No POV
"Father, there is rumor going around the camp that Percy is dead." Zeus looked at his daughter and scratched his beard.
"And you think that correcting them is not the best course of action?" Athena took her time before nodding slowly. She did believe that but wanted to run it by her father first.
"Ever since the camp heard those rumors the camp has been working more efficient than ever. The demigods fear us and feel justice was served for what they did not my daughter, mostly my cabin of course."
Zeus leaned back on his throne and took a deep breath. For most things he agreed with his daughter, after all she was the manifestation of his intelligence and wisdom and was seldom wrong. Regardless, this particular case was one of the few ones he did not agree with completely.
"The campers feel safe again father, they believe we are looking out for their safety and will do anything to protect them... even if it means killing one of their own." Athena made a really compelling argument, Zeus felt the amount of offerings to him increase and the outcomes of the rumor have been nothing but favorable for everybody.
"Perhaps you are right Athena, but what will happen if Percy finds a way to overcome the mark and decides to come back to camp?"
"That's why we will only avoid the question, let demigods think what they want. If they are angered by his return, we will be able to say we never confirmed his death and if that does not work we can argue we just respected his privacy." Athena was glad that she had the perfect solution to this. She had thought of this conversation beforehand and knew how to answer every question her father could possible launch at her.
"In addition, if Percy ever finds a way to handle his problem he will undoubtedly contact the council before returning to camp." Athena was very proud with herself. The small nods that Zeus did as she talked just proved that when it came to finding solutions there was nobody better than her.
"I will run this by the council Athena, they will probably have no objections although Poseidon might not be happy. If Percy finds a way to deal with his problem and he contacts us, we will tell him of this and see what he thinks."
Athena gave her father a small nod and walked towards her throne aware that Zeus was about to call a meeting. Before Athena could sit down, she noticed that her father was just sitting on his throne and remained motionless. Something was up with him as Zeus liked to call meetings and would never hesitate to call one unless something was wrong.
"Something bothering you father?" Zeus looked at his daughter and leaned back on his throne to sigh.
"You do realize what we are doing Athena?" Athena narrowed her eyes at her father and hesitated before shaking her head slowly. She had no idea what her father was talking about, an injury to her pride.
"We are hoping that Perseus never finds a solution to the cursed mark that controls him. That he stays away from all of his friends and lives in solitude until he is needed once again. Our actions are a terrible injustice to him, I can feel it in my domain and I can't help but to feel sad for the young boy." Athena could not help but to feel depressed as well, her father was right. She might be the goddess of wisdom and intelligence but her father was the god of honor and justice, although he almost never lived up to those standards himself, he had wisdom that could only be gained through experience.
"A mere mortal that has done so much for us all and we did not think twice when we sent him away to solve his problems on his own. He returned my lightning bolt when he was wrongfully accused to prevent a war between us. He took the sky from your sister when he had already gotten what he went looking for. He risked his life and bathed in the Styx to have a chance at holding back Kronos to defend our thrones while we were busy fighting Typhon." Zeus paused for effect and then looked at his daughter. Athena was deep in thought after what her father said and came to the same conclusion as him. Percy had been treated as nothing more than a tool, and now that he was faulty he was put on the highest shelve to be ignored, only to be retrieved when he was needed.
"A mortal who values friends and family before all else, forced to live without any of them. He wanted nothing more than a family of his own only for them to be taken away when they were within his grasp. That is his fate and we, the gods, are partly responsible." Athena looked at her father and realized he was changed god, he was a better god.
"I thought you hated Perseus, that he is after all just a mortal. That as soon as he falls in battle he is to be forgotten like many other demigods." Zeus looked at Athena and could not help but to feel shame as she was saying what he had told her a few years ago.
"I never hated him Athena, I never had anything against him." Zeus finally managed to say.
"It was because of Poseidon then?" Zeus nodded at his daughter and Athena patiently waited because she wanted to hear it come out from his mouth.
"I could not stand for Poseidon to have such great boy, someone so selfless, so loyal and so powerful… it seemed like he had inherited everything good from him and nothing of the bad. It was sickening and I envied him because I wanted a demigod like him to be a son of mine, not his." Athena always had her suspicions about her father's hate towards Percy and this was the final proof that she needed.
