Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or The Heroes of Olympus. Rick Riordan does of course!

Chapter II: Days in a hellhole

Percy's POV

Being a powerful god in a pit sucked, I take from experience. The only entertainment you have was scaring or killing monsters, sit around on the 'beach' and listen to the wails of River Cocytus, or do nothing at all. And to believe being a god was an 'exciting experience' or 'the best thing ever'.

I sighed and stared into the river, all the sobs wracking it, booming into my ears. Can't things get better I thought bitterly. My hand grabbed the nearest rock (which felt like broken glass) and threw it at the river, wanting to shut them up. Sadly, that only made them cry louder, hurtful and meaningful words spreading around.

It had been two weeks (well seems like it) since Erebus drain all his energy and powers to me. Sometimes, I wonder how he is doing right now...probably dead or in the realm of Chaos. Monsters prowled around the shores, eyeing me like I'm some kind of new, juicy steak. Luckily, they were too cowardly to face up to a god and eat him.

I wrung my hands in my laps, taking small breaths in the poisonous air. It didn't hurt like before when I was a mortal demigod, I was grateful for that.

Sadly for me, I hadn't use or understand my god powers, what I was known for, or my symbol, only that I'm the god of shadows and water because I was the son of Poseidon. I recalled Erebus told me that I'll have more powers than shadow and water, oh good.

I'm still Percy Jackson, but I wanted a new identity, a new life. I wanted to follow the path that fear and sadness was in the way, overcoming it. This is more challenging, mentally and physically, than my other life. Like any normal person would do, I changed everything.

My new name is Umbra Aqua, pretty creative right? For my shadow powers, I am able to shadow travel, make various weapons out of it, use the shadows as a tool kill my enemies, and dissolve into he shadows to hide. The water powers are pretty basic, water-bending, water- healing, vapor travel, and make the water any form (solid, vapor, and liquid). If I had enough energy, I could mix shadows and water together into weapons, pretty cool right?

I was a good 6'2, taller than usual. I was lean and slim, though have some muscles. My raven black hair was sticking out ends on my head, my usual bed hair. My sea green eyes had black rims on my iris, giving a eerie look to them. The bags under my eyes and the worry lines seems to disappear, the cheerful demigod facing me in my own reflection.

The only difference was my feelings and thoughts at the moment.

All I was wearing was a black robes, sea green lining the sides and the rope. It had a red and blue pendant by my waist and feathers by it. An ocean blue mixed with midnight purple miniature reaf crown on my head. In my opinion, the gods had some fancy clothing and doesn't have any simple tastes, kind of like the rich men we have today.

Maybe I should feel glad that my mom and friends didn't seem me now, I have a feeling they'll be disappointed in me...especially Jason. "This isn't like you," he would say. "Brighten up a little, you're not a child of Hades are you?"

Tears dripped to my chin and then fall onto the shattered ground. My lips started to trembled. How could I be so selfish? I didn't even give a shit about Jason, just leaving him for me to die. Now the pain is on him, thinking, knowing his lover was dead. At least I knew the son of Jupiter was alive but dead inside with emotions. He probably hates me right now for leaving him like Luke did to me.

But did he really love me? Was it all an act because he was too scared to hurt my feelings? Was I just an extra chore to do, a burden on his life? I didn't want to think about that, though I had a feeling the answer was yes but the first one.

I was dazed with emotions that I didn't realized I was on my back on the ground. My eyes widened at the biggest hellhound I saw in my entire life. Its pitch black pelt was all messy and had stained blood on it, like it fought its way to me. Its warm, gentle red eyes gleaming at me. To my surprise, it licked my face, wagging its gigantic tail in the air. That's when it hit me. "Mrs. O'leary!" I exclaimed and wrapped my arms around her.

Mrs. O'Leary barked and nuzzled me. I laughed in pure happiness, the first I had in Tartarus. My hand nested itself in her fuzzy fur, tickling my palm. All my saddness, terrors, and worry seems to disappear temporarily. "That's a good hellhound!" I smiled.

"Wait, why are you here?" The hellound that was the size of a truck only licked my face with joy again.

"I guess you missed me," I said, smiling a bit. Then I realized, wasn't she needed in the war with Gaea? "Shouldn't you be at a war by now?" I only got a happy bark from her.

My eyes widened in realization. "You mean...the war is over?" Mrs. O'Leary nodded, getting herself of of me and hopping around me. I heaved a sigh of relief. Thanks the gods I thought. Finally over.

Then I realized that even though war wasn't over, the pain wasn't. I asked the questions I been dreading to ask, "Did anyone died?" It was a stupid questions to ask, of course people died. I just wanted to know if anyone died from the seven, hopefully she understand.

