Chapter 14

Greetings readers! I hope that all of you enjoyed reading the previous chapter!

In risposta alla recensione di Amico, sono così onorato di sapere che ti è piaciuta abbastanza la mia storia da leggerla in italiano usando Google translate. Mi dispiace usare lo stesso strumento per trasmetterti i miei ringraziamenti e sono molto, molto felice di sapere che ti piacciono le mie storie e pensi che io sia il tuo autore inglese preferito nelle fanfiction. Spero che vi piaccia anche il resto di questa storia! Grazie per il vostro sostegno!

In response to the guest reviewer, continuity in my stories is something I think is very important. In fact, I don't like to think that these three stories and five one shots are separate and rather treat them as one continuous story. And that is how I would have written it until I realised it's going to be a hundred chapter, 600K+ word monster of a story that would take forever to complete. But I am flattered that you compare this AU to the MCU. Thank you for your support!

Responding to Ben's review, I am totally in love with that Ferrari Roma car. Honestly, it should be illegal that such a beautiful car with such a great sounding engine even exists. But I am thrilled that there's another supercar geek out there reading my stories! Thank you for your continued support!

In response to J's review, I used the moral alignment chart for exactly that reason. I knew that most people know about it and it's the easiest way to classify characters. Yes, I had a broad outline of this trilogy nailed down in flash notes before I started working on it. But it was extremely broad and extremely vague and apart from the main timeline of First Gigantomachy, Trojan War and Second Titanomachy and approximate power levels, everything else I wrote as the stories progressed while incorporating reviewer feedback. Thank you for your continued support!

Responding to the Byte's review, I used the D&D moral alignment chart for exactly that reason. I knew that most people know about it and it's the easiest way to classify characters. Plus, I use it a lot while planning character development so it actually is pretty helpful. Thank you for your support!

In response to the guest reviewer, I am thrilled that you liked the little bits of humour incorporated in the story! Thank you for your support!

I would like to thank Nice for your continued support!

I would like to thank the emoticon using guest reviewer for your continued support!

In response to thann3's review, I do use quite a bit of italics to emphasize something or to indicate sarcasm. I usually do not like using bold characters in the middle of a story because I feel it interrupts the reading flow. But I'll definitely try it out in the next chapter! Thank you for your constant feedback and continued support!

Responding to MysteryTrident14's review, well you are definitely right. Lelantos does have a legitimate point which is what I wanted to portray. One of the biggest manifestations of Percy's fatal flaw of personal loyalty is that he can go to any extreme for those who he considers as family, which is not always a good thing and makes him highly biased. I have tried to portray Athena as a counterweight to that and she is the one who has occupied that role of restraining him.

Percy definitely won't become a bad guy, that I can assure you. But he's going to become more chaotic and a tad bit unhinged. There will be moments when his rage takes over and he does things he shouldn't. Again, your assumption is perfect. The rage Percy is experiencing after Achilles' death is very similar Achilles' rage after Patroclus' death. The only exception is that Percy has more control and a person who corrects him softly in the form of Athena.

Yes, that does make Percy a hypocrite because he has backtracked on a lot of old virtues. Part of that is down to his new immortal essence which is more influenced by the Romans but a bigger part of it is down to his general rage against fate itself. I portrayed Percy as a bit of Gary Sue in the second story for exactly this reason. So that this unhinged nature is more apparent. And no, since Athena only adopts demigods in this AU, the jealousy factor is eliminated. Thank you for your great feedback and continued support!

In response to Darkgamer08's review, damn, just reading that sent chills down my spine. You dear reviewer, are going to get a very nice surprise in a few chapters, if you know what I mean ;) Thank you for your great idea and continued support!

In response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews frequently :) ), I am glad that the alignment chart have more insight into Percy's character, that is exactly what I wanted to share. I am really happy that the female Titanesses as villains have been such a huge hit! They just bring a different level of femme fatale essence to the story. And this definitely won't be the last you see of Lelantos. He's back and he's here for revenge.

Yes, that three person conversation is the portrayal of breaking down the myth and I wanted to show the man behind the mask which is something I will elaborate more on in this chapter. As for which Titan should be in Nero's base, tell me any two Titans or Titanesses you think you should be there with Nero, apart from Atlas and the Titan Lords, and one or both of them will be present there! You have always given me such great feedback and I would love to see which Titans or Titanesses you nominate! Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support! Trust me, I don't intend to stop updating anytime soon!

