Chapter 18

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

I would like to thank Nice for your continued support!

In response to John's review, glad that Atlas' introduction in this arc was a bit intimidating. That's exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for your continued support!

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

In response to Shadowhunter2077's review, I honestly couldn't think of a better way to introduce Atlas. This was the best way of sending the message that he isn't kidding around and that he is serious about getting his revenge. Yeah, as much as this story focuses more on Percy and Athena and less on Poseidon and Amphitrite, I still want them to have their own bonding moments to just show that these two haven't lost that special father-son connection.

Thanks for that clarification on Krios' and Astraeus' domains! Well I really liked that idea of Zeus knowing that Percy isn't ready but Percy being stubborn so I have incorporated it into my story. So I hope you like that! Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Darkgamer08's review, well, Atlas' revenge is justified because Percy did do a horrible thing to Calypso, however pure his intentions may have been. The fight between Percy and Atlas isn't the usual good vs evil, hero vs villain, stuff. We have Kronos for all of that. Atlas vs Percy is a fight that is much more personal and frankly, a fight in the grey and gray echelons of morality. That's because at the end of the day, both of them are fighting for the sake of their family and if you look at it from another perspective, Percy may actually look like the bad guy. I love writing such arcs because there is just so much to play around with! Thank you for your continued support!

Responding to SavageDestiny007's review, yes, I wanted to find a way to humanize Poseidon and make him a bit more humble if you know what I mean. And what's a more humbling experience for an all-powerful god like Poseidon than realising that mere mortals are better at him than accepting loss. Well, I did need a few rogue gods and Khione fit the bill. Plus, I sort of disliked her character so it's going to be easier to bash her. Will Percy regain use of his swords? Good question. The answer to that though will come in future chapters :) Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Ooh's review, that's the right word to describe the beast Atlas is. Like when I edited the chapter, the fact that Atlas fought all of them without any armour with so much nonchalance and still managed to destroy them is the definition of a badass. So definitely one of my favourite bits in this story. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to Walter Ha's review, will I give Percy his swords back? Maybe, maybe not :) I cannot give away too much and spoil a spicy story. But yeah, his swords do suit him and his traits much better than the spear and shield. Thank you for your continued support!

In response to the guest reviewer (the one who reviews frequently), absolutely, these past two years have been really intense, 2020 more so than 2021 but still, being isolated from a lot of family for so long is not a fun experience. But it was a necessary evil. Thankfully, it looks like those days are behind us. I am glad you liked that little heart-to-heart conversation between Percy and Poseidon. I felt like it had been really long since a emotional powerful moment between them so I wrote that. Glad that the warning was useful!

I am happy to hear that you liked the fight between Atlas and Boreas. Like you noticed, Atlas fighting without armour was one half badassery and another half an attempt to use intimidation to cover up the fact that he's not upto full power yet. Yeah, it's weird that for a pantheon that has a deity for door hinges, they don't have a god for therapy. But I guess emotional problems were not considered as real problems in ancient societies. You'll find out what Boreas' message was very soon! Thank you for your continued support! P.S fighting Percy is very personal for Atlas.

In response to Ryan Fowler's review, yes, the fact that Atlas took his revenge in such a brutal fashion is a clear statement of intent and losing Boreas, who did a lot of intel gathering for the gods is a blow. Well, while Calypso may not agree entirely with Atlas trying to kill Percy, she did sort of get her heart broken by him. So there might be some leftover resentment from that. Thank you for your continued support!

Responding to Jubby1905's review, I am glad you enjoyed Atlas' entrance so much. It was supposed to be intimidating and I am glad I managed to achieve that. Yeah the father-son moment between Poseidon and Percy was long overdue so I am glad to hear that you liked it! I am also thrilled that you liked the council scene! No problem, I am very grateful that you reviewed so quickly even though you had a family dinner! Thank you for your continued support!

I would like to thank HellRaiderS for your continued support!

In response to Kronosbluehairbrush's review, thanks for bringing that to my notice! I corrected it! It's actually a he in my MS Word draft but turned into a typo in the FFN website. But nonetheless, I have corrected it! Glad you liked Atlas' entrance! Yes, Zoe is the youngest daughter. Atlas is going to be very different from his canonical version in the sense that he will have a a very big soft spot for his daughters and that ties into the story due to Percy's history with Calypso.

