Percy Jackson
Percy knew that he couldn't stay in Poseidon's realm forever. Living in the sea was…odd to say the least. He was sure he could adjust but he'd much rather be on the surface, fighting against Hektor. It was abundantly clear now that Hektor was no longer a friend.
While Percy swam into the depths, he couldn't help but feel there was more behind the scenes he didn't know. Sure, camp betraying him was a shock but the fact they did it after Olympus was locked down just didn't sit right with him. He wanted to storm up to Olympus and demand answers, but he wasn't sure if he could do it without being struck down by Zeus himself.
The dark blue depths of the Atlantic slowly faded away into dim orange lights. The shape of buildings and streets crowded with fish and mermen came into view. A pod of whales gently passed by over the top. A patrol of sharks seemed to be swimming in a pattern around the city. They didn't pay any mind to Percy, who swam down into the city.
Atlantis was always a beautiful sight to Percy. Not many mortals, half-bloods included, ever saw the beauty of the underwater city. To his knowledge, he was the only mortal who knew what Atlantis looked like. He laughed at some of the paintings of the city from the mortal world, some of them were pretty accurate but they still would never capture the grand feeling of seeing the city up close.
By now, plenty of Poseidon's subjects knew who Percy was. A few stopped and gaped as Percy swam by while others nodded and went about their day. Percy was wondering where his dad was, he'd even talk to Triton if he could find him even though they never were on the best of terms.
Eventually, he made it to Poseidon's palace which looked a lot better than it did during the Titan War. Some of the scars of that war were still prevalent, mainly in the chips and cracks in the marble pillars but the palace itself stood proudly. Mermen in armor stood outside on guard, a few regarding Percy with curious yet friendly looks. So far everything looked good.
Percy swam up to the palace doors and knocked. He wasn't sure if he could just walk in, his dad never really did tell him how to act when he visited.
"Come in!" His dad's deep voice called from within the palace.
Percy opened the door and swam in, the mermen shutting the door behind him. Poseidon sat on his throne, his trident in his hand and a brooding look on his face. He looked up and smiled at Percy with warm eyes.
"Son!" He said, "What brings you here?"
"Dad, Camp Half-Blood is in trouble!" Percy said right away, "There's this crazy guy and everyone there is acting—"
"Like they hate you, yes, I know this." Poseidon said.
Percy blinked, "How can you be so calm about this?!"
Poseidon's smile wavered a little before he shifted in his throne, "Because everything is going to plan."
"Going to plan?" Percy repeated, "What plan? What are you talking about?"
Poseidon hopped off his throne and shrunk down to normal size. He approached Percy and placed a hand on his shoulder, "There's much to discuss, son. Now that you're here, I can explain mostly everything to you. Granted Athena is usually better with these types of things but she's busy with whatever she's doing."
Now Percy was really confused. First, he was hit with the fact Poseidon had a plan that somehow involved him being driven out of Camp Half-Blood, and now it was possible that his dad and Athena may be working together on the plan. Sure, Athena may have approved of him dating Annabeth but that didn't mean she all of a sudden liked his dad. That woman held a grudge like no other.
"Follow me." Poseidon said as he walked into a hallway fit for a museum. It was tall enough that ten full-grown Cyclopes would need to stack on top of each other to reach the ceiling. The hall was lined with pictures of different sea life, some prehistoric, some modern. Percy wondered if Poseidon took these pictures himself.
"We have been watching you for quite a while now ever since the…death of your beloved." Poseidon said, noticeably hesitating on the word 'death' as if he knew something Percy didn't.
"So then you saw what Hektor is doing." Percy said, "Then why the hell aren't you guys doing anything?!"
"Patience, son." Poseidon said while holding his hand up, "Hektor forcing you out of camp was a part of our plan. Make no mistake, he is not your ally, we simply used his treachery to our advantage."
"Whatever this plan is," Percy grumbled, "really sucks."
