~PERCY~

Zeus, the drama queen, was still droning on. At this point, everyone in the throne room had ceased listening to him, but didn't quite dare to show it. Percy shut out his incessant voice and instead fixed his attention to the shadow lurking on the edge of the crowd with electric-blue eyes that flitted over to them now and again. Thalia Grace. He caught her eye. Don't do it, he told her silently, but knew it was useless. Thalia was much like him; unpredictable, a wild spirit. It was one of the reasons they'd clashed so badly when they'd first met. Like Annabeth said, they'd either be the best of friends or the worst of enemies; Percy was just glad it had turned out to be the former. Even though they were all demigods, Thalia, and maybe Nico, were really the only ones who truly understood. Understood what it meant to be a forbidden child; to be under the burden of a prophecy; to be liked and feared in equal measure. She just got him in a way that no one could, maybe not even Annabeth. So he could often tell what she was thinking, and she him.

Thalia's eyes flashed. He knew her well enough to know she'd do it, even if she didn't have a plan. They were alike in that way; always rushing in headfirst. Attack first, talk later. Not like Annabeth, the strategist. It was just what he'd do; rush in to save his friends even at his own cost. But he didn't want to drag Thalia into this. She would be fine, as Artemis' lieutenant. She didn't have to share their fate. She could live out the rest of her immortal days happy in the Hunt. But he knew she wouldn't. It just wasn't who she was. Even though her fatal flaw wasn't loyalty, like him, she too was loyal to a fault.

Zeus had finally stopped talking, but Percy knew, with mounting dread, what that meant. Their end was near. Tartarus ... the rational part of the mind was saying I don't want to go there ever again, but the darker side of him, the side which had turned the goddess of Misery's own poison on her, was jumping around gleefully. The fragile glass ball inside him that had shattered the moment he'd choked Akhlys had never quite healed right; without a doubt, he knew that if he went back to that place, it would only worsen. He could never forget the look Annabeth gave him, like he was the monster; he could never survive seeing it again.

"-and for their crimes, these eight demigods shall be sentenced to Tartarus!" Zeus boomed, lifting his master bolt.

But before he could throw it, Thalia shot out from her hiding place, standing defiantly in front of her friends.

No! Percy screamed at her mentally, willing her to step aside. He couldn't bear to see her sacrifice herself for them.

"Wait!" she called out, her voice ringing out loud and clear. Zeus looked at her, as if wondering where she'd come from, but then shrugged and raised his Master Bolt once again, looking indifferent even as he was about to smite his own daughter. Looking upon the scene, Percy felt his rage flare up. He should have known the gods wouldn't change. Should have known they'd pull something like this. He had been a fool to believe that they, so set in their ancient ways and their lust for power, would ever be able to change. To them, their children were nothing but tools, pawns to use as they pleased. Flesh shields to use in battles that they could never hope to win. Disposable soldiers to fight their meaningless wars for them.

Luke was right, he thought. He had been right to believe in overthrowing the Olympians, although he wasn't right in the way he went about it. All gods were spiteful and cruel, using mortals just for their entertainment; it was just in their nature. Demigods couldn't depend on anyone else but themselves.

Thalia was still standing protectively in front of them, unfazed in the face of the Master Bolt pointed straight at her. "Isn't this council a democracy?" she asked desperately. "You can't just make this decision yourself! You have to put it to a vote!"

Zeus slowly lowered his bolt, but his expression filled Percy with foreboding. He looked at Thalia as if she was a foolish child who did not understand what she was doing. He looked at her as if he found her amusing.

The smirk still present on his lips, he looked around the council mockingly. "What do you say? Shall we put it to a vote?" he asked sarcastically. He didn't wait for a response. "All in favour, raise your hands."

The last sparks of hope extinguished as hand after hand was raised. Percy caught a glimpse of Thalia's stricken face as he raised his heads to count the vote.

Zeus. Hera. Ares. Aphrodite. They didn't come as a surprise, although Aphrodite was mildly shocking; she was condemning her daughter, Piper, her strongest so far, to death.

Dionysus. Demeter. The camp director hated all demigods, but Percy couldn't think of a single reason why the goddess of agriculture would hate them. But, he supposed, maybe they didn't need a reason. Maybe this was just an insignificant game to them.

Athena. To his right, he felt Annabeth straighten her spine and glare at her mother. She didn't seem surprised at all. Rather, she was looking at Athena with a look of utmost hate.

Apollo. He sent an almost apologetic glance to the demigods. He's just using us to escape his own punishment, Percy thought bitterly. After all, it was his legacy, Octavian, who had spurred the Greek-Roman hatred and caused the split personalities of the gods.

Artemis. Thalia gasped almost inaudibly and stumbled back, further away from the gods. Percy caught her as she almost tripped, not missing the hate-filled glare Artemis shot him. Prejudiced bitch.

Poseidon.

Despite everything, Percy couldn't help but feel betrayed. Even though he'd known, deep down, that Poseidon hadn't truly cared for him as a father should, some part of him had still yearned for a father. Had truly thought that Poseidon had, in his way, loved him and his mother.

