Blank.
"Leave something for someone, but never leave someone for something."
~Enid Blyton
Percy needn't have been worried about the kind of reception he was going to receive. It was like returning home after a quest. Albeit, a particularly long quest. There were a few tears, a few bone-crushing hugs, and afterwards, his mom insisted on baking a fresh batch of blue chocolate-chip cookies, whilst Paul regaled him with everything that had happened in the last fifteen years. In truth, Percy was only half-listening to his step-father. It wasn't that he wasn't interested - he was. It just...didn't feel right, sitting there in the alien living-room, conversing with a man that he knew, yet was a total stranger to him. He felt totally out of sync with time, which was to be expected, but to have it so brazenly shoved in his face was tough to swallow. He was just thankful that Piper was with him, looking exactly as she did before he had fallen into Tartarus. The few familiarities were all that were keeping him sane.
Things weren't helped by the pair of eyes that watched him from the next room, scrutinising his every move. There were very few things in the world that could make him feel so bare, and his supposed 'half-brother' was apparently one of them. Percy very much doubted that Luke was the child of Paul and his mom. In fact, he reeked of the Gods' interference, but the very fact that Paul had sent him to his room with little more than a formal exchange of their names meant that Luke was oblivious to the Greek world around him, and further still, something was being hidden from Percy.
"...Percy? Are you okay?"
The son of Poseidon blinked, not realising he had zoned out...and definitely not realising that he was holding the couch so hard that his knuckles were white. "Huh? Sorry? What?" he said lamely, barely keeping it together.
Paul regarded him with worry. "The couch isn't going anywhere… You don't have to grip it so hard. Is everything...okay?"
He glanced at Piper, but couldn't bear to meet her concerned eyes, and so stood abruptly, running his fingers through his hair. "Um, yeah… I just... need some air…" he breathed quietly, fists clenched as he unceremoniously made for the fire-escape through the kitchen.
His mom was there, mixing cookie dough, apparently oblivious to the conversation taking place in the other room. Percy couldn't help but watch her for a few seconds, debating whether or not to pipe up, but the sight of his mother's grey-streaked hair made him well up a little, and he had to look away, exiting through the back door as quietly as he could.
The air that greeted him was cool, and refreshing, in contrast to the suffocating atmosphere Percy felt inside. He could breathe again, and so hooked his legs over the ledge of the metal fire escape, mind wandering.
His thoughts drifted from Annabeth, to Jason, to the rest of the Seven, to Nico, and then back to Annabeth again. He wondered what she was doing at that very moment. Probably alone at her desk, drawing up some blueprints, or sitting in bed reading a book. He smiled at the thought, only to realise that his image of her was fiction, compared with how she actually looked and acted after fifteen years.
His face fell, and he sighed dejectedly, knowing that all he really had left were memories. Priceless, precious memories.
He wondered, then, how Piper had coped with the loss of Jason. She didn't seem sad, or so he thought, though every so often, he caught her with that far away look in her eyes. Wistful longing, or maybe something less. Was that what he was destined for in fifteen years? Nostalgic about the 'good old days'?
Or perhaps he should look at it from a different perspective; was Annabeth sitting at her desk that very second with the same, far away look in her eyes that Piper sometimes had? Was he a mere speck in her memory?
Truthfully, he knew that was very likely, despite it being a tough pill to swallow
From behind him, the door opened, making him jump to his feet in preparation for an attack, but the sight of Piper's admittedly comforting, kaleidoscopic orbs made him relax. "Hey…" she whispered.
"Hey," he whispered back, turning away and leaning up against the railing.
Piper brushed in next to him, their shoulders touching. "It's a lot to take in, huh…"
He took a few seconds to answer. "How did you do it, Piper? After…you know…" Percy replied cautiously. He didn't want to stir unpleasant feelings, but…he had to know.
She shrugged, knowing what he meant. "I didn't. Not at first. I mean, at first I was hell bent on revenge, but…the thing that really helped was being around my friends. They got me through it."
