A/N. You know what time it is!

"still lovin' it although this chapter feels short" -Nyx's shade

I mean, that was the third longest chapter of this story thus far, but okay. Glad you're still liking it!

"Well, same as I said with the slow chapters. Not much to say but not a reason to dislike it either, if it's short and uneventful but it builds up to the good shit I'm happy." -8MexicanJaeger

Yeah, it was more build up, but you know, that is how stories work. Don't worry, we got some good shit coming!

"Lol good chapter" -OkBoomer147

Thanks!

"I meant Hippolytoast, cause Hyppolitos is toast? Get it? No? Well, I-

I actually wanted to see some action, where is the action? This is just Cerebus being cute, Accelerate!" -KryptonWrites

I was more responding to the fact that you told me to stop slacking, but yeah. The action is coming soon. I'd argue that there is some in this chapter, but I don't know if you would classify it as action. And hey, cerberus being cute will always deserve its own chapter!

"So, they've finally made it into Tartarus. Doubtlessly there will be many, many trials that await them.

Hades seems a bit too cheery...what happened to the grumpy and overworked moron?

Great chapter, finally got to see some of that survivors guilt you were talking about. Keep it up!" -RagingFusion

They definitely have an uphill battle to fight. As for Hades, everyone has their good moments, don't they? They simply caught him at a good time. He's still overworked, but he was taking a break, giving his mind a rest. It's healthy. And yeah, survivor's guilt is definitely making an appearance. I think I showed the start of it here in this chapter, but I don't know for sure.

"Loved it perfect chapter keep the updates coming" -HellRaiderS

Thank you! Will do. You actually left this review the same day as me posting this chapter, so lucky you, eh?

Onto the chapter!

Chapter Twelve

As the last of the dust settled to the floor, flashes of light appeared on that street. All twelve Olympians and only ten Guardians survived. Only two casualties, and the Gods didn't even look sad, bar Artemis.

"Well, I think that went well." Zeus said, raising his thunderbolt. "Now, let's get back to the throne room. I think our Guardians here deserve a reward for their duty!"

Zeus led the parade of Gods and Guardians into the Throne Room. The room itself was untouched. Most of the damage from the fight had been done to the street outside.

The Guardians hung back while the Gods entered the Throne Room and took their seats. They looked at each other forlornly.

Alexandra was the first to speak up. "They didn't die in vain." She said. "They died fulfilling their duty."

The rest of the Guardians nodded.

"They would be happy that we won." Sade said.

Percy looked at the rest of the Guardians. He knew that they felt the same as him. None of them were close to each other, and none of them felt comfortable speaking for the dead. They didn't want to share stories, because well, they had none. They had been alive for what, a year at most? And they saw each other once, maybe twice on the rare occasion that the Gods crossed paths? How could they speak about their short lives? Rather just have a moment of silence. More meaningful that way.

The sound of footsteps on the marble broke their silence. Percy turned to see Hermes approaching them.

He stared at them silently, not wanting to interrupt their mourning. When all of them were finally looking at him with the same unspoken question, the God spoke up.

"Zeus wants you all back in the Throne Room. He's in a good mood, but making him wait is sure to end it." He turned around and walked away, having delivered his message.

Percy sighed. Tangela was the first to follow. Slowly, the others began to follow. Percy was the last to follow, only after he looked out on the rest of Olympus. He breathed out slowly and walked into the Throne Room.

The rest of the Guardians were already sitting down, each one sitting at the foot of their God's throne. The feet of Demeter and Athena's thrones were empty, which only hammered in how real the death of the two were.

Percy walked to Artemis's throne, only realizing he didn't feel anything when Zeus made some comment about waiting on him. He was numb. Numb to the outside, numb to himself.

Even Artemis's (admittedly) pretty silver eyes didn't spark a feeling in him. He sat down at the foot of her throne and stared down at the ground as Zeus started some long winding speech that he heard but didn't listen to.

A clap of thunder made him look up. Zeus was still talking. Apparently he stood up at some point, because he was now in the middle of the room, aimlessly walking as he talked.

