Chapter 7

Greetings readers! I want to thank Adamcoyne for your motivating review. While writing in itself is highly rewarding, these reviews really do make my day.

You also read my mind in terms of the romance aspect of this story. This certainly won't be one of these love at first sight gigs, I may be a hopeless romantic, but I'm not a complete idealist. This story is not only going to be about violence, I want to fill this story with emotions as well, I want to show the differences that develop in people due to different personalities and I want to explore it's effect on romantic, familial and platonic relationships and how they manage to overcome all those obstacles. I want to build on a decent plot with in depth character development. While I am new to this, I will do my best to ensure this is as enjoyable to all of you as it is to me. If I could put another theme on this story, it would be drama. The PJO version of Olympians certainly fit that trope. Once again, I assure you that I will not fluff this up, not because I have any resentment towards fluff, but because only fluff won't suit this story.

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.

Demeter had known things would go awry, like they always did when Zeus was involved. Usually, the effect of his childishness was not significant. This time however, the consequences of his immaturity could be disastrous, not only for the Olympians but for the entire human civilization. Which was why Demeter had readily offered her support to Hestia when she had come asking for help. As the Goddess of Agriculture, her duty was to provide food to nourish people and food was a symbol of life.

Due to that reason, she usually did not participate in any actions involving destruction or killing because they went against her core principles. That did not mean she was weak though; she could be as terrifying as the rest of her sisters in battle. After all, she was a child of Kronos and Rhea. Her pacifism was only a choice and she genuinely wanted peace.

When she lent her support to Hestia, she did it on one condition. She wanted to observe the demigod. Hestia had gladly accepted and had told her that she would be surprised at how different the demigod was, compared to the other children of their brothers but Demeter had been sceptical. The children of her brothers were extremely powerful, all the demigod children of Poseidon and Hades were easily on par with minor gods in terms of raw power. Occasionally even a child of Zeus managed to attain that sort of power.

However, they seldom used that power to help others. Instead, all of them only used it to fight battles and wage wars. The children of Poseidon were arguably more decent, due to their fatal flaw, but even they eventually lost themselves in their own uncontrollable temper. Naturally, she had thought that this demigod would be no different than the rest of his siblings.

She had been pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. She could feel the power radiating from the toddler from as far as an Iris message, which was an incredible feat of power on its own. She had not been lying when she said that the boy could match the younger Olympians. She had no doubt he could be the destroyer. But in him, she saw something else, a desire to protect those close to him; it was the purest expression of his fatal flaw and it was a trait of Poseidon that, until now, had only been inherited by Triton.

Said trait was the main reason why she had supported her brother in the council meeting along with the rest of her siblings when, as expected, Zeus had put up a fuss. She was preparing to present another argument when her mother's arrival silenced her. When Hestia had told her she had a backup plan, this was not what she had expected. However, she was the first to break out of her stupor and questioned, "What are you doing here mother?"

"Hestia prayed to me a few days before the solstice and told me about how my grandson was under threat from his uncle." Rhea said this as she shot a disapproving look to Zeus who looked down, not wanting to meet her eyes.

"How, mother? All of us thought that you had retreated from the divine world forever in order to live in peace." Hades asked after recovering from his initial shock.

"Yes Hades, I had retreated from the divine world because I did not want to be embroiled in politics. I wanted to return after some time, but I did not, because I was disappointed how all of you except Hestia and Demeter had forgotten the reason you all overthrew your father." Rhea stated, giving pointed looks to the rest of her children.

"But Mother-" Zeus started

"Don't interrupt me Zeus." Rhea angrily said, instantly shutting him up. "Answer me, son, is this why I took the greatest risk of my immortal life and saved you from your father's wrath? So that you could alienate your siblings and try to hurt their children in your paranoia? How are you any better than him? He did all of the things you are now doing. Once you have crossed all these lines, how much time is left for you before you become him? I am disappointed in you Zeus. This was not the immortal who came back from Crete." Rhea strictly chastised. This broke through Zeus' anger, he silently realised the disastrous consequences his actions could have had, had he not been brought back to his senses by his mother.

"The rest of you are not getting away scot free either. Hera, you have become so bitter, it pains me to watch how you order innocent children to be hunted. They may be Zeus' illegitimate children but they did not have a say in their birth." She told Hera, staring into the same shade of brown as her own eyes. Hera did not reply, she knew it was true, there was no point in arguing.

"Poseidon, Hades both of you may have retained your sense of duty but you both have to be more inclusive about your ideas of family. Family is not just limited to your children and consorts. It applies even to your siblings, nephews and nieces. Hestia and Demeter understand this already and now it is high time for all of you to understand it too, to change and stay united in this path." Rhea chastised her other children in a softer, yet, firm tone. Looking at their solemn faces, she decided they had learnt their lesson.

