Percy was dimly aware of Annabeth shouting at the goddess as he stared at the poison trickling towards him, moving just like water. He remembered extracting water from Jason's lungs. If he could do that, then why not control other liquids? It was a crazy idea; Poseidon was the God of the Sea, not of all liquids. But this was Tartarus, where the rules were different, where fire was drinkable, and the air was acid. And all he had left were crazy ideas. So why not try? He had nothing to lose, and all his other crazy ideas had somehow worked.
He glared at the poison flood encroached on all sides. He concentrated so hard that something inside him cracked – as if a crystal ball had shattered in his stomach. Percy ignored the pain that was spreading through his body from the shatter in his stomach, ignoring what felt like the shards of the crystal ball that had started to move through his body in his veins. He focused instead on pushing the poison towards the goddess, the lake of poison rolling towards her in tiny waves.
"What is this?" Akhlys shrieked.
"Poison? That's your specialty, right?" Percy snarled, rising from where he was crouched. The anger that was hot in his stomach flooded him, sweeping over the pain creeping through his veins and setting his body alight.
Akhlys coughed, the fumes of the poison surrounding her, tears running down her face. Percy clenched his fist, taking hold of the water in her tears as well, turning them back on her. Chocking her on her own poison and tears. The goddess gagged as the liquid was forced back on her and down her throat, stumbling back.
"Percy," Annabeth called. She had retreated to the edge of the cliff and was watching him, seemingly terrified. It took him a moment to realize she was terrified of him.
"Stop…" she pleaded, her voice hoarse. "Please." Percy stared at her for a moment, glancing back at the goddess who had fallen to her knees, clawing at her throat. He didn't want to stop. He wanted to see how much misery misery incarnate could take. But something in Annabeth's expression stopped him; her eyes were full of anguish. He turned back to Akhlys, gazing at her as he willed the poison to recede, his anger fading.
"Go. Leave," he said. He didn't raise his voice, but his firm tone seemed enough to have Akhlys running, moving faster than he had expected to an emancipated ghost could move. He turned back to Annabeth, who was staring at him still.
"Percy, please, don't do that again. Some things aren't meant to be controlled," Annabeth said, slowly approaching him. He stared at her before falling to his knees, unable to ignore the burning, stabbing pain flooding him. It was like his blood was trying to burn away, being replaced by something foreign.
"Percy?" Annabeth asked, dropping to her knees next to him. She grabbed his hand, trying to reassure herself that he was ok.
Finally, the pain stopped, leaving him panting where he knelt. He slowly realized that something about himself felt different; he had a new awareness of Annabeth in front of him; of the poison still pooled on the ground nearby.
"Percy, are you alright?" Annabeth asked, pulling his full attention to her.
"I don't know. I feel different," he said, shaking his head as if to clear it of fog.
"You controlled something that shouldn't be controlled. How did you control the poison?"
"I don't know. I was desperate and just tried."
"Please don't do it again. Some things aren't meant to be controlled. And Poseidon isn't the god of all liquids Percy."
"I know," he said, his next words spilling out of his mouth without him even thinking about it, as if some other force was pulling them out against his will. "But I'm the god of poison."
"What?" Annabeth asked, staring at him in confusion.
"I don't know. I don't know why I said that Wise Girl," he said desperately. He didn't want to be a god.
"Alright. Can I test something?" He nodded. Annabeth grabbed her drakon bone sword, pressing the tip of it to his finger, breaking the skin and making him bleed. Making him bleed gold.
"Ichor."
"But how? I don't want to be a god Annabeth," he said desperately, staring at the bead of gold liquid on his finger.
"You controlled something no demigod should be able to control, not even a son of Poseidon. I think it made you ascend," Annabeth said, and she seemed too calm for him, considering the situation, considering how much he was freaking out.
"What do we do Wise Girl?" he asked desperately. She was always the one with the plan, she always knew what to do.
"We have to keep going, we have to get out of here. We can always ask your dad about it after the war. First, do you know what your domains are? You seem to already know you're the god of poison. Which I'm fine with as long as you don't torture anyone with it again." He hesitated for a second, before the words spilled out of his mouth, as if the Fates themselves were telling him what to say.
"I am Lord Perseus Alexie, god of natural disasters, poison, loyalty, and demigods. All demigods are under my protection." He paused before groaning. "As long as none of the demigods find out about this before we solve the whole civil war thing, because I really don't want to be incapacitated like the other gods. And please just keep calling me Percy."
"Alright, we can work with this. Perseus Alexie, the destroyer and defender, fitting with your domains. And with you as a god now, you can help us kill the Giants seeing as the Olympians seem happy to stay on Olympus and let us deal with the problems. And if you say demigods are under your protection, that should give you leeway with the Ancient Laws the gods are always mentioning and let you interfere in the lives of demigods. Poison makes sense, seeing as you can apparently control it now. You've already had a hand in a volcanic eruption and hurricanes and storms, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could have caused earthquakes if you tried, so I can see your natural disaster domain. And loyalty is obvious," Annabeth said, her mind analyzing everything he had said, letting her ignore, for just a moment, that they were still in Tartarus.
