Ch. 2

"Come with me, Perseus," the strange being said. It used a feminine voice, so in Percy's mind, he saw it fair to assume it was a goddess. She held out her hand. It was soft and young, unlike that of Demeter's, whose was wrinkly. When he touched her hand, he felt a familiar sensation, one which he had come into contact with very recently.

"You're the River Styx, aren't you?" he asked. The goddess said nothing, only nodding and pulling off the hood of her cloak. Her eyes were a vibrant green, the color of her river. Her hair, too was the same bright shade of green. She was beautiful, almost rivaling Aphrodite. She smiled they disappeared from the throne room, appearing at the edge of the pit. Percy's eyes widened as he realized where they were.

"Do not fret, young demigod," she said. "Tartarus is one place we must go. It was where the rivers reside." Percy snatched his hand out of hers and pulled Anaklusmos from his pocket. As he uncapped the pen, his sword stretching the familiar three foot Celestial Bronze blade. He stood back and held his blade at her throat, ready to put her down should she try to make a move. Styx made no sign of being surprised, merely standing there, calmly smiling.

"You're not dragging me into hell," he said, a determined look gleaming in his eyes. Styx nodded in approval. He would do well in her plans for him.

"I'm not dragging you," she said, her voice staying smooth and collected. "You gave me your soul when you bathed in my waters, Perseus. I'm sorry to say this, but you are in my service now." He looked stricken with grief as he realized that he wouldn't make it Elysium. The River Styx had claimed him for her own. Tears welled up in his eyes. His sword fell from his hand, impaling itself into the ground. He no longer found the strength to hold it. The recent battle began catching up with him as he slowly stumbled. His eyes began to drift close. The last thing he saw was the face of the Styx.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BACK ON OLYMPUS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He's really gone, isn't he?" Poseidon asked, looking at the burning shroud of his son. His was the last to be burned, just after Luke's and Ethan's. Thalia made sure of it. They each had been given proper burials, as had all the other demigods who had fallen, both on the side of the titans and the gods. Soon, it would be time for rewards then the trial. The throne room was in a dead silence as the green shroud burned. The only sound heard was the maniacal laughter of the daughter of Athena.

"I did it, mistress," she mumbled to herself. "Aren't you proud?" Another round of that insane laugh racked her body. Thalia watched the girl in disgust, wondering what would cause someone to sink as low as her. The girl seemed to have all forms of her sanity stripped away from her. Her eyes were wide open, completely bloodshot and unblinking. A wide unwavering smile sat on her face as she watched the shroud in flames. One by one, the Olympians began returning to their thrones. First was Ares, the god of war seemed to even be a bit saddened by the death of this hero. He had obviously proven himself in battle, a hero worthy of an honorable death in battle. Not a stab in the back by someone he had trusted. The second was Athena. Though not liking the demigod at first, she realized that, as the murderer was her daughter, she was partly responsible for his death. Next was Apollo, sullen by the death of his friend. The sun would not shine for millennia. More and more followed until only four were left. Poseidon knelt beside the shroud, wailing for his son. Artemis stood next to him, a comforting hand on his shoulder. Percy was one of the greatest males she had ever met. One who had helped many of her hunters in the recent battles and had even held up the sky for her. The third was Hestia, still in the form of an eight year old. She sat by the shroud, keeping the fire contained. Though it didn't help with the fact that she couldn't see anything through the mist of tears rolling down her face as she periodically broke into gut wrenching sobs. The last was Hades, surprising all those who saw. Although he looked relatively unshaken, a close look would reveal glossy eyes. Even the normally stoic god of death grieved the loss of the demigod.

"Poseidon," Zeus said, careful not to sound rude or pompous, surprising many of the gods and demigods present. "We need to move on with the ceremonies for the day." He spoke softly and Poseidon nodded, slowly standing. Artemis led him to his throne before moving to her own. Two thrones rose for Hades and Hestia to sit at. They were temporary but also custom for both deities. Hades was a black throne with ivory skulls and swirling ebony shadows etched into it. Hestia's looked like a small fireball, the back of it spiking into the tips of flames. They nodded their thanks and sat, ready to reward their soldiers.

"Clarisse La Rue," Zeus said, calling the daughter of Ares to be the first to receive an award. The soldier stepped forward, like everyone else, having red eyes and sniffing. Even she was hurt by Percy's death. She held her head up, waiting to see what the council would give her.

"My daughter," Ares said. "She fought well in this war. She did what she could with an outnumbered army. If it wasn't for her, I doubt many of our own children would still be able to receive rewards. I think it would be more than fair to suggest that she be the General of the Army of Olympus. Wouldn't you agree?" The gods nodded their approval. Ares looked to his daughter. "You would become immortal and would lead Olympus into battle until the day that you faded. Would you accept."

