Nico opened his eyes.

He found himself shackled to the side of a mountain overlooking the San Francisco Bay, sitting on a rocky dirt road. The city buzzed and glowed, the nightlife beginning to speed up as the sun did its thing. That was not the focus however. Fear. That's what Nico felt. Fear and unbearable grief. Guilt. From there, Nico was wide awake. He instinctively tried to shadow-travel away and found something blocking his power yet again.

"Help!" He screamed. "Somebody help me! Please!"

Tears started streaming down his face for the first time since Bianca died. It was a full on snot-fest. Nico's mind was his again. The only mercy the Fates could have given him was making his sanity an irreparable mess or better yet, have him die from some wild cougar attack. He remembered everything. His father with a blade through his back. Clarisse being swallowed alive by the Mother Drakon. Setting fire to his own home. Handing Percy over to Coeus whom he knew had already sent him into Tartarus. The Giants and Titans would have already found him and thrown him into Chaos by now. He chopped Reyna's head off, took Annabeth's sight and let her commit suicide. And the one thing he could never forgive himself for: slicing Will's throat open.

Despite all that, they had still tried to save them and all Nico did was try and kill them. Nico stopped yelling for help. He didn't care if he died. In fact...the chains that tied him to the mountain were just loose enough.

...

Coeus found him under the light of the moon hours later. In his hand, he carried a broken soul. He walked over to the pale corpse of Nico Di'Angelo. Untangling the chains from his neck, he savagely thrust the soul back into his body, reviving him.

The son of Hades gasped and his body started seizing up, brown eyes wide. He lay his head back and curled into a ball. "Let me die. Please." He rasped, his throat raw from suffocating.

Coeus kneeled and glared at his small shape. "Perhaps I would grant your request if you hadn't failed me so spectacularly."

Nico clawed at the ground, silently begging for death. "You're the genius. If you can see everything like you said, you would have seen it coming. Not my fault."

Coeus couldn't help a bitter laugh. "My power was stripped from me by the Fates. The foolish old hags sacrificed the sacred Loom that creates our very destiny along with their physical embodiments. Now all forms of prophecy have suffered a fatal blow. My ability to see into the future...no matter. My wife can still glean small amounts and I still control the massive empire you helped me create, boy."

Nico flinched violently and Coeus roared with laughter. "That's right. Without you, I could have never killed your father in his own domain. Without his power, I could not have influenced the gods to follow me. That one domino that started this entire chain reaction...was you. And yet, without your complete incompetence I would still have Hercules and four gods at my side. My armies destroyed. The demigods still number the hundreds. The sword containing the soul of Camp Half-Blood's late four-legged leader in enemy hands. All because you can't lead an assault. Because of that, I won't let you die."

Coeus drew his blade and slashed twice. The chains clattered against the wall and Nico almost tried to run for it before remembering he had no desire to survive whatever was in store for him. Coeus grabbed him by the neck like a kitten and dragged him up the mountain path. Nico hadn't given it much thought why they were in San Francisco until Atlas came into view.

He began to hyperventilate. "No. No, you can't do this!" He began to claw and kick. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!"

Coeus only adjusted his grip, now his whole neck in between the fingers of the Titan; in a second he began struggling to breathe again.

"Took you long enough." Atlas grunted. "Come on, get this thing off my back, brother."

Coeus slammed Nico onto the ground and stepped on his chest. "You're the Titan of Endurance, brother. You can wait a bit longer. I'm going to make this absolutely clear once more. This is not to be a democracy. I am the King now. Understand? Though I may have lost my sight, I still rule the Underworld. I am more powerful than Zeus and have the ability to gain more. The gods answer to me as do all Titans and Giants I release from Tartarus. I have chosen you to be my right hand. Try anything and I will put you back here in a heartbeat."

Atlas shifted the weight that seemed to get heavier the closer he got to freedom. "Got it."

Coeus raised his eyebrows. "What was that, Titan?"

Atlas scowled, his breathing labored. "Understood, sir."

Coeus' left hand glowed with power. He pointed at Nico and instantly he knew Coeus had granted him the same immortality the Hunters of Artemis possessed. He felt the Titan of the North take control of his mind once more and he stood, taking Atlas' place. Atlas rolled out of the way and Nico took on the weight of the entire sky. He couldn't even cry out, focused entirely on not being crushed.

Atlas lay on the ground, laughing manically. "Yes! Yes!"

Coeus squatted at Nico's side, drawing a small circle into the dirt barely wide enough to accommodate him. "Under my new enchantments, you cannot leave this line. This is my gift for you, Ghost King. A chance for you to reflect on your happiest memories. Consider it payment for your loyalty and services."

So heavy was the sky, the 14-year old boy could no longer speak. It was a task just to breathe. Coeus and Atlas walked away and Nico managed one incoherent, "Please!"

