Hey guys!
This chapter took longer than I thought it would but it's not surprising considering how hectic this month had been. Between exams and me being Covid-19 positive, I didn't have much time to write. Also, my brother started watching One Piece and I didn't want to give him the pleasure of enjoying it alone.
But all's well that ends well, right?
Once again, let me know if there are any mistakes. Check the bottom-most part of my profile for the update schedule.
Tbrucks: Thanks! Not even Nobody likes Octavian, right?
SeaweedBrainIsBlue: Thanks for telling me my mistake. I have fixed it.
nitewolf423: It's a nice idea, I'll try my best.
Believer1991: I hope you like this chapter! Though I don't think the conversation between Annabeth and Athena is that good. I was out of ideas. Sorry!
Now, on with the chapter!
Word count: 6140 (Excluding A/N)
Chapter 2 The Talk(s)
Hazel's first thought was- 'How come it is so bright?' (Her second thought was- 'Who is that scrawny blonde?')
Frank's first thought was- 'Who's on top of me?' (His second thought was- 'Why is someone on top of me?!')
Reyna's first thought was- 'Why am I in a dog pile?' (Her second thought was- 'Ugh! I want to kill- er… punch Octavian.')
"What the Hades!" Leo exclaimed.
"Watch it, Valdez!" Nico snapped.
"Hey! Weren't those three sitting on couches a second ago?" Percy asked Annabeth.
"Well, there was that bright light so maybe they are from a different timeline," Annabeth noted. "I don't think Fates would dump them on the floor just for fun."
"If it was Octavian then maybe…" Nico muttered, helping his sister up.
"Nico?" Hazel asked. "What's going on?"
"I thought you, Reyna, and Coach Hedge left for Camp Half-Blood," Frank said, getting on his feet.
"How long has it been since we left?" Nico asked.
"How long?" Reyna gave Nico a do-you-have-amnesia look. "We just left!"
And gods (goddesses included), once again, watched as demigods completely ignored them and explained things to the new arrivals. In fact, they looked quite happy to ignore gods and the very important question they had just asked.
Rude.
"If we were all brought back why not Coach Hedge or Octavian?" Reyna asked.
"Hold on!" A squeaky voice interrupted. "You four aren't from my time anymore?"
"You just figured that out?" A very unimpressed Frank sweatdropped.
"Ignore him," Percy said. "He's stupid."
"How dare you insult me?" A very angry (read- scrawny) blond yelled. "I am the Augur of Camp Jupiter! Centurion of the First Cohort!"
"Did you forget all those punches already, scrawny?" Thalia said casually, cracking her knuckles in a very non-threatening manner.
"Shut it you filthy Greek, you ugly Tiara-Wearing-Goth-Savage!" He immediately paled as he realized what he had said, more importantly to whom he had said that.
There was a moment of pin-drop silence.
Percy, Annabeth, and Nico were wondering how he had even completed that sentence without having a couple of million volts of electricity coursing through his body.
Travis and Connor were looked elated. The person who almost destroyed their camp had just made a big mistake that was going to cut short his life and they had the front row seats to witness the moment.
Jason was understandably angry but also knew from his encounter with his sister that she could take care of herself and so he settled for glaring at a certain person with blue eyes. Piper and Leo were thinking along the same lines.
Most of the gods were still thinking how casually the demigods were ignoring them. Rude.
Zeus was going to yell 'How dare you talk to my daughter like that!' when he saw the wild and sadistic smile on his daughter's face and couldn't get the words out of his mouth. It was a smile of the predator.
All the males instinctively squirmed and scooted away from her.
Hermes wished he weren't in the same room as Thalia.
Apollo had the same feeling he used to get when he played hide-and-seek with Artemis and her hunters. Especially that one time when he had tried to kiss one of the hunters. Her sister had sported the same cruel smile. An hour later he had seen that look, the god of the sun was riddled with arrows, his chariot completely wrecked and all his music instruments broken.
But that was back when both of them were younger deities and could still enjoy such simple amusements.
Ares had a sudden influx of respect for demigods who could talk to Thalia without stuttering or shaking in fear all the time.
Dionysus was hiding behind his magazine trying to block the killer intent with the book.
Hephaestus abandoned his project of weaponized wheelchair and started thinking of making a device that could block the killer intent a certain girl was radiating.