"I realized that I should not envy Poseidon but be happy for him and be by his side him when he is terrible pain for his son. I talked with Hestia about it yesterday and she just made me realize that Perseus was right. Family is the most important thing and I have a great one already, I don't need anyone else." Athena just stared at her father in awe, unknowingly a tear had formed on her left eye and she only noticed it as it fell on the floor.
Zeus stood up from his throne and approached his daughter. Athena stood up and looked at her father with teary eyes. Zeus wiped away her forming tears and Zeus pulled her into a tight embrace. Athena was surprised that this was actually happening, her father had never showed them any signs of affection but now here he was saying that they were everything that he needed. After a few seconds of shock she realized that her father was really hugging her and that she was crying, not because of sadness but because of joy.
"Father I am crying, I think it's because I never been this happy." Zeus just smiled and then held her at arm's length looking her straight in the eyes.
"I have neglected my family for too long and that is something I regret. I have a beautiful wife and beautiful children, what more can someone ask for?" Athena just hugged her father again and thought back to what Zeus had said before. Percy wanted nothing more than a family of his own and when it was within his grasp it was taken.
"That's all Percy ever wanted..." As soon as the words left her mouth Athena felt bad once again. Zeus wasn't any better but dwelling on this was not going to solve anything. Zeus pulled away from his daughter and walked back towards his throne.
"We will inform the council of the rumor. They will avoid to answer the question at all cost and let the campers believe that he is dead. Romans and Greeks alike," Athena sat back on her throne and nodded at her father. Zeus then pulled out his lightning bolt and called a council meeting.
Allie POV
Word around camp was that the Olympians had killed Percy off because they considered him a threat to their children. When Jamie told us what she thought it made sense but I did not want to believe it. I have been asking my father about Percy but he just dodges the question since he cannot lie. Dionysus has not left his room for the past few days to avoid the curious demigods but the silence was answer enough.
The worst part about all of this is that the camp seems happier. I think Percy was a constant reminder of the previous wars and even though they liked him they hated seeing him. All Percy needed was a little slip and suddenly the entire camp was behind the decision to kill him off as no mortal should ever be that powerful.
"Allie, will you please eat? You been skipping lunches for the past few days and that is not very healthy." I turned to look at Katie offering me a salad with some fruits on top. I was thankful that she stayed with me this long. A few days after the news that Percy was dead started going around the camp most of my friends went their own ways. Annabeth only hanged out with Olivia or Clayton and Jamie spent all of her time with Miranda gossiping. Karen smiled with glee when she found out Percy was killed by the gods and I instantly hated her, I stopped being her friend when I pointed out her mistake but she did not even feel guilty for what she did. The only one that stayed with me was Katie and I was grateful.
"Thanks Katie, I don't know what I would do without you." She gave me a sad smile and then looked around to see if anyone was nearby.
"Percy was my friend too, it sickens me to see the camp so happy at his death. He would have taken an arrow for any of them and this is how they repay him..." I shook my head in disgust at the campers as well. I looked around the empty table that only Katie and I sat on and thought about him.
Suddenly the camp bell rang, since it was lunch and it had just started that could only mean it was the hunters. A few weeks ago I was waiting for my chance to join their ranks but not anymore. I don't want to admit it but I'm secretly hoping that he comes back, that he is not dead like everyone thinks and that we can be together again if he still wants me.
"Lady Artemis, we did not expect you so soon but we will have everything ready by the end of lunch." Chiron looked at Artemis apologetically but she just raised her hand to stop him.
"No need Chiron, we can handle everything ourselves. Thalia make sure the hunters take everything into the cabin and make sure the boys stay away. We don't want too many jackalopes." The boys all stiffened up and looked away. I could not help but to chuckle a bit, if I had joined the hunters that was the kind of power I would have had. Artemis then looked in my direction and I knew she was looking at me, when I looked back at her she just looked at Chiron and kept on talking.
"We will skip the lunch this time but we will be here for dinner." Chiron bowed at Artemis and she left with the rest of her glaring followers.
