A/N: Hola. The last chapter did pretty well too, and I can't stress how much your reviews mean to me. It helps me get my creative juices flowing. I'm also glad I finally managed to hit the 50 followers mark that I aimed for. Thanks for believing in my fic, amigos.
This is a long one.
I don't own Percy Jackson.
Apollo strode confidently over to where his sister was, passing by the annoyed hunters and gobsmacked campers to get to her. He made sure to wink at the female campers, who blushed at his attention. He shared a fist bump with Percy once he got to where they were standing, deciding not to antagonize Zoe for once. Even if he was in the mood to annoy her today, she took his arrival as her cue to join her sisters in their huddle. The truth was, Apollo's insides were churning due to his nervousness, and he needed to talk to the son of Poseidon.
"Hey little sis! Was Percy any trouble today?" Apollo said with his usual grin on his face. Both Percy and Artemis noticed that while it was as blinding as ever, his smile did not reach his eyes, prompting both to be slightly on guard.
"No," Artemis said, shaking her head softly. "Perseus took charge of my hunters against a small army of monsters and ensured the safety of the demigods we were looking for."
Apollo grinned with a proud look on his face and ruffled Percy's hair fondly. The latter tried to swat the former's hand away and attempt to fix his hair that was never fixed in the first place.
"I expected as much from my favorite demigod," Apollo winked at Percy, who stuck his tongue out as he continued in vain to get his hair to cooperate with him.
Clearing his throat, he leaned closer to the two and spoke in a low voice. "I wanna talk to you two before I take the kids to camp. Hermes couldn't be here but he wanted to remind Percy about some stuff and I have some stuff to say too. Is there anywhere we can do that?"
Artemis simply nodded towards the large tent that she had yet to take down. Percy frowned slightly and asked, "Is there something I'm forgetting?"
Apollo waved him off as he turned to the gathered hunters and campers with his usual grin. "I, the great Apollo, will be escorting you to camp personally after my sister and I discuss a few things with Percy over here. We'll make it quick so we can all get you to some warm beds and shelter. Is that cool?"
The hunters did not respond verbally, simply inclining their heads before they walked off to find other things to do. The campers, not knowing what else to do, simply thanked him and bowed, wandering off to do their own thing as well. Percy noticed that Elaine's eyes lingered over the cliff's edge, and he felt a slight twinge of pity for her.
When he turned his gaze back to his mentors, the two were already walking towards Artemis' tent, muttering between themselves quietly. Percy jogged to catch up to them, wondering what exactly the god had to tell him.
Artemis had opened up the flaps for the two and followed after them. She snapped her fingers and both males felt the protection and privacy magic she set on the tent. She gestured for Apollo to speak as Percy sat himself down in a chair. The sun god sighed and leaned on the end of Artemis' bed.
"Your entire fight was broadcasted to the throne room, kid. Zeus wanted to watch over Thalia, but now, he knows about you, and so does Poseidon. They made me come and fetch you before I take you and the hunters to camp, and they didn't let Hermes come with me because they wanted to ask him about you, and I don't think he can hide anything from the entire council." Apollo told them, a tired look slowly making its way onto his face. He had felt Zeus' anger in the air around him, and Poseidon's shock was clear as day on the man's features.
"Most of us are abstaining from taking sides right now because of how good you were out there, but it only makes Zeus want you dead more than ever. Poseidon is fighting for you and it's mainly just the two of them arguing up there. Hermes would've probably vouched for you if he wasn't so cowed by dad." The sun god continued, shaking his head. Percy couldn't help but feel nervous, and his suddenly pale complexion told the gods that were present just as much.
"When do we leave?" Percy asked.
"As soon as you're ready. Preferably as soon as possible, to be honest. Zeus isn't known for his patience." Apollo replied, his voice softer than usual. Both his mentors felt pity build up within them for the boy, and Artemis made eye contact with her brother to try to convey her thoughts.
A moment later, Apollo nodded and looked at Percy with more determination in his eyes than the demigod had ever seen in him before. "We'll protect you like we promised we would. You're our student and the possible child of the prophecy."
Artemis nodded as well, "You will not face Zeus alone."
Percy nodded, and though his nerves were calmed somewhat, his gut continued to do flips inside of him. He sighed and rubbed his clammy hands on his jeans and stood, taking deep breaths to steel himself for what was to come.
"Percy," Apollo spoke up after he and his twin sister watched the demigod prepare himself.
Percy raised his eyebrow at his teacher and found himself speechless when the man had closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. No words were exchanged between them, mainly due to Percy's shock and Apollo's worry eating at him from the inside out.
Artemis allowed the two to have their moment with a small smile on her face. She knew that the demigod meant the world to Hermes and Apollo, and found herself caring for the boy as well. She would not deny that he was a positive influence on his teachers; Hermes and Apollo learned how to be more serious and Artemis herself learned how to loosen up once in a while.
Apollo pulled back from the hug and held the demigod in front of him by the shoulders with a smile. "Hermes told me to tell you that even if you aren't his son, you'll always be his champion. He told me you're his caduceus in the mortal world."
Percy blinked and felt a tear prick his eye that threatened to spill over. Hermes' caduceus helped him cast magic and make a difference in battle and life. Percy had never seen the god without it, whether it was in its true form or the form of a phone or clipboard. To hear that his teacher, his first-ever friend, believed he was just as valuable as his symbol of power...
A look of determination settled itself on Percy's face, a fierce look of pride in his eyes. "I'm ready. Let's go."
Apollo nodded and glanced at his sister, who had walked closer to them and placed her hand on his shoulder. She returned his nod and the three flashed away.
