Percy POV:

I used my water powers to suck the ichor back into my nose. Then, I went to the nearest restroom to clean my hands, not wanting anyone but myself to know about my newly appointed godhood. Speaking of which, was I an immortal demigod, or an actual god? A minor deity? What were my domains? Would I even have domains?

I looked around to make sure I was alone and summoned both a ball of water and a fireball in my hands, controlling both elements with ease. As a demigod, I could only use one actively and one passively, such as attacking with fire and healing with water or vice versa. What I mean is, I used to have to tap into my powers. Now, I can feel the fire and water swirling inside of me, like some of sort of spirit had taken over my soul.

But now? Now, I could feel this strange fluid of power run through me, like the fire and water had become a part of my blood. Overall, I felt more awake, and the bruises and sore muscles I had from the battle suddenly healed. I frowned and mentally imagined myself as 18 years old, instantly dropping at least half my fat in my body. My suit shrunk a tiny bit to better fit me, but when I looked in the mirror, I did in fact look younger. I shook my head and aged myself back up. All of this was just too strange.

I checked my watch and facepalmed. I had 30 seconds until the solstice meeting, and vapor traveled straight to the opening of the hall, appearing right next to Atalanta, making her yelp in surprise.

"Percy, where've you been?" Atalanta asked.

"I got here about 5 minutes ago," I said. "Dropped Artemis and Zoe off at the infirmary, and healed myself a bit before coming here." I left out my newly dubbed immortality, because I still wasn't sure how I felt about it.

As we approached the gate, Atalanta and Bianca gazed in awe at the sight of Mount Olympus in a festive sort of mood, with torches and fires that lined the mountainside with an assortment of colors that revolved from bloodred to indigo. Apparently, even in the earliest of times of the day, no on on Olympus was interested in sleeping, the twisting streets full of demigods, nature spirits, and minor godlings bustling about, riding chariots or sedan chairs carried by cyclops. Winter didn't seem to exist here, the scent and presence of springtime vibes filling the air despite the raging snowstorms out and about in other New England states. Music drifted up from many windows, the soft sounds of lyres and reed pipes providing a smooth sounding soundtrack in the chill morning air.

Towering above us was the massive silver gates of main hall, a glowing white masterpiece that held the gods' throne room inside. The four of us, Atalanta, Bianca, Thalia and I stopped for a moment, regarding the palace. Then we walked towards it together, like when I had done the same with Annabeth and Thalia in my original world, up towards the doors of Westover Hall. Side by side, we walked into the throne room.

The familiar sight of the throne room brought both pleasant and unpleasant memories to the forefront of my mind. Though I had visited before when I was "lost" in the desert, entering the throne room at this very moment held a different meaning, as it was the peak of the prophecy, where the last final lines were to be fulfilled.

In the throne room, twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, just like the placement of cabins at camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations – I found myself instinctively searching for Zoe's before I realized that she was still alive in this reality. My heart hoped that she was recovering alright, because, as much as my mind warned me how bad of an idea it was, I admitted to myself that I did in fact hold feelings for Zoe Nightshade, forbidden feelings that may get her cast out of the Hunt. And the last thing I wanted was for her to do that for a whim of romance.

All but two of the seats were occupied, the two missing being Apollo and Artemis. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall, radiating various levels of power that would have made me cower had I been anywhere close to my old self. I don't know if it was the already impressive impression I had made for myself, or the fact that I was recently turned into an immortal demigod, but I felt no sensation of unease or uncomfortableness surrounded by the massive group of super-beings.

"Welcome heroes," Athena said seriously, her gray eyes bright despite the minuscule crack of glass in the depths. I knew the goddess was still mourning Annabeth. Strangely, I wasn't as upset as I thought I should be. Maybe because I didn't have the best of connections with the daughter of Athena anymore, I felt nothing harsh about her death.

I walked into the center, retracting my armor to reveal my regular Hunters uniform. I didn't know if the Fates had made me immortal, or made me a god, so to figure it out, I tried flashing clothes on myself and voila, turns out, I can.

"Lord Zeus," I bowed politely. "Thanks for saving our asses back on the Hoover Dam."

The god of thunder broke out of his stern staring of Thalia, and looked at me, before bursting into laughter. "Sure thing, Perseus."

The other questers looked up in shock. "What, you know each other?" Thalia asked.

I smiled. "I told you your dad would never hurt you right? To answer your question, when Talos exploded, I was in pretty bad shape. Hephaestus and Apollo brought me to Olympus and helped me recover, and afterwards, I talked with the gods about stuff and we became best buds. I also learned that your dad's not an asshat in this world, which is awesome by the way."

Atalanta facepalmed. "Only you could get away with talking with the gods so casually. Anyone else would've been vaporized."

