grin when they were happy.

Ashlynn was Will's half-sister.

It was actually slightly embarrassing to Nico that he didn't figure it out sooner, and very surprising to him that Annabeth didn't figure it out first. Of course, their facial features were different, Ashlynn's eyes were slightly more narrow and she had a similar face shape to Annabeth, while Will had a rounder jawline and fuller lips, but despite their differences, the similarities they held to Apollo were hard to ignore. Especially with Will, who (to Nico at least) looked quite similar to the sun god.

Before Nico could dwell on this revelation more, he felt a hand grab his wrist and his Significant Annoyance's voice pipe up eagerly. "We'll go with you!"

Nico suddenly grimaced before giving Will an exasperated look. "Neither of us play video games."

Will turned to his boyfriend with a pout and slightly widened eyes. "I think it would be fun to try, please? We can do whatever you want next time, promise."

Reluctantly, the Ghost King agreed, which earned him a beaming smile from the Cabin 7 counselor. Hearing Nico's agreement, Hades looked at the group thoughtfully.

Persephone, seeing the look in her husband's eyes, sighed and closed her own. "Go."

The Lord of the Underworld turned to look at her with hopeful eyes.

"You want to spend time with him, right?" Persephone asked, her face downcast. "Then go join them."

The goddess of springtime kept her eyes closed as Hades got out of his chair. The Lord of the Underworld looked at his wife for a moment before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek.

Persephone's eyes snapped open in shock, Hades wasn't the type to show affection around others, especially not when her mother was in the room. When the goddess turned to ask her husband about the uncharacteristic action, he had already started walking towards the demigods.

She blinked at his retreating back for a minute before a small gentle smile appeared on her face. However, within a few seconds, her smile turned tense as she felt someone's gaze (or glare rather) bore into her back. Taking a minute to mentally prepare herself, Persephone slowly turned around and acknowledged the gaze (glare) of her mother, Demeter's eyes never once left Hades' back.

Closing her eyes again with a tense smile, Persephone nodded once to herself before getting out of her seat and walking over to her mother.

Theresa, Katie, and Alessa had heard and seen the entire exchange between Hades and Persephone. Alessa was trying her hardest not to stare wide-eyed at Hades as he walked further down the table, Theresa was watching Persephone out of the corner of her eyes, and Katie was looking back and forth between the retreating rulers of the Underworld like a ping pong match.

When both deities had their backs turned, Alessa stared at Theresa questioningly with her eyes wide and jaw open. Theresa was fighting back a grin and had tried to cover it by hiding behind her hand.

"That was adorable." Alessa breathed wide-eyed.

Katie's head snapped to look at the two girls next to her. She opened her mouth to speak but tilted her head to the side before shaking her head.

"It doesn't compute?" Thea asked with an understanding smile.

Katie blinked twice before nodding and finding her voice. "I just...that was the first time I ever saw any of the gods act…" Katie trailed off, not sure what word she could use that wasn't at risk of being offensive.

"Coupley?" Thea suggested. "Human-like?"

"Coupley isn't a word, and don't let Dove or Annabeth hear you say that," Alessa warned.

Thea pouted at the older girl before turning her head away in a small huff. "I'm more worried about a lecture from Annabeth than I am Dove."

Katie was about to open her mouth to speak when she heard a laugh from around the head of the table. A sad and longing look settled across her features.

The two cousins shared a look before looking back at Katie. "You never really interacted with your mom, have you?" Alessa asked, an uncomfortable look appearing on her face.

Katie shook her head before a small sad smile appeared on her face. Thea's eyes widened when she noticed Katie's eyes glaze over with unshed tears.

"I've seen her before and talked to her a few times. Sometimes she'll appear in a dream or two. I'm luckier than some of my siblings, but my conversations with my mother are usually short." Katie stopped talking for a minute and took in a few deep breaths. "Last night, when we were cooking, we didn't really talk...but I was happy, I was spending time with her….in some way...you know?"

Alessa looked away, a guilty look on her face and Thea shifted in her chair uncomfortably, her expression holding remorse.

Katie didn't seem to notice, as she was now looking towards the head of the table. Demeter and Hestia were talking about something now that the goddess of agriculture was no longer glaring at Hades' back. Persephone had sat down in a chair next to her mother and was resting her head in her hand while a bored look appeared in her eyes.

"Sometimes, I envy my siblings that haven't met her," Katie started. "They don't need to have their hopes crushed with each interaction."

Alessa looked like someone punched her in the gut and Theresa seemed to collapse into herself. "People envy those who don't know their pain, believing others to be more fortunate. Yet not realizing that those 'fortunate' people carry pain as well." Alessa whispered, seeming to be reciting something.

Katie finally looked at her two companions and noticed the expressions on their faces. At first, the counselor of cabin four was confused by their expressions, but then she thought back to what she had said.

Katie's eyes widened and panic settled in her chest. "I am so sorry, I don't even know your situation and here I am complaining about mine. Do….have you ever met your godly parents?"

Alessa forced a softer expression on her face. "Don't worry, we're not upset about you venting or anything like that. It's just…." the brunette trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Theresa spoke up softly. "Katie...do you want to spend time with your mom?"

Katie seemed shocked by the question for a second before thinking it over. Did she want to spend time with her mom? Well, yea. But would Demeter want to spend time with her? Especially if her mother didn't even know she was her daughter? Katie didn't want to get her hopes up this time.

"I do," she answered, "but I doubt she would want to spend time with me. Besides, we were told not to reveal our parentage until tomorrow."

Theresa looked up with determined eyes and stared at Alessa. "Al, Katie wants to spend time with her mom, and I wanna spend time with my momma."

Alessa met her gaze and Theresa sent puppy eyes at the older girl. With a sigh, Alessa got up from her seat. "Enjoy being the baby while we're here. When we get home that role goes back to Ana."

Theresa just grinned in response and watched Alessa as she walked up to Demeter, Hestia, and Persephone.

"Excuse me?" Alessa asked softly.

The conversation paused slightly as the three goddesses acknowledged Alessa. Persephone raised her head from its rest on her hand, Hestia turned her head to look behind her, and Demeter looked over her sister's head.

"A moment, dear," the goddess of agriculture replied with a raised finger.

Persephone looked at her mother questionably. She seemed to have accepted the wishes of their future selves quite easily, going as far as to be more nurturing with the demigods.

Alessa nodded, stepping back slightly as the two sisters resumed their conversation to finish discussing what they were talking about. Persephone caught Alessa's eye as the brunette averted her gaze from the two conversing goddesses; the demigod smiled softly in return, and gave a curtsy in greeting.

The goddess regarded her indifferently and was about to turn her attention to the conversation between her mother and her aunt when she immediately turned back to look at Alessa, her eyes widened slightly.

Demeter, and Hestia both noticed the movement and stared at Persephone in confusion. The Queen of the Underworld had an unsure look on her face, her eyes were narrowed at Alessa in confusion and her fingers were pressed against her lips in thought.

"Daughter? Is something wrong?" Demeter asked.

"You seem troubled." Hestia added. "Is everything alright?"

Alessa, hearing the two older goddesses speak, turned to look at the three deities in confusion. Her orange-brown eyes were just a shade or two different from the goddess she stood behind.

Yet, they held the same warmth.

"I…" Persephone trailed off, unsure if she should mention what she noticed. 'But should the reveal of the demigods' parentage be left for when their godly parent figures it out?'

Demeter looked strangely at her daughter, she was normally more composed than this, especially around demigods.

The goddess of springtime just closed her eyes once and breathed, she'll leave it to the parents of the demigods to figure out their identities. Persephone wondered how long it would take, however, for the gods to figure out which one of the demigods was their child. Especially Demeter since she believed her mother had quite a few demigods present.

"It's nothing to worry about, mother," Persephone finally said before turning to Alessa. "What did you need, child?"

Alessa straightened up a bit after being addressed. "Well, milady. Katie, Theresa, and I were wondering if we could see the southern fields?" The brunette seemed to get a little sheepish as she turned to look at Hestia. "And could we also perhaps see the central hearth? The one by the agora?"

All three goddesses pondered over Alessa's request to visit those particular places. Demeter's eyes seemed to brighten with excitement, yet she kept her face blank and raised an eyebrow at the young demigod.

"How do you know about the Southern Fields or the Central Hearth, young lady?" Demeter said suspiciously.

"From what I know of Camp Half-Blood," Hestia started, confusion etching her features, "Chiron does not teach the demigods about Olympus' architecture and our sacred sites in depth. This is done partly by Lord Zeus' request as a security measure, as well as to uphold our home's mystical lore."

Alessa stiffened at this revelation, unsure of what to say. She wasn't allowed to reveal anything about her time, but she also didn't want to lie to the goddesses before her.

