Author's Note: Hey yo! I'm back with another chapter. Alright, I'll be honest, I think this chapter counts as fucked up but hey! You guys wanted it!

BTW, some people asking about if I'm really doing some gender-bending here and no, I'm not. That was just a gag is all. As for the romance, yeah I know. I just tried to get a good bit out of the way so now more action!

Disclaimer: I own only plot.


He moved steadily through his chambers, making short work of fastening his suite tie. Pitch black against a tastefully grey Armani suite and pristine white collared shirt. His shoes shined like polished obsidian and his hair had been grown out slightly to be pulled into a low tail of raven locks. His pale complexion and steely grey eyes contrasting as he checked himself in a full length mirror one last time.

Altogether he felt himself looking crisply formal yet tasteful … if one ignored the wails of agony coming from the faces of trapped souls within his suite, granted the faces were just barely visible. He would silence them before leaving but for now he let them be. He then glanced back to his wife and queen, noting with some concern how she seemed to stare off into her own mirror.

"Dear," he said in a gentle voice unheard beyond the walls of his chamber but his wife made no sign of having heard. "… Persephone," he called with a little more volume.

She jumped slightly as she finally looked at him, her eyes clearing from their daze as she gave him a smile that failed to meet her eyes.

"Yes honey?" she returned as she stood from her vanity seat and smoothed out her dress.

It was a lovely little number, reaching just to the knees with a teasing slit on the right side to show some creamy skin. Tight and giving a generous idea of her curves, the dress was a vibrant green to match her eyes with flowers designs etched around the lacy collar holding up the dress. With the back open Persephone allowed her chestnut hair to flow free and spill nearly to her lower back. Lastly was a small crown of ebony with diamonds encrusted on it, matching his own bone crown with one large diamond.

"Are you feeling well?" Hades asked as he stepped closer to gently touch her cheek.

She leaned slightly into it but before that Hades saw the flash of worry in her eyes. That concerned him though. For the last week or so Persephone had seemed to be more tense and restless. To all others she may have been able to fool with her queen mask but he knew her. No one knew Persephone as well as he did after their millennia together but he could not recall ever having seen her so distressed and unwilling to broach the subject.

"I'm fine," was her airy reply, again her eyes straying off his near imperceptibly.

He withheld his sigh though and gave her a small smile as he offered her his arm. Perhaps after the party tonight she would open up about it, after all, today is a day for celebration. Today, the Olympian Council had called an emergency meeting and all were attending. What better time or place to execute a god?

"Is this … not in poor taste though?" she asked softly as she glanced down at herself. "To have a celebration on the eve of declaring war?"

"What would you have otherwise?" he returned as they slowly walked out of their chambers and down towards their own throne room. "There are eons of bad blood directed at the council and many wish to see Olympus burn. Not to mention, this will finally allow all who have sworn allegiance to the Primordial Council to be together, even those that have been spying since near the beginning. There will be many to welcome tonight."

Persephone gave no answer other than a non-committed hum. With that they fell silent and upon reaching their throne room. Hades gives one last nod to some of his top ghouls and ghosts that will be in charge of the Underworld, the lead being one Mrs. Sally Blofis, the newest of his three judges. Getting a smile and nod back from her, Hades and Persephone soon flashed golden, on their way to the temple of Primordials…


With Medusa

Medusa walked steadily through the temple of Primordials, her gaze set on a large set of marble doors. The click of her black heels echoed through the chamber and she could hear the faint hum of chatter and such in the throne room as gods and titans of all sorts entered the chamber. She soon arrived at the door and fixed her strapless black dress, making sure that her dress didn't ride up too much but it was dangerously short to begin with. At least she got to preen whenever she noticed her king's lingering gaze … and oddly enough her two queens as well. She still wasn't sure what had been decided with Andromeda and the love goddess has been keeping a slight distance with them but Medusa felt like there was more to it.

She couldn't help but feel like she was being carefully watched by her king and queens and yet, it gave her an odd sense of excitement! Oh well, maybe she would ask later in the night about it but first she had to get Phoebe. So with that in mind she knocked on the marble doors, being mindful to not be too loud otherwise Phoebe would scold her … again.