She stared to the side at Poseiden, who was dressed in his usual outfit made of beach shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and sandals. He had a weathered, suntanned face with a dark beard and deep green eyes.

The sea god scanned the two of us, Atalanta and I, and shook his head in disbelief. "The similarities between the two of you is uncanny. You could be identical twins."

I scratched the back of my head. "Yah, so we've been told. I mean, given how Atalanta and I are the exact same person, but different gender, I don't think it's too surprising that we look like clones of each other."

"Heroes," Athena called, sliding down from her throne and turning human-sized, a thirty year old woman with flowing black hair and intense gray eyes that resembled the very same Annabeth had when she was alive. Her face was emotionless, though her posture was somewhat stiff.

"The Council has been informed of your deeds," Athena told us. "They know that Mount Orthys is rising in the west. They know of Atlas' attempt for freedom, and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act."

There was some mumbling and shuffling among the gods, as if some weren't totally onboard with the plan, but nobody protested.

"At my Lord Zeus' command," Athena continued, "The twins will be allowed full access to hunting the most powerful beasts that seek to join the Titans. I shall personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Lord Poseiden has been given permission to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship Princess Andromeda and send it to the bottom of the sea. As for you, my heroes..." She turned to face the other immortals. "These half-bloods have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?"

She looked around at the assembled gods, meeting their faces individually. Zeus in his dark pin-striped suit, his black beard neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparkling with dangerous yet calm energy. Next to him sat a beautiful woman with silver hair braided over one shoulder and a dress that shimmered colors like peacock feathers. The Lady Hera.

On Zeus' right, my father Poseiden. Next to him, a huge lump of a man with a leg in a steel brace, misshapen head, and wild brown beard, fire flickering through his whiskers. The Lord of the Forges, the father of Leo Valdez, Hephaestus.

Hermes winked at Atalanta, going with a business suit outfit today, checking messages intermittently on his caduceus mobile phone. Skipping over Apollo's empty throne, Dionysus looked bored, twirling a grape vine between his fingers. And Ares well, he sat on his chrome-and-leather throne, glowering at Atalanta while sharpening his knife.

On the ladies' side of the throne room, a dark-haired goddess in green robes sat next to Hera on a throne woven of apple tree branches. Demeter, Goddess of the Harvest. Skipping over Athena's throne, as the goddess was in front of us, and Artemis', as the moon goddess was still in the infirmary, Aphrodite smiled at me knowingly, only receiving a cool nod in return.

And though no one else seemed to notice, I nodded to a young girl tending the hearth, the surprise in the goddess' warm ember eyes making me snicker. She had been in goddess form the last time I visited this Olympus, so she probably didn't expect me to recognize her in her normal form next to her main domain representing the home. Lady Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth.

Most of the Olympians in one place, with enough power to level every continent of the planet with ease. So much power that I became suddenly aware of.

"I gotta say, these kids did okay," Hermes said. "All in favor of not disintegrating them?"

A few tentative hands went up, ie Demeter, Aphrodite, Hephaestus.

"Wait a minute," Ares growled, "Those two are dangerous." He pointed at Thalia and Atalanta. "It would be much safer, while we've got them–!"

The war god found a massive ice javelin floating under his chin, making him turn his head to glare at me.

"Objection," I said flatly. "And I'm sure Lords Poseiden and Zeus would agree with me. We are not vaporizing their daughters."

"He's so coooool..." Poseiden mouthed.

Zeus sighed but couldn't help but agree. Both to what Poseiden and I said. "Correct. Not when Thalia has done so well."

Thalia blushed and studied the floor. I knew how she felt. Getting a direct compliment from the gods was like completing an ultimate mission, because it just felt so good to be recognized as worthy by your immortal parent.

"Plus," I continued. "If we went by Are's rule of logic, which isn't very good by the way, we would have to vaporize Bianca too."

"WHAT?! Wait, why?" The huntress yelped in surprise.

"Uh..." I dropped to the floor and smacked the floor. "Stupid stupid stupid..."

"Um... Percy, what's wrong?" Thalia asked.

"I am curious as well," Zeus said. "How does the huntress come in relation with my and my brother's daughter?"

I sighed and summoned the orb device from my belt. "If you want me to tell, I have to use this again. Telling would change to path of Fate. Better to let her be claimed when the time is right."

Zeus pondered on my words and nodded. "As usual, you're talking logical sense. Then, we'll let this pan out naturally, as all our children have done."

I stood and reattached the orb back to my side. "Right, now that we've gotten the small stuff out of the way, there are a few things I need to ask you guys about."

"Ask away," Zeus said, surprising the rest of the council.