In the throne room, tensions were high between Poseidon and Zeus. The sea god gripped his trident tightly in his hand, glaring daggers at his brother, who returned his look with his master bolt in his hands. The rest of the gods watched with bated breaths, most of all Ares, who watched on in excitement instead of anxiety.
A flash in the center of the room caused the Olympians to turn their attention to the newcomers: Apollo, Artemis, and their demigod student.
The boy had dark hair that was swept to the side as if he had just been to a beach and sea-green eyes that almost glowed with power. His features were inherited from his birth father, who was just as good-looking as he was. He wasn't much shorter than the 6 foot tall Apollo. He wasn't wide nor thin, but just the right size and the way he stood and carried himself showed confidence.
Silence greeted the boy as the Olympians sized him up, looking him up and down from head to toe. Hermes had left his throne seeing Zeus preoccupied with his staredown with his brother, and shrunk himself down to his mortal height to stand beside his champion.
Poseidon was the first to move among the Olympians, standing and immediately walking towards his son as he shrank down to mortal height. His eyes were filled to the brim with unshed tears as he stared at his now 14-year-old son, and he froze just a few feet away from the boy. He lifted his hand up to touch him but paused, and his open hand closed into a fist. It dropped to his side and he looked away, shaking his head.
Percy frowned slightly at seeing Poseidon so defeated. His first time meeting the man was also the first time he had ever seen him cry?
"I'm...I'm sorry, Percy. I should've...I wish I-" Poseidon tried to get the words he wanted to say out of his mouth, but Percy giving him a hesitant smile made him pause.
"It's in the past. I don't really see you as a father, and I don't know if I ever will, but I don't want to be your enemy. Please don't cry anymore." Percy had said this softly to try to lessen the embarrassment that his father might've just brought upon himself by breaking down in front of the whole Olympian council. His voice had become slightly awkward when he almost begged the god to stop crying, as Percy knew nothing about comforting people in distress.
Poseidon stared at him in a mixture of shock, guilt, and gratitude. The god nodded slowly and reached out a hand that found Percy's shoulder. The boy found the hand to be warm and familiar, and he gave his father a wider but still relatively small smile. The god grinned widely in return.
Poseidon glanced around to look at Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes, who were all watching him like hawks. They hid their surprise at Percy's friendliness with the man, and had to hide their smiles seeing their student continue to exceed their expectations.
"I would like to speak to Percy before you bring him to camp," Poseidon said. His tone was not rude and his statement was a request, which earned him some respect from the three gods. They had anticipated him to be forceful when it came to the boy but were pleasantly surprised at the sea god. After receiving nods in response, Poseidon gave his son one last guilty look before he turned and walked back towards his throne, growing to his godly height.
Percy took the chance to glance around the room, seeing mixed reactions from the gods that he had read so much about. He was glad to see that most of the gods weren't looking at him with any malice in their eyes with the exception of Zeus, who glared at him fiercely.
Apollo gently nudged the boy forward, and Percy took this as a sign to walk further into the center of the throne room. The three gods who had stood beside their champion returned to their thrones as he walked. Once he thought he was far enough, he bowed low to the king of the gods.
"State your name, boy," Zeus said, the anger in his voice causing it to sound like thunder to Percy's ears. He hid the wince that came with the pain in his ears.
"Perseus Jackson, Lord Zeus."
"And you are my brother's child, correct?" The king of the gods asked again.
Percy cleared his throat before he responded, "Yes, Lord Zeus."
"Tell us how you came to be Hermes' champion. Leave nothing out of your story. I will know if you hide even the smallest detail from me," Zeus commanded, sitting back slowly in his throne. His eyes were still cold, but Percy could see the tiniest sliver of curiosity in them.
Percy glanced at his patrons, who offered him nods of support, then began to tell his story.
"A few years ago, I had a stepfather named Gabe Ugliano who liked to drink. He'd get...rough with me and my mom, but she usually tried to take the worst of it for me. One night, he just went too far and hit her a little bit too hard." Percy's voice was hard as he recalled the night his mother died.
"He was about to do the same to me, too," Percy continued after a moment, his eyes conveying his pain clearly to the occupants of the throne room. "But when he was about to finish me off, a man knocked on our door and interrupted him. He knocked Gabe out in two hits and healed me. He fought off monsters that came after me and helped me send the bastard to jail."
Percy lifted his head and looked meaningfully at Hermes before turning back to Zeus. "Hermes-oh, err, Lord Hermes gave me a second chance that night. He took me to his place here on Olympus and hid me there while he taught me about everything I needed to know about the world. He told me about my powers and gave me his blessing so that I could protect myself better. He told me about a prophecy that I might be involved in and trained me for it."
Percy paused to gauge the reactions in the room. Again, he was glad to see that most of the gods in the room continued to be neutral and was surprised to see that a couple looked at him sympathetically. Poseidon, who had looked livid and guilty as he listened to Percy talk about his past, gave Hermes a thankful smile and a nod. The god of thieves nodded as well. Zeus had looked slightly surprised that Percy knew about the prophecy, but did not verbally address it.
"About a month after I started living with Hermes, I met Lord Apollo," Percy started up again, a soft smile making its way onto his face as he recounted the meeting in his mind. "We were having breakfast in the kitchen when he let himself in and found me there, and after a long argument that they didn't include me in, Lord Apollo decided to help me out too. We found out a bit later that Thalia Grace was out of commission for a bit and that made me the next in line for the prophecy. They made my training harder after that. He and Hermes have been my teachers ever since, and I wouldn't be the fighter that I am today without them."
Apollo found himself on the end of a few smiles courtesy of a couple of Olympians at his student's words, and found himself beaming proudly at the boy.
