Merry Christmas to all! (Or whatever you celebrate!)

A nice little update for you all because I love you guys! Lots of good feedback and happy greetings from the last chapter. Love it all and especially when I get interesting questions and little talks. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter!

Jbubu


The beeping of a heart monitor was the first thing she heard as she regained consciousness. The smell of disinfectant and the slightest hints of warm vanilla came next. A soft groan escaped her chapped lips as she tried to move but her body was barely responding, almost as if she was caked in lead and too tired to respond. She heard a shuffle off to the side before a hand came up under her head and lifted it up as the edge of a glass was pressed to her mouth.

Without instruction her lips parted as a cool liquid slipped in and she greedily swallowed it, almost humming at the hints of apple taste. She could sense the power in the drink as her body rapidly absorbed it and a sense of relief spread throughout her form. Once the glass was pulled away, she sighed as her head was gently rested back on the pillows.

For a few moments there was only silence as she tested her body, wiggling her toes and clenching her hands before trying to open her eyes. It was slow, but she managed and looked up to see a cream ceiling hidden in shadow meaning the main lights were off. Blinking again as tried lifting her head but stopped as she felt a twinge of pain in her neck and groaned as she let her head fall back.

"I wouldn't try moving too much Athena, you've already stressed out your body as is."

Athena gave a near full-body flinch in surprise before her head snapped to the side, eyes wide. She'd almost forgotten that someone had to be in the room to have given her whatever she drank. However, with the only light coming from somewhere off past the foot of the bed, the side Athena looked to was mostly shrouded in shadow.

That did nothing to hide the familiar, glowing pair of crimson eyes looking right back at her.

"Easy there," Hestia said before Athena could so much as shriek, a pair of fingers pressing to her lips.

With her heart hammering away in her chest the goddess barely made out the silhouette of winged goddess as another switch was clicked turning on a lamp off to Hestia's side as the goddess pulled back her other hand. Now seeing the goddess properly, Athena felt herself calm somewhat as Hestia remained silent, simply looking at her.

The quiet was only disturbed by the heart monitor as the pair looked at each other, the blonde goddess feeling unnerved as those glowing orbs with crimson flames dancing within stared at her, unblinking. After what felt like hours Athena had to look away, her fingers fidgeting under the sheets as she scanned around while trying not to move her head too much. Most of the room was still dark and one glance to the only window on her other side told her it was nighttime. A glance at the wall across from her to find the clock told her it was almost midnight.

After looking around her gaze returned to Hestia and found that the winged goddess hadn't moved at all. She was just watching, her face giving nothing away. Now the silence was getting suffocating, so Athena had to break it.

"How long have you been here?"

Hestia briefly glanced at the clock on the far wall before answering, "Several hours."

Athena blinked slowly as she looked at the primordial, wondering if that was all she was going to say. The silence returned so Athena took that as a yes before she asked another question, "Why?"

"I wanted some alone time to think while I waited for you to wake up, so we could talk," the queen responded.

"About what?" Athena asked as she looked away as she tried to move so that she was sitting up even with her body protesting.

"Cloelia and what we're going to do about her."

At the mention of her granddaughter Athena snapped to attention, her eyes narrowing as she looked at one of the women who had the power to help save or doom the godling. Hestia looked back at her calmly even as Athena felt her fingers twitch, her nerves on end as she dared herself to ask, "… Will he save her?"

Hestia didn't answer, instead moving as she turned her head away to look at the far-off wall, her own eyes unmoving from a certain spot. As she waited Athena let her own senses spread out, tracking her own connections to check on her granddaughter. It took her a minute, but she found Cloelia several rooms down in the direction Hestia was looking and from what she could read, her granddaughter's condition hadn't improved.

Pulling back her senses Athena's face fell before she looked at the primordial goddess, her voice coming out bitter as she asked, "Or is he going to let a child die because he hates her parents?"

Hestia sighed as she closed her eyes and lightly shook her head before returning her gaze to Athena.

"He didn't hate Annabeth," she said and before Athena could throw back a biting retort she continued, "He resented her choices and was disappointed with her, sure, but I don't think hatred was ever on that list."

Athena scuffed as she looked away, unbelieving of the primordial.

"After all, if he'd truly hated her, she would have been killed or alive and wishing she was dead," the goddess continued, her voice rather cold as Athena shot her a heated glare for but a moment before looking away again.

She heard the goddess sigh again.

"Tell me, did you ever teach Chase to Memory Walk?"

