Poseidon- Keeping up with the Olympians
Aphrodite sat in her throne as Zeus explained the current situation, choosing his words very carefully.
"So, you see… I've had Aphrodite doing a little… manipulation around the demigod camp. As a means of… helping Percy along on his path to attaining-"
"What are you saying, father?" Athena interrupted. Something tells me we were both following the same train of thought, and if we are, well… Zeus is gonna find himself in a deep amount of trouble.
"Aphrodite has been altering a few things in Percy's life… just small things. I told you differently, should you consider intervening," he said.
"But then why are you telling us now?" Athena asked.
Zeus's answer was silence.
"I found out," Hera said. "So I made him tell."
"Threatened me is more like it."
"Tell them everything," she said. Since when did Hera give him orders? Threatening him? I wonder what she's using to manipulate him. Better question is: why does she care? She hates Percy.
"So… I've had Aphrodite-" Zeus started.
"Well actually, I volunteered. I wanted to spice things up a bit!" Aphrodite interrupted.
"Yes, yes. It was HER idea, ok? Not mine-"
"Spill it," Artemis said.
"Ok… she's been... changing… the…" he mumbled.
"What?" I asked.
"The Athena spawn! She's been altering the blonde girl! Annabel"
"What!" Athena practically screamed as she rose from her throne. I rose with her, my trident in hand.
Now usually both Athena and I are very passive people, but it took Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus and Hermes to stop us from running Zeus through. He wasn't just manipulating Athena's kid, but through her, he was also trying to manipulate Percy. Was it working? No, Percy is stronger than that, I'm sure. We were both led back to our seats, and we sat down.
"Thank you," he said.
"Don't thank us yet," Artemis said. "You have to make up a good reason as to why you're doing this, or we'll all tear you a new-"
"Ok!" Hestia interrupted, trying desperately to keep the council clean, of both profanities and blood.
"We were hoping to remove any reason for Percy to reject godhood," he said.
"But he's almost a minor god now!" I reasoned. "Why make this harder for him than it already is?"
"Just because he's becoming a god doesn't mean that he has to join us," Zeus said. "With the girl out of the picture, he'd have nothing holding him back."
"But why? Why do you want him here?" Apollo asked.
"Because… because we need to replace my son, Ares, after this. Because we'll need him should another great war come about. We have entered a new age. Within the last two decades we have had two great wars, multiple other big incidents and that boy has been our main defence against almost all of it. Now the other gods have become more active as well; what if they decide to attack? We need to be ready."
"But is this the best way to do it?" Hestia asked.
"Brother, even I have to admit, this is wrong," Hades said.
"Surely there is a better way?" Demetre asked.
"We owe him that much," Artemis said.
"No."
Fifteen minutes later- "Arrogant, smug, vain, stupid airhead!" I bellowed, as I paced my quarters in Atlantis, my underwater palace. My wife Amphitrite sat at the end of our bed, looking down at the floor as I went on.
"At this rate it'll be more likely that Percy goes up there to chop him up Kronos style than to join us! Idiot! I'm going to go back there and save my son the effort! I swear it on the river-"
"Husband!" She screamed, no doubt saving me from the worst possible curse imaginable. "Please just calm down," she pleaded. Was I scaring her? Oh no, no, that the last thing I want to do. I sat down, and put my arm around her.
"I'm sorry, you're right… I love you."
"I love you too. I know you're worried about Percy, but why not just go and tell him?"
"What if I'm caught? I could spark a rebellion, and that would give the perfect opportunity for Ares to strike."
"Who's going to catch you? They can't see you under the ocean, it's you're domaine."
"How exactly do I tell him that Zeus and Aphrodite are manipulating his girlfriend, in an attempt to make her fall out of love with him, without driving him to burn olympus to the ground? Maybe you haven't noticed but-"
"I have. Tartarus almost broke him. He's crazy about that girl; no doubt he'd go crazy over her too."
"I can't tell him. You were always better with the kids. Also, if Percy breaks down the doors to the council room, I'm pretty sure it'll be obvious that I told him."
"What if I go?" Amphitrite said. "I can bring him the news smoothly, with less risk of causing the next great war. He needs to know. It'll have less risk than leaving him broken hearted when she walks out on him. Maybe he can turn her around." I quite liked this idea, my wife has a naturally calm and kind nature. If she could keep Kymopoleia calm, then surely she can break this news to Percy.
"Ok. Yes, you're right. Go and tell Percy this news, and make sure he takes it well."
"It will be done, love." I planted a kiss on her lips, and she left. If anyone can make him see reason aside from his mother, and the Athena girl, it's her.
Percy doesn't deserve this, nobody deserves what he's been through. I wish he could have what he wants, that human life he's so attached too. I'm probably the only god who understands the appeal, maybe apart from Hestia. The ability to live, to love and to die. For most immortals, almost nothing lasts; happiness, love, faith, loyalty, friendship.
For mortals don't watch their friends die, at least not like we do. For us, a decade goes by like the blink of an eye. For mortals, lovers cheating on each other and knowing about it isn't considered a happy marriage. Mortals don't feel like every decision they make is a critical one, and tests the loyalty of everyone around them.
When Percy becomes immortal, I hope he keeps his humanity.