Percy pondered her words, but all he could think about was how Annabeth would have been the one to help him get through something like this. A Catch-22.
He rubbed his eyes.
Piper pursed her lips. "I think...you've been through a lot, Percy. You'll get through this. You just need..." she began, before draping her arm across his back, rubbing his shoulder with a soothing squeeze.
"You just need a little help," she finished, giving Percy a reassuring smile that seemed to fill his insides with warmth; he couldn't help but offer a tentative smile back.
"Thanks, Piper… Don't know what I'd do without you..." was his quiet reply, returning her gesture, and squeezing her arm as they shared their comforting presences.
"Anytime, Perce… Now, you better say your goodbyes. Chiron wants you on Mount. Olympus. The gods are going to want to know how you're back, among other things. Maybe your dad will have some advice too..." she tempted, pulling away with one final squeeze to his shoulder.
Percy's eyes lit up at the mention of his father, though internally he cringed, both at the idea of going to Olympus, and at the thought of Poesidon reacting to his death.
"Dad… How did he take the news?" he asked tentatively.
"Not...well..." Piper replied slowly, remembering the resultant tsunami that had hit camp.
Percy shuddered.
The elevator music in the Empire State Building was still terrible, and Percy's ADHD was playing havoc in such a confined space. Fortunately, Piper was there to drop a few bombs on him.
"So… Ready to become a god?" she said utterly out of the blue.
Percy blinked, unsure he had heard her correctly. "A what?"
Piper rolled her eyes playfully. "You didn't think you could get away with visiting Olympus, and not receive what the rest of the Seven received? Well, the immortal part, at least."
"You all received immortality?" It did explain why Piper looked exactly the same as the day he had last seen her. Unless Aphrodite's children had come up with a special cream that kept them youthful forever.
"Kinda… We can fall in battle…" she replied sagely, though Percy picked up the silent 'like Jason' at the end.
"And Annabeth? You said she refused?" he continued.
"Yeah… She requested that the gods were never to interfere with her life again, and after she finished rebuilding Olympus, she went her separate way. I think she lives in California, but… Who knows anymore…"
Percy frowned, and couldn't help but think how different things would have been if Annabeth had simply accepted. He could have jumped right into her arms...after an ass-kicking, of course.
"If only she had said yes…" he murmured, shaking his head, voicing his thoughts.
Piper seemed to agree, and at that moment, the elevator dinged and opened, revealing the bright, unequivocal splendor of Olympus. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing, huh? Come on, Percy. You know how Zeus gets when he's kept waiting. That much hasn't changed, at least…"
Annabeth had done an expert job at reconstructing the battle-scarred godly domain after the Second Titan War. Each step up to the throne-room was flanked either side by a statue of a demi-god hero. Some old, like Percy's namesake; some fresher in his memory, like Castor. Silent sentinels, immortal in their own way.
To Percy's annoyance, the two statues flanking the forty-foot doors were of him, Riptide in hand, looking regal and warlike. They must have been twice as tall as his likeness at camp.
"Annabeth's idea of a joke. You should have seen the moment Zeus found out…" Piper explained, though it didn't make him feel any better about it.
He turned to her. "Go on ahead, Piper. I just...need a moment…"
Piper nodded, giving his shoulder a squeeze, before disappearing inside, leaving Percy to gaze up at the flawlessly sculpted, marble statues of his likeness. He felt a swirling mix of emotion as he looked at them, honoured that Annabeth saw him that way, but ultimately vexed at the undeserved grandeur.
With a deep breath, he pushed those thoughts from his mind, but before he could enter the chamber, an ethereal sea-breeze blew across his face, and Percy turned, just in time to see his father materialise in a spray of sea-foam. "Dad…" he whispered, before they silently met in a deep embrace.
"I can't believe it's really you… I thought I lost you…" the God of the Sea murmured, almost squeezing the life out of his son. Percy squeezed back, wordlessly enjoying the second hug his dad had ever given him, a surge of emotion and quietude pouring between father and son.
Eventually, they pulled apart, but the look of happiness on Poseidon's face would remain ingrained in Percy's mind forever.