In response to Ryan Fowler's review, no I don't think making Percy mad will be good for the plot. But this story is definitely going to focus more on his internal struggle as he attempts to strike the right balance between his incarnations in the first and second book. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Jubby1905's review, I am glad you liked the hotpot of themes in the previous chapter! Your idea is certainly a great one and you'll definitely see Percy lift his swords and maybe, do a bit more as well :) Thank you for your continued support!

Finally, I would like to thank Arden2709 for your continued support! I am thrilled that you liked the battle in the previous chapter!

Warning - The final part of this chapter contains references to some dark themes. There is no direct violence or gore though and there aren't any sexually explicit scenes or usages of strong language.

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.


Percy was back in a place that he had not visited in a very, very long time. In the centre of the city of Olympus, next to the Olympian Throne Room was the Hall of Heroes, a place where all the heroes in history were honoured and a place that stored the weapons of those great heroes.

It was a beautiful building built in traditional Greek style architecture, designed by Athena and built by Hephaestus more than three thousand years ago. It had originally been built to exclusively honour him for his efforts during the Gigantomachy. But on his insistence, it had been expanded to honour all the heroes in history as he had felt it would be very vain to have an entire building dedicated to only him.

Even though the hall had been a great source of pride for his Atlantean and Olympian families, he had always felt like a pretentious prick when he saw glorified tales of his own valour. He had made sure that only his real achievements were in the hall but he felt like the murals and intricate manuscripts whitewashed his image.

However, once Achilles died and murals about him were put up in the Hall of Heroes, along with his spear, shield and armour, Percy could never bring himself to step foot into the hall ever again. Because every time he even came close to it, he felt an overwhelming amount of grief suffocating him. But that would change today.

He had promised Athena that he would lift his swords, made of the light and indestructible alloy of Celestial Bronze and Stygian Iron. The swords that had come to be associated with him, equivalent to a symbol of power. The swords that had witnessed all the failures of his previous life, the life he had lived three thousand years ago before he had gone into a coma. But he pushed all those thoughts aside.

He was renowned for being a highly pragmatic individual. Right now, he needed to display that pragmatism because he would not always be in the sea. And he did not have enough time to learn to naturally draw out all his power entirely on his own. Which is why he needed his swords.

So, Percy quickly walked through the hall, ignoring and braving through the pangs of guilt that were coursing through him before finally coming to a halt in front of a mural, beneath which, his swords were resting inside a glass on top of a varnished mahogany table.

A tremor of grief wracked through him when he opened the glass and another tremor struck him when he observed the mural in front of him. It was a beautiful mural that portrayed him wielding his fearsome swords and intimidating pitch-black armour, with a proud smile on his face and next to him was Achilles, in all his boyish yet regal glory, wielding his spear and shield.

The mural depicted his nephew fighting alongside him and that mural alone made Percy's eyes water the slightest bit as he mournfully gazed at the mural. He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice Hestia entering the hall and standing next to him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Hestia stated with a distant smile on her face as she watched the mural.

"Must have been painted by a great artist. It truly is marvellous." Percy whispered without taking his eyes off the mural.

"Athena was the one who painted it." Hestia revealed in a quiet tone.

"That explains it. No one else could have known or captured that feeling of joy in my eyes or the proud smile on my face as I fought alongside my beloved nephew against an army of monsters." Percy answered in a complimentary tone as he remembered those glorious days.

The days when Achilles was set to be his lieutenant and they took down entire armies of monsters entirely on their own. They used to fight like madmen and used to banter all the way through. Those were the days Percy felt like he was really living his life.

"Those were the best days of my life, Aunt Hestia. The first eighteen years of Achilles' life was without a doubt the zenith of my life. It was a golden era for not only the world but for me as well. The mortal and divine world functioned together with such perfect harmony that this plane of existence felt like a utopia. It was also the height of my power and influence as the General of the Divine Forces, as I had finally managed to detect and extinguish enemies of the gods from all directions. Personally as well, this was the best period of my life. I had finally moved on from the immense guilt of abandoning Calypso and had settled into an intimate relationship with the woman of my dreams. I was surrounded by a loving family of Atlantean and Olympian gods. And I was playing a part in the upbringing of a wonderful boy. I had everything I had ever wanted right there." Percy reminisced with an expression of sombre nostalgia on his face.

