AN:

Welcome to the first part of the main storyline of the "Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase" series I'm writing right now.

The prequel "The Fall of Olympus" is already up. There is also "Sidequests", which will include short side stories, as well as all prophecies. While they are not a must-read, they may help better understand what happened before the story's beginning than the summary included in the story.

This is a time travel fic and it starts while Percy is recovering from his fight against the Minotaur in "The Lightning Thief".

It will include only The Graeco-Roman Pantheon, with characters from "Heroes of Olympus being introduced into the "Percy Jackson" timeline, but I do not plan to include characters from "The Trials of Apollo".

I try to keep characters as close to their originals as possible and try to introduce them in a way that feels natural in the new storyline, but a change in circumstances, and events playing out differently and such might make some of them feel OOCish.

Chapter 1: We dream of a new beginning

POV: Percy

My name is Percy Jackson. I am already sixteen years old, which makes me one of the oldest demigods around.

That's not old? Believe me, if you are a demigod that's already longer than most life. We get either squashed to paste, sliced to ribbons, or eaten alive. And if that doesn't kill us then school most likely will. We might be able to read and speak ancient Greek, but otherwise, dyslexia doesn't really make our school life any easier. And don't let me even get started on the ADHD. Highly recommended in battles. Sitting for hours on a school bench? Not so much.

Speaking of not old, depending on how you look at it I'm actually only twelve. Sounds totally weird, I know, and that is saying a lot because I lived through the weirdest stuff before. You see, until recently I was a ghostly passenger pulled along by the body of a child version of myself... actually, let me come back to that later.

Starting at the beginning, we had this big war against the forces of the titan lord Kronos. Well, the second war against Kronos, right in the middle of Manhattan that is. Now one would think that losing one war, getting cut into pieces by your own children, and then thrown into the deepest part of Tartarus would be enough to tell people that they are not wanted around, but Kronos didn't seem to have gotten the hint.

So he hatched this crazy plan of destroying Olympus and using the power of the gods to fuel his traveling back in time to change the past. How does that even work you might want to know? That's a very good question, but I'll have you put that question on hold for now, because that has a long and complicated explanation (and I would have to ask Annabeth first because I have absolutely no idea myself).

Or you can do it how we demigods do. Nod along and just accept all that mythological stuff even if it doesn't make a lot of sense to you. Because you see, the mythological and normal world don't mix too well. There is a mist that hides most of it (except when you really need it) and if you're not a child of Athena you better not even try to figure out how the two worlds work together unless you want to get a massive headache.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Anyway, the war went badly for us. And I use the word loosely. I mean bad as in "everyone dying and me razing Olympus" kind of way. I would apologize, but I'm not really that sorry. Nobody messes with Annabeth while I am around.

Who is Annabeth?

Oh let me tell you, she is this genius daughter of Athena. Sixteen, tall, athletic, and blonde. Her eyes are a startling grey. They are beautiful, but also terrifying. If you knew her personally, you would know what I'm talking about. She's also one of my best friends and since recently my girlfriend. If there is something you don't know she is the best person to ask. Believe me, I do that all the time, and she actually manages to make that stuff sound interesting and not put me to sleep – it beats reading about it any day. It also allows me to spend more time with her which is a really big plus in my books, but I might be biased.

If you ask me, I can tell you with certainty that without her help we would never have been able to use Kronos's plans against him and travel back to the past instead of him. And while she would secretly glow in pride, she would most likely tell you otherwise, like saying it was thanks to me. Don't believe her, I didn't actually do that much – well except destroying Olympus and all that.

And that was kinda how I ended up a ghost. And I say that because the rest is not all that exciting. The not being able to move and time mostly just flying right past you bit. It only started getting interesting again a few days ago. That was when Annabeth's and my younger version met again, and we somehow ended up taking over their bodies.

What am I doing right now? I'm having a relaxing night of sleep of course, which means I had only a single demigod dream.

In my dream, I was somebody else. I was wearing an old-fashioned Greek tunic, which was a little too breezy downstairs, and laced leather sandals. I was standing somewhere high up, looking down upon an ancient-looking city engulfed by flames with the only thing untouched by the destruction being the very thing directly responsible for it having ended like this. A giant wooden horse.