"You did, but… It seems fate has a funny sense of humour when it comes to my life…so...here I am," he said, eyes dropping a little.
Poseidon smiled sadly. "I'm…sorry about Annabeth, Percy."
Percy was touched by his concern. He breathed out deeply, meeting those familiar, sea-green eyes with a small smile. "Don't be. I made my choice for her. I'm…glad she moved on," he said truthfully.
"There's still time for a happy ending, Percy," he winked, smiling as though he knew something that Percy didn't, much to his bewilderment.
Before he could press his father, however, thunder cracked loudly in their ears, causing a simultaneous chorus of eye-rolling.
"The old man wants us… Look, Percy, you're going to need to make a choice. A choice where you least expect it. Your future happiness will depend on it. I know you'll make the right one… Welcome home, Percy…" the God of the Sea said, before giving his son one last, brisk squeeze, and then dissolving into a rolling sea mist that had a great calming effect on the confused demigod.
With one final glance towards the two marble goliaths, he entered, the doors parting automatically as he approached.
The first thing he noticed, aside from having sixteen pairs of eyes on him, were the additional thrones, eight in all, for a grand total of twenty. Six were vacant, but on the other two, he spotted Hades and Hestia. Percy felt a surge of gratification at their presence, and that of what he assumed were the thrones of the minor gods and goddesses.
It was a sign that the Gods could change, albeit, if they were forced to.
At the foot of Aphrodite's throne sat Piper, who sent a smile beaming his way. Percy replied with one of his own, before pausing in the middle of the omega of thrones, and bowing before Zeus somewhat respectfully.
Old Thunderpants himself merely exhaled gruffly. "Hmpf. Since everyone is finally present, we shall begin," he snarked melodramatically. Same old Zeus.
"Perseus Jackson…" he began, rolling the name in his mouth as if it were tough to swallow, though not nearly as badly as Percy, who cringed at the use of his full name.
"Before we move on and talk of your...ahem...reward, we would like to hear, in your own words, where you've been, and more importantly, how it came to be that you return fifteen years later. Chiron has already filled us in, but a few key details are missing. So, if you please..." the King of the Gods said, with an edge to his voice that made it clear that nothing was to be left out.
Percy obliged him. "Well… Tartarus sent me to the void...and the Fates brought me back," he explained simply, causing a wave of mutterings to pass between the thirty-foot tall gods.
"Hey, Hades, why didn't you check the Void for Percy?" Apollo called across.
"I'm the God of the Underworld, not the God of the blank, white-space of nothingness..." Hades replied boredly, though Percy thought he detected a twinkle of respect in his eyes.
Zeus ignored the stupid question. "Yes, but why did they bring you back? The Fates aren't known for their mercy… And to come back from the Void? Absolutely unheard of," he said dismissively, with a wave of his arm.
Percy shrugged. "They said my string hadn't been cut, and that Tartarus wasn't fated to kill me."
This raised more mutterings from among the Olympians, and Zeus looked quite dissatisfied.
"But-" he began, but fortunately, Poseidon cut him off.
"Brother, I think that's all we need to know. Let's not pretend that even we understand fate and its motives."
The God of Thunder eyed his older brother, seemingly conversing silently.
Eventually, Zeus softened, grumbling, "...Very well… We shall move on."
Poseidon sent Percy his signature wink.
"Perseus Jackson, you have served Olympus with distinction, bravery, and honour. Your achievements are...extensive, and the council feel you are deserving of special recognition in light of your deeds. You declined our most generous gift once, but again, we offer you the greatest honour that is in our power to grant...if that is what you wish for," read his overly-dramatic speech.
A feeling of deja-vu washed over the son of Poseidon. He thought back to the last time he had stood in that very spot, and been asked that very question. The offer was as tempting then as it was at that very second. He thought about the reasons he had declined. His justification was that making sure something like the Second Titan War could never happen again was a lot more important than being forever youthful. In actuality, however, he had done it for Annabeth. Seeing her stand there, as white as a sheet of paper, had almost broken his heart.