"I called it the Great Peace. Never had the Hearth of Olympus been filled with so much hope. During those two decades, the flames of my hearth overflowed with hope because there was peace, prosperity and happiness everywhere. It was a dream of mine which I thought would never materialise. But you made it happen. You did everything possible to mould the world to fit your strong ideals and inspiring virtues. And you succeeded. You did the impossible." Hestia praised as she remembered that wonderful stretch in history.

"Yes, after decades of trying to shape the world into a utopia, I had finally managed to convince mortals to live for a higher purpose. And lucky for me, this Great Peace, it coincided with the most fulfilling era of my life. But it was never meant to last." Percy morosely stated as his eyes darkened to a light emerald green.

"Unfortunately, yes. The Great Peace, lasted a mere twenty years in the tens of millennia long history of a world. Which is very unfortunate because for a moment, everything was perfect." Hestia concurred with sadness evident in her voice.

"But that was all that era was ever meant to be. It was just a fleeting moment of happiness in an abyss of pain and suffering. And that was all because of that sadistic madman Tartarus. He pushed the world on a downward spiral which it never fully recovered from. And his black hole of misery pulled my beloved nephew in and I lost him forever. But as much as I would like to blame Tartarus for everything, I cannot do so because he could do all this only because he took advantage of my exalted ideals. What is even worse is that I played an active role in my nephew's death. I banished him for the sake of some exalted ideal, which even I hadn't followed when I was younger, and allowed myself to be manipulated by Tartarus." Percy shared his regrets in a hollow voice.

"Nephew, you cannot possibly blame yourself for that. You were doing the morally right thing." Hestia argued. She refused to let this guilt eat Percy from inside.

"And what was my reward for that? I had to watch helplessly as my nephew breathed his last in my arms." Percy bitterly rebuffed with a broken voice before continuing.

"Fate is not impartial, Aunt Hestia. No, it is cruel. It is cruel because it doesn't reward us for our good deeds but never forgets nor hesitates even the slightest bit to punish the smallest of our mistakes. I was brought into this world because of the Fates. They wanted someone to defeat the Gigantes and give a new and peaceful direction to the world. And hopefully prevent the gods from turning into mirror images of the Titans. I did all of that and more. I never wanted power or fame. I only ever wanted to be happy. To live without regrets. I think I deserved that life. But I didn't get it." Percy concluded in a calm voice but there was a distraught look in his eyes.

"I am sorry that you had to lose so much for our sake, nephew. I know that every sacrifice you made was for us. But we let you down when it mattered the most." Hestia stated in a truly apologetic fashion. Percy went silent for a minute before replying.

"The past has passed, Aunt Hestia. I do not want to dwell on that life anymore. The old Perseus Diaboles died on the shores of Sicily three thousand years ago. I treat this life as a rebirth. I was hoping to bury all my old demons along with these swords but it seems like I have no choice but to confront my past." Percy dismissed with a sigh of resignation as he reached out and took a hold of both his swords.

Hestia's anxiety skyrocketed through the roof because the moment Percy held his swords, he groaned and collapsed to his knees. His swords were surrounded by a bright sea green hue and Hestia worriedly watched as the swords seemed to draw out all of Percy's energy as his veins pulsated. And finally, he reached his full power.

However, to Hestia's shock, the swords sent more energy back into Percy's body in brighter and thicker streams, bulging his veins with a river of energy. Percy roared in pain as he felt himself being overloaded with energy and his power started to rise continuously but in just a few seconds, the pain overloaded Percy's mind as well and he felt it was about to be consumed by vengeful rage.

To avoid that scenario, Percy instantly dropped his swords, stopping the energy overflow and preventing his mind from succumbing to hallucinations. He opened his eyes and Hestia almost flinched when she saw his violently swirling sea green eyes that glowed with a thirst for revenge.

A moment later, Percy's knees gave out as he blacked out and he would have fallen if it weren't for Hestia catching him. This was an extremely worrying development.


Leo and Annabeth strolled through the streets of New Greece, at night, after watching a movie in one of its cinema halls. After the battle, instead of having a debrief the next day, all of them had been given a week off, to ensure that they didn't exhaust themselves.