"A few months after that, my birthday came up and Lord Apollo wanted to give me a gift. I wanted to learn how to fly using my own pair of winged shoes but Lord Hermes wouldn't let me practice without him being around to supervise. He was busy a lot so I wasn't able to use the shoes as much as I wanted. Apollo decided to make me fly without shoes and strapped me onto an old catapult that lit me on fire when it launched me into the air." Percy said, sending a quick glare to the sun god. He had dropped the Lord in Apollo's name on purpose the second time he mentioned it.
Apollo then found himself on the end of multiple deadpan looks. His sister mirrored Percy's glare.
Apollo could only smile sheepishly in embarrassment.
"I landed in a clearing where the hunters of Artemis were camping for the night. They were about to kill me until Lord Apollo showed up and he managed to convince Lady Artemis to let him explain the situation to her. She took us to her tent where we could speak to her alone and they sent me away a few minutes later to a lake so I could clean myself up. They called me back around an hour later, and somehow Lord Hermes was there too. They said Lady Artemis was going to train me and for the next few months, I followed a strict schedule that they set for me." Percy said, prompting some Olympians to send curious looks at Artemis. The goddess of the hunt ignored them in favor of watching her father for any sudden movements.
"What did Hermes, Apollo, and Artemis teach you?" Athena spoke up from her throne, a curious look on her face.
"Lord Hermes taught me how to use the powers that came with his blessing and drill me on swordsmanship so that I could match Luke Castellan. Lord Apollo taught me how to deal with mortals using the mist and defend myself from all kinds of weapons. Lady Artemis helped me improve my archery and teamwork whenever I was traveling with the hunt. All three had a hand in improving my general fitness and stamina," Percy answered, prompting the goddess to nod at his answer.
"What happened down in Maine?" Hermes asked, finally managing to get a word in. He was unable to watch Percy's fight with the monsters as Zeus had immediately rounded on Poseidon, who eventually rounded on him.
"My hunters and I, along with Perseus, arrived at the clearing behind Westover Hall to find a manticore holding the two children of Hades hostage. He was about to escape from the campers sent to retrieve the siblings with his escort of a small army of monsters until we intervened. Perseus used his sword to draw the attention of the monsters and my hunters picked them off from afar. I personally dealt with the manticore and secured the children of Hades. My hunters trapped him and kept him in place with arrows pinning him to a boulder. Before long, the army was destroyed and the mission would have been over if not for the unexpected escape of the manticore from its confines. It attempted to snatch the two children of Hades but was struck by one of the campers on its back. He fell off the cliff and brought the girl with him," Artemis said. She frowned at the end of her small speech, showing that she was feeling guilty about the daughter of Athena's death. Athena herself shared her look with a frown on her face.
"What of Thalia? Was she harmed?" Zeus asked, prompting Artemis to shake her head.
"The daughter of Poseidon, Elaine Chi, was poisoned by the manticore, and the daughter of Athena is now missing, but the rest were relatively unharmed," Artemis responded.
"Elaine? Is she alright?" Poseidon spoke up, prompting Percy to frown softly at the concern in the god's voice. He idly wondered where that concern was for him when he was stuck with an abusive stepfather, but decided to calm himself before he said anything he didn't really mean to say.
"Perseus healed her using the powers given to him by Apollo's partial blessing," Artemis said. Poseidon's eyes widened and he gave his son a thankful nod. Percy shrugged, as he wasn't sure how to respond.
A few moments of silence took over the throne room, and surprisingly, Hephaestus broke it by speaking.
"You said there was a small army of monsters?" The gruff voice of the god had a tinge interest in its tone.
Seeing Artemis nod, Hephaestus continued, "And the boy took on the army essentially on his own?"
Artemis nodded again, looking slightly perturbed at the downplaying of her hunters' roles in the fight.
Hephaestus turned his gaze to Percy, who was looking at him with surprise. "Show me your weapon, boy."
Percy blinked for a moment then reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone. He flicked his wrist and his phone shimmered into a beautiful adamantine blade that was curved at the end. He spun it once slowly, as he seemed to like to do often, and held it up for everyone in the throne room to see. Hephaestus' eyes widened in surprise.
"How did you get that sword, boy?" Hephaestus asked. There was no anger in his tone. Percy was glad that the god seemed to be curious about his sword and nothing else.
"Lord Hermes said he made a delivery for Lord Hades in exchange for a favor and got me this for my 12th birthday," Percy responded, looking slightly confused. "Is there something wrong with it?"
Hephaestus grunted as he shook his head. "On the contrary, boy, that sword is in exquisite shape for its age. I just thought you would know where it came from."
"Where it came from?"
"That sword is the harpe of Perseus. He used it to decapitate Medusa." Hephaestus replied, looking slightly smug that no one else in the throne room, save Hermes of course, had made the connection.
The Olympians all looked slightly surprised at Percy's ownership of the legendary blade. No one was more shocked than the boy himself, however.
"This is...? Oh wow." He breathed out, suddenly looking at his sword in a new light.
Hermes grinned at him from his throne, which was quickly mirrored by Apollo. Artemis shook her head with a small smile on her face.
Zeus cleared his throat, a frown once more making its way onto his face. "Let us return to the matter at hand. Poseidon has broken the pact twice in one year, and while I too made the mistake of breaking it, I do not think it just that we allow this boy to live."
"What?" Poseidon growled, standing up in protest. "I won't let you kill my son, Zeus!"
"He is powerful, Poseidon. Perhaps more so than my own daughter." The admission made Zeus look as if he sucked on a lemon. "What if he were to turn on Olympus?"
"He won't turn on us, Zeus. He lived with three of our own for three years now." Poseidon said with a glare. The next words that came out of his mouth were deathly quiet but resounded throughout the room as if he had shouted them. "I lost him once, brother, and I refuse to let you take him away from me."