"Well, you see…a few campers tend to come to Olympus on a sort of field trip," Alessa decided to say. Not a lie, but not the whole truth either. "It's mainly the cabin counselors, but sometimes other campers come as well. We learn some things about Olympus while we're here."

"Demigods come here? On a 'field trip'?" Demeter reiterated, internally baffled by this newfound information. "How...peculiar."

Occasionally, the gods allowed demigods to visit Olympus during a solstice, but it wasn't a definite occurrence and rarely happened. However, this young demigod, Alessa, made these visits sound like a common event. Demeter couldn't help but feel troubled by this.

Unlike Demeter, Hestia was delighted. Whenever she visited Camp Half-Blood, it disheartened her to see so many unclaimed demigods forgotten or considered unworthy by their parents. No child should have to experience that, no matter their divine lineage.

Persephone just raised an eyebrow at this news before looking past Alessa and towards Katie and Theresa who seemed to be watching Alessa with hopeful eyes. A look of understanding appeared on the goddesses' face and she turned to her mother.

"You were about to head to the fields, weren't you, mother?"

"I was," Demeter confirmed.

"Then perhaps the demigods could join you, sister," Hestia suggested. "The children may be of some help."

The goddess of agriculture seemed uncertain. After all, she would be done with her rounds in the fields much faster if she went alone. However, the note from the future asked for them to bond with the demigods.

Demeter sighed before looking sternly at Alessa. "If you three join me, you will be required to follow all my instructions to the letter in assisting me. I will not stand for any acts of disobedience, and no complaining, understood?"

Alessa nodded at once. "Yes, my Lady."

"Do you three know how to work in the fields?" Persephone asked.

Alessa turned to the goddess of springtime. "Yes, my Lady, Katie is a natural when it comes to fieldwork, and Theresa is quite helpful as well. I have some knowledge about gardening, but not a lot. My mortal grandparents own a small homestead."

Demeter seemed uncertain still, but nodded. "Alright. I suppose the three of you can join me while I make my rounds." The goddess of agriculture regarded Persephone. "Will you be joining us?"

Persephone glanced at the table where her husband was busy interacting with Apollo and a few demigods. She noticed Athena had also joined the group, and was talking to Annabeth, Connor, and Dove. Their conversation was loud and energetic, and it appeared that they were asking for a tour around Olympus?

Persephone looked away and answered her mother, "Yes, I believe I will."

Hestia smiled at her sister and niece. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. It was wonderful to talk with you." The goddess of the hearth made to get up and a panicked look appeared in Alessa's eyes.

"Ah…" Alessa seemed to get disheartened, a sad look appearing on her face. "I was actually wondering if I could see the central hearth…?"

The goddess of the hearth turned to look at Alessa with a small smile, about to say that she would show her later, but she stopped suddenly at the look of disappointment on the demigod's face.

Why did Alessa want to see the central hearth so bad? More importantly, why did Hestia feel troubled for disappointing the girl? There did seem to be a familial bond between them, and it did seem closer than the other demigods but-

The goddess of the hearth took a minute to scrutinize Alessa's features. Caramel-brown hair, amber eyes, tan skin...

A small feeling of panic bloomed in the pit of her stomach but Hestia fought it down. The child must have just been a child of Demeter's that was curious about her domain.

She turned back to Demeter. "Would you be opposed if I were to join you, sister? If only for the walk to the fields?"

"I don't mind."

After that, the demigods split off into groups. Will, Nico, Travis, and Ashlynn went with Apollo and Hades to play video games. Annabeth, Connor, and Dove went with Athena for a tour of Olympus. Alessa, Katie, and Theresa went with Demeter, Hestia, and Persephone to see the central hearth and southern fields. Seth and Armani went to the archery range. And Angelica, Cassie, Percy, Thalia, and Clarisse went to one of the fighting arenas.

Poseidon left for a quick visit to Atlantis to speak with Amphitrite. Ares left to go for a ride around in his chariot and Aphrodite left to either tend to her domain or go shopping.

It was just after lunch when Zeus called a council meeting and summoned the demigods as well. Hestia had summoned two large leather sectional couches, and two leather armchairs for the demigods that faced the large thrones of the Olympians and the two much smaller thrones ('Chairs.' Several demigods realized bitterly) that were summoned for the rulers of the Underworld, while Hestia had taken a seat by the hearth.

The demigods from timeline one sat on the left couch and the girls from timeline four sat on the right. Seth and Armani had decided to sit on the chairs as they were both the only demigods from their respective timelines.

The entire room was quiet, but not in a comfortable way. In fact, it was more like the calm before the storm and that realization alone made several demigods uncomfortable. Actually, the only demigods who weren't uncomfortable were Percy, Thalia, Angelica, Armani, Cassie, and Alessa. Angelica and Armani seemed bored, Percy was staring at a fidgeting Nico, Thalia seemed annoyed, and Alessa was staring at Cassie who was staring worriedly at the only empty throne in the room.

Even some of the gods and goddesses seemed to be confused and slightly worried by the empty throne. It had already been half an hour.

'Where was Hera?' That single thought was shared by all inhabitants of the room and it would have been voiced aloud if not for the fact that the Lord of the Skies face was turning different colors in his anger. No one wanted to risk getting struck by lightning because they redirected Zeus' fury upon themselves.

Being the peacekeeper of the gods, Hestia decided to speak. "This is most unlike Hera, perhaps we should send someone to check on her?"

"What a wonderful idea sister." Zeus ground out through clenched teeth. "I'll go check on my wonderful wife."

Zeus now had Hephaestus' unwavering attention and Hestia stared at the king in disapproval. That wasn't what she meant. Cassie's head snapped to the King of the gods with wide eyes, her face paler than the son of Hades.

Athena noticed the sudden movement and stared at Cassie, inspecting the demigod. 'How curious.'

Most demigods didn't like the Queen of Olympus very much. The fact that this demigod was so deeply troubled by what Zeus said was intriguing to the goddess of wisdom.

"Perhaps, father." Athena began. "As the notes from our future selves required us to bond with the demigods, and Queen Hera may have a...more difficult time bonding with them than the rest of us. We should send a demigod?"

Percy leaned over to Annabeth, whispering as quietly as he could. "When were they required to bond with us?"

The daughter of Athena narrowed her eyes in response. "The note before we arrived, most likely."

"That would only be the case if I had a demigod present." Zeus thundered. "I have no demigod children."

Thalia rolled her eyes from her spot next to Annabeth. 'I'm right here.'

"It still would be beneficial, brother." Hestia added before walking up to her brother and whispering in her ear low enough that the demigods couldn't hear. "Besides, wouldn't it be better if the demigods didn't witness your temper? Perhaps it would be best if they saw you as a benevolent ruler?"

"I am-" the Lord of the sky began loudly, before turning to his sister and seeing a look on her face that reminded him too much of his mother. The lord of the sky narrowed his eyes and didn't (yes, he did) huff as he slouched angrily in his throne. "Fine, send a demigod to fetch my wife."

Zeus crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. He was a benevolent ruler.

Armani, Angelica, Thalia, Cassie, Nico, and Percy rolled their eyes at the gods' behavior. Clarisse, Katie, Travis, Will, and Connor just shook their heads. While Annabeth sighed and Seth looked bewildered by the King of the gods' attitude.

"Cassie." Athena called to the brunette who turned to the goddess with wide eyes.

"Y-yes milady?" Cassie stuttered.

"Can you go get Queen Hera? I'm sure you know where she is."

The rest of the gods turned their attention to the demigod after this was said. Zeus' eyes narrowed in confusion. Why would this demigod already know where Hera is?

"Y-yes, milady." Cassie said as she started to get up.

Alessa sighed after the younger girl. "You made it way too obvious."

"B-but Ally, you know the story!" Cassie hissed back.

"Shh! Both of you!" Dove whispered. "Talk about this later! Cassie, go find the queen!"

Armani seemed intrigued by this conversation, but figured all of their secrets would be revealed sooner or later. Instead, he focused on the auburn-haired boy, Seth, who had his arms crossed. The other son of Artemis seemed to be regarding the girls of timeline four with mild annoyance before looking away, closing his eyes as if to drown out the noise around them.

"Hey," Armani greeted, causing the older boy to jolt slightly. "You, uh, seem kind of out of it. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Well enough," Seth replied curtly, not bothering to add anything else. It was clear to Armani that Seth didn't feel like talking, but that just wouldn't do! Armani was bored out of his mind- why was he the only person that came here from his timeline? He wanted to chat with his friends, spend time with his girlfriend or his mother's hunters at Olympus too. It didn't seem fair to him (and Seth) that they were the only ones summoned from their respective times.

"The suite was really comfy. I can't say I'd ever spent a night on Olympus. I was surprised to find a smaller sitting area in the boys' bedroom," Armani continued.

