Chapter 1: Prologue
On Olympus (August 3rd)
It'd been two days since the Earth Mother returned to her dirt nap, and with Leo's sacrifice still fresh in his mind, Percy was in no celebrating mood. The rest of the Seven and Nico felt the same way, all still able to picture their idiotic genius ship admiral grappling with the primordial of Earth hundreds of feet in the air on the back of his best friend: a 60 foot Celestial Bronze dragon. Even in his grief, Percy couldn't help but smile at the flashiness of the most Leo way to go out.
In spite of that, the gods insisted on a celebration to follow the defeat of their greatest enemy. The familiar ding of the elevator reaching the 600th floor freed the seven demigods from the torment of Love Is Blue playing the entire way up. As they spilled out onto the landing, they let out a collective gasp.
A wide golden bridge with intertwined shining silver and bronze railings connected them to the bulk of the floating landmass that was the home of the gods. They walked across the bridge with six of the seven demigods gawking in various directions, eyes wide as if taped up and jaws dragging behind them.
As the modern acropolis grew nearer, the demigods were hypnotized by the features adorning this paradise.
Hazel and Nico stared at the buildings surrounding the central plaza; traditional Greek columns adorning the entrances, modern sloping ceilings making up many of the roofs with periodic Roman domes over the rest to provide a feeling of symmetry.
Frank looked past the plaza, focusing on the beautiful parks that spilled towards the throne room doors. Luscious trees from every corner of the world grew in the parks, with their respective dryads bustling around making preparations or arguing on riverfronts with naiads sitting on their banks.
Piper and Jason's eyes were transfixed on buildings adorning either the far right or left sides of Olympus: the palaces of the gods. Piper, looking off to the right, mentally traced the 6 palaces on her side.
Hera, Demeter, Apollo, Ares, Dionysus, she named as she guessed who owned each one. Deliberately skipping over it for last, her eyes now settled on the bright pink, plastic-looking castle that was obviously her mother's. She grimaced for a second at how over the top it was, but was dumbstruck at what she saw at the top: a gigantic glowing pink heart? This palace must've been designed by Barbie, she thought to herself and realized that was essentially the truth.
Jason did the same over the other side, mentally assigning Mercury, Vulcan, Diana, Minerva, Neptune until he came across a dark grey citadel that radiated power. He saw lightning periodically snake across the walls in a striking blue color, and he smiled as he named his father, Jupiter.
Percy's eyes hadn't left the fountain that dominated the floor of the central plaza. Made purely of Olympian Silver, a metal exclusive to Olympus, it exuded a shine that Celestial Bronze and Imperial Gold couldn't hope to compete with. Its winding frame reached 30 feet into the air, tangling with its other branches to create an intricate pattern complimented by the sea green water the fountain carried. Sea green. In the central figure of the city of gods, Annabeth had immortalized the color of his eyes. Gods I love her, he thought as he finally tore his gaze from the fountain and drank in the rest of Annabeth's grand redesign of Olympus. Only my Wise Girl could've pulled this off, Percy said to himself as he finally closed his mouth and turned to just look at her.
Annabeth was the one that had kept her composure, but her eyes shone with pride and a level of satisfaction at her handiwork. Aside from the palaces of the gods, Annabeth had either repaired or designed everything in the city during her time as the Architect of Olympus following the Second Titan War. It was the most ambitious task she had ever undertaken and she could tell by her friends' reactions that she had been more than up for the job.
The group came to a stop in the center of the courtyard, taking seats along the edge of the fountain as they waited for the doors of the throne room to open and beckon them. Percy sat shoulder to shoulder with Annabeth as he enjoyed the view around him.
"Annabeth, I can't believe you did all this," Percy said as his eyes darted from building to building, marveling at what she had made.
"I need to make some changes soon. Arches like the ones in New Rome would look amazing in some of these corner buildings," Annabeth said seriously while a small smile tugged at her lips from his praise.
"Always looking for an upgrade. Another one of the reasons I lov-"
A piercing shriek interrupted their conversation. It was a dryad from the nearest part of the park, still screaming as she stumbled and fell backwards, pointing frantically at the sky. The wind whipped up, buffeting the group along with every satyr, minor god, naiad, or dryad in a hundred foot radius. A vast shadow began to descend over the courtyard with a creaking groan and a repetitive pulse emanating from the center of it.
