Arcane Chaos

by Kronium345

A boy who leads a dark path, different than his siblings. Cut off from familial ties at a young age, he seeks power. Power to protect himself and those he cares about. This ambition, this greed, will drive him to great lengths to attain this power and become a maelstrom in the world of gods, monsters and demigods. Son of Poseiden! OC. Harem. Somewhat Dark!/Grey OC. Godlike! OC

50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50:

Chiron was sitting in his chair in the Big House, thinking deeply. Never in his long life had things been so troubling. His father and the Titans were threatening war, Artemis had been recently captured and rescued, and more and more minor gods and demigods had been disappearing and defecting to the Titans. This broke his heart, since mere children were being brought forth in a war that had nothing to do with them, not really. Throughout it all, all of the Olympians refused to acknowledge that anything was happening. And the Great Prophecy...

The centaur sighed, sadness written across his features. For years, he had wished that the Great Prophecy would not be completed soon, and yet, the looming doom that hung over their heads was something that he hated as well. Thalia was out of consideration, so that just left Percy and Markus. While Percy an ideal candidate for the prophecy, he still wished that the burden wouldn't fall on the boy. He was the perfect hero in some cases: loyal, had a good heart, and strong. But was he strong enough? Maybe if he hadn't coddled the boy, maybe then he could be allowed to grow.

Markus, on the other hand, didn't seem the ideal candidate. No offense to the boy, but he seemed to have traits that Chiron was worried about; his short temper, greed, skewed morals and actions. While, in some ways, Markus had better qualities than Percy - his smarts, even though he didn't show it, and his willingness - in some cases, Chiron would prefer Percy in this case. While killing Luke was beneficial to them logically, Chiron saw the look of glee and anger in his eyes when he described Luke's death by his hand, and it frightened him. Was it his fault that Markus was like this? Could he have done something differently? Maybe if he hadn't hid the prophecy from them for so long, maybe then...

Frowning, Chiron looked towards where Mr. D was supposed to be sitting. Ever since the god had left for the winter solstice meeting, he hadn't returned. At first, he assumed that it was because he was just trying to put off his duties. But something in his gut was telling him otherwise. But what could it be?

He sighed. "I know a demigod's life is never easy, but this is outrageous. Why can the gods not see what is happening? Why must their children suffer?"

Suddenly, a bright flash enveloped the room the room. Once the light faded, there stood Hermes in his usual get-up.

"Lord Hermes. What brings you here this morning?" Chiron asked, standing to bow.

"Uncle, please," Hermes said, raising a hand. "There is no need for honorifics between us. I have important news that I must deliver. If you could gather all of the amphitheatre, I'd be very grateful."

"Are these orders from Lord Zeus himself?" Chiron asked, curious as to why all of this was happening.

Hermes grimaced. "Actually, from Lord Poseidon." At Chiron's confused face, he sighed. "Trust me, it'll make much more sense when everyone is called up."

"Are things that bad, my lor- Hermes?" Chiron asked, looking a bit unsure at addressing the god casually.

Hermes made a face. "To most, yes. But for Olympus, it's actually a good thing. Even though I don't agree with how it went."

Confused, Chiron stood up to round up the campers.

XXX

Chiron went to the dining pavilion, where he knew the campers would be for breakfast. Standing at the centre, he pounded his hoof loudly, catching all of their attention. "Campers, your attention, please!"

Silence immediately followed from everyone, all eyes on the centaur.

"Once breakfast is finished, every camper is to make his or her way to the amphitheatre. There are no exceptions to this, attendance is mandatory."

With that, Chiron galloped away, leaving the campers, save for a select few, confused.

The demigods made their way to the amphitheatre, they saw Chiron standing at the centre. Just as he was about to say something, there was a bright flash of light. Hermes appeared, looking serious. There were mutters from the campers, thinking that this was serious if one of the Olympians were here to deliver news. The children of Hermes gave their father silent and discreet smiles. Seeing this, Hermes smiled and nodded back, before looking at the crowd in front of him.

"The reason you are all here today is to be told of the recent developments that happened during the most last meeting," Hermes announced. "You may or may not know but the quest group was successful in rescuing Artemis from the Titan stronghold. Unfortunately, there were some events afterwards that weren't exactly... pleasant. That is why I would like Markus Henderson to come up and give a quick summary as to what these events entail of."

Grumbling, Markus walked forward, standing beside Hermes. He shot the god a look, in which Hermes replied with a shrug, as if to say, It's you're fault.

Markus looked back to the crowd, wondering how he was going to go about saying it. There was no easy way to say this. Many campers weren't going to be happy with him. All of them will possibly fear him, both due to his actions and true power. But they had to know.

Sighing, Markus said, "The events that Hermes speaks of is quite simple: when we went to Olympus, I promptly killed some of the gods and trashed Olympus. Specifically, Dionysus, Hera and Zeus. Oh, and I killed Ares and Heracles."

There was silence at his statement. Complete and utter silence. The shock was that big to the demigods. A minute passed. Two minutes followed. Finally, the silence was broken by utter chaos.

Every camper (apart from the ones that already knew this) started shouting at Markus, calling him a liar. Others yelled at him and called him an attention-seeker. Particularly those from Ares' and Dionysus' cabin. There was general screaming and shouting from the rest of the campers.

Hermes looked at Markus with an incredulous expression, and Markus just shrugged. There was no easy way he could put this. No amount of stalling would lessen the blow, so he decided to be blunt. Chiron himself was torn between staring at Markus with horror and trying to calm everyone down.

Finally, Markus had enough. "SHUT UP!" he roared, his voice reverberating across the camp like thunder. Instantly, everyone's mouth snapped shut at the sound, a few jumping in both shock and fright. Every eye was on Markus as he looked at each camper.

"I understand that what I've said is shocking," Markus said, his voice calm. Almost too calm. "I get that. I also get that some of you, practically all of you, don't believe me. That's fine. I will say this, however." Markus looked at each and every one of them. "I swear on the River Styx that what I've said is completely true."

The sky exploded with thunder as many campers looked stunned and horrified at what Markus had admitted to. They made to shout when Markus gave them a glare. "If you guys interrupt me, you won't know what happened."

At that, there were a few grumbles, but everyone went silent.

Nodding, Markus continued. "Now, the reason that I killed most of the Olympians is because of a number of reasons. Chief among them is that I was attacked first. I know that some of you don't think that's a valid reason, but to me it is. When I encountered the Hunters of Artemis, Artemis attacked me because of her arrogance. Once I defeated her, Apollo tried to drag me to Olympus, as you all saw. Then Hermes tried to do the same, and failed when I beat him in a race."