Seth didn't respond right away, silently contemplating before he spoke. "It was nice...how the beds were sectioned. It was almost like we had our own private rooms...without the doors."

"Right?" Armani exclaimed, "The beds were quite big too- like double a King-size. Only the best on Olympus, I expect. Though personally, I found the bathroom to be a bit much."

Seth hummed in agreement. He had to admit that the solid gold toilets were completely unnecessary. He had overheard Will freaking out about not wanting to use them because he was afraid of how expensive they were. With that thought, he closed his eyes once more, making sure to placate that familiar entity in his mind that immediately sought his attention.

Armani sighed in disappointment at Seth's refusal to play ball. "Oh great...this is going to be difficult. I still want to ask him more about his version of our mother too..."

He already spoke with Angelica about her version of mother. Unlike Seth, she was really friendly when speaking one on one. While she and her group seemed to be tight lipped when it came to family, she was more inclined to speak about her version of Artemis then Seth seemed to be. More importantly, her description seemed to align with how Armani knew his mother to be - caring, nurturing, and reasonably fair despite her prejudices.

Though Armani had to wonder what she meant by having a troubled past with her...

Seth's version of mother was the outlier- comparing Artemis to a ticking time-bomb more or less. He knew Artemis wasn't perfect- none of the gods were, but Armani didn't want to imagine that there could be some hidden side of Artemis he wasn't aware of, one that Seth had unintentionally exposed. The possibility scared him, which was why he was determined to find out all he could from Seth, willingly or not.

Dove, Cassie, and Alessa were still arguing slightly and some of the gods were getting annoyed, especially Zeus who was already aggravated by his wife's lack of attendance.

"Girls!" Angelica called in a leveled voice. The three squabbling girls turned to the female silver-eyed demigod. "I'm sure the gods and goddesses would prefer that her majesty returned sooner rather than later."

Cassie, Alessa, and Dove all turned to look at the Olympians, Hestia, Hades, and Persephone. Realizing that they were still in the presence of divine beings, the three girls blushed in embarrassment and mumbled their apologies.

Cassie turned to look back at Angelica who nodded in encouragement at the younger girl. Cassie gave a nervous smile in return and nodded once before leaving the throne room with a nervous look on her face.

Finding her way to the gardens was a lot quicker than Cassie would have liked. Honestly, she would have preferred if the Queen's favorite spot was a little further away from the throne room if only so she had more time to collect her thoughts.

Although, it was probably best if Cassie didn't stay trapped in her head. It was never good when she had two panic attacks in one day.

She was trying to get her mom to let her move in with friends after all, and unless she found better coping skills she doubted that would happen.

Cassie decided to take a second to look around the Queen's Garden. This particular garden, as the name suggested, was specifically dedicated to the queen of Olympus. It was also called the Lily Garden, because the main flower in the garden was the lily, the sacred flower of Hera, herself.

The garden was quite beautiful, with several different subspecies of the flower and with so many different colors. Sadly, it seemed that Cassie's favorite, the Tiger Lily, was not present in the garden in this time period.

Turning the corner Cassie stopped in her tracks, suddenly nervous about trespassing. Queen Hera was sitting on a bench by a small pond, on the surface of the pond were different colored water lilies. In her timeline, Cassie was always welcome in the garden, and if the queen wanted to be alone with her thoughts? The brunette would go around the garden and pick the nicest flowers before disappearing to find Theresa or one of the kids from Demeter's cabin and getting the flowers sorted into a bouquet that Cassie would either deliver herself or give to Zeus to deliver to Hera, but this wasn't her time period.

Steeling her nerves, Cassie walked closer to the marble garden bench. The queen must have realized that she was no longer alone because she straightened her posture and shuffled slightly. It wouldn't have been noticeable to anyone else, but it was a tell-tale sign for Cassie that the queen was wiping away tears.

As a sign of respect, Cassie turned her head to look out at the pond. The demigod had a pretty good idea as to what plagued Hera's mind, but she was unsure how to go about a conversation with the goddess of marriage.

"...and when the queen awoke, she flung the babe with the name to placate her away. Drops of milk flew across the sky to create the Milky Way and the drops that fell upon the earth grew into beautiful flowers."

"Do you mean to insult me, demigod?" Hera's voice was icy cold and Cassie flinched back at the tone. Not once in her life had such a tone been directed to her, and that was quite shocking considering the things she had said to the queen.

Cassie bowed to Hera, making sure to keep her eyes averted. "Forgive me, milady. I meant no disrespect."

The Queen of Olympus did not respond .

"Personally, I am not fond of that tale. If I am, to be honest, I dislike either version, though only her majesty knows which version is the truth." Cassie continued. "My mother used to say that the only good thing that came of that tale was beautiful flowers that were nothing more than an echo of the beauty of the goddess that created them."

Hera's gaze remained at a point across the garden, yet the goddess let out a dark, humorless chuckle. "You attempt to flatter me?"

"Merely reciting my mother's words, your majesty."

"Then your mother is a smart woman." The Queen of Olympus spared a glance at Cassie from the corner of her eyes. "You're far more respectful than other demigods. You were raised well."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't always the case though…"

Hera hummed in response, returning her gaze to the pomegranate tree across the pond. Cassie followed the queen's gaze, the pomegranate was also associated with Hera. Though most demigods and mortals only associated it with Persephone.

"I prefer to be alone when I'm in this garden." Hera spoke once more. "I'm sure you are aware of that."

Cassie stayed quiet, Hera didn't ask a question. It was a statement. The queen turned to face Cassie, her eyes tinted red, yet stern and scathing.

"Why are you here, demigod?"

As the goddess turned to look at her, Cassie made sure to meet the queen's eyes.

'If I look at you when speaking to you, you look at me.' It was ingrained in Cassandra's head since she was a toddler.

"The council has been summoned. I was requested to inform you..."

Hera stared at Cassie for a minute before casting one last look at the pond before her. "You mean to retrieve me."

The silence that followed was all Hera needed as a confirmation. The queen let out a bark of a laugh. "And why exactly did they send you?"

Cassie flinched, that one question was enough to trigger the uncertainty and fear from this morning. Cassie knew she needed to respond, she was asked a question after all, but she didn't trust herself to speak.

The lack of an answer caused Hera to turn to look at the brunette with a raised eyebrow. The queen was about to demand a response when she saw the look of fear on Cassie's face.

A hollow feeling bloomed in Hera's chest at the look on the young girl's face. That caused the queen to become confused and also remember a part of the letter she had crumpled in her right hand. 'Several demigods have been through trauma, and as a result, have been left with emotional and psychological scars. Please try to be patient and understanding.'

Hera looked away from Cassie for a moment and sighed, before turning back to the brunette. This time her eyes were kinder and her facial features had softened. Her tone was one of concern. "Child?"

Tears swelled in the demigod's eyes. Cassie closed her eyes for a moment, the tears escaping down her cheeks and took a deep breath, and gulped.

'I need to calm down. I can't have a panic attack, not now. Not. Now.'

Cassie's eyes snapped open when she felt a hand on her cheek and a thumb wipe away her tears. Hera stood before her with a look of concern. "There's no reason to cry. I just asked why you were sent to retrieve me."

For some reason, when she heard the concerned tone instead of a hostile one, Cassie started sobbing. The brunette tried to raise her hand to wipe away the tears but found herself in an embrace before she could. So instead of trying to compose herself, the demigod found herself wrapping her arms around Hera and sobbing into her chest as the queen ran a hand over the brunette's hair.

After several minutes, Cassie calmed down and moved away from the embrace, an embarrassed look on her face. With a snap of her fingers, Hera summoned a handkerchief and passed it to the red-faced child, who accepted it with a mumbled 'thank you', before snapping her fingers again and willing her dress clean and dry.

"Do you care to tell me why you were sent to retrieve me?"

Cassie dried her eyes and wiped her nose before shuffling in place. "It was either me or...your husband."

Hera froze before a look of understanding appeared on her face. Cassie, meanwhile winced, was it really so hard to address the king of the gods as anything else? Sure, she couldn't call him by her original title, especially not before her story was read. But it seemed disrespectful to her to address the lord of the sky as 'your husband.'

"Well then." Hera sighed before straightening her posture. "We best not keep my wonderful husband waiting."

With a small nervous smile, Cassie nodded and followed Hera out of the garden.

When Cassie and Hera made it to the throne room, an hour had passed since the meeting began. Zeus was not happy about that.

They had wasted an hour doing nothing when they could have received a letter from the future or started the introductions.

"You're late." The king glared at his wife. Of course, internally he was worried, it wasn't like Hera at all to be over an hour late to a meeting.

"My apologies, dear." Hera replied as she sat on her throne. "Something came up." She cast a slight look at Cassandra who was returning to her seat on timeline four's couch. The girls from her time and Percy the only ones who looked at her in worry.

Was she crying again?