At the sudden question Athena begrudgingly looked back at the queen, one eyebrow raised before she answered, "I think you know as well as I that certain laws forbade teaching that …" Athena then paused as she glanced down at her own lap as she thought back to her lessons with her daughter. "… But if by chance she found some old books and guides in my library to learn on her own time, then I don't know."

"Clever way of getting around that bastard's laws," Hestia said with a ghost of a smirk before her lips thinned. "Percy did with Nyx and he made some discoveries."

Now Hestia had Athena's attention, her natural curiosity starting to get the better of her as she looked at the primordial.

Hestia gave her a mirthless smile as her eyes locked with the blonde goddess. "Aphrodite messed with Chase's emotions during the war. Those two getting together wasn't by organic means, at least on your daughter's part," she said as Athena felt a red-hot rage beginning to boil within her, her fists clenching as she pictured the willy and intrusive goddess. "I'd bet she's also the reason your daughter spread for the likes of Apollo too."

"… That utter bitch," Athena hissed, cursing the goddess in her head and wishing she could ring Aphrodite's neck right now.

She didn't even need to think on it long for the idea of Aphrodite having a hand in it making far too much sense.

"Agreed," Hestia quipped before shrugging. "Regardless, what's done is done and we have to live with the consequences," she said before her eyes gained a heated glint. "One of which was Percy regaining hope in her."

Athena looked questioningly at Hestia, unsure of how that mattered but Hestia continued, nonetheless.

"The heart wants what the heart wants," Hestia said with a slight, bitter smile. "Chase's feeling might have been fabricated or at least guided by a meddling goddess, but Percy's were genuine. She became his world and reason for pushing on through all the madness and danger. He dared to hope and dream of a future, something that until a point had been considered impossible for Greek demigods. The one-person Hera couldn't make him forget and when she abandoned him, when she ran away like a coward to hide her shame and lies, it broke him."

Hestia took a deep breath that sounded more like a rumbling growl as steam billowed off her form for a moment. She held it for a few seconds before finally releasing it as a lick of flame escaped her parted lips making Athena flinch at the sudden spike in heat.

"And even then, he couldn't bring himself to hate her. After everything he'd gone through and faced, from the whole Master Bolt debacle to the two wars, he clung on to hope right up until that last award ceremony. And in the end was left alone and heartbroken," she said as she then leaned forward, elbows rested on her knees as she looked at the blonde goddess. "I remember having him in my arms, listening as he let it all out and wondering where he went wrong. He knew it was over and it was coming the moment he discovered what she did, but he'd still hoped she'd at least tell him to his face… And then that council meeting."

The cracking of knuckles drew Athena's gaze down for a moment, her eyes widening as she saw ruby-like scales forming along Hestia's hands and her nails going a deep red. However, she looked to Hestia's face again as the goddess gave a dismissive snort.

"By sheer chance and timing, the council's actions gave him a new focus and something to truly hate. By that point, Chase became nothing more than a resented after-thought. But when he was training with Nyx and discovered what really happened with Chase, one of the cruelest forms of Hope returned to him in two little words," she said, her face cold as she pinned Athena to the spot with her gaze. "What if? What if Aphrodite had never meddled the way she did? What if he and Chase truly had come together, perhaps not right after the Titan War but in the Giant one or soon after? What if they never did and maybe, Percy found someone else? After all, its not like Percy would have been wanting for offers from demigoddesses and goddesses alike."

The way Hestia gave Athena a pointed look made the goddess squirm nervously, a sense of unease churning in her gut but the primordial didn't let the silence persist for long.

"What if, what if, what if… It didn't matter that he accepted that he would never be with her again and he didn't even want to be. It probably wouldn't have made a difference if the Olympians still made the same choice to betray him either way but, regardless that tiny little doubt stuck with him until Chase finally faded," Hestia concluded as she took another breathe and the scales along her knuckles faded away into her skin. "So, no Athena, Percy didn't hate your daughter. No, the one who hated your daughter was me," the primordial added sharply. "As for the likes of Apollo, Percy couldn't care less and once he does save Cloelia, he'll all but take over and rid her of any connection to Apollo."

Athena's eyes widened as she snapped up into a sitting position, completely ignoring the flares of pain in her back and abdomen as she looked at the primordial.

"H-He's going to save her?" she asked softly with barely concealed surprise, a glimmer of hope building within her chest as she looked at the queen.