The tension in the throne room once again skyrocketed. Percy could feel the pressure of godly energy in the air as Poseidon fought to hold back his true form.
A voice sounded out from one of the thrones, and to the surprise of the vast majority of those in the throne room, it was Hera who spoke. "That is quite enough from both of you. We are Olympians, so let us settle this like Olympians."
Percy's wide eyes locked onto the queen of the gods, who raised an eyebrow at him in return. He decided to give her a thankful smile that she did not return. She maintained the raised eyebrow instead before she turned back to her brother and husband.
"Sit down, Poseidon," Hera commanded. "Now."
The sea god reluctantly complied, still sending his brother dirty looks as he shifted in his seat.
"We shall put it to a vote, as we always do," Hera said, her voice as powerful and commanding as her husband's.
"I agree," Hermes said. He was seconded by Apollo, who raised his hand as if he were a kindergartner before he verbally said so.
"Very well," Zeus grunted, folding his arms over his chest. "All those in favor of letting Perseus Jackson live?"
The twin archers and Hermes were the first to raise their hands, followed by Poseidon and Hephaestus. Demeter and Athena both followed a moment later, and surprisingly, so did Hera.
Zeus scowled, "and those in favor of killing Perseus Jackson?"
Only Dionysus raised his hand, earning him a few glares from his fellow Olympians. Aphrodite and Ares had abstained.
Zeus nodded with a small sigh, "then it is settled. Perseus Jackson will live, though this does not completely solve our problems. He may be loyal to Olympus, but he could be captured and used against us."
"Then we send him to camp," Athena spoke, glancing once at the out-of-place demigod in the center of the room before she turned back to her father. "His skill in battle is apparent and he is clearly loyal to us. He could be a valuable asset to Olympus in the future. As for the prophecy, I believe he poses no threat to us as Thalia Grace is currently in line to be the child of the prophecy. He could be a fitting replacement should anything happen to the girl as well."
Zeus narrowed his eyes in thought as he slowly nodded his head. "Very well. We will send him to Camp Half-Blood. Who will claim him?"
Apollo raised his hand, causing his fellow Olympians to look at him in surprise.
He cleared his throat before he spoke, "Hermes and I talked about it before and we agreed that he would get along better in my cabin. Hermes' cabin is too full and Percy isn't as cunning as Hermes' kids. I blessed him enough for his archery to be passable and he's pretty damn handsome, so he'll fit just fine with my kids." The god grinned as he finished his explanation.
Multiple eyes turned to Poseidon, who winced and slowly shook his head. "I believe Apollo and Hermes are making the right decision. It would be better for Percy to not be recognized as a son of Poseidon yet." The god emphasized the 'yet' in his sentence, sending a meaningful look at Percy, who smiled back hesitantly.
"Can I ask why?" Ares asked, surprising the gods in the throne room. He was usually quiet during meetings and only spoke up if he was needed.
"Times are changing and war is looming," Athena responded, a small frown on her face. "It would not be safe to assume that there are no spies in camp, and thus Perseus will remain our secret weapon until he has no choice but to show his strength."
Percy blinked at being regarded so highly by the Olympians. He wondered if he was really strong for a demigod or if the rest of the demigods in the world were just weak. He decided he'd believe the former so that he could justify how inflated his ego felt.
Ares nodded at her answer and allowed Zeus to take control of the meeting once more. The king of the gods looked around before he spoke, "You all heard Athena. Perseus Jackson will remain a mystery until it is required of him to show his skills to the opposition. No one here will speak of what has transpired in this meeting once we leave this room. Understood?"
The god received nods of understanding in response, and he nodded back with a sigh. "Council dismissed." He flashed away and he was followed by most of the other Olympians. Poseidon, Artemis, Apollo, and Hermes all stayed behind to talk to Percy. The four gods all shrank down to their mortal height and converged on him, with Poseidon staying a bit behind to let them speak to each other.
"You handled that well, Perseus. I am surprised you did not forget my lessons on formality," Artemis said, a small smirk on her face. Percy smiled back and thanked her.
"Yeah. I don't think I've ever heard Ares or Hephaestus speak up in a meeting that didn't directly involve them before. And Hera too. She stuck up for you, kid. That's a big deal!" Apollo said, his shock at the day's events clear in his voice.
"I don't think I've ever seen dad admit that anyone was stronger than one of his own demigods, Percy. Good job." Hermes said with a proud smile on his face. "I need to go back to doing my job now, but I want you to know that we are all proud of you. Even Artemis."
Apollo grinned as he nodded in agreement and Artemis rolled her eyes. She did not deny it, however, and that was enough for Percy.
Hermes ruffled the boy's hair before disappearing in a flash of smoke.
"Apollo and I will wait for you here in the throne room, Perseus. You best speak to Poseidon now. I do not wish to keep my hunters waiting," Artemis said, gesturing for the boy to talk to the god who stood behind them a fair distance away.
Percy nodded hesitantly and gave them both smiles before he walked towards Poseidon, who stared at him with guilt-filled eyes.
"Walk with me?" Poseidon asked as soon as Percy came close enough to hear him, and when the boy nodded, the god turned and began to walk out of the doors of the throne room to the gardens of Olympus. Percy followed him out quietly.
They walked for a minute or two in complete silence through the gardens of Olympus until they approached a marble bench. Poseidon sat down and gestured for Percy to follow suit. The boy complied and waited for his father to speak.
"I suppose I should start off with another apology," Poseidon said, a small sheepish smile making its way onto his face. "All these years I've thought about what I would say to you if I had another chance to see you again, but now that you're here, I find it hard to speak. I'm sorry that I'm not prepared for this."