Not a second later the doors soundlessly slid in and taking the invitation, Medusa stepped into Phoebe's office, the large and slightly dark expanse looking like it simply went on forever. She didn't see Phoebe around as she looked until a smooth feminine voice called her.

"Ah, Medusa dear, is it time?"

Medusa turned to see her friend, a smile on her face. The woman was a deadly beauty. Her snow pale skin seemed to glow in the soft darkness of the chamber, her silvery hair cut to short bob just reaching past her chin. She wore a black and silver embroiled corset pushing up her sizable breasts exquisitely with her toned midriff exposed. On her arms were matching, elbow length gloves and matching collar, her six pitch black eyes all focused on Medusa. Two in the standard location with the four others in pairs just above her eyebrows and far smaller than her main eyes, the left ones partly covered by a bang.

However her differences didn't end there, with her lower half just passed the waist being a monstrously sized black widow spider with the iconic red hourglass being silvery instead. Around her waist she wore a white miniskirt and each of her eight legs was decorated with cloth collars and a white ring near the middle of the legs.

"Hello Arachne, is Lady Phoebe ready?" Medusa asked after exchanging kisses on each cheek with Queen of Spiders.

"Yes, she was just having a little last minute discussion," Arachne said with a little titter of laughter.

She then turned and motioned for Medusa to follow. The pair seemed to walk on forever, their heels and claw tipped legs clicking along what looked like a marble floor. As they moved the lighting shifted and where once nothing but darkness was, now became four figures.

As they got close enough Medusa was confused to see what looked like Phoebe speaking to three young women suspended within wire. Phoebe, dressed in a white dress reminiscent of a chiton and her hair done up in a bun with two bangs framing her face was looking annoyed as she studied the trapped women. To Medusa they looked like sisters with slightly tanned skin and rich brown hair. Sadly their faces were marred with cuts, along with their entire bodies pulled into painful positions. The wires were cutting through their own chitons and skin alike, dripping ichor along the floor as all three sisters gasped and twitched only for more pain as the wires cut deeper.

"Stubborn lot," Phoebe quipped as she finally turned to look at Medusa and Arachne. "Yes?"

"Mistress," Arachne started reverently making Medusa wonder if she sounded the same when talking to Percy. "It is almost time for the show to begin and the council is gathering."

"Ah yes, the Olympians are beginning their emergency meeting soon. Hmm, never thought they'd go as far as to inviting representatives from the camps and minor gods as well," Phoebe replied as she sparred one more glance to the three women, all of whom were glaring at her with pure hatred in their eyes. "I will see you girls later then," she said cheekily.

One of the women, the left more one, spit a glob of ichor but it fell short of reaching Phoebe. She looked at the divine blood with distaste before she flicked her wrist, a series of taught wires appearing connected to her fingers.

"That wasn't very nice," she chirped even as she flexed her fingers in, the wires holding the women responding in kind and constricting on the women.

All three screamed as spurts of blood followed wherever the wires got tighter and Medusa heard a distinct pop as the middle one's arm was pulled too far back. She didn't really flinch at the brutal display but the heavy breathing made her glance over to see Arachne eyeing Phoebe like a piece of meat with a mad blush. The S was strong with this one.

"Well then, let's be off," Phoebe said as she released the wires around her fingers and turned on her heels to walk away, Arachne falling in step to her right and slightly behind her.

Medusa followed along, still wondering who were the girls and what had they done to deserve Phoebe's ire but they soon faded from view. They walked in silence for a few minutes until Medusa let her curiosity get the better of her.

"Um, Lady Phoebe, who were those three?" she asked.

"Hmm? Oh! I forget no one has seen their true forms in eons," Phoebe replied while clapping their hands. "Those were the Fates."

"The Fates!" Medusa shouted as she looked at Phoebe as if she'd grown a second head. "How? Why?"

"Oh it wasn't hard at all," Phoebe shrugged with an easy smile. "I'm more connected to the realm of Fate than they are now and finding them was a simple matter. Sadly negotiations fell within minutes and I had to take them in or else they would have run off to the Olympians."

"But what have they done that needed your attention?" Medusa persisted after getting over the shock of who the young women were.