Poseidon and Hades looked at their niece warily.
But none of them were as bad as the person the look was directed towards. Octavian was quaking in his boots, fumbling with a piece of paper.
"Care to say that again?" Thalia said, her voice cold as ice and her face promising pain.
"Y-you can't h-hurt me." The person in question clutched a piece of paper like it was his lifeline, which it probably was. "Fates have forbidden hurting demigods."
"Exactly." Thalia began, her predatory smile widening and hands shooting occasional sparks. "Demigods. You aren't a demigod, just a descent on one."
Octavian, now pale beyond comparison, looked up at the ceiling, wishing with all his heart that a note would appear to save him once again. Unfortunately for Octavian, nothing of the sort happened.
He turned towards gods for help but nobody would even look at him. Honestly, they didn't feel like crossing Thalia when she was wearing that smile.
While Octavian was busy praying to Fates, Thalia had walked to where he was sitting alone on the couch and was standing right in front of him.
"Thalia!" Annabeth exclaimed (read- forced the words out of her mouth). "Don't kill him!"
Thalia gave a vague "I'll try."
Daughter of Zeus pulled back her fist, covered and surging with just enough lightning to hurt very much but not kill, and smashed it into the screaming blonds face sending him flying back. He immediately collapsed in an unconscious heap.
Artemis looked proud of her hunter.
Another moment of pin-drop silence.
Gods noticed demigods were still completely ignoring them. Rude.
"Is he dead?" Jason asked, sounding a tad bit hopeful.
"He's alive." Hades and Nico answered in unison, the latter sounding more disappointed than the former.
Zeus sigh and nods towards Apollo. The god of healing wasn't so keen to heal the damage inflicted upon the scrawny blonde by his cousin but did so anyway. The scrawny blond was his descendent after all.
Apollo had guessed that a long time ago and his suspicions were confirmed when Thalia called him a decedent of a demigod.
"How did you know that, boy?" Zeus turned his gaze towards Nico.
"It's Nico." Nico frowned. "And know what?"
Zeus's eye twitched. "How did you know that the augur wasn't dead?"
Nico blinked. How am I supposed to answer that without revealing my parentage?
As Nico tried coming up with a lie, Percy and Leo were quite amused.
Demigods from different timelines just dropped in, their talk about the Greek/Roman situation just got delayed and Octavian just very nearly got blasted to death but the thing Zeus picks on is that Nico and Hades spoke in unison.
Piper was grateful that her boyfriend wasn't as violent as his sister. Annabeth was grateful that Thalia didn't kill Octavian. As Fates said, killing someone would create complications.
Stoll brothers looked like they had gotten an early Christmas present.
Frank, Hazel, and Reyna were trying to look indifferent seeing Octavian like that but their eyes shined with happiness like they wanted to do what Thalia had done themselves but one thing or another was preventing them from doing it (which kind of is true).
Nico opened his mouth to sprout something plausible but Hades interrupted him.
"He's my son."
Another moment of pin-drop silence.
"YOU BROKE THE OATH!" Zeus thundered, pun totally intended.
"Hazel is my daughter." Hades continued completely ignoring Zeus. "Well, daughter of my counterpart, at least."
To say everyone was surprised was an understatement.
"I didn't expect you to break the oath Uncle." Artemis broke the silence.
"But I didn't break the oath," Hades said calmly, while he was laughing on the inside. His brother had reacted just as he had predicted. "I am the only one who didn't break the oath."
"Yeah?" Zeus countered arrogantly. "Those two children say otherwise."
"Uncle Hades didn't break the oath," Thalia stated.
"Yeah, Nico and Hazel were both born before he took the oath." Percy supported his uncle.
"Nico's over seventy years old." Thalia smiled. "He's an old man."
"I'm not an old man!" Nico huffed. "I have lived for only fourteen years."
"Lotus Hotel and Casino," Athena said as she realized how that was possible.
"Smart as ever, Athena." Hades complimented. "Yes, my children were born before World War II. After we took the oath, I put them in Lotus Casino."
"My sister and I stayed there for a month which actually was seventy years outside the Casino," Nico said.
"Hades…" Zeus began dangerously but was surprisingly cut off by Poseidon.