"The monster," I said, pulling out the Tiber containment cell that trapped the Ophiotaurus inside. "Artemis was hunting this, the Ophiotaurus. Atalanta and I found it off the coast of Camp Half Blood and after freeing it from fishing trawlers, I captured it in this timeless cell. I'm asking you what should be done with it, as the Ophiotaurus threatens your existence, and thus should be decided by you on what should happen to it."

The gods stared at me, before Athena broke the silence. She had returned to her throne, and back to being 15 feet tall like everyone else.

"Timeless cell?"

I turned and nodded to her. "Ah, that reminds me. You're the only Olympian to not know–"

"That you are from an alternate reality parallel to this one?" Athena finished dryly, catching the knowing look in my eyes. "You anticipated it, didn't you?"

I blushed. "Yep, I've gotten too used to you knowing things before anyone even mentions it. A trait that Annabeth too."

"Anyways," I continued, almost regretting bringing up Annabeth's name. Again, my nonchalance for the girl's death somewhat bothered me, but I couldn't figure out why. "Tiber metal cells are magically runed and decorated, creating a timeless loop inside that freezes whatever inside for a maximum length of 6 human years, with whatever inside not aging in any way."

"What if someone were to steal the container?" Demeter pointed out. "It's awfully small and looks easy to steal."

I nodded in understanding. "Tiber cells are genetically coded to each Hunter, and thus, only a Hunter can open and close them. They instantly return to the closest Hunter in proximity if stolen, and since I'm the only one on this planet, the moment this gets out of 10 miles in range, it'll reappear by my side, no matter where in the world its taken to. Finally, the only way to open the cell without my permission is by killing me, which makes all Tiber metal equipment I own disintegrate, which would subsequently deactivate the cells' containment features."

"Wow, bro," Atalanta said. "You just have all this information stored at the top of your head?"

"Yah, but not on purpose," I said sheepishly. "To become a Hunter, one must take a test, and well, I memorized my head off all the rules and whatnot."

Zeus sat back on his throne. "Then it seems that like other scenarios, you've got it under control. Though, I would be lying to say that I wasn't afraid of how much power you have. I'm sure you know of the Ophiotaurus' threat level."

I nodded. "Personally, I'm surprised you aren't freaking out right now. But, if it would make you feel safer and better, I can swear on the Styx."

The god of thunder stared down at me but not with a look of one superior being to an inferior one, but one that held high regard and respect. "I don't believe you would ever use the Ophiotaurus against us, as you kept it by your side through the entirety of this quest. However, the rest of the gods may not be so easily convinced, and thus, I'd say the swear would uphold your promise further so."

I sighed. "God, I can't believe you're such a nice person. Now you're making me feel bad for not swearing the oath." I chuckled and put a hand on my chest. "I swear on the Styx that so long as I am alive in this reality, I won't utilize the power the Ophiotaurus holds as a weapon against the Gods of Olympus." Thunder boomed outside the palace, sealing the deal.

The moment I finished talking, Apollo burst into the hall, his demeanor pale, his face white.

"Apollo!" I yelled, racing up to him. "How are they?"

"Artemis' condition is stabilizing." Apollo said. "I've done all I can for her physical injuries, but her mind is still..." He trailed off, speechless.

"What's going on?" Zeus asked. "Apollo, why have you and your sister been absent?"

I turned to the gods and gave them a quick summary of what happened, making the women gasp in horror while most of the men gripped their signature armaments angrily. Zeus looked like he was ready to nuke California, until both Hera and Poseiden placed their hands on his arm, making the god sigh and hang his head, his lightning bolt flashing angrily.

"What about Zoe?" I asked, unable to keep the tone of worry away. "How's she doing?"

Apollo shook his head. "I've done all I can, but her body keeps weakening. I fear she doesn't–!"

I blew past him, not bothering to hear the rest of whatever the god had to say. I had promised to not let Zoe die, and that was exactly what I was going to do. Not let her die.

I charged into the infirmary and looked in. Apollo had neglected to tell me that both girls were in hospital gowns, which made my stupid hormones go crazy, only for my brain to yell at them to shut the fuck up. Zoe didn't look visibly weak, but one grasp of her hand, I could feel her soul energy shrinking. It's like I could see this blue aura inside of her slowly draining towards her heart, instead of being spread evenly throughout her body.

The rest of the throne room occupants thundered closely behind me, led by an irate and anxious Zeus. The god stepped in and walked up to Artemis, his frown terrifying. I placed a hand on the god's shoulder.

"Lord Zeus, I've already vaporized the entire camp of demigods and monsters that did this to her," I said seriously. "I don't know what or how they got her like this, but she won't even respond to her name."

Athena look sickened, as did many other of the deities. "This is... far worse than the Titans have ever tried to hurt us in the past."