"—But only through our combined effort could we stand to contend against the gigantes. We were told by the prophecy, as spoken by our own, Phoebus Apollo—" Claps sounded throughout the room as he took a bow in his throne. "—and only through the knowledge that he shared with us… Well, that's the reason I am able to stand before you today and deliver this speech."

Zeus paused and took a deep breath. "But we couldn't have done it without just that knowledge. It was only due to what came from that knowledge that…"

Percy stopped listening again. With how many times Zeus said 'only', it was like he didn't know what the word meant. It was almost like there are a million factors in a fight, and to say 'only' was to put one above the others, giving it a heightened sense of importance. (Could say the same about a certain King of the Gods who was monologuing right now, but whatever.) And of course, the council was eating it all up as they nodded.

Well, Artemis wasn't. In fact, it seemed that she was having similar thoughts to her Guardian as her face conveyed her emotions.

"So, really, we have to thank our Guardians! For without them, we surely would've lost!" Zeus finished, raising his Master Bolt over his head.

Claps from all of the Olympians filled the room.

Zeus pulled on his toga. "Is it a little hot in here?" He asked? "Or was my speech just that hot!?" He yelled.

The Gods laughed at that.

"But for real, I'm sweating. I'm just gonna get rid of the walls for a little bit. I'll bring them back later."

Zeus slammed his Master Bolt on the ground. The walls to the room crumbled to dust. The columns embedded in the walls remained, supporting the dome roof above them. A bit of wind flew through the room, cooling it down. Zeus was right when he said it was getting hot in the room, so the chill felt really good.

"Now, back to business." Zeus said. "Guardians, forward!"

The Guardians all looked at each other, catching one another's eyes. Slowly, they shuffled to the middle of the room. Many looked uncomfortable being under the eyes of the Olympians. Percy however, just kept his eyes fixed on one point.

"Olympus owes a great debt to you all." Zeus started. "Each one of you was instrumental in the defeat of the gigantes. It would be a dishonor to let you go without some form of reward."

The Guardians looked up at Zeus confused. It wasn't often that the King of the Gods wanted to reward someone for their deeds. At least, someone that wasn't his own spawn.

"I must confess, I overheard the meeting you had shortly before the battle. And I must apologize for the way you have been treated. As Gods, we, I, should have done better."

They looked at him confused. Zeus never apologizes.

The God of Lightning stood up. He sighed. "I figure the only reward proper now is to release you of duty. You have fought bravely, and now your purpose has been fulfilled. You're a weapon that is no longer needed."

Percy's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. His head quickly turned to Artemis, who had figured it out as well. Her eyes were wide, her face contorted in an expression of extreme worry.

"I, Zeus, King of the Gods, formally release the Guardians from their duty. Enjoy Elysium, heroes." He said formally. He slammed his Master Bolt on the ground.

A shockwave rippled through the ground. As if watching in slow motion, Artemis saw the guardians fly all out in different directions. They each were heading out of the newly made, no longer existing, walls.

Percy flew past Artemis's throne. It took all of three seconds, but in her mind, it felt like hours. Hours of watching Percy's wide eyes took root in her mind. Their eyes connected as he flew through the air. And as he fell below the ground level of Olympus, when he could no longer see her, he got the feeling that this wouldn't be the end.

Percy closed his eyes as the wind whistled in his ears. His hair moved crazily as the air raced past him. He tumbled around in the air. He opened his eyes as he faced the ground.

He indeed got the feeling that it wouldn't be the end, but that wasn't looking likely. He was heading towards the ground at terminal velocity with no signs of slowing at any point.

Below him was a forest, sprawling miles in every direction. How far had he been launched? There were no forests in the vicinity of Olympus.

The tips of the trees reached out to stab him. He made contact with the branches of one tree, then another, then another. Each branch hit his body in a different place. He knew that if he survived the fall, he would be bruised and battered beyond belief. He heard a sickening crack as his forearm hit a branch. He looked at it, only to see it bending ninety degrees in the wrong direction.

Finally, he hit the ground. Pain flared through his entire body. Red, hot , flaring pain. Blood leaked from several cuts left behind by the sharp needles of the trees.