Percy blinked and pursed his lips. "It's okay. I don't really know how you prepare for this kind of thing anyway."
Poseidon chuckled quietly and nodded. He was silent again for a few moments before he spoke, "I want you to know that I sincerely wished that I could've been there for you. I tried multiple times to approach you in the mortal world but I hesitated every single time."
Percy raised an eyebrow, "why?"
"Because I have a wife and child in Atlantis, Percy," the god replied dryly, once again looking guilty. "I'm sure you know how reckless us male Olympians can get when it comes to having children, and when the pact was made, my wife Amphitrite thought I would never have a demigod child again. She was wrong."
The god chuckled mirthlessly before he continued, "It felt wrong for me to see you, a child that I had with another woman, and return to Atlantis to my wife and son who I admittedly don't give enough of my time. It felt wrong for me to pretend like everything was alright when it was not. I am sorry for failing you, and for failing to get over my own fears for your sake."
Percy nodded quietly. He found that while he didn't like Poseidon's reasoning for abandoning him, he understood completely why his father did what he did. Now that he heard it from the man himself, a strange calm washed over the demigod.
"When I had you, and my wife and son found out, they both shunned me and ignored me in my own home," Poseidon said, a frown marring his face. "Our arguments would evolve into fights that caused floods across the globe. Multiple small earthquakes struck the mortals in the span of a month as well. A decade later, they were still upset with me, and I found out about you and your mother and I lost it. I hope it brings you some semblance of comfort that I buried her myself and ensured that vile man she married was sent to Hades."
"You sent him to the Underworld?" Percy asked in surprise. Hermes had told him that the man had disappeared suddenly from his jail cell and no one could find the man anywhere.
Poseidon nodded with a small smile, "my brother and I are not as close as we were when we were younger, but we are on speaking terms. We bond over our mutual dislike of Zeus. After I told him what happened, he was more than glad to torture the man for the rest of eternity."
Percy nodded mutely and made it a point to remind himself to thank Hades in the future.
"As for Elaine, I fell into a depression while my family was fighting. I would go into the mortal world and drink myself silly. It is how I met Elaine's mother, Melanie," Poseidon said. He was leaning back on the bench now, his eyes staring up into the sky as Percy listened.
"I was almost never sober and she met me in a bar. I needed to get lost in something else to forget how much of a failure I was and things got out of hand quickly and...Elaine was born." The god winced. Percy's eyes widened slightly.
"I will not lie and tell you that Elaine was planned," Poseidon said, sighing. "She was a product of my desire to forget and when I realized what I had done, I wanted to leave and never return. I changed my mind when I realized that leaving was what I had done to you, and it would've been another mistake that I was not willing to make. So, I waited patiently until she was of age, and made sure she knew that I was there whenever she needed me. I would've done the same for you, but you disappeared. I refused to lose another child to neglect, and so I was there at camp to claim her, aid her in her quests, and visit her in the mortal world every other month."
Percy frowned and nodded quietly. Once again, he found that he didn't really mind that Poseidon had shown such care for Elaine while he had received none. He was glad that his father had changed his ways and in the end, everything turned out for the better.
"Thanks for explaining things to me from your perspective, Poseidon," Percy said after a few moments of silence. "As I said, I don't really know if I can ever see you as my dad but demigod life is way too short for me to hold anything against you. You were a good dad to Elaine and I guess that's enough for me."
Poseidon nodded quietly. "I wish I could've been there for you Percy. I wish I could've been there to see you grow up into the fine young man you are today."
He slowly stood and stretched, and Percy followed suit. The two then looked at each other and nodded.
Poseidon held out his hand to the boy, and Percy took it firmly in his own. "I know I will never be able to change the past, but I want you to know that I will be here should you need me. Just ask, and I will do my best to help."
Percy nodded at his father's words, "I'll remember that. Thanks."
"And I know that you don't owe me anything but I do hope you go easy on Elaine," Poseidon smiled softly. "I anticipate that she will want to get to know you, and I ask that you don't hold any of my actions against her. Especially in spars."
Percy smirked and shrugged, "okay. I guess I can do that."
Poseidon nodded and the god laid his other hand on his son's shoulder. Percy felt a rush of power fill him for a moment before it was gone. The demigod looked at his father with a confused look on his face.
"I blessed you partially to accelerate your training with water. It will be easier for you to pick it up, but it will still take you much longer than usual when it comes to one of my children. I know it must've been hard for you to control it with all the other powers you were focused on in the past, so I remedied that," Poseidon replied. Percy gave him a smile and thanked him.
Poseidon gave him a grin that Percy had to inwardly admit was very similar to his own. Poseidon bade him goodbye and flashed away, leaving Percy alone in the gardens.
The demigod sighed tiredly and turned to walk away, only to find Hera staring at him curiously. Percy choked in surprise and immediately bowed.
"Lady Hera! I didn't see you there!" He said, bowing low to the queen of the gods.
He looked up when he heard a soft snort, and saw that Hera looked amused. "You may stand, Perseus Jackson. I mean no harm and I only wish to warn you of your future."
Percy complied and frowned softly in confusion. "What do you mean my future? Do you mean the prophecy?"
Hera shook her head, "things will not end after the prophecy. There will be more to do and you will be at the center of it all. Steel yourself and prepare well, young one."
Percy slowly nodded in understanding but continued to look confused. "Thank you, Lady Hera, but may I ask why you're warning me?"
Hera shook her head again. "I cannot tell you. Accept my advice, Perseus, and think of it as my way of helping a possible child of the prophecy."
Percy nodded again and thanked her, deciding that he wouldn't get anything out of her anyway, complied with her request to accept her help. The goddess disappeared in a flash a moment later.