"What does it matter now brother?" God of Oceans asked. "We both have already broken the oath, we have no right to berate him." He paused, looking at Percy, Thalia, and Jason. "And Hades didn't really break the oath if Nico and Hazel were born before World War II."
Hades looked at Poseidon for a long moment before saying- "I knew there was a reason I liked you better than Zeus."
Poseidon smiled, getting the same twinkle in his eyes that Percy does when he is about to go all sassy on someone.
"Maybe it is because I am smarter and not an airhead like Miss Drama Queen- I mean O King of gods over there" He nodded sagely towards Zeus (read- Miss Drama Queen)
"POSEIDON!" Zeus picked up his master bolt. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT ME LIKE THAT?"
Thalia snickered. "Roasted."
Thalia wasn't the only one who found this funny. Everyone was laughing, some trying to hide it, some openly. Even Hades cracked a smile.
When it became apparent Zeus was going to throw his lightning bolt at Poseidon, a bright light filled the room. When the light cleared, a piece of paper was seen swaying in the air.
Zeus snatched it out of the air, still fuming, and read it.
Dear gods and goddesses,
You are not allowed to kill or hurt any of the gods, goddesses, demigods, or their legacies. This includes throwing dangerous weapons around like toys because of some tantrums.
Fates
Zeus's face was now red with anger.
"Hey! It didn't say anything about demigods hurting legacies!" Thalia exclaimed.
"It didn't." Jason agreed cheerfully.
"Calm down, Zeus," Poseidon said. "It was only a joke."
The king of gods glared at Poseidon for a moment before turning to Hades.
"I don't suppose you have more children you hid away in Lotus Casino?"
"I do actually." Came the reply.
"You do?" This time, Poseidon looked surprised.
"Nico's elder sister." Hades nodded. "Bianca di Angelo."
The mood of the demigods from after the Giant War suddenly turned gloomy, something that did not go unnoticed by the gods.
"Nico?" Hades asked.
"She died, dad."
Hades stared at his son for a moment with a blank expression before his face turned into one of murderous rage. The shadows in the room became more pronounced.
"Who was it?" He asked. "Who killed her?"
"She died on a quest," Percy said, his eyes glued to the floor and his expression looking absolutely miserable. "It was my fault."
"It was not your fault, Kelp Head!" Thalia's head shot up. "I was there and I was useless! It's my fault."
"It was Bianca's choice," Annabeth said softly trying to comfort her boyfriend and best friend. "She died a hero's death."
"Quest?" Hades demanded. "What happened?"
"I'm sure it will be explained in the books." Nico sigh, already having accepted his elder sister's fate. "Weren't we supposed to talk about Greeks and Romans?"
Hades pursed his lips. "We will talk before we start the next chapter." He looked at his counterpart's daughter. "You too Hazel."
Hazel nodded.
"I'd like to talk to you, Thalia," Artemis said.
"Yes, Annabeth, I need to ask you a few things." Athena looked at her daughter.
"Very well, you can all talk to demigods alone after we are done here," Zeus said.
Annabeth sigh, "Yes, Greeks and Romans know about each other in the future and are at peace."
"At peace?" Reyna asked. "So Romans don't attack Camp Half-Blood then?"
"Octavian is an idiot and blows himself up." Nico answers. "You and Frank step in and cancel the order to destroy Camp Half-Blood."
"Frank?" Piper ask. "Isn't Jason the praetor?"
"Jason gives me a field promotion to the rank of praetor," Frank replies. "I became praetor just today actually."
'I give a field promotion?' Jason thinks. 'But I like having the power to order Octavian to shut up.'
Son of Jupiter glanced at the still unconscious legacy of Apollo.
"So how do Greeks and Romans find out about each other?" Zeus presses.
"Hera kidnaps and wipes Percy and Jason's memories before swapping them." Annabeth jumps in, not willing to let a chance to show everyone how much she hates Hera slip away.
"We had to go a quest so Greeks would trust Jason," Piper said.
"Percy, Frank, and I also go on a quest." Hazel piped up.
"I see." King of gods glanced at his wife.
"The two sides aren't trying to kill each other?" Athena repeats Reyna's question.
"No." Her daughter answers.
"Do I finish making Argo II?" Leo asks, excited at the thought of finishing his ship.