Hermes grumbled at that, but didn't say anything as Markus smirked at him. He ignored the shocked looks on the campers' faces and continued. "Following that, it was just one big contest of seeing who was going to kill me. After Aphrodite said something stupid to me, I realised that the Olympians were annoying, arrogant, stupid and so prideful that it wasn't even funny. Well, I already knew that, but at that moment, I actually acted on my impulses to kill them." At Hermes small glare, Markus looked at him. "Am I wrong?"

Huffing, Hermes looked away as Markus continued. "So, yeah. After the quest, I killed some of the Olympians and trashed Olympus. After that, I threatened the Olympians, and made sure that they would get their acts together and clean up their messes. Now, any questions?"

It was silent for a moment, before practically everyone's hands were raised.

Markus felt the urge to slap himself at his question. He should've realised that everyone would've had questions. He sighed, pointing at a particular person. "Yeah?"

"So, are you going to side with the Titans?" a boy of twelve years old asked. He didn't have any defining features that Markus caught, so he didn't know who's child he was. He did look sleepy, however. Like he was going to pass out from fatigue any second now.

Everyone looked at him, and the boy felt like he was going to shrink in on himself as all eyes were on him. "I-I mean, you killed the Olympians, right? S-So-"

"What's your name?" Markus asked, interrupting the boy.

Blushing, the boy said, "M-Michael."

"Are you one of the residents of the Hestia cabin?"

At his shy nod, Markus smiled a little. "To answer your question, Michael, no. I'm not joining the Titans. If I was planning on joining the Titans, I would've killed all of the Olympians, and left Camp Half-Blood. And since none of those things have happened, I haven't joined the Titans." At Michael's nod, Markus looked at the rest of them. "Anyone else?"

"You killed our parents!" Clarisse yelled, stepping forward angrily. She brushed off the hands trying to pull her back. "What the fuck do you expect us to say?!"

Markus looked at Clarisse, and suddenly the girl felt small. Insignificantly small. "Clarisse, I've already given you my reason for killing the gods I've mentioned. As for Ares..." Markus frowned, trying to remember how he killed Ares. "Actually, I don't even remember killing Ares. Why did I kill him?"

In the crowd, Percy and Thalia coughed, getting his attention. "You, uh, got pissed at what Aphrodite said to you," Percy answered.

Markus frowned, before nodding slowly. "Right. Actually, that makes a lot of sense."

"You bastard!" Clarisse yelled, brandishing her spear. "You don't even remember killing him?!"

"No. He was just that pathetic," Markus said bluntly, looking at Clarisse. "Now, put your spear down."

"You-" "Put. It. Down," Markus said calmly, his voice full of bloodlust. Clarisse stiffened, as did the rest of them. They remembered the last time he had spoken in that tone. None of them wanted to experience what followed after.

Clarisse put her spear away as Markus looked at the fearful crowd. "No questions? None?" Seeing no one put up their hand, he continued. "I know that the children of Ares and Dionysus are angry at me. I understand that. But I'm not going to apologise. I've done what I've did, and I don't regret it. I'm actually thankful for it. Which brings you to what Hermes has to say."

"Um, thank you, Markus," Hermes said, trying to do his best to settle the audience. Markus walked off the stage, going back to his original position. Campers fled from his side like the plague, but Markus wasn't bothered by this. He stood by Silena's side, who looked at him in shock and worry. Markus wrapped an arm around her, doing his best to ease her.

Now the next order of business may surprise some of you but we are at war," Hermes announced, further shocking the audience. "Yes, the Titans are - or have in some cases - risen. We on Olympus are preparing for war and we need for you demigods to do the same. It will not be easy; war is never easy but if the Titans win, the world as you know it will end. I will answer one question on this subject before we continue."

At this, the assembled demigods began to debate what question to ask the messenger god. Finally, Malcolm from the Athena cabin stepped forth and asked, "Lord Hermes, it seems the question most demigods have is can we win a war with the Titans? Due to...," Malcolm looked at Markus, who raised an eyebrow in return. "Um, due to the lowered numbers of the gods?"

"Honestly, if this had of been a few days ago I would have told you there was no way in Hades we can win," Hermes said, shocking the audience at his bluntness. "I truly believed that. But now things have changed. Markus Henderson's actions, while brutal, have led to us receiving a wake-up call. Our numbers may be few, but our minds are clear. So yes, I think we can win this war if everyone does what he or she is supposed to do and that includes us, gods, as well."

Once again the demigods mumbled amongst themselves at hearing the answer from Hermes.

"Quiet!" he yelled, again ceasing all chatter. "Alright, the next order of business is, as of the last meeting, there are now two new Olympian gods. Both Hades and Hestia were given their rightful place on Olympus. It was a unified vote-" Markus coughed from where he stood, muttered "bullshit" "-but we have decided that we gods cannot continue doing things the way we were, for it will only lead to the end of civilisation and the Fifth Age. As before, I will answer one question."

This time, Will Solace stepped forward. "Lord Hermes, while it is indeed great news that we have two new Olympians, what does this mean for the camp?" he asked.

"The only effect this will have on camp is that Hades will now have a cabin at camp for his children. They are to be treated like every other camper. For too long, Hades' children have been outcast because of who their father is, so they are to have the same training and opportunities that you do," Hermes stated.

This time there were a lot of negative muttering coming from the campers. One even said aloud, "No way we're allowing devil spawn to be in the camp."

After hearing that, Markus gave a furious glare to the one who'd said that, making him squeak and drop to the ground in fright. Everyone stared at the scene. "Do not blame the children for the sins of the parent," Markus said to the demigod who'd spoken. Everyone listened to his words. "Hades isn't even that bad. Sure, he's an asshole from time to time, but his job doesn't make him evil. Gloomy and boring, maybe, but not evil. So don't go insulting children because of that, or I'll plant several dumbass trees around camp."

The demigod, as well as others, shivered at that threat, and nodded frantically, looking like bobbleheads.

Hermes continued from where he'd left off. "Markus is correct. Hades is not evil, despite what others may say. Neither are his children. For this to work, we need for you demigods to keep an open mind. Believe it or not, we all are trying to change for the better and make amends for past transgressions. And this just the start of what he hopes to accomplish for us gods, you demigods, and the world."

The assembled demigods sat in stunned silence at what they have just heard when suddenly a hand went into the air. That hand belonged to Lou Ellen.

"May I help you?" Hermes asked.

"Yes, Lord Hermes," the daughter of Hecate said. "I apologise for this but I must ask; it is all well in good that the gods are trying to make amends to Lord Hades and Lady Hestia, but what about the minor gods? The Hestia cabin is amazing, and we're thankful for Markus and the others building it, but how is that making amends to us? Or making up for past transgression against our parents?"