Jason and Reyna had decided to go back to New Rome while Nico had gone to the Underworld and that left Leo, Annabeth and Thalia to come back to Camp Half-Blood. But Thalia had been busy catching up with some other friends which meant Leo and Annabeth had time for a movie after which they were now exploring the streets of New Greece.

Even though Leo had been to New Greece a few times, only today did he notice how beautiful the city really was. The city was planned with elements that included the structure and architecture of Ancient Greek cities as well that of modern cities. In the centre of the city, there was the market plaza or the agora as it was called.

It was orthogonal in shape and had white tiles with a number of intricately designed patterns engraved for the footpath and on all the sides, there were dozens of shops that sold everything from groceries to sports merchandise.

There were four main roads that connected to the plaza and the roads separated the city into four districts apart from the market district. The Northern and Eastern districts housed a little over a hundred independent houses and a few apartment complexes and these were the primary residential areas of the city.

The Western district contained an administrative building as well as offices and houses of the administrative officers of the city. Annabeth had told him that New Greece functioned as a direct democracy rather than as a representative one, owing to its small population. It didn't have a executive arm of elected representatives, a head of government or political parties.

Instead, policies were proposed by fifty one administrative officers, with the senior most being called the Chief Administrator, who supervised the other fifty. All the officers had to pass a rigorous series of tests that tested their theoretical and practical knowledge to enter the civil service and as a prerequisite, they had to be an expert in one field such as finance, medicine, law, engineering etc.

The officers then would debate and settle on a proposal before presenting it with all the information to the people. And all the demigods and legacies in the city over the age of eighteen would then directly vote on the matter through referendums.

The Western district also housed the Apex court which resolved all the issues in the city and was headed by a panel of three judges who were the senior most lawyers in the city. It also housed all the temples to the gods along with a replica of the Parthenon which housed the Athena Parthenos and the Theatre of Dionysus.

The Southern district was the recreational and educational district and was also the one with the most modern influences. It had movie theatres and multiple sports complexes. It had about a dozen preschools and just as many primary schools, a few high schools along with two universities – the University of New Greece and the Olympian University.

"Marvellous isn't it?" Annabeth asked with an expression of awe on her face as they stood in front of a full scale replica of the Parthenon.

"I didn't even think that there could be something as beautiful as this. You know, it's just insane that there are two magnificent cities that are exclusively meant to house demigods and their descendants. By personal experience, I know how dangerous the outside world is for demigods and even for legacies. So it's great that there is a safe haven for us. I am surprised beings as powerful as the gods care so much about their children to build two cities from scratch for them." Leo gratefully replied as they walked through one of the passageways of the Parthenon, admiring the marble pillars as they walked past.

"I guess we have Percy to thank for that. From what I gathered after reading the book mother gave me, it seems that the gods weren't exactly shining examples of benevolence in their first millennium of rule." Annabeth revealed as she recollected what she had read.

"Wait, really?" Leo asked with surprise evident in his voice.

"Yes. I'm not joking. According to my mother, they weren't the best of rulers in their first millennium controlling the world and were fraught with fractured factions. The Big Three were fiercely competitive and were borderline distrustful of each other. The younger Olympians were always embroiled in quarrels. They mistreated the minor gods and only a few of them actually cared for their children. But all of that changed during the Gigantomachy when Percy managed to bring them all on the same page and unite them." Annabeth expounded on her answer in detail.

"How did he do that?" Leo questioned with disbelief.

He couldn't fathom how Percy could just drop into the picture and unite all the gods just like that. He knew that Percy was charismatic but doing something of that magnitude required a truly magnetic character.

"By doing what he does best – leading by example. He fought off all the banes of the younger Olympians alongside them, developing a sort of camaraderie with them which later fully developed into siblinghood. He gained the respect of the Elder Olympians by putting his life on the line numerous times and mind you, this was when he was only partially immortal and could really be killed if he was injured severely enough. He gained the gratitude of the minor gods by negotiating an agreement with them which led to the creation of the Divine Council. By doing all of this simultaneously, he became a symbol of unity amid a sea of division and slowly, his virtuous charisma managed to coalesce the Olympians into the family they were always meant to be. Which in turn meant that they treated the demigods much, much better." Annabeth concluded with a lengthy explanation.