"I never said he wasn't, you just assumed as much earlier," Hestia replied as she leaned back in her chair as Athena shot her a glare for a moment. "However, it's also what I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?" she asked quickly, her eyes locked on Hestia.

"First of all, I don't know if you're aware, but Percy can't save Cloelia on his own, not with how things are now," Hestia replied getting a confused looked from the blonde goddess. Hestia sighed again before continuing, "We're at war and as cold as it sounds, he needs to focus on that…"

And from there Hestia quickly explained to her just what conditions were needed to save Cloelia. Not only Percy but one of his wives or someone closely linked to them needed to adopt as well. However, Hestia then paused for a moment as she looked over Athena before continuing.

"Rhea and Andromeda have similar commitments to Percy making them less than ideal while we're at war. Not to mention that neither would even think about leaving their own toddler, adopted or not, alone given Cloelia's condition. There's a reason none of us has had children yet and in Raven's case, she was born as an adult and capable of defending herself," Hestia added. "But Rhea is just as much a frontline fighter as is Percy and with Pontus and his forces out there, they can't risk dividing themselves physically or having their minds elsewhere. Andromeda is another key fighter but she's also the council's ambassador and networker meaning she just doesn't have the time to look after Cloelia."

"So, if neither Rhea nor Andromeda can do it than that leaves …"

"Me," Hestia said softly. "Or at least, that is the original idea."

Athena gave her a questioning look as Hestia looked at her eyes intently, her next words blindsiding Athena.

"I want you to adopt Cloelia."

Silence reigned for a few moments as the blonde goddess looked at the queen, her surprise palpable as her mouth opened and closed several times until she finally got it to work.

"You what!?" she almost shouted as she looked at the unflinching primordial.

"I want you to adopt Cloelia," Hestia repeated with a near casual tone as Athena took a moment to compose herself.

For a moment she'd wanted to scream 'of course!', knowing that she wanted to and would have already if it had been possible. But that was just it, it wasn't possible with the condition she was in now and she didn't even have some sort of bond to Percy for it. So, taking a deep breath, she then leveled the primordial with an even look before asking, "What's the catch?"

Hestia gave a small sigh before she said, "There is one catch." At Athena's intent look, the primordial continued, "I need you to take a Patron Oath with me."

Again, the goddess was shocked as she looked at the primordial as if she'd grown an extra head, her thoughts derailed as she tried to come up with an answer to that but came up empty. All she could end up asking was, "Why?"

"For one, you are in no condition to use any divine power, let alone perform an adoption," Hestia answered simply before her she leaned forward on her seat. "Secondly, you don't have any bond or link to Percy which would guarantee Essence Rejection in the adoption and kill Cloelia outright."

Athena looked at the primordial as the thought on that. It was true she lacked the strength or the bond to do it but there had to be more. It simply seemed to be convoluted, too dependent on 'if' scenarios and other factors for those to be the only reasons.

"Why not just adopt Cloelia yourself?" Athena asked as she narrowed her gaze on the queen. "Why go through the trouble of getting me to swear myself to you when you could have gone through with the adoption hours ago?"

Hestia met the look, the crimson flames within her eyes simmering as Athena continued.

"Divine Adoption is practically a re-birth whether its for a demigod or a godling and the adopted always take up aspects and appearances of the parents. Even if Cloelia keeps the name Annabeth gave her, that name will probably be the only thing that stays with her once the adoption is complete and she recovers. You said you hated Annabeth, right? Well what better way to spite her memory than taking her only daughter as your own?" Athena said, her voice gaining an edge as she looked at her lap and her fist clenched at the thought.

The adoption might be the only way to save her granddaughter, but it would mean leaving Cloelia without a trace left of Annabeth in her. At least if Percy adopted her alone, thanks to being a goddess Cloelia had chances of retaining features from Annabeth but between two divine beings? Not a chance. It would be as if Annabeth never had a daughter to begin with.

"Why didn't you jump at that chance?" Athena asked as she looked at Hestia.

The primordial stayed quiet for a while as the deities looked at each other before Hestia finally spoke, her tone far softer than before.

"I need time…" At Athena's silence the primordial continued, her earlier mask of aloofness making way for a face of worry and uncertainty. "I've hated your daughter for a long time Athena, and even if I don't hate Cloelia, that doesn't mean I wanted to be close to her … but I won't have that option if I adopt her, will I?" she asked as Athena remained silent. "Cloelia's already been through enough and the last thing she needs is a mother that can't completely accept her, at least, not yet." Hestia paused for a moment as she took a breath, her hands clasping together on her lap before she looked at Athena. "That's why I want you to take the Patron Oath with me and even if you don't, I'll still go through with it and adopt her. But if you do swear the oath and adopt her, it means the bond you form with her will extend to me, but you can be the mother she needs."

