Chapter 25
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Olympus
"FATHER!" A voice yelled out as the room was in chaos, over what they had just witnessed. "FATHER!" The voice yelled again this time in an irritated tone, as the female voice tried to be heard, the sounds of despair permeated the throne room. "WILL EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP!" At this the gods turned to look at who it was that just burst their ear drums, only to see that it was Athena standing in the middle of the throne room.
"This had better be important Athena, we have just lost Artemis and Ares!" Replied a somber looking but pissed off sounding Zeus.
"I promise you father it is. I am just as upset as the rest of you that Artemis sacrificed herself like she did, but we must focus on the bigger problem at hand." Athena said with a slight tone of giddiness in her voice.
"And just what is this bigger problem and how can it be bigger than losing two Olympian gods?" Poseidon asked in confusion.
"The bigger problem is the alliance with Asgard. The alliance is based on the marriage between Perseus and his choice of two brides connected to the council. As unfortunate as it is with her …demise just moments ago Artemis will not be able to take her place by Perseus's side." Athena said as she bowed to her father keeping a slight grin on her face.
Zeus expression became even more somber if that were possible (it was),as he said "yes…yes…you are quite right that is a bigger problem. We cannot afford to have the alliance breakdown because of this. Does anyone have any suggestions?"
At this Athena smirked and replied "I do father. I volunteer to take Artemis's place in the marriage so that the alliance may be saved."
This sent the gods into another round debating whether this was a good idea or not. Unfortunately for them, the decision was about to be taken out of their hands. From the moment she first heard Athena utter the word father, Thalia knew that something she wouldn't like was about to happen. Silently, Thalia sat in her chair, her anger continuing to build as Athena tried once again to wiggle her way into marrying Percy. Quietly she stood and slowly made her way towards Athena as she volunteered to take Artemis's place in the marriage. As the gods were busy discussing Athena's suggestion Thalia stepped behind Athena, and with her hand glowing blue with a black outline around it Thalia grabbed Athena's shoulder, spun her around and then Bitch Goddess Slapped Athena so hard she flew into Zeus knocking him to the council room floor as well.
At this Thalia voiced her displeasure of Athena's plan to the Olympian council, "you man stealing bitch! There is no way that I'm going to let you weasel your skanky ass into this marriage!"
Slowly Athena stood back up and wiped the side of her mouth with the sleeve of her chiton only to find golden ichor on her sleeve. Seeing this, Athena's eyes blazed with anger as she responded to the demigoddess, "listen to me you little cunt! This alliance is more important than your petty grudges against me and if you so much as ever, and I mean ever touch me again you will regret it!" After which she then proceeded to spit out a glob of ichor.
At this, another voice rang out "Athena sit down and shut the fuck up! You're not going to get what you're after!"
Everyone turned to the sound of the voice only to find that it had come from Apollo was still crying golden tears for his sister.
Athena who now has a look of annoyance on her face looked at Apollo and said "I understand that you are distraught over losing your precious sister, but like I said to this poor excuse for a mortal you misunderstand me Apollo, I seek to ensure the safety of Olympus and the earth through the alliance and that is all I seek."
"I am the god of truth and I know when someone is lying, so do not try and lie to me Pallas Athena, you will not like the consequences!" Apollo bellowed as he started to glow brightly.
"I am not lying Apollo my biggest concern is for the alliance…" Athena was trying to say when she was suddenly interrupted.
"Don't pretend that this is about the alliance between Olympus and Asgard Athena, no this is about a 'know it all slut' who will do anything to take advantage of any situation to get what she wants! Unfortunately, for you, that's not going to happen! And as for touching you, believe me when I say that touching you is the last thing I want to do, I mean have you seen Ares; however, I will beat the teetotal shit out of you if you keep trying to insert yourself into this marriage!" Thalia hissed
"Silly little demigod, you should be thankful that you were even considered as a viable option as a wife to Perseus. I, on the other hand, am so much more than you can and will ever be, why the silly prince chose you is beyond me when everyone knows that I am better than you are." Athena said in a snarky tone as a devious grin was on her face.
"Really? Really? You really think you're so much better than I don't you? I am so going to enjoy proving you wrong." Thalia replied with a determined smile on her face.
"As if a cretin like you can prove me wrong!" Athena exclaimed her nose high in the air.
"Careful Athena, like the mortals, say pride cometh before the fall," Thalia responded cheekily. "Now you say that you're the best viable option to take Artemis's place as Percy's wife, but you're really not are you? The All-Father Odin himself told everyone here that the woman in question had…to… be… a… virgin. And since you FUCKED ARES! You… are… no… longer… a… VIRGIN. So you can't even be considered."
"Tha…that…is…is a technicality!" Athena hissed out stutteringly "it was just once and it wasn't even my fault!
At that, Thalia laughed as the Olympians looked on in shock at what Athena just said. "You're…you're kidding me right? Not your fault and it only happened once? By the gods, you're a stupid bitch. There is no technicality in being a virgin Athena you either are or you're not, unfortunately, you got the shaft from Ares so you are not a virgin! It's not like he was walking around naked and just happened to run into you while walking around naked and just tripped and fell in your pussy! No, you spread those stubbly legs and let him in! Besides, there are plenty of other goddess's that are still virgins that Percy can choose from. That is if finding another bride is even necessary." Thalia replied to the rapidly turning red faced goddess.
"I AM NOT STUPID, YOU IRRELEVANT LITTLE BITCH! I SHOULD KILL YOU RIGHT NOW AND BE DONE WITH YOU!" Athena screamed in frustration.