Atlas cast a grin over his shoulder at him, still giddy with relief and joy. "I took the first thousand year shift. It's your turn."

Nico was left alone with himself. If he could drop the sky, he would have. Just let Ouranos and Gaea meet once more but alas this was his fate. Soon the pain would be as normal as simply being and he would grow to accept it as ultimate penance for his actions. But for now, the memories of what he had done was more excruciating than the weight of the world.

Coeus and Atlas teleported to the Underworld and stood on a balcony overlooking the realm. Atlas massaged his own shoulders and the Furies swooped down out of nowhere to do it for him. The Titan of Endurance stood there, resisting the urge to moan in pleasure.

Coeus had to smirk. "I bet you miss the touch of a woman."

Atlas groaned, both in agreement with his brother and the Furies' surprisingly soft hands. "You have no idea. It wouldn't have killed Zeus to send someone to give me a fucking blowjob."

Alecto crawled up his spine, caressing his chest muscles. "You need only ask, my lord."

Atlas resisted the urge to recoil, eyeing her fangs. "I have heard enough legends of your beehive. My fat Pooh is going nowhere near your honey tree."

She growled and flapped away to go mutilate someone, probably. Her sisters reluctantly joined her and Atlas cursed, back to massaging his own traps. Coeus chuckled. "Do not fret, brother. I have Demeter and Persephone chained up in the palace. You can have your way with both whenever you like."

The Titan licked his teeth. "Persephone. Delicate as the flowers of Spring."

"I'm sure. Now to business." Coeus leaned on the marble rails. "Zeus has fled Earth, as I told you before. Before my abilities faded, I was able to see his destination: a galaxy 10 years away. He won't be back. That leaves no one to really challenge me but the Primordials. As far as I know, they won't rise against me until longer down the line but I can't be sure anymore. That is why I must act quickly. Eliminate the remaining Olympians before they begin to make treaties. Pertaining to the demigods, they will find a sanctuary with their parents. Nothing much I can do about that."

Atlas calculated in his own mind. "Why is that? Did you not see where they would pick their little hole to hide in?"

"I did. In the event that the Hades boy failed, they would quickly make their way into the Labyrinth."

"How? Wasn't it destroyed?"

"You know as well as I that maze is a self-sustaining fortress. It revived itself and continues to grow even now. I can send monster armies down into it but the Olympians have made it their base. It'll take years to properly flush them out. And anyhow, I must regrow my armies. The Titans and Giants will have rid of the son of Poseidon by now. I can bring them up and send Orion into the Labyrinth to track them but I must first wipe out the mortals."

Atlas frowned a little. "I never understood that part. The mortals are barely a threat. The only thing they can really use against us are the nuclear weapons but they don't even have knowledge of our existence. Why bother? Especially when their civilized world brings so much pleasures from what I hear."

Coeus sighed regretfully. "I wish it didn't have to be so. But in order to keep the gods and Giants at my side, I promised them all land."

His brother nodded. "I see. They didn't respond well to threat of death."

The Soul Eater smiled. "Oh, they would have responded beautifully. That is vastly the reason they joined my crusade. However, to prevent them from betraying me, I had to have an incentive. And so, the mortals must burn."

"And how do you figure to do that without alerting them to our presence?"

Coeus' ruined mouth formed a terrifying grin. "That won't be a problem."

Atlas had to admit his brother unsettled him a bit. A millennia ago, Coeus was one of two brothers, the other being Oceanus, that the rest of their siblings regarded the least. Without his legendary foresight, Atlas thought he would have forgotten he existed. Coeus was always the quiet one who blended in with his surroundings. Kronos himself could have lay for a peaceful sleep next to Coeus with little to no fear of waking up with a slit throat. Now his brother reappeared centuries later with scars on his mouth and nightmares in his cold calculative eyes to free him into a world he conquered with his own cunning. He murdered Hades and brought Olympus to its knees, destroying the sanctuaries of the demigods and forcing his siblings and Giants under his lead.

Atlas moisturized his lips, looking away from Coeus' dead stare. "And this...Twin that apparently frightened the little Olympians? What of it?"

Coeus cocked his head. "Well, that will be a little more complicated. I will have to kill a few Primordials to even stand a sapling's chance against him. If only I could have retained my foresight a bit longer maybe a clear path would be set. As it is, I may have to hunt down our mother and father's remaining power. Whatever is left of Kronos might help me as well."

"I assume you'll need my help killing the Primordials."

"Perhaps," Coeus summoned the Trident and revealed the Helm of Darkness on his head. Atlas scrambled back in fear, almost going over the railings. Coeus hid his aces away up his sleeve once more. "Or perhaps not."

The Titan's heart still pounded wildly. "And the Master Bolt?"