"Ok. I won't torture anyone with poison again, it scared me how willing I was to do it. We can deal with this. You'll help me deal with this, right Wise Girl?" Percy said, nodding slowly as he processed everything that had happened.
"Of course. As long as we're together. Let's go, we need to keep moving. We need to get to the Doors of Death." Percy nodded, pushing himself to his feet before offering his hand to Annabeth, helping her up. They turned to leave and were stopped by a cackle from behind them.
"My, what lovely sacrifices my daughter has left me. I think I'll kill you myself."
Percy and Annabeth were in the infirmary on the Argo II, the rest of the seven surrounding them, Nico and Reyna standing a little way back. Coach Hedge was on deck, keeping watch for any monster. They had moved talks of what needed to happen with the Athena Parthenos into the infirmary when Piper noticed how bad the two of them looked after escaping the Pit, and the two of them were eating ambrosia as they spoke.
"I can shadow travel with Reyna and the statue," Nico suggested. "Hedge can come with us as well, to make three." Percy ignored the discussion as the group tried to work out if Nico would be strong enough to travel halfway around the world with two others and a large statue, especially only two weeks after being rescued from the jar.
"Before you go, there's something I need to tell everyone, and I think Reyna and Nico should hear it as well." Everyone turned to look at Percy. He let out a breath before continuing.
"While we were down in the Pit, I ascended." He pulled Riptide out of his pocket, uncapping it and using the blade to cut his hand, letting them all see the gold that bled out of the cut.
"You're a god now?" Jason asked, staring at him.
"Didn't you turn that down?" Nico asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I did. But apparently the Fates had other ideas. The powers I managed to call upon down there forced my ascension. Please don't treat me any differently, I'm still me and I'm not going to smite you or anything for anything you do or say."
"What are you god of?" Reyna asked. "What is your name?"
"I am Lord Perseus Alexie, god of natural disasters, poison, loyalty, and demigods. But no formalities and if you call me anything other than Percy, I will be annoyed."
"Why are you telling us?" Leo asked. "I mean, it's nice to know and all, and will really help us against the Giants, but why now?"
"I'm the protector of demigods. All demigods come under my domain and under my protection. That means that I can give demigods my blessing, to help keep them a little bit safer on quests and allow them to draw on small amounts of my strength and power when they're in lots of trouble or when they are drawing on an ability that touches upon one of my domains, such as summoning storms or rallying loyal soldiers. I can't give it to everyone, but if you're going to be transporting such a large statue that will almost definitely attract monsters, I'd feel better if both Nico and Reyna had my blessing," Percy explained. "It's up to you though. And if you want, I will give it to the rest of you as well for the upcoming fight."
"Have you done it before?" Piper asked. He nodded.
"I gave it to Annabeth before we reached the doors."
"It's helpful. It gives me a small sense of safety and gives me a sixth sense of sorts about where monsters are while I'm fighting. And it feels like Percy will be there and have my back," Annabeth added.
"I would gladly accept your blessing, my Lord," Reyna said, inclining her head to him.
"What did I say about formalities?" Percy asked. Reyna grinned.
"It is the Roman way, Percy." Percy stuck his tongue out at her.
"Anyone else?" One by one, the rest of the group agreed to the blessing. He instructed them each to kneel before him; as much as he hated formality and hated having others kneel to him as if he was superior, he instinctively knew some things about being a god, including the fact that blessings could only be bestowed while someone was either a baby or while they were kneeling. One by one, he stepped up to each of his friends, laying a hand on top of their heads and murmuring the blessing quietly, injecting each of them with a small sliver of his power and making them glow a light periwinkle that leaned more blue than purple, the outlines of the glow a bright, poisonous green.
"You are a demigod under my patronage and now I bestow upon you my defense. May you go forth with my blessing and my protection. May you feel the destructive nature of poison in your strikes against monsters. May the strength of natural disasters be with you when you are in peril. May you be warned of monsters and always feel the faith of a loyal friend at your back."
Poseidon watched the demigods even as he fought against the Giants himself. They had not seemed as scared as he would have expected them to be before he and the other Olympians had arrived. And now, in the midst of battle, they worked together like the various tentacles of an octopus. They worked in pairs, with the gods assisting, one of them striking while the other blocked a blow, darting forward and back together without even having to look at the other, one distracting and the other attacking, one going high while the other went low. He was fighting with his son, Athena, and her daughter, while the others fought side by side with their own children. He would not normally fight with Athena, the two of them too different to fight well together, but their children were not to be separated.
And each of the demigods seemed to have developed almost another sense when it came to monsters and the opponent they were fighting. They all managed to dodge almost all blows and swipes at them, even when the attack came from behind them, ducking or twisting or stepping out of the way just in time to prevent blood from falling.
Poseidon stabbed Polybotes as Percy ducked back from the giant's swipe. Athena darted forward with her spear, her daughter attacking the giant from behind. He stumbled back as Polybotes landed a hit on him, managing to dodge back just in time to avoid the poison that would have otherwise hit him, instead landing at his feet. He swore as the poison started moving, assuming the giant was manipulating it towards him, before pausing as it began to flow the opposite direction, headed towards Polybotes. He glanced to the side to see Percy jump, launching himself at the giant, the poison rising up in the air beside him. Was Percy controlling the poison? That didn't seem like something that should be possible. But his son was strong and constantly did the impossible.