Athena looked at the goddess, thinking over everything she'd been told and what it would mean for her. In a way she felt a weight leaving her shoulders as she knew now that Cloelia would be saved. And yet, the question of how was now at the front of her mind. Did she stand aside and leave it to Hestia and Percy or swear herself to Hestia and do it herself.

"Is the Patron Oath the same as Medusa swore to Percy?" Athena asked, her usual need to gain knowledge and every angle before deciding anything coming up now that she was calmer.

"No, there are similarities but what Medusa swore is the Oath of Absolute Patronage," Hestia answered after a moment. "Medusa, along with Lamia and Lupa are permanently bonded to Percy of their own free will and choice. Even if someday they are given domains and become full goddesses, they'll still be linked to him. They are his Shadows, the enforcers of his Will and part of him to the point they can't die or fade unless Percy dies first," she explained as Athena's eyes widened, never having thought Medusa's oath carried so much to it. "The Patron Oath I want from you is what Raven took with her mother. The oath isn't permanent and will bond us while also severing your ties to The West, but it will also let you draw on my power instead. And once this war is done with, you can separate and take up new domains with Phoebe if you want."

Once Hestia finished both goddesses remained silent. Hestia leaned back in her chair and looked on as Athena turned her gaze down, unsure of what to do. To take the oath would be to commit, to step across the line and officially take a side in a war she wanted no part in. Pallas Athena, the Olympian goddess, would cease to be and she would become what? Even if she denied the oath and stepped back, Cloelia would be saved.

A small whisper of a thought came to Athena, her own paranoia tempered from millennia of Olympian life raising its head as she glanced at the primordial. Hestia had all the cards in her hand, or at least, did until she admitted to Percy's decision regarding Cloelia. She could have made Athena beg just like she did with Percy, she could have made the goddess grovel and submit as she signed herself away in the chance to save her granddaughter.

And yet instead she gave Athena the power to choose. There was no threat hanging over her head, no warning of making the wrong choice and a punishment to follow suite. Just the offer and what she would do with it. The sound of shuffling got the goddess' attention as she looked at Hestia as the primordial got up from her chair.

"You don't need to answer right now," Hestia said as she took a few steps towards the door. "I'll give you some time to think on it."

She continued to walk as Athena watched her, her fingers tangling with the sheets at her sides as she opened and closed them. Then, when Hestia's hand reached for the door handle…

"Wait!"

Hestia stopped, slowly looking back at her even as her hands staid poised to open the door. Athena felt like her heart was stampeding within her chest as she looked into those burning rubies.

"I…"

She swallowed nervously as she tried to meet the look. She was done sitting and waiting on the sidelines. Watching as others bore the brunt because she didn't feel forced to commit to it.

There was no going back after this…

"… I'll make the oath."


With Percy

The dark god let out an exhale, a cool mist escaping him as he looked out across the expanse of forest and wilderness shrouded in shadow from his position atop the Primera Gate. He could see the Olympian camp from there, make out the bodies as they moved like agitated bees, unable to rest or even stay still. All it took was for him to tap into Hestia's domains of Hope and Unity to feel the unraveling of the demigods.

He was a little curious though as he felt them gathering closer to the western side of the camp, where Hephaestus' Smiths were if he remembered correctly. He shrugged it off though, knowing that if were anything big with plans, they'd have their own sources on it soon enough.

His eyes then shifted to the eastern edge of the clearing being used by the Olympians, seeing the last embers fading out of the funeral pyres that had been lit a few hours before. Over a hundred demigod lives ended in one night. He shook his at the thought, taking some solace in knowing most of those departed souls now rested in Elysium or were on their way to rebirth.

He then turned around and brought his attention to the far-off barrack built close to the Segunda Gate, now being used as a temporary camp and housing for the captured demigods. Most were rather young and inexperienced, the ones had little motive to fight in this war other than that they were expected and ordered to. He let his senses expand into the surrounding night as he felt out the camp and noted most were asleep besides the nymphs, gods, and volunteer mortals watching over them.