Zeus kept looking at his wife until she turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow as if to say: 'Why aren't you starting?'. The king of the gods nodded once before facing the throne room and clearing his throat.

"Now that we are all here, let us begin."

The demigods sat straighter in their seats as the gods turned their heads to look at Zeus. The lord of the sky looked around the room, making sure he had everyone's attention before nodding in approval.

"Earlier this morning, we received a letter from the future. The letter requested that we... 'bond' with you all, especially those of us who have children present."

Seth groaned internally. Why were they required to bond with the gods? The gods wouldn't want to associate with beings they considered lesser than them. Their pride wouldn't allow it.

Which was fine with him. Unlike the other demigods, who were bound to see this as a golden opportunity to know their parents better, he didn't want to 'bond' with this Artemis any more than what's required. Plus, there was Armani and Angelica. Seth wouldn't complain if they want to hog Artemis' time and company later on. They had every right to, being her true children.

He glanced at Armani beside him before narrowing his eyes at Angelica, who was staring up at Zeus with a bored look on her face, her elbow propped on the arm rest and her pointer finger over her mouth. Seth only hoped that his…'half-brother' would get his share of quality time because given what he knew of how his Artemis acted in the past, Armani would be lucky to have any with a daughter of Artemis here.

"What do you think of this, Seth?" Armani asked Seth quietly.

"I don't care for this requirement." The auburn-haired boy replied before risking a brief glance at Artemis. "Letter or not, I doubt she will want to 'bond' with either of us anyway."

Armani frowned after hearing his callous answer. "Maybe at first she would be a little apprehensive, but I doubt she wouldn't try to include us."

Hearing this, Seth turned to look at Armani, his face almost appeared...sad, before he looked away, "Even if what you say is true, I would still prefer to keep my interactions with her limited. So feel free to spend as much time with your mother in my stead. I'll even try to help you get a word in if you need it."

Armani hesitated, "Well, thanks, but...I doubt that's how it's supposed to work here." YOUR mother? Shouldn't he be saying OUR mother? Just what had happened to make Seth's relationship with Artemis so bad? Seth's story would probably answer all his questions, but he wanted to get to the bottom of it now.

"What about you?" Seth asked, breaking up Armani's train of thought. "How do you feel about this…'bonding'?"

"Personally, I'm looking forward to it," Armani said honestly, and their conversation was cut short when Zeus began to speak.

Clearing his throat, Zeus continued, "It also stated that we were to start reading today, meaning that introductions would be taking place today as well."

"Great." Nico thought with an eye roll. "So much for a chance to be treated like the others."

Although she knew this was coming, Cassie couldn't help but freeze in fear, her body shaking from nervousness. Whatever hope she felt in the garden dissipated in seconds. "Mother won't be happy. She'll avoid me. She won't want anything to do with me. She'll view me as an insult to what she stands for..."

The smile on Alessa's face became tense. "I doubt several of the goddesses present will be happy and the big three will most likely start fighting."

Theresa started fidgeting in her seat. Realistically, Thea knew that out of the demigods present, she wasn't one of the ones who needed to worry the most about her godly parents' reaction. She didn't look forward to her step-father's reaction, though.

"That being said," Zeus replied, "you are not to reveal your godly parent, as we will discover it ourselves." A sigh of relief came from the children of the Big Three, Cassie, and Alessa. Even Seth seemed to be relieved by this information. "Once your parentage has been revealed, you will be allowed the choice to return to your current suite or to stay in your parent's temple."

Will, Travis, Connor, and Katie were excited by this revelation. They could stay in their parent's temple?

Seth grimaced. Staying in Artemis' temple? Hard pass. He was perfectly fine staying in the room from last night, which reminded him of the Hermes Cabin, in a way.

Armani didn't seem to react to this revelation, after all he currently lives in one of Artemis' temples back in his time. Armani's eyes flickered to Seth briefly. He'll wait to see what the older boy chooses before he decides on where to stay.

Angelica sighed slightly from her spot at the end of timeline four's couch. She didn't think it was very likely she would be staying in one of her mother's temples. She probably still had a while yet before her parentage would be revealed and even then, it would most likely take some time before Artemis was completely comfortable with the idea that she had not one but three demigod children present.

Two of which being males.

The dark haired girl let out a wry chuckle, in the end, her decision to stay in Artemis' temple will decide on three things. If the invitation is extended to all three siblings present, if Mama genuinely seems comfortable having the three teens staying in her temple, and whether or not Angelica's first book has been read or not.

Because that was a can of worms she will not subject herself to getting caught off guard with when opened.

Zeus had just opened his mouth to continue when the telltale flash of the arrival of a letter filled the room. This time the letter appeared in front of Athena.

The goddess plucked the letter out of the air and looked at her father for permission to read the message from the future. When the King of the gods nodded, Athena turned back to the letter in her hand.

Athena

Mount Olympus

600th Floor

Empire State Building

New York

Year 1980

The gods are to swear on the River Styx to not kill, maim or transfigure any demigod present. This does not mean that the demigods are no longer required to be on their best behavior. The demigods are to introduce themselves with full name and title, unless the title is a direct clue to their parentage. The only exception is Nico, who is to only be known by his first name.

If the gods cannot figure out the parentages of the demigods, it will be revealed in the readings.

Several demigods were born unconventionally, so no jumping to conclusions.

The books are to be read in the order of 'When the Moon Fades' 'Broken Bow' and finally 'The Lighting Thief' please carry on in that order until all books are finished, each book has a cover of the demigod it's about.

It has been requested that the following huntresses be present for the readings, Zoe Nightshade, Charlotte Rose, and Nicole Adler.

Enjoy the readings, Athena from 2009

Aphrodite seemed to sit up straighter in her throne after hearing the names Charlotte Rose and Nicole Adler, her eyes turning sad.

Thalia and Percy seemed to brighten after hearing Zoe's name, although Thalia was far more uneasy about a meeting with her predecessor. Nico started glaring at a spot on the floor while Will placed a hand on the goth boy's shoulder. Nico may have forgiven Percy, but he still blamed Zoe for allowing Bianca to go on that quest.

Why in Hades did he have to go first?! While everyone was excited to see the Hunters (and honestly, he was too when it came to Zoe) Seth was internally panicking at his predicament. He didn't want the Hunters to be present when his story was read, since there was a good chance they'd be quite aggressive about his earlier interactions with their venerated Lady. Just his luck!

Armani, however, was happy for the chance to meet Zoe Nightshade formally for once. Especially when she wasn't a dying shade returning to the stars or hunting after him in Ancient Rome. In fact, Armani was eagerly looking forward to seeing the past Lieutenant's reaction. Or would it be better to call her the current lieutenant?

Among the girls of timeline four, Angelica and Dove both expressed their discontent as they simultaneously groaned and leaned back on their shared couch.

"Why Charlotte?" Dove whimpered.

"I just got away from her, why does she need to show up?" Angelica whined.

Artemis turned to the two girls with a glare, about to reprimand them for the disrespect they were showing her huntresses, but an ice-cold voice beat her to it. A quick glance revealed Aphrodite staring at both girls with hostile eyes, though the rest of her face was blank.

"Excuse me?" Aphrodite said warningly from her throne. "Why exactly are you two so opposed to having my daughters present?"

Seth froze at the goddess of love's threatening tone, his face turning paler when he recalled the last time that tone was directed at him.

Unfortunately, Armani noticed his unease, and caught sight of his hands clenched into fists, which Seth released a second too late.

"Are you okay?" Armani whispered. Seth swallowed uncomfortably before giving a nod.

"I'm fine." He really wasn't, and they both knew it.

Angelica and Dove's eyes widened, they shot into sitting positions and stayed as still as a statue. They both had briefly forgotten who Charlotte's mother was and that she was sitting in the same room as them.

"There's nothing wrong with either Charlotte or Nicole being present, milady." Angelica immediately replied. She forgot how scary the goddess could be at times. "It's just that I haven't had the...best relationship with her, though I must say I consider her someone quite dear to me."

"Despite all the arguments I have with her," Dove cut in, grimacing as the next words left her mouth. "I wouldn't replace her for the world."

Aphrodite looked over the two demigods, her anger still visible but more relaxed than before. Charlotte and Nicole were a touchy subject for her, she loved both of her daughters dearly. However, both girls had turned their backs on her domain, the very thing she stood for, and Aphrodite was still very hurt by that.

"Aw," Alessa called from the right side of the couch. "Dove, that's so sweet."

Dove just shot an unamused look at Alessa, who was giggling behind her hand.

"Charlotte Rose and Nicole Adler?" Thalia asked in confusion. "I don't recognize those names." As the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, Thalia was required to know the names of every member of the hunt.

"Neither do I," Armani thought, "but that's not surprising, since I still don't know everyone's names."