"I would be honored to," she said. "On the condition that Chris, too, is to become immortal." The gods looked at each other and nodded, seemingly in agreement with these terms. Hermes turned to look at Chris and motioned for him to come forward as well.

"As this is part of Clarisse's reward," he said. "I would like to ask you what you would like your reward to be." Hermes smiled at his son's baffled expression. Chris, although being one of Luke's spies on Camp Halfblood, had eventually switched to the side of the gods after being saved by Clarisse. He had fought valiantly in the Battle of Manhattan and was more than deserving of a reward.

"My request is kind of big," he said. "But I don't want this to happen again. Prevent it. Recognize the minor gods, their children, and your children. Don't make the same mistakes. And give them amnesty." The council stared at Chris in shock. His father audibly swallowed and looked to Zeus, a sheepish smile on his face.

"We can do that," he said. "Right, Pops?" Zeus looked at Hermes incredulously before thinking to himself. The son of Hermes was right. Them not respecting the minor gods had led them to this war. Zeus began nodding, slowly and thoughtfully at first. It sped up as he became more confident in his thoughts.

"We can do that," he said. "Starting today, any unclaimed demigod is to be claimed and brought to camp at the age of thirteen. Failure to do so will result in punishment. Cabins for the minor gods and Hades are to be built at Camp Halfblood. All children of the gods shall be protected from now on. I swear it on the Styx." Thunder rumbled in the distance, sealing the deal. Chris nodded thankfully, a beaming smile on his face. Ganymede moved towards the pair of demigods, a golden platter in his hands. On the platter sat two golden apples. Ganymede bowed at his waist, extending the platter to the couple. They smiled at each other as they bit into the apples, godly energy surrounding both of them. Although not becoming full gods with domains, they still gained immortality. They took their places next to the assembled minor gods who had begun to trickle in after being freed.

"Grover Underwood," Zeus called. The satyr was surprised to hear his name called but stepped forward nonetheless. He kneeled down on one knee, bowing to the King of the gods.

"Rise, Grover," Poseidon said. It was the first word the sea god had spoken since the funeral. Grover looked up at Poseidon. The god's eyes were kind but broken. Grover nodded and stood, looking to the gods with a solemn face. Percy's death had undeniably caused him the most physical pain as the empathy link was severed. He had been unconscious for most of the funerals, only waking to see the final one.

"We would like to bestow upon you the title of God of the Wild," Zeus said. Grover almost fell over from the shock. A proud smile floated across his face. He nodded.

"I accept, Lord Zeus," the satyr said. Once again, Ganymede appeared with his platter and a single apple. Plucking it off of the platter, Grover almost swallowed the apple whole. He exploded with a golden aura as he embraced the title once owned by Pan. He could feel the power running through his veins. When the light from the aura died down, Grover seemed to have grown older. His horns were a lot longer and the hair of his beard had grown a bit of grey. He moved to stand next to the General of Olympus and her new immortal husband.

"Nico di Angelo," Hades called out. The young boy stepped forward, his eyes trained on the ground. He hadn't spoken a word the whole time, all the way through the funerals. Not even Percy's. His eyes were bloodshot and irritated from crying and rubbing. Everyone had known how close the two cousins were. It wasn't even fitting to call them that. They were more brothers than cousins.

"Son," Hades said. Nico looked up to the god of death, his father. His eyes were lifeless. "We offer you godhood." Before Hades had even finished his sentence, Nico had already declined.

"I'm honored, Father," he said. "I really am. But losing my friends this day, I would like to someday see them again." Hades nodded and looked at Zeus, hoping for a suggestion for a reward fitting of the young boy.

"Nico," Zeus said after thinking for a few moments. "I offer you my own blessing as a reward for your efforts in this war." Nico's eyes widened in shock at this.

"I, too, offer you my blessing," Poseidon said. This threw Nico for another loop. After steeling his nerves and coming back to his senses, he nodded.

"I'll accept your blessings, Uncles," he said tentatively. Zeus and Poseidon stood from their thrones, shrinking down to mortal size. Both placed their hands on Nico's shoulders and a light aura passed between them. Zeus's was a light blue while Poseidon's was a dark sea green. The sudden influx of power caused Nico to collapse unconscious. Apollo flashed out of his thrown and grabbed him before he hit the ground.

"Take my son to the infirmary and let him recover, Apollo," Hades said. The god of medicine nodded, his normal attitude of immaturity, disappearing from the account of recent events. With a flash, he and the son of Hades disappeared. After a few seconds, he returned to his throne and they continued the reward ceremony without a hitch. The mood grew much darker as the time came. The blonde daughter of Athena was dragged out in shackles to the center of the throne room, her cackling resounding off of the marble floor.

So. What'd you guys think? Good? Bad? Tell me. Leave me a review. I'd really appreciate it. And vote for the pairing. So far the results are:

Artemis: 2

Thalia:1

Khione:0

Zoe:0

Thanks for reading. Goodbye. Have a good day.