Annabeth stabbed the giant at the same time as Percy landed a blow in the giant's eye, causing Polybotes to disintegrate. Without even acknowledging the two gods, Percy and Annabeth darted off to help fight the other giants. Without speaking, Athena and Poseidon separated to aid in other fights as well.
Percy sent a mental thought in the direction of Jason, asking him to help create a storm. Storms only loosely fell under his domain of natural disasters, but it was enough that he could create a pretty big one, which would only get better with the aid of a son of Jupiter. Plus, with the two of them working together, any giant injured by the storm counted as being harmed by both god and demigod. During the weeks as they journeyed from the House of Hades to the Acropolis in Greece, he had worked on his godly skills, and had learned how to communicate with demigods telepathically, although he wasn't sure if it would work with demigods that didn't hold his blessing; it made working together in fights a lot easier, especially because they could reply via prayer.
Jason complied with the request and soon enough there was a storm crackling and booming overhead, raining cool water down on everyone, giving Poseidon and Zeus power boosts in their element and making it more difficult for their enemies to navigate the battlefield. Percy focused on his friends, on those on the battlefield who held his blessing, and sent out a small burst of his power, allowing them to remain unaffected by the water pelting down on them; they got wet, but they weren't hindered by it.
Percy fought side by side with Artemis against her bane. None of the other demigods were free to come assist, meaning they were at a point where they couldn't defeat Gration, simply holding him back and keeping them from assisting elsewhere. He ducked under the giant's next swipe, twisting so he was behind Gration, with Artemis shooting at him from in front. Percy sent a small part of his concentration to find the demigods on the field, trying to work out who was closest.
"Frank," he called. "I need an assist." Frank bounded over from where he had been clawing at Leon as a bear, launching himself at Gration. With a few swipes from Frank, they had the needed help from a demigod to cause Gration to disintegrate. With a quick nod to Artemis, Percy followed Frank back to his fight against Leon.
By the time the all the giants were dust, Percy had still somehow kept his status as a god a secret, and had remained uninjured, meaning none of his ichor was on display. He surveyed his friends quickly, checking that they were ok; throughout the fight, he had been aware of them all, and knew they were all still alive, but he had no idea about if they were injured or not. Most of them had a few scratches and bruises, but Annabeth was bleeding quite badly from a long gash to her leg, the blood dripping down on the ground, and Jason was stemming a nosebleed, although the blood on his armor betrayed that he hadn't caught it in time to prevent it hitting the earth.
He watched as another drop of Annabeth's blood hit the ground, before steadying himself as the whole earth rumbled. All his friends looked at him, and he shook his head; he was not causing the earthquake. They glanced towards Poseidon, the earthshaker, to see he was also as shocked by the shaking earth as the rest of them. And then, echoing from all around them, they heard a call of, "Awake!"
"The Earth Mother has woken," Zeus said grimly.
"We need to get back to Camp Half Blood. That's where she'll be attacking," Percy said. The gods nodded, starting to discuss how to get them back halfway across the world to fight Gaia back at their home. Percy didn't say anything, all his being calling at him to get to Camp Half Blood and protect his friends, the demigods that were his to protect now.
Percy fought monster after monster, trying to protect as many of the demigods as he could, especially the younger ones or the ones he didn't recognize, knowing they were the most vulnerable. He protected all demigods, both Roman and Greek; they were all under his protection, whether they knew it or not. He could feel all the demigods around him and everywhere in the camp, and he could feel each time one of them died. He had small portions of his conscious paying attention solely to the eight demigods at camp that held his blessing, making sure they were ok, making sure that they survived.
He was vaguely aware of Jason, Leo, and Piper taking to the air, Gaia clutched in Festus' claws. Even as most of his focus was on fighting the monsters invading the camp, he was also paying attention to them and what they were doing with the primordial in the air. He knew that one of them was going to die – the prophecy spoke of it – and he wanted to make sure that as many of them survived as he could ensure. He froze as he felt Leo's death throughout his whole body, even as he heard the explosion that rocked through the air and plunged the Earth Mother back to sleep.
Percy wasn't truly aware as he helped with the clean-up. He was aware of each and every demigod, and the body of every demigod that lay motionless on the ground. He went through the motions of helping recover bodies and heal wounds and manage the clean-up of the rubble from broken structures around camp. His attention drifted everywhere, checking on every demigod, often circling back to his friends who held his blessing, even as his solid body continued through the motions that were expected of him.
And when everything was done, when the camp was as organized as it could be before rebuilding started, when all the pyres and shrouds were burnt and all goodbyes said, Chiron approached him.
"You have changed in your time away," Chiron said. Percy nodded, not bothering to disagree. He respected the aged centaur too much to lie to him, especially when he was hoping to remain at camp to help the demigods.
"I did. The Fates decided that demigods are mine to protect seeing as the other gods still ignore them," Percy agreed. Chiron's eyes widened slightly, understanding what Percy was saying.