Seth, meanwhile, wasn't sure how to react to the revelation that there were daughters of Aphrodite in the hunters.

"We will start the introductions," Zeus boomed, his voice echoing in the large throne room and causing the demigods to wince and the demigods with the most sensitive hearing to have more noticeable reactions. The Lord of the Sky turned to Artemis, "Daughter, you may summon your hunters."

With a nod, Artemis flashed out of the room to retrieve her lieutenant and her two newest members of the hunt.

"Does he need to be so loud?" Seth hissed, still holding his ears.

Angelica was curled into her lap, hands over her ears, and trying to control her breathing. She should have expected that. She should have expected the king to project his voice at some point.

Armani was just rubbing his ears with a slight annoyance. Out of the three children of Artemis, he seemed to have the least sensitive hearing, and thus, recovered much more quickly than his disgruntled half-brother, and his half-sister, who still kept her head bowed and ears covered.

Before Artemis returned with the three huntresses, Zoe had asked a huntress named Aren to watch over the hunters in her absence, and the girl hesitantly accepted.

When the huntresses arrived, they bowed to each of the Olympians, and paid their respects to Hades, Hestia, and Persephone. The two younger girls, however, refused to even look at their mother's throne, an act that not only offended Aphrodite greatly, but made her struggle to hide her hurt. Hestia had summoned a smaller couch next to the girls of timeline four, making sure to place them near their honored goddess.

"We will now begin the introductions. Inform us of your name, age, and titles that are not related to your godly parent." Zeus ordered. "The demigods may decide on the order."

"If I may, brother," Hestia called from the hearth. "I would also like for the demigods to tell us something about themselves."

"I agree." Hera said from her throne as she turned to face her husband. "A single thing they like or dislike, perhaps their birthday, and their hometown and state."

"Oh!" Aphrodite perked up from her spot, a grin on her face as she clapped her hands together. "I want to know if any of them have a boyfriend or girlfriend!"

Annabeth turned to her group from timeline one. "Youngest to oldest? Since we don't need to reveal our parentages, then it should be fine if we start with the youngest of our group. For any of us who are the same age, whoever is to the left will go first."

"I really don't want to go first." Nico grumbled. Especially not if he was required to reveal if he had a boyfriend, sure he was more open about his sexuality lately, but what if the gods weren't as accepting as compared to in his time.

Will leaned closer to Nico so he could whisper into his ear. "You don't have to say your parentage, and if someone says something, I'm right here by your side."

With a sigh, Nico agreed to go in the order of youngest to oldest. After the agreement, Annabeth asked Katie to pass the information along.

"Youngest to oldest. If someone is the same age, whoever is closest to the left will go first." Katie said as she leaned closer to Seth.

"I heard, thanks," Seth nodded, before repeating the instructions to Armani.

After all the demigods were in agreement, Zeus called out. "If the order has been decided, the first demigod may come forward. The hunters will introduce themselves the same way after the last demigod."

With a sigh, Nico got off his seat and walked to the center of the room. He was facing forward but had his eyes looking towards Hades' temporary throne. "My name is Nico, I am 15 years old, my birthday is January 28th. I don't have any titles that won't give away my godly parent. I like classic rock and metal, and dislike most pop songs." He drawled, before stopping for a moment and turning back to look nervously at the couch of Demigods from timeline one. Seeing their encouragement he turned back to the gods who were watching him with varied expressions. "And I have a boyfriend."

When there was no negative reaction from the gods- there was actually no reaction from most of the gods, Hades' eyes widened slightly and Persephone raised an eyebrow while Aphrodite squealed in delight. Other than that there was no reaction. Nico sighed in relief and went back to the couch.

At first, no one moved to introduce themselves and Annabeth had to nudge Thalia to get her attention. With a start, Thalia looked around the room.

"Oh, it's my turn already?"

"Going by age, you're the second youngest," Seth pointed out, and Thalia grimaced at that reminder.

She was technically the oldest in the group, but she just had to be eternally 15. Everyone was going to be 'older' than her eventually.

With a sigh, Thalia stood up to introduce herself. She had a hand in her pocket and the other was rubbing her neck. "Thalia. My birthday-!"

"Full name," Hera called out.

Thalia sighed again. It took everything she had to not roll her eyes, she still hated her last name and of course, it was her stepmother who called her out on trying to avoid it.

"Thalia Grace, my birthday is December 22. I'm 15. I have no titles that I am allowed to share at the moment, it will most likely be revealed in the reading. I like cheeseburgers. Not looking for a love life."

Will went up next, when he reached the center of the room he smiled and bowed slightly at the gods. When he spoke he was speaking more to Apollo then the rest of the council. "My name is William Solace, but I prefer to be called Will. I am 16 years old, my birthday is August 23. I'm from Austin, Texas. I like Star Wars-!"

Will was cut off by a loud cheer from Apollo and Ashlynn calling out: "The sequels are trash!" This resulted in a confused look from Will, and an elbow jab courtesy of Alessa, causing Ashlynn to wince.

"As I was saying," Will began again, "I like Star Wars, have no titles, and I'm said boyfriend," he said, putting an arm around Nico's shoulders.

There was a squeal of delight coming from Aphrodite, while Hades struggled to keep a neutral countenance. Will walked back as Connor came forward, the younger Stoll was bouncing on his feet as he spoke. His gaze looking at each deity in turn, but looking a fraction longer at Hermes, the god of thieves.

"Connor Stoll, my birthday is January 17th, and I'm 16. I'm from Philly (Philadelphia) and my brother and I are not twins. I like to play poker. I have no girlfriend at the moment nor do I have any titles."

After Connor sat down, it was Seth's turn. The auburn-haired teen stood up and walked to the center of the room. His eyes were constantly flickering from one throne to another, taking in each of the god's expressions and position. Zoe was openly glaring at Seth, while the two younger huntresses were gawking at him in disbelief.

Zoe couldn't believe the audacity this male had, looking so much like her goddess. How was the boy still alive? Surely, Artemis would view this as an insult? The lieutenant glanced towards her Lady for confirmation of her thoughts.

What surprised the lieutenant, however, was that there was no sign of anger on her goddess' face. At first, it seemed like Artemis had no reaction, her elegant face perfectly masked with indifference, but if one were to look more closely, the Huntress' silver eyes were anything but blank. Artemis' eyes were steely as she watched the teenager standing in the center of the room. She calmly raised a hand to prop her chin against while obscuring her lips. If Zoe had to guess, the goddess was most likely biting her thumb, a habit that occurred whenever she felt discontent.

"My name is Seth Hunter," he watched as Artemis moved her hand away, soundlessly repeated his name, and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He also noticed Athena raising an eyebrow at his name before turning to observe Artemis as well.

Seth didn't want to share any of his information with the gods, but he didn't want to risk angering them by not offering anything beforehand. Let's give the bare minimum and see if he could get away with it? "I am 16 years old, from Brooklyn, New York. I like sweets and dislike boats. I'm not in a relationship."

"I don't want anything to do with one," Seth added in his head before finishing his introduction. "For my titles... I suppose you could call me the Champion of Nemesis and Slayer of Antiphates." He paused, waiting for anyone to interject, and when no one did, Seth held back a satisfied smile.

"Antiphates?" Percy asked, mumbling the question loud enough for Annabeth to overhear.

"The King of the Laistrygonians," she whispered back, "you know, the one from the Odyssey?"

Percy nodded in understanding before saying a quick. "Oh."

Seth ignored the varying reactions to his titles and immediately walked back to his chair, avoiding the mix of hateful, curious, and amazed looks from Artemis or her Hunters. Armani had gotten up just as Seth finished his introduction and when the two sons of Artemis passed each other, Armani's gaze followed Seth.

"There's got to be a way to get him to open up," Armani thought, noticing Seth's short introduction that gave nothing new (except his titles- now how did he meet a goddess of revenge and become her champion?) It was brisk and to the point, similar to what he said at last night's ice breaker session. Much like this morning, Armani had also tried to get more answers when he decided to tag along and join Seth at the archery range.

Unfortunately, Armani seemed to be trying to get between a rock and a hard place when it came to Seth Hunter because instead of learning anything about his version of mother, Seth was intent on warning Armani not to trust the gods and how they could only look out for themselves.

Armani shook his head out of his dilemma and focused on trying to make a good impression for his introduction. His eyes caught Artemis staring at him before he forced himself to look away. "I am Armani Dove."

Dove blinked in surprise while Ashlynn gave a laugh and snickered, "Hello Armani Dove, meet Dove." Dove scowled at Ashlynn's lame joke.

Armani rolled his eyes in exasperation. 'Oh for the love of- she's just like Apollo!'

The son of Artemis turned back to the gods. "I am 16, and my birthday is May 10th." Angelica's head snapped towards the older boy, the bored expression on her face disappearing. "I'm from Miami, Florida. I like classical music, and I dislike haikus." A noise of complaint came from Apollo as Artemis tilted her head in agreement. "I don't really have any official titles, but I guess you could call me a time traveler or dimension hopper."