"I understand your frustration, child. And I was just about to get to the last reason of why we are all here," Hermes answered. "It has also decreed that all minor gods will have a cabin built here at camp so that they may claim their children. You may thank Markus Henderson for that, actually." Markus grunted as all eyes were on him. "For too long, the Olympian gods have taken the minor gods for granted, and thought ourselves above them when nothing can be further from the truth. All children of the minor gods will be recognised and trained in the use of their powers, as are the children of the Olympian gods. From now, on a godly parent is a godly parent, no parent is better than another."

At this, the demigods cheered. But none louder than the demigod children of the minor gods. Markus smiled seeing this.

"Quiet!" Hermes exclaimed, making the audience quickly shut their mouths.

"Thank you. It is unfortunate that this comes with some bad news as well," Hermes stated, a sad look on his face. "It has been discovered that some of the minor gods have joined the Titans side for this war. But… it has been decreed that because this was done due to Zeus' previous treatment towards them that, should they decide to come back to our side or are captured during the war, they will be given the opportunity to redeem themselves. I will take one question."

Quickly Lou stood up and asked, "Lord Hermes, with all due respect, how do we know that this is not just some ploy to get our parents to fight the Titans and then have things return to how they were before?"

"That is a very intelligent question, child," Hermes nodded, smiling. "But I'm afraid I cannot answer it. So I will let someone who can."

A flash of light appeared beside Hermes on the stage. When it cleared, there stood a figure no one was expecting.

Everyone, Markus included, looked in shock as Poseidon, god of the seas, stood there, dressed in a royal attire. No longer was he wearing his usual beach clothes. Now, he stood with celestial bronze armour, studded with sea pearls adorning his chest. Images of shells, pearls, coral and waves coated his armour. In his hand was his trident, which glowed with immense power. Adorning his head was a magnificently large crown, gleaming with power and authority. On his face was a smile, his features both welcoming and powerful.

Markus' jaw dropped when he looked at the crown. He didn't know Poseidon was going to be elected the new king of the gods. Sure, it made sense, but his dad never wanted the throne. Why now?

The other demigods were stunned at the new reveal. Lou stuttered, staring wide-eyed. "L-Lord Poseidon, I m-meant no d-disrespect." She bowed lowly.

Poseidon shook his head. "Rise, child." Lou got back up, confused. "Relax, I have heard your question and it is indeed a fair question and have come to answer it. If that is alright with you." At Lou's nod, he spoke to the crowd.

"For those of you who don't know, I have been voted as the new king of the gods. It is not a position I particularly wanted, but it is one I will hold and make good. My fallen brother, Zeus, has showed me and us how his actions as king of the gods has affected everything. From the attitude and actions of the demigods and minor gods, to how my very own family acts. If Zeus had continued to rule, we would've lost the war before it started.

"That is why, under my rule, there will be a better future for the mortals, you demigods, and the gods," Poseidon said, his voice rising in volume and passion. "And I do mean all the gods. None of the mistakes my brother made will be repeated by me, I promise you. Does that answer your question?" At Lou's shaky nod, he smiled.

"I must be off young demigods, as we are preparing for war," Poseidon said as he flashed out, winking as he did so. Markus had only one thing to say to that: "The paperwork for him is going to be massive."

"May I have your attention, so that this will be finished," Hermes said, getting all eyes back on him. "This is what will happen claimed children of the minor gods. Please get together and see how many of you are siblings. Once you do select a cabin leader, that leader please meet with the Athena and Hephaestus cabins to see about designing and building your cabins. As for those who are unclaimed, do not worry. We are encouraging all minor gods to claim their children and even if you are not claimed you still have a place and will even have a bed. If any of you have any questions, simply ask to me or pray to Lord Poseidon, and they will be answered. Thank you."

With that, Hermes joined the Hephaestus and Athena children to sort out the children and help build their cabins. During this, everyone smiled, feeling like this war can be won.

XXX

"You never told me about you killing gods," Silena said, looking at Markus. The two laid on her bed in the Aphrodite cabin, having been left alone for the most part. Largely due to the now present fear of Markus that the campers now had.

Markus sighed, looking into her baby-blue eyes. "I didn't tell you because it was eventually going to come out. And it did. I also planned to tell you about, um, disfiguring your mum's face."

"... What?" was all Silena said, before Markus began explaining to her what had happened. At the end of it, Silena's face became stony. She sighed, unable to say anything for a few minutes. Finally, she said, "I don't blame you. For what you did. In fact, I'm so angry at her, I probably would've done the same thing."

Markus laughed at that, imagining Silena trying to disfigure her mum's face. "That'd be a lovely thought."

Silena snuggled into his side. "I'm not sure whether to be happy or angry that you didn't kill her," she admitted. "Mum, she's... like the other gods, she's never been there for us. Some of us can tell that she tries, and we love her for it, but she's never fully there. I was one of the few who resented her for it. That was..." Silena took a deep breath. "That was probably the reason why I initially spied for the Titans. I felt so... unloved. Unwanted. But now," looking at Markus, she smiled, kissing him on the lips, "maybe there can be hope for us after all."

Markus nodded, hugging her close. The two laid in bed, perfectly happy with snuggling with each other. After a while of just laying there, Silena asked him, "So, what are you going to do about Annabeth?"

At that question, Markus choked on his spit, having not expected that. After recovering, he frowned. Unfortunately, Annabeth was one of the campers who feared him for his actions. Killing Luke made her practically ignore him. Stacking it on top of his killing the Olympians, and she avoided him like the plague. He sighed sadly. "I don't know."

Silena hugged him, knowing how much this was hurting him. Annabeth wasn't just one of his close friends. She was the girl that he loved along with Thalia, Katie and Silena. Seeing her act like this was eating at him, and she hated seeing him like this. "She'll come around. She knows that what you did practically saved the camp."

Markus scoffed. "She won't see it that way. I basically took away her older brother/crush, and committed deicide. The only redeeming factors are that I didn't kill her mother, and my actions saved the camp and helped the children of the minor gods." He smiled grimly. "Well done, Markus. You have a girl hating you for saving the day. Fan-fucking-tastic."

He felt Silena hug him harder. She didn't know what to say. No words of comfort to make him feel better. She knew that Markus' actions, while brutal, helped the camp tremendously, but at the cost of one of them making Annabeth hate him and the other making her fear him. She kissed his neck. "Let's go to sleep for a while. We can train together, get your mind off of things."

Markus frowned as he looked at her. "You hate my training."

"I know."

Markus smiled, kissing her lightly. "Thank you," he said, smiling. The two drifted off to sleep, content with where they laid.