"Shall we talk inside away from the ears of the children of Hermes?" Chiron suggested. Percy nodded. Knowing the Hermes children, as well as the curious nature of demigods in general, the coming conversation would probably be better inside. They headed into the Big House, both of them taking a seat in the front room, although Percy paused at the living leopard head hanging on the wall.
"That's Seymour, a parting gift from Mr. D before he was recalled to Olympus by his father."
"That does seem very typical of him," Percy agreed. "I think I know some of what you're going to ask, and only ask that we don't draw attention from the others."
"You want to keep it a secret?" Chiron asked, raising an eyebrow. Percy nodded.
"I do not want to think of the reactions from my uncle, and I do not want them to try and control me and tell me what I can and can't do, especially concerning the demigods. I am happy for the campers to know, even though I want it kept a secret from the gods. I think Annabeth is already thinking of designing me a cabin, and I hope that once it is done the unclaimed can stay in there instead of the Hermes cabin until their parent claims them. And that the children of minor gods would be able to stay in if their parent hasn't claimed a child before and they need a cabin built for them."
"Seeing as some of the demigods are waiting a week to be claimed now, I think everyone would be happy with that option. May I ask what you oversee? And what your official title is?"
"Officially and formally, I am Lord Perseus Alexie, god of natural disasters, poison, loyalty, and demigods. Unofficially, I hate formalities and I will protest if anyone calls me anything other than Percy, or if anyone kneels or bows to me."
"When did your blood change?"
"Down in the pit. I managed to control poison and felt something inside me break, which I later realized was the divinity and ichor in my veins burning away my mortality and blood."
"Would you want to continue staying in your father's cabin? Or would you prefer accommodation in the Big House?" Percy shrugged.
"I'm happy in dad's cabin, although when I start having siblings come again, I'd probably move either to my cabin or to the Big House."
"Very well. I shall have a room arranged for you in the Big House, so it is ready for you if you want it."
A few weeks later, most of the camp was rebuilt with the Romans' aid before they left to travel back to their camp – they were very efficient at building, meaning they could fix a cabin in a matter of hours. Annabeth had continued the construction and creation of more cabins for the minor gods, and Percy was sure that one of the new cabins was dedicated to him. He still hadn't said anything to the other campers about no longer being a demigod, but other than being more powerful and being able to sense where every single one of them was, nothing about him had really changed.
They were at lunch, Percy still sitting alone at the Poseidon table, Jason and Nico similarly alone at their respective tables, even while all the other tables were full of demigod children of the various gods, with the tables for the Olympians the fullest; Percy was still unsure if that meant that their children were easier to be found by satyrs, or if it meant the Olympians simply screwed around more often than the other gods. Percy filled his plate and headed to the brazier in the center of the pavilion, sacrificing a portion of his plate to his dad; he didn't need to sacrifice to Poseidon anymore, just as he didn't technically need food to survive, but he continued to keep up appearances, and because he would always appreciate eating food – he just made sure he also ate more nectar and ambrosia, considering both were the foods of the gods.
As he sat back down, the Athena table approached the brazier, each of them sacrificing a portion of their food to their mother. A sweet smell invaded his nose, and he suddenly received a small burst of energy and power, as if all the sugar from a chocolate bar had been injected into him at once. And with the energy and smell came the knowledge that it came from Annabeth, along with the words 'for Seaweed Brain'.
"Annabeth. I told you not to," he said, calling out across the pavilion so Annabeth could hear him over the noise of the rest of the pavilion.
"You can't stop me," she replied, grinning cheekily.
"I could hurt you."
"But you won't." Percy narrowed his eyes at her playfully, before sticking his tongue out at her. She was right. He couldn't stop her sacrificing things to him, and he wouldn't hurt her, or any demigod, for defying him.
Later that day, the councilors of the Olympian's cabins, along with Nico, had all managed to pass their responsibilities to their seconds for a few hours and had gathered in the arena for training. They had all, apart from Piper, fought in two wars, and Piper had had a lot of experience in the past months. Clarisse and Percy were sparring with each other, the others partnered off for sparring as well.
"What was the deal with you and Princess at lunch Prissy?" Clarisse asked as she jabbed her spear at him. Percy caught her spear with his sword, spinning as he turned the spear around on his sword and redirected it away from himself.
"She did something I told her not to do."
"She was nowhere near you." Percy shrugged, bringing his sword up to block a swipe at his head. They continued sparring back and forth for a couple of minutes before Clarisse managed to call first blood. She froze as she took in the colour of the liquid seeping out of the cut she had created on his arm, her spear lowering before dropping as she stared at the gold liquid.
"That's not red," Clarisse said. "That's not blood."
"I know," Percy said, glancing at his arm, which was already starting to heal itself; apparently, gods had quite a good healing factor. "It changes basically nothing. I'm still me."
"What the Hades Jackson! You can't just act casual about this. There is nothing fine or normal about this," Clarisse exploded, her voice drawing the attention of all the others sparring in the arena, calling a stop to every match as they all turned to see what Clarisse was yelling about.
"What's going on?" Annabeth asked as the demigods approached Clarisse and Percy.