Thankfully, she did. Mrs. O'Leary gave me a sad, long gaze and nodded her head. It took all my strength not to go out on her, even though it wasn't here fault. I bit my lips from trembling and blinked the tears alway. My pet, no companion, sense my sadness and prowled under my arm, nuzzling my palm. I looked at her into the eyes and gave her a watery smile.

We stayed like that for a while, mourning the lost for our fellow friends. "Cmon'," I finally said to her. "Lets get you back home." When I stood up and gestured her to follow me, she only bark in protest. I raised my eyebrow in confusion.

"Do you want to go home?" I only got bark and her nodding her head.

"But, it's dangerous out here." She didn't seem to mind.

Knowing I couldn't convince her to leave, I sighed. "I guess we can explore this place. I always wonder whats more to Tartartus." Strangely, she seemed enthusiastic to visit this pit.

"Well," I got up from my position. "Lets go now."

"Mrs. O'Leary, stay right where you are!" I yelled, trying to calm down her. She howled and stomped her paws around, only to make them more tangled.

You must be wondering what was happening right now.

Well, we-I thought it would be a great idea to visit the Dark Lands in Tarartus. We gotten lost with all the trees and distracted, well me . At least we gotten out from the area we were lost in...by falling into a flesh-eating bush.

At the moment, I was trying to use my new powers to get us out from these vines. I know there are some people out there saying,"Why can't you just use your hands to untangled yourself without some powers to do all your dirty work?"

Well, these aren't your average vines! No, they were vines that eat your flesh. You can take your time and try to fix it with your hands while dying by these stupid plants, or you can try to figure how to get out of here using your shadow powers!

Maybe I should've just ask Mrs. O'Leary to shadow travel us out of here, but she was occupied with yowling and being frighten plus harmed by plant zombies. Currently, I was trying to shadow travel out of here, only a few yards back.

I cursed as I failed when the shadows retreated back into the darkness. My 'sea-weed brain' wracked my memory when Nico, son of Hades, was explaining about shadow traveling. "You have to become one with the shadows and imagine where you want to go," he said to me.

I closed my eyes, listening to his instructions. I willed all the shadows to come to my command, feeling myself dissolve into the shadows with Mrs. O'Leary. Her whimpering was distracting me, along with my pain. Good thing I'm not a demigod, I would probably be dead by now I grimaced at the thought.

Having enough shadows with me, I imagined us a few yards always from the bushes of zombie vines, twigs, and thorns. Instantly, I felt nausea coming to me. It took all of me not to throw up on her. My eyes were still closed, but I knew there were blackness surrounding me, a gust of wind taking me somewhere.

Finally, I was at my destination. I stumbled out the shadows as they spit me out. All of energy I had before rushed out of me. Wow I thought. Didn't know it takes that much to just go a nine feet.

I looked over my shoulder to see Mrs. O'Leary on her stomach, resting from all those bites from the carnivore. "Are you tired, girl?" I asked, plopping myself down next to her. She only response by nodding her head and closing her eyes. I guess I need a break.

Okay, you probably think I'm some dumb god that doesn't even known what he's doing, sleeping in the Dark Lands with monsters lurking around. But, I was positive that my aura would just scare them off. Any monsters that come near us would be warned and to leave the area immediately. The ones who doesn't...you get the point.

My head relaxed itself on her stomach, her fur tickling the nape of my neck. After taking one long glance at the blood red sky, I closed my eyes, letting the sleep get to me.

~Dream~

A scent of poppies went by me, taking a deep breath. I looked around, there were satyrs, nymphs, and minor gods strolling around, unaware of my presence. What the Hades I thought as I walk around. Wait...is this Mount Olympus?

I gasped before looking back at the view. Was I out of Tarartus? "Hello?" I greeted awkwardly to no one. No one even glance at me. Okay, something was wrong.

Before I could even register what was going on, a booming voice echoed through Olympus. "Heroes!" I recognized the god Zeus, he always was the dramatic one and the 'head' one. "We are here to reward the fellow demigods who had put Gaea in her slumber!"

A smile streched across my face. I felt pride in them for doing so, they were truly heroes. They deserve anything, they done so much to overcome the stupid quest and risked death. I walked toward the grand doors, unknowingly walking through it.

Wait..what? I looked backed, for the second time, and saw myself inside the palace. "This just gets weirder and weirder," I mumbled before gazing upon my friends. All of them (though there was something unusual) were smiling and were relived from stress...well expect Jason.

Jason looked like he was better in other days. Hell, if you put scars and scratches on him, he'll looked like he went to something worst than Tarartus! His golden hair that would rippled in the breeze was now a dry and rough blonde that was a swept on his head why he went through a hurricane. There was dark bags under his dull blue eyes like he hadn't slept in a long time. His posture was slump and his frame was too skinny. I cringed at his pained eyes and guilty expression.