I am thrilled that you liked the long overdue father-son moment between Poseidon and Percy. And I am happy to hear that you like these little moments of emotion between Percy and Athena. When I started writing this trilogy, I really didn't want to go down the route of Zeus being a douche bag. I wanted to do something different with the Olympians and have them be more of a family and it's nice to see that's being enjoyed! Thank you for your continued support! Happy Holidays to you too!

In response to Arden2709's review, I am glad that you liked the General's entrance! Will Percy use his swords again? Maybe, maybe not. But the future chapters will make it very clear :) Well, someone needed to be stupid on the side of the gods and who better than the minor gods allied with the Olympians. Thank you for your continued support!

Finally, coming to MegaRayquaza8121's review, reading it at 2:20 am takes some dedication and I am very happy that you liked the previous chapter! I hope you like this one as well! Thank you for your continued support!

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.


A palpable silence had enveloped Percy and Athena as they flew towards Boreas' palace in Quebec in their flying warship. And even though they had covered half the distance, they had not spoken to each other yet.

It wasn't because they were angry with each other or didn't want to speak to each other, rather they didn't know what to say. For Percy, it was a secret that he had decided he would never reveal to anyone and Athena was so shocked that she didn't know what to ask. It was a very unusual situation. But finally, Athena decided to speak up after realising Percy was going to act like this never happened if she didn't bring it up again.

"Percy, you owe me an explanation." Athena pressured Percy in an attempt to know the entire story. Percy sighed in resignation. He had known that she would ask him this question eventually. But that didn't mean he liked answering it.

"It was a very long time ago, Athena. Before the fight with Tartarus and just before Achilles' death, during the ending stages of the Trojan War, I had made up my mind to propose to you. It was because I had seen so much death and destruction and I had learnt that life was very fleeting. It may have been partly an impulse but it was also something I had genuinely wanted. Especially once Achilles finally turned over a new leaf after his banishment, for a fleeting moment, it felt like maybe I could now focus on my personal life and maybe start a new chapter with you." Percy recollected with a distant look in his eyes.

"But then, Achilles died." Athena stated with a sorrowful sigh.

"Yes and it all went downhill from there. All other thoughts were pushed to the back of my mine as I hunted the immortal who had caused Achilles' death and then we fought Tartarus, which ended in me going into a long coma. And just like that, all my plans and dreams were shattered." Percy morosely stated in a hollow voice.

"Why didn't you propose after you came out of your coma?" Athena asked in a low tone.

"To be entirely honest with you, I don't have an exact answer for that, Athena. Part of the reason was because I was guilty about deserting you for three millennia and I didn't feel like I immediately had the right to ask you to spend the rest of eternity with me. Plus, we had been separated for so long that I wanted to give you some time to readjust to having a stable romantic relationship with me. But I guess the most overarching reason was because I didn't know who I was anymore. I was a man out of time. I had an entirely new immortal essence that had made me markedly different from my old self. I came into an era where the mortals didn't know that the gods exist. I came into an era where General Perseus Diaboles was not required. And to top it all off, we were in the midst of a divine war against the Titans. That would have hands down been the worst time to propose." Percy answered in detail as he chuckled bitterly.

"This is unbelievable." Athena breathed out in equal parts amazement as well sadness.

"Yes, it was truly a surreal feeling for me. Just the thought of us getting married and settling on some quaint little island on the Aegean was enough to send me into a state of euphoria. Achilles would have been my successor, all the enemies of the gods would be defeated, the mortal world would be in perfect harmony with the divine world and we would have lived happily ever after. What a life that would have been." Percy narrated as he leaned back into his seat, his eyes closed as he let himself get lost in his own dreams.

"I would have said yes immediately. Because that was my dream as well." Athena stated with a poignant smile that was full of sombre wishfulness.

"I know. It was our dream." Percy concurred as he opened his eyes and gazed into Athena's stormy grey pools.

Nothing else had to be said as the couple were lost staring at each other and mentally living in an alternate reality. They imagined themselves settled down on a quiet island in the Aegean, living in a house that would be big enough to house just a few people. There would be just a library in the house where Athena would school their kids while Percy would take them on a ride on his boats.

That would be a simple, peaceful and blissful life. And their kids would grow up without ever having to know what war was. And that's what the two of them did for the rest of their journey. They lost themselves in thinking about what their future could have been in an effort to forget what had happened.


Along with a fully armoured Athena, Percy sorrowfully looked at the lifeless bodies of Boreas, Zethes and Calais and exhaled in deep sorrow as he snapped his fingers away and teleported them away to Olympus, to give them a shroud. They would be back in a few decades. But it still pained him to see such a gruesome fate befall them.