Crossbows and catapults the size of small houses seemed to materialize from the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the plaza, each manned by a Cyclops immediately training the sights on the figure casting the silhouette.
Creaking and groaning? And that rhythm has to be a wingbeat… Festus? Jason thought to himself before leaping into action. Reinvigorated with hope and a nauseating fear of once again losing who he thought this was, Jason propelled himself into the air using the abundant available wind.
"DON'T SHOOT! STAND DOWN!" he commanded, amplifying his voice using the winds. He was a son of Jupiter so the Cyclopes had to obey. They dearmed their weapons and, as Jason looked away for half a second, disappeared along with their artillery as if they were never there.
The creaking got louder and the lowering figure took the shape of the dragon he and Piper remembered so well from their first adventure together. Both of them had tears in their eyes as there was only one person that could've been deranged enough to attempt and successfully invade Olympus from the sky.
Festus touched down in the nearly empty plaza as everyone had ducked into alleyways to avoid the windy commotion. The seven demigods jumped to their feet and ran towards the mildly battered dragon, no doubt having taken a few hits from the defending wind gods on the way up to Olympus. Each of them held their breath as they waited for their silent wish to come true.
"What's up, party people? This is the Gaea-being-the-loser party right?" An impish voice called out, quickly followed by the newly undeceased Leo sliding down Festus' wing alongside a beautiful girl with almond eyes. The demigods remained silent, taking a moment to enjoy multiple days of grief being wiped away by a couple words and the dramatic entrance of a flamboyant little elf boy.
"Tough crowd. Did somebody die?" he continued, wiggling his eyebrows. This broke Jason out of his stupor and he went up to hug him with Piper, but not before softly punching him both for that stupid joke and to make sure he was actually here. The others cheered in a little welcome followed by a bigger group hug, and in that moment, the people hiding in the alleys put together just who this was.
A thunderous cheer and applause went up from around the plaza as the hero who died defeating Gaea had inexplicably (to them) survived the feat. As they broke apart, Piper was nearly sobbing and Jason had barely pulled himself together, with the occasional tears still forcing their way out. The rest beamed at Leo as he dramatically bowed to his vast audience before turning back to his friends.
"Now that we've gotten my super cool welcome out of the way, guys, I want you to meet-"
"Calypso", Percy finished, a guilty feeling built up in his throat as he put together where they had just come from. Leo had done the impossible and found Ogygia twice, and accomplished what Percy had claimed to have wanted to do following the Titan War.
Calypso was matching Leo's style now, wearing cargo pants cropped at the ankles, a black t-shirt, and an olive green jacket made of the same fabric as Leo's camo one. Her clothes and face had some grime on them from them trying to fix Festus mid-flight against those wind gods, and Leo thought she was still the most beautiful girl in the world.
She smiled at Percy and started talking with the rest that she hadn't met before. Calypso made it known to Percy that she held no grudge against him for not being able to ensure his promise, which did little to help as he still felt responsible. As the group talked, Jason playfully whispered to Leo,
"Dude how'd you get this lucky?" while gesturing towards Calypso. Leo didn't even make a joke back; he just smiled and shrugged because he constantly wondered the exact same thing.
At that moment, the doors to the throne room swung open and bathed the city in an ethereal light. The last of the sorrow hanging in the air dissipated as the newly reunited demigods happily made their way into the throne room for their awards ceremony.
The Hall of the Gods was just as breathtaking as it was the last time Percy was here for the awards ceremony after Kronos' defeat. It was the size of Madison Square Garden and had torches and braziers lining the columns that encircled the room. Between the columns were tapestries of the various conquests of the gods from the original defeat of Kronos to last year's tombing of Typhon.
That's new, Percy thought to himself, wondering if this was also Annabeth's doing. As if reading his mind, she turned and smirked at him to signify a yes. The most impressive part of the room was still the center; 12 Olympian thrones with their respective deities sitting on them, surrounding a glowing hearth that warmed you in a way a mortal fire never could.
The Seven plus Nico and now Calypso stood a bit awkwardly amidst the brief but grateful applause of 13 gods. As it died down, Hades flashed in with a spark of black and his guest throne materialized at the end of the now-lopsided U formation made by the other 12.