"Now wipe those sad expressions off your faces and come give your mother a hug." Rhea declared with a small smile. Immediately, the six deities transformed into eager 5 year olds who rushed to tackle their mother.

The other Olympians were dumbfounded by this display of affection. They had never seen the Elder Olympians this excited, all of them seemed so genuinely happy with the arrival of their mother. After some time, the gods returned to their thrones and Zeus conjured a large white throne for his mother.

"What do you suggest as our next course of action, mother?" The king of the gods respectfully asked his mother after everyone had settled into their thrones.

"First of all, listen to your siblings, Zeus. While Poseidon may be protecting his son for his own reasons, you cannot deny the value in having such a powerful demigod at your side. Especially now that he will be trained by Poseidon, immortality and physical attributes will be the only point of difference between him and a God." Rhea replied but she could still discern the little bit of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Now I understand that you and the Council are a bit unsure about this, which is why, to back this up, I suggest we ask someone who is trusted by both you and Poseidon and someone who can look after my grandson's well-being and train him in Atlantis. Someone like Chiron." Rhea gave her next suggestion. Of course, she had been briefed by Hestia, but with her championing this idea, no one would cite any complaints.

"Of course, if you think about it, Chiron's the perfect candidate. He can train our little cousin in a variety of weaponry and he is widely known for his dedication to helping heroes - he checks all boxes." The backing for this came from Apollo. No one disagreed since it was so far the best course of action.

"Alright mother, we shall do as you say, the boy will be raised on Atlantis while receiving training from Chiron and his father. I assume there are no objections to this plan." Zeus declared. Everyone nodded their heads. Zeus was about to conclude before Rhea interrupted him.

"I am afraid that this was not the only reason for my appearance. I come here with grave news for all of you." Rhea spoke in a slightly nervous voice. At this, even Hestia's brow furrowed, suggesting that even she had not been informed of this.

"Recently, I have been in contact with day and she tells me that the Earth mother is not going to be alone. The pit is rising for the first time since the beginning of this world." As soon as Rhea finished her sentence, the throne room erupted into chaos.

"SILENCE." Rhea commanded with a wave of power. Immediately, the chatter in the throne room quietened, everyone too stunned to continue. Satisfied, she continued, "Do not worry, the pit is stirring, but he will not take part in this conflict directly. The Primordials are a strange bunch. Even though they are the strongest of all divine beings, it takes them immense energy to manifest into physical forms even in their own domains. So, he will not take on a physical form outside his pit and directly participate, rather, he will have an indirect part in whatever the Earth Mother plans to do." After listening to this, everyone in the throne room let out a collective sigh of relief. Rhea nodded at Zeus signifying that she had told the council everything that she needed to.

"We shall deal with this problem when it arises, for now, this council is dismissed." All the Olympians except the Elders flashed out of the throne room.

"I am proud of you, my children. You are better than the Titans because you can change while they, unfortunately, could not." Rhea declared to her children and she was met with looks of adoration by each of them. Her children loved her deeply and they revered whatever she told them, that is why Rhea decided she wanted to meet her grandson. It would be a good thing for her children to get to know their champion and with her here, no one would try to harm him.

"I would like to meet my grandson Poseidon." Rhea announced looking at Poseidon.

"It would be my pleasure mother. Amphitrite has been telling Percy stories about us and he loves you. I am sure he will be delighted to meet you. Why don't you come with me to Atlantis? I'm sure Amphitrite and Triton will like the company." Poseidon jubilantly replied.

"I would certainly like to visit Atlantis son, but today is not that day. I want to meet him here and give him a chance to know his family." On hearing this, Poseidon's brows immediately shot up in worry. But before he could voice his complaint, Rhea spoke. "You have my word on the river Styx that no one here will harm my grandson. In the scenario that someone does try and attack him, I will personally shield him." Thunder rolled at Rhea's promise and sealed the oath. Reassured, Poseidon vanished in a blue mist.

"Is it really necessary for us to meet him mother?" Zeus unsurely questioned.

"This may seem insignificant Zeus, but Perseus has to know and see this side of all of you. He is not simply a soldier of Olympus, he is family and he should be treated as such. I have a premonition that he will be crucial in our victory. I want him to choose the Olympians not because he has to, but because he wants to. Show him you care, my children, and you will be surprised how much loyalty he will shower upon you. That is the nature of a son of Poseidon." Rhea wisely reasoned.