"Clarisse called first blood," Percy said with a shrug.
"You can't just act casual about that bro. You haven't told them," Jason said, shaking his head in amusement.
"Well, now is as good a time as any I guess."
"Tell us what?" Conner asked curiously.
"Maybe why his blood is freaking gold!" Clarisse said. As one, all the councilors who didn't know about his ascension turned to stare at him.
"So, you know how Annabeth and I ended up in the pit? Yeah, I may have pushed my abilities further than I should have been able to and caused myself to ascend."
"And you didn't think to mention this earlier?" Katie asked in disbelief, crossing her arms as she stared at him, one eyebrow raised.
"I didn't particularly want the King to find out, and it's easier to hide if I don't mention it. He would have tried to prevent me from participating in the war and from staying at camp, and I am not leaving camp and abandoning you guys like the rest of them have."
"What about the Ancient Laws though?" Travis asked.
"What about them?" Percy shot back.
"I mean, the gods are always preaching about them and how they say the gods can't be involved with their children or interfere in demigod lives," Conner said. "It was kind of what caused the events of the Titan War to happen."
"And those whose domains cross over with demigods have exemptions and leeway with the Ancient Laws to let them manage their domains better. Like how Artemis is able to have her hunt, which is made of demigods and clear-sighted mortals and other females that are part of the divine world, because of her domain including maidens, and how she can kill monsters that fall under her domain of the Hunt."
"So how does that work for you?" Will asked. "You make it sound like you're included in those exemptions."
"One of my domains is demigods, so all of you fall under my protection and I have no real restrictions on how much I can interact with you. From what I understand from what the Fates have somehow told me, the only time I can't fully interact and directly interfere is if the demigods are on a quest, and even then, I can provide aid if they pray to me and ask for help, or through indirect help."
"One of your domains?" Jake asked. "You have more than one?"
"Natural disasters, poison, loyalty, and demigods."
"So what now? How does this affect everyone at camp? What does this mean for us?" Clarisse asked. Percy shrugged.
"Nothing really changes. I'll leave at the end of summer for a few days to talk to my mum and tell her what's going on, and then I'll come back and live here. I'll help the campers train and have childhoods and help protect them. I'll probably also keep an eye on Camp Jupiter as well, but they prefer a much more hands off approach." He shrugged again. "Chiron agreed that unclaimed demigods can stay in my cabin once it's built, since it can take up to a week to get claimed for some of them, and those who don't have a cabin can stay there until one is built for them, so they have their own space, and lets the Hermes cabin be only Hermes' kids. I'll be here even after Mr. D is allowed to leave. For everyone already at camp, nothing really changes. I will stand for you against the council if it comes to that, to allow you peace and retirement from quests if you want it. And should you agree to a quest in the future, I will watch over you and provide as much aid as I can."
"What should we call you?" Katie asked.
"Percy. I hate formalities too, so don't any of you dare kneel before me. I haven't changed at all, apart from my blood, and I don't want the way you treat me to change either."
"What name should we use to get your attention?" Travis asked.
"Perseus Alexie, if you really must," he said with a sigh. "And I draw the line at offerings."
"I still say you can't stop me, Seaweed Brain." With that comment, the tense atmosphere that had developed disappeared, the group falling into laughter as the familiar banter between the two started up.
Over the next months, the rest of camp discovered Percy's divinity. All the campers, especially those that had known him before Hera kidnapped him, barely cared. He had made it clear that he didn't want to be treated differently, so they did their best to treat him like he was a demigod still. He had taken over welcoming new demigods to camp in Chiron's place, having experience with explaining camp to newbies from his time as a councilor, as well as from his own experience. Plus, with his ability to sense demigods, he was almost always the first one to know that a new demigod had arrived or was approaching.
It was the first councilor meeting of the new summer season. Dionysus had returned to camp a few weeks prior, finally being told to return to the camp to complete his punishment sentence. This meeting was the first time both gods had been in a space together outside of meals, especially seeing as Percy had taken to doing his best to avoid the Olympian.
They were talking about the summer season that had just started and trying to work out timetabling when Percy felt a small buzz at the back of his head that he had long since learnt meant a demigod in camp had injured themselves. It took barely a moment to gather the information about who it was, how they had hurt themselves, and if another demigod was helping them already.
"Butch, after the meeting is over you might want to head over to the infirmary. Ashely broke her arm. Kayla's with her," he said, breaking into the conversation when there was a small lull in talk. Butch nodded, all of them well used to his now normal random mentions of a sibling getting hurt, especially if he was talking to a councilor. It was basically an instinct for Percy now, and he didn't even pay mind to the other god in the room, who he had been trying to hide his godly status from.
The meeting came to a close and each of the demigods filed out, nodding to Chiron and Percy as they left, before doing the same towards Mr. D; it was strange almost to have the god back at camp and at councilor meetings after him being missing for the past two years, and being here and there for a year beforehand.
"Perseus," Dionysus called before Percy could leave after Chiron. Percy stopped and turned so he was facing the Olympian, an eyebrow raised at the use of his correct name.
"Yes?" he asked.
"How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long have you been a god?"
"What makes you think I'm a god?"