"What a monster." Percy stated with a grunt of anger.

"You can say that again." Athena concurred with a scowl of disgust on her face.

"Boreas was a good friend. I know he will be back. But losing his physical form, that too in such a gruesome way is not a good experience. We will bring Atlas and Khione to justice for this." Percy stated with steely determination in his eyes.

"I half-expected you to blow up in anger and swear revenge." Athena revealed with some mild surprise on her face.

Even though Percy had told her that he wouldn't give into his rage anymore, she knew that the effect of Mnemosyne's machinations wouldn't fade away immediately. So she had accompanied him to calm him down and remind him of his promise if he went down the path of revenge again.

"While I am deeply saddened by what happened to Boreas and will bring those who were involved in this to justice, I cannot approach this fight the same way I approached our fight with Nero. We cannot always fight back fire with fire. There's a certain line which we should not cross. If not for the sake of being morally right, we should not cross that line for the sake of our own mental health. Because if we do the same things as the people we fight, how are we any different? Rage and vengeance can turn men and women into monsters. The cycle must end, Athena. Rage, anger and brutality will only result in more mental and physical strife. And I have learnt this lesson the hard way." Percy stated with a sigh of resigned maturity as he took a seat on the pedestal of one of the destroyed ice sculptures.

"I am very proud of you, Percy. You could have used this to fuel yourself using negative emotions but instead you decided to take steely but morally upright determination from these events. This alone shows how much better you are than the enemies you fight. Percy, you have the ability to constantly and dynamically become a better person after every experience. And that is a gift which many people don't have." Athena praised with a proud smile on her face as she sat next to Percy and rested her head on his shoulder.

"A very long time ago, that's what I told Achilles. I told him that he could either fuel himself through rage or through determination. But he didn't heed my advice. And that indirectly resulted in his death. It is cruel irony that I made the same wrong choice three millennia later. But I will not make that mistake again." Percy stated in a voice that was thick with emotion.

Athena didn't respond and instead gave Percy time to gather his emotions. During that time, Percy's gaze was levelled at Athena's ice sculpture in the corner of the room, one of the few sculptures that had not been destroyed by the clash with Atlas. And as he admired its beauty, he noticed that there was a note in an ice tablet on its pedestal.

Wasting no time, he voiced his observation to Athena and the two of them quickly but cautiously walked towards the ice sculpture and once they reached the pedestal, Percy took out the tablet and understood that Boreas had left them a message which Percy and Athena read together.

Bonjour Percy,

I knew that you would see this message. After all, you have never left this palace without admiring Athena's ice sculpture. But coming to more serious matters, Atlas is here and has already destroyed my sons' physical forms and will shortly destroy mine as well. An extremely important observation that I managed to make was that he is not at full power yet and according to my estimate, it will take him ten to twelve months to regain his full strength.

I also advise that you deal with Atlas cautiously. He is extremely vengeful and is dead set on achieving revenge because he thinks that you broke the heart of his eldest daughter and turned his youngest daughter against him. His entire demeanour changed the moment I told him that you were a good friend and he is itching to pick a fight with you. However, he does not want to risk fighting you without reaching his full power. Be careful and ask Artemis to take care of Miss Zoe Nightshade.

Au Revoir,

I shall see you in my next physical form,

Boreas

"Boreas you sneaky albatross." Percy commented with a small smile.

"Why is Atlas so hell bent on taking revenge for what happened to Calypso? And why is he so obsessed with wanting to be reunited with Zoe? I thought the Titans couldn't care less about their own offspring." Athena voiced her confusion.

"According to what Calypso told me, Atlas was always a great father. In the First Titanomachy, she didn't support Atlas just because he was her father. She supported him because he had taken care of her and had cared for her in a very loving, affectionate and fatherly way. And even though Zoe never voices it out of fear of complimenting one of the gods' greatest enemies, she clearly still has a very big soft spot for Atlas and has many fond memories of him, even if he did banish her from the Garden of the Hesperides. That is also why the Hesperides defected over to the side of the Titans. They couldn't care less about the Titans themselves. All that mattered to them was their father." Percy recollected a bit of information that Calypso had revealed to him during his stay on Ogygia before making his own deductions.

"A ruthless general and monster to the outside world. But a caring and doting father to his daughters. Of all the weird things that I have seen, this one takes the cake. How can one man have such polar personalities?" Athena rhetorically questioned while shaking her head.