Percy rubbed his head tiredly and jogged back to the throne room. His thoughts were a mess; this was hands down the most stressful day of his life. He avoided death with the council after telling them everything he did for the last three years and kind of made peace with his father. In addition to that, the queen of the gods was being civil to him and he didn't know why. He continued to ponder the day's events as he went.
He opened the throne room doors to find Artemis lightly rubbing her temples as Apollo looked confused.
"Hey, I'm sorry I took so long. Hera talked to me after I talked to Poseidon," Percy said. He looked between the two for a moment then spoke again. "Did I miss something?"
"Yes," Apollo said, and the man looked like he wanted to say more but promptly shut up when his sister sent him a glare.
"No," Artemis growled out, and took both by the arms and flashed back to her camp.
Elaine sat by herself on the cliff she had watched her friend Annabeth fall off of. She rubbed her arms to warm herself but refused to be near the fires that the hunters of Artemis had set up; Thalia was there and as much as Elaine wanted to apologize, her pride made her want to be as far away from the irate daughter of Zeus as possible.
Elaine did find some logic in what Thalia had said; maybe if she had just played things safe, the manticore would be dead and Annabeth would still be with them. The hunters and that strange Percy Jackson guy wouldn't have had to intervene at all and Bianca di Angelo wouldn't have left her brother behind for the hunt. Elaine blamed herself for that, too.
She heaved a sigh as she played with Riptide in her hand. The sword was in its pen form and it usually brought her comfort when she had it in her hands. With everything that had happened that day though, Elaine only felt guilty that she didn't use her sword well enough to protect her friends. She had failed them again just as she had failed to duel Luke.
She subconsciously began to prod her still tender shoulder where the manticore had struck her with his tail. The wound was closed and she no longer felt weak from its effects. She was just tired.
Elaine wondered if Annabeth was tired wherever she was. She knew that the girl was alive because she didn't feel the daughter of Athena hit the water below the cliff. She wasn't sure whether or not it would've been better for the girl to be alive and in the hands of Kronos and Luke, or dead.
Her morbid line of thought was interrupted by Percy Jackson, who settled down beside her quietly.
Elaine glanced at the boy and asked, "where did you go? I was looking all over the place for you."
Percy raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed slightly at how strange her statement was. "I had a meeting to attend, that's all. Why were you looking for little old me?"
"Everyone else here isn't too happy with me," Elaine shrugged, her eyes drifting down towards the water again. "You seem to be the only person here who wants to talk to me."
"Eh, screw them," Percy replied as he leaned back on his hands. Elaine blinked at the boy's words. "You tried to do the right thing and you messed up, so what? All you have to do now is learn from your mistakes and do better next time. It's not like that girl who fell with the manticore is dead."
Elaine nodded slowly before she fully processed his words. She narrowed her eyes at the boy beside her, "what do you mean she isn't dead? How do you know?"
Percy blinked and realized his slip up, and he cleared his throat. "Just a feeling. Anyway, I came here to fetch you and tell you what Lady Artemis and Lord Apollo is telling the others over there by the fire."
Elaine raised her eyebrow and Percy elaborated, "whenever someone asks you something about me, you don't tell them anything. Pretend the only thing you know about me is my name. Whatever you saw earlier in that fight never happened."
Elaine looked at him suspiciously again, "why? What do you have to hide?"
Percy snorted and shook his head, "relax, princess, I don't have anything to hide. At least nothing that you need to know right now. The meeting I had was an important one and some really important people think I should be downplayed for a while, that's all."
Elaine continued to look at him suspiciously. Percy sighed and shrugged, "look, what's it gonna take for me to convince you? You want me to pinky swear or something?"
Elaine paused before she asked, "Pinky swear?"
"Yeah. You know, I wrap my pinky around your pinky and swear. Pinky swear."
"...are you serious?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
Elaine let his words float through her mind for a moment before she began to smile. The smile soon evolved into a chuckle, which turned into full-blown laughter. Percy stared at her, utterly confused, as she continued to giggle.
"Was it something I said?" Percy asked, playing back the things he said to her in his mind. He couldn't for the life of him understand what she found funny.
Elaine continued to chuckle under her breath as she shook her head. "Nevermind, Jackson. It's not important."
Percy stared at her for a few moments in what looked like concern before he conceded with a shrug. Elaine pushed herself up from her position over the cliff and got to her feet. She offered the boy a hand just as he had with her a few hours ago.
Percy took her hand in his and stood, giving her the same grin he gave her before. Elaine felt her cheeks heat up again, and she wondered how anyone could have such nice teeth.
"So, you won't tell anyone about me?" Percy asked as the two slowly made their way back to the camp.
Elaine shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't pinky swear, after all."
Percy looked at her in surprise and mock hurt. "Hey!"
Elaine found herself laughing again. Her chest felt significantly less heavy than it had before Percy Jackson had come around to talk to her. She swore to herself to keep his secret, if not for the important people he told her about, then for herself. She felt the need to find out everything she could about the boy, and she told herself she would be the first to know.
Apollo raised his eyebrow at the sight of Elaine and Percy as they neared the gathered group. He was under the assumption that the latter wasn't very eager to get to know his half-sister, and was thus surprised to see the girl laughing and smiling as she walked with him. The girl had been downright gloomy until he had come along. The god shook his head, deciding that Percy would forever be the most unpredictable demigod he'd ever know.
Unknown to Apollo, his look was shared by Thalia, who was curious about the demigod that had decimated a small monster army almost by himself. He had then played peacemaker between her and Elaine, who until just now, looked like she wanted to break down. Suddenly, the girl was smiling like she had no care in the world. Thalia frowned and wondered if Annabeth's kidnapping meant nothing to the daughter of Poseidon.