"I am no fool Perseus. I was once a demigod too, who managed an ascension due to my own power rather than being gifted it upon death like Herakles and Asclepius. I can recognize when one stops being mortal and is instead an immortal." Percy stared at the other god for a few moments, studying him.
"Since Tartarus," Percy finally replied.
"A year?"
"Close enough."
"And yet the council remains oblivious. Even your beloved father."
"I don't care. They would simply try to push their rules and restrictions on me if they knew. And my father seems to care about me less now that I am not part of a prophecy that speaks of me either destroying or preserving Olympus." It was true. Before he had turned 16, and even on his 16th birthday in the aftermath of the war, he had seen his dad or been contacted by the god numerous times, many times more than any other demigod could claim they had seen their parent, unless you were a child of Dionysus. But he had heard nothing from Poseidon since he had been kidnapped by Hera or since the Giant War had been won. Even while they fought side by side against Polybotes, Poseidon had barely acknowledged him.
"He used to be more subtle in his shows of favor and protectiveness towards his children than he was with you before you turned 16. I assume you are trying to keep this situation a secret." Percy nodded.
"I find it amusing. How many years do you think it will take the council to notice a new god amongst us?" Dionysus asked.
"How long did it take them to notice that you had ascended?" Percy asked instead.
"12 years."
"I give it less than 10 until they notice me. Your father is quite paranoid when it comes to me and my powers."
"Yes, father does contemplate killing you quite often. I suppose this means you shall be around to bother me and annoy father for eternity now," Dionysus agreed.
"You know it," Percy agreed, before slipping out of the room. That hadn't gone as bad as he had thought it would.
The new god had been correct. It had been 8 years since Dionysus had approached him about his ascension, and the council seemed to have finally noticed that something was different about him. Dionysus was almost certain that the only reason they had noticed was because he was always at camp, even as the rest of the demigods who had fought in the wars left to live a life outside the Greek camp; the council had stopped thinking about killing the son of Poseidon since the Giant war – even though Zeus probably still wished to kill him – when he and Annabeth proved how far they would truly go to stop the enemies of the gods.
"Alexie," Dionysus called, approaching the younger god. He had taken to calling the younger by the part of his name that he was exhibiting most that day, meaning that most days the younger god was called Alexie; Perseus was only used when he was in his destructive moods, which were rare, especially around the demigods at camp. The few times when Dionysus had witnessed Perseus in a destructive mood, he lived up to his name as the destroyer and embodied his domains of both natural disasters and poison.
"Dionysus," Percy replied without stopping what he was doing. Dionysus waited for him to finish assisting one of the campers, a child of Nemesis if he remembered correctly, knowing that Alexie wouldn't stop helping one under his patronage just to talk to another god.
"Did something happen at the council meeting?" Percy asked as he turned to face the older god, since he knew that Dionysus would not normally return from a council meeting until Apollo's chariot was approaching the horizon. Dionysus nodded.
"Father has summoned you to Olympus for questioning. Questions have been raised about why you remain at camp even as the demigods of your generation have all long left."
"And I assume you were sent to fetch me? Why not Hermes?"
"I do not pretend to know how my father's mind works. Let us go so you can get back to your roles in camp and I can get more time with my dear Ariadne." Percy rolled his eyes, turning back to the child of Nemesis, who was still standing there.
"Do you think you can keep working on that idea without me Alex? I'll come find you when I return from Olympus, alright."
"Alright Alexie," the child, Alex said, inclining their head to both gods before walking off. Percy watched the child for a few moments before turning back to Dionysus.
"I fully blame you for the demigods calling me Alexie as well as Percy," he said. Dionysus shrugged, offering his arm to the other.
"Defender fits you just as well as your mortal moniker Alexie."
"I guess it's better than Perseus," Percy agreed, gripping he arm offered to him. "Let's go."
They disappeared in a flash of gold as Dionysus flashed the two of them to Olympus, outside the council room; Percy could have flashed himself, but that would alert other to his abilities as a god – plus, Dionysus had been teaching him about the general godly abilities, and he still didn't have total control over his flashing abilities and was just as likely to end up on Mt Olympus in Greece as he was to appear on Olympus above New York.
"Yes, Perseus only signals trouble for whoever made you embrace your destructive abilities," Dionysus said as Alexie released his arm. The two walked into the throne room, Dionysus growing until he was his godly size, matching the size of the other Olympians, sitting in his throne. Percy walked straight to the hearth, kneeling to Hestia before rising and facing Zeus, ignoring the annoyance displayed on Zeus' face for not kneeling to him, and for approaching Hestia first.
"Is there a reason I was summoned here? I was busy helping one of Nemesis' children."
"And the demigods are more important than we gods are?" Zeus demanded.
"I would assume that the hunters are more important to Artemis than the gods are."
"They are part of my domain however, so they will always be of great importance to me," Artemis said.
"Demigods should not be more important to another demigod than the will of the gods," Hera added.
"This isn't why you sent me to get Percy," Dionysus said.