The demigods bowed and began to head to the foot of their respective parents' thrones with Calypso following Leo to Hephaestus'. It'd be a bit awkward for the daughter of a Titan to stand alone in front of the deities that were essentially her cousins. Percy made sure to stop and say hello to Hestia, who was sitting in her usual place by the hearth, before kneeling in front of Poseidon's throne.
Poseidon looked at his son with pride as Zeus began speaking, "Rise, heroes." They all looked to face him as he continued, "You all have been integral in saving the world from one of the most dangerous forces to have ever existed, some of you twice in just over a year," addressing Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Nico's roles in the Second Titan War. "And for your valorant actions, you all must be rewarded," he finished.
The excitement sunk in for the group as they wondered what their rewards would be. Zeus cleared his throat, seemingly annoyed about something. As he started to speak, Percy rolled his eyes as he realized it had to do with Zeus' iron pride,
"Normally, I would have liked to have started with my son, but I must give credit where it is due. Leo Valdez, step forward," he thundered. "Before you are rewarded, explain how you are here."
Leo strolled to the center of the room, holding his signature mischievous grin the entire way. He pulled out the empty vial that previously held the Physician's Cure. Using it as a prop, he explained from the moment his explosion with Gaea lit up the sky, detailing Festus injecting him with the cure, him retrofitting the dragon with Odysseus' astrolabe, and ending with him finding Ogygia again to keep his promise to Calypso. Throughout his miniature play, Leo used the vial to act as itself, Festus, Leo, and Ogygia, much to the confusion of the parties listening.
After pausing for a moment, Zeus nodded and looked over at Hephaestus whose normally stoic face was contorted with a smile of pride.
"Son, what you've accomplished in this war deserves praise I don't have the words for," Hephaestus began. "Instead, I want to offer you a place to start working with me from Olympus as a partner of sorts. You'd be granted immortality and I'm sure you want your own forge which would be near my palace. And -"
"WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!" Leo shouted, cutting off his dad and earning light laughter from around the room. Leo was ecstatic at the thought of being able to work with the God of the Forge and the unlimited resources that would be available, but he had a non-negotiable condition. He walked over to Calypso and took her hand.
"Dad, it'd be so cool to do that but I can only say yes if Calypso can stay here too," he said, never looking away from her smiling face.
"If you had let me finish boy, you would have heard me say that she can live with you in your forge if she wishes to do so," Hephaestus said, playfully sounding exasperated. Leo couldn't have shouted his "yes" faster, and he began to glow with a fiery aura. As it dissipated, Leo realized he was now fully immortal and quickly took a seat with Calypso beneath his dad's throne, excited to try out his undoubtedly stronger powers.
"Jason Grace!" Zeus thundered while shifting to his Roman form, happy to move on to his own son. "As leader of the successful quest-" His sentence was interrupted by an audible groan from Poseidon and an eye roll from Jason himself before continuing, "I wish to commend your efforts against Gaea along with your commanding of last year's raid on Mount Othrys with the bestowal of godhood."
Jason, still kneeling in front of his father, looked up with his eyes wide before he regained his composure. He had expected this but it was still an unbelievable thing to hear and process. Regardless, he already had something else in mind with Piper.
"Father, I am honored at the offer but-" he faltered under the scrutinizing eyes of Jupiter, which were much harsher than Zeus'. Piper stepped up next to him and gripped his hand tightly; it was a joint wish so it was only fair she was with him if there was any backlash.
With Piper beside him, Jason was able to steel his nerves and complete his thought, "I'd like to have a delayed immortality for both Piper and I, instead of godhood for just one, and allow us to live a somewhat normal life together in New Rome until we finish college before the whole 'live forever' thing kicks in," he finished, hoping he wouldn't get smited by Jupiter's glare alone.
It turns out, Jason's wish wasn't what had Jupiter so irritated. "It appears my son has been taking some lessons from your's aboard that ship, brother. We've had godhood rejected both of the last times we've offered it. But your wish is amicable and shall be granted in the original's place," Jupiter groaned out through gritted teeth, side eyeing Poseidon who was stifling a smile.
Aphrodite all but jumped out of her throne in happiness at the love she felt between her daughter and Jason, while feeling immense pride at Piper's role in lulling Gaea to sleep. She squealed as she made Piper glow a soft pink while Jason radiated a lighting blue. Afterwards, they both returned to their respective parents, eager to try out their newly heightened abilities that apparently couldn't be delayed like their immortality could.
