Act I: Earth

The king of Olympus wore many masks. Some for centuries at a time. Others on certain occasions. The one he chose today hadn't seen the light of day in many, many years.

The throne room was silent. Everyone had words they yearned to speak but courage was not something any could summon.

Ares, Dionysus, Apollo, Hermes; the usual "troublemakers" of the group found nothing amusing. Not a quip from the moment they were called to the moment they sat down. Those known for bored expressions and body language sat rigid and serious. Hades, the so-called Thirteenth Olympian sat among his brothers and sisters today. Hestia could only stare at them from the hearth, at a loss for words.

Just hours ago, the Olympians had received a threat. From across a sea of darkness, planets, and lone stars a being of strength incalculable sent a surge of power to them. The energy they felt was not meant to attack or cause harm. It was meant as a show of dominance. And the message had been delivered to perfection. Zeus immediately called an emergency meeting. And now the Gods of Olympus had to find a way forward.

Zeus spoke first. "I consulted the Fates. They had no answer for me."

"Mother, help us," Hera whispered.

They could only exchange alarmed glances.

Zeus' hands curled. "My father Kronos, his father Ouranos, Typhon, Tartarus...none can possibly hold such power. I must begin to consider the awakening of Chaos."

Poseidon scowled. "Chaos cannot be what we felt. This was something...hungry. Ravenous, unending hunger. A craving for power unlike Kronos, unlike Tartarus."

Electricity sparked from Zeus. "Whatever it was, we must know what it was before we can act." His eyes found Athena. "Your catalogs hold every being, every mortal, every god to have ever existed. Can you name anything it could have been?"

She swallowed. "I must admit, the sheer scale of energy is something only Chaos can match."

Poseidon began to protest but she cut him off. "But the essence of it resembles Chaos in absolutely no manner."

"There must be something you missed. It's a big library." Demeter thought she was helping while Athena tried not to burst a blood vessel.

"I do not miss anything."

"Clearly, you did. How can such a powerful being escape our sight?" Hades commented.

For the sake of her godly blood vessels, Athena ignored him.

Ares cracked his knuckles. "Look, why don't we just go over there and teach this punk a lesson? No one threatens us. Besides, he can't take on all of us."

"Actually he can." Dionysus drawled. "You ever hear of Chaos Ares, huh? You know, something powerful enough to create the entire universe?"

Ares' brain cells tried to process this new information.

"Never mind, don't answer. The point is, the twelve of us wouldn't even tickle him."

Hestia spoke for the first time. "Then what about an alliance?"

Every pair of eyes set on her.

"An alliance between the gods and the Primordial powers of the universe!"

The gears began to turn. "Today, a power far greater than ours gripped us and threatened our reign. The time has come to stand with our enemies and assert our control over this world. Otherwise..."

The Olympians held their breath. Could it be true?

"No." An ethereal, raspy harmony rolled across the room and the massive doors swung open. Standing below the doorway, were the Fates themselves. Today, they wore long black robes, dripping wet from the thunderstorm outside. Over the course of history, the Fates had worn these only robes a handful of times. They were the worst of omens.

"Lachesis, Clotho, Atropos," Zeus greeted suspiciously. "Have you any news?"

"Yes, Lord Zeus," An unsettling smile was plastered on each of their faces, their hoods pulled low. "The time to fight has passed. Now, you must all flee. Hide your power, bide it. What comes is a calamity of such hunger and greed you will not survive if you choose to face it."

For the first time in anyone's memories, they could see the unfiltered shock and fear in the face of Zeus.

"You must hide." They repeated in that haunting voice. "The Twin is drawn to the life force of gods. Like a hound, it will find you. You cannot merely close Olympus. You must shut this entire world down if it is to survive. Do it and we may still have a chance."

Before Zeus could even respond, they were fading away. The doors shut like a judge slamming his gavel, leaving the Olympians in silence once again.


"So, this is it?"

The view below was a sight to behold.

It was no Manhattan with its towering structures and cramped apartment buildings. No, it was much more luxurious. Sprawled across the area the size of many, many football fields were gorgeous villas and glorious palaces. Beautiful parks and impressive statues the size of skyscrapers. Gold and marble was integrated into everything, casting the city in an ethereal, angelic glow. There were trees on every intersection, all bearing golden apples for any who desired some.

Bright flashes signaled the evacuation of minor deities and immortal servants. Under direct order from Lord Zeus, they went into hiding with clear directions not to return until the all clear was called. With decreasing frequency, less and less gods departed Olympus until it was only Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon.