A lot of good had been born out of his rejection of Zeus's offer, but as he turned his head at that very second, his anchor was absent. His dream of growing old with his bestest-friend, and having a proper, normal life with her...well...that could no longer happen, and Percy accepted that fact.
He turned to Piper, and thought about how she had lost her bestest-friend too, and worst still, she had drifted further away from her other friends in her quest to help Annabeth get over his death. The rest of the Seven lived in New Rome, but when he had asked why she wasn't there herself, she had merely explained that it reminded her too much of Jason. It was difficult to detect, but time hadn't healed all her wounds, apparently.
Still, Percy owed her a great deal, and he couldn't bear to think about where he would have been at that very second without Piper's stern hand keeping him in check over the last two days.
Poseidon's prophetic words about a choice rung around his mind. Somehow he doubted that it referred to the choice being presented to him at that very moment, but it did make him think about his happiness. Should he forge a new life in the immortal world, or remain brooding in the mortal one? There was little for him left in the latter, that much was true. His mom had a family, and though he loved her with every fibre of his being, he felt there was no place for him in that world anymore.
His mind was made up.
"I...accept," he said slowly, the words quite alien to him as he exhaled deeply. Out the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a certain grey-eyed goddess look surprised for a split second.
"Very well. What do you wish for inste-Oh. You accept..." Zeus blinked.
Percy nodded.
"Really?" he quizzed, apparently not so set on the idea of another immortal son of Poseidon as he might have led on.
Again, Percy nodded.
"Are you su-," the God of Honour began, but quite mercifully, Percy's father chimed in.
"Ahem. Brother," he said simply, glaring at the god in question.
Zeus rolled his eyes. "Oh very well," he said, before snapping his fingers, though being thirty-foot tall, the sound was akin to that of a nuclear blast.
When the ringing in his ears stopped, Percy felt no different than before.
"Is...is that it?" he asked cautiously. There seemed to be a mutual chorus of smirking between the gods at that.
Not a moment later, Percy was blazed in blinding, ethereal light, like that of an evolving Pokémon. His skin simmered and burned, whilst his insides felt they were being scooped up for a particularly interesting ice-cream. He felt like he should scream; it felt wrong, and yet, it wasn't. His crimson, metallic, mortal blood was drained, only to be replaced by the golden ichor of immortals, and it was then that burning stopped, and its wake, the growing fizz and buzz of raw, untapped energy that touched every fibre of his being. He felt...powerful.
The light dissipated, revealing the archetype of a Greek god. Tall, with sun-kissed skin, and defined muscles; still Percy, but a more perfect representation of his former self.
In place of his clothes, he was adorned in gilded-bronze Greek armour, adorned with the intricate carvings of his famous victories. In one hand was Riptide, shining in all its glory, whilst in the other, was a plumed Corinthian helmet.
He lost himself in the moment, closing his eyes and listening to the quake of earth and sea beneath his feet, drawing energy from restless currents that were thousands of miles from where he stood. Immediately, he felt he knew everything about his domain.
"Hail to thee, Perseus, God of Tides," Zeus's voice boomed, formally bestowing him his title, and binding it with a clash of deafening thunder; the rest of the gods echoing those words.
His eyes opened as his status was sealed. The sight of his father's look of utter pride and joy made his heart leap, as did the bright smiles Piper and Chiron sent him.
One by one, the rest of the Olympians shrank to normal size to congratulate him.
"God of Tides? I approve," said Artemis, and Percy almost lost himself to her irresistible, lunar pull. Fortunately, Apollo's appearance next to him tugged him right back, and snapped him out of that momentary lapse of concentration. He made a mental note to watch himself around the Goddess of Emasculation; there seemed to be an unexplained anchor between their domains and Percy wasn't fond of dying five minutes after attaining immortality.
"Congratulations, Percy! Perhaps a night on the town is in order. You, me, and Hermes," Apollo grinned, giving him a sly elbow, even under the fierce glare of his sister.