I crossed my arms. "The thing is, this didn't happen in my world. Only Artemis was captured, and she held the sky the whole time. I don't know who decided to make Artemis Kronos' wife. Atlas seems too stupid to think of something like that, and Kronos himself isn't even awake. I would go as far as to say it might've been Luke, given his hatred of the gods, but I wouldn't believe he would do something so extreme."

I turned to Zoe, the girl twisting with sweat as her body fought to stay alive even though her lifeblood seemed to drain from her soul. I gritted my teeth, knowing the consequences of breaking an oath on the Styx. Be it melting organs or the sudden burning of the body from outside to in, the result was always a grisly gruesome death.

While we stood there, silently within my thoughts, I recalled the prophecy. Ever since my first quest for Zeus' lightning rod, I have found myself checking the prophecy to make sure every line was fulfilled.

Six shall go west to the deities in chains,

Check. Me, Atti, Thalia, Bianca, Zoe, and Annabeth made six.

One shall be lost in the land without rain,

I was technically lost, then recovered.

The bane of Olympus shows the trail,

The Ophiotaurus I guess, but also because I had prior experience, so I led the group subtlely in the right direction.

Campers, Hunters, a stranger prevail,

Again, I was the stranger, Annabeth and Thalia and Atti the campers, Bianca and Zoe being the Hunters.

The Titan's curse must one withstand,

I wasn't sure if any of the other questers had withstood the curse, but given how Atlas had been placed back under his burden, I was willing to bet that either Atalanta or Zoe had taken the load temporarily to let Athena use her godly power to put Atlas there.

One shall perish by a parent's hand,

Annabeth died to her mother, an accident when Luke decided to hug his adopted sister before he was thrown off the cliff, according to a sobbing Thalia.

And before the winter solstice adjourns,

Must occur a sea blade's return.

The only sea blade I knew off was Riptide, but return where? The sea? But that didn't make sense. Poseiden gave Atalanta and I Riptide to protect ourselves, and the Greek sword was my signature weapon, my comrade in my entirety of demigod raids and missions. Where was I supposed to return Riptide to?

To find the answers that you seek,

You have only one week.

I sighed. Like always, prophecies that seemed straight forward still ended up as confusing. I guess I had already gotten my answers about being in this reality. I was stuck here permanently, and there was nothing I could do. I was also turned immortal, or maybe into a minor god, probably the latter.

Zoe's gasps of air brought me back to the present. Her body was spasming now, as if her soul were rejecting itself. Apollo rushed to the huntress, his face ashen as he dropped his hands to his side.

"There's nothing I can do for her." He whispered. "I've tried everything."

My face froze, then my eyes narrowed as my mind went into overdrive mode. I ran through everything I knew about Zoe, before landing on an impossibly obvious yet massive gamble of an answer.

"Apollo," I said emotionlessly, standing straight up and grabbing Zoe's spasming body into my arms, activating my suit. "Will returning her immortal essence help heal her?"

Apollo looked at me with a bewildered face. "Her immortal essence? Yes, it would, as it would return her full strength. But, she's just a Hunter, Percy." Apollo said. "Her immortality level won't be able to sustain enough power to allow a full recovery."

I wrapped Zoe tightly in my arms. "I have a way, I think. If you find me dead on the beach, you'll know that I failed."

Without another word, I shimmered and disintegrated into vapor form, teleporting Zoe and I to the beaches of California, near Mount Tam. I flew over the ocean until I reached the deep seas, before plunging downwards, using my water powers to create a water bubble for Zoe to breathe through.

"Hold on, princess," I murmured tersely. "I promised I would keep you alive."

Using my nautical skills, I found the closest source of salt water from the Garden of Hesperides, far from the coast to avoid contact with Luke's ship. I widened the air bubble to envelop the entirety of Zoe's body, which had gone still during the trip.

"Come on, come on." I said, unsheathing Riptide, the bronze sword glinting brightly in the dark waters. I stared at the blade for a moment, before placing it on Zoe's chest.

"Return," I found myself murmuring. "By the powers of Poseiden, lord of the seas, return to your rightful mistress."

My eyes swirled powerfully, deep green whirlpools that shined bright as I churned the sea around Zoe, Riptide now floating on top of her body, a bronze blade that shown with a blue aura that soon enveloped her entire body. The sword I was used to seeing as a pen morphed into the hairpin I had seen in my dream and slipped itself into Zoe's long hair, making her glow the same bright blue I had seen before. I found myself drawn to her, until I found myself standing in the water beside her, her body still, her obsidian eyes tinged with flecks of blue that shined with power. The ocean swirled around the two of us, whipping at her gown until it ripped it fully away. I turned my head instinctively only to stop halfway to find that instead of being naked, Zoe was now donned in a sea blue gossammer dress, a bit too revealing for her tastes I believed, her body also aged up it seemed. I tried to ignore how prominent her curves were now, especially noticeable with how close we stood.