The two finally were close enough to hear Artemis, who was waiting for them to join up. She nodded to them and began to speak, "before I take my leave, I would like to reiterate that Perseus' skills are to be kept under wraps. Tell no one of what you've seen today. Zeus himself has ordered our silence on the matter and if I were you, I would not cross the king of the gods."
Elaine's eyes widened and she glanced at Percy in surprise. The boy did not notice as he made his way towards the front of the group towards where the hunters were standing.
Elaine wondered what made Percy so special that the Olympians themselves wanted to hide him. She assumed that his battle prowess would be useful against Kronos, and perhaps whatever he had shown against the monsters earlier was barely an inkling of his power. Still, she wondered why even the campers had to be kept out of the loop of things.
Artemis gave them all one last nod and walked over to where her brother was standing. She muttered a few things under her breath to him, and he responded by placing a hand on her shoulder and sending her his normal grin. She slapped his hand away and flashed away after he yelped in pain.
Percy had moved to the front to talk to the hunters one final time. He knew that he'd have no chance to do so at camp, and he also knew how irritable they could get whenever they were around other men for a long period of time. The only exception was Percy himself, but he had spent almost two years with them.
Phoebe told him to watch his back at camp, and when Percy asked why, she simply smirked. "Capture the Flag, Jackson," she said, puffing her chest out proudly. "The hunters haven't lost to the campers."
A younger hunter from the back spoke up, "but Percy will be on the camper's side, won't he?" Her words seemingly gave a few hunters pause, something that Thalia and Elaine noticed.
"It will not matter," Zoe said from somewhere beside Phoebe. "His presence is not a threat to our streak."
"You talk a big game, Zoe. And here I thought we were friends!" Percy said as he pouted in mock sadness.
Zoe rolled her eyes and turned to walk towards Apollo, who was working on focusing his sports car into a bus. Phoebe snickered at the way her lieutenant had ignored Percy and followed suit. The rest of the hunters followed the large girl with a few giving the son of Poseidon good-natured punches or shoves.
Thalia, Elaine, and Grover all walked up to stand beside Percy to watch the hunt walk off. "I didn't think a male would be so close to the hunters," Thalia said with a slight tone of disgust in her voice.
Percy raised his eyebrow at her tone and shrugged, "we're okay. What's your beef with them?"
THalia simply shook her head and glanced at him with a strange look before walking off to follow the hunters. Grover gave Percy a nervous look before following the daughter of Zeus. Nico di Angelo stuck to the satyr like glue, as he looked extremely out of place without his sister around to guide him. Elaine simply shook her head and sighed, "don't worry about it Percy. She'll probably tell you eventually."
Frowning, Percy nodded and the two made their way to the yellow bus Apollo had summoned for them.
Apollo clapped his hands once with a large smile on his face, "Alrighty then! I'll be taking you to camp in my sun chariot today, and since I'm feeling a bit tired today, I think I'll have one of you drive!"
Almost immediately, the hunters filed onto the bus and occupied the back half of the bus. The campers followed suit and ended up having to occupy the first row. Percy sat down first and was surprised to see Elaine edge out Grover to sit next to him. He decided to think nothing of it; he wouldn't want to sit next to the irritable Thalia either.
"Thalia Grace," Apollo called in a slight shout. "You are the demigod daughter of Zeus, which makes me your kind-of-brother. And today, you'll be driving us to camp." He pulled the now pale Thalia out of her seat and dragged her towards the driver's seat, where he plopped her down soundly. He stood on standby as Thalia shakily started up the engine. Percy immediately felt trepidation build within him when he saw Thalia jump at the roar of the engine coming to life.
A few minutes later, and Percy had never feared for his life more. The hunters were yelling in a panic behind him, Grover was chewing on his seat in fear, Nico gripped his seat tightly looking paler than usual, and Elaine was gripping his arm so hard he could feel pins and needles on his fingertips. A lurch brought the girl on top of him, and while she blushed, he looked absolutely irritated.
He moved her to her seat as gently as he could and stood shakily, grabbing a hold of whatever he could to steady himself as he stood. He stumbled his way forward and shoved past the calm Apollo, who was scrolling through his social media apps on his phone. He gritted his teeth and took deep breaths to calm himself down when he saw that Thalia was utterly terrified.
He took a step forward and used his left hand to grab onto her seat. He placed his other hand on Thalia's right hand that was on the wheel. The girl didn't notice him prior and the bus lurched once more as she yelped in surprise.
"Hey! Calm down! I'm trying to help you here!" Percy yelled over the screams in the bus, and a sweaty Thalia's wide eyes locked onto his. He held her gaze for a moment before the girl nodded nervously.
Percy gripped her hand tighter and tried to steady the way she steered it. He managed to soothe her nerves enough for her movements to go from tense and sudden to more calm and smooth. There was less screaming in the bus as the two demigods drove the chariot, and suddenly, Thalia didn't feel as horrible anymore.
"See? Just relax. Nothing to be worried about," Percy grinned at her, even if he was still breathing heavily. His heart began to calm down significantly, and he was glad he could no longer hear it pounding in his ears.
They continued to drive the bus together for the next half hour, with Percy tightening his hand on hers whenever she began to tense up. He tried to make conversation with the girl but found that he was limited to yes or no questions while the girl was still too scared to speak.
Soon, Camp Half-Blood was in sight, and Percy found himself smiling a bit in excitement. He was rarely around people his age and the camp was a perfect place to find more people like him to befriend. He was by no means ungrateful for his few friendships in the hunt but found that he wanted a little bit of variety when it came to his friends' opinions on things.