"Do you still want to join the hunters? You know after everything that has happened." Katie looked quite sad when she asked me this. I could tell she did not want me to join, I was one of her closest friends, sure she had her siblings but I was the one she spent the most time with.
"No, if Percy is really dead Artemis is partially responsible since she is part of the council. I also don't care about being a hunter anymore, I only ever wanted to be a hunter so I could be special but maybe being average isn't so bad. Also, I don't think they would take me in after everything that I did." Katie grew puzzled with my remark and signaled me to continue.
"The camp's greatest demigods are no longer here, Luke, Thalia, Clarisse and Percy. Maybe being average is what has kept us all alive." Katie seemed to be thinking about what I just said. She was probably realizing that it was true. All the great demigods of Camp Half Blood have either fallen or are gone in some other way.
Soon the bell rang again, it was time to pack everything up and leave the dining pavilion. Katie left with her siblings to discuss the lack of funds for the gardens of New Athens with Annabeth for the rest of the day so I was alone. I decided to go the archery range to practice, the hunters would not be there yet as unpacking took them some time. Sure enough when I got there the place was empty, none of my brothers or the rest of the campers wanted to be here when the hunters arrived. That was great for me, that just meant that I had the range of myself for a few minutes.
I had actually gotten a lot better now at archery in this past week, before I could only shoot inside the middle ring, not bad but not great. Now I barely missed the center, a few stray arrows missed the center by a centimeter every once in awhile but other than that my aim was perfect.
"Not bad daughter of Apollo." I turned around to the Thalia the lieutenant of the hunters. She looked quite intimidating and I could tell she was very powerful. I heard rumors that she was one of the few people that could take on Clarisse or Percy and was possibly the best spear wielding demigod. I wanted to talk to respond but I did not know what to say.
"Why are you all here alone? Don't you have friends in the camp?"
"I do but they are busy…" Thalia gave me facial expression that showed she did not believe me. She then pulled out her bow and within seconds hit ten arrows in the dead center of the target next to mine.
"For a camper you are very good with a bow and arrow. How about we practice something else?" I figured she was right. I could actually improve my speed after some practice but without Artemis' blessing I would never be as good as a hunter so practicing something else was the better choice.
I looked at Thalia, pulled out my knives and got into position. She pulled out some silver ones and lunged at me with incredible speed. She was easily the strongest opponent that I ever faced and I could tell she was going easy on me. My close quarter combat skills were never the best and that had come to bite me in the ass before.
The only reason Clarisse died was because I needed help, if I was better maybe she would not have not come to my aid. It is also why Percy got angry at Karen in the first place, she beat me and Percy had to step in. Now he is dead too, both of them died because of my lack of skill now that I think about it. I was so deep in thought I did not noticed Thalia was speeding up her attacks. I only realized too late and Thalia stabbed me under my lower left side. She immediately stopped her attack and came to check up on me only to find that I was uninjured.
"How?" Percy was right when he told me this vest would keep me safe. I smiled at the memory and Thalia looked at me as if I was crazy.
"Percy gave it to me. He said it would keep me safe." Thalia looked confused for a second but then shook her head in disbelief.
"Percy gave you that? Why? What is it?" Thalia looked at my dark gray vest and admired it before reaching over the touch it.
"You're right, I can feel his power inside of it. Do you know what it is?" I shook my head and Thalia just watched my vest in admiration.
"Percy said it was indestructible and that it was a gift from Hephaestus. He only gave me a vest but he gave Jim the son of Hermes a suit out of this to protect his whole body." Thalia just looked impressed with the material and stood up before scratching her head and walking towards the Athena cabin.
"Umm where are you going Thalia? I thought you would help me practice." In the distance we heard thunder but when I looked at the sky it was clear. Zeus must have called for a meeting.
"Oh yeah, I was just going to the Athena cabin to talk to Annabeth and Percy." I shook my head and I noticed Thalia smile a bit but then put up a frown.
"They broke up almost two months ago. Annabeth started to like this other guy named Clayton so they broke up." I had heard that Annabeth and Thalia were friends but the half smile she had plastered on her face suggested otherwise.
"I thought you two were friends, why are you smiling?" Thalia just blushed but composed herself. She walked back to me and sat down on the floor next to me.