I stared down at my suit and almost jumped. I had forgotten about our suit's final mechanic, evolving into its final form when surrounded fully by our element. Instead of the usual black and silver designs of the Hunter outfit, I was now clad in bronze outlined and detailed with green, making me look like some Atlantean superwarrior. My katana was sheathed vertically on my back, a trident glowing black on the base of the blade.

The two of us stood like this, face to face for a while, before the water finally began to slow. When it fully stopped, Zoe's eyes stopped glowing and she slumped forward, despite the fact that we were underwater. I also noticed that she was breathing underwater without the help of an oxygen bubble, making me think that perhaps she had gotten her water powers back in some way, shape, or form.

I hugged the girl bridal style and flew up and out of the ocean, the huntress now sleeping contently in my arms. Her aura was spread evenly throughout her body, a healthy sense of power that resonated with my own source of power. I felt an extremely strong connection between the two of us, like our strings of fate were intertwined with each other. I thought perhaps it was that we shared a connection from the sea, but I didn't feel the same way with Atalanta, so figured it must be something stronger.

I made it back to Olympus in record time, landing on the balcony of one of the Olympian gardens. Zoe seemed to have woken up by now, and stirred in my arms, reaching up to rub her eyes.

"Per-Perseus?" Zoe asked.

"You're awake, princess." I said softly. "How do you feel?"

"Strong," Zoe muttered, throwing her head back. "Like there's power in my fingertips. Hang on..." She seemed to realize the position she was in. "What am I doing like this?!"

She glanced down at her dress and gasped, her arms crossing over her front. "They weren't this big!"

I blushed and kept my gaze forward, trying to keep my voice as nonchalant as possible. "I promised to keep you alive didn't I? I did something to save your dying body alright?"

Zoe sighed. "Oh...I'm sorry for yelling then. But could you please explain why I'm dressed like this?"

I chuckled. "I don't know much either. But the ocean seemed to think that you would look hot in a gossammer dress, and I can't help but agree."

The huntress blushed and reached up to smack me, making me laugh harder. "Look, if you're so energetic, you wanna get off me and walk yourself?"

"I'm not wearing any footwear," Zoe said, waving her bare feet up and down. "I'd rather not walk the floors of Olympus barefoot."

I nodded. "Well, now that you're okay, let's hope Artemis is doing better too. She's pretty out of it."

"What happened to her?" Zoe asked worriedly.

I sighed. "Oh right, you were unconscious when I brought her back. I don't know what the enemy did to her, but when I found Artemis, she was weak, unresponsive, naked basically, and in her 18 year old form. She's still unconscious, as of when I left her. Apollo has healed her physical problems, but mentally, we don't know."

Zoe said nothing, but I could sense her worry. The strange thing was, I wasn't even looking at her. Like, I could feel the tendrils of anxiousness she felt, as if our emotions were connected. To test this theory, I mentally breathed in and out, a basic calming mechanism and Zoe seemed to relax. I couldn't bet on that though, as it could just be a coincidence.

I ended up carrying the lieutenant of the hunters back to the infirmary, forgetting entirely the misunderstandings that were going to erupt the moment I stepped through the infirmary doors.

"Um... Zoe?!" Atalanta called, making everyone turn towards the doorway. "Hey, you're looking okay now!"

"Why are you dressed like that?" Bianca asked, confused. "I thought you said you hate dresses."

Zoe blushed, and rushed to push herself out of my grip, landing on the floor and yelping. I facepalmed. "I performed a ritual to save her life, okay? And somehow, she got dressed up like this, so don't think anything else."

"Wow you work fast," Atalanta said, ignoring my reasonable explanation. "I mean, with all the flirting you guys did, I guess it's not surprising."

"It's not like that, you brat!" I retorted, controlling my internal body heat to stop my blush from covering my face.

"Right," Thalia deadpanned. "Definitely."

Zoe looked uncomfortable with so much attention on her and immediately grabbed the closest source of comfort for her, namely me. The moment she did, Atalanta and Aphrodite burst into snickers, with Thalia smirking behind them, making Zoe drop my arm in embarrassment. I just sort of stood there, trying hard not to lose it.

"Apollo," I said, changing the topic to a more serious one. "How's Artemis' condition?"

"Still unresponsive," Apollo said miserably. "Every time I try to approach her, she flinches away from me. I can't even touch her without her spasming out."

"Really?" I asked. I walked up to Artemis and stared down at the goddess, her body seemingly back to normal, glowing the healthy sheen of silver all the other hunters had. But based off of Apollo's conclusion, she clearly wasn't well.