XXX

As Markus slept, he was brought into a dream. Again. This time, it was a somewhat normal dream this time.

He was brought to the Shinto temple that he had trained in with Susanoo. Markus surveyed the scene, remembering all the good times he had training here.

"You truly are unpredictable," a familiar voice said from behind him. He turned around to see Susanoo standing there, wearing his usual attire.

"Susanoo-sama," Markus greeted. "How are you?"

"A bit overwhelmed, but I'll manage," the god answered. At Markus' questioning face, he elaborated. "Your stunt throughout your quest has affected me. Specifically, you killing the fallen angel, and you and your friends killing the Shinto demigods."

"How is the former a problem for you?" Markus asked, confused.

Susanoo gave him a deadpanned look. "The Shinto gods saw your light-show. In fact, I think practically every available pantheon saw it. I got a lot of complaints coming from Amaterasu and Izanagi. Not to mention the gods whose children you killed."

"They attacked us first. We can't be blamed for that," Markus defended.

"And I understand that. That's the same argument I've used. And while a good number agree with me, there are a few who are angry at you and your friends."

"Which gods specifically?" Markus asked, feeling nervous. He could take on any god, but he didn't want his friends getting caught in Shinto affairs.

"Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Kagutsuchi and Suijin are the ones who have no problem with what happened," Susanoo explained. "They're a little miffed, but understand that their children attacked you first. However, Fūjin and Raijin are furious at you, and want your head. As well as the ones who killed them."

Markus frowned, annoyed at gods who wanted to kill him for no good reason. They were attacked first! Why the fuck were they angry when actually the Olympians should be the ones furious? "And what about you?" Markus asked. "I know Christopher was your son?"

Susanoo sighed sadly. Markus remembered when he talked to Susanoo during the quest, and how sad he'd been when he talked about the Shinto demigods.

"I will cope," he managed to say. "Christopher was wayward, and sometimes foolish. But, I still love him. I don't blame you for your actions. You were well in your right to kill them." Even as he said this, he looked ready to break down.

Markus wanted to comfort his patron, but found that he didn't know how. Saying sorry wasn't going to solve anything. He couldn't physically touch him, so hugging was out. So he settled for what he did best: being blunt and rude. "So, will I have to worry about Fūjin and Raijin trying to kill me?"

Susanoo looked at him for a moment, befuddled. But then he smiled, realising what Markus was doing. "No. Izanagi is being strict about us crossing over into other pantheons, after seeing the consequences of our demigods doing so. So you won't have to worry about fighting them, not unless you come to Japan. However," here, Susanoo's face turned grim, "be on the lookout for Izanagi."

Markus sighed, wanting to know why he was dealing with all this. Couldn't things just be simple for him? Couldn't he catch a break? But no. People have to complicate things. "What does he want?"

"He wants to meet with you. He's not happy that I've acquired a champion from the Greek pantheon. Not only that, but he's also wishing to punish me for your actions of killing the Olympians."

Markus was now fuming. "But that was my choice! You don't have to be blamed for me killing them! You weren't even there!"

Susanoo smiled thinly. "I know. But because of you practically decimating the central gods of a pantheon, waves have been sent through the world. Now, all eyes will be on you. And not just from our pantheon. Everyone knows of your power, your fight with Samael and you killing most of the Olympians. People are starting to form their opinions of you."

"And what are those opinions?" Markus asked, exasperated.

"Some are calling you a hero for killing Zeus, as almost no one liked him in many pantheons." Markus scowled at that. "Others are calling you a monster. Those are the ones who fear you. Many are simply observing you and wondering if you'll attack other pantheons. Even our own pantheon is afraid of you, although they're very few. Some people are even gifted you with a new title."

Markus just sighed at what he was told. Great, gods and supernatural beings and monsters haven't even met him, and he's already getting judged. He wasn't really big on attention. He perked up at the last sentence. "Title? What title?"

"The Leviathan," Susanoo answered.

Markus blinked at that. Leviathan? That sounded... actually, that sounded awesome. "That is actually a pretty badass title," Markus commented, grinning. "So, 'Son of Poseidon', 'Champion of Susanoo', 'King of Heroes', and now 'The Leviathan'. I'm basically being given awesome titles."

"Not to mention 'Hero of the Unclaimed'," Susanoo added with a smirk.

Markus scowled. "That's not a title I'm taking, and you damn well know that."

Susanoo chuckled, before schooling his features. "Yes, while your title is quite fitting, just be aware that with that title, comes challenges. Many beings and deities will probably fear you, or want to fight you. The latter because they see you as a challenge."

"So, they want a piece of me? Is that it?" Markus bemoaned, grunting at the thought. Seriously? Why couldn't he be left alone?!

Susanoo shrugged. "The benefits of being both powerful and mortal. Just be careful, Markus. And do not worry about Izanagi. I will do my best to delay the meeting."

"Thanks, but please don't try to get into trouble for me." When the god was about to argue, Markus interjected. "Please?"

Sighing, he nodded. With that, Markus' consciousness went back to his body, waving the god goodbye.

XXX

Markus was holed up in his cabin, reading up on one of the several books that Hecate had gifted him with. The reason she had given him these books was because of the her new cabin. Even though he helped with the making of the cabins, she still said that she was grateful for his actions.

In fact, from what she'd said, practically all the minor gods were grateful to him, either through his suggestion (read: threat) to the Olympians, or him killing Zeus. Either way, he was glad that they were able to get the respect they deserved.

The cabins took only a day to be built. The reason that it was so short was because Markus decided to chip in, using speed clones and magic to quicken the process. Currently, practically all the gods had cabins: Hecate, Morpheus, Hypnos, Eris, Iris, etc. Even Hades had gotten himself a cabin, something in which the di Angelo siblings would hopefully occupy soon enough.

Markus would never forget the tears and shouts of joy every child of the minor god had when they entered their cabins. Nor could he forget the numerous amount of hugs and thanks he received from them. And while he would forever deny it, he found all the gestures nice.

Many of the previous occupants of the Hestia still paid their respects to the goddess, and would always remember her for what she'd done for them, which Markus found important. He also planned to get in touch with Hestia, since he hadn't seen her in a while.

He mentally refocused on the tome in front of him, which was on alchemy. Markus found the subject interesting, as he had never actually picked up on it. He always found challenges in magic to be exciting, whether he excelled at it or not. He had one hand hold the book open while the other was used to try and recreate some transmutation circles on sheets of paper. So far, he was unsuccessful. But that was fine. He'd get it eventually.

A knock on the cabin door interrupted his thoughts and work. Grumbling, Markus stood up and walked to the door, thinking if he could yell at the person to go away. When he opened the door, he found that he couldn't.