"Yup." Percy smiles.
"Awesome!" Leo flashes everyone his elfish grin.
Thalia smiles when she realizes that Nico told everyone about Octavian's death and nobody even reacted to it.
"We will start reading the next chapter after everyone finishes talking to whomever they wanted to talk to." Zeus sighs yet again as he dismisses everyone.
The future sure is complicated.
Hades wasn't sure how to start a conversation with his children.
His son, he had sent a casino where the time went slowly and learned that his sister had died.
His daughter had died over seventy years ago and shouldn't even be alive right now.
But it wasn't as if he could just go on and ask 'Why are you not dead?' or 'Who let you out of the time-warping hotel casino?'
Surprisingly, it was Nico who broke the silence.
"So, I'm sure you are wondering how I got out of the casino and how Hazel is alive," Nico said.
"Yes. An explanation would be nice." His father agreed.
"You let Bianca and me out of Lotus Casino after a couple of years from now." Nico started. "We eventually go to Camp Half-Blood and Bianca joins Lady Artemis's Hunt."
"She went on a quest with others but she died just as the prophecy had predicted one of them would die in a desert."
"Another couple of years later, Doors of Death were opened up and-"
"WHAT?!" Hades exclaimed. "Doors of Death were opened up?!"
"Yes. It's a long and complicated story."
"I'm sure it will be there in future books," Hazel spoke up for the first time since the beginning of the conversation.
"Alright," Hades said, clearly unsettled by future events.
"So anyway, Doors of Death were opened up and I went to the underworld to get Bianca out- I know please let me finish." Nico interrupted himself as he saw the disapproving look on his father's face.
"By the time I went to get Bianca, she had already chosen to go for rebirth."
"But instead I found Hazel in Fields of Asphodel and brought her back instead."
"I see." Hades sigh.
"It wasn't Hazel's fault!" Nico exclaimed. "You can't do anything to her. It was me, I brought her back to the land of the living."
"Of course not!" Hades looked offended. "Why would I do anything to either of you? You are both my children."
"You wouldn't?" Nico blinked. "I thought you would be angry."
"Yeah, me too." Hazel agreed. "I was half expecting you to send me back to the underworld."
"I couldn't do that even if I wanted to." Hades waved his hand. "You're from a different time."
God of Dead sounded pretty pleased at his inability to send someone back to Land of Dead or declare them dead.
"Hazel," Hades' voice suddenly sounded a lot more seriously. "About your curse…"
"It's alright." Hazel smiled. "It was just as you said, a descendant of Neptune washed away my curse."
'Descendant of Neptune…' Hades think. "Was it Jackson?"
"No. It was Frank."
"That praetor?" Hades frowns.
"He is a son of Mars but his mother was a legacy of Neptune."
"Well, I am glad you got rid of the curse." Hades nodded. "But there is another important thing I need to ask you." He looked directly towards Nico.
"What happens," He asked. "Of the Great prophecy?"
"Oh, that." Nico waves his hand casually as if they were not talking about the impending doom of the gods. "Percy was the child of elder gods. Luke was the hero."
"Though, you do bribe me to kidnap Percy and try to make me the child of prophecy instead." Nico shrugs. "Everything works out in the end."
Nico and Hazel share a look and an understanding pass between them. With an identical gleam in their eyes, they both turn towards Hades. A gleam Hades certainly didn't like.
"Oh! And another Great Prophecy spelling end of the world is issued right after the first Great Prophecy ends."
Silence settles over them silence as Hades processes the information.
1…2…3…
"WHAT?!"
"You wanted to talk to me, Lady Artemis?" Thalia asks politely once they were in Artemis's temple.
"Does something happen to Zoe in the future?" 'No sense in beating around the bush.' Artemis thinks.
Thalia's eyes tighten as she thinks of the night she kicked Luke off a cliff and Zoe's death. She was expecting the question but actually hearing it from Artemis, she couldn't help but try to delay answering as much as possible.
"M' Lady?" Thalia feigns confusion.
"You have the aura of a hunter and wear the circlet of the lieutenant." Artemis curled her fingers into a fist. "Zoe is the current lieutenant and I know she would never quit the hunt."
The goddess of the moon looks Thalia straight in the eye. "So tell me, does something happen to Zoe?"