"You mind if I try something?" I asked, lighting my palm up with orange embers. It was more like my hand turning orange, instead of summoning actual fire. I placed my palm on Artemis' chest, careful to avoid her... well you know, and shut my eyes, trusting in my powers to do the rest. The fire was a unique kind of healing fire that Hestia had taught me, used to heal the soul and warm it, like giving someone a home for life. It begins at the heart and spreads to the rest of the body. In a healthy individual, the fire burns red near the edges. In a physically unhealthy individual, the fire burns white near the edges. And in a mentally or psychologically damaged individual, the fire burns black, with only the core remaining orange. That was Artemis' body. Physically, she was perfect. Mentally, she was almost shattered. The torture that they had put her through challenged her direct virtues and most likely threatened the safety of her Hunt, eventual blackmail and promises that led to the goddess submitting to the most brutal of sexual experimentation. The only way I could think of to help her further is go through her memories, but I immediately shot that idea down as it was an extreme invasion of privacy, something that Artemis definitely didn't need much more of.

"Unless you can heal psychological backlash and damage," I said to Apollo, "Artemis pretty much needs to rely on time and therapy at this point to recover. There's not much else you can do for her."

"How can I possibly care for her at the same time as I do my duties?" Apollo wrung his hands. "I can't handle the sun and my sis at the same time."

"True," I said. "But also, the Hunt. Even under Zoe's command, they need Artemis as the head. And well, I doubt they'd let you help, no offense."

"None taken." Apollo sighed.

"Why don't you care for Artemis instead, Perseus?" Zeus suddenly voiced, his hand on his chin as if he had been thinking deeply. "If I'm correct, you don't have much on your plate do you? You're not a god, so you don't have domains like the rest of us do. You're also not a demigod, thus you're not lashed to the same rules as the rest of your friends, and I'm sure you're not a part of the oncoming prophecy. Plus, you have shown yourself to be a capable and worthy individual, as both a fighter and a friend. Both Artemis and her highest ranking officer regard you with high respect. Wouldn't that make you best fit for the job?"

"..."

"God, why is this reality's Zeus so fricking cool man?" I sighed. "I swear, that's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard from a Zeus, ever."

The god of thunder pinched his forehead in frustration. "Geezus, was I that bad?!"

"Yes," I deadpanned. "You were an absolute ass. But don't worry, you weren't the worst asshat. That title belongs to Ares."

"HEY!"

I shrugged. "To be fair, you seem less like a dick here too, Ares, but holy, your alternate self was on my butt like all the time."

"Back to the original topic," Athena said, "Lord Zeus seems to be right. I have noticed myself your relationship with the Hunters and find myself surprised that they would tolerate a male to such a respectful degree."

I chuckled dryly. "Look, the whole male-hating thing is their only line of defense. Get past that, and you're left with a bunch of egotistical virgins who like hunting."

SMACK! – "OWWWWWW!, dammit Zoe I'm sorry!" I yelped, holding a hand up to my face. "Correction, you get past the man-hating part, and there's still a lot of hell left to unleash."

Zeus smiled. "If so, we might as well instate you as the Hunt's Guardian, to officially solidify your position."

"Sorry, what?" I asked. "Since when did the Hunters ever need a guardian? They're all like... master assassins."

Zoe sighed. "In the old days, a single warrior was assigned to be Artemis' right hand, in case the goddess herself ever got incapacitated. The Guardian would be able to take over with equal strength, and essentially swore an oath to protect the Hunt from harm, no matter the cost. Though, like all positions in the Hunt, the Guardian has always been female. You would be the first male."

"Oh, I feel honored," I said sarcastically. "More like the first official Hunter pincushion."

The lieutenant giggled, making me smile. "So, this Guardian gig, do I really have to take the platform, or..." I thought about the alternative situation in my head before shaking it. "Yah, no, the Guardian thing would be most appropriate. It'll save the persistent questioning from happening."

"Since Artemis isn't awake to agree, I will have you instated as such," Zeus said, directing a tendril of gray at me. "Think of this job as more of a part-time thing than a full-time career, just enough so that when Artemis wakes up, the Hunt isn't destroyed."

I nodded.

"Ooooh, that means more alone time in the woods!" Atalanta whispered loudly, making Zoe and I blush.

"Atti," I cleared my throat. "You're so dead."

"Come at me bro," Atalanta snickered.

Zeus chuckled. "Now that we have a plan on how everything is going to go down, I imagine we should honor these heroes for their deeds. Let the triumph celebration, begin!"

§§§§§

There are parties, and then there are huge, major, blowout parties. And then there are Olympian parties. If you ever get a choice, go for the Olympian.