Their mother had always been a kind and just Titaness. Even during the harsh age of the Titans, she had always tried to rein in their father's violence. It had ultimately failed, but her efforts had not been in vain because her ideals had been instilled into them.

Any further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Poseidon and his son. The first thought that registered to all those who had not met him yet was the startling similarity with Poseidon. Another thing that surprised them was the complete lack of fear in his eyes, he was just staring at them with innocent curiosity.

"Papa are these your sib-lings?" Percy adorably pronounced the word he had just learnt from his mother.

"Yes Percy, these are my siblings and that is my mother and your grandmother Rhea." Poseidon gently told Percy.

For a moment Percy just stared at Rhea, as if studying the ancient being. When he was done, Percy used Poseidon's chest as a platform and jumped towards his grandmother. He miscalculated and would have hit the ground, but his grandmother was faster; she quickly caught him before he could hurt himself and he squirmed into a comfortable position in her arms. Poseidon groaned for what seemed like the tenth time in the day. Ever since Percy had crashed into the statue and come out with only a light bruise, the toddler had gotten only more reckless.

"My, you are an impulsive one, aren't you?" Rhea questioned Percy with a wide smile on her face as she gently tickled Percy. In response, Percy just giggled at her. That innocent laugh melted everyone's hard exterior. Even Zeus had an almost unnoticeable glint of affection in his eyes. The person who really seemed to enjoy Percy's presence though was Rhea. She had never been able to raise her children and this small interaction with Percy delighted her.

Rhea had noticed the raw power her grandson possessed and decided to bless him since, if his raw power had to be fully realised, he would need the physical attributes of a god. She held Percy in front of her and uttered, "I, Rhea, Titaness of Motherhood and Fertility bless Perseus, son of Poseidon with enhanced strength, stamina and speed." As she finished a bright glow surrounded Percy. Once the glow subsided, the immortals could feel the essence of her blessing in him, but other than that, there did not seem to be any other changes.

"Why did you bless him mother? With how powerful he already is, it does not make sense." Hera voiced out her doubt.

"You are right, daughter, he is very powerful, but when he grows his body will not have the physical attributes to utilise those powers to their full potential. His raw power signifies the magnitude of his elemental control and, while that is immense, his mortal side puts a limiter on how much of that power he can draw without killing himself out of physical exhaustion. My blessing will allow him to draw upon a much larger amount of power." Rhea explained. She then turned her attention to Poseidon "Son, it would be good for him if Amphitrite officially adopted him with her blessing. It would make his godly side even more prominent."

"Won't that make him immortal, mother? He will have to be bound by the Ancient Laws then." Hestia questioned and presented her concern.

"To be honest, even I am not well versed with this matter Hestia. I think he will gain enhanced physical attributes along with immunity to mortal diseases and will have advanced longevity but he will still have a soul, so even though he may not die due to natural causes, I suspect that he can be killed in battle. He will by definition still be a mortal as long as there is a soul to reap, so he will be free from the Ancient Laws, but he will also have the enhanced physical attributes and probably the longevity of an immortal. In simple words, I would say he may be partially immortal." Rhea hypothesised. These were uncharted waters even for them. They had only ever managed to turn demigods into gods straight away.

"Does that make Percy the first in this new race of beings? Beings that lie in between mortals and Gods?" Demeter asked.

"Yes, but in the case of Percy I would rather say it's like having a God's power and physical attributes in a mortal form without any divine metaphysical capabilities other than his demigod ones. It is hard to exactly predict the outcomes of our actions right now, his growth will be like that of a mortal and maybe his age will freeze at the age when his godly side becomes more prominent, then the answers will definitely show themselves." Rhea clarified.

Poseidon was ecstatic. If his mother's explanation held, he would have Percy by his side for eternity and, even though he could be killed in battle, his invulnerability reduced those chances drastically. He wanted to discuss Percy's invulnerability with his mother; she had seen quite a few things in her long life and maybe she could answer his queries. But the Olympian throne room was not the place for that. While Zeus would listen to their mother, Poseidon did not want to give him any information that may fuel his paranoia. He would discuss this at a later date with his siblings.

"If we are done here, I will go and meet Chiron along with Percy, relay the information to him and invite him to Atlantis." Poseidon stated and looked at his mother for confirmation. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of her with his son in her arms. In the midst of all the conversations, Percy had gotten bored and had fallen asleep in Rhea's hug, his small head comfortably nested in the crook of her neck and with his tiny hands tightly clutching her chiton.

"As you can see son, he has fallen asleep and I do not wish to disturb him. So, I shall accompany you until he stirs." Rhea explained, though, in reality, she simply did not want to let the toddler go.