"If he has done stuff as great as this, I really don't understand why he makes himself look like the bad guy on the good side when he clearly is a very noble hero." Leo stated with disappointment. It was no secret that he adored his elder brother and he couldn't stand the thought of Percy being called anything but a hero.

"He is definitely not as bad as he paints himself to be but unfortunately, he is not the perfect hero either." Annabeth revealed in a quiet voice.

"How can you say that?" Leo defensively questioned.

"The fact that there is practically no source that condemns him or gives any indication that he has ever made mistakes feels like it's too good to be true. Even the book written by my mother which exhaustively covers every aspect of his life paints him in a near perfect way and even his fatal flaw of personal loyalty seems to be portrayed in a way such that it makes him seem like a noble and selfless man completely dedicated to the love of his life and his family. I had always suspected that this was too perfect to be true. But my suspicions were confirmed by Percy's reply the other day." Annabeth replied as she shared her logic with Leo.

"Sure, let's be nit-picky and find a few faults in the guy who saved our lives multiple times, sacrificed himself to save the world from an evil primordial, united our family and is responsible for demigods being able to live longer than twenty years. Seems like the right thing to do." Leo sarcastically jibed.

"You are misreading my intentions, Leo. I have the utmost respect for Percy and truly believe that he is indubitably the greatest hero in history. But upon removing the rose tinted glasses that often prevent us from fully understanding the man behind the armour, I realised that just like everyone else, he has also made mistakes in his life that he dearly regrets and is not the perfect hero everyone expects him to be. In fact, it is entirely wrong on our part to even expect him to be the perfect hero." Annabeth strongly responded.

"What do you mean?" Leo quizzed with a confused expression on his face.

"What I want to say is that Percy has led by example his whole life. The immense respect and adoration he gained when he was alive had already put a great amount of pressure on him to be a role model and always do the morally right thing, even if it came at a personal cost. No one should have to go through that kind of pressure. It has already taken a great toll on him. We should not add to that pressure and instead, we should treat him with due respect but not deify him. That's not what he wants. Rather, let's focus on making his life easier and give him the chance to finally live a blissfully peaceful life." Annabeth clarified as she thought about what Percy had told her the other day.

"I had never thought about it that way." Leo admitted as he slowly realised why Percy had grown weary of being a hero. Leading by example had cost him personally. The two of them slowly walked in silence as they internally contemplated on this topic before Leo finally broke the silence.

"But honestly, even though I would personally be very happy for Percy if he finally managed to realise his dream of setting down with Athena, I am just bummed that the world wouldn't have someone as great and virtuous as General Perseus Diaboles to watch over it. It's our loss. But I understand that after painstakingly playing the hero gig for such a lengthy amount of time, he needs to get the chance to live a somewhat normal life." Leo finally accepted as they ground to a halt.

"Do you ever think about when you want to completely settle down?" Annabeth softly asked.

"Truthfully speaking, I have a burning desire to protect our family as long as possible and to follow in Percy's footsteps when he retires. Maybe, once that flame is extinguished and I grow weary of this job, either through mental fatigue or due to physical deterioration, I will find the right person who would be worth settling down with. But that's easily almost a decade away at worst. What about you?" Leo shared his plans for the future with her before questioning.

"With the right person, it would be nice to have a family. Unlike mortals who have the luxury of waiting until they are at least in their late twenties before even thinking of starting a family, as demigods, we don't even know whether we will even live past our camp years. Maybe once we settle into a comfortable life in New Greece, our outlook on life probably becomes less impatient and more mature. But from what I have observed, more often than not, demigods already have young families by the time they're in their mid twenties. Maybe that urgency to live our lives to their fullest extent never really fades." Annabeth answered after deeply thinking about this for some time.

"Yes, after kissing death so many times, a person is forced to mature. I guess even though it has gotten a lot safer to be a demigod, there are some things about the life of heroes that are inherently dangerous." Leo concurred and they were enveloped by another spell of silence, a far more comfortable one as they sat down on one of the marble benches and gazed at the radiant full moon.

"I just realised that I never thanked you from saving me from that thrust from Caligula's spear. It definitely would have been a lethal blow if it had hit its mark." Annabeth gratefully thanked.

"That's what friends are there for. It is our duty to watch each other's backs. Besides, you're my walking encyclopaedia and navigation system. I would literally be lost without you." Leo joked with a lop-sided smile that was the common characteristic of the members of the House of Poseidon.