Will and Katie looked confused while Travis and Connor were talking about how cool it would be to have time travel as a demigod ability and what pranks they could pull with the ability. Clarisse didn't look like she cared and Thalia just raised her eyebrow.

'Couldn't all of us be considered time travelers? And are either of those feats possible for a demigod to perform by themselves?' The punk girl asked herself. Her thought was shared by Annabeth, who had decided to tuck away that little bit of information to think about later.

"Perhaps I can question Armani about this at dinner."

"Is dimension hopping even a thing?" Percy asked Nico, a shadow-traveler, who just shrugged.

"Apparently it is."

"Mother's other son is interesting." A voice mused from within Seth's head. "Do you think we could do something like that?"

"Unlikely. Time travel and dimension-hopping aren't exactly included in Artemis' domains." Seth answered.

"Hmm. What about the girl? Luna or Angelica or whatever her name is? What do you think her abilities are?"

"I don't know, and I don't particularly care." Was Seth's annoyed response at the voice.

Zeus had an uneasy look on his face, if this demigod was able to travel through time of his own power and hop between dimensions then he was too powerful to be left did his future self let him live?

Apollo had a serious look on his face, "Dimension hopping should not be possible. It's too dangerous- the fluctuation of mass would cause the dimension to tear itself apart! I will speak to the Fates on this matter."

It's why he had the Fate Arrow, the arrow could wipe away one entity out of creation. It wasn't one of the arrows he was particularly fond of, because once used, it could take anywhere from a couple centuries to a millennia to regenerate.

Best to save it for, oh, you know, a breach in the universe that would tear apart reality as we know it?

Athena narrowed her eyes at Armani. "If what you say is true…" Athena turned towards Apollo. "If this boy can hop dimensions or travel through time at will, then it would be a waste to not study him."

"Dimension hopping is dangerous, surely you are aware of that." Apollo responded indignantly "An added mass to one-!"

"If he can travel through time of his own free will, then that begs the question of whose child he is," Zeus interrupted. "He could belong to one of us, but I don't recall any child of an Olympian having this ability before."

"Excuse me, Lord Zeus?" Armani piped up. The young man was standing there looking like the gods were simply discussing the weather, and not whether he should continue to exist or not. Armani wasn't comfortable by any means, but they weren't the gods of his timeline, so he didn't need to fear getting smited to death or experimented on, as Athena not so subtly suggested. Thank the future gods for that note.

Zeus turned to face the demigod before him, inclining his head slightly with narrowed eyes.

Armani took a calming breath. "If I may clarify something?"

Zeus crossed his arms over his chest as he nodded curtly.

"I am not able to travel through time or space of my own free will," Armani started and Zeus seemed to relax slightly. "I'm sure it will be revealed in my story, and there were excruciating circumstances both times as well as being the result of being caused by or being helped by a deity in all cases."

Zeus and Athena seemed to relax slightly, however, it was obvious from the serious look on his face that the normally carefree god of prophecy didn't let this matter drop. Circumstances being excruciating or not, no being should be allowed to hop dimensions. Many gods and goddesses were bound to their domains, and they shouldn't be able to hop through dimensions at all…

I'm going to keep a close eye on this one, Apollo silently vowed, and as if he could sense that thought, Armani suddenly couldn't hold his gaze and gave a nervous chuckle.

"And I also have a girlfriend," Armani said as an afterthought, finishing his introduction, and hurriedly escaping the tense spotlight.

"A girlfriend," Seth repeated once Armani sat down beside him. "How long have you been together?"

"A few months," Armani said, smiling at the fact.

"And are you happy with her?" Seth asked carefully.

Armani nodded, "We make each other happy."

"I see," Seth said, forcing a smile on his face, but the feeling didn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm sure you'll find someone too," Armani said, and then he wished he didn't when Seth suddenly frowned at his words.

"I appreciate your sentiment," Seth said while biting the inside of his lip, "but it is unnecessary. Between you and I, I don't plan on being with anyone. I...can't see myself in a relationship. At all." Seth seemed to falter a bit, before asking quietly, "Does that make me strange?"

"There's nothing wrong with being single," Armani reassured, glad that Seth was finally opening up, just a bit. "Do you also share our mother's beliefs?"

"No," Seth murmured, "and before you ask - the reason for it is more...personal, which I don't feel like sharing. No offense meant, of course."

While Armani struggled to keep the conversation going, Theresa had walked to the center of the room next. While it had seemed that she had come out of her shell during meals and around her fellow demigods, she seemed to suddenly regain her timidness. She curled into herself at the sight of all the gods' eyes on her and let out a small 'eep' before wrapping her arms around herself and letting her hair shadow her face.

"U-um," Theresa started.

"Again with this?" Dionysus groaned.

"Speak up, girl!" Ares snapped impatiently.

Theresa only became more startled and looked down to the marble floor, her eyes watering slightly.

Angelica noticed this and narrowed her eyes, she made to get up before Cassie grabbed her arm. When Angelica looked at the brunette she noticed that mama-bear mode was active, Cassie's face had hardened and her eyes were narrowed, they seemed to be lit with determination. "I'll intervene if needed. Reign in your temper and cool down, and remember your place. That's an order."

Angelica let out a long breath from her nose before falling back against the couch, switching her position so her elbow was propped against the armrest and laying her head on her palm.

"Leave the girl alone," Aphrodite defended, glaring at both gods. "If she's scared or nervous, then you two are only making it worse."

"She's right, the poor dear can take as long as she wants." Demeter said, casting a smile down to the demigod.

Theresa shuffled, turning her head around the room so she could find something or someone to focus on. She had just raised her head up slightly in the direction of Demeter's throne when she saw Persephone sitting next to the goddess' throne.

Feeling a bit more confident, Thea took a breath, and when she spoke it was directed to Persephone.

"M-my n-name is Theresa Yang, please call me Thea. My birthday i-is October 31st and I'm 16 years old. I'm from Oak Grove, West Virginia. I like to bake and I'm vegetarian so I dislike eating meat. I can't say my titles. And I don't have a boyfriend."

"Because she doesn't realize when a boy is trying to ask her out," Ashlynn called from her seat.

Theresa turned around and pouted at Ashlynn before bowing to the gods and returning to her seat.

Percy was next to walk up to the middle of the throne room. He had put his hands in his pockets and smiled dorkly at the deities before him. "So, uh, I'm Percy Jackson-!"

"Full name," Thalia interrupted. If she had to reveal her full name, then it's only fair the others should too.

Percy briefly turned around and glared at Thalia, he never told anyone his first name. He didn't want to, especially since the father of his namesake was present.

"My name is Perseus Jackson." Predictably, Zeus seemed to be appeased by the boy's name, while Hera looked suspiciously at her husband. It wasn't uncommon for a god's demigod children to share the same name. "I prefer to go by Percy. My birthday is August 18th and I am 17 years old. I'm from New York City, and I like blue food and swimming."

'Blue food?' Apollo mouthed in confusion.

"And I dislike nicknames that aren't given to me by my girlfriend." Percy stated and Aphrodite cooed in delight.

Percy grimaced slightly before turning to Zeus, looking uncomfortable. "Do I have to say my titles? I don't really like having them."

"Just tell them, Perce," Travis called. "You have the coolest titles out of everyone."

"Unless your title gives away your godly parent, then you are to say it," Athena reminded. Zeus nodded in agreement.

Percy sighed, and just as he was about to speak, Seth unexpectedly interrupted him, causing everyone's attention to shift to him. "Technically, all of Percy's titles would, in some way, reveal his parentage."

The son of Poseidon's face lit up in hopes that he could get away with not having to say his embarrassing titles, but then Annabeth spoke up next.

"He has a few titles that he can reveal that don't have anything to do with his godly parent."

Percy's face melted into a pout, and he turned to look at the gods. "Slayer of Medusa and The Minotaur, Holder of the Sky, Bane of Gaia, Slayer of the Giants, Survivor of Tartarus, and Former Carrier of the Achilles Curse."

The gods had started off with bored expressions on their faces that slowly grew into looks of disbelief. This demigod had achieved all of that? And it didn't involve his godly parent? What other titles did the boy hold?

"Why would you not want to reveal your titles? Those are awesome!" Apollo called from his throne.

"I don't like titles," Percy replied simply with a shrug. "They make it seem like some kind of grand accomplishment, but the only reason I did any of that was because my friends were in danger."

Seth appeared skeptical, and asked, "What time were you taken from? I don't know anything about Gaia, Giants, or you having to survive Tartarus."

"2011, why?" Percy asked in confusion.

Seth and the girls for timeline four's eyes all widened. Theresa turned to Alessa in confusion, and Cassie and Dove shared a look.