"Though, we would want to honor two of the seven that had died in this battle, Leo Valdez and Percy Jackson," Zeus said, Poseidon and Hephaestus looking down, mourning for their loses. The demigods following suit from their lose friends.

I face-palmed and mutter how stupid I was. Of course there was something wrong with the crew, 1 person short (if you exclude me)! I felt like ramming my head into a stone pillar for the not noticing it. How selfish I could be I thought angrily, trying to fight down tears. I should have known...if I had died, Leo would still be alive and go searching for Calypso...

Snapping out of my thoughts, Zeus's voice boomed along the Throne Room. His eyes glanced at Jason, scenting his discomfort and looked at Piper, daughter of Aphrodite. He nodded to the goddess of love.

"The first award goes to Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite," he thundered. I smiled at Piper's excited face as she kneel down in the middle of the gods.

"Piper McLean, for using the arts of charmspeaking to your advantage and lulling Gaea to sleep, I offer you to be immortal!" Aphrodite's kaleidoscope eyes gleam as her daughter quirked her lips a bit.

"I accept...mother," she answered, receiving a ear-breaking squeal. The goddess's eyes turned bright pink and it smite her in the chest. A puff of perfume could be smelled strongly in the light. When it dimmed down, I laugh (mind you, no one can hear me) when I saw some of my friends with their jaws open.

Standing there, was Piper in a light blue chiton with her aqua blue feathers in her hair. It well with her dark skin and hair. Her hair though was uneven strands anymore, it was long and braided on one side with the feather on the other side. The kaleidoscope eyes were flashing colors due to their excited with her reward (or I'm just crazy). Her body was clean of scars, showing an fresh color. In the most non-flirting way, she looked beautiful.

The same went for all the others, Hazel got her curse gone and had better control of her gem powers, and Frank got his curse removed (with lot of begging and arguing with the Fates) from his life being held by a stick.

Then it was Jason's turn.

Currently, I was right next to him, waiting for his answer. The poor guy was shaking and was nervous with all the stares were directed towards him. He took a deep breath and walked toward his father (who was in his roman form) and bowed down to him with one knee on the ground.

"Jason Grace," Jupiter glowered down at his son from his ol' might throne. "for your leadership and helping us defeat Gaea to her slumber, I offer you godhood." I smiled at my boyfriend proudly and chuckled at his shocked expression. Please accept I thought.

Instead he shook his head. "I'm sorry father, but I'll have to let go of the offer." Whoa I thought. Déjà vu much.

His face morphed into one with anger then understatement. "Is there anything you want that is within our powers then?"

Jason nodded, taking one more deep breath. "Swear it on the River Styx," he said, earning a glare from hid father. The gods reluctantly obliged and swore on the river of sealing oaths. Thunder boomed outside.

"I wish to give Hestia and Hades their respective thrones. Without them, this war and the Titan's war wouldn't be possible to win. Hestia was the eldest god out of all of you and Hades is one of the Big Three." Surprisingly, Zeus obeyed.

(A/N:I use this idea from Hans50, the stories this author write is amazing! I know a bunch of people had use this but I first got it from Hans. Well this person did it on Percy, I made Jason do the decision)

"We had been separated for too long, its about time we get together." Two thrones rose out of the ground, surprising some people. At the corner of my eye, I could see Poseidon smiling at Jason.

One throne was obsidian black with white bones and jewels decorated on it. There was torture souls swirling inside it, wailing for help. Spikes were sticking out on the top of the throne, giving that eerie look that it could impaled you...well it wasn't bad as Ares though.

The other throne was made of fire, though a cozy looking one that seemed like Santa-eating-a-tons-of-cookies-while-sitting-at-a-fireplace kind, not a destructive one. Scent of homemade dinners and laughing can be smell from the fire or heard. Which is both awesome and strange.

I looked back at Jason to see his hurt and happy eyes looking at everything. He done the right thing, something I would've probably done. The corners of his lips curled up into a genuine smile, making me just coo.

He was the one that made this happened, who put the Olympians together again, differences aside.

I wasn't the hero, he was.

~Dream ended~

Hey guys! That was the second chapter, I'm sorry it wasn't that much words and I promise more in the future! I wanted to finish it so I can write more in the future before Spring Break (going to the beach for one whole week :DD)! So, sorry I rushed through this one.

Anon: Heheh, sorry about my spelling mistakes, I probably missed them when editing this story. I'm also iterested how this story goes if it goes bad or good. Well have to keep reading to find out~

LoVeStAr14: Why thank you! :D

~Musicsmiley