Annabeth laughed at Leo's joke and Leo joined her while the night hid the dusting of pink on her cheeks. And as if to mark that moment, the moon glowed even more radiantly as Selene smiled upon them in the same way she had smiled upon seeing Percy and Athena laugh together for the first time. History often repeated itself.


Athena was worried out of her mind. She was sitting by the side of Percy's bed in Apollo's palace and anxiously swept stray strands of his hair back as he slumbered. It had been a few hours since Hestia had hastily informed her of Percy's energy overload after bringing him to Apollo's palace and she had immediately rushed to the palace.

Once there, Apollo and Hera, who had rushed to Apollo's palace as well, had discovered that this energy overload had made Percy's muscles very sore and even more cause for concern was that Hera had discovered that it had exacerbated his mental trauma, trapping him in a nightmare sequence.

That had been evident as Percy had initially thrashed a lot in his sleep, occasionally grunting and roaring in anger as he endured terrible flashbacks. Finally, they had to call Aphrodite and Amphitrite to calm him down and along with Hera, the three of them managed to seal off a part of his mind temporarily to let him recuperate peacefully. It was already midnight and Athena was brought out of her thoughts when Percy stirred.

"That definitely sucked." Percy stated hoarsely as he groaned. Immediately, Athena was right next to him as she held his hand.

"Percy, how are you feeling?" Athena asked with her stormy grey eyes twinkling with affection.

"I feel a bit sore and have a mild headache but other than that, I am fine. What happened?" Percy reassured her before questioning.

"You were overloaded with energy that your swords fed back into you." Athena answered and that statement caused the gears in Percy's head to turn.

"I remember now. As soon as I lifted my swords, as expected, I felt them draw all my energy out and amplify it within themselves. But then they did something I never expected would happen - they started to feed more energy, which seemed to materialise out of nowhere, back into me. So much so that I could actually feel myself becoming stronger and going beyond what was supposed to be my full power. They weren't supposed to do that." Percy recounted his experience with a confused expression in his face.

"Yes, your swords definitely did not behave like I expected them to. Normally, they draw out all your energy and during combat, amplify your attacks by making them more targeted and by causing you less strain. But this time, they not only managed to draw out all your power, they amplified that very energy itself and fed back all the extra energy into you, fundamentally raising your power level. I believe that it is a consequence of them absorbing the Shard of the Sea which housed a tiny fraction of Pontus' and Thalassa's essence." Athena calmly shared her logical conclusions with him.

"I understand now, the absorbed Shard of the Sea is acting like an energy amplifier and is feeding me back energy that is derived from Pontus' and Thalassa's essences. Since my body was not conditioned for that level of energy, I temporarily blacked out. But it doesn't explain why it made me feel so vengeful and have all those horrendous flash-" Percy narrated before abruptly stopping as he realised his slip-up.

He had not told Athena that he had been experiencing nightmares and flashbacks almost on a daily basis ever since Mnemosyne had messed with his mind. In fact, he had not shared that information with anyone out of concern that he would do nothing but worry them even more.

"What happened Percy? Why did you stop abruptly?" Athena asked, almost with a twinge of frustration.

She had known that Percy was experiencing nightmares ever since Mnemosyne had triggered them but knew that he was trying to hide it from her out of fear that he would worry her. Thankfully, he was failing at doing so which allowed her to help him without his knowledge.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Athena." Percy tried to brush off with a casual smile but Athena could see the emotional fatigue in his eyes.

"Percy, I really can't help you if you aren't honest with me. I thought that at least after being separated for so many millennia, you wouldn't hide something from me." Athena stated with some hurt evident in her voice and she meant it. She desperately wanted to and could help him much, much more if he just opened up to her.

"I don't want you to worry, Athena. This is my burden. I have already given you enough pain for an eternity. I love you so much that I cannot put into words how much you mean to me. But I have felt terribly guilty ever since I woke up for putting you through that hellish separation for three thousand years. Athena, I promised you the world but I failed you. Just like I failed everyone else who depended on me. You know, sometimes I feel that ruthless hag Atropos should have just killed me off after my fight with Alcyoneus. I would have thanked her for it because that way, I wouldn't have been alive to cause pain to you and all the others who have paid for my mistakes." Percy stated with a deep sigh that conveyed all his guilt and anguish. However, instead of an answer, he was awarded with a ringing slap from a furious Athena.