He was relieved most managed to fall asleep on their own rather than need sleeping medicine and sleep spells cast on them like the first night. However, he was brought out of his observations when he felt a mental probe from Rhea, his mental guarding immediately opening as he heard his wife's voice in his head.

'Percy, come quick to the temple!'

'Rhea, what's wrong?' he asked back as he already mentally projected the temple and stepped into the darkness.

A second or two passed before he stepped out of the darkness and into the hall leading to the council chamber, the shadows dancing to the flickering lights of the torches along the walls.

'You need to see this,' was her answer as he moved down the hall and grew with every step until he reached his natural hundred-foot stature. He walked into the hall to see about half of the council sitting around in their thrones, their eyes nailed to the center of the room. The central hearth was simmering lowly and above it floated several large screens, all showing various news channels or streams from around the world.

He moved around the hearth to his throne and noticed for the first time that Zoe was present as well, standing on the right arm of Rhea's throne and closest to his. The moment he sat down Zoe hopped to his left palm and tapped away at her tablet. All the floating screens shifted to the same stream she was playing as his eyes turned to them to read the headline 'IMAGES AND VIDEO LEAKS! BATTLE ON THE MOON!?' and listened in.

"—and even as new videos are shared via every social platform or news sites, the investigation to how these leaks happened is still underway—" the news anchor was saying before he was cut off by another commentator.

"Who cares how it happened! What we should really be worried about is WHAT are these things!?" he shouted as he pointed to the larger screen behind them as it began to play clips.

Percy watched as satellite images of the moon appeared before closing in on the surface, two distinct figures appearing in them. His eyes narrowed as the image became clear enough to make out his general form but not much more. Whatever was taking the recording then shifted over and the silvery figure was easy to place as Artemis even with the static of the image. More clips played as blurs of him and Artemis passed through the sight, at times needing to zoom out by significant margins to even keep they're blurry movements within view.

It was smudged up and clearly the release of so much divine power was interfering with imaging that could have normally taken perfect pictures of the lunar surface. The clips changed in angles and clarity meaning multiple satellites were in range for the recordings, but all suffered some form of distortion or interference, one clip being barely a few seconds as it caught a collision between him and Artemis before the pressure hit the satellite and likely destroyed it.

"Just what in the Lord's name is that?" one of the anchors asked softly, her voice quaking as one far off satellite captured the moment he released his manifestation of power and assumed a pseudo-divine form.

The sight of the dark miasma billowing around him as the very moon and satellite alike shook, the shadows writhing as even the vacuum of space became colder to the point frost grew along the edges of the recording. Then, one remarkably clear image of a dark, winged being and two glowing icy eyes.

The next clips played on silently, showing blurs and collisions before one massive explosion that shook the satellites and caused several to stop recording. Then the last one recording as the moon went dark and finally lost track of where he was.

All five anchors and commentators in the panel fell silent as the clips stopped on that image, many going deathly pale as they stared at it. The same commentator that spoke earlier was clutching onto her prominently displayed cross necklace, her lips moving in silent prayer.

After a few seconds one commentator cleared his throat and looked directly to the camera as the clip behind him changed to the logo of the network.

"As of yet no official statements as to what this was or what is to be done about it. However, in the last 24 hours the streets have begun to fill with the masses as panic sweeps the na—"

The stream cut off from there to other news sights from around the world. Reports of riots and mass hysteria as people look for answers, the fear of the unknown growing by the second. Even now Percy could feel the cacophony of whispers and prayers being made at the very edge of his mind, asking for guidance and strength or forgiveness and repentance.

He glanced around the council chamber to see how his fellow council members were taking it and asked, "How's everyone doing?"

Rhea looked worried as she glanced from screen to screen, her fingers drumming on her armrests as she slightly chewed at her bottom lip before she turned to him and said, "I don't feel much going on with my domains, but I'm worried about the mortals. That panic can become so much more if we don't do something soon."

He nodded at that, knowing that even now Andromeda was not on the mountain, so he guessed she was meeting with the mortal governments of Canada or the UK to run some damage control.

From her seat farther down, Styx was massaging her temples, at times only opening one eye to glance at the screens before muttering, "So many promises being made, and others broken."

"Are they binding?" Percy asked, wondering how the mortals would react to the consequences of breaking oaths now that Styx was a primordial force attached to that concept. After all, the penalties could be quite … severe.

"No, they're not binding," Styx replied with a shake of her head. "Aside from the demigods and the remnant believers of the ancient Greco-Roman religions, few know about swearing on my name. At most the act of making a sworn promise gained weight when I ascended but actual penalties and punishments can't apply."