"Thanks, Apollo," he replied simply, beaming brightly, as he received a multitude of back-slaps, handshakes, and hugs...followed by Ares punching him in the arm so hard that he was sure that it would have killed him were he mortal.
Piper's mom appeared next, and Percy stiffened slightly. "Lady Aphrodite…" he said respectfully.
She wrapped her arms around him in a tight squeeze; her intoxicating aura of lust and love made his head spin until she mercifully pulled away. "I'm...sorry about Annabeth, Percy," she said lowly so the others couldn't hear.
He blinked, and then looked down momentarily, anywhere but her drool-inducing figure. "Yeah… Me too."
The Goddess of Love then smirked knowingly. "Don't give up hope. You'll find the one yet…" she whispered in his ear cryptically, just as thunder crackled overhead.
"Ahem. The meeting is still ongoing..." Zeus sassed from his throne, and one by one the Olympians returned to their respective seats.
Only when the last one was seated did he announce, "Meeting adjourned," before disappearing with a flash of lightning, like the God of Drama that he was.
Percy breathed a sigh of relief, taking a moment as, one by one, the Olympians blazed out of existence to do...whatever they did in their 'off-time'. He felt his body emanate that raw hum of power as the golden blood flowed through his veins, forgetting, momentarily, his woes, and simply living in the moment. For the first time since his return, he had true clarity. Of course, someone had to ruin it for him.
He opened his eyes, turning towards Piper and his father, and sending a smile, a true, honest smile, their way. The brown-haired daughter of Aphrodite reciprocated, and Percy thought it was happiest she had looked since they were on board the Argo II. His smile widened, and when he saw the look of pure, unadulterated pride on Poseidon's face, his heart fluttered with joy.
In an instant, the smiles were wiped from their faces as they looked behind him. Poseidon frowned, and Piper pursed her lips; a shadow cast over his own as a chill went up Percy's spine. He turned around, meeting those cold, grey, familiar orbs, and the one person he really didn't want to face.
"Perseus," Athena said curtly, making the man in question cringe internally at the sickening coldness and formality of her voice. However, her next move was anything but formal, as before he could respond, she placed her hand on his shoulder, and in an instant, Percy felt his body dissolve in blistering heat, with his vision totally obscured by a blinding, headache-inducing light.
The sensation was excruciatingly uncomfortable, but while it felt like minutes had passed, in reality, it was a mere half-a-second before the light faded, and Percy stumbled, finding solid ground beneath his feet. His hands felt around his body, making sure none of it was missing, before looking around and surveying the surroundings. Dark spots blurred his vision, but he slowly came to, revealing a picturesque, mountainous, semi-arid landscape, tentatively kissed by the Sun as it slowly rose from behind the horizon. Somehow, Percy knew he was in Greece, on the Aegean Sea, as the ground below hummed with the power of the ancients.
Once more, Percy turned, facing the admittedly radiant, and regal goddess, acutely aware that he had just gazed upon her true form. He struggled to meet her familiar, grey eyes, though, not least because she was staring into his soul quite intensely, god or not, and reading him like a book.
"Lady Athena…" he said slowly, unnerved as the silence grew uncomfortable.
"How did my daughter come to be in that lift, Perseus?" she replied coldly, lips twitching, putting Percy immediately on guard, if he wasn't already. He sensed a trap, though he couldn't be sure how. It was a simple enough question, but there was definitely nothing simple about Athena. They were practically antonyms.
He took a few seconds to think of the correct answer, rather than the specifically truthful one. If there was one thing Annabeth had taught him about her mother, it was that her opinion was the right opinion, and absolutely everything else was incorrect. She was definitely the scariest Olympian, as far as Percy was concerned. She gave nothing away in her body language or expression, save the same cold, calculating look every time.
With an internal shrug, he laid himself out bare for her, thinking that if she were to strike him down, at least it would be in a beautiful location. Every cloud and all that. "I knocked her out, and placed her there myself," he said simply, awaiting her judgement.
Surprisingly, Athena gave him a half-smile. It made the hair on his arms stand on end.