"Simple. They've gotten a little too comfortable, too complacent with their power," Phoebe answered, her cheery demeanor falling through as she looked at Medusa intently. "Anake once had her own laws on how and when she would allow others glimpses into their futures through prophecy. However, even she knew that there is no true set path until the moment has already passed. Until we make our most important decisions, entire realities are possible, many of them similar, others so distinct you'd think they don't even relate to the same person." Phoebe paused as she glanced up, Medusa following her gaze.

She gasped lightly at the sight of thousands upon thousands of strings, all formed into interlocking webs of some kind, stretched on endlessly into the shadows beyond even Medusa's ability to see. Crawling across those webs were all manner of spiders working diligently, tying, removing, severing, and extending the lines between webs, and as they did so Phoebe continued on.

"The power of free will it's what makes it all possible. That is why Lady Chaos made her laws to forbid gods encroaching on free will, even if we can create suggestions and ideas within mortal minds through the Mist or our own abilities." Phoebe turned to look Medusa directly in the eyes, her own amber ones glowing with power. "The Fates have forgotten this and instead use their prophecy as law and affect chance and probability to make them correct. They know that all fear the unknown and so grow dependent on their prophetic word, giving the Fates power over mortals and gods alike but also creating greater risk for said gods and mortals themselves. I was merely asking them to reconsider their positions and learn to leave the gods and mortals to their own."

"And they didn't take it well I'm guessing," Medusa finished as she glanced back into the darkness where the Fates ounce were.

"Not at all," Phoebe sighed as they finally arrived at the door leading out of her office.

It soundlessly opened again as three stepped out and turned towards the throne room. As they walked near the constant stream of gods and titans moving on into the room, many noticed Phoebe and gave bows or curtseys to her which she acknowledged with nods of her own. Once they made it through the grand arch leading into throne floor, Medusa and Arachne split off towards the numerous seats spread about the hall facing the thrones while Phoebe moved on, growing by the step, to her throne.

Medusa quickly found her seat next to Lamia and Lupa, the wolf goddess making a showing of being in her human form, donning a similarly small black dress to Medusa and Lamia. Once comfortably in her seat Medusa turned her gaze to the thrones and marveled at the imposing sight of all the council finally gathered before their subjects for the first time since forming.

Each was dressed formally, in either dresses colored to their domains, or suites. Medusa's eyes immediately went to Percy and she couldn't suppress a shiver at the sight. He, like the rest of the council, were currently in what she dubbed 'Ruling Mode', the very same that had made her feel like a bug when she'd supported Andromeda while facing Rhea and Hestia. Luckily it seemed that even if the last two weeks have shown some odd tensions between some members, right here and now they were a unified front, all personal issues held back.

Each of their eyes glowed in the shades of their power, that same power that pulsed off them so thickly that Medusa could actually see the air distortion around every one of them. If there were any gods in the city that held a doubt for the council, it was quickly washed away. Soon the chamber settled as each god found their place and turned to attention, all eyes slowly drifting to Percy as he cleared his throat.

"Thank you for joining us," he said in deep and smooth voice. "It seems that tonight, our long wait finally pays off." Some chuckles ran out, amongst the audience, several even giving malicious grins knowing exactly what it is they've been waiting for. And judging by Percy's fanged smirk, he was very eager himself. "Now, I'm not one for grand speeches and I've personally dealt with too many idiots going on and on without ever actually getting anything done. So, without further ado, I believe the Olympians are about to call their own meeting. Let's watch, shall we?"

With a wave of his hand, the light in the chamber dimmed significantly while Hestia snapped her fingers causing the hearth's flame to grow and spread into a massive orb in the center of the throne room. Within a few seconds a projection appeared within the fire, displaying the very throne of Olympus …


With Athena

The goddess of wisdom sat tensely in her throne, the very air within the room feeling like a pressure cooker as tempers and paranoia alike ran at an all-time high. The throne room had never been so full before as gods of both Greek and Roman pantheon sat side by side, each god having absorbed their other aspects in enough to be a hair trigger from assuming their divine forms, causing the space around them to literally steam.