"I see," he murmured as he looked to Nico, the primordial narrowing his eyes on the screens showing some areas around the world where riots are happening.

The clip of someone painting 'JUDGEMENT IS NEAR' on a wall in dark red paint was particularly noticeable. He grimaced at that image before looking at Jason, the primordial constantly shifting his gaze. Another look of the room showed that Phoebe wasn't present, so he assumed she was in her office trying to manage the Strings of Fate and how millions of choices and decisions were being made or changed as the mortals became further aware of the world.

Thalia also wasn't present but he wouldn't put it passed her to be either in the Palace of the Skies or checking up on other deities that weren't living on the mountain. He felt out his bonds to his wives and found Hestia within her office … along with Athena.

His eyes snapped to Rhea to find that she was already looking at him.

"She's going through with it," Rhea said.

He let out a breath he hadn't realized her was holding before slowly nodding.

"So that will be taken care of soon enough and once Andy gets back, we'll plan what to do about the mortals," he said as he leaned back into his chair, watching as more news feeds changed…


With Chiron, New Rome

"—Yes, Lady Bellona," Chiron returned as the Iris Message faded, his shoulders tense as he got the latest report from the Olympian army.

The murmur of some re-instated legionaries, lares, and the few older demigods that stayed to watch over the city and camp went unacknowledged by the ancient centaur as he slowly walked out of the Senate House and into the quiet streets of New Rome as the night crept on. Barely anyone was walking in the streets, and those who did were rather meek as they hurried to wherever it was, they were heading. His tired brown eyes swiveled from side to side as he moved, glimpsing into small café's and such that did have some occupation, but even then, they were unusually quiet.

He caught sight of the screens within one, his eyes dulling as more of the same news and images or recordings of the lunar battle. Even now he could clearly recall that overwhelming sense of power that flooded over the celestial body, chilling and all-encompassing to the point he couldn't help but shiver. At the time he had wondered what sort of monster could carry such a presence as his gaze had been nailed to the moon, watching as craters and ravines formed before his eyes before it was swallowed by the very darkness surrounding it.

Only to hear from the Olympian Army that is was his former students that undoubtedly caused it.

'Perseus … just how much have you changed?' he asked silently, wondering even now if by chance Percy could hear him at all. He shook his head as he picked up his pace to a canter, moving through the streets and out of the city proper. It took him only a few minutes to cross the Pomerian Line, nodding to a statue of Terminus as he did so, before he stopped on a small hill with his gaze falling to the army barracks beyond.

It too was quiet; the few active demigods and fighters having chosen to remain within the bounds of Terminus. He wondered if Camp Half-blood looked as cold and lifeless now that it was left deserted after the demigods were rushed here. However, his mussing was cut short as he heard the approaching footfalls behind him.

Turning back a worn smile formed onto his face as he looked at another of his students. 'How much has he grown,' Chiron thought as he watched Grover Underwood approach him. The young satyr had grown some in the last decade or so, filling out more both in stature and character. Now nearly 6 foot and maturing, the satyr walked with a confidence that had been rarely seen before, his eyes finding locking with Chiron's without any nervousness. His senate robs billowed in a light breeze along with the leaves of the wreath on his had made of intertwined vines and Juniper leaves.

"Grover," Chiron greeted simply, knowing the satyr preferred to leave his 'Lord of the Wild' title alone when possible.

"Chiron," Grover greeted back much the same way as he stopped beside the centaur and looked out towards the Berkley Hills beyond the army barracks.

There was a moment of silence between them as they looked on together, letting the quiet of the night soothe them after the last meeting in the Senate House.

"So, we got more traitors and deserters," Grover said, his voice hard as he glared at the ground for a moment. "Think any are still left and waiting?"

"… I don't know," Chiron said after a moment.

As much as it pained him to think, he could see how the demigods were losing faith in the Olympians by the day. To hear about the kind of losses already suffered by the army only suited to demoralize them further. To what point could they be pushed before they willingly surrendered in hopes of being spared… And just what would the Olympians do if the demigods turned against them?

"They won't make it if they push forward," Grover said, his gaze shifting to Chiron. "It will be nothing but a bloodbath."

Chiron gave a heavy sigh even as he nodded before saying, "I know." His fists clenched at his sides as he thought of some many of the demigods he trained, some practically be raised within the camps, dying by the dozens as they faced a force simply beyond them. "But they're getting desperate and with the losses they've already taken, they're pride wouldn't handle a blow like being routed."