Poseidon chuckled, "Well, don't let Athena hear you say that, she's the one who came up with the plan."
"Of course." Percy said, he should've known the wisdom goddess would roll the dice with his life. Why wasn't she here, explaining herself for ruining his life?
Poseidon opened the door at the end of the hall, leading to what looked like a meeting room. The odd thing about this room was the fact that it was completely dry. When Percy stepped into the room, he looked back to see a wall of water but instead of it crashing in, it was held at the doorway, as if the water hesitated to enter the room.
Percy looked around the rest of the room. There were wide windows that offered splendid views of the ocean, it wasn't uncommon to see a blue whale glide past or a pair of great whites swimming at a relaxing pace. The windows made the normally massive sharks look adorable. Percy noticed the room was step up sort of like the meeting rooms of the high-rises in New York. A large dark brown wooden table the size of flying saucer sat in the middle of the room, lavish silver leather chairs spread around the table. Overhead, orange lights gave the room an official yet cozy glow.
"Athena will be here soon." Poseidon said, "She will explain everything to you in much better detail. In the meantime, don't despair, not everything is lost like you think."
Percy pulled out a chair and sat down. How could he not despair? All his friends were back at camp, being led by a traitorous piece of shit who took advantage of his kindness. He thought that after two prophecies, the fates would cut him a break but instead, they seemed to throw even more trouble his way.
Poseidon pulled a chair next to him and sat down with a sigh, "I hope you don't judge me and Athena too harshly, we are only trying to do what's best."
"How long?" Percy asked.
"What?"
Percy turned to look at his dad, "How long have you guys been watching me? Did you watch Annabeth die?"
Poseidon stared at him for a moment, "Like I said before, we only started watching you after she died. If you are thinking that we watched as your beloved died, then you are wrong. We would've done everything in our godly power and the ancient laws to save her." Once again, he said all of this in a uncertain tone. Percy wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.
Percy wasn't sure how long it was until Athena arrived. It could've been a hour, it could've been five minutes. Telling time was hard when he was nervous, his ADHD seemed to spiral out of control when he was nervous. Even then, telling time was hard when he was normal.
A flash let Percy and Poseidon know of the goddess's arrival. Percy turned to look at her. Athena looked like she had just come out of a business meeting. She wore a gray skirt and jacket with silver owl earrings dangling from her ears. Her heels clicked against the floor as she made her way to a chair.
"Sorry I was late, Zeus was panicking too much." She said as she sat down. She glanced over at Percy before turning her eyes back to Poseidon.
"Well, ehm, I assume you got my message then?" Poseidon said.
"Yes, I did." She said, "I'm glad you survived that ordeal, Percy."
"Yeah, no thanks to you." Percy bit back.
Athena sighed, "How much do you know?"
"Enough." Percy said, "You planned all of this. You forced me out of camp. You forced me to run. The only thing I don't know is if you planned Annabeth's death or not. I really hope you didn't."
"I would not plan the death of my own daughter." Athena said, a little bit angry, "Perhaps if I was Hades, maybe. I really hope you intend to keep a civilized tone with me, Perseus, I do not tolerate disrespect, even if you are my daughter's lover."
Percy was about to snipe at her again when he froze. He never realized how much Athena looked like Annabeth now, just older. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun, her gray eyes just as calculating as Annabeth's. She lacked the scars that Annabeth had but their faces were eerily similar.
"Okay." He said, "My dad said you'd explain."
Athena seemingly backed down, "Yes. As you are well aware, I planned your ousting from Camp Half-Blood. I knew of Hektor's treachery long before you did but did not act. I wanted the foolish boy to think he was truly winning. My plan depended on you coming to us, if you had ran to your mother's things would be more complicated."
"Well, I'm here, so now what?" Percy asked.
"Now, we tell you exactly what has been going on." She said, "Shortly after the celebrations of Gaea's defeat, we, the gods, learned of a aura coming from the pit. At first, we dismissed at as nothing more than just anger from slain monsters. Until we heard the familiar chanting from a certain Titan lord."