"You do know that Percy and I are good friends too?" I nodded and started to realize what was going on, Thalia was probably Percy's first love. I had heard rumors that she was forced to join the hunters to escape the prophecy so she probably had to break up with him.
"You two were together… but you're a hunter now... you like Percy?" Thalia just formed a scowl on her face and looked around the range. Luckily nobody else was around and it was just the two of us alone.
"No, of course not. We were never together, I thought one of us was destined to die in the prophecy so there's that. The prophecy happened and we both survived so I thought I finally had a chance with him but he fell for Annabeth but I was fine with it. That is all." I looked at Thalia with my jaw open. The lieutenant of the hunters liked Percy too? Of course she did, but she said it was a few years ago, she was forced to join to escape the prophecy and Percy was much better trained to fight Kronos so she had to let him do it. Thalia then stood up and walked towards the Poseidon cabin, which was of course empty.
"You won't find him there." Thalia turned around and looked at me questioningly.
"What do you mean? Did he move to New Rome already?" I looked at Thalia and could see she was annoyed at the news for some reason.
"A lot has happened since he broke up with Annabeth, for starters my name is Allie." I patted the ground next to me to signal Thalia to sit down. When she sat down I started to explain everything that has been going on for the past 2 months.
Thalia POV
The girl I had just met at the shooting range started telling me of everything that has been going at at the camp and I found of it hard to believe. Percy hooking up with Clarisse, getting her pregnant and then losing them both. Percy hooking with up with this blonde girl and then going mad at the mention of Clarisse? Threatening the entire camp even Chiron? Sounded like a bizarre story to me.
The girl named Allie told me everything about Percy too, from his loud sex with Clarisse to his apparent decline into madness. When she told me of the rumor that Percy was dead I thought she was kidding but she seemed very serious about it. My father would have never allowed it... he knew how much we cared for him.
She also told me about her time with him, it was especially awkward since she went into some detail and I could not help but to feel impressed and a bit jealous at the same time. I guess it was because deep inside I always thought that Percy and I would have ended up together in case things did not work out with Annabeth or in case I ever left the hunters after the prophecy. We are both very similar and are very strong demigods, we were like the perfect match for each other but he was just like a brother now so I brushed those thoughts aside.
"Umm, Thalia why did you get annoyed when you asked if he left for New Rome?" I was taken aback by her question. Never in a million years would I have guessed I would tell this to anyone.
"Well, Annabeth told me that the roman praetor kind of liked him and from the looks of it Percy liked her too, if he went there I thought he was going to end up with her... I heard from Annabeth she was a real bitch. He is like my brother and him ending up with her would have been annoying." Allie looked surprised but just sighed.
"I guess it does not matter now..." I looked at Allie and could not help but to doubt what she was telling me. Artemis had never said a word to me about that, she knew that I cared about him as a brother so she should have said something. I do not know what I would do if she had agreed to put him down like a sick dog.
After a while my sisters joined us in the range but Allie and I kept practicing knives. I was waiting for Artemis to show up but she never did, I was going to ask her for sure about Percy. I was her lieutenant she could not lie to me, she was going to tell me the whole truth.
Soon it was late and the bell for lunch rang. We all went into the dining pavilion and Artemis was nowhere to be found. I was going to sit next to my sisters but then I noticed that Allie was sitting in the Poseidon table. Poseidon had not come to strike her down so I assumed everything she said must have been true…
I went over and decided to sit next to her. Allie did not say a word but I was sure she was depressed. I looked around the room and noticed the camp seemed brighter, the campers seemed really happy. The place was homey and it felt so wrong, even the Stolls were looking cheerful and they were supposed to be his best friends.
"You noticed didn't you?" I looked at Allie and nodded. Allie must have been talking about the camp being happy when they should be sad, it was eerie. Twenty minutes into lunch I felt Artemis flash into the pavilion. I wanted to go and ask her about Percy but could not turn around. I was scared of her answer, scared that it would be true. If it had been the other way around Percy would have flipped Olympus over yet I was afraid.
I took a deep breath and piled up my courage. I slowly stood up from my chair and looked back at the table with my sisters. Artemis glanced over at me and looked at me straight in the eyes. In less than a second her gaze fell and she looked away.