"That is a question for another day. We have some work to do. And thanks to Boreas, we not only have a fairly accurate timeline of when Atlas may fully resurface, we also have reports that may possibly lead us to Atlas' base. Let us also inform Artemis about Atlas' intentions regarding Zoe." Percy concluded and nodded at Athena before both of them disappeared in a blue mist. They had to get ready for a showdown with the Titan of Strength and Endurance.


Atlas was livid with fury. A few months after his attack on Boreas' palace, he had found out that Aegle, his second youngest daughter had been severely injured after being ambushed by Zephyrus, the god of the west wind.

As retribution for killing Boreas, Zephyrus had tracked down Aegle on one of her reconnaissance missions and had ruthlessly beaten her within an inch of death and would have destroyed her physical form if it hadn't been for his intervention. But the dastardly wind god had escaped his rage and had teleported away as soon as Atlas had materialised.

He had rushed back to his base with his injured daughter in his hands and had gotten her treated by the one person in their family who excelled at healing. And after a long wait of a few hours, he was finally allowed to meet his daughter.

"Aegle my dear, I am sorry. I should have anticipated Zephyrus' cowardly attack on you. I should have foreseen that the wind gods would want revenge for their brother. And since they are too spineless to take me on directly, they went after you." Atlas stated through gritted teeth as he sat next to Aegle on the bed.

"Papa, you don't need to be sorry. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even have a physical form. As always, you were there to save me when required." Aegle reassured with a small smile.

Even though she had taken the appearance of a woman in her early twenties and was many millennia old, she enjoyed an exceptionally close relationship with her father, just like all her other sisters.

"I should not have let you and your sisters get involved in this war, Aegle. All of you should have sat out this conflict like you sat out the First Titanomachy. This war is turning out to be more and more dangerous day by day. And the gods' actions will only get more vengeful. That heartless prick Diaboles is scouring the entire country in search of me. He has a bone to pick with me but since he hasn't found me yet, he is going after you." Atlas growled with an angry scowl on his face as he involuntarily crushed the Imperial Gold glass of Nectar in his hands.

"No father. How could we possibly sit out the war against that monster Diaboles and those wretched gods. First, they tortured you by forcing the weight of the sky upon you for three thousand years. If that wasn't enough, they then not only banished Calypso to solitary confinement on a phantom, unreachable island, they even caused her so much emotional devastation and heartbreak by having that scoundrel Diaboles seduce her and then throw her aside like a tool. And to make things even worse, they made Zoe betray us and then brainwashed my youngest sister against our family. We were so happy father. But they ruined everything." Arethusa, the eldest of the five Hesperides, declared with vengeance seeping through her voice as she entered the room.

"I don't care about the fact that he is invulnerable. I will rip that wretched Diaboles' heart out, just like he ripped Calypso's." Atlas loudly announced as his stone grey eyes darkened to a volcanic onyx.

"Calypso never recovered from that blow. And my poor little Zoe, even she was snatched away from me. I may want to see Kronos regaining control of the world but that is not the main reason behind why I am leading the Othryian Forces again. I am leading the armies of the Titans to reunite my broken, separated family. I am going to avenge my eldest daughter and free my youngest daughter from the clutches of the gods." Atlas stated in an uncharacteristically melancholic voice.

His daughters were his world. He had raised each and every one of them with a great deal of love and affection and was hence, fiercely protective of them. To the world, he had always been Atlas, the ruthless General of the Othryian Forces and a formidable foe.

However, for his daughters, he was far from the brutal authoritative figure that the outside world associated him with. For them, he was the most caring father they could ever ask for. Despite having the second most powerful position in the entire world, their father had always been there for them and unlike most other Titans, actually cared for their well-being. And they knew all too well how much the events that had befallen his youngest and especially his eldest daughter had hurt him.

"We will get our revenge, papa. And we will be reunited. We will roam and play around with Ladon in our garden once again." Aegle stated with a determined expression on her face and a similar, albeit crueller expression, made its way onto Atlas' face. He would get his revenge.


Percy was sweating as he lifted a few tonnes over his head for the thousandth time that day. He had been working extremely hard for the past eight months to get completely back into shape. He had trained unrelentingly, the sight of Boreas' destroyed physical form had given him enough impetus to override his power deration through sheer willpower and practice.

He had been training not only his body but also his elemental and metaphysical abilities every single day for more than half a year, training sixteen hours a day in order to be able to fight at his full power without suffering from any derations and he had painstakingly succeeded.