"Hazel Levesque!" Zeus boomed out after reverting to his original form, followed by a gesture towards Hades who was now Pluto. Hazel kneeled apprehensively in front of her father as she was still an escaped soul. Before Pluto could begin, Nico signaled for him to become a normal size so he could whisper something to him. After shrinking, Pluto listened for a second before looking at Nico quizzically, who just nodded in confirmation. Pluto surprisingly smiled in acknowledgement.
"My daughter, you have been through so much in both your lifetimes. You risked it all for the people around you while knowing there was a chance you'd have to return to the underworld after it was all over. After hearing Nico's suggestion, I believe we have a solution that fits your unique criteria." Pluto returned to his godly height and spread his hands that had begun to glow black.
"Hazel Levesque. You have taken Nico's place and are now Princess of the Underworld, the direct heir to my throne. Although you are to remain mortal, your curse over jewels has been lifted and you are definitively exonerated from the Fields of Asphodel." Pluto shot a beam of darkness into Hazel and she began to glow a midnight black, a set of armor flickering onto her for a split second, before she returned to her normal form.
Hazel stared disbelievingly at Nico before enveloping him in a hug and crying several thank you for once again saving her life. She quickly bowed to Pluto who, to the shock of the council, came down to hug her softly for a second before returning to his throne. Hazel sat back down, reeling from her new position and the fact that her dad, of all gods, had just shown public affection to her.
"Frank Zhang!" Zeus' tone held a slight impatience to it. He truly was both grateful and proud of these demigods, though he'd never admit it out loud, but he was ready to get this wrapped up so the real party could begin.
Ares shifted to Mars and bounded from his throne, landing in front of Frank in his human size. Mars saluted him in the traditional Roman style, and Frank returned it.
"Praetor of the Legion, eh? Not too bad..." Mars began, trying to sound indifferent but he knew his eyes gave it away. "For your duty and leadership to your cohort, your legion, and your friends, I have a gift that I have not given any of my children before."
Mars unstrapped his rifle from his back and it transformed into a spear, nearly identical to the one Mars gave Frank before his quest to Alaska. He handed it to Frank, who took it tentatively. Frank examined it and the only difference was that instead of a drakon tooth at the end, this one had a tip of Olympian Silver with an engraving of a wolf's head on either side of it.
"This is Ultor, after my title of Mars Ultor. As Praetor, you will be the leader your troops look to in times of battle. At any time, you may use the power imbued within the spear to rally your legion together. But as you know, Ultor means avenger. If you use it at a time when you are losing the battle, you will see its full power as a tool of vengeance. As a Roman, you fight to win but it would be unwise to not plan for possible failure."
Frank looked dumbfounded at the weapon of legend that nobody was truly sure existed. He went to kneel but was stopped with his father's hands on his shoulders.
"You did good, son. And I talked to Poseidon about your ancestral shapeshifting abilities," he trailed off while looking towards the sea god. Poseidon nodded in their direction and Frank felt a surge of power within him. "You now have full control over them. Your shifts should be much more fluid and require less stamina. Your pool is bigger now, too. While it was originally just any animal, you can now also become any monster that isn't sentient," Mars finally finished.
In his shock, Frank involuntarily displayed his new power and turned into a hellhound, causing all of his friends and a few of the gods to roar with laughter. He sheepishly reverted to his normal self and thanked his father again with a salute. Mars reflected it and the two returned to their respective seats.
"Nico di Angelo!" Zeus was now lightly tapping his foot in his restlessness. Pluto returned to his Greek form as Nico rose to face him.
"Son, it seems to be a constant for my children to suffer more than most, even at such a young age", Hades said while glaring daggers at Zeus. The king of the gods rolled his eyes but knew his anger was justified.
"Just during this quest, you journeyed through Tartarus alone, led The Seven to the Doors of Death, and transported the Athena Parthenos halfway across the world. I believe these are feats worthy of our greatest gift," Hades finished, looking icily around the room as he dared any Olympian to disagree.
Zeus grumbled but he begrudgingly agreed as he began to speak.
"In light of our last two rejections, the council will instead grant you a wish of your choice with godhood as a possible option, without being directly offered," Zeus said, holding onto the last of his pride regarding the gift's importance. Nico smirked, already knowing what he wanted.
"I would like my father's throne to be made permanent on Olympus, giving him the official status of being an Olympian."