"Their damned pride," Grover snorted with derision. "And the demigod lives? Well I guess they're a dime a 'dozen for the great Olympians."

"Grover!" Chiron hissed sharply as he looked around while extending his senses for the presence of any possible eavesdroppers.

"We're clear," Grover said while crossing his arms and looking at the centaur.

"Still, you know better than to say things like that," Chiron chided as he looked down at the satyr, yet Grover didn't look repentant. "If a god or worse yet, an Olympian, were to hear you…"

"I know," Grover cut in as he broke the stare and looked instead to the night sky above them before sighing. "It's just, if things keep going like this, demigod loyalty won't be the only issue for the Olympians."

"The Cloven Council," Chiron murmured to which Grover nodded.

"The Senate aren't the only ones getting messages from the army. Plenty of satyrs have been Iris messaging back or using other means to communicate with us," he explained.

"And just what are they hearing?" Chiron asked as looked at the satyr intently.

"That they've found The Wild," he replied, a faraway look entering his eyes as he continued, "The forests around them are saturated with so much life and energy that they can barely stay still. It's so strong they barely have to use any of their own power to use nature magic on scales they've never been able to before." Grover's eyes came back into focus as he centered on Chiron. "Those reports alone are already circling around the council and satyr communities at large along with the other nature spirits and it's creating a major buzz. And that was before they discovered Rhea's the center of it."

Chiron sighed heavily as he heard that, knowing how important the aspects of The Wild and Nature were to such spirits and the satyrs. If push came to shove Chiron could see the Cloven council all too willingly deserting the Olympians in favor of serving Rhea and the Primordial Council at large. That meant several hundred satyrs watching over and helping protect New Rome could up and leave without any warning.

The Wolf House was deserted, the majority of active demigods were in the army leaving reserves and retirees in the city, and many of the warrior-like minor gods had deserted leaving few battle-ready gods in the city. If the satyrs were to leave as well, New Rome would be too weak to repel a concentrated attack. And given what happened to Ogygia, Chiron wanted New Rome's defenses to be a solid as possible.

"Any more reports on monster activity around the borders?" he asked, trying to shift his thoughts away from the council and instead to their security.

"Small bits here and there," Grover replied after a moment. "Nothing big or concentrated. The occasional solo cyclops, some groups of dracaenas, and some telchines too."

Chiron narrowed his eyes as he thought of those monsters, finding it odd to hear about telchines at all. And there was no mention of Hellhounds, one of the most common monsters that tended to prowl around both camps.

"Let me know if anything changes in the patrols," Chiron said definitively.

He'd been dealing with monsters for a very long time and sometimes monster scarcity could be as bad as them being overly frequent. Grover gave a steady look before nodding and then sighing as he turned away.

"Well I better get going … Juniper doesn't like me staying out late with how things have been lately," he said as he glanced back while waving at the centaur. "See you tomorrow Chiron."

"You too, Grover," he called back as he watched the satyr walk away before turning his gaze skyward.

He looked at the black canvas of the night, finding it too calm, too quiet. Even with all the mayhem, both in the mystic side just as much in the mortal, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread building in his gut. There was more to come, he just knew it, and it honestly terrified him to even guess what it might be…


"Are you ready?"

Grey eyes looked up into those molten rubies, her gaze steady even as her frame trembled for various reasons. They stood together, barely a foot or so apart within Hestia's office, otherwise known as the physical manifestation of her inner world. At any other time, Athena would have been utterly fascinated by the concept and explored to her heart's content within the space but not now.

Right now, she stood naked as the day she was born, her body rigid as she looked at Hestia.

The primordial queen stood with an air of control and dominance as she looked down at the shorter goddess, her wings exposed in all their glory as steam billowed of Hestia's frame. They stood within a marble temple that had no walls, leaving them exposed to the warm breeze that swept through the seemingly endless fields that surrounded the structure. A hearth burned strong and proud behind the blonde goddess, the heat licking at her exposed backside.

"Yes, I am," Athena said in a firm voice even as her body ached from being forced to stand.

Her body was still strained and tired from her actions with Percy and even standing like this was taking a toll on her. However, she could not let herself show weakness, could not falter for this moment as she stood within that crimson gaze.