"I knew I'd find you here," Katie said, a knowing smile on her face.

Markus sighed. "Hello, Katie. How are-" He wasn't able to finish as Katie pushed him into the cabin and gave him a slow, simple kiss as a greeting. Markus responded back, only separating after a few moments. "Well, it looks like you're fine."

"Mmmhmm," Katie hummed. "I actually need you to come with me for a minute."

Markus frowned, "Can it wait? I'm in the middle of something."

Katie frowned in response, crossing her arms. "Oh, no. 'I'm in the middle of something' usually means that you'll stay in your cabin for hours and hours and hours until we come get you."

"I don't take that long when I'm on my own," Markus said, looking confused.

"You spend so long in your cabin, we assumed you were going to eventually camp here," Katie said with a deadpanned look. "Look, you're even growing a beard."

Markus checked the stubble on his chin, to see that it actually did grow. He frowned in thought. "Huh. Who would've thunk it?"

"Exactly. Which is why I want you to help me with my plants." At Markus' reluctant look, she pouted. "Please? It is my turn today."

What she was talking about was the list Katie, Silena and Thalia drafted together, to see who'd spend the day with Markus. Yesterday was Silena's turn. Thalia's birthday was the day before, so she automatically got her turn. Now it was Katie's. Markus didn't understand why there was a need for a list. He'd happily spend the day with all of them. Alas, he'd never understand the minds of women, even though he had a harem.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll go help you. I need some fresh air anyways."

At Katie's beaming smile, Markus summoned a speed clone to take care of his work. With that, the two walked to the garden for the Demeter children. As they walked, they could feel eyes on Markus. Some of the gazes held a lot of fear and a bit of resentment. Others held hero worship and respect. Katie made to say something to the people who looked at him in fear, but Markus grabbed her shoulder. "Don't."

"But-" "I understand why their afraid of me. I even understand if they hate me. It doesn't matter. I don't care about any of it. As long as you and the others don't fear me, I'm glad."

With that, the two walked to the Demeter cabin. Markus went and rummaged in a nearby toolshed, picking up some tools and knelt next to Katie, who had already gotten started. Markus had cleared the snow from the garden, making sure that none of it affected the plants. Katie's long bronze hair was tied in a ponytail, her body was flecked with dirt and mud as she attacked a particularly resilient patch of weeds. Markus smiled at her, drinking in her beauty. Even while getting dirty picking roots, she was still beautiful. Picking up his own tools, he helped her.

"Make sure you get the roots," she grunted, violently swinging her hoe.

"Uh huh," Markus nodded, smiling at her as he did so. He never really saw himself as a gardening guy, but he admitted that it was nice, in a quiet sort of way.

They went at it for an hour, both enjoying the closeness between them and the work. The cold air made it hard for Katie to work, but he just casted a warming charm on her, heating her up. He also did the same thing for the plants, making sure that they were still alive from the cold weather.

After unsuccessfully pulling another root, Markus scowled. "Can't you just use your powers to do the work for you?"

Katie gave him a surprising glare that actually managed to scare him a little. "I prefer doing them this way," she managed to say, after finishing glaring. She looked back to her plants. "Besides, my powers wouldn't work anyway," she mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Markus had finished his own bit, glad that it was actually cold outside. He didn't want to be sweating afterwards. He dashed towards the cabin store at superspeed, coming back three seconds later with some hot chocolate. He managed to see Katie successfully pull her own weeds out. She looked up, smiling as she saw the hot drink. Markus handed her one, and the two made their way to sit at the side.

As they drank their drink, Katie leaned against him, sighing happily. Feeling this, Markus wrapped an arm around her, simply content.

"The camp looks much better now that there's more cabins," she said after a moment. Markus hummed in thought. "It does," he finally said.

"You did a good thing," Katie said with a smile. "You should be proud of that, Mr. 'Hero of the Unclaimed'."

"I will literally drown someone who says that to my face," Markus muttered, scowling. Katie only laughed at his threat, making him scowl even more.

He sighed, giving up on her. A thought came to his mind. "I can't believe I forgot to ask: what would you like for Christmas?"

Katie blinked, a little surprised at the question. "Uh, what?"

"What would you like for Christmas?" he repeated slowly.

"I... don't know," she finally answered. "We don't usually get each other stuff for Christmas at camp."

Markus frowned. "Seriously? Nothing?"

"Well, we get gifts from the camp store, and the arts and crafts prizes..." She stopped at seeing Markus' frown. She sighed. "Okay, so it's not perfect, but we're happy with what we get."

"Okay, intervention time," Markus said, standing up. He looked down at her, grinning. Be right back!" He dashed away, going right outside of camp, leaving Katie stumped.

"Did... did he just ditch me?" she asked, annoyed.

XXX

Today was 25 December, Christmas Day. The camp was covered in a blanket of snow. Frost covered the chariot track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire. More lights glowed in the woods, and a fire flickered in the attic window of the Big House, where the Oracle dwelt.

In the centre of the camp stood a massive Christmas tree, decorated with a large amounts of lights, ornaments and other trinkets. It was a beautiful sight.

Cabin Five were having a small snowball fight with the tree nymphs. Well, it was supposed to be small, but it quickly escalated. Soon, many other campers had joined in on the fight, having a good time.

In the arts and crafts room, Markus was watching a gingerbread competition going on. He wore a red Santa hat with a red jacket, blinking with Christmas lights. He watched, exasperated, as Cabin Six went at it. They were the most enthusiastic about it, their three members practically all over the place to get supplies. Chief amongst them was Annabeth, who was barking orders at her siblings as they did their best to win.

Markus looked at Percy, who was wearing a similar outfit to him. The only exception was that he looked like an elf. "I can't believe their all obsessing over a gingerbread contest."

Percy shrugged, laughing a little as a Cabin Seven member slipped on some stray frosting on the ground. "Well, yeah. The grand prize is a twenty drachma gift card for the gift store."

"... But it's not like it'll buy you anything of value!" Markus argued, confused. Why was everyone so enthusiastic?! "I could practically buy the entire gift store."

"Not everyone is stupid rich," Percy countered.

Markus scoffed. "Oh, please. All I'm saying is that the entire thing is just stupid."

"You think almost every fun thing is stupid."

"But that's because it is!"

"Seems like you two are getting into this," Will said from behind. The two brothers looked to see the son of Apollo dressed in a Santa costume himself.

Percy just jerked a thumb to Markus' direction. "He's just being a sourpuss."

"Screw you, Blue Boy. It's not like I have to like this," Markus replied, crossing his arms in a huff.