The spouses of even the council members were given small adjoining thrones to sit in and more, smaller thrones and tables had been set up to offer spacing for every representative present. Demigods, veterans of the last wars, had been called forth and for all those that couldn't attend were watching from the camps or their bases. Iris, after some negotiation, had agreed to form massive IM's to Camp Half-Blood's amphitheater and New Rome's Senate House where almost all demigods and allied nature spirits were collected to watch. Even contingents from small retired legionnaires and the Queen of the Amazons, Hylla, was present and all looking nervous underneath her perceptive, grey eyes.

This had never been done before but Athena knew that her father was getting desperate and all the Olympians that remained were worried. More and more gods, minor though they may be, were simply vanishing into thin air. Hestia's kidnapping and now possibly Ares being MIA as well, the council needed to come together. She glanced across from her seat, her eyes narrowing as they set on her half-brother as the bastard picked his overly white teeth with a bronze tooth pick and looking as nonchalant as he could.

She knew it was a façade though. His were constantly shifting around, his back was tensed and straight, his left foot was tapping. To make matters worse for him, his wife was still shooting him evil glares from time to time. Her daughter, how she lamented ever agreeing with Zeus on having Annabeth marry Apollo. Honestly she was somewhat still disappointed with her too, especially after how Annabeth all but let Percy get away. Maybe she could have been enough to persuade Percy to becoming a god but no! The girl had to fall for Apollo of all people and even after Athena chewed her out and nearly killing Apollo, the pair continued their little affair.

Then again, it could have been her chance to snag herself a proper husband. One that she knew would never cheat and if honest with herself, rather attractive. Then of course he had to go and give godhood up again, as if being mortal was better! Regardless Percy was gone now and no matter who or what tried to track him, they always came up empty. However, it seemed that Percy had set a pattern and now several powerful heroes were MIA, making the task of hiding the disappearances a rigged game. The camps were biting at their heels, wanting to know what was going on and delivering reports of their own problems.

Chiron's report on how the influx of demigods had fallen slowly over the last five years to barely any arrivals within the last year was increasingly alarming. Sure, right now the numbers in both camps were at all-time highs, both numbering in the several hundred each with the influx of children after Percy's first request. Now though things were silent and every god could feel a shift in the air.

There had been a surge of power in the north and many of the satyr teams sent to investigate didn't come back, Lupa and her entire pack was gone leaving the Wolf House abandoned, even Atlas was gone along with the Golden Apple tree and his daughters. Now the gods were visibly worried during their meetings and far more prone to violent action even without Ares to instigate them.

Athena did a quick sweep as some more minor gods filled in along with the final arrivals of senior demigods and the veterans. Artemis was to her side, the goddess' hands nervously fiddling with an arrow, her two accompanying hunters sitting tensely at her feet while shooting distrustful looks at any male that happened to be too close. Demeter was fidgeting and unlike usual, wasn't going on and on about grains or what not. Aphrodite, much to everyone's shock, didn't look nearly as attractive as usual. Puffy eyes from crying, slight mistakes in her mascara, some of her hair having split ends, and her dress had wrinkles in it. Then there was the obvious lack of her aura and slump in her shoulders making her look far older and tired, even to the point no one was having a problem looking away from her.

Hera to her other side, though managing to keep a decent poker face, still had a slight redness to her eyes and a visible tick of a finger tapping as she stared at the poor excuse for a hearth fire being tirelessly tended by no less than five satyrs to even keep the blasted thing from going out and the entire throne room still felt cold. Her father was looking at it as well, his nostrils flaring as static crackled around him, his bolt not having left his grip in days. Poseidon, if she was being honest with herself, was looking terrifying. His expression was frigid at best, with his jaw set, one hand firmly wrapped around his trident as he shot glances around the room. Amphitrite to his side sat morosely, keeping her face down and featureless but anyone could see the coldness between her and Poseidon.

Ares, much like Hestia's throne, was empty and seemed to gain dust regardless of how often it was cleaned and several of the gods kept shooting worried glances at it. Hephaestus couldn't seem to put down his hands and spare parts to save his life, his beard smoldering more than usual but he barely even noticed. Apollo was still picking his teeth while Annabeth sat next to him, her blonde curls pushed out of her face so Apollo could see and likely feel the glares she launched at him but Athena could see that her grip on her trusty dagger that she'd kept was bone white. Hermes next on the line was disturbingly quiet, his ever present cellphone stowed away and his little snakes not even hissing as he kept glancing around. Several of his own wind spirits that assisted him for deliveries had disappeared, all along the northern borders but some randomly in the heart of the US. Even more alarmingly, Dionysus was alert and practically oozing nervous energy, not a Diet Cola in sight.