A light flared next to me, revealing a huge muscular man, his facial features hidden under a helmet as golden as his blood-smeared armor, with a shield strapped over his back. A powerful aura that would have left a lesser being frozen in fright surrounded him.

He bowed his head to me as was only right. "It is done, father."

"Are any of the others aware of your interference?" I asked him, already expecting the answer.

"They know nothing. The aura you unleashed to force us to back down overpowers everything else that happened. It was quite easy; the battle has left the mortals vulnerable to my aura. Their action shall be more than enough for the others to act outraged and turn away from their side in disgust." He sneered. "Let this teach them a lesson for calling me a coward."

I looked at the man in contempt but said nothing. This wouldn't have been necessary if he had not failed in his role in the first place. His sister was so much more competent, but that was also the reason I couldn't use her. She was not as easy to control, and I had to be extra careful when I was trying to manipulate her. So, as much as I wished otherwise, I needed his allegiance.

"In exchange you – " he began, but I interrupted him.

"Yes," I said. "I will make it, so you are second only to me. Of course, I will have to give your sister something or she might become too suspicious, and of course, your mother must be kept content. But do not fear, when the mortals march to battle your name shall be on their lips."

As soon as I said this, his eyes glowed fiery red in desire under his helmet.

But then our discussion was interrupted by the appearance of a third presence behind us. I kept on looking downward. I did not need to turn around to know who it was. Her appearance was expected. Unlike the others, I did not think for an instance I would be able to fool her. She knew what I did the moment I made it law.

Whatever the other man had wanted to say, luckily for him he knew better and held his mouth in her presence. He only gave a single glance to the newly arrived person, then bowed his head towards me a second time.

"Then I will take my leave, father," he spoke, then disappeared in a flash of light.

The woman that had appeared spoke with her usual soft voice. "What is the meaning of this? The laws do not – "

"I am the KING!" I interrupted her. "I MAKE the laws."

"This is not how it was intended," she answered evenly. "You cannot just make decisions without informing the others, only the right to make the final decision lies with you. The others are supposed to – "

"I already did," I interrupted her again. "And you will talk of this to none."

"I will uphold all laws, even those of yours I find… distasteful. These laws exist for a reason and – "

A single gesture of my hand was enough to silence any complaint. "Your sole role is to make sure the laws are upheld," I told her. "And not to challenge my right to rule. Now leave me, I am tired of this conversation."

The woman sighed.

"It seems their attempt to reason with you, has only made it worse," she said. "I will go as you wish, my Lord, but I will still warn you. Your attempt to do two things at once shall only split the world in two. And this time the one suffering will not only be the mortal children that you hold in so much contempt."

And with these words, both she and my dream disappeared.

When I woke up, I found myself in the camp's infirmary feeling great and rested. That was like a huge warning bell for me. You don't just have a demigod dream after a battle and feel rested, that's just not how it works.

The room was empty except for the bed right next to mine. Part of my anxiety disappeared. Annabeth's and my eyes met and both of us couldn't help but smile. Had I been mistaken? But even though she was smiling, she seemed as tense as I was.

"There is no need to be afraid," I voice said beside me. I recognized it as the one from my dream. "I do not wish you harm."

We turned around. A young woman was sitting in a chair – one I could have sworn had been empty earlier – at the foot of our beds. She wore a simple silver-grey dress as well as a shawl over her white hair. She had tranquil blue eyes and was smiling at us. I recognized her all right. Themis, the Titaness of divine law.

I always feel uneasy talking to gods and titans. It is always advisable to be on your best behavior or risk turning into a bloody spot on the ground. Naturally, I never follow my own advice.

"Why did you help us?" I blurted out.

"Apologies, Lady Themis," Annabeth said, giving me a look. "It is an honor to meet you."

Luckily, she didn't seem insulted. Instead, she wore an understanding smile when she answered the question. "I never interfere. It simply isn't my duty. Yes, I give advice and warn before severe decisions, but I do not interfere in them. It would not be right to punish for the intention alone. Only after law has been broken do I act.

Annabeth rephrased my question. "Then why did you interfere this time?"

Themis got a faraway look in her eyes. "As time went on, I found my actions to be too passive. By the time I came to act, it was already too late for most. You must understand. I seek not to punish but rebalance. Reparation is always preferable and punishment but the last choice. But if there is no one to repay left? Each and on their own, punishments work to rebalance, but considering the big picture, it is slowly tilting. Kronos' actions could already be considered as him breaking the law. Had I not acted, there would have been no balance left to restore anymore."