It had taken immense mental perseverance from his side to make it happen. He had not had the time to see anyone apart from Athena, Aphrodite, Hera and occasionally, his parents. Ares and Athena had taken over most of his duties of of training the demigods to give him the time he needed to get completely back into shape.

He was now in the best form of his entire life. He was not suffering from any derations of power anymore. His elemental powers and metaphysical abilities had regained the peak that they had attained during the fight with Tartarus and his physical attributes were even better now than they were then, albeit only marginally.

He had also completely perfected his use of a shield and spear and while it was still a step behind in terms of efficiency when compared with the usage of his twin swords, he had mastered it enough that combined with the slight improvement in his physical attributes, he was as powerful as he had been during the fight with Tartarus.

Another good thing was that he had finally accepted that he could not get rid of his mental demons alone and had taken Athena's, Aphrodite's as well as Hera's help to deal with his post traumatic flashbacks that had come as a result of Mnemosyne's machinations. And for the most part, they had been successful.

He had stopped fluctuating between emotional extremes and had stopped using his rage to fuel himself. That had been the result of deep mental barriers erected by Hera, therapy sessions with Aphrodite and leisure time spent with Athena. The last one had proven especially helpful as the two of them had made it a point to spend at least some time with only each other. Whether it was a spar, reading a book, watching a movie or engaging in other activities, all those had been very good for Percy's scarred mind.

He was slowly starting to regain that regal and composed aura that had been a characteristic of his before his coma and overall, he was feeling very confident in his own skills and abilities. That confidence was crucial because he had made up his mind of wanting to confront Atlas in order to bring him to justice.

However, unlike before, this time, he was not fuelled by any vengeance that compelled him to avenge Boreas. He was fuelled by a steely yet composed determination to defeat Atlas. He didn't want to afflict any brutality. He wanted to do this in clean way. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Zeus entering the arena.

"Looks like you are pretty serious about fighting the General." Zeus stated without trying to hide the respect in his voice.

His wife and daughter had told him what his nephew had been doing for the past half year and he had to say, he was mighty impressed by his nephew's raw determination and willpower. Percy was a strong man to accept that he had problems. But he was an even stronger one for working on eliminating those problems.

"Uncle Zeus, what brings you here?" Percy dropped his barbell, turned around and politely greeted as he snapped his fingers to wipe the sweat and grime off him before clothing himself in a light purple button up, some white pants and black leather shoes.

"I have been hearing from many people, mainly my wife and daughter, about your incredible training regime to get back into your prime and just wanted to pay you a visit. And maybe even give you a tip or two about fighting Atlas." Zeus calmly praised before revealing his intent and snapping his fingers, causing two glasses of Nectar to materialise in his hands. He then offered one of them to Percy and gestured him to sit next to him.

"That would be fantastic, Uncle Zeus. After all, you remain the only person to ever defeat Atlas in battle. And not only that, you did it twice." Percy graciously accepted the glass of Nectar and sat next to Zeus as he praised the Ruler of Olympus. And Zeus' chest swelled up ever so slightly upon hearing that. It always felt nice to be acknowledged. But his face quickly gained a serious expression.

"History is not kind to losers, nephew. We won the First Titanomachy and became the masters of this world but that does not take away the fact that it took a great deal of underestimation from the Titans' side for us to win. And my battle with Atlas was no different. I wasn't as strong then as I am today and managed to defeat Atlas the first time only because I had the element of surprise on my side. And the second time, I defeated him only because he was already injured from our previous battle and he was not even close to his full power." Zeus revealed with a distant look in his eyes as he shared this small bit of information that only the Elder Olympians knew. He knew that he could trust Percy to not reveal this to anyone else.

"What? I thought you had completely overpowered him then. So I thought that even at full power, he wouldn't be on your level now." Percy voiced his confusion.

"I did overpower him then, nephew. But like I said, it was because of external factors that I won both times. Do not underestimate the General, Perseus. That could prove to be detrimental. There is a reason why he is called the Terror of Olympus. Even if my brothers and I have gotten stronger now, in a straight shoot-out with him, if he is at full power, it is not possible to predict the winner of that tussle. That is his level of power." Zeus stated with a grim expression on his face.

"That is only if he is at full power. If we attack him first and do it now, he won't be at full power yet. And I am confident that I can take him." Percy assured Zeus with an air of confidence around him.

"That is a dangerous assumption to make, nephew. How do you know that Atlas is not yet at full power? And even more importantly, do you even know the location of Atlas' base to attack him first?" Zeus questioned with some trepidation in his voice.