Lastly was her Uncle Hades and Persephone. He had been a rather occasional presence to their meetings ever since the debacle dealing with Percy's mortal family and had only showed during the winter and summer Solstice meetings or the few that Hestia had called him to. And everyone knew that he wanted nothing to do with them but one thing was that he was always punctual. And now, he was not only late but simply not here at all. Demeter looked increasingly worried as time passed, having not spoken to her daughter in well over a month, and now with so many gods not appearing, it was a reason for alarm. Athena had been about to continue on to the veteran demigods present when her father shot a bolt into the sky, effectively silencing the nervous murmurs and beginning the emergency meeting.

"Order!" he boomed, all eyes falling on him. "This emergency session has begun."

At his words, several IM's formed above the heads of those seated in attendance, projecting the camps and independent groups watching this meeting as well.

"Now that I have everyone's attention, there are announcements to make," Zeus began as he glanced around, even to the IM's before continuing. "As of a month ago Hestia was kidnapped an—"

He couldn't finish as hundreds of voices coming from the demigods erupted in shock and surprise. A most, only rumors of Hestia's disappearance had reached the camps but now it was confirmed. Over a minute of uproar, with the present representatives shooting to their feet to get Zeus' attention for explanations continued until Poseidon of all people slammed his trident on the floor.

"Enough!" he roared, his rage evident stopping everyone dead. "Yes, Hestia was taken but we are not going to lose our heads over this since it does nothing. We have searched and so far found nothing," he said more evenly as some murmuring followed up until a Greek Camper and Vet, Tracy, stood up.

"Do we have any clues who took her?" she asked looking around, likely noting how some of the gods shifted uncomfortably.

"We do but at the same time we don't," Demeter started as she glanced around nervously.

"Forgive me Lady Demeter but how can that be?" asked one of the new camp counselors, Roger Marcus from Hermes Cabin.

"We were present when the kidnapping occurred," Hephaestus picked up, his hands stilling for the moment. "And we saw who did it, the problem is we knew next to nothing about that person or thing."

"What do we know?" asked Hylla, her deep brown eyes narrowing as she tried to piece together an image while her four Amazon escorts murmured behind her.

"Apparently it is a demon of some kind calling itself Umbra," Hephaestus answered before waving his hands and causing an image to appear over the small hearth fire.

There was silence as many inspected the image of the strange shadow creature. The faceless head with two icy blue dots for eyes and a general build of a male being the only features to take from the whole thing. It drove Athena mad that she couldn't find any semblance or mention of this Umbra in any archive she'd searched and not even the oldest gods accessible to her (an increasingly smaller lists as time went on) knew of this thing.

"Doesn't look like much," Clarisse, another Vet, muttered only to get glared at by several of the gods present.

"Don't let appearances fool you," Artemis growled as she aimed her seething glare at the image. "We already know that this thing is at least responsible for the death of one of my oldest hunters, it somehow took Thalia, Hestia, and a number of our trackers sent after the trail have disappeared."

"Among those sent out to search was Lupa and her pack," Athena added getting several gasps and curses from the Roman camp.

"Is Lady Lupa …?" one of the visiting senators trailed off on the question.

"Dead?" Hermes cut in drawing the attention with a shake of his head. "Not that we can confirm but her trail ended near the Canadian border. It is believed that she may have been taken farther north and beyond our ability to assist."

"Then we should go after her!" one of the new Praetors, Craceus Orelous, demanded while shooting to his feet.

"And where will you look?" Zeus interjected after having carefully watched as the conversations progressed with surprising patience. "There is no trail or leads, the gods can't pinpoint her, and for some reason the oracle remains silent," he shot that last jab at Rachel as she sat with the Vets, the woman shrinking into her chair.

"It's not only her," Apollo came to her defense as he glanced at her. "I've tried but my sight barely manages glimpses and of those few moments, half of them shift into something different right in the middle of it."

"So we're running blind?" asked one of the elder senators incredulously.