"How can you even say something like that? Don't you see how much all of us suffered without you? How can you so brazenly and selfishly wish that you were dead? That too after being away from me for all these years. I can weather through anything for your sake, Percy. But I cannot watch you despise yourself like this. It will be impossible for me to stay emotionally strong for the both of us if you lose that desire to live." Athena emotionally stated with some tears in her eyes. She knew that this was an incredibly difficult period for Percy. But watching him start to loathe himself was incredibly painful for her.

Her outburst was enough to bring Percy out of his wallowing, at least temporarily, as he gently scooped Athena into a hug. He realised that his self-pity and brooding was taking a big toll on her mental health and that was the last thing he wanted.

"I am so sorry Athena. You are absolutely right. I have always been a man whose mind has been held hostage by his past. And I have been incredibly selfish this entire time and have taken your unmatchable mental strength for granted and I am very, very sorry for that." Percy sincerely apologized as he gently stroked her long and luscious raven hair, calming her down a bit.

"You can't blame yourself for everything Percy. It's not healthy. This stupid tendency of yours to shoulder the blame for everything is what is eating you up from inside." Athena stated in a more gentle tone as she stared into his deep sea green eyes.

"Personal loyalty has always been a very dangerous fatal flaw, Athena. And despite my best efforts, I have never been able to rein it in. It makes me who I am but is also the source of my torment. I am unable to live peacefully knowing that I have failed those who dearly depended on me so many times. And no matter how much I try to bury my past and start a fresh life, in one way or the other it comes back to haunt me through the form of other mistakes. But from today, I will do my level best to leave it behind and power ahead instead." Percy determinedly promised.

"I am so sorry for forcing you to use your swords again, Percy. I didn't think they would cause so much mental torment." Athena guiltily stated in an apologetic way.

"It's not your fault, Athena. You couldn't have known that they would trigger flashbacks. Besides, if they are amplifying my energy, it is only fair that they amplify my emotions as well. In a way, this was a good revelation. I learnt that I am very volatile emotionally and I need to prevent that from becoming a part of my personality." Percy absolved her of all blame as she shared his new goal with her.

"Percy, you don't need to even touch your swords ever again if it means that action will let you move on because for me, your health and happiness are paramount." Athena softly yet firmly stated as she lovingly gazed into his eyes.

"That's a difficult decision to make, Athena. I will try to learn to force out all my power naturally. If I manage to do that before we encounter the fully rejuvenated General or Titan Lords, I can avoid using the swords. But if they make the difference between victory and loss, I will use them again. We can think of and try to find a solution to the mental repercussions of that action later." Percy answered with a faraway yet determined look in his eyes.

Before Athena could respond, they heard Chiron's voice through an Iris message that popped up right in front of them.

"Sorry for disturbing the two of you but there has been a lethal attack on a few demigods who were former campers of Camp Half-Blood." Chiron informed in a distraught manner prompting both causing both Athena's as well as Percy's eyebrows to shoot in concern before Percy promptly disappeared in a blue mist.


Chiron was inconsolably devastated. He had just lost two of his former pupils, mere nineteeen year olds and their bodies had been disrespectfully hurled into the camp by a few Stymphilian birds that he had angrily shot down.

The two demigods were Mark, a son of Ares and Erithea, a daughter of Apollo. Both of them had finished their camp duties a little over a year ago and after getting married, they had gone outside to explore the world with an intention to come back after a year or two and settle down in New Greece.

It was not a new trend. Many demigods had done exactly that but this was the first time in decades the such a tragedy thing had occurred. And Chiron knew that this was not just some random monster attack. This was a targeted killing. He was brought out of his morose thoughts when Percy materialised in front of him.

As soon as Percy saw the marred bodies of the two demigods, a pit formed in his stomach and with a snap of his fingers, both of them were covered by a sea green linen sheet. And his eyes burned with rage as he turned to face Chiron.

"One year ago, I had issued an order that no one should leave the camp or New Greece until they got permission from Olympus. Why were they out of camp?" Percy asked in a neutral voice but the hurricane like edge behind it was as clear as day.

"They had finished their camp duties a little over a year ago. Percy, they had already left by the time your order came. They wanted to explore the world for a year or two before settling down in New Greece." Chiron explained in a helpless tone.