"Kronos." Percy said with awe.
"Indeed."
"But how?" Percy asked, "I thought Luke killed him!"
"He did." Athena confirmed, "But, it seems the Titan had a fallback plan, a way to come back from a defeat. We should've seen this coming, Kronos may be cruel but he is not stupid. He knew there was a very real chance that he would lose and so he prepared for it."
"So, is he like coming out of Tartarus or something?" Percy asked. He couldn't see the Titan lord clawing his way out of the pit. Percy would've tried that while he was down there.
"No, he himself cannot break the bounds of Tartarus. Not without help. I suspected his chanting was a way of communication with someone in the mortal realm, I just wasn't sure whom. After discovering Hektor's betrayal, I'm certain that he is the one contacting Kronos."
"Then why don't you guys just kill him?" Percy asked.
Poseidon coughed, "Son, why do you think we didn't just kill Luke Castellan?"
"Uh, because he was good-looking?" Percy guessed.
"Gods, you're hopeless." Athena sighed, "No, because he was a part of a prophecy. When someone is a part of a prophecy, any attempt to change their fate will always end in failure. Always."
"Just like how you survived all your quests." Poseidon said, "You were destined to be the prophecy child, the chosen one. We could've tried to kill you but I reckon we wouldn't be too successful. Chances were, all of Camp Half-Blood would've taken up arms to protect you and we would've lost the war."
"Not anymore." Percy grumbled darkly.
"Can we please get back to my plan?" Athena asked.
"Sorry, go on." Poseidon said.
Athena nodded, "We planned for you to come here, partially because we wanted to ensure your safety, but also because we desperately need your help. The matter of Kronos is daunting but it is minor compared to what is happening on Olympus."
Percy remembered Olympus being locked down, now it was time for him to find out why.
"It all started with a quarrel between Artemis and Apollo." She said like she was telling an old tale, "Both siblings argued that the other stole their bow or lyre. Their symbols of power. Their fight got so bad that there were ramifications in the mortal world. Increased solar eclipses, increase in wild animal attacks. Diseases became deadlier as medicine got weaker, music became bland and boring."
Poseidon motioned that he had something to say, "That was when Hades showed up."
"Yes, Hades had complaints about the increase of dead." Athena said, "When he was on Olympus, his helm of darkness went missing. At the same time, Demeter's scepter went missing. Naturally, both gods blamed each other. This time, people died quicker, crops either withered or bloomed to unnatural proportions. Famine decimated entire nations."
"Why didn't anyone do anything?" Percy asked.
"Because it all happened so fast." She answered, "I was distracted by the news of Annabeth's death. By the time I came back, Hermes was missing his caduceus. Hephaestus and Ares both blamed each other for thefts of their symbols due to brewing animosity over Aphrodite's affair. Aphrodite locked herself away after the theft of her own symbol of power, no one has seen her yet. Though I suspect she is responsible for the increase in sex around the globe."
"What about Dionysus?" Percy asked.
"Ah, the wine god. He was foolish enough to think whoever stole everyone else's symbols wouldn't steal his. He was wrong."
"And now he's drinking himself into Elysium on Olympus." Poseidon said.
"What about you guys, why didn't your symbols of power get stolen?" Percy asked, wondering exactly why they both were so calm.
"I've always been down here." Poseidon said, "A thief would have to hold their breath for more than what is humanly possible. The few times I went to Olympus, I had my trident in my hand the whole time."
"I was always careful." Athena said, "After what happened to Artemis, I locked away my symbol of power in my secret chambers. No one, not even Zeus, knows where my chambers are."
"What about Zeus? Did he get his bolt stolen again?" Percy asked, it would be so typical if he did.