"Effectively," Hermes muttered as the unease in the room grew.

"What other gods are missing?" asked Allen Baker, Athena's son and current cabin counselor.

That question drew many nervous looks from the council until they all turned their gaze to Zeus, throwing him under the bus with his responsibility as king. After a sweeping glare that promised vengeance Zeus cleared his throat to speak up.

"The list of missing gods is actually quite extensive but some of the more worrying cases such as Hestia are Hercules…" The audience gasped at that, several shocked that a powerhouse such as that legend had possibly been kidnapped. Better they didn't know that his was more of an escape. "… Atlas…" That was a bucket of ice water one anyone who had seen the fearsome titan or knew how dangerous he truly was. "… and Ares."

"What!?" dozens of Roman demigods and his Greek children shouted at the same time, the beginnings of panic spreading through the viewing campers.

"How could Mars be taken as well?" Reyna, reinstated and full-time Praetor asked as she waved for silence from her centurions and senators.

"We aren't sure," Hermes answered again, being one of the few that spent time with Ares out of meetings. Mostly to pick up women with Apollo as well. "We only noticed since he missed three meetings in a row and when we looked, he wasn't in his palace or any of the locations he frequents."

"Actually …" Apollo started, drawing all eyes on him as he squirmed slightly. "… I looked for one he's pretty popular at and it was gone."

"Gone? What was gone?" Athena asked as she narrowed her eyes. "And what do you mean Ares was popular there?"

Apollo was looking more uncomfortable by the minute and knowing he couldn't lie worth a damn, he was stuck.

"An underground fight club," Apollo answered after sweating for a good thirty seconds, not meeting the eyes of any of the demigods. "All fist-fights and even deaths. Violence, gambling, and generally the kind of place he loves."

"Considering I don't want to know what else you do there, what do you mean it's gone?" Artemis asked as she thumbed her arrow dangerously.

"That's just it," he answered. "It's gone without a trace. It was literally underground and the entire structure all the way to the one access tunnel on the surface was gone. There isn't even a trace of the building's foundation or any other material besides the natural ground there. It's as if it simply disappeared overnight."

"Wait a moment," Hermes interjected as he looked at his lap in concentration. "I heard about that. Around Las Vegas less than a month ago, over 200 people were reported missing from the same night in the same area. Some politicians, businessmen, police, tourists, and residents. Under the less legal means, entire gangs and prostitutes were also being searched for."

"So not only was Ares somehow taken, likely at this sight, but any and all traces were completely removed as well," Annabeth commented as she shared a glance with Athena. Something very wrong was going on.

As far as Athena had seen, Umbra was only a creature of shadows. But if erasing entire structures underground were one of its abilities, what else could it do?

"What of the missing heroes?" Calypso, sitting in a smaller throne next to her husband Leo, asked with a raised hand as the eyes turned to her. "Percy, Jason, and Thalia have all been missing for some time. Has there been any sign of them?"

"No, my brother," Zeus growled at the empty throne. "Last said that Jackson as well as the other three are alive."

"But that's a good thing right?" asked Elliot Brown, son of Apollo. "I mean, those three were already legends by the time they were teens and now they'd be what, in their twenties or so. If we can find them then maybe they could help us find the missing gods."

"That's not possible," Poseidon said as he looked sharply at Artemis, Aphrodite, and Apollo. "From what I understand at least for Zeus' kids, they left of their own volition and aren't coming back for any reason."

"What do you mean my lord?" Calypso persisted as she looked between the tense gods, all of them knowing exactly what Poseidon was getting at.

"What I mean is that Thalia turned traitor," he replied to the many gasps as Zeus shot up, his bolt crackling in his hand.

"How dare you!?" he boomed but Poseidon was having none of it.

"How dare I?" he shot back. "Open your eyes you fool! Your daughter chewed into Artemis and then used something she smashed to shadow travel, an ability we all know she doesn't have. And when she left she said, and I quote, 'Umbra says hello'. She was the closest to the first appearance of Umbra as a large black wolf with that girl, Mira, when they appeared, kidnapped Artemis' adopted daughter and killed her lover."

They were many shocked looks directed at Artemis from the demigods while the goddess in turn glared venomously at Poseidon but his returning gaze just dared her to try anything.