"It has been only eight months since Boreas' physical form was destroyed. According to his estimate, it would take another two months at the very least for Atlas to reach full power. And after analysing the reports Boreas had left behind along with secondary reports from Zephyrus, Athena and I have managed to nail down that his base is somewhere in Portland. And the demigods are also ready now. It's just a matter of launching an attack. Plus, I won't be alone. Athena, Artemis and Ares will be with us. We will completely destroy his base." Percy reassured Zeus but the god of the skies was still not convinced.

"You are not ready to fight Atlas on your own, nephew. And for your own good, I hope you heed my advice. Whatever personal score you think you have to settle with Atlas, drop it. He already no doubt hates you because he thinks you made Zoe Nightshade, his youngest daughter, betray him. He knew that you were close to Boreas. That was the reason why he targeted Boreas first. He knew it would bring a rise out of you. He holds a grudge against you. And believe me, Atlas is capable of extreme brutality when he thinks someone is causing a problem to his family." Zeus warned with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Uncle, what other choice do I have? I cannot simply let him rampage around as he pleases." Percy replied with a deep sigh.

"I am not asking you to do that, Perseus. As difficult as it may be for you to swallow the truth, you have not yet achieved your full potential. You may be at full power now. And in a straight shoot-out, while you may put up the best challenge apart from me and my brothers, you will ultimately fall short. So nephew, heed my warning, if you are facing Atlas, do not do it alone. And if you cannot subdue Atlas in Oregon without exposing yourself to serious harm, let him go, I will take care of him." Zeus stated in a firm voice but the concern in it clearly shone through.

"Uncle Zeus, you, father and Uncle Hades are the three pillars of the Divine world. We cannot expose you to danger." Percy argued.

"That does not prevent your father or Hades from openly fighting their opponents in battle, does it? Nephew, being a king doesn't mean you let your general take care of all the problems. You must trust your general. You must trust his judgement and his strength, but you also cannot expect him to do everything. You need to get involved if required and must lead by example." Zeus wisely stated. He hadn't exactly done this a lot in the past. But he had changed for the better after the Gigantomachy and he refused to let only his children and nephew fight his battle.

"And don't underestimate me. I could shock you into tomorrow if required." Zeus proclaimed as shot a challenging smirk at Percy.

"Are you sure you haven't gotten rusty, uncle? Maybe all those grey hair are a sign that you need to slow down a little." Percy shot back with a teasing smile.

"Kids these days sure are cocky. Brat, you are a millennia too young to be challenging me." Zeus grumbled but he couldn't hide the smile on his face, causing Percy to chuckle a bit.

"Take care, nephew. Heed my warning and come back safe." Zeus seriously stated as he placed his hand on Percy's shoulder. The two of them shook their heads and a moment later, Zeus disappeared in a shower of sparks leaving behind a Percy deeply engrossed in his own thoughts.


Leo's hands were a bit twitchy as he found himself waiting in the meeting room of Athena's palace for the Hunters of Artemis. It had been just a month since he had turned sixteen years old. And he had only gotten stronger in the break that had preceded this meeting.

He was also seeing and talking to Percy for the first time in the past few months. And he had to say, Percy's entire aura itself felt different. He had a composed and regal air of authority around him and his eyes were a mellow yet bright sea green. He had also decided to grow his hair out and had swept it back in a relatively neat way along with sporting a long stubble. But his eyes had that hawkish and clear intent, unlike the feral and uncontrollable edge Leo had gotten used to seeing.

"You know, this is what he was like before Achilles' death. He was of course even more jovial and was perhaps more compassionate then. But this incarnation of his is closer to his heroic self than what you saw. He still has a long way to go to achieve that same level of mental peace but he is getting there." Aphrodite, who was also in attendance for this meeting, calmly revealed as she leaned over to talk to Leo.

"That is great to hear." Leo beamed back at Aphrodite with a wide smile on his face.

After that fateful conversation with Annabeth almost a year ago, he had realised that he needed to stop idolizing his brother and focus more on helping him as well as accepting the changes that Percy's changes had gone through.

However, the small part of him that still thought of Percy as a role model was very excited at the thought of Percy reverting to his heroic form. He was brought out of his thoughts when the Hunters of Artemis, along with their leader, materialised in the room and took their seats.