"I know… I wanted to thank you, Perseus. I'm forever in your debt for it," she replied casually.
Percy looked at her weirdly. "Then why did yo-" he began, only for the goddess to brush past him, staring out at the sunrise.
"I needed to hear you say it. Confirmation, if you will, of my daughter's story," she explained.
"You doubted her?" Percy blurted out.
Athena scoffed. "Of course not, don't be absurd," she said, only to continue after a brief pause. "But...people have a tendency to give meaning to acts, when there is no meaning to be found. You could have died pointlessly, and insignificantly, well before my daughter reached the Doors of Death."
He didn't really know how to answer that. He probably should have been offended, in fact, but...this was Athena, after all. "Um...you're welcome, I guess…" he muttered, standing by her side as the Sun's rays finally kissed their skin, and night heralded day. Percy felt a pleasant, calming tug from the sea, as the tide approached its zenith. Things almost felt normal; of course, Athena was the one to ruin it.
She turned to him, and that somewhat warm exterior that he had enjoyed for a full minute was gone, replaced by the same cold, calculating Goddess that he knew and feared. "Your new status as a god does open many doors for you. You're more powerful… You can do pretty much whatever you want. However, I will warn you once, Perseus. Do not attempt to contact my daughter. She is happy as she is, and I want it to remain that way. You suddenly reappearing into her life could ruin that happiness that she's worked hard to build. I don't think I need to tell you about the consequences of going against my wishes, hmm? You may be a god, but I can make things very difficult for you, understand?" the Goddess of Reason blazed, her eyes exposing every morsel of flesh on Percy's body, or so it felt.
He swallowed hard under Athena's intense scrutiny, but nonetheless stood his ground, frowning in defiance.
"I only ever cared about Annabeth's happiness. I would have thought I'd proven that to you long ago," he fired back, standing up for himself.
Athena merely gazed down at him with the same expression, as though she were talking to a pointless worm, and Percy had a feeling she would remain that way for all of time, unless he said what she wanted him to say.
"I understand," he then grumbled, looking away, knowing full well that feuding with the Goddess of Wisdom, or her children, for that matter, was an exercise in futility.
The goddess smiled, clearly happy with herself and the pressure she could exert, but then quickly turned serious again. "Good. Now, listen well, Perseus. A lot more happened whilst you were away than the others have let on. They don't think you can handle it, but I disagree."
The son of Poseidon turned back to her, not really sure if he could survive another conversation. "Um...okay…" he replied smartly.
Athena regarded him for a second.
"Do you know how my children are conceived?" she said quite abruptly.
Percy nearly choked on his tongue. "W-what?" he sputtered out, quite sure that it was not information he wanted, or needed, to hear.
Athena ignored him, explaining, "When I form an emotional attachment to someone, it can do one of two things. It can wither and wilt into nothing, or it can grow into a strong, stalwart bond of mind and matter. Offspring are the eventual result; children born out of pure, emotional, intellectual thought. They are willed into existence, whether wanted or not."
"Lady Athena...what are you getting at?" he said, rubbing his temples.
She then dropped the bomb. "Rarely, the trait is passed on to my children, but very few of those ever attain the bond required to produce such offspring. It seems my daughter was closer to you than even she realised."
It took Percy a second or two, but the realisation slowly crept onto his face until his mouth was agape, and his knees were weak.
"Y-you mean…" he stammered, unable to get the final part out.
The goddess nodded sagely. "I believe you've already met Luke. He's a smart child; no doubt taking after his mother," she said, muttering that last part, before noticing the look of utter shock and disbelief on Percy's face.
"Ahem. I'm sure he inherited your… Anyway... I shall leave you, Perseus. Remember what I said… And definitely don't tell your coral-headed father that I thanked you..." the goddess finished, disappearing thereafter in a blaze of light and heat that singed Percy's hair. He didn't react, though, and merely sank to his knees, gazing out at the sunrise, unable to form a single coherent thought in his head, save that Athena definitely had a funny way of repaying her debts.