The pain was the only reason he knew he was still alive.

As he would soon come to learn, the rest of the Guardians met a very different fate than him. Broken and battered, they died.

But not Percy. The forest saved him. Artemis saved him.

Percy breathed out heavily. The only thing that gave him respite in his agony.

'Focus on breathing.' He told himself. 'Breathe in, breathe out.'

He laid for thirty minutes, just breathing, while the sounds of birds chirping, insects buzzing, and trees swaying in the wind resonated throughout the forest.

He painstakingly got to his knees, avoiding putting pressure on his broken left arm. He looked around him. Grass grew in between the trees with the needles. 'Firs', he remembered.

He looked at his left arm. He had seen this injury before. A broken bone. He knew he needed to set it back in place in order for it to heal. He gently grasped his arm and took a deep breath. Not giving himself any time to think it over or back out, he violently pulled the arm back into place.

The guttural noise that erupted from his mouth scared the birds, making them all flock away into the sky. Tears started to leak through his eyes as he breathed heavily.

And as if it was a bronze anvil, it all fell on him at once. He just survived an attempt on his life. He was alone in the woods. He was cold. He was in excruciating pain. He was tired. He was bleeding. He wanted to go home. He didn't have a home. He wanted to lay down and cry. He wanted his friends. The Hunt. Artemis.

The soft crunch of a breaking branch alerted him to something on his left. He turned to look at it. Standing in the foliage, was a deer with antlers made of silver. It wore a piece of paper hung on twine around his neck.

He slowly stood up. He cradled his left arm against his chest as his tears dried on his cheeks. He slowly stumbled towards the deer, who watched him carefully. He reached the doe. Was it a doe? It had antlers, like a stag, but it was also Artemis's deer, who was usually referred to as female. He'd just call it a doe.

He slowly reached out with his right arm and gingerly touched the paper. Written on the paper in ink, in Artemis's handwriting, was a note from his Goddess.

Percy, ride this doe back to the Hunter's current camp. I imagine you are very close to dying. Let me heal you. Then, we have to talk. -Artemis

That was all the note said. Percy let go of the note and slowly got onto the doe. It was strong, able to support his weight. The doe began to walk away from the place where he had fallen.

Percy once again held his arm against his chest, wishing for something to numb the pain. He fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the doe as it walked.

LINE BREAK

Percy didn't know how long it had been when the doe finally reached the Hunter's camp. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon, creating long shadows of the trees that surrounded them. They were entering a clearing bathed in shadow. Circles of silver tents surrounded a large, dead bonfire.

His pain was now a dull ache. Not too unmanageable, but it was constantly there. His cuts were no longer bleeding. His blood was dried and caked on his skin, the same with the tears on his cheeks.

The deer took him to the largest tent. As soon as they reached it, the flap door opened, revealing the Goddess of the Moon. She held some kind of vegetable in her hand. She approached them, as the doe stopped.

"Thank you, Asteria." She told the doe, and held out the vegetable for her to eat.

'You're welcome m'lady.' The doe said.

Artemis rubbed the doe's nose and moved over to Percy. She gently picked him up. He was careful not to let her touch his broken arm. She carried him bridal style into the tent and laid him down in her bed.

He sank into the soft mattress as she laid him down. The soft blankets felt nice on his broken body. A respite in his hell.

Her eyes were filled with worry as they ran over his body. She noticed all of his healing cuts, scrapes, and his broken arm, noting everything down.

"I'm not dreaming, right?" He asked, his voice hoarse.

Artemis shook her head. "You're awake. You're alive."

The way she said it sent shivers down his spine. Like she cared about him.

"Are the others—"

Artemis nodded. "You're the only one left."

Percy would've cried, but he didn't have any more tears left. He instantly felt guilty. How could he cry over his wounds when his brethren were dead? He was alive, and he had he gall to cry about it? Some Guardian he is.

Artemis walked over to a nearby table and picked up a cup of something. She approached him. "I knew you would be injured from the fall, so I began to cook up some remedies."