It did make sense to me. At least a little. Kronos traveling to who knows when surely couldn't be good. But there was something else.

"Then why did you allow us? We still traveled back in time, still broke this divine law, surely it would be the same problem for us?"

"Yes," she said. "But also no."

Now I really felt as when I first entered Camp. Nobody gave me a straight answer back then either.

"Thanks, for clearing that up," I said.

Her smile widened, but she did start explaining.

"Believe it or not, it is easier if it happens to demigods. Thanks to your mixed blood, you are affected by the divine laws but are not bound to them."

I remembered having heard that once. Before I went on my first quest Chiron told me at as long as you are bold and strong enough, a demigod could do anything they wanted.

"Both may look the same, but they affect the world in different ways. There are powers, a lot stronger than gods or titans, working on rebalancing contradictions. A titan may be able to cause large ripples, but the world is not as fragile as to collapse by the actions of a few demigods. Of course, there's always a price to pay."

I feared asking, but I had to know. "What price did we pay?"

"A demigod's scent grows stronger with age and the power they control."

I didn't get what she meant, but Annabeth sharply inhaled next to me.

"So that's why," she said. When she saw my questioning gaze she elaborated. "Think about all the problems we had when we grew up. I ran away when I was seven. You ran into monsters even though your stepdad should have hidden your scent. Normally demigods start first having problems with monsters when they are ten or eleven. One could argue that you having problems is because of the Great Prophecy. Not me though. Our sixteen-year-old selves were the ones attracting the monsters."

"Correct, these are the consequence you face for traveling back in time with your memories and powers intact." She smiled. "Of course, this strong scent and these powers could also have always been a part of you but until now you just were unable to access them outside of extreme situations. And now you had a prophetic dream about a possible future as an act to rebalance the situation in your favor. Demigods dream all the time; it would be strange, but not something unheard of. Do you understand what I mean?"

I started to get a headache thinking about it.

"No," I said shaking my head, but Annabeth nodded. "Yes."

Themis gave a sigh and after a whisk with her hand, a scale appeared in it. It was unbalanced, tilted heavily in one direction.

"Then I hope you understand why it is against law, but this was not why I am here. Do you know what this is?"

"The Scales of Justices," Annabeth said, "It is the divine symbol of your daughter Dike. A divine tool that helps her in making a fair judgment."

"Quite so. Right now, it shows the situation of you demigods. It is unbalanced and if nothing changes it will only get worse. You are the ones that have suffered the most in this war. The immortals are bound by these laws and yet they do whatever they want and the only ones truly suffering, are you. This unfairness cannot stand."

"Why are you here?" I asked. "As far as I know it is against law to interact with us. Shouldn't you be the one to uphold them the most?"

She smiled. "Ah, but you see, there are different types of interference. As are there exceptions. I am here to offer you a quest of course."

Bitterness rose in my chest. I should have known. She was like the rest of them, only here because she needed something.

"Tell me," she said. "What are you supposed to do when asking a god for a favor?"

I thought back to the time I had asked my father to protect Bessi for me. I had given up the Nemean lion's pelt as a sacrifice.

"A sacrifice," I answered, "depending on how big a favor you're asking."

She nodded and lifted the scales higher.

"Every action has consequences equal to itself. There must always be balance."

I wanted to complain. How was that fair? We were helping the gods all the time and what did we get for it? Nothing. Both after I returned Zeus's bolt and after we freed Artemis they even thought about if they should kill us instead. But Annabeth seemed to have realized something.

"Wait, that would mean it should go in both directions. So, you're saying we are supposed to get repaid every time we do something for a god?"

Turns out we should. Getting attacked by titans, getting sent monsters after us, getting brainwashed by Kronos, getting almost killed by a lightning strike, and gods withholding repayment were all causes for the unbalance.

It seemed there were three types of interferences.

Direct interference was the worst as we had no chance to defend ourselves against it. They would face consequences both for the action itself depending on the power they used, as well as for all injuries caused by it. Like Zeus only blowing our car off the road instead of making it explode with us in it or smiting me directly. He interfered but didn't hurt me directly with it, making it "less bad" or something.