Thalia's throat closes up and she averts her eyes.
"Zoe… She-She dies a hero's death." Thalia finally manages to speak.
Artemis gasps, "W-what? How?"
She, of course, had thought of it but Thalia confirming it was like an arrow to her heart.
"She died in the same quest as Bianca. It was a quest to rescue you and Annabeth, M' Lady. The prophecy had predicted one of the demigods or hunters would die at hands of their parent."
"Rescue me? At hands of their parent?" Artemis demanded, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
"I'm sure the book will explain it in detail." Thalia's voice thick with guilt and grief.
Even though she wanted to know everything right now, she saw the logic behind Thalia's words and nodded.
They both digested their conversation in awkward silence.
"Zoe won't die," Artemis said with steely resolve. "You all are here to tell us about the future so we can change it, correct?"
"Yes." Thalia nodded with the same resolve. "Zoe won't die, neither will Bianca." Nor will Luke.
The tense atmosphere lifted and Artemis smiled at Thalia.
"But you're still my lieutenant right now and I barely know anything about you. Tell me about yourself. How old are you?"
"Fifteen years and three hundred and sixty-four days."
"You joined the hunt just a day before you would have turned sixteen," Artemis notes. "So that boy, Jackson- was it? Is he the one in the prophecy?"
"Yup. Kelp head was the child of elder gods."
"You two sound close."
"He's like a younger brother, like Jason. I would never like him that way, even if I weren't a hunter." Thalia grinned, "Annie would kill me."
"Annie?" Artemis thought back to the blond girl. "Athena's daughter?"
Thalia nodded, "They're together."
The first thing Artemis felt was disappointment. The girl, even though older than her average hunters, looked like a promising candidate.
The second thing she felt was incredulousness.
"Uncle Poseidon and Athena's children together?!"
Thalia chuckled. "Future is full of surprises."
"Indeed." Artemis agreed, trying to get over the fact a god and goddess who hate each other's guts have children who end up together. "Future is full of surprises."
Goddess of the moon had a sudden thought. "I wonder how Athena will react when she finds this out…"
Annabeth, though understanding her mother's reason, was still salty about the whole Mark of Athena thing. Especially the owl.
So when Athena led her daughter to her sacred garden and she saw the said owl relaxing on an olive branch, Annabeth wanted nothing more than to punch the stupid bird's lights out.
Her fingers twitched to do so but the only thing holding her back was the fact she was sure that her mother would not be very happy if she punched her sacred animal. In front of her, no less.
The stupid owl must have sensed her glare because it glared right back at her.
Athena noticed the glaring contest and said, "Glaukopis, stop it! Annabeth is my daughter."
It screeched angrily.
"Stupid bird," Annabeth muttered.
Athena raised an eyebrow. "I take it you don't like Glaukopis."
"You can say that again."
"When did you meet him?" Athena asked. "He rarely leaves the garden unless he on an errand for me."
"Oh, I'm sure it will come up in books." Annabeth gave Glaukopis the last glare before turning her full attention towards her mother.
"Alright then, as I said I have a few things I'd like to ask you." If Athena was disappointed, she didn't show it. "You mentioned something about you falling off a cliff. What happened?"
"I'm sure it will come up in books," Annabeth smirked mentally. Take that, mother.
Athena was too surprised to speak for a moment. Too bad, it only lasted a moment.
"Annabeth!" Goddess of wisdom exclaimed.
"Yes?"
"Don't give me that attitude." Athena snapped.
"What attitude?" Annabeth raised an eyebrow.
Annabeth had fought Titans, Giants, and the primordial goddess of the earth. She had traveled through Tartarus, which is basically the Greek equivalent of hell. Heck, she had come face to face with the Tartarus himself. You'd think she has enough self-confidence to talk back to her mother now. Or maybe it was just apathy and indifference.
Athena grit her teeth. "I am your mother. You will not speak to me like that."
"My mother?" Annabeth laughed sardonically. "You sure didn't act like my mother when you sent me to fight Arachne or when you practically disowned me."
All of Athena's anger suddenly evaporated, replaced by surprise.
"Arachne?" Athena's eyes were as wide as her sacred animals. "You try to find the Parthenon?" Her voice rising in pitch with every word.