The Nine Muses cranked up the tunes, and I realized the music was whatever you wanted it to be: the gods could listen to classical and the younger demigods heard hip-hop or whatever, and it was all the same sound soundtrack. No arguments. No fights. Just requests to crank it up. If you asked me what I was hearing, I was hearing Real Good Feeling by Oh the Larceny. Dunno why, but the song made me feel calm.

I leaned against one of the marble pillars of the hall, staring at everyone. Dionysus was dancing with a beautiful woman, Ariadne, I believe she was, another princess who had gotten her heart broken helping a Greek hero. The god of wine looked the happiest I've ever seen him, making me partially wish Zeus would just cut his punishment entirely.

Nectar and ambrosia overflowed from golden fountains, and platters of mortal snack food crowded banquet tables. Golden goblets were set on the tables and up for grabs, containing whatever drink you wished for it to contain. I didn't see any blue cookies, so I took several chunks of ambrosia and ate those instead, my eyes closed as the warm familiar taste of my mom's treats filled my mouth and made my taste buds go crazy. I didn't notice I had eaten a pound of ambrosia until I opened by eyes again, which concluded that I in fact, could eat ambrosia like the gods could without burning up.

I was in the middle of leaving the hall when someone tapped my shoulder. I turned to find Atalanta smiling.

"Percy, are you free?"

I shrugged. "Yah, I was just going to take a couple breaths of fresh air. What's up?"

"Let's get out of here first." Atalanta said. "I don't know about you, but parties aren't really my thing."

I nodded in understanding. "Sure." We ended up walking through the gardens of Olympus, a completely peaceful area since everyone else was at the party.

Atalanta squatted down and gazed intently at a purple flower, before beginning to speak. "So, what's next?"

I chuckled dryly. "Well, if you're talking about the timeline and such, a ton of shit. Assuming this reality follows the same course, a lot of stuff happens next. Then again, many things have changed, so..."

"Tell me what's different then." Atalanta said. "Percy, what's different about this reality to your reality?"

I sat down and gazed into the horizon. "Well, first off, I'm a guy..."

Atalanta poked my side. "Duh. But what about the quest? The people, and whatnot? You said Annabeth became a goddess didn't she? She couldn't have died then right?"

I sighed. "You're right. On the quest, there were only five members, those being me, Thalia, Grover, Zoe, and Bianca. Annabeth had been kidnapped by Dr. Thorn when he jumped off the cliff and used as bait to trap Artemis under the sky. Athena was never captured in my world, and the five of us set out on a journey to save the moon goddess." I flicked a blade of grass off my finger and continued. "Fast forward through the trip, Bianca was the one who died to Talos, and Zoe was killed by a combination of Ladon's bite and Atlas' backhanding final blow. Annabeth and I both have this," here I parted my hair to display a gray strand that never vanished. "A symbol representing the moments we held the sky for the world." I brushed my fingers through Atalanta's hair and found the same strand.

"Seems that I was right to assume you held the sky," I said proudly. "You did it for Athena right?"

"I couldn't beat Atlas," Atalanta mumbled. "He was too strong for me. And Ares' curse came at the worst time possible!"

I laughed. "I know, I know. I did the same, holding the sky so that Artemis could fight Atlas with her godly agility and skill." I sighed. "But that's why I said I couldn't reveal everything. The mission was already so different from before, I wasn't sure what would stay the same and what wouldn't."

"At least Luke's dead," Atalanta sighed. "That fucker deserved worse though."

"He's not dead," I said nonchalantly. "Definitely looks like it, having fallen off the cliff back first, but trust me, that yellow haired bastard is still alive and kicking. Kronos wouldn't be so stupid to accidentally let his stepping stone die from just a cliff fall."

"Oh," Atalanta grumbled. "Of course. What did he do, voodoo magic or something?"

I shook my head. "I think he's got the Curse of Achilles, which makes him invulnerable except for one spot, but I wasn't sure last time whether or not he had it so early, so I can't be sure."

"The Curse of Achilles? That's something you can get? Like a power up?" Atalanta asked in disbelief.

I nodded.

"...just when I think the mythological world has already shown me everything..." Atalanta continued. She shook her head. "Okay, something more positive now. How are things between you and Zoe?"

I blushed and turned my head aside. "C'mon, don't be like that. You know I can't..."

"I know," Atalanta giggled. "But you might as well tell her. Maybe do something about it before you go join the rest of the Hunt. Speaking of which, Thalia said she was thinking about joining."

I groaned. "Oh great. Not only will I have Zoe on my ass, but Thalia too. It's gonna be so fun."

"...Pfffffft..." Atalanta laughed. "So many fantasies huh?"

I bonked her over the head. "Since when did you have such a dirty mind? I sure didn't think like that when I was younger."