He did that only indirectly with the Minotaur, which was the second type of interference. The only consequence they would face was for sending the monster itself and it depended on how powerful the monster was. It was not considered as bad as direct interferences as we would be able to defend ourselves. We had the right to all spoils of war as well.

The last type was quests. There normally weren't any consequences for it as you had the right to refuse a quest (at least in theory) and in exchange, we would not only get all spoils of war we earned but also some kind of reward at the end of it. The quest's difficulty and importance to Olympus were the deciding factors of how high that repayment would be. Finding an all-powerful weapon to stop a three-sided war? Yeah, that would rank rather high on the scale of importance, which made it only worse that we got nothing for it. It was of course possible to come to an agreement before the quest started, but as the weaker party, tricking or threatening us was not allowed. If they did, we would get either a higher reward in the end, or somebody else had the right to interfere in our favor.

All rewards went to the quest leader, and he was responsible to reward his companions. If you took all the praise and ignored them, you would end up regretting it. Maybe someone should have told Hercules.

If you gave sacrifices to the gods, they were allowed to interfere in your favor. Sacrificing part of our food during dinner was a good example of it. The better your sacrifice the more help they could offer you, but you were not expected to return anything if they helped you unasked.

They weren't allowed to punish us without cause either. Only if you had done something severe against them or their domains, like making Apollo's cows into hamburger meat or something similar, were they allowed to.

Quest rewards and repayment from gods could be a lot of different things; magical items, advice, help during dangerous times, blessings, and other stuff.

The more I heard the more pissed I got.

"You want to tell us, that all the time we did them a favor, we were supposed to get something in return? And nobody told us?"

"Sadly, there are only a few of the gods who always try to repay their debts. Not even all of the Olympian council does, so how can you expect the others to follow?" Themis answered. "Those who repay their favor would naturally see no need to tell you. As for Chiron. He is trying the best he can, he always has. You will see that there are quite a few things he simply is not allowed to tell you. If he tried, he would be no longer in a position to help you."

I turned silent. What else was hidden from us? Making us slave away for the gods, getting nothing in return. Luke was right, something had to change. I wouldn't support Kronos of course. He had all the bad qualities of the gods and none of the good ones after all. And not all of the gods were bad. Hestia had done nothing but help us, my father had shown he loved me and helped me countless times. There were other ones as well, like Hermes, Artemis, Athena, Apollo, or Dionysus. I might not have a good relationship with all of them or even liked them, but they had all helped us out on quests, had shown they cared about their children. But it couldn't go on like this, I wouldn't allow the others to suffer all over again.

"This is my request," Themis said. "Help those who need help, those who are disadvantaged by the actions of the gods. Demigods. Peaceful titans. Minor gods. I cannot interfere directly, but every time you help me restore balance, I can reward you in your fight. Will you accept?"

I shared a look with Annabeth. I could see she was thinking the same thing as me. Getting help in exchange for something we would have done anyway? It was too good an opportunity to refuse.

"We accept."

"As expected of you," she said. "Now, it is almost time for you to wake up again, is there still something you wish to know? This will most likely be the last time we meet, and it would be such a shame to not be able to give at least a little advice. It is so seldom I get to do it these days. Most people tend to ask Athena."

We were asleep? It would explain why I didn't feel half-dead like the first time I woke up from fighting the Minotaur. But it also reminded me of the dream I had.

"In a dream I had, you were talking with a man. That was Zeus, right? You said he would split the world in two, what did that mean?"

She smiled knowingly, as if she had expected, or rather waited for that specific question. "Ah, it is something which aftermath you still feel today. It is both the reason the titans being dormant for so long, as well as their awakening. The reason why some gods have calmed, while others act so erratic and emotional. You have already heard about one aspect of it, namely the Great Stirring."

The Great Stirring? What had the awakening of the oldest monsters to do with the gods?

"That was Troy, right? The time it fell?" Annabeth asked. "It has something to do with it, does it not? Something that happened there?"

I realized Annabeth must have seen the dream too. It was the same as with the prophecy. It was strange, normally only I had those types of dreams.

"I cannot tell you more; you must learn the truth yourself. But let me give you a piece of final advice. Not everything you are told is the truth. The gods have another side to them. To find the answer you must look at where it started, where it ended, and where it went in between. But for now, sleep tight children. There still is time thanks to you. After all, this is only the beginning."

Next time Percy makes an old enemy