"Oh don't give me that look," he continued. "Everyone on the damn mountains knows that your hunter was your lover and has been for centuries. Regardless, the fact of the matter is that Thalia willingly left and as for Jason, even if he didn't become a traitor as well, he certainly won't want anything to do with us." Poseidon paused as he looked at Aphrodite as the goddess tried to look smaller in her chair. "And we all know whose fault is that. Last he was seen, he knocked you out, Apollo," he said while jabbing a finger at the scowling god. "And then he disappeared without a trace."

"Wait, why is it Aphrodite's fault?" Leo butted in as he looked around confused.

Both Jason and Piper had left the camp before letting anyone know so it didn't surprise Athena that even Leo didn't know the details of that night. At his questions, all the other gods looked at her expectantly as she squirmed in her seat, her eyes already getting wet from whenever her daughter was brought up with that night.

"I—"

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as the sound of clapping seemed to echo all around making many tense as they searched for the origin of the noise.

"Nice little meeting going on here," said an unnervingly familiar voice as everyone's eyes were drawn to the shadow next to Hades' empty throne.

Slowly a familiar figure of shadows stepped out as Athena's breath hitched and her spear appeared in hand. She was too slow as not even a moment later Artemis notched an arrow, aimed her bow, and let loose. In a split second the arrow as on top of Umbra but he made not motion to dodge before the arrow simple shot through him and impaled the throne behind him. He glanced at it before reaching for it and giving it a little tug, pulling it out easily.

Umbra looked from the arrow to Artemis and back before muttering, "Cute," before tossing the useless stick aside.

Silence reigned as he all but strolled forward, every god and demigod already armed as they eyed him wearily. He looked around himself, his gaze moving slowly over the gathered demigods, even the ones visible through the IM's.

"Hello," he greeted with a wave, completely at ease. "I'm Umbra."

No one said a word as the shade stood amongst them. He continued to glance around for a few more minutes before looking towards Zeus.

"So we wanted to return something of yours," he said as he raised a single hand.

'We?' Athena noted as Umbra snapped his fingers and a portal of shadows opened up in the center of the throne room. Before anyone could say or do anything a body fell out and hit the floor with a meaty thud. At first Athena wasn't sure what it was but then she gasped at the sight, one of her hands shooting to her mouth as a foul stench assaulted their noses.

It. Was. Ares.

At human size and looking like he'd nearly been pulled apart. His body was covered in ichor and an unknown black substance, completely nude and battered nearly beyond recognition. From sight alone Athena could tell that one leg was beyond useless and his hips looked broken as well while part of his right arm was simply gone.

Then, with a weak and broken moan, Ares somehow dragged himself to his hands and knees, letting several see that he'd been violently castrated as well. Athena could hear many throwing up from the stench and sight but the gods remained in shock, unable to look away or do anything. Then Ares raised his head and Hera started to cry right then and there, seeing as how Ares' face had been torn up and his eyes gouged out. However Ares' head shot towards the sound of his crying mother and did the most shocking thing. He whimpered like a baby, his blood making it look like he was crying gold.

"M-mommy …" he choked as he started to crawl towards her. "… It hurts."

None could move as they watched the god of war, broken beyond even madness itself, as he crawled like a toddler towards his mother. Hera just kept crying as she looked at her son but then she got off her throne and shrunk to her human size.

"I'm here!" she cried as she ran at him with open arms.

Click.

Athena almost missed the sound but she glanced only in time to see Umbra with a black gun in his hand, already aimed. She looked back at Ares, the god having sat up on his knees with his arms open, begging to be picked up and carried away to somewhere safe as Hera flung her arms at him…

BANG!

Ares lurched forward, a hole being blown through his skull with a shower of ichor and flesh. Hera stopped, her arms still open as Ares fell into them. Silence reigned, no one even daring to breathe, as they watched Ares turn to dust, but not the regular golden dust. Instead a wind picked up as he turned to an ashen white dust in his mother's arms. Hera looked down at her hands as the dust filtered through, unable to comprehend what just happened as were all the other gods.

Crack!