The three boys saw that time was quickly running out. Everyone was scrambling to rush their projects. When the timer sounded out, it was evident who had won.

Will punched the air in happiness at seeing his cabin win. "Boo-yah! Cabin Seven wins!"

Markus rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. It's just a stupid competition."

"Apparently, none of them think so," Percy noted, pointing at the now sad campers.

Markus frowned, seeing Annabeth's sad face. Honestly, she looked like a kicked puppy. He sighed, walking over to her. Seeing those, Will blinked in surprise while Percy frowned.

When he went up to the Cabin Six members, Annabeth's siblings saw him and gave him a glare, trying to scare him away. He gave them a bigger glare, watching them scurry away. Markus then walked up to Annabeth and patted her shoulder.

Whirling around, she saw that it was him. She blinked, shock on her face. And then anger. She made to leave, but Markus had a firm grip on her shoulder. She looked like she was about to hit him. "Let go."

"No," Markus replied, making her look at him. "Annabeth, come on. So you didn't win the gingerbread competition. So what? You're still awesome at, like, a million other stuff."

"I'm not mad about it," she mumbled petulantly.

Markus scoffed. "Yeah, sure you aren't. Look, I can tell that you're still angry about Luke-" Annabeth bristled but didn't say anything else "-but can you please just forget about it for one day? It's Christmas. 'Tis the season to be jolly and all that jazz."

Seeing her stony face, he sighed dramatically. "Guess you won't be getting your Christmas present."

Annabeth's neck moved so fast, it looked like she snapped it. "Christmas present?"

"Oh, yes. A marvellous gift, it was. Unfortunately, you're still mad at me. So, I'll just take my leave."

"... Get back here, Markus!" she yelled, running after the cackling demigod as he ran away. The others watched, befuddled.

The two made it to where the snowball fight was commencing. "I swear to the gods, Markus! If you don't give me my present, I am going to- OOF!" She was interrupted by a snowball to the face.

Markus laughed, seeing her snow-covered face glaring daggers at him. The others stopped, looking at the scene before him.

"Dude," Mark from Ares' cabin said to him. "You'd better run."

"Naw," Markus waved away, looking at Annabeth carry a snowball in her hand. "I can handle her." He promptly dodged each and every snowball aimed at him. As she joined in, Annabeth's scowl faded away into a smile, and then into a laugh. Guess snow was just that magical. Everyone was laughing, enjoying the snowball fight and not caring who won.

After everyone got tired and was completely covered in snow, Markus took Annabeth by the hand and took her away. Once they went away far enough, Markus looked at Annabeth. "So, you want your present now?"

Sighing, Annabeth nodded reluctantly. "I do. And..." She hesitated. "I'm sorry, for ignoring you. And getting mad at you. It's just..."

"I understand," Markus comforted, even though he didn't. But he didn't say that to her. "How about we just forget about it today? I don't like stalling."

"Fine," Annabeth relented. "Now, show me."

Smiling, Markus held out his hand. Appearing in his hand were a set of earrings. However, these weren't normal earrings. Annabeth gasped at the beauty of them. They were made from pure gold, with hints of bronze to them. They were beautiful ornaments with two large ovals of gold to them. However, that wasn't what caught her attention.

Playing in the oval mirrors were scenes of beautiful owls flying, hooting happily. Then the images switched to famous buildings and monuments; from the Statue of Liberty, to the Parthenon, to statues of various gods in Greece.

"Markus, t-they're beautiful," Annabeth managed to say.

He smiled. "I know. The good thing about them is that they help you boost your intelligence." At Annabeth's shocked look, he continued. "They also help you increase your understanding about architecture. From statues, buildings, monuments, etc. Not to mention that it'll help you with a bunch of-"

He was interrupted by the girl practically wrapping him in a giant hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Markus chuckled, hugging her back. After a few minutes passed, Annabeth separated from him, blushing madly. "S-So, uh..."

Markus rolled his eyes. "Just let me put them on for you." He then proceeding to place the earrings on her ears. She turned to look at him, smiling beautifully. "Thank you, Markus. Thank you so much."

He grinned. "Oh? You think this is over? Not yet. I have a bigger surprise for you."

Annabeth blinked, excitement in her eyes. "Really? What is it?"

"Hello, daughter," a voice said from behind her. Both of them turned to see that it was Athena who had spoken.

"M-Mother?" Annabeth breathed out, eyes wide. The goddess was wearing a white Greek toga that started from her shoulder. Her black hair fell freely from her shoulders, and her grey eyes shone with happiness at Annabeth.

"Yes, it is me. May you come with me for a moment? I need your help in recreating Olympus."

Annabeth's eyes couldn't get any wider, especially after hearing that. "Y-You need m-my help? Why?"

Athena looked to Markus with a stony gaze. The son of Poseidon just raised an eyebrow.

Turning to her daughter, she said, "I... figured that since Olympus is still somewhat... well, trashed, we need to redecorate it. Plus, you are aspiring to be an architect, are you not?"

Practically stunned into silence, Annabeth turned to Markus, who had a knowing smile. Before she could say anything, he said, "Just go already. There's no thanks needed, really. Just go."

Annabeth slowly nodded, an excited smile on her face. She gave him another powerful hug, before running to her mother. Markus looked at the goddess expectantly. Athena had a frown on her face, indicating her displeasure. He then glared at her, nudging his head towards Annabeth.

Turning to look at her daughter, she wrapped the girl in a hug. "... Merry Christmas, Annabeth."

Annabeth couldn't believe the amount of surprises that she was receiving. She wrapped her arms around the goddess. "M-Merry Christmas."

With that, Markus gave a smile and walked away, already looking away from the flash of light, signifying that the two had teleported away.

Markus joined Will, Percy and Beckendorf as they all sipped some eggnog. The Christmas party was going strong, and everyone was in a festive mood. Chiron was seen trotting around, wearing a Santa beard and hat that made mostly everyone laugh. He looked like Santa with horse legs.

Cabin Ten was practically skipping around, shoving boys and girls together and holding sprigs of mistletoe over their heads, trying to spread the love as always. Beside them, Silena was wearing a Ms. Claus outfit that made Markus practically gawk at her. A Santa hat was on her head, as well as the red coat. However, the coat was a little tight on her, allowing her curvy figure to be shown. Not to mention that she had candy cane coloured stockings that showcased her long legs.

He saw Cabin Ten place mistletoes over Silena's head and push random boys near her. He growled, a possessive look in his eyes. Just as he saw the boys lean in to kiss her - with her moving away at each turn - Markus summoned some snow to pelt them viciously. One particular horny boy was pelted right in the balls by a hardened snowball. He cried out in agony as nearby boys paled at that. Silena turned to look at Markus, an amused look on her face.