Hestia took a moment to look at her before nodding slowly and then raising her hand to her mouth. Athena watched curiously as Hestia opened her mouth to reveal prominent fangs before biting her own palm. The primordial didn't flinch as she opened a small wound and the platinum ichor pooled into her palm before she slowly held it forward. Then, with a few sparks a bright red flame burst to life in her palm as the blood floated and mixed with it to form a heart-shaped fireball of red and white.

"I'll be honest Athena, this is going to hurt," the queen said as Athena retuned her focus to Hestia's face. "Medusa and Lamia had years to assimilate and change under the influence of Nyx and then Percy's blessings before they took their oath and absorbed his essence. Both were bedridden for days as their bodies adjusted again to handle being ascended to divine status and becoming his Shadows. Even now they still show changes. I'm pretty sure you saw Artemis' memory of facing them and seeing their golden ichor?"

Athena nodded at that, the memory being quite vivid as being the first time she saw the changed former monsters and Percy.

"Well both have platinum ichor now too. As for Lupa, she was practically in a coma for a week after passing out from the pain of taking Percy's oath soon after getting his blessing. At least when Raven took her oath with her mother, she already shared the blood and similar abilities to her parents, so the change was minimal for her," Hestia continued making Athena unconsciously gulp as she gave the flame in Hestia's hand a weary glance. "You aren't undergoing the same oath as Percy's Shadows, so the reaction shouldn't be anywhere near as severe, however, the change is still significant. The new primordial are unique to everything that came before them and anything linked to us changes too. So, a word of advice … don't fight it or you'll make it worse."

Before Athena could give any reply, Hestia pushed her hand formed and pressed the heart of flame into Athena's chest. Athena gasped at the touch of the heat as the flames phased into her skin before she felt a pinch in the core of her essence.

That pinch was all the warning she had.

"AAAAHHHHH!" she started to scream as her legs gave out and she fell forward but Hestia caught her.

Every muscle in her body started to convulse as veins along Athena's body glowed an angry red and steam started to billow of her. She felt as if her core was trying to swell and split even as it was being compressed, the literal flames of power bringing her ichor to a boil throughout her being. Another scream ripped through her throat as she threw her head back, her vision going in and out of focus as Hestia picked her up.

She could hear the sizzling and bubbling, her throat going raw and dry within moments as her body trembled in Hestia's arms. Her pained mind reached for anything to calm itself as she tried to endure the pain, reigning in her own power as it naturally tried to resist and lash back against the foreign essence. She felt a new bond unlike anything she'd ever experienced before forming.

It was strong and unyielding, an immense sense of power beyond Athena's ability to comprehend carried with it as her very being was pressured to submit yet ultimately left to her choice. Even through the pain of the flames within she understood at her core that this presence would only come if she accepts it. It would not come and break her to then take her. She needed to willingly bow her head to it and submit herself to it and everything it held. To embrace it was to embrace humility and accept that there was something above herself.

It went against everything she'd known and been as a goddess, as an Olympian.

The rigid and ever-present pride that defined her before to the point of being her fatal flaw. The pride that was as much her weapon as it had been her shield. That pride that refused to admit fault or show weakness no matter what she'd suffered.

That very same pride that had been broken and left for the empty mask that it was in this very mountain.

She grits her teeth through the pain, tears trailing down her cheeks, as she opened herself to the bond. 'I'm not that goddess anymore, I refuse to be.' Within her own mind she saw a veritable ocean of flames come and envelop her and yet, it didn't hurt more. If anything, the pain was starting to lessen as her being started to accept the embrace.

She then felt herself being set down and managed to open one eye to see Hestia's gaze on her as the goddess was laid within the hearth. Golden flames danced around and, on her body, gently lapping at her skin as the angry red veins in her skin lessoned. The pain slowly became a warm numbness as Athena felt herself relaxing within the flames.

The feel of a warm and gentle hand running through her hair makes her open one eye again to see Hestia smiling softly at her. That smile brought a gentle warmth to the blonde goddess, reminding her of the days when Hestia's smile and kindness were akin to gold within the harsh place that was Olympus.

A similar smile broke onto Athena's face.

"Sleep for now, you need it," Hestia instructed as she retracted her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow…" the queen said as she turned and started walking away.

Athena's one eye stayed upon until she lost sight of the goddess before it slowly closed, the embrace of darkness and sleep encroaching on her tired mind as she rested in a bed of fire…


And there you go! Lots of bits and pieces as I get this story moving along! More to come soon!

A pleasure, Jbubu