Chapter 17: Checkmate

I crushed him. I felt every tendril of his consciousness and crushed it. He gave one last scream and then his body exploded. All his power flowed back into me.

The moment Kronos was gone, the gods were freed. I exhaled and turned to look at Zeus. Hefting the scythe up and lifting my Trident up as well, I pointed them both at Zeus.

"Your followers are in my control. Your Queen is captured. This is checkmate, Zeus. Give. Up. Now."

Zeus looked at me and then snarled as he dropped his bolt and lifted his hands.

Hephaestus quickly chained Zeus.

Looking over at the gods, I exhaled and looked to the approaching demigods. "Why did you come back?"

"We didn't want you to finish the fight without us, Jackson." Clarisse looked very put out that she missed the battle. "We're heroes! Your champions! The gods don't do the fighting, we do."

Vanishing my weapons, I looked at her and then snorted. "Yeah. Sure." I looked at Zeus, a thought occurred to me and made me smile. "Wait. Zeus, I want to speak with you alone. Annabeth, I need you to start planning on rebuilding Olympus again."

She looked around at the destruction and huffed. "Sure thing."

When the gods slowly, grudgingly, left me alone with the former king of the gods, I stared at him. "You lied to them all."

"What?"

"Kronos' power wasn't the only thing I got from that mental struggle." I looked at the lake. "You lied to all the gods about immortality."

He shifted uncomfortably. "Just send me to prison, Jackson."

"I can be made mortal again." I looked at him angrily. "You lied to them about this. You said it was irreversible. You lied even before you knew about my power sharing. Why?" I stepped closer to him. He glowered at me and then huffed.

"Because it rankled me that you would turn your nose up at the gods. You, a mortal, would deem mortality more than godliness. It got under my skin. Still does." He smirked at me darkly. "And I didn't lie to them. It is permanent. Might as well be, since I won't be changing you, and only I can do it." His eyes gleamed with bitter satisfaction.

Scowling, I paced around him, trying to think it through. How to convince Zeus to give me what I want? I sensed Eros approaching. Of course, those twenty-four hours. Shit.

"Then I will take Hera as my Queen. I will take your throne. I will take everything you have make sure you can hear her scream."

Zeus' eyes widened in shock. "You wouldn't! You could never stomach raping-"

"I believe that is what you would have done to me." I smiled at Zeus, showing a darkness that I knew I always had in me. Ever since Tartarus opened my eyes at least. "After all, Zeus, you wanted me to become like a god." My green eyes gleamed. "I will take her again and again and again, forcing her open, ripping her in half, draining her of her beauty and sanity. Shredding her will to live, forcing her to fade, until she won't even recognize your name."

Zeus stared at me in something more than just simple surprise. I smiled at him and then straightened.

"And when I've had my fill, I'll let the monster have in Tartarus."

"NO!"

"You really do love her then? I thought you two hated each other." I chuckled and kicked a pebble. "I could easily get her off your hands."

"Jackson, I know you're faking! You would never betray Chase like that!" He looked unnerved by me. That was good.

"Annabeth? She'll be my Queen, yes. But I'll have plenty of lovers on the side. After all, isn't that what gods do? She should expect it." I looked over at the speck that was Eros. he was flying closer to me. I gritted my teeth. I needed to become mortal again so our deal would be off. Eros and Hermes weren't willing to have another mortal lover. They wanted a lover who would live with them forever.

Looking back at Zeus, I raised an eyebrow. "Choose. Your pride, or your bride?"

He gritted his teeth. "You wouldn't dare."

I exhaled and then grabbed him, teleporting us both to Alaska, into a icy cave filled with black chains and imprisoned gods. Hera was still there, chained, along with the others.

Throwing Zeus at her feet, I smirked and walked around him. He stood quickly, glowering at me. With the point of my scythe, I ripped her clothing.

It came off easily. "She is a beautiful one." My stomach roiled with the thought of touching her, but I wanted my mortality. I wanted Zeus to heel.

I reached over and caressed her breast. She flinched away from me in shock. "Perseus!"

Ares was stunned, watching in growing shock. "Is this Jackson?"

"Oh I can assure you, I am Percy." I smirked at him. "I'm also a god though. And who best to celebrate my full godhood than the queen of my fallen enemy?" My hand traveled to her other breast. "Shall I kiss you?"

Hera glared at me. "You do, and I will bite your face off."

Smiling through my nausea, I grabbed her hair tightly and pulled her closer.

"ENOUGH! I will give you what you want." He stared at his wife. Untouched by all but him. Pulling away, I lifted my hands sarcastically, still staying in the character I made.

I smirked and nodded. "Good." With that, I snapped my fingers, clothed her, and teleported Zeus to my villa. He stumbled slightly, his hands being bound lessened his balance.

I looked around and nodded. We were alone. "The others are out undoing the chaos you and your father created. They'll be busy for a while. I want you to swear on the River Styx." I grinned at him.

Looking wary, he nodded and straightened.

Turning, I wrote out what I wanted him to say. He looked at the scroll I showed him and inhaled sharply.