As everyone get into the festive cheer, he saw Katie practically dragging Thalia to the party, both wearing Christmas clothing that looked good on them. Markus finished his eggnog and walked towards the two, chuckling as he saw Thalia try to escape and Katie holding her.

"I guess she's not a fan of parties," Markus commented, looking at the two. Katie smiled while Thalia grunted.

"I hate being all... dolled up," Thalia admitted, frowning as she crossed her arms. "Not to mention that this... thing-"

"Doesn't have black?" he finished for her, smiling. Katie laughed.

"Exactly!" Thalia nodded in agreement, not caring that he was joking.

Smiling, Markus wrapped his arms around her. "Doesn't matter. You still look beautiful in that."

Blushing, Thalia did her best to look grumpy. "Stop sweet-talking me."

"How can I be sweet-talking you if it's true. And yes," Markus said, looking to see that Katie was about to open her mouth to say something. "You're beautiful as well."

"Glad that you remembered that," she nodded, smiling.

"Like I would forget that," Markus said. All three of them looked up, hearing that a slow song was being played. Markus frowned from where the children on Apollo played, seeing some Cabin Ten members whisper in their ears. "Of course," he muttered. He then saw that some couples were starting to get into the slow song, quickly dancing with each other.

A smile appeared on his face. "Oh, Thalia ~"

"No," she denied instantly, crossing her arms. "You're not making me." She faltered at the gleam in his eyes. Grabbing her hand, he dragged her to the dance floor. "No! Markus, I swear to the gods that if you don't let go of me, I am going to murder you!"

Laughing like an idiot, Markus brought her to the dance floor. Thalia made to escape, but Markus wrapped his arms around her waist, trapping her. She glared at him. "I don't know how to dance, moron!"

"Neither do I," he admitted, shocking her. "But I want to cherish this moment with you."

Thalia shuffled a bit, looking embarrassed as they were already moving to the tempo of the music. "But everybody will be watching," she admitted shyly.

Markus smiled at her, finding her shy front cute. "I don't care. Let them look. I just want to be here with you. That's all that matters. Now, put your arm around my neck..."

With that, the two began to slow dance, both looking happy. They both stepped on each others feet a lot, but they managed to dance.

Thalia smiled, a little happy at the moment the two were having. All of the couples danced to the song 'Let It Snow', which was slowed down for the dancing. As the two looked into each others eyes, Markus could see a lot of boys and girls dancing, shuffling a bit through all of the snow. He smiled at the scene, finding it to be enjoyable.

As the two were dancing, Thalia suddenly blushed. "Uh, Markus?" She pointed up at the mysteriously hanging mistletoe above them. In fact, many mistletoes were hanging above several couples, following them as they went.

Markus suspected that the Hecate children had a hand in this, along with the Aphrodite children. Looking up at the mistletoe, then back at Thalia, he smiled at her blush. "We d-don't have to kiss," she said. "I wouldn't want the Katie and Silena to get jeal- MMMPH."

She was interrupted as Markus quickly leaned forward and gave her a kiss. She was shocked, trying to pull back, but Markus didn't let her go, only deepening the kiss. There was some cheering from the other side of the dance floor, but Markus ignored it.

Eventually, Thalia began to kiss back. The two had their tongue's dancing between each other, swapping saliva. Markus wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, the two still slow dancing to the music. After a while, the two separated, looking into each others eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Thalia," Markus said, smiling widely.

Thalia smiled slightly. "Merry Christmas, Markus."

The two leaned forward again, kissing softly. Again, they both heard cheering from some crowd, but they ignored them for the moment.

After a while, Markus danced with Silena, Thalia sitting beside Katie, slightly out of breath. Although, before she could rest, she was swarmed by a bunch of Cabin Ten members, wanting gossip. Thalia made a threat about shocking all of them, and they backed off.

"You do know that you didn't need to pelt those guys with snow, right?" Silena told Markus as they danced.

Markus shrugged, noting that Silena was amazing at slow dancing. Huh, you learn something new every day. "I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I'm very possessive."

"I know that," she laughed, twirling around as Markus spun her slightly. The song that was now playing, 'We Wish You a Merry Christmas', - the slow version - had the two dance with a step in their feet. "But really, you didn't have to. You know that I'll only kiss you, right?"

"Right," Markus smiled. He looked up and saw another mistletoe float above them. "Okay, I know Lou had a hand in this," Markus muttered. "No other child of Hecate is more mischievous." He sighed. "Oh, well. I guess we have to kiss now. Them the rules."

"You don't sound particularly sad about that," Silena noted, smiling. She leaned closer to whisper to him. "You don't care if people find out about us?"

"No," Markus answered. This was something that all three girls and Markus had discussed between them. Should they tell everybody about their relationship? Originally, they all wanted to keep it a secret. After all, they could imagine everybody's reaction. Many would label Markus as a pervert. Others would say that their relationships were fake. Others might not take it lightly. The rest, they didn't know about.

"You do know what'll happen, right?" Silena said with a worried expression on her face.

"I do," Markus answered, the two still dancing. "But it's not like I'm the most popular around here. People are either afraid of me, or hate me. Frankly, this might make things worse, but I already am of a low opinion around here. Might as well come out with it."

With that, Markus leaned forward and kissed her, with her responding back. There were some gasps from around them, but they didn't care. The two kissed with passion, their minds in their own world right now. They continued dancing, as well as kissing. Even as they separated for air, they still kissed again. It was only when the two were at the five-minute mark that Katie shoved in.

"Alright, you two lovers have had your turn, but I want my dance," she said, a little jealous at feeling left out. Markus looked to Silena, who's lips were slightly swollen. She smiled, rolling her eyes. "Oh, alright."

She left to join Thalia, the two ignoring the curious chatter from her siblings and others.

Markus danced with Katie next. Katie wasn't as proficient in slow dancing as Silena, but she wasn't as bad as Thalia. She held her arms around his neck, making her fingers crawl against Markus' skin, making shivers run down his spine.

"You're that eager?" Markus said with a raised eyebrow.

Katie shrugged. "Maybe I am. Watching you, Silena and Thalia kiss got me excited. Speaking of which..." Katie grabbed his face and kissed him, not even caring if there wasn't a mistletoe above them. Again, a number of gasps sounded, but the two didn't care. Markus wrapped his own arms around Katie tightly and returned the kiss.

After a while, the two separated. "So," Markus said, panting. "You want your gifts now?"

"Yeah," Katie answered, also panting. "But maybe away from here?"

"Definitely," he answered. With that, the two went over towards Katie and Thalia. All of them disappeared in a cloud of vapour, leaving some curious and shocked campers.