"Fine, fine I'll stop," Atalanta said. She paused. "I guess, since you're a Guardian now, you'll be spending all your time at the Hunt?"

"I dunno," I said. "I didn't even know such a role existed till now. I guess yes, I would, but I'm also going to visit you at camp a ton, and if... if Mom will let me, I would like to stay for Christmas for the year."

Atalanta's face exploded in happiness and excitement. "Of course Mom will have you! If not, I'll persuade her. You're my big brother here, it would be cruel to leave you out in the woods in the cold with a bunch of prude girls who hate guys."

"Don't shoot them down like that," I snickered, cuffing her around the neck. "The Hunters aren't that bad. They just need to take a chill pill sometimes."

We ended talking for another few minutes before I got up to check on Zoe, ignoring the snickers Atalanta left me with as she returned to the party hall. I found the huntress next to Artemis, who still to this hour hadn't budged an inch.

"What's up?" I asked, alerting Zoe my presence. The girl turned and gazed at me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher, but given how she didn't try to kill me with a glare, I'd say she's gotten a huge personality improvement.

"Perseus," Zoe said. "I'm fine. But Milady, she doesn't look to be waking at any time soon."

I pulled up a chair and sat next to the lieutenant, awkwardly trying not to stare. The huntress was still dressed in the blue dress, as we hadn't gone to get her a spare set of uniform. "Tell me, Zoe." I said. "What exactly does this Guardian business entail?"

"Well, you have a deep connection with the Hunt and Artemis herself." Zoe began. "Like, you know the general direction and area each Hunter is in, you can teleport to any of us, and you're given the same partial immortality the rest of us have."

"Oh," I said. "That's neat." I was already turned immortal anyways.

"You also have a strong mental connection with Artemis," Zoe said. "A few of our past guardians have been able to telepathically communicate with Milady, but only after they've gained her ultimate trust."

I almost fell off my chair. "Are you serious? Oh man, I almost regret my decision."

"Wait, why?"

"Oh I dunno, I'm gonna be surrounded by girls who wanna kill me, Artemis is going to be able to constantly read my surface thoughts, which aren't always the purest by the way, Thalia is joining, I think to keep me in check and make fun of me, and you're suddenly like this." I ended by gesturing to Zoe, who snickered.

"You said you would do it," Zoe said. "Plus," she leaned closer to me and grinned coyly. "We can spend more time together, don't you agree?"

I blushed and backed off quickly. "Ugh, you can't be doing this to me. I'm already on the hitlist for like, Lydia and two others. I don't want to be on Artemis' either."

"You're already on it, after calling her so many nicknames," Zoe giggled.

"She deserved it," I grumbled. "I hope she'll be okay soon," I said seriously.

"She's strong," Zoe said firmly, brushing strands of hair off Artemis' face. "She'll pull through. I know it."

I nodded and smiled. "Yah, I know."

A/N: u w u / u w u / u w u / l

We've finally reached the end of one hectic adventure, finishing the scuffed version of the Titan's Curse, that I'm sure many of you loved reading.

This story isn't done just yet though, not with the amount of content that I want to write out for you guys in the future. We still have an amusement park to go to, a maze to dominate, and a Titan to kill, so don't plan on leaving yet!

A lot of you guys have also asked me "Hey, what are the pairings?" or "HAREM HAREM!" or "So...Perzoe?" and here's my answer:

- Percy x Zoe? YAS, cause they're adorable.

- Percy x Artemis? Also YAS, cause now our moonbeam girl can join in on the action.

- Percy x harem? Sorry, that't not happening. The soul purpose I wrote this story is to ship Percy and the two scariest women in the Hunt, not including Thalia.

As for Percy becoming a Guardian, THIS IS NOT A PERCY: GUARDIAN OF THE HUNT STORY. It's just a temporary position for him as one) Artemis is completely out of it and can't fully protect the Hunt in extreme situations, and two) Percy doesn't have anything else to do, as this reality isn't his, and he's an adult now, making him NOT the subject of the prophecy. Like Zeus said, it's a part-time job, not a full-time career.

Christmas is coming, as is the end of this year. I don't know about you, but I'm glad 2020 is almost over.

That being said, I may not publish anything on the 24th, 25th, and 26th, because I'll be spending time with my family instead of typing up chapters. That doesn't mean I hate you all, because seriously, watching you guys via the stats bar read every new chapter makes my day, but I need a nice break to think about how the next plotlines are gonna go.

So, in case I don't publish again till a week later, Happy Christmas to you all, if you celebrate it, and Merry Holidays for everyone else that celebrates other festivals that I can't name.

Stay safe if you leave the house guys. Wear a mask and all, you know!

Peace out, you legends!

- Zayden Shade