Annabeth briefly wondered what had made her lose her cool all of a sudden. She was pretty calm around her mother when they were reading. Maybe, Percy sitting beside her had something to do with it.
"I find it," Annabeth said, her voice devoid of previous anger.
"Y-you find it?" Athena's incredulous and amazed voice call back. "But Arachne-"
"Lots of stuff happen, mom." Annabeth sigh. "To answer your question, I was trying to kill a manticore when it jumped off a cliff."
"Forget that!" Athena exclaimed as she grabbed Annabeth's shoulder. "You fought Arachne?!"
"I outwitted her," Annabeth replies. "She's quite vain."
"I-I can't believe it." Athena shakes her head in disbelief. "I proud of you."
"Back then, you were pretty adamant about disowning me." Annabeth blinked. "Wait, what's the future tense of 'back then'?"
Athena paused for a moment, considering the question, before shaking her head and laughing. Her sudden outburst startled Annabeth.
Athena looked at her daughter straight in the eye. "I don't care what my future self said to you. I am here now and so are you. And, Annabeth, I'm so proud of you." Seeing Annabeth's eyes soften, she continued. "I am proud that you are my daughter. Proud that I can call myself your mother. Don't ever let anyone say otherwise."
"Thank you," Annabeth said with a tiny smile. "I needed that. Even after all the craziness ended, we never talk it out in the future."
Sometimes, just a simple talk is more than enough to sort out whatever problems one might be having, be it 'You disowned me, I hate you.' Or 'You ate my blue cookies, I hate you.'
"Of course." Athena had truly meant every word she said. She didn't know what makes her act the way she does in the future but she did know that she could make up for it now.
"So, you had questions for me?"
"I do actually." Athena looked thoughtful. "So you said you were attacking the manticore when it jumped off the cliff. Did this happen during or before the quest di Angelo's sister went on?"
"Before," Annabeth confirmed.
"The book's title- The Lightning Thief. Does it have anything to do with your quest?" Athena tilted her head. "Perhaps it was something important enough to make Zeus and Poseidon wage wars for. The Lightning…"
The question implied was pretty clear- Was Zeus's symbol of power stolen?
"Yes. Zeus's Lightning Bolt was stolen."
Athena suddenly scowled, looking conflicted. "Annabeth what do you think of this? This time travel and reading about the future?"
"Honestly? I don't know." Annabeth hates not knowing things. "On one hand, we could change future and prevent so many deaths but on the other hand, if we do change the future, the future we came from and the one we are reading about would never come to be which would mean we never actually experience it or come back here and read the books in the first place. It would create a paradox!"
"Yes, unless the theory of the multiverse is true." Athena follows Annabeth's rant without any problem. "But even then, even if we create a better future for a parallel world, what would happen to this world? Do all the demigods just go back to their time and forget all about this? Or are you all trapped in this time forever? What butterfly effects will this meeting have?"
"Even though the Fates said the whole council agreed to this and I'm sure you must have thought of all the possibilities," Annabeth bites her lips. "I, personally, don't feel very reassured by it."
"Time travel is an uncharted branch," Athena says gravely. "It has too many variables to account for."
Annabeth hummed in agreement. "I still don't understand. Why did the gods take such drastic measures? And even if they did, why didn't they talk to us about it before sending us here? Like Travis and Connor!"
"The gods wouldn't have done something so drastic without a reason." Athena reasoned. "Maybe there was a prophecy?"
"But even then it would make more sense if they at least told us the prophecy!" Annabeth ran her hand through her hair, a nervous habit she had picked up from Percy. "I mean, we're the ones doing the quest, aren't we?"
"Hermes's kids said they talked to gods before they were sent here," Athena notes. "Maybe, they know something about it."
"Maybe." Annabeth agrees. "I'll talk to them later."
"For now, let's put our trust in the future's decision." Athena's expression suddenly changed as she said- "Annabeth, I have one more question for you."
Annabeth, obviously, noted the change in her mother's voice and expression and cautiously asked, "Yeah?"
"It's about that sea spawn." Annabeth groaned mentally. She was really hoping to avoid this. "When we were reading the book, you two sounded close."
"Well, he is my b-best friend." Annabeth almost said boyfriend but thought better of it and decided to keep their relation secrete for now. At least from Athena, that is. She didn't need her mother blowing her fuse over that for now.