That sound could have been a bomb as it echoed throughout the throne room as all eyes save Hera's turned to Ares' throne. They watched as cracks spider webbed all along the throne. Then, it just collapsed on itself in a pile of white dust as the wind died down and then nothing.

And it was that nothing that thoroughly terrified Athena.

Normally a god's or titan's death left a 'trail' that let the gods feel them moving down to Tartarus. They could feel the consciousness going dormant as the essence sunk into the bowels of the earth but that didn't happen. There was no essence to speak of anymore, no consciousness moving or slowly fading into the background. There was merely absence. A flame snuffed out without a chance of ever being relit.

Ares had faded.

Athena's entire body was trembling, in shock and fear or rage and hatred she didn't know. She could feel tears streaming down her cheeks just like all the other Olympians. Then, the unholy silence broken as Hera gave a wail of agony, the heartbreak striking the very core of all who witnessed such brutality as she desperately cupped at the dust that was once her son.

Athena could make out the crying of Ares' children from both camps while others couldn't even move, their eyes nailed to the hysterical queen.

"First blood goes to us," Umbra said, drawing the gaze of the Olympians as many started to glow with their power to the point the present demigods fell to their knees and gasped for air … not that they were really noticed by the enraged gods.

Umbra suddenly drew a spear from thin air as Artemis stood and notched another arrow but before she could react, he threw his spear. It moved almost too fast for Athena to see, Artemis not faring any better. Sadly her body didn't respond in time as the spear hit home. It pierced straight through her hip and pined her to her throne as she screamed, ichor flowing down her leg as she dropped her bow.

"Milady!" screamed her hunters, their own adrenaline helping to deal with the massive divine pressure around them.

"You bastard!" Apollo roared as he lunged at Umbra, sword in hand.

Umbra was ready though, ducking under the swing with a golden gladius appearing in hand. In one swift move Apollo was masterfully disarmed and then the gladius was buried up to the hilt through Apollo's right thigh. He could only scream as Umbra kicked him away, the force sending the towering god careening. Athena and several others had been about to move and converge on Umbra but then he pulled another blade out and they all froze.

In one motion Umbra impaled the sword right into the fire of the hearth, extinguishing the flame as cracks spread from it and the whole throne room shook. Athena could also hear screaming coming from the IM's displaying the camps and she glanced to see that they were all suffering earthquakes and running out to see something. However, her eyes were drawn back to the blade left impaled as Umbra stood next to it, all eyes reading the words etched into the gleaming bronze sword.

Anaklusmos. Riptide. The legendary blade of Percy Jackson, greatest hero of the millennia and possibly there ever has been. Cold dread filled their hearts, even the campers having remained looking through the IM's as the earth settled staring at the iconic sword in shock.

"Take heed Olympians," Umbra said in a booming voice all around them as the shade grew taller, soon towering over even the elder Olympians as the atmosphere grew colder by the second. "Your sins have come for you and nothing will stand in our way. Soon each and every one of your heads will roll," Umbra said as he looked at each shell-shocked god. "And to all demigods, know this. We are not your enemies, however, should you side with this filth," he said with a dismissive wave at the council. "And if you attack us, there will be no mercy."

Suddenly all the light started to fail as shadows spread along the roof and Umbra became one with the darkness. Then, like a switch, he was gone with the shadows.

"We are at war!" his voice roared all around them, several minor gods whimpering and other desperately holding onto each other.

Athena didn't know what happened. Her knees simply gave out as she fell to them, her spear leaning against her as her arms fell limp, her heart still racing within her chest. She looked around weakly, suddenly feeling exhausted. Artemis was being helped by her hunters and Amazons to remove the spear still driven through her hip. Annabeth gingerly pulled the gladius from Apollo's thigh, and Zeus had moved to holding Hera from behind as the goddess cried her heart out, Aphrodite not too far behind, having taken comfort for once in the arms of her husband.

Then Athena did a double take as she looked at the freshly removed spear and then the gladius with Hera's Roman symbol etched near the hilt. It only took her a moment to recognize them as Thalia's spear and Jason's gladius, further proof that their heroes, if even alive, would not be there to help again.

'What have we gotten ourselves into?'


Author's Rant: Well ... that's certainly one way to kick off a war! More on the way so stick around! A pleasure, Jbubu