The throne room was enveloped in a tense silence, and Nico expected some fighting to break out. Percy smiled proudly at Nico for his selfless wish. Zeus' face was beet red, both from another rejection and the thought of his influence over the council lessening with the addition of his powerful brother. He opened his mouth, obviously to deny it, but Athena spoke before him,
"Father, we must adhere to our promise. And it is a good wish, even if it will make the council uneven. In both wars, Hades and his children have been essential to our victories."
Zeus hated how often Athena was right. He relented a grunt in response and raised his hand in a fist towards Hades' guest throne. The other Olympians did the same, each sending a blast of light that temporarily blinded the demigods in the room.
When the light died down, Hades was sitting in an all-black throne with skulls adorning the armrests. The base of the throne had a string of bones that circled it and snaked up towards the seat. Translucent trapped souls resided within the black marble that made up the body of the throne, shifting aimlessly like fish in a tank.
Hades hadn't said a word since Nico offered his desire to return the throne. He stepped down and shrunk until he was eye level with his son. Gratitude shone in his eyes as he put a hand on each of his shoulders. They glowed black and the light enveloped Nico.
Hades stepped back and Nico shuddered for a second before he realized he felt much stronger than before.
"That was my full blessing; it will enhance your control over my domain significantly. Although you gave your sister your princedom, you are now my highest lieutenant. Thank you for restoring my honor to me, son." Hades returned to his throne with a small smile on his face.
Nico sat down and was quickly enveloped in a tight hug from his sister, incredibly appreciative that Hades' new position should remove the stigma his children have had to deal with for thousands of years.
Zeus was now fiddling with his Master Bolt as his agitation reached a crescendo.
I guess not even gods can escape ADHD, Percy thought to himself.
"ANNABETH CHASE!" Zeus bellowed, much louder than he had meant to as thunder cracked overhead. Athena shot him a cross look before her eyes landed proudly on her daughter.
"Annabeth, you have returned to me what none of my other children were able to. Recovering my Parthenos could only have been completed by a child worthy of what I wish to give you. You will be the only mortal in our history granted access to the Olympus Library further down in the Hall of the Gods, and my personal collection within my palace. An office of sorts will be built for you in the library for when you are here."
At her mother's words, Annabeth now had to use every last bit of her willpower to remain upright.
"Th-thank you mother," Annabeth choked out, her stormy eyes unable to hide her impossible excitement. Percy wanted nothing more than to run out and hug her and kiss her and celebrate with her, but he knew it wouldn't be appropriate. His jumbled thoughts must've reached her because she looked at him for a second and he knew she got the message.
Annabeth took her seat, her mind racing at a million miles per hour at the thought of what unknown knowledge she'd now have access to. It was just Percy left now, and Zeus grumbled before he announced him, knowing this wouldn't be anywhere near as smooth as Athena's daughter's.
"Perseus Jackson!" Zeus barked, not even attempting to hide the annoyance at the scene he knew was coming. Percy's eyes glittered, enjoying his uncle's irritation, as he made his way to the center of the room.
"Percy," Poseidon began, "there's no need for words when it comes to the acknowledgement of everything you have done for us, your friends, and the world. As little as my brother wishes to admit it, we are all in agreement that we would like to make you a god."
Poseidon awaited his son's response with a little hope in his heart, eager to have Percy at his side as his lieutenant. He knew it was an impossible wish from the look he saw on Percy's face. Still, he felt immense pride knowing that he was once again about to forgo the dream of nearly every hero in history in favor of some wish that had nothing to do with him.
"I can tell you already know my response, dad," said Percy, absolutely sure about what he wanted more. Zeus harrumphed from his throne, irked at the third direct denial of godhood with two coming from the SAME demigod.
"Tell us your desire then, boy." Zeus figured it would be a package deal similar to Jason and Piper's. He could live with that; the two-time hero of Olympus opting to follow in his son's footsteps.
"It's actually two things, but it's going to count as one because you had already accepted the second one," Percy said, some slight irritation in his voice at that last part. Zeus raised an eyebrow questioningly, allowing him to continue.
"I want Lady Hestia's throne returned to her. She gave it up for an alcoholic narcissist just to keep the peace between you all. Making her an Olympian again would even the number to 14 following Nico's wish, and I believe you all know she's stopped a dozen civil wars from breaking out of this room just from her seat at the hearth," Percy finished.