"Surprisingly, no. Zeus was very careful the second the theft was revealed, he went as far as to nearly smite a servant for going near it. Hera has taken the liberty to cover her symbol in a flock of peacocks, it would be very unwise to disturb that flock." Athena said as if she had first-hand experience.
"Yep, and now she and Zeus are the only ones keeping Olympus from falling apart." Poseidon said, "Me and Athena have a different job now. We are to assist you in getting the missing items back."
"Why didn't you guys come to me in the first place? Why didn't anyone think to swear on the Styx?" Percy asked.
"Zeus prohibited us from contacting you, he didn't want to rely on you for yet the third time this century. As for the Styx, all promises made on that river can carry deadly consequences, most gods wouldn't take that chance."
Percy sat back in his chair. The missing items explained a lot now that he thought about it. Dionysus's disappearance, the random fights at Walmart, even the missile launcher at cabin nine suddenly malfunctioning. There was still one thing left.
"How did Hektor turn everyone against me?" He asked.
Athena pursed her lip, "I do not know. I wish I was observing camp when he did that but I wasn't. I had my own matters to attend to."
Percy sighed, retrieving stolen godly items didn't seem too fun but he knew someone had to do it. If he had to guess, Hektor had something to do with it, but he figured Athena and Poseidon already knew that.
"Son, if I may, I recommend you get Hephaestus's and Ares's symbols back first. It appears their squabble has led to the most destruction thus far." Poseidon said.
"How?"
Athena tapped the table with her finger as if she was recalling something unpleasant, "War. The mortal world is in so much conflict, your kind may wipe itself out before the gods do. So many countries have declared war or become embroiled in disputes. The three major superpowers of your world are one incident away from nuclear war."
"Yep, and funnily enough, Hephaestus and Ares are preventing it while also causing it."
"Huh?" Percy asked.
Poseidon smirked as if the thought entertained him, "Hephaestus has been making mortal war machines go haywire. Jets will suddenly fall out of the sky or fail to take off. Missiles fail to maintain a lock. Ships will randomly sink, which is great for me but not so great for the mortals aboard. It even effects the common soldier; guns will jam or even explode while firing."
"Meanwhile, Ares has been hitting Hephaestus where it hurts. Mortal militaries target industrial sectors the most now, even passing up military targets. Factories, arms plants, you name it. Those factories are Hephaestus's domain but they also produce most of the weapons needed for war." Athena said.
"Wait, so let me get this straight. Hephaestus is breaking the war machines that try to destroy his domain but Ares is also targeting the places that make those war machines he uses?" Percy asked.
"Yes, quite the complicated conflict." Athena said, "Worse than World War 1 if you ask me. Together, those two have caused so much chaos that mortal wars have grinded into stalemates. Granted, it's only a matter of time before one gets the upper hand and when that happens, the loss of life will be horrific."
Poseidon stood up, "I think that's enough." He turned to Percy, "I think you deserve some time to relax and rewind. Come, I'll show you your quarters."
Percy stood up and got ready to follow him but he stopped and turned to Athena, "Lady Athena, I'm sorry about Annabeth."
The wisdom goddess said nothing. She didn't look angry but she didn't look sad either. Percy gave up and followed his dad, all the while wondering what exactly was wrong with her.
After ten minutes of going through hallways decorated with fish art and climbing stairs that seem to lead to nowhere, Percy finally stood outside a wooden door that looked like it got taken straight out of a five-star hotel. The golden doorknob shined brightly at him.
"Had to drain this place of water so she could breath." Poseidon murmured.
"What?" Percy asked, turning to him.
"Nothing, nothing." Poseidon said, "Yell if you need me. I need to have a little chat with Athena before she leaves."
Percy watched as his father turned down the hallway and disappeared. He turned back to the door and opened it. He walked in, not really looking around, before turning and shutting the door.
He turned and his eyes widened.
"What are you doing here?"
A/N: HA! Cliffhanger! I'll give you a day to try to guess who it is. Hektor? Thalia? Calypso? Maybe even Medusa.