The place itself was a decent size and looked generally organized. He could see people his age gathering at the lakeside to watch their descent from the skies, all looking up in curiosity.
He and Thalia worked together to land as gently as possible. The girl was significantly less panicked with someone else helping her and when they finally landed, Thalia turned her head to see Percy grinning at her. "You did great for your first time."
Thalia found herself smiling back despite how much she detested not knowing anything about him. Before she could properly thank him, he was dragged out by Apollo. The hunters had already exited the bus. Elaine, Nico, and Grover waited for her to stand and the three made their way out as well. Thalia only processed Percy's words a few moments later and wondered if he had ever flown the chariot himself before.
Chiron stood in front of the demigods of Camp Half-Blood with a smile on his face. A small frown replaced it, and when he looked questioningly at Thalia, she simply shook her head quietly. The centaur nodded and understood that she would tell him at a later time.
"Lord Apollo," Chiron said, smiling softly at the god. "We did not anticipate your return to camp for a few days. Is Lord Hermes here with you?"
"Nope. This isn't my usual friendly visit my friend. I'm here to escort the hunters of Artemis and the questers you sent out back to camp with the new kids. I also have with me here one Perseus Jackson, who I will claim shortly," Apollo said with a smile on his face.
Chiron looked slightly surprised and looked at Percy curiously, "you have never claimed a demigod in person before, Lord Apollo. Might I ask why you have deemed your son worthy of such an honor?"
Apollo chuckled and shook his head, "I'm sorry Chiron, but you're getting it wrong. Percy's not my son. He's just a dear friend. All will be explained to you soon. I would like to reserve the big house for a meeting with you and my children to tell you all about it if you don't mind."
Chiron blinked in surprise and nodded a few moments later. "I will have it arranged immediately, Lord Apollo."
Apollo gave him a grin and bowed his head in thanks. He turned around to address the hunters, "alright ladies, I'll let Artemis know you all made it here safely. She told me to tell you not to cause too much trouble while you're here."
Mumbles of disappointment came from the hunters, but they nodded to the god anyway. They dismissed themselves and began to walk as a group towards Artemis' cabin. Percy watched them go for a moment, slightly sad that he wouldn't be able to talk to them as frequently as usual.
Elaine gave Percy a smile and told him she'd seek him out after the meeting, to which the son of Poseidon nodded and grinned. The girl blushed before she ducked her head and walked away.
Thalia gave him a curious look and a wave, telling him she'd see him around. She wanted to thank him for what he did for her on the bus but felt that there was too many people around for her to open up like that.
Grover dragged Nico away towards the Hermes cabin, even if the boy had never stopped staring at Percy in awe after he saw the way the son of Poseidon fought. Percy would've thought it was creepy if the kid wasn't so young looking.
Apollo nudged him to jostle him out of his thoughts, "c'mon kid, you'll see them again later. I'll get this whole situation briefed to my kids and Chiron and I'll have them tour you around. You'll do just fine here."
Percy nodded quietly and followed the man as he walked towards the big house. They followed a creek that flowed from a lake, and on the other side of the creek was filled with large structures that Percy assumed were for games or training. He could see what looked like a climbing wall and an amphitheater. They passed by a large pavilion with rows of tables inside it, and the cabins of the Olympians that were settled around a campfire. In the distance, he could see stables and armories. Percy found himself admiring the cozy feel of the camp.
Soon, they approached a light blue house with white trims. They walked inside to see a pool table with multiple blonde kids and blue eyes seated around the room, and Chiron standing across from them.
All the kids gave their father grins and waves, and immediately, Percy felt as if he was stuck in a sea of Apollos and almost wanted to sprint away in fear. He found comfort in seeing that a few of his kids didn't look exactly like him.
"Hey kids! I'm back, but I can't stay too long today. I'm just here to tell you about Percy Jackson here, who'll be bunking with you guys at our cabin," Apollo said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Is he one of our brothers?" A girl asked, looking at him curiously. Percy was glad to see that only looks of curiosity were on their faces. Perhaps Apollo's generally carefree attitude was passed down to them.
"Nope. Not by a long shot. Percy's here because, for the past three years, he's been trained by myself, Hermes, and Artemis in preparation for a prophecy that might just decide the fate of Olympus."
Apollo's words spilled out smoothly, and though they sounded perfectly reasonable to him, the words caused all the occupants of the room to stare in shock. Some mouths were wide open. Chiron himself had choked on the water he was sipping.
Percy groaned at his teacher's lack of tact. "Apollo!"
The said teacher didn't know why his kids looked so confused. "Did I say something wrong?"
Percy knew he was in for another long meeting.
Artemis and Apollo: Waiting for Percy in the Throne Room
The first few minutes of waiting for Percy in the throne room while he spoke to Poseidon were spent in silence. Apollo scrolled through social media and Artemis inspected her bow.
Eventually, the two sat in front of their respective thrones and held a casual conversation. Apollo asked how the hunt was doing, and Artemis asked if he had given up on having so many kids at once.
The gods settled into silence once more after a few minutes.
Suddenly, Apollo turned to his sister with a curious look on his face. "Hey, sis?"
"Yes?"
"We're gods right?"
"...yes?"
"And we create stuff, right?"
"Yes, Apollo. Where are you going with this?"
"Who the hell made the Platypus? And why?"
Artemis found herself experiencing a sudden headache and shook her head.
"What is wrong with you Apollo?"
"It's a serious question!"
The two were interrupted by Percy, who walked into the throne room looking exhausted.
"Hey, I'm sorry I took so long. Hera talked to me after I talked to Poseidon." The boy paused as he looked at the irate Artemis and a baffled Apollo. "Did I miss something?"