"Now that everyone is here, let me get to the point. After months of reconnaissance and number crunching, we have managed to ascertain that Atlas' base is somewhere in Portland. Unfortunately, we don't have enough information to exactly pinpoint his location within the city. Neither do we have a very accurate understanding of other Titans or rogue gods who may be there. So it could be a risk going in blind, even if this operation will have four immortals including me." Percy informed as he took a deep breath.

"But we also cannot risk just sending you in first to conduct reconnaissance. There will definitely be a metaphysical barrier around their base. Even if you aren't affected by it, it is still a danger if you are noticed there and are assaulted by all the immortals inside. If you are completely overwhelmed, you won't be able to even make it out of there Percy." Artemis ominously warned.

"It's better I take that risk rather than someone else doing it. None of you will be able to get past the metaphysical barrier and the demigods and hunters are going to get slaughtered if we send them in first. If we have underestimated Atlas' capabilities, then all of us will be trapped there. Effective reconnaissance is a must." Percy replied in a calm yet firm voice.

"No, I absolutely refuse to allow you to put only yourself in danger. If we could let you do that, why would the three of us tag along?" Athena heatedly questioned.

"Because there is no other choice." Percy argued with a shake of his head.

"Stop being so stubborn, you stupid piece of kelp. You don't need to go all kamikaze. Anyway, Athena and I are going to be hidden by Hecate's spell and Artemis knows how to hide her energy signature. Each one of us will take one quadrant of the city to scout. The entire city can't be covered in a metaphysical barrier. That would make their location too obvious. And as soon as one of us comes across a metaphysical barrier, that person will call the rest of us and we will find a way to attack together." Ares calmly proposed. His proposal and meticulous use of logic stunned everyone, who looked at him with their mouths open.

"I'm not all brawn you know. There's a reason why I am the God of War." Ares huffed out in annoyance.

"No one was insinuating that brother. Everyone knows how tactically gifted you are. It's just that your tendency to rush into fights hides that attribute of yours." Percy light-heartedly replied after recovering from his surprise as he coughed to hide the mischievous smile on his face.

"Smartass." Ares grumbled under his breath, causing everyone in the room to burst into laughter.

"I never thought that I would be saying this but now that Percy's stupid plan has been replaced by Ares' smart one, I think it will be best if the four of us travel in Percy's flying warship. The warship should be able to completely hide our energy signatures until there since teleporting is not an option. Hunters, Aunt Selene will give you a ride. Demigods, come in your war chariots." Artemis gave out orders to all of them.

"I am not playing second fiddle to the Hunters again. We already got stuck with the boring job of air support the previous time. I am not doing the boring job again while the Hunters get to have all the fun." Thalia irately opined.

"I second that. I want to be on the ground frying monsters with lightning bolts. Not launching missiles at them. Maybe a few hunters could sub in for us while we fight on the ground." Jason seconded. He was itching for a good fight.

"Both of you have only a fraction of the Hunters' experience. You are better suited in aerial support roles." Artemis rebuked their proposal.

"Hold on Artemis, the Hunters are no doubt very experienced but having at least a few of the demigods on the ground can provide some elemental versatility to our offense. Let Leo, Jason, Thalia and Nico fight on the ground. Annabeth and Reyna can provide tactical guidance, aerial reconnaissance as well take down heavy targets. They can be joined by Atlanta and Naomi to steer the war chariots, since both of them have experience in driving Aunt Selene's moon chariot. And it will also be better if Zoe and Celyn could do the same for us." Percy made a counterproposal which was tactically speaking, the better plan.

Zoe seemed confused as to why Percy didn't want her, the strongest and most experienced of all the Hunters of Artemis, on the ground but didn't say anything. However, Artemis immediately understood what Percy wanted to do.

"Yes, this is a good plan. That means that Phoebe, in the battlefield, you are in charge of the Hunters during this mission." Artemis gave an order to the red-headed daughter of Ares who gladly accepted the responsibility.

"Now, all that is left is to bring Atlas back to Olympus in chains." Percy determinedly declared and everyone else nodded with resolute willpower shining in their eyes.


As the four immortals and two hunters flew in Percy's warship, Zoe Nightshade knew that there was a reason why Percy and Artemis had been so hesitant in getting her involved in the fight with Atlas. That had become very clear over the past year. They seemed to isolate her from any possible conflict with Atlas or her sisters. And it had reached a boiling point today when they had turned her into a mere helmswoman.

"Do both of you really think that I would actually betray both of you? Both of you are the people I trust the most. Percy saved me from a terrible fate and you gave me a new home and a new family. I would never betray you." Zoe expressed her thoughts in a hurt voice as she addressed Artemis who was sitting next to her and Percy was sitting diametrically behind her. And her question startled both of them.