The council fell completely silent, some looking to Dionysus and expecting him to turn Percy into a dolphin. It turns out, he'd been asleep in his throne for the entire meeting. The rest were a mixture of pondering faces, appreciative smiles at the recognition of their most benevolent relative, and a fuming Zeus at the thought of yet another powerful god having a throne. Hestia looked with wide eyes that were brimming with tears at the demigod who never forgot to acknowledge her, giving up immense power just to return her seat to her.
"Now Perseus, two new Olympians-" Zeus began
"Lord Zeus, I'm sorry for cutting you off and again for what I'm about to say. Look at me and tell me Lady Hestia does not deserve a seat on this council." Percy tensed, wincing in advance as he knew this gamble could very easily get him killed. Poseidon's hand went to his trident just in case as Zeus' knuckles turned white around his master bolt.
Despite how badly Zeus wanted to smite this perpetual pain in his side off of the face of the earth, (and it was damn badly) he knew he couldn't deny his sister her rightful place. His hand relaxed and he leaned back in his throne.
"I cannot. But speak to me like that again and I won't hesitate to punish you accordingly," Zeus threatened. This earned a glare from Poseidon but Zeus paid it no attention as the now 13 Olympians raised their fists at the currently empty spot that would complete the U-shape of thrones.
An oaken brown throne rose from the floor and matched the height of the others. Hestia stood from her place at the hearth and wrapped Percy in an embrace that gave him the same feeling he gets whenever he and his mom sit on her couch in front of their fireplace.
"Thank you, Perseus. I won't ever forget this," she whispered as she let go and took her seat on the throne. It roared to life in tandem with the hearth as the top of the throne began to glow orange, the middle an almost-red, with the bottom remaining oaken. The throne flickered continuously and comfortingly, and Percy realized there was a literal fire contained within it.
A newfound sense of completeness filled the room, no doubt an effect of Hestia's warm fire burning more brightly than before as her Olympian family seemed completely united. Any residual anger drained from Zeus' face as he smiled at the fact his eldest sister had her title returned, albeit by that little spawn of Poseidon. He then remembered,
"And what was your second wish, Perseus?" Zeus asked. Percy's face seemed to darken by a fraction.
"It's an ask that you all already promised me, but it's just as much my fault that I didn't see it through," he said as he looked apologetically at Calypso. "I was told that peaceful titans and alleged enemies to the gods would be pardoned and freed from their respective prisons."
Zeus only nodded, knowing that they hadn't held up their end of the bargain as Gaea had captivated their attention following the promise made at the end of the Titan War. Percy started again,
"Calypso has already been freed thanks to our ship captain," Percy said, sharing a smile with the couple, "so I believe that only leaves Lady Leto." The twin Olympians sat up in their seats at the mention of their mother they hadn't seen in millenia.
"Alright Perseus. Our oath will be kept following the celebration," Zeus said, his readiness for the party returning. Percy's eyes narrowed and he spoke,
"I'd like it to happen now, Lord Zeus." Zeus was itching to get this over with so he just rolled his eyes and disappeared in a bolt of lightning. He reappeared a few seconds later with a woman wearing a peplos and a confused look on her face. Percy could see the resemblance immediately; she had Apollo's eyes and a nearly identical face structure as Artemis. She really was quite beautiful in an immensely powerful Titaness sort of way.
"Why have you brought me here?" Leto asked Zeus distrustfully. Her eyes began to scan the room, first looking at Percy before shifting towards the thrones. Before anyone could respond, she was crushed by a hysterical Apollo who had bounded from his throne with Artemis shortly behind him, trying and failing to maintain her composure at the sight of their mother.
As they pulled away from their little group hug a few minutes later, each of their eyes were rimmed red from tears with Apollo's being several degrees worse. Apollo then ran over to Percy and hugged him too.
"Thank you, Jackson. You ever need anything, just ask and I'll probably think about it," he said while flashing his million-watt smile, pulling himself together. He then bounded back to talk to his mother while occasionally gesturing towards Percy. Artemis walked up to Percy and put her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm grateful for what you've done today, Perseus," she said. Percy bowed to her and shook his head.
"Thank you Lady Artemis, but I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise earlier," he said a bit solemnly. Artemis smirked at him.
He really isn't like any of the rest, she thought to herself. Before she could respond, her mother made her way to them.
