AN: I'd like to thank all my amazing readers for something important before we start. This morning I checked the listing of Percy Jackson stories and, of the almost sixty thousand stories, this story is ranked 32 by favorites. This is a major accomplishment for me and I'd like to thank every one of my readers that made it possible.

AN2: Just FYI, Thalia aged to just past 16 while in the tree in my story so she isn't a candidate for the Prophecy.

Son of the Moon

Chapter 32

-Percy-

"You bitch!" Bianca yelled as the woman he loved drew a bow and aimed an arrow between Thalia's eyes "How dare you try to steal him from me!".

"He belongs with me!" Thalia yelled as the pendant and bracers the daughter of Zeus wore turned into a set of black and silver armor while her ring turned into a barbed silver spear that crackled with lightning.

"I've already told you Thalia," he said weakly, his body still drained from his use of power "I do not love you. My heart belongs to Bianca and Bianca alone.".

"And wish or not I refuse to interfere with their love," Aphrodite said with a scowl at the daughter of Zeus "it's been years if not decades since I've felt a love as pure as theirs is and I refuse to shatter that!".

"He's mine!" Thalia screamed as the demigoddess thrust her spear at Bianca, a bolt of lightning arcing out from the tip of the weapon as he tried to shove his love behind him and take the blast himself before a larger lightning bolt obliterated Thalia's.

"Enough!" Zeus roared, his grandfather well and truly enraged "Thalia, your wish is out of line and will not be granted, that is final! Hermes, take my daughter back to her cabin, I think she needs some time to cool down.".

"Yes father." The Messenger god said morosely, going over to Thalia and casting a spell on the enraged Demigoddess as she fell asleep before they both disappeared in a flash.

"You might wish to control your daughter around my son Zeus," Poseidon sneered "she clearly is as 'competent' as her father.".

"Be silent," he hissed lowly, as his tattoos pulsed with his anger "you are not my father, you were never my father, and you will never be my father. I would rather die than call myself your son.".

"You are my-" Poseidon began only for Hades to backhand the god of the seas with a scowl.

"He is my future son-in-law," Hades scowled "he is Artemis' son, he is Apollo's Nephew, and Zeus' Grandson. We do our best to be a good family to Perseus…but all I've seen from you is a sniveling little coward, a child thinking himself a man. Percy is a hero, he is likely the hero of Prophecy, and all you do is seek to control him and instill hatred within him. I will not stand by and allow you to continue this path Poseidon.".

"Nor will I." Zeus declared firmly, Hera backing up the King of the gods as did the rest of the council as Poseidon snarled and flashed away.

"Come on Percy," his mom said softly as she walked over to him and helped support him as they walked out of the throne room "let's go get your sisters and then head out somewhere you can recover."

"I need to do something first," he coughed as Bianca helped support his other side and Nico walked beside them "a promise I made to Castor and Katie. To give their journals to Pollux and Miranda.".

"I'll get them," Nico promised "you just rest at the big house before we leave Perce.".

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" he coughed "you were trapped under the sky."

"There were three of us and it we were healed up by Apollo," Nico said as they got to a good spot to flash away and appeared at the entrance to the camp "you on the other hand used almost every ounce of your power and that will take some time to recover from.".

"Fine." he said with a sigh as Bianca helped him settle down onto one of the rocking chairs on the porch while Artemis went towards her cabin to get the rest of his sisters and Nico went to go collect Pollux and Miranda.

"What happens now?" Bianca asked him as they watched the camp, seeing their fellow demigods go about their business, "You slew Atlas, Luke, and Orion but what happened to Gaea?".

"She escaped," he growled, his new 'tattoos' glowing slightly at his agitation "so she'll probably join up with Kronos once the bastard gets a new 'host'.".

"Host?" Bianca asked in confusion "What do you mean, 'host'?".

"I think that was what Luke was for," he explained "the bastard had bathed in the river Styx and was nearly invulnerable. The only reason for him to risk doing that, something that only Achilles ever survived, was to make his body almost impossible to destroy. Added to that Kronos would need a living vessel to bond with for about a year to fully come back to life as, after that year, the 'host' body would be destroyed and Kronos would be fully reformed. A mortal body would normally be turned to ash the second Kronos entered it but one fueled by the Mark of Achilles could survive the process.".

"Where did you learn about this?" Bianca asked as she stared at him wide eyed.

"During my…isolation," he began, wanting to avoid bringing up his reaction when she had left him "I spent some time questioning ghosts and shades of the dead and learned of the ritual through them.".

"Percy," Nico called out as he looked over to see a confused looking Pollux and Miranda as Nico pulled Bianca aside "we'll just give you three some privacy.".

"Why'd you want to see us Percy?" Pollux asked him in confusion "Nico wouldn't say. And where's Castor and Katie?".