The Northern Titan shook his head. "After I capture the Elder Cyclopes, I shall see to it that they craft us some weapons. For now, go have yourself some fun brother. I will call for you in a couple hours."

The mortals really stood no chance. When they heard the reports of California, New York, Florida, and Texas being overrun by impossible creatures, the President of the United States had a difficult choice to make. The rest of the world urged her to nuke her own cities. A small sacrifice to save the country. She refused, instead opting to send the military and National Guard. Very quickly, the forces of the Underworld emerging from California proved too powerful. The dead rising from cemeteries across the other three states made the Zombie Apocalypse a realized threat. If the virus spread, scientists warned, the rest of the country would soon fall too.

The World Leaders threatened to nuke the Four themselves and the United States retaliated, promising mutual annihilation if a single bomb went off. Suddenly, Russia launched its nukes. If anyone would have believed him, the Leader of Mother Russia would swear he had nothing to do with it. Some mysterious person entered the codes without his authorization. But no one would have believed him. So knowing the U.S. would counter soon, he kept quiet, took a breath, and simply launched the rest.

No nation wanted to join in the war but again, they could have sworn they didn't even caress the button. The Mysterious Person did it for them. The world shook violently for hours, burning itself alive. The demigods hidden away wondered why the Labyrinth trembled so. The Olympians, cursed with knowledge, simply waited for it to be over.

Athena huddled in her tiny corner, hugging her knees and ignoring the snarls of Dionysus. "Those fucking mortals! My vineyards! I swear if Zeus is behind this..."

Artemis, strangely enough, was quietly elected the leader. "I told you, he's not here. Even if he was, my father is a paranoid coward and tyrant but he is not foolish enough to destroy civilization over nothing."

"And how would you know? Where were you when Hades was off being killed?"

She did a double-take. "Where were you? Drunk out of your mind in one of your little wine cellars? Just shut up and sit down. We need a plan. Athena."

The goddess raised unfocused eyes to her younger sister. "Hmm?"

Artemis smacked her palms together. "Pay attention! A plan."

She struggled not to sink back into her own misery. "I don't know."

She shook her head incredulously. "I should have stuck that arrow in your head."

Ares kicked his legs up, a massive grin on his face. "Why's everybody so worked up? I've never felt more alive!" His shades began melting away.

Aphrodite sobbed beside him. "I know! So many confessions of love! Wives leaving for their secret affairs, fathers holding their children close, men who usually last two minutes going strong for their final hours!"

Apollo was caught off guard with that last remark. "Huh?"

The goddess of love blew her nose into a feathery soft handkerchief. Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Anyway...Sis, we'd love to help but shoot, some of us aren't even here. For some reason, all the gods with H's as their first letter names are AWOL. Seven gods are gonna save the world against this Coeus guy?"

Artemis thought that was a strange observation but her brother had always been a bit whacky. "Look, once Poseidon recovers we'll stand a better chance. Who else is going to dig us out of this?"

"So we're just gonna be common foot soldiers? They'll know the second we come out of this Labyrinth. Our auras are like pillars of fire in the night."

Aphrodite raised her puffy eyes. "Common?"

"Shut up," Artemis growled. "What choice do we have?"

Athena finally could stand it no longer. "We have to rally the demigods."

Dionysus pulled another bottle of wine out of thin air and took a swig. "How do we know the worms are even still alive?"

Athena tugged at her own hair, not even trying to hide the fact that she was descending into madness. "Do you think I chose this spot randomly? The Fates themselves revealed to me their eventual survival. They will make their way to us in less than an hour. We can use them to carry out missions."

Artemis scowled. "I don't like it. We've always used them for our every whim."

Ares shrugged. "Then go mingle among them. Besides, you more than anyone sent them on pointless hunting adventures. You can't talk."

"At least, I made them immortal, unlike you."

He looked around, raising his hands. "Blessing of Ares ring a bell? Anyone?"

"Oh, please. You're really going to compare that to me literally giving up my own power so they can survive?"

"Then we do it again." Athena said. "How many more demigods are going to come to our aid? Who are we going to repopulate with? The charred remains of humanity?"

Apollo brushed his hair back. "So let me get this straight. You expect us to give up the little power we have left to raise an army of demigod immortals to fight against an army of gods, Titans, and Giants?"

Athena didn't even blink. "I'll do it. It'll be the first in the long list of my absolution."

The last Olympians looked at each other, each wondering how far they would go to save the destroyed fucked up world. Dionysus raised his bottle. "Long live the Goddess of Wisdom, Bane and Savior of Olympus."

Lou Ellen refused to lessen her grip on the sword. She sat on her own, a little to the side from the survivors. The paranoia was unbelievably strong. The last chance they had rested in her hands and she wasn't sure she could trust any of them anymore. After Nico, one of the demigods she thought could never betray them, she was taking no other chances.