In the small time he had spent with her, he had already wormed his way into her heart. Poseidon couldn't be happier to agree. Giving all his siblings a grateful nod, he stood next to Rhea and in a blue mist they vanished from the throne room. Following them, everyone except Zeus flashed out of the throne room.

The god of lightning was deeply pondering about the events that had transpired today. While he had accepted the recent turn of events, he would not place all his chips on the boy, he would have to earn his trust. The child had reminded him of his own demigod children and he wished that it was him who had gotten the chance to raise his demigod children with him. Nevertheless, he would give the boy a fair and, for a change, an impartial chance to prove himself. With these thoughts, Zeus flashed out of throne room.

It had been a peaceful few years for Chiron. The number of demigods sired had considerably decreased in the past few years. He did not know the proper reason, but he suspected that her stirring had something to do with it. He had been gathering the ingredients for his dinner when Poseidon and Rhea materialised in front of him and he quickly bowed to them.

"Lord Poseidon, Lady Rhea." Chiron respectfully said.

"Rise, Chiron." Poseidon spoke. Once Chiron straightened, he saw the child in Rhea's arms and immediately connected the dots.

"As you may have realised Chiron, this is my son. Ηis name is Perseus and I would like you to train him for a few years." Poseidon stated.

"It would be my honour to do so, Lord Poseidon." Chiron sincerely replied. He could sense the raw power the child possessed; he clearly had potential to be one of the strongest demigods in history.

"You misunderstand, Chiron. You will not be training him here. As you can see, he is a very powerful demigod and his strength may be vital in the fight against my mother. For that reason, we are making an exception and will be raising and training him in Atlantis. If you accept our offer, you would have to stay in Atlantis for a few years and occasionally update Olympus on his progress." Rhea patiently explained. She held no ill intention against Chiron, it was not his fault that his father couldn't stay loyal to her.

"I would offer any aid I can Lady Rhea. I shall try to the best of my ability to teach him everything I know." Chiron accepted with a respectful bow.

"Thank you, Chiron. Your experience and wisdom will be of great importance. I would like you to wait until he is at least five years old before starting his training in weaponry though. If you accept, I would still request you to be his teacher and teach him other topics until then." Poseidon gratefully said.

"I will be honoured, Lord Poseidon. When do I start?" Chiron asked.

"I will need to make an official announcement in Atlantis about your arrival and deal with a few nuances. After that I shall send either Delphin or Triton to get you." Poseidon replied. In response Chiron respectfully nodded.

"Would you please excuse us for a few minutes Chiron? I have a something I wish to discuss with my mother." Poseidon requested, Chiron acquiesced and galloped away.

"I would like to tell you something about Percy, mother. Around a month ago, Percy crashed into a statue of mine in Atlantis. Shockingly, he got away only with a light bruise. When Mavrus tried to take a blood sample, the needle snapped when it tried to break his skin. The only conclusion that we could draw after all this was that he was invulnerable. Mavrus then ran a few more tests and found out that even for a demigod, Percy had enhanced physical attributes. Do you have any idea what the cause for this may be?" Poseidon relayed his accounts to his mother.

Rhea quickly processed the information presented before her and replied "I had assumed that he has enhanced durability when you weren't surprised as he jumped towards me and was about to fall. But I had not expected him to be entirely invulnerable, this is a first even for me. I have seen rapid regeneration in a few Titans, but this sort of invulnerability is a first in history. I will need to get into contact with a few old acquaintances, maybe they will have the answers we desire. For now, what I can tell you is only that I sense more godly power in him than I should for a demigod." Rhea confirmed.

"Could that be the reason for his invulnerability?" Poseidon asked.

"Maybe. But even after my blessing, it should not be possible for a demigod to have a godly side so prominent that it completely smothers out almost all the tendencies of his mortal side. It is certainly a peculiar occurrence." Rhea replied with a little uncertainty creeping into her voice.

"That is because he is not a demigod." A new voice behind them stated.

Hey guys! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know I may not be the great at creating cliffhangers, but I want to add some suspense and mystery in the story. I know that this chapter may feel like a drag but I have some largely placed time skips lined up after this. I just want to give justice to the beginnings title I have given this story. Large time skips are really important but they kind of bum me out if there's no context to them. So while I have a few large time skips in tow, I am going to try my best and maintain a sort of smooth continuity. I am not a professional and obviously I will make some mistakes, but I definitely will try my best to keep the mistakes down as much as possible. I am also changing the rating to a T for the time being, at least until the violence starts. I was reading the rating descriptions and a review and that got me thinking. I will give a warning in the beginning of the chapter if there may be a graphic description of a fight. Still, I would like your thoughts on this. Also , day is Hemera, the primordial of the day.

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