Sighing he leaned forward, "They…they didn't make it," he said softly as the two demigods in front of him stiffened at his words "they, along with my sister Zoe, sacrificed themselves to save my mother, Nico, and Bianca from being used in a ritual to resurrect Gaea. Their final wish was that these be given to you.". As he spoke he handed Pollux the sickles that Castor had used along with the Thyrsus and the journals while Miranda was given Katie's Sickles, the small plant box, and the journals of the daughter of Demeter. "The journals are magic," he explained they…they record what the holder wishes by thought. They filled them up just before their death and they wanted you two to have them.".

"H-he's dead?" Pollux asked, the son of Dionysus falling to his knees in shock "M-my brother died, never having felt his Cloud leave him?".

"No Pollux," he said as he shook his head "your brothers Cloud did fade. Katie was able to push it away when they found love with each other.".

"I…I need to be along right now." Pollux said with a sob before grabbing the items and tearing off towards the Dionysus cabin, Miranda doing the same with her own cabin moments later as tears poured down his own face at having to give such news to his friends.

"Come on Percy," the soft voice of his mother called out as he looked up to see her along with Nico, Bianca, and his sisters waiting for him "let's go. When you're strong enough in a few days we'll go down to the Underworld to see Zoe.".

Nodding his thanks he moved to get up only to stumble before being caught by Phoebe, his sister's eyes as filled with tears as his own as they both remembered all the happy times they spent with Zoe, the three of them having a much deeper bond than he did with the other hunters. Not bothering to stifle his tears he clutched onto his sister tightly as they both poured out their grief, his Mom and the others surrounding them to share in the pain they all felt before they vanished from Camp Half-Blood in a burst of Silver.

-Pollux-

Pacing back and forth through his cabin the son of Dionysus wheezed, pulling his hair out as he tried to fight off both the grief of losing his brother and the cloud of Madness which seemed stronger than ever. He had read his brother's journals, he had seen the weapons that had been left to him, he had sobbed, and roared, and tore apart his cabin in his grief.

Spinning to a stop he stared once more at the seemingly innocent journal that stared up at him from his brother's final entry and read:

'I'm sorry Pollux, I'm sorry that I can't be there for you anymore. When I joined this quest I knew I would be risking my life, I knew that it would be dangerous but I took that risk to be with Katie. I loved her, she completes me and she has driven away my Cloud completely and I feel FREE for the first time that I can remember. She knew about the cloud and still she loves me, she still stays with me…and it is all thanks to Percy that I am with such an amazing woman. He found a way to make it so that I confessed my feelings about Katie and my fears so she would hear it without me realizing it and she returned them. He helped take maters out of my hands and my life has never been better for it.

Along with that he has been a brother in arms, a friend, to me on this Quest and I know he would more than willingly risk his life to save mine. That is why I made the decision I did to sacrifice myself my brother. 'A choice made, lest the world be torn Asunder', that was the final line of the Prophecy and as I saw the knives flashing down towards Nico, Artemis, and Bianca I knew what it meant as did Katie and Zoe. We had to choose, our lives or theirs. I can only imagine the rage that Percy must have unleashed at the death of his sister but it would have been nothing compared to what would have happened had his mother, his brother, and the woman he loved died. I made my choice and I pray that my friend survives so I leave you with this one final request. Please my brother, look after Percy and remember, I will always love you and I wait for the day that I can truly introduce you to the woman I love in the underworld, the day we can be a family once again.'

Throwing his head back with a yell he gave in to his cloud as he let it engulf him, his entire being now devoted to his brother's final wish, to protect Percy Jackson. Moving quickly he gathered up his belongings as well as his new weapons and the journals before exiting his cabin and making his way over to the Demeter Cabin where he saw Miranda waiting for him, his madness singing alongside her own as, where before her presence would lessen his cloud, now it only enhanced it.

"We must protect Perseus Jackson," he said wide eyed as Miranda nodded before they turned to the Zeus cabin "we will have an ally in Thalia Grace. He may not love her now but she does love him and will do anything to protect him…and he may one day grow to love her as well as Bianca.".

"Her power will do well in protecting our Master." Miranda said with a nod as they walked over to the cabin and forced open the door.

"We seek to protect Perseus Jackson," he intoned as he stared at a pacing Thalia Grace who spun around to face him "will you join us?".

"I will do whatever I have to if it means protecting the man I love." Thalia said resolutely.

"Then I have an offer that may benefit you," a fourth voice said as he turned to see Poseidon appearing in a swirl of mist "I have spoken to the spirit of Kronos and he has offered me a place in his forces, in exchange he shall do his best to 'capture' my son and instill that he is my child instead of Artemis'. My father would gladly allow you three to join so Percy may know a proper woman to love and have to faithful bodyguards.".

"For our master." He said with a nod as they all vanished in a burst of sea green light.