"Why?" It just slipped out. Percy hadn't meant to say it, and instantly regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth. It made him look weak, and that was the last thing he wanted, at his own trial. But another part of him itched to know why. Why Poseidon had pretended to care, pretended to love him, and now ... this.

All was eerily silent as his words echoed off the walls, sounding lonelier with every echo. Then Poseidon let out a bellowing, mocking laugh. He stepped off his throne, shrinking with every menacing step he took towards his son.

"Why?" he mocked, stopping when he was less than two feet away from Percy, rooted to the ground. He smiled a sinister smile.

"You are nothing, demigod. Do you want to know the truth?" He didn't wait for a response. "Whatever love story your mother made up is a lie. I saw her on that beach, and I raped her, knowing full well she would bear a child. I was the one who steered her towards Gabe, knowing she would see it as an opportunity to protect you. You, Perseus Jackson, are nothing but a pawn. You're nothing but a way for me to control the prophecy. You're nothing but what I made you," he finished with a sneer.

It felt almost like physical blows raining down on Percy, but he stood there, looking emotionless, as Poseidon's tirade came to an end. The maelstrom of emotion swirled inside him like a hurricane, threatening to drown him. There was sadness, but most predominantly, it was anger. How dare he do that to the most wonderful woman on the planet, his mother? She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve to be his pawn. She didn't deserve the life this callous sea god had forced upon her with one act.

He didn't realise it, but he had subconsciously taken a step forward, his fists clenched, fully intending to make his father pay. His vision was tinted red, zeroing in on the smug sea god. But there was something holding him back.

Stormy grey eyes, filled with compassion, looked back into his fearlessly. "Not now," she whispered, so low that only he could hear her, despite the resounding silence in the throne room following Poseidon's proclamation. "We will make them pay. Just not now. I promise you that."

She squeezed his arm comfortingly, and he took a deep breath, his anger subsiding but still simmering below the surface. I will make you pay, he thought, glaring daggers at Poseidon, who still wore the smug expression that made Percy want to stick a dagger in him.

"And you know what?" the bastard continued. "You're useless to me now, brat. I, Poseidon, disown Perseus Jackson, and cut all ties with him," he announced.

It started gradually. Then it consumed him. It was all he could do to stay standing, to keep breathing despite the acid eating him up from the inside. Annabeth tightened her grip. Her eyes told him that she would never let go.

Dimly, he heard Zeus say, "I think that's the best idea, you've had in a while, brother. We should all disown our traitorous children!"

In the midst of the battle raging on inside him, he felt, more than saw, his friends fall to the floor, writhing in agony, as one by one, their parents disowned them. Jason, who looked at his father in betrayal. Piper, who stared at Aphrodite defiantly until the last word was uttered. Frank, whose pain-filled roar shook the earth. And finally Annabeth, whose grip never failed even as she was lost in her own personal hell. Only Hazel, Leo and Nico were spared; Hazel and Nico because Hades hadn't been invited, and Leo because his father had abstained from voting, as had Hermes. They looked helpless, standing there, unable to relieve their friends of the pain. He spotted Thalia, too, who had not been spared, not very far away from him, using Aegis to hold herself up and screaming unintelligible words at Zeus even through her agony, and felt another wave of disgust at the gods. Artemis did not do anything to help her lieutenant, simply sat there, gazing at the scene as though she did not care at all.

Percy would not be able to tell anyone how long he had stood there, wrestling with the pain eating him up, trying not to lose consciousness as the spectators looked on, some cheering, others remaining silent. He caught a glimpse of a stricken Reyna, white faced but unable to help; demigods in both orange and purple shirts turning gazes of hate on the Olympians; Grover being held by a sobbing Juniper as he screamed in the distance. The Olympians watched in disinterest, some looking on in amusement, as if they were a TV show.

But slowly, the pain started to subside.

And then Poseidon dropped to the ground.

He held his head in his hands as if it was splitting. Droplets of water formed unconsciously around him and the earth shook. Most of the Olympians didn't even look concerned, instead ignoring him as they had the demigods.

Percy watched on impassively, ignoring the random bouts of pain that seized him in favour of watching the suffering of his former father, who was growing increasingly haggard in appearance, like he had during the battle against Oceanus.

"What ... have ... you ... done?" Poseidon panted, slumped against the foot of his throne. Percy slowly raised his eyes to find a shaking, wrinkled finger pointed straight at him. "You ..."

"Me what? I haven't done anything. It's what you did," Percy sneered back. Half of him was afraid that Zeus would blast him right then and there, Tartarus be damned, but he was just looking on with a smirk curling around his lips. He enjoyed seeing his brother like this, weak and defeated. After all, threat did not only come from the demigods.

Poseidon gripped his trident tighter. He looked ready to blast Percy with it, but his hands shook and the weapon looked to be too heavy for him. "You ... took my power," he breathed.

Percy's only response was to blink. Truthfully, he felt no different now, except for the knowledge that he was no longer linked to those damn gods. He would no longer have to do their bidding. He felt ... free.