"The hell?" Ashlynn breathed and turned to Angelica whose only reaction was to narrow her eyes in thought.

"Because I'm from 2008," Seth revealed.

Armani, Nico, and Katie blinked at Seth while Thalia stared at Seth in confusion. Will, Travis and Connor made exclamations of shock. Clarisse just raised an eyebrow before shrugging indifferently.

Annabeth looked at Seth in interest. That meant the Titan war was still ongoing during his timeline. Seth also wouldn't know about the Giant war or the Immortal Emperors.

Percy quickly turned to Armani. "What time are you from?"

"2011," Armani answered, "but I never heard of any of that either."

So he was taken from his timeline's version of 2011, Annabeth thought, her eyes wandering to Armani. If Armani hadn't heard of the Giant War, then something had happened in his timeline to either delay or prevent it.

Percy turned to Angelica next, as she seemed to be the leader of sorts to her group. "What about you guys?"

Angelica studied him for a good moment, searching his face for something. Then, she turned to look at the group from timeline one and did the same individually.

Percy had opened his mouth to question her again when she faced him directly.

"We're from 2017," Angelica answered finally. There were more nervous exchanges and chatter among the others from this reveal. "The first war took place in 2014, the second in 2015, and assuming you know what I'm talking about: the Trials took place in 2016."

The demigods shared uneasy looks, but before they could discuss it further, Zeus forcibly put a halt to it before it began:

"You may discuss this during breaks. I would like to move past the introductions. Perseus, if you are done, the next demigod may introduce themselves."

Annabeth went up next, placing a hand on Percy's shoulder to guide him to his seat as she did so. After Percy had sat down, Annabeth greeted the gods curtly.

"My name is Annabeth Chase," she said, struggling to not glance at her mother. Would she recognize her surname at this point in time? She couldn't recall when her parents first met. "My birthday is July 12th, and I am 17 years old. I grew up in Lexington, Virginia, till I was seven. Currently, my family lives in San Francisco, California." The gods shared a look of unease. "I enjoy anything architecture related, and I dislike empousa more than any other monster." She was about to end her introduction when she noticed Aphrodite, and added sheepishly, "Oh, and I'm also dating Percy."

Katie was up next, she was trying her hardest not to look directly at her mother or Persephone. "My name is Katie Gardner, my birthday is June 30th. I'm 17 years old and am from Lancaster, Missouri. I like to visit Lake Wapello State Park right after the school year ends and right before camp starts in the spring and I like to visit it again in late summer and early fall. I dislike both Stoll brothers-!"

"Rude!" Travis and Connor called from their seats.

Katie looked out of the corner of her eyes with an annoyed look before turning back to the gods and smiling. "...though sometimes I can stand Connor better than Travis." Connor snickered from his seat. "I have no titles and just recently broke up with my ex, so I'm not really looking for a relationship right now."

Aphrodite sighed, mourning the end of a potential love story.

Katie bowed to the gods before turning and walking back to her seat, her eyes trained to the floor. Travis got up and met Katie halfway. "You and Sean from cabin 10?"

"Don't want to talk about it," Katie dismissed.

Travis watched her walk away before following her a moment later. Ashlynn bounced up from her seat and stretched in an exaggerated manner before skipping to the center of the room.

"Hello~!" Ashlynn sang as she waved at the gods, giving a bright, radiant smile. Artemis had to look directly at her twin, who gave Ashlynn a beaming smile of his own, and then back to the girl, repeating the action twice for confirmation before rolling her eyes. She definitely knew whose child this was, and she suspected the other Olympians did too. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise her if only Apollo didn't figure out whose child Ashlynn was. "I'm Ashlynn Hino-O'Connoll. A bit of a mouthful, but I like both names and don't plan on picking one over the other. My birthday is July 25th and I'm 17. I'm from a little town on the coast of Maine called Ceatharlach (Caah-her-lah-ck). I like to go horseback riding and having picnics with my friends. I dislike lying and those jerks who pretend to be your friend when they talk B.S. behind your back. So, uh, as for titles - I don't think I have any official ones. And I'm also in a relationship."

Travis walked up to the center of the room next and grinned mischievously at the gods. Katie groaned and rolled her eyes from her seat. "I'm not looking forward to this."

"I am the talented Travis Stoll." Travis said playfully, causing the demigods from timelines one and four to groan. Seth raised an eyebrow in amusement, and Armani held back a chuckle. "My birthday is September 8th and I am a legal adult at 18 years of age." Katie rolled her eyes again, he should act like it then. "As my brother Connor said earlier, we are from Philadelphia. I occasionally like to light things on fire." Hera glared at Travis, no doubt a troublemaker in her eyes, while Demeter made a mental note to keep the boy away from her fields. "I have no official titles and dislike...well...to keep my language under control...jerks, traitors, and being accused of being a traitor." Travis looked out the corner of his eye in the direction towards Katie while Zeus narrowed his eyes at this statement. "I'm totally single too, by the way."

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes on Travis. Was that declaration a challenge? Should she try to get him and one of the girls together? The goddess of love took some time to brainstorm the possibilities.

Clarisse was after Travis, however, she kept her introduction short and to the point. "Clarisse La Rue, Draken Slayer, 18, my birthday is November 23rd, from Phoenix, Arizona. I like spears, I hate talking in rhymes, and I'm already taken too."

Clarisse bowed slightly to the gods then walked back to her seat. Next up was Dove who seemed to freeze slightly at that realization. She looked at the gods for a moment, a nervous smile on her face, before looking at the floor with a 'What have I gotten myself into' look on her face.

"You want me to go first?" Cassie asked quietly.

"No it's fine." Dove sighed. "I'll go, don't want to risk putting you on the spot."

The hazel-haired girl raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "Dove, I am right after you. I'll be on the spot no matter what."

"Exactly." Dove replied as she got up. "You're right after me. I got this." Taking a deep breath Dove started to walk to the center of the room.

"Just like a match or recital. Just think of it like a match or recital."

Dove closed her eyes and took a breath before looking up at the gods. All eyes were on her. Forcing down a gulp, Dove looked at each god and goddess on the throne.

"Who do I look at?"

Dove looked to her right and noticed Aphrodite was looking at her with a soft smile and kind eyes. Dove smiled back and nodded her head in greeting.

Aphrodite currently had curled strawberry blonde hair that fell over her shoulders in ringlets and blue eyes, she had her right leg crossed over her left elegantly with her left hand resting on her knee. Her right hand was twirling a curl absentmindedly, probably because she was bored.

Dove turned to face Zeus and Hera but met Athena's eye by accident. The goddess of wisdom had her brunette hair draped over her right shoulder and had her stormy grey eyes trained on Dove, a stern expression on her face. The blonde demigod just smiled at Athena and nodded in greeting.

Training her eyes at a point in between Zeus and Hera's thrones, Dove began her introduction. "My name is Dove Derosiers." A grin appeared on Aphrodite's face. "I am 18 years old and my birthday is four days before Percy's August 14. I'm from Rosedale, Connecticut. I like scary movies, taking pictures and videos, I'm also quite active, playing several sports in my free time. I hate clowns, in fact, when I was six I went to a carnival and basically attacked one. I also hate skirts, the heat, and when people don't take me seriously because I'm a blonde." Annabeth nodded from her seat, she absolutely hated when people assumed she was a dumb blonde. "I don't really have any titles-!"

Ashlynn cut her off again, counting on her fingers as she listed. "Strategist, Stick in the mud, goody two shoes, the shortest cousin, the best dancer at Camp Half-Blood-!"

"Strategist?" Athena and Annabeth thought with narrowed eyes. Was Dove a child of Athena?

Poseidon, Artemis, and Hera noticed the shared look on Annabeth and the goddess of wisdom's faces. Poseidon rolled his eyes, so one of Athena's children was here.

"Thank you, Ashlynn!" Dove barked before turning back to the gods with a smile. "I have a boyfriend that I've been dating for the last four years..." Aphrodite cooed with a small smile on her face, that's just adorable. "...and we are currently debating on moving in together with some friends."

Dove had a small blush, and soft smile on her face as she talked about her boyfriend, her eyes had a far away look to them, almost like she was picturing him standing in front of her. This caused the goddess of love to squeal in delight while Demeter, Hera and Hestia all smiled warmly at Dove after hearing that last bit of information, it sounded like the blonde really loved her boyfriend. Seth, however, winced at the high pitch of Aphrodite's squeal. It took every bit of self-control Seth had not to get up and walk out, just so his eyes and ears didn't need to suffer through that goddess' whims.

Dove walked back to her seat, a faraway look and soft smile on her face. Cassie giggled softly as Dove sat down, and Angelica shook her head in amusement. Cassie was up next and when she got to the center of the room, she smiled nervously and looked slightly off center so she was looking more at Hera.