As the group got away, the opened their presents in private. Markus had gotten all three girls jewellery. For Silena, it was a bracelet with hearts made of pink sapphire. Adorning the bracelet were a splash of different colours, each representing different emotions. Markus explained that it was essentially a mood ring, which would help with her powers greatly. Along with that, he got her a pair of battle fans for her to use in combat, along with a book on how to use them.

For Thalia, he got her a necklace that was of equal beauty to Silena's bracelet. Adorning it were several lapis lazuli (A.N. - I don't know the plural of the stone), criss-crossing magnificently. Hanging off of it was also a skull with red eyes and crossbones, with a lightning bolt through it. He explained that it was a chain he got from Billie Joe, who had given it to him. The lightning bolt was the only addition. Along with that were several CDs from several of her favourite bands.

For Katie, he had gotten her an Ancient Greek anklet had emeralds adorning it. The gold that coated it shined as he gave it to her. Along with that, he gifted her several exotic flowers that he managed to get, from moonlace (A.N. - No, it's not from Calypso's island), to rainbow orchids, to calla lily flowers, to other kinds that Markus managed to get for her.

For the girls, they gave him his gifts. From Silena, she managed to place a wardrobe in his cabin that was charmed to gift him with any stylish clothes that he could imagine, with different levels on it. From Thalia, she got him several CDs that were from his own favourite bands. From Katie, she managed to gift him blue roses. She explained that they were special flowers that her mother had given her to plant.

All three girls felt like what they had given wasn't enough, but Markus waved it away, saying that he didn't mind. He was just happy that he had gotten it from them. That earned him a round of kissing from each of them, since they were still grateful to him for their gifts.

As Markus enjoyed his own 'gifts', he thought of the surprise that he had given a certain camp. Hopefully, they weren't uptight about the whole thing.

XXX

Reyna had gotten up, ready for her daily training. She knew that today was Christmas, but she didn't have any thoughts of celebrating it. Camp Jupiter never celebrated Christmas, partly due to them being, in some ways, uptight about a festive holiday. And partly due to it representing the birth of Jesus Christ. They weren't exactly sure the gods were okay with celebrating a holiday dedicated to another religion.

So that was why she was shocked as she witnessed the entire camp. Reyna never got surprised easily. In fact, ever since she stepped into Camp Jupiter, she'd never been surprised at all. Until today.

All she could see was white. The camp was practically covered in snow. The barracks, the Senate hall, the temples, everywhere. Even the statues of Terminus were coated in ice and snow, although given the god of boundaries' grumbling face and yells, he wasn't really happy about the whole ordeal.

There were several screams that caused Reyna to whirl around and see what was going on. To her disbelief, she saw several snowmen - actual, real-life snowmen - throw snowballs at several demigods and legacies. Most of them cried out in fear, praying to the gods to save them. This caused them to be pelted with even more snowballs.

A couple of younger kids started joining in on the fun, throwing snowballs at each other and laughing as well. Some even ran and gawked at the numerous Christmas trees and lights that were all over the place. Blinking Christmas lights flashed different colours as the children oohed and awed.

There were even a few Christmas trees hung up, flashing lights all over them. Beside one was a loudspeaker that boomed out Christmas songs and carols.

Several stern demigods and legacies from the First and Second Cohort started to make a ruckus, trying to disrupt both the mood and spirit. They were promptly pelted with snowballs from the snowmen in retaliation.

"Markus sure doesn't do things half-assed," a voice asked behind her. Reyna turned to see Jason standing beside her, smiling a little at the scene before him.

Reyna blinked. "How do you know this is Markus' doing?"

Jason held up a Christmas present in his hands that was wrapped. He grabbed the tag attached to it and read: "To Jason Grace. From the sexiest, badass and all-powerful Markus Henderson, the greatest, uh..." Jason blushed at the next words. "F-F-Fuck-mothering demigod there is."

Reyna blinked, and then chuckled at the message. "Now that you mention it, this does look like Markus' doing. Only he could pull something like this off." She turned to look at Jason with an expectant look. "I assume that he has delivered a present for me?"

Smiling, Jason gifted her with another present that was beside him.

Reyna had learned the joys that came with Christmas, and she enjoyed them immensely.

Done it! Finally, it's been almost three months since I've updated this story! Hope y'all liked it!

Also, I've reached my 50th chapter for this story... I consider that a milestone for myself. Go me!

Ahem, but anyways, here, we see how the camp reacts to the death of some of the Olympians, Susanoo's message about Markus' actions, and a Christmas miracle being performed for Camp Jupiter. Oh, as well as Camp Half-Blood. Awesome.

Just a note, some of the next couple of chapters will be either filler, or side-quests. Pretty much self-explanatory, but just thought I should note it.

Don't have a lot to say, so I guess I'll move onto Guest reviewing time. It's been a while though, so I may have not responded to some of you (if I know you, and I haven't, there's probably a reason for that):

1) Curses sound like a good idea, especially learning how to cure some curses of those affected by the gods. Although DxD elements may stick to the DxD Universe when he travels there. Not saying that I may not use them now or later, though. Xanxia Cultivation is an awesome idea, one I may implement. Thank you!

2) - 4) I don't understand what you're saying.

5) The New World was an interesting read. Also, Markus is starting to learn about Alchemy, so the idea may come to him. Thanks for it, by the awesome idea.

6) I'm not sure about the Nomes going after Markus, seeing as he would just defy them like he did the Fates. Also, the events of Red Pyramid have passed, and I'm also making the Brooklyn House come after him. It'll definitely be fun to write. Your piece about Garuda is true, so it'll make it hard for the two to fight like a Death Battle. But I agree with the notion. The enhancement idea, especially with your bit about the many monsters in the world, would work so well, so I'll use it. Thank you. If the Egyptians band together and actually try, they can pose a threat to Markus. I don't think Markus convincing the Minotaur to his side would be realistic, along with the Cretan Bull bit. Percy'll unlock his superstrength later on in the story. That was a mistake, sorry. They found out about it in this chapter.

7) That does sound like a good idea. Thanks for that.

8) Do not know what you just said.

9) I'm glad you love the story, as well as the points you listed. Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

10) Next chapter is here, and I'm glad you like the story.

Done. Again, nothing new to say, only to have a great day. Oh, wait, I forgot: No Nut November. I'm still going strong. It's agony, but I'm going strong. Day 21, and I'm patting those who are also strong on the back. For the rest of you... shame on you. Stay strong, my friends! Do not give in to the temptation! FIGHT!

Thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story. Repetitive, but I wanna show my love to all your support. I'm practically preening with praise, and have developed an ego.

Read and Review!