The King of the Gods stood straight, shoulders back, chin up. His eyes gazed over his kingdom somberly. Just hours earlier, it had been filled to the brim with joy and laughter. The emptiness of the cold wet streets matched the void in his chest. What is a king without his kingdom? Without his people?

Poison droplets trickled down his brain, feeding his paranoia. A thousand questions buzzed. A hundred possible schemes swirled. Dozens of angles came into focus. Nothing he hadn't already contemplated, of course. But it was worth rechecking and triple checking the possibilities: what if the Fates were tricking him? What would the lesser gods do away from his watchful eye? What if they decided to form their own kingdom separate from his? He would have to conquer them again, marking another Ichor Purge that would no doubt paint him a tyrant.

Zeus breathed in and out. If any of that came to pass he would deal with it like always. For now, he had a much larger threat.

Athena repeated her question.

"For now." He finally replied, rubbing small swirls on the cool metal of his Master Bolt. "I would be unwise to reject direct advice from the Fates."

Poseidon cocked his head. "Have you considered-"

Zeus cut him short. "Yes. Believe me brother, I have done nothing but consider all the plots behind this. I even briefly considered your son behind this mess, if you can believe it."

A flash of annoyance crossed the sea god's visage. "I can. Absurd, even for your standards."

Zeus grunted. "I would enjoy your company, however I think two of our caliber would be a bit too much to hide our presence."

Though technically true, they both knew Poseidon was not welcome in his presence for more than a couple of hours at most.

Poseidon shrugged. "I agree. What is your plan?"

"Avoid this so-called Sibling for as long as required. Even if we combine efforts with the friendliest of Primordials, we cannot hope to challenge it."

"And if it finds us?"

Zeus stared at him. "Then we show him why the Olympians hold a reputation as God Butchers."

Poseidon rolled his eyes. "I'm going to miss your dramatic one-liners. Even the ones that don't make sense." He inclined his head at Athena.

Without another word, he disintegrated into a sea breeze.

Athena stepped up next to him. "So what is the real plan?"

His eyes met hers and she noticed they seemed to darken several shades. His face was set and his jaw square. "Act two of the Ichor Purge."

As if on cue, Hecate blossomed into existence. "I have what you asked for, my lord."

Zeus nodded. "If we are to survive, we're going to need all the tools at our disposal."

"Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"I will not walk willingly to the gallows. Not if there's a chance we can win."

Athena tried not to sound too outraged and failed. "By slaughtering innocents?"

"If you stand in my way, you will join my list of targets daughter. Now is not the time for mercy."

Her eyes were fiery orbs, her face like white stone. In a sudden flash, she was gone.

Hecate studied the spot she vanished from. "Do you think she'll be a problem?"

Zeus considered. "It changes nothing. My duty is to my kingdom. I will do only what I must."

Hecate let the lie bounce off her like a rubber arrow. Power is what Zeus was after. Always making sure he remained in full control, even after all these years as a "gentle" tyrant. Eliminating a few rivals at the same time was an added bonus.

"Who is our first target?"

Zeus ignored the question. "Meet me below."

She hesitated briefly but did as told.

Zeus raised his hands, eyes glowing with power. As if melting down, the borders of his great city started shrinking; the buildings and palaces and streets compressed tighter and tighter until the entirety of Olympus fit into a grapefruit sized orb. Zeus was left floating mid-air. Where his home used to be was nothing but empty skies and the urban landscape of Manhattan. He rolled the orb between his hands, eyes incalculable. In a crackle of electricity he was gone, leaving no trace that Olympus had ever existed.


A/N:

For anyone who wants to know what kind of story this is, I'll make it simple:

This is not some mushy love story. It's not even really a war story. It's a reimagining of Percy's destiny. It's an alternate universe where instead of the happy ending he was supposed to get, he gets the shortest stick possible. I like to think I wrote something realistic but the truth is, it's got the biggest most ridiculous twist I could think of. It is NOT going where you expect. Everything you read in the story is a lie. It's a promise that goes unfulfilled. Maybe I'll make a side story exploring the future of Camp Half-Blood but unless this fanfiction blows up, I'll probably leave it at that and just focus on Percy.

I change one major bit of Percy's origin. But it doesn't change his identity. It doesn't change the course of his life up until the point it is revealed.

So to reiterate, this story deals with Percy's Journey. The opening is sad because it must be. I can't have the characters having too much fun when people are dying left and right. Things might change later on but for now, the tone of the first 20 chapters is gonna be on the tragic side. If you want to help me, the best way to do that is showing your support leaving comments, liking, or following the story.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story and I appreciate all the support. ;)