"I do not approve of your relationship with him." Athena put it bluntly.
"Oh come on!" Annabeth barely kept herself from rolling her eyes. "You don't even know him!"
"I know his father," Athena interjected. "And I know all his children are like him."
This time Annabeth did roll her eyes. "I don't know about Lord Poseidon but Percy is definitely more like his mother and his mother is the most amazing woman I've ever met. We've been friends for years now and he has saved my life more times than I can count!"
"Trouble he got you in in first place, I presume?"
"No!" Annabeth groaned. "Now, you're being just like your future self."
This gets to Athena.
Athena huffs, "I'm doing this for you own good."
"I think I'll decide what's good for me, mother."
"One day, you'll regret-"
Annabeth sigh. She knew that this conversation was far from over.
"So, Annabeth and I are dating," Percy said casually, once they were alone.
Poseidon turned towards his son and raised an eyebrow. "Athena's daughter?"
"Yeah?" Percy asked passively. He was starting to wonder if he shouldn't have said that. His father had taken this news quite well in the future so he had thought that he'd do the same now too.
Poseidon looked thoughtful for a moment, in which Percy felt certain he should have talked to Annabeth about it before telling anyone.
"I hope you treat her well." He finally said.
"Huh?"
"If she's anything like I think she is," Poseidon nods sagely. "She must be very scary when she's angry."
"She is." Percy grinned. "So you're not mad or anything I'm dating your rivals daughter?"
He knew his father had no problem with Athena's children but he still wanted to hear it.
"Of course not!" Poseidon laughed as he looked at his son. "Was I angry in the future?"
"No," Percy says slowly. "Well, it's just Athena never approved of me in the future but you didn't mind that Annabeth was Athena's daughter. Aren't you two rivals and supposed to hate each other?"
"I don't exactly hate Athena but yes, in a sense, you could say we are rivals," Poseidon said. "And I don't have any grudge or anything with her children. Why should I? They are their own person. I don't have any problem with Annabeth either as long as you're happy." Poseidon mirrored his son's grin. "Besides, grudges are Hades' thing."
"Though I do wonder, how Athena is going to react to this news." Poseidon mused.
"Oh boy, I hope she never finds out," Percy muttered. He certainly didn't feel like going through all those death glares again. Not that she didn't glare at him now.
"Percy, is Sally happy in the future?" Poseidon asked suddenly, sounding sad and almost wistful.
"She is." Percy looks at his father from the corner of his eye. "She marries a great guy, Paul. She even started writing her novel."
"I'm glad," Poseidon said with a tiny smile.
"Don't worry, you are on good terms with her." Percy briefly wondered if the book would mention Gabe. He hoped not.
"That's a relief," Poseidon said in … well, relief.
Silence enveloped them until Percy suddenly asked, "Are you going to ask me about Great Prophecy?"
Poseidon surprises his son by saying- "No."
"No?"
"No. You look older than sixteen and are still alive and happy. That means the prophecy came to pass and you won, right?"
The prophecy came to pass and you won. It made all the struggle and all the deaths sound so small. Insignificant. Inconsequential. Like it didn't matter what Percy had to go through to achieve that victory. Like it didn't matter how many of his friends had to sacrifice themselves so that he could live.
Is this how gods felt, Percy thought bitterly. When I summed up their war in 'a big fight and gods won'?
"Yeah." His mouth moved on its own as his mind wandered elsewhere. "Yeah, we won the war."
Jason wasn't exactly thrilled when his girlfriend's mother dragged him along for their conversation. But he reckoned that it was better than being in a conversation with his stepmother.
"Oh, Piper dear!" Goddess of love gushed. "You look lovely!"
"Err… Thanks." The person in question said.
"I'm so proud of you!" Aphrodite crushed Piper in a hug.
"Proud?" Piper gasped out, still in the hug. "But I didn't even do anything."
"Of course you did." Aphrodite finally released her daughter. "You must have done something very important and brave if gods sent you here!"
Jason didn't think the goddess of love even thought about anything that wasn't related to romance or a beauty product. And yet, she had hit the nail right on the head. Guess he was wrong.
"I suppose…" Piper said hesitantly.
"And you have a very cute boyfriend too!" Aphrodite beamed at the very cute boyfriend.