Thalia's eyes were bloodshot from crying but she summoned her resolve. "Listen, guys. I don't know what in Hades is going on up there but we obviously can't stay here. We have no food or water. We're gonna have to find a city and get some supplies."

"Leave that to us," Hylla said, surrounded by her Amazonians. They outnumbered the survivors of both camps two-to-one and they looked upon the males in a sort of angry interest. "You, girl with the sword."

Lou Ellen jumped, clutching the blade tighter. "What?"

Hylla softened her tone, mistaking her paranoia for trauma. "What do you need to work your magic?"

Lou Ellen licked her lips nervously. "Too many things to find in one place. It's a long list."

She nodded, expecting the answer. "We have our first quest. Thalia, is it? Leader of the Hunters of the great Artemis?"

Thalia avoided her gaze. "That's me."

Hylla tried to convey her empathy, letting the daughter of Zeus hear the concealed pain in her voice. "I hear you were close with my sister. Would you like to come with us? The sooner the camps have their leaders brought back...well, it obviously won't be like before but things will look better for us."

Thalia nodded but still refused to look at her. Hylla looked so similar to Reyna it hurt. The only thing distinguishing them was the barely visible scar on her forehead.

"Excellent," Hylla was so self-assured and naturally charismatic, the demigods quickly looked at her as the leader. Having a hundred Amazonians at your side helped, too. "We may not have the gods to help us but we can pull together on our own. We'll make them proud."

"Very brave of you," A voice rasped. From a doorway leading out of the vast cavern they sat in, a figure stood, slightly hunched. "But you are not alone."

Hylla rose to her feet immediately and kneeled, her followers following suit. "Athena! My goddess, you humble us with your presence."

The rest of the demigods respected Hylla but refused to move a muscle that would convey an ounce of respect. Only her children rushed her, asking her if she was okay.

Athena brushed them away gently and walked over to the wounded, using her limited healing powers to mend open gashes and regenerate blood loss. When she got to Will, the only evidence of his life-ending injury was a white scar. The boy rolled over, muttering unintelligibly, but didn't wake. Thalia's broken form straightened on her arrival. She could only stare at the goddess with hatred. Athena sensed it and looked at her.

"Do you have something to say to me, child?" She asked softly.

Thalia walked over demigods until she was right in her face. "Where were you when she died?" She whispered. "Where were the gods when they slaughtered us like animals?"

Athena was so far gone Thalia's words had no effect on her. "She's not dead."

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" She screamed, resisting the urge to punch her, not knowing Athena wouldn't have retaliated. "You weren't there when it did! Why are you here now?"

Hylla's heart pounded against her chest. "Thalia, stand down!"

Athena felt specks of spittle pepper her face. "I will help save her. I will be at your side when we pull her from the Pit. But first, I have a proposition."

"What?" She barked.

The goddess looked around at the crowd of angry resentful demigods. "Together, we can take back the world from the Titan. But mere half-bloods will stand little chance against the combined might of the gods. How does immortality sound?"

Silence.

Hylla and her Amazonians held their breath. Lou Ellen stirred, staring at the sword as the voices of her friends called out to her. The survivors of Camp Half-Blood and Jupiter started whispering to each other. Thalia narrowed her eyes. A thousand miles away, Nico sobbed under the weight of his sins. The Olympians argued amongst themselves as they waited for Athena to return. Zeus and Hecate stood before Nyx, bargaining for passage to another world. Coeus and Atlas stood by the Doors of Death as the Titans and Giants walked out of the elevator doors into the nuclear wasteland that was Earth. And down in Tartarus, the Pit reached out a hand to catch Annabeth Chase.

"Where is he?" She demanded weakly. Her ruined eyes looked everywhere, hoping by some miracle to see again. But Tartarus was the place miracles came to die.

"Percy Jackson?" The Pit smiled without teeth. "He's somewhere safe. Let's talk about you, my darling, and a promise I made to your beloved."

A/N:

Sorry, guys, but this is the last we'll be seeing of Earth for...maybe forever? I'm still working out the story. It's time to focus on Percy. You can draw your own conclusion of what happened to the demigods. Like I said, this is the Epilogue and like some of you guys figured out (shoutout God of Wrath and Son of Erebus!) this was in fact the Prologue to the Half-Blood God.

For years, I knew the story was going to lead to this point but it took that long to figure out how I wanted to do it. So, many many rewrites and one final puberty-induced phase later, I wrote it all down and hit publish. To keep it short for those uninterested, the next, uh -twenty?- chapters will be dedicated to Percy's journey. Then by that time, I'll have figured out the ending. Maybe the Chaos's Army trope will make an appearance, maybe not. Who knows? Not me.

Don't forget to rev/follow/fav and I'll see you next time, whenever that is. :)