She dipped two fingers into the cup and rubbed the salve on a couple of his cuts. She continued the process until all of his cuts were covered in the salve. Artemis set the cup down.

"Your arm is broken." She commented.

Percy nodded slightly. "Tis."

Artemis walked to the other side of the bed and placed a hand on his broken arm. He winced in pain.

"Sorry." She said, before she started to hum.

The melodic tune didn't seem to be in Greek, the language they spoke. It seemed, almost older, as if it was pure magic. The language the Titans spoke in. Her hands glowed silver slightly.

Relief flooded through Percy's body as he relaxed in her touch. He felt like he was flying high in the sky. He tried to ignore the way her hand, which was covered in calluses, softly ran up and down his arm.

His cuts began to scar over before disappearing completely. His arm no longer hurt. His body relaxed even more. His eyes felt heavy, like he could fall asleep right then and there, listening to Artemis's melodic singing.

And then it stopped.

"Your arm isn't fully healed. Give it a day or two. No heavy work until then."

"How did you do this?" Percy asked. "Healing isn't your domain, that's your brother's."

"All Gods can heal, Percy. My brother is just better at it than the rest of us." She said softly. Her lips were quirked up in a small smile.

"You said we needed to talk?" He asked, changing the subject.

Artemis sighed and sat on the bed next to him. She brought her feet under her thighs, sitting crisscrossed. "We do. You can't stay here."

"Why?"

"No one knows you're alive. You should be dead."

"Oh."

She nodded. "If any of the Gods were to find out, then you would be brought before my father, and then you would be killed. No doubt in a very painful way."

Percy was silent as he mulled over the information. "So what do we do?" He asked.

"Well, you swore your life to protect me. And Zeus might have released you, but that didn't actually do anything. You can't change someone else's vow."

Percy nodded, following along. "So I still have to protect you. But I can't stay here, so…?"

She nodded. "I think there's a way you can." She leaned in close to him. "All Gods have at least one fear. The fear of fading, being forgotten. When we stop getting worshiped, we fade. But as long as we have one person worshiping us, we'll always be here. Albeit weak, but still alive."

"Okay?"

"I think that you can continue to worship me. When me and the Hunt leave later today, create a temple here. Worship me, sacrifice to me, and then you'll continue to protect me, continue to live, while none of the other Gods are aware."

Percy looked at her. "But, can't they find me somehow?"

She shook her head. "We're not in Greece right now. When my father blasted you, you ended up across the ocean, on another land. You're far from Olympus. Even now, I feel weak from my distance to the mountain. No God will come here. At least, not before the rest of us do."

Percy sighed.

Later that day, he watched as the Hunt packed up their things. And as they started to walk into the forest, he felt a tear leave his eye. Artemis came up to him with a bag slung over her shoulder. She gave him a sad smile and hugged him.

He wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you." He whispered into her ear.

"Of course. You're my… friend." She responded after drawing back from the hug.

"A friend?" He asked.

"My best friend." She confirmed with a smile.

She turned around and followed her hunters into the forest. They would all head back to Greece. And when the Flame of Western Civilization moved from Greece to Rome, and then to Germany, to France, to Great Britain, and then America, Percy was still in that clearing.

Percy, the one left behind. He worshiped in that clearing, building a temple with his bare hands, maintaining it, taking care of the forest for four thousand years.

He was Percy, the only remnant of a past forgotten. He and his brethren were wiped from the history books, replaced by others, like Heracles and Dionysus, but he knows the truth. The Guardians fought in the Gigantomachy.

The Guardians that were now gone. Except one.

Percy, The Last Guardian.

He remained.

A/N. That is the last chapter that is going to be set in the past. There will be a flashback scene in a chapter or two, but it's only going to be a brief scene.

So yeah, Zeus killed the Guardians. Percy only survived by luck and Artemis helping him survive.

Also, we're nearing the endgame now. Only four more chapters until the end. Well, really three, the last one is just an epilogue.

Shout out to Zaeng_ for betaing this chapter. I forgot to mention her last chapter and I feel really bad about it. But she was a big help as always!

Thoughts?