"So it seems it is you I have to thank for my freedom," Leto said, smiling. Percy's eyes widened, but before he could find the words to disagree she embraced him as well.
"Apollo told me about your penchant for modesty, so I won't be giving you the chance," she said as she pulled away. Percy decided on the simple route by smiling and nodding, trying not to wince at the impossible strength behind her hug.
The twins began to make their way towards their respective thrones before they started bickering about who their mother should sit with, much to the amusement of the rest of the council and present demigods. As the shouting escalated and began to get physical, Zeus shot his bolt into the sky to silence them.
"Now that we are finally done, let us begin our celebration!" Zeus boomed. He flicked his wrist towards Dionysus, jolting him awake with a small shock of a few million volts. Dionysus groggily clapped twice, disappearing in a plume of purple smoke, and the doors of the throne room burst open.
The demigods stared in awe at the sight before them. It was the same city they were sitting in before their ceremony, except now it was packed with bodies and the air of a party. The parks seemed to glow gold, music blared across the entire city, and people danced in every street, alley, and on the roof of every building. Fireworks littered the starry sky above them. Demigods and Olympians all began to shuffle down the steps towards the city, with only Percy and his father staying behind.
"Perseus, I am incredibly proud of the choices you made with your reward today. I could not wish for a better son," Poseidon said, meaning every word of it. Percy blushed at the praise, having never heard his dad talk this openly with him before.
"Thanks, dad. I just did what I thought needed to happen. Are you ready to go down with the rest of them?" Percy asked. Poseidon shook his head.
"You go on ahead, I have some urgent business to take care of in Atlantis. Enjoy the night."
"Oh, I hope it's all good. Bye, dad."
"Goodbye, Perseus."
Percy made his way down the steps and Poseidon contentedly watched him meet up with his friends. As he walked back to his throne to get his trident, he thought about how far Percy had come in such a short time. With a small smile on his face, Poseidon hit the floor with his trident and flashed to Atlantis, appearing in a room of absolute black.
(Line Break)
At the borders of Camp Half Blood
A man covered in a hood leaned against the pine tree that held the Golden Fleece, absently watching a scrawny boy fight a hellhound. The kid, looking around 16 or 17, sounded closer to 12 or 13 with the shrieks emanating from him as he swung his sword wildly. The hellhound stayed out of reach of the swipes, eyeing the boy hungrily and simply waiting for him to tire out.
"Help me!" the kid shouted to the man, who didn't seem to react to the statement. The boy continued to swing desperately even after realizing the hellish canine's gameplan. He decided to put all he had left into one attack. The boy stepped forward, holding his blade up and behind his head, and slashed downward with all of his remaining strength.
It came within a few inches of the dog's head. Being the size of a bear, it should not have been agile enough to lower its head and sidestep the slice the way it did. Wasting not even a second, it bounded forward and rammed the boy in the chest, laying him out onto his back. The boy justifiably cried out at the pain in his sternum as the hellhound stood over him, salivating as it got ready to bite into his neck.
As it opened its fangs and reared back to bite, the hooded man held out his hand and an icy spear impaled the dog through the mouth. The hellhound dissolved into golden dust as the kid kicked away from it and towards the man.
"What took so long?" the kid asked, still in blinding pain. The man threw him a square that looked like a Graham Cracker, obviously food of some sort. The kid picked it off the ground and took a bite, shaking involuntarily as warmth flooded his nerves.
"That's ambrosia, Cameron, the god food I told you about," the hooded man started, "it looks like you'll be eating it a lot because you've got a long way to go if you ever want to take down Percy Jackson."
The kid snorted at the name he'd heard so many times from the hooded figure, assuming it was all an exaggeration. Percy wasn't really someone that had the experience to defeat Titans and Giants; he was barely older than Cameron.
"Go past this tree and down to that big house. You'll meet a centaur and stay with him until tomorrow morning. I'll be back to claim you as my son around noon. Don't start anything until then," he said the last part warningly.
The boy nodded warily at the glowing sea green eyes illuminating the hooded face of Poseidon.
A/N: So here's the revamped chapter 1. I know none of this was in the first one, but I wanted to set up the story in a different way. Reading back, the original felt rushed and several reviews also mentioned that. The next chapter will be following the storyline of the first, just with a much more natural progression for the characters. Hope you all are happy with the new quality. Also Jake is now Cameron just because I wanted a different name.