"Yes father, you asked for Perseus to come for questioning," Athena said. Dionysus grimaced slightly at Alexie's destructive name, very much hoping that he wouldn't turn to his destructive side of his domains during this meeting, although he wouldn't hold his breath considering how his father and step-mother could be regarding demigods.
"You make a good point Athena. Why do you remain at Camp Half-Blood still boy?"
"I wish to help the demigods train and learn to survive."
"Even as all your friends have moved on to start their own lives outside of camp or in New Rome?" Athena asked, leaning forward.
"We all have different paths to follow in our lives," Percy said simply. "My path keeps me at Camp Half-Blood and aiding the campers."
"And what are you doing whilst at camp? Training your own powers? Training the demigods? Building an army of demigods loyal to you?" Hera asked. "We cannot let a demigod with such power continue getting stronger without monitoring them."
"I'm not building an army of demigods. I refuse to make those children into child soldiers. I am not you. I help the demigods. I help them with their training and with anything else they may need help with. And Dionysus is at camp; would he not qualify for whatever monitoring you think I need?"
"Yes father, is the council saying I am not able to keep an eye on those in the camp you sent me to?" Dionysus asked.
"Seeing as you have yet to mention how powerful he has gotten," Zeus said. "He is a threat you have not informed the council of."
"You are not going to kill my son brother," Poseidon said.
"I think you'd find it a lot harder to kill me than you think it would be," Alexie added calmly, crossing his arms as he stared passively at the King.
"What do you mean Percy?" Apollo asked. Alexie laughed; even though Apollo had spent time as a mortal, as Lester, and spent months at camp, he hadn't noticed that he had ascended.
"I told you he didn't notice," Percy said, looking directly at Dionysus.
"Yes, I suppose you did win that bet Alexie. Remind me to pay up when we get back to the infernal camp." Percy narrowed his eyes at Dionysus before relaxing again, spotting the flash of humor in the other god's expression.
"Why do you call Perseus, Alexie?" Poseidon asked, looking towards Dionysus.
"It's his name, obviously."
"And yet I thought you had a habit of calling none of the demigods by their actual name D," Hermes said. Dionysus didn't reply, simply raising an eyebrow at his half-brother.
"We have gone off topic again," Hera said. "The boy is getting too strong and should not have stayed at the camp even when the rest of his generation left. I say we kill him. Or if Poseidon will not allow that, we simply bar him from the Greek's camp." There were murmurs around the throne room, of both agreement and dissent from the various members of the council.
"You aren't going to take me away from the demigods at camp," Percy said, glaring at Hera.
"If the council wishes to, then who are you to stop us. What is a demigod against the powers of a god?" Hera said imperiously. Percy's glare increased in intensity, and the wind started whipping around him, ruffling his hair.
"I beat Ares in a fight at 12. I had Hades on his back with my sword to his throat in seconds at 15. I fought Titans before I was 16, and trekked through Tartarus, a place that only the Elder Six have been to and would never return to, a journey that Nico and Annabeth also underwent. And I have the support of every demigod at camp, and they would not hesitate to turn on you if you all turn on me, and that would leave you all powerless without your sacrifices and support and belief. Don't talk to me about the powers of demigods against gods," Percy growled. Dionysus stared at Perseus, who was fully embracing the destructive side of his nature, leaning back in his throne and doing his best to take all attention away from himself; he had gotten on the wrong side of Perseus once and he would not do it again, not for the next few centuries at least.
"Regardless of how powerful demigods are, and I am not denying how powerful many of the demigods have been and are, they still do not have the power to go against the council if we make the decision to bar them from entering one of the camps. Even you would not be able to prevent us barring you if Hera's idea gains enough support," Artemis said.
"Just try and bar me or any of the demigods from camp, from one of the only places in the country where they can be safe and live without the fear of monsters. Try it and you'll face my anger. And I will be well within my rights to take action against anyone who agrees to such a move. Camp is under my protection. None of you have a say in it anymore, other than claiming your children."
"Watch your tongue demigod," Zeus growled, thunder booming threw the throne room. Perseus growled low in his throat, not intimidated by the thunder at all. Instead, he slowly took control of the storm, stealing the winds and rain from Zeus until only the lightning wasn't his, turning the storm into what could nearly be classified as a hurricane; even as he stole the King's storm, he kept careful control on his abilities, making sure the near hurricane didn't touch the mortals in New York at all other than the rain from a storm slightly more aggressive than normal.
"You do not scare me Zeus. You may be my King, but I hold power borne not from a gift but from a forced acceptance. You thought I was powerful before, back when I was fresh from a fight with Kronos, even back when I had just held the sky. You have no idea of the power I hold now, and there is nothing you can do about it. My mother named me Perseus and I have embraced the title and the power of destruction that comes with it."
"You admit to trying to overthrow the gods," Ares said.
"I do not. What would I gain from trying to overthrow Olympus. I have no desire to rule. I simply warn you that I may seem peaceful, but I will not hesitate to embrace my title of Destroyer in order to protect the demigods."
"Give me back my storm," Zeus demanded. "If you can take a storm from me, you are too powerful to be allowed."
"It's not your storm anymore. It's my hurricane. And I would not be this strong if the Fates didn't will it."
"Perseus, be careful. We are still gods and hold power over you," Poseidon warned.