"What in the name of Chaos made such a thought even enter your head, Zoe? Even if you are a daughter of Atlas, you have served me as the lieutenant of the Hunt for the past three millennia with unwavering loyalty. What reason do we have to ever doubt your allegiance?" Artemis asked with a mystified expression on her face.

"Zoe, the thought of questioning your allegiance never even popped into our minds. You are family. And we do not suspect our own family." Percy firmly stated in an attempt to quell all the wrong assumptions in Zoe's mind.

"Then why am I being turned into a driver in such an important mission? Even worse, why are you so hesitant to talk about Atlas in front of me?" Zoe angrily questioned.

"Because one of his aims is kidnapping you and taking you away from us, Zoe. He declared this himself while fighting Boreas. He thinks we have brainwashed you and turned you against him. So we want you to stay out of this conflict for your own safety." Athena calmly replied.

"Zoe we are sorry if we made you feel like an outsider. I can promise you that wasn't our intention. We only want you to be safe. Plus, we know how many fond memories you have of your father and in all honesty, Atlas is for the most part a good father. So we didn't want you to be put into a spot where you have to openly choose between the father who raised you and us. Because that's a very difficult and emotionally jarring decision to make." Percy answered in a soft, gentle voice as he explained the rationale behind their decision to Zoe.

"I feel nothing for him now. I stopped feeling any affection and love towards him and my sisters the day he abandoned and banished me from my own home. They left me at the mercy of that pig Hercules who would have forced himself on me if it wasn't for your timely intervention. And you both gave me a new life. I wouldn't hesitate for one moment to make a choice between them and you." Zoe stated with a cold look in her eyes but there was the barest hint of softness in the edge of her eyes which did not go unnoticed by Percy and Artemis.

"Zoe, like we said, this is not a question of your allegiance. It is just a matter of keeping you safe. But trust me, it is very difficult to completely forget the good memories you had with a person who you once loved. You can try as much as you want, but the past has a way of rearing it's ugly head at the worst possible time. So, for your own sake, sit out this conflict." Percy advised with a distant, pained expression on his face as he stared out of the window.

Even though she wanted to argue, she saw that Percy and Artemis had made their decision. And out of respect for them, Zoe decided to take their advice. But little did Percy know, there was another cruel bout of irony lined up for him.


As discussed, Percy, Ares, Athena and Artemis had each taken one quadrant of the city. And Percy happened to take the North quadrant. As he calmly walked through the city in civilian clothes which could turn into his armour in a fraction of a second, he picked up an energy signature that was fairly similar to that of a child of Atlas'.

He didn't know whether it was actually Atlas himself whose energy signature had been dampened or whether it was the energy signature of one of the Hesperides but nonetheless, he followed it and after a few minutes of walking, he found himself in the suburbs of the city in front of what seemed like a quaint bar.

However, as soon as he entered the bar, the energy signature suddenly disappeared, setting off all the alarm bells in his head. He carefully and cautiously looked around before sitting in front of the bartender.

That was when he heard a casual remark from a rich, female voice that he knew all too well – "You are late."

Percy immediately whirled around to look at the source of the voice and that was when he was brought face to face with Calypso who had taken a seat right next to him and was intensely stared at him.


Hey guys! Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I had it ready three days ago but then I got nervous and rewrote half of it but then realised that the original version was better and reverted to the original form so I wasted some time there. It's just that I have spent so much time, one and a half years to be exact, hyping up this arc that I really want it to be perfect. So I hope that you liked this chapter.

This chapter is mainly one that dives deep into emotions and plot progression with that time skip. There is also some character development for Atlas which takes place in a little bit where Atlas shows his fatherly side and you would notice that this version of Atlas is not the same as the one in canon. Externally, he retains the same brutality and ruthlessness but he's a very protective father. I did this because I didn't want the reason for his upcoming epic fight with Percy to be just one dimensional. I wanted to give more depth not only to his character but also to this arc.

As aptly suggested by Shadowhunter2077, I have included a little uncle-nephew moment with Zeus advising Percy on fighting with Atlas. So I hope all of you liked that!

Of course, let's talk about the elephant in the room, I dropped a pretty serious cliff-hanger for all of you which I am pretty proud of. I did say that Calypso's arc wasn't over yet. What are Calypso's intentions? How is she back? Only way to find out is to tune in next week :)

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