"My name is Cassandra Cheon (Chun), I just recently turned 18 years old as my birthday was 2 weeks go, April 16." Cassie paused slightly and closed her eyes, wincing. "Originally, I'm from Olympia, Washington." Seth rolled his eyes at this, of course one of the gods would have a demigod in a city named after Olympus. "But for the past seven years I've lived in Queens Village, Queens, NY. I like to travel, star gazing, and I spend a lot of my time at camp sparring with other campers. I dislike…..well, when any of my family and friends are in danger." Cassie then turned and glared at Angelica. "Or when someone falls off a mountain trying to protect me." Angelica just rolled her eyes and waved her off. Cassie groaned and turned back to the gods. "I would like to say I have no titles, but I don't want to risk Ashlynn cutting me off." The brunette now sent a glare to the taller blonde. "I can't say any of my official titles, but I've heard others refer to me as-" The girl rolled her eyes. "-Ace and Killer."

The gods and demigods had various looks of confusion and surprise on their faces. Ares had his eyes narrowed, was this girl one of his kids? He rarely had daughters, but Killer seemed like a title for one of his demigods. Hera seemed disheartened after hearing Cassie's titles, the girl seemed to be a demigod she would approve of, but her second title made her question that.

"The only thing I wish to reveal about my love life is that I am in a relationship."

Cassie bowed to the gods and walked back to her seat. When she sat down Angelica stood up, turned to Cassie and patted her head with a smirk on her face. Cassandra glared at Angelica, which only caused her smirk to widen before she turned around and walked to the center of the room.

Cassie pouted and collapsed against Alessa who sighed with a roll of her eyes and wrapped her arm around Cassie and started smoothing the top of the darker brunette's hair.

Angelica strided up to the center of the room with a purpose, like a natural-born leader with a mission. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and Artemis recognized the movement to be very Athena-like. When Angelica made it to the center, she bowed low before standing back up and meeting the eyes of each god and goddess.

"My full name is Luna Angelica Kobayashi-Wolfe. I am 18 years old. Born May 4th. I'm from the Upper East side, Manhattan, I currently live on Long Island. I like-!"

Dove cut Luna off. "...Endangering yourself by jumping from high places."

Luna sighed in exasperation before turning to look at Dove and said indignantly, "Is it your turn?"

"I mean you do…." Cassie mumbled.

Luna rolled her eyes before turning back to the gods. Zeus looked at the girls from timeline four in annoyance, he was trying to hurry this along and these girls kept commenting. Hera also raised an eyebrow at the group, the attitude of these girls had changed from yesterday.

Luna cleared her throat and bowed again. "My apologies, we mean no disrespect."

"You all seem very carefree in our presence right now," Athena observed.

Luna suddenly got uncomfortable. "I'm sure it will be revealed in our story…" She trailed off, unsure how to go about bringing up this next point, the letter had asked the gods to swear on the Styx, but they haven't yet.

"Continue your introduction," Zeus ordered.

"Yes, my Lord," Luna bowed. "I like to go camping and am quite fond of animals. For dislikes, I dislike it when people just assume things about you before they know all the information..." Seth coughed at his fist. "...which I will admit to be guilty of doing in the story we're going to read." Luna's eyes flickered to Artemis for a quick second. "I also dislike bullies, hotter temperatures, and celery. I cannot disclose any titles, and I have a boyfriend."

Seth had to refrain from rolling his eyes. So it wasn't just Armani - even Luna, a daughter of Artemis, had a significant other. As much as Seth wished to be different, it appeared that he was the most similar to their shared parent, and that wasn't even accounting for their appearances.

Also, if Luna had a boyfriend, then that must mean that Luna wasn't the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis? He would have thought that as Artemis' daughter that she would have joined and led them. Did she refuse the invitation?

Luna bowed once more to the gods and goddesses before returning to her seat. Alessa got up next and walked to the center of the room and bowed before smiling softly.

"My name is Alessandria Confortola, I am 20 years old and my birthday is March 30th. My family is from Fayette County, Georgia. I lived there till I was ten, then made my way to New Jersey. Currently, I live with my boyfriend and his family in Stony Brook, Long Island, NY. I like cooking, and I prefer to cure, brine, and can or jar my own food. I like to volunteer at homeless shelters, and I'm attending a culinary school. I also like to go camping with Luna. I can't reveal any titles, but I am called Phoenix on occasion. I dislike when innocent people are in danger and when young kids are forced to fight in battles they're too young for. As I said before, I have a boyfriend. Though fiancé would be more accurate."

Hera smiled softly and Aphrodite got excited that a new ship had begun to sail.

"I believe that's all of them," Zeus sighed before turning to Artemis. "Daughter, your hunters?"

Aphrodite's face seemed to scrunch up slightly, before she sighed. It looked like she wanted to comment, but restrained herself.

Artemis nodded. "Yes, Father." Before turning to the three huntresses. "Zoe? Charlotte? Nicole?"

"At once, my Lady," Zoe nodded, leading the other girls to the center of the room. Zoe walked in front of the younger two, bowing to the Olympians before addressing her new acquaintances. "I am Zoe Nightshade. I am the Lieutenant of the Hunters. Last I remember, I am over 2000 years old. I enjoy hunting with my sisters, and I'd welcome any maiden who is interested in joining, especially if they dislike male heroes as much as I," she said, giving a pointed glare at her Lady's lookalike, who had the nerve to meet her glare head-on with his own.

Armani, who had the misfortune of witnessing this tense exchange, could only watch on helplessly and prayed he didn't have to act as a sort of mediator later on.

Next was the older of the two girls, she had short black hair and emerald green eyes. She seemed younger than most of them, and had a sad look in her eyes. She bowed to the gods before speaking, making sure to avoid looking at her mother, Aphrodite. "My name is Nicole Adler, I'm fourteen, and recently joined the Hunters of Artemis last December. I don't really have many things I like, but I used to crochet with my grandmother. As for my dislikes…I'm not a big fan of, um, makeup and skirts."

The younger girl had waved honey-brown hair tied in a braid and light-blue eyes. She seemed more timid than her sister, and far more nervous before the gathered deities than the other two. She bowed before fidgeting slightly. "M-my name is Charlotte R-rose. I had just turned twelve last December before I joined the Hunters with my sister, Nicole. I...well, I like animals and I used to go bird watching a lot with my dad before he...passed." Tears gathered in Charlotte's eyes, and the goddess of love also shared her sentiments at the mention of her father. "I don't really dislike a lot of things. I think that everyone and everything deserves a chance." Then, her face scrunched up in disgust. "Oh, but I do hate brussel sprouts. Those things are irredeemable!"

Aphrodite's mouth twisted in a mix of sadness and amusement at Charlotte's declaration. Charlotte was certainly one of her more innocent kids, it shocked her the most when she heard that she joined the hunters.

A flash of light filled the room and another note appeared in front of Hera. She picked it up and read it once before turning to Zeus. "It's from my future self again. It's reminding us once more that we are all to swear on the Styx immediately, and we will not kill, maim, vaporize, or transfigure any demigods or hunters present."

The gods one by one swore on the Styx that they wouldn't harm the demigods and Hera turned to the demigods. "The note also says that none of you are to abuse this oath and is a reminder that the other gods or goddesses have sworn this oath. Understood?"

The demigods all agreed as Hestia grabbed the first book from the pile. "Let's all gather around together now. Whether you are a god or demigod, we are all here to get to know one another from each other and from these books of the future."

As the gods and demigods shifted around to mingle with their respected (and suspected) kin, it was time to start the reading.

"Who would like to read first?" Hestia said warmly, offering the book out to the first volunteer.

"I will," a voice answered immediately, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the tall auburn-haired boy who resembled Artemis more than her own twin. He took the offered book from Hestia and returned to his seat just as swiftly.

Annabeth moved over curiously. "What's the title?"

"When the Moon Fades," Seth whispered, his jaw tightening after seeing the cover. With such fine details, how could he mistake this book to be anyone else's but his?

Armani also shifted to take a peek at the cover, and was taken aback: the cover had a beautiful silver border wrapped around what looked like a movie poster. There was a silhouette of a young boy, his back facing away from what appeared to be a building in flames - the sharp orange and yellows making a contrast against the darker blues in the background. There was also Artemis - for it was clearly her - with a moon insignia on her forehead, looming above the flames and dominating half of the image with her dark silhouette. It's title, When the Moon Fades - was printed in an elegant script over her ominous figure.

Without further adieu, Seth opened the book to the first page, and after taking a deep breath, he began to read.

A bit longer of a chapter than I had originally planned, but now we start reading "When The Moon Fades."

I'm thinking a month or so until the next chapter.

Also, for anyone wondering, 'Once Written In The Stars: Guardian Force - The Lightning Thief' will be updated soon.