"Haven't you wondered, father, why I no longer sleep in your cabin at camp? I know you can tell when I am in your cabin, and you have to have wondered why I no longer use it, even as I stay at camp," Percy said, turning to face his dad, seeming calm even as he stood in the middle of his hurricane, ignoring Poseidon's warning.
"I wondered yes, but it is your business. I simply assumed you stay in the Big House now that you are an adult.
"You would be wrong. I stay in my own cabin, in a separate room to where the unclaimed and unhoused demigods stay. You gods do not hold power over me because I am not what you believe. I am not a demigod."
"You ascended?" Aphrodite asked, her eyes lighting up; she had always wondered why Percy and Annabeth had gone their separate ways, but if he become a god then it would make sense. Percy turned to look at her, the hurricane calming down as they turned away from threatening his demigods.
"How? You denied becoming a god," Hades said, finally speaking up from where he had been watching the proceedings in his temporary throne.
"The immortality in the ichor in my veins became too strong for my mortal blood and burned my mortality away."
"How long have you been a god?" Artemis asked.
"A few years now. I am still very much a baby god."
"How many years? When did you ascend?" Athena asked.
"I ascended while in Tartarus," Alexie answered calmly, ignoring the glare Zeus was sending at him as the hurricane fully disappeared.
"That's why the seven were all fighting in pairs even while working with us, apart from the one on the ship," Ares realized. "You were hiding the fact that you were a god, and you alone with a god wouldn't have killed a Giant."
"And that would explain why the demigods of the seven didn't seem as scared as they should have been going into a fight against the Giants without a god before we arrived. They were not without a god," Athena added, her eyes lighting up as if a question she had been trying to answer for years had finally solved itself; knowing how her children often were and how worked up they got over questions, she probably had been trying to work that out since the battle.
"Did you not think to mention to any of us that you had ascended almost 9 years ago since the Giant war was won?" Poseidon asked. Percy shrugged.
"The seven know. Annabeth worked out I ascended even before I did. Nico and Reyna know. Chiron worked out something was different when I returned, so he knows. All the demigods at camp know, I didn't even try to keep it a secret from the ones of my generation because they deserved to know and those who arrived after it happened simply see it as another fact of camp. The Romans know as I told Reyna she could tell them after the Greek demigods found out. And Dionysus figured it out."
"You didn't think to tell me that my son had become a god?" Poseidon asked, staring at Dionysus, who was no longer trying to hide in his throne, seeing as Alexie had calmed down.
"It is not my fault that you did not recognize his differences when you saw him after his ascension. I realized it within days of seeing him again and only waited to approach him about it after witnessing his ability use at a councilor meeting. Like recognizes like. You all seem to have forgotten that I was not born a god, but became one through an ascension triggered by my own increased powers over something my godly parent wasn't related to," Dionysus said. "I simply thought it would be amusing to see how long it would take for you to notice a new god, seeing as it took 12 years to notice my ascension."
"You are Perseus Alexie, the destroyer and defender," Apollo said.
"I am," Percy confirmed.
"So you are the one I have been seeing mentions of by demigods in glimpses of all the various futures." Percy nodded.
"Why do you stay at the demigod's camp after becoming a god? You know of the Ancient Laws that forbid us from interacting with demigods," Hera said.
"I stay at the camp because the demigods need me. They need someone who understands and who has the power to protect their rights as humans. And I know how all the Ancient Laws affect the demigods, and I know all the Ancient Laws that affect how we interact with demigods," Alexie said. "Someone whose domain does not coincide with demigods in not allowed to reside in an official demigod hearth, such as the camps. The only reason that Dionysus is allowed to stay there is his patronage of the LGBTQ+ community, which includes many demigods. Any god whose domain does not coincide with demigods can interact with demigods, including their own children, as much as they want, if they are not harming the demigod, and not interfering in a quest outside of their official duties. You simply ignore the true meanings of the Laws in order to suit your own agender of ignoring the demigods."
"You can not remain at the camp," Zeus declared. "We can not have a god living there, regardless of what you say about the Ancient Laws."
"And you have no right interfering with what I do in my domain," Perseus snarled, his eyes starting to glow a bright, poisonous green, his aura flaring around him, the poisonous green outline overpowering the periwinkle. "Natural disasters. Poison. Loyalty. And demigods. The demigods are part of my domain, and you can't tell me how to care for them."
"They are our children," Ares said.
"And yet you don't care about them. I got you to swear to claim them by the time they are 12, and you push it to the limits. Many stay in my cabin for weeks and months until you remember to claim them. Just because they are under the age limit does not mean you can ignore them and not claim them until you have to. You have shown that you barely care for them outside what they can do for you in the means of quests and losing their innocence fighting in your wars. So you do not get a say in their lives apart from the claim of giving the seed to birth them. They're my demigods now. And none of you can change that."
With that, Perseus disappeared in a bright gold flash; he may not have been exact with his flashing yet, but he was always able to return back to the camp with ease. It was his camp, his home, and he would always defend it, even from the other gods. No matter what the council said.
The demigods were his now. And he would always be there for them, even when their parents weren't.