Jason straightened up at the sudden attention.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Aphrodite." He said politely.
"Aww… a gentleman!" Aphrodite's eyes glazed over with tears of happiness. "I like him already."
"Thank you?" Jason all but asked.
"I'm so glad for both of you!" Aphrodite crushed the couple in a rib breaking hug. "I'll make sure to keep your love life interesting!"
Jason and Piper exchanged a look that said Uh-Oh! Annabeth had told them how Piper's mother had once said the same thing to Percy and all the drama that followed. Jason and Piper didn't feel like experiencing the same thing first hand.
"So tell me about all the demigod couples." Aphrodite looked like someone had given her permission to give a makeover to anyone and anything she saw fit.
"Demigod couples?" Piper asked nervously. She did not want the same terrible fate that befell Percy and Annabeth, and now Jason and herself, curse Frank and Hazel's relation.
Though she wasn't quite sure why her mother would ask such a question in the first place. She had never met Frank and Hazel but from the short time that she saw them together after fates brought them from a different timeline, she could tell they were dating. If she could figure that out, surely the goddess of love could too.
"Yes!" Aphrodite said in the same cheerful tone that made Jason never want to hear the word 'love' and 'makeup' again. "I already have my suspicions and I just want to confirm them."
Piper and Jason exchanged looks again.
"Well, I don't know about Frank and Hazel but Percy and Annabeth are a couple." Piper finally said.
A squeal loud and sharp enough to shatter glass made Piper and Jason cover their ears.
"I knew it!" Aphrodite shrieked. "Athena's daughter and Poseidon's son!"
Jason winced in sympathy.
"Percy and Annabeth. Now, what would be a good ship name for them?" Aphrodite mused. "I have it! Percabeth!"
Jason and Piper sweatdropped.
"Now for Frank and Hazel." Goddess of love tapped her chin, deep in thought. "Hrank? No. Hank? No. Frazel? Yeah!" She squealed again. "Percabeth, Frazel and," She paused, looking at Piper and Jason. "Jasper! I ship them!"
And the goddess of beauty burst into tears.
"I'm so happyyyyy!"
Jason and Piper exchange yet another look. Jason was starting to wonder if a conversation with Hera would have been a better option after all.
"This is gonna be so epic," Travis whispered as his brother and Leo laughed manically.
"And glittery!" Apollo's voice sounded like he was trying to hold back his own maniac laughter.
"Hephaestus, the stuff will be ready soon, right?" Hermes asked.
"Yeah." Hephaestus had the same gleam in his eyes that his son had.
"Frank, having you here will definitely help a lot." Travis grinned.
"Sure thing." Frank grinned. "It sounds fun."
"Now, we just have to convince Percy and we will be all set." Apollo burst into maniac laughter he had been trying to hold back. "Hahahaha!"
One by one everyone burst into the contagious maniac laughter.
Omake [Extra Scene]
"Hey, Thalia," Percy called out, nudging a still unconscious Octavian with his foot.
"Yeah?" Thalia looked over to her cousin.
"When did you figure out that loophole to knock Octavian out?"
"Huh? That! A while ago."
"Then how come you didn't tell us?!"
"'cause I wanted to knock the stuffing out of Octavian myself."
"But…But… how could you, Thalia?" Percy wailed.
"I agree with Percy on that one, Thalia," Nico says as Annabeth patted her boyfriend on his back.
"I'm surprised I didn't figure it out myself." Annabeth sigh.
"Maybe, your boyfriend is rubbing off on you, Annie," Thalia commented.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Percy grumbled.
"It means you are stupid, Kelp Head," Thalia explained patiently.
"Did you just indirectly call me stupid?" Annabeth fumed.
"Maybe." The daughter of Zeus gave a nonchalant reply.
"Percy's rubbing off on you too, Thalia," Nico noted. "You're getting sarcastic."
"Deal with it," Thalia smirked as she flipped her hair.
'Cause Persassious 'Persassy' Jackson is not the only one who can be sassy.
I hope the omake at least made to smile if not laugh.
Tell me what you think of this chapter and how I can improve it.
Also, give me some ideas for an awesome prank! But it should include glitter and characters I'm sure you have already guessed.
Let me know all this in the reviews.
Until next time!