"Someone should have contacted them, Chiron. You of all people know how dangerous war times are for demigods and even legacies. One of those cruel Titans must have mistaken them for one of my agents. Or they might have killed these two just for the sake of it. This is the kind of people we are fighting. Those who won't hesitate even for a fraction of a second to take a life. We are fighting monsters, both figurative and literal. And we have to take every single precaution to protect our own." Percy bellowed in anger as he smashed the side of his fist into a nearby Oak tree, breaking it and sending the trunk flying into another tree.

"I am sorry, Percy. I should have tried to contact them. It's just that I had known Mark and Erithea for a such a long time. They were two orphans whose mortals parents were dead and had been brought here by their godly parents when they were just toddlers. And over the course of one and a half decades, I saw them grow, loyally protect and happily train younger demigods and eventually fall in love before getting married in a small ceremony in New Greece last year. They were bubbling with happiness at the prospect of exploring the world so I granted them permission to roam around for a year or two. They were so blissfully ignorant of this war that I didn't have the heart to burden them and get them involved in it. But it was my fault. I should have called them." Chiron answered back with his head held low as tears streaked down his face.

For the sake of his own mind, he tried very hard to not get attached to any of his students. It was hard but it was the only way for him to avoid intense grief in case of any tragedies. But more often than not, especially when very young demigods came under his supervision, he would get very attached to them and took great pride in watching them grow. Most of such demigods usually lived out their life to its full capacity in New Greece but when events like these happened, they were very painful for Chiron.

"I am sorry for directing my anger at you, Chiron. This is not your fault at all. More than anyone else, you are the one who is most deeply affected by this tragic event. I am just extremely saddened by the death of this young, wonderful couple. They had such a happy and blissful life ahead of them." Percy apologized with misty, sympathetic eyes as he gazed at their covered forms and that was when he noticed that there was a note attached to the son of Ares' clothes, which was sticking out.

He then bent down and scrutinized it, managing to read the words - Mors Ad Exploratores, written on it in a shabby handwriting, with a golden triangle under a purple background on top, the symbol of Triumvirate Holdings. He instantly translated the Latin sentence to English and crushed the note with an audible crunch when he understood what it conveyed.

"What does it say?" Chiron quietly questioned.

"It says Death To Spies, in Latin. That pot-bellied monster Nero is behind this." Percy replied in a deep, guttural grunt of rage.

"Percy, as your former teacher, I never asked for anything from you. But today, I have one request that I want you to fulfill. Avenge Mark and Erithea." Chiron pleaded with an uncharacteristic amount of anger in his tone.

"I will Chiron, I will. Whatever pain he caused to these young, bright and innocent demigods, I will unleash upon him tenfold that amount. This I swear on the River Styx." Percy solemnly swore in a dangerously low voice.

Percy nodded at Chiron, who nodded back at him, a silent understanding between the two to not reveal this to anybody else in the camp, before Percy disappeared along with the bodies of the two demigods. First, he would give these two demigods the shrouds they deserved. Then, he had a former Roman emperor to hunt and quarter.


Hey guys! I know that this chapter took a day longer, every chapter seems to take longer nowadays :( , but content wise, these chapters are twenty percent longer and take much more time to edit than the ones in my second story. So I have a question for all of you, are you okay with these longer chapters that take about eight days or do you want to see chapters that are about 700-1000 words less, the size of my chapters in the second book, but come out six or seven days?

Coming to this chapter, as requested, I have fully introduced New Greece into this Alternate Universe and have given it a style of governance that is quite different from that of New Rome's because I want to see a distinction between those two cities rather than just ripping off and rebranding New Rome.

Plus, this sort of direct democracy depending on efficient administrators and plebiscite resolutions is based on the form of democracy that was practiced in some of the Classical Greek city-states, without the oligarchic or sexist flaws and with a few tweaks that gives more power to the people.

I have also tried to keep Percy's and Hestia's interaction unique and haven't portrayed their rapport in a different way to the one he has with Selene and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter. There's also some foundations for the Leo X Annabeth pairing so let me what you think about that and please feel free to share any ideas regarding that and other demigod pairings.

The main function of this chapter though is to take a deeper plunge into Percy's mental trauma and his internal struggle. And let's just say that the tragic event in this chapters, sets up a rather explosive end to this arc.

Read and review, I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter! Have a fantastic day!