Gritting his teeth, he spoke, "I, Zeus, god of the skies, wind, and weather, do hereby stand down from my throne as king of the gods, allowing the Council of Olympus to choose whomever they so wish to appoint in my stead. I swear on the River Styx to never pursue Perseus Jackson or any of those he holds dear, be they mortal or immortal, in any desire for revenge for his actions against me and my own. I swear on the River Styx to listen and obey the new king of the gods and heed his or her orders. I swear on the River Styx to give Perseus Jackson his mortality back, allowing him to keep the power he was born with before my father affected him. I swear on the River Styx to do nothing else to him except take away his godhood and immortality. I swear on the River Styx to evenly distribute the excess power to all the victorious gods. So mote it be."

The thunder rolled loudly around my place. I smiled at him and then nodded. "I'm ready."

Zeus chanted and raised his hands. Three women appeared behind him. I knew somehow that they were there to adjust my thread.

I was looking once again at the Three Fates.

A shiver wracked my body.

The chanting continued. I felt my body explode in pain and then I felt nothing. Eyes rolling up, I passed out.

Two hours later

The gods found us. Zeus still in chains, staring at my fallen form, my collapsed on the ground. They thought he had killed me. But then they saw the scroll and the vows and realized what I had done.

I was disoriented, but Annabeth and the demigods quickly took me back to Earth.

Hermes wasn't looking at me. Eros refused to acknowledge me.

Apollo was the only one who was willing to talk to me.

Meanwhile

The gods stood in the throne room, staring silently at the throne that Jackson had made and then abandoned so quickly after.

Poseidon exhaled. "I vote Hestia be made Queen of the Olympians."

All those in favor raised their hands. It was a quick and easy election. Hestia sighed and stepped up onto the throne of her brother. "Zeus, Hera, and those who followed you," she glowered at the chained gods, "Demeter, Persephone, Ares, and Aphrodite, your crimes against the remaining members of the Olympian Council and against the children of the gods are worthy of Tartarus." She looked at Hera and then sighed. "However, we have taken in account your willingness to fight against our father, and the crimes that Jackson has done against a few of your own. He spoke in your defense." Zeus looked up in surprise.

Hestia inhaled slowly and continued. "After considering everything, I and the council have agreed upon what to do." She looked at her brother.

Poseidon stood up. He turned to the others. "To the gods who opposed the unity of the Council, you shall be bound as mortals and serve in the two camps along with Dionysus. He will direct you in your duties there. If you have a wish or complaint, you may petition to us during the regular Council times. Like Dionysus, you shall return to Olympus only during the solstices or emergency meetings." He looked at his brother with no small amount of satisfaction.

"Zeus, your sentence shall be lengthened to one hundred years. You will no longer be forced to serve Hera, but instead, shall step down from your throne during that time and shall be the servant of the gods you intended to harm."

Stiffening, Zeus bit his tongue to keep from complaining.

Two days later

I looked at the letter in my hands. My father sent me a note stating that he still loved me and respected my decision. I was still invited to stay at Atlantis anytime I wanted to.

I knew Triton was offended that I would up and leave him and his mother behind. He would forgive me of course, but it would take time. I sighed and looked at the sky. Apollo had been keeping in touch with me about the gods. Apparently, Dad twisted the Mist so the mortals would think mom and Paul had always been at work. That was good.

Eros still wasn't willing to even look in my direction, but Apollo and Artemis were watching just in case he decided to break me and Annabeth up.

Hermes wasn't talking to me, but he did smile in my direction last time I was up in Olympus with Annabeth, helping in the reconstruction. So that was a good sign. Apollo was talking everything over with him.

Annabeth still didn't know about my actions with Hera. I wasn't looking forward to telling her. She was glad though about my choice to become mortal again.

Looking down at her, I smiled and held her closer. "Annabeth."

"Hmm?"

"I need to tell you about something. Something serious."

She stirred and looked up at me. "Yes?"

"Zeus wasn't willing at first to making me mortal again. He had to be… I had to force him." I looked away, feeling sick and panicky. She was going to dump me. Hell, I would dump me if I could. Threatening rape wasn't a good thing to do. "I threatened to...I claimed that I would take Hera and...rape her. He didn't believe me. I had to...to touch her a little, make him believe I'd go through with it."

"Would you have?"

"I don't know."

Annabeth looked at me carefully. "If I told you no, then would you obey?"

"Of course I would!" I looked at her in shock.

"Would you stop someone if they were raping a woman?"

"Yes." My answer came faster than her sentence finished. She smiled softly.

"Then It's alright Percy. You were put in a desperate situation. I still think we both need some therapy after all this, but I don't hate you. I could never hate you." She gently pulled me into a kiss.

I stared at her in awe. She huffed a laugh. "Seaweed Brain, you're supposed to close your eyes."

"Oh!" With a grin, I pulled her into another kiss, making it gentle and slow, enjoying everything she was willing to give me.

When we parted, I stared at her in wonder. "Thank you."

"You'd have done the same for me, Percy. That's what love is." She smiled at me and then kissed me again. "Let's go for a swim." Pulling off her cover, she stood up and raced into the water.

I grinned and charged after her, thankful that we had this weekend in Montauk to ourselves.

Thankful that I had a chance to grow old with Annabeth.

The End

Thanks for all the reviews and support! I'm really sorry I took so long to write two stinking chapters.

That's the very definition of pitiful.

Thank you for all your extreme amounts of patience.

I'm really sorry.

Ink…