"Athena! You shall not kill Thalia and that is final!" Zeus demanded as lightning began to spark all across his body.
"Father, if it pleases the council I say let this horse humping thunder cunt try," Thalia said with a smile on her face. "As a matter of fact, I have 100 gold drachmas that say she can't do it."
"AAAARRRGGG!" Athena growled, "I will kill you painfully!"
"I'll take that bet!" Hermes exclaimed "any other takers?"
None of the other gods said a word as they continued watching the conversation going on between father and daughter.
"Daughter, please reconsider this you do not understand how powerful Athena is." Said a worried Zeus.
"Come on dad have a little faith in your little girl, besides I am well aware of just how powerful Athena is, so to give her a fighting chance I will give her three try's and then I will get one try on her. That sounds fair to me." Thalia replied trying to reassure Zeus that she will be alright. "What do you say thunder cunt, you up for it or is there some technicality that is keeping you from this?"
"DO…NOT…CALL…ME…THAT!" Athena screamed in frustration "By the time I am through you will be praying that Ares had taken you instead of me!"
"Oh, thanks for reminding me of something. Hey, Apollo, Athena might need a check-up, evidently Ares has an anal STD and no telling what other diseases he might have given bird-fucker over there." Thalia said while giggling
At this Athena's face just turned redder and redder as she paced the floor in front of Zeus's throne.
"Daughter, I do not believe that Perseus can survive losing both you and Artemis, so I can…cannot…allow this…to happen." Zeus said fearing for his demigod daughter.
"Father, there is no need for you to be concerned, although it is much appreciated. Don't worry Percy won't be losing anybody today." Thalia said with a smirk on her face and a gleam in her eye.
"Ignorant demigod, you cannot even speak properly as Perseus has already lost someone and he is about to lose another!" Athena hissed.
Zeus sat there for a moment thinking over exactly what Thalia just said as something just did not seem right. "Daughter, what did you mean…" Zeus was asking when Thalia just smiled and placed a finger on her lips. At this, a small smile came across Zeus's face as he looked to the council and said "Against my better judgment I will approve of this. Athena good luck."
"Betting is about to close!" Hermes announced as he looked towards Zeus who summoned him over to his throne and asked: "What's the line on the fight?" Hermes got a surprised look on his face before he smiled and said "Thalia is the underdog coming in at 5 to1. Athena is heavily favored to win because…well, she's Athena." Zeus thought for a moment and then asked "Is my wife betting? If so on who?"
"Hera is betting on Athena as is Demeter, Apollo, Poseidon, and Dionysus. Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Hestia are betting on Thalia to win." Said Hermes as he watched the face of his father.
Zeus sat there with his chin on his hand and finally said "1000 gold drachma's on…" he went to say when Hermes interrupted and said, "on Athena". At this, a furious look overcame Zeus's face as he quietly hissed "no you damn idiot on Thalia and keep it quiet!" Hermes looked stunned for a moment surely his father didn't believe that Thalia could beat Athena, so he asked "what is it, father? What do you know that we do not?" Zeus shrugged his shoulders and said "honestly nothing, but Thalia seems to know something and that is enough for me. Now close the betting so we can get this over with."
As the god turned their attention to the two combatants, only to find Thalia doing some stretching and gymnastics. Observing this Apollo asked, "Thalia what are you doing?"
"I'm stretching. It's always a good idea to stretch and limber up before a battle or spar so that our muscles don't cramp up resulting an injury or death. As the god of medicine shouldn't you know that?" Thalia responded with a smirk.
"Umm…of…of course I…I know that. I was…was just…testing you, yeah that's right I was testing you." Apollo replied nervously brow heavy with sweat.
"Right," Thalia said with a sigh as she saw a bright light appear to her side. She turned to see what it was and quickly jumped back in horror as Athena had summoned her shield Aegis (which bore the head of a Gorgon on the front of it). Observing the inattention, of the insolent demigod Athena launched her spear at the unsuspecting demigod. Fortunately, for Thalia she was able to recompose herself and noticed the spear quickly approaching, 'fucking bitch' she thought to herself as she quickly summoned a portal allowing the spear to pass through it; although, the spear did not hit its intended target it did hit a target. In the throne room of the Olympian gods and statue stands to represent each god and goddess, it was in front on a particular goddess's statue that the portal opened striking the statue right between the breast. Seeing this Thalia smirked as she asked: "wow Athena did you titty fuck Ares like that?"
Athena was seething in anger and hate which caused her face mushroom to a bright red as she screamed "I…HATE…YOU! I…WILL…KILL …YOU…SLOWLY…FOR…DESECRATING…MY…STATUE…YOU…PIECE…OF… SHIT…DEMIGOD!"
"Hey you threw the spear and that's where it hit, so that's your fault, not mine," Thalia said gleefully. "Oh, and in case you forgot that was one try, only two more tries to go."
At this Athena gathered a large ball of energy in her hand and threw it at Thalia as she hissed "DIE…DEMIGOD…SCUM!"
Thalia just smirked as she watched the ball of energy fly towards her, the only problem Thalia could see with this attack is how did she want to counter it. Did she want to absorb the energy, destroy the energy with an attack of her own, or just deflect the energy and finish destroying Athena's statue? Unfortunately, for the demigoddess the decision was taken out of her hands as she took too long in deciding and the energy bolt hit her square in the chest sending her flying backward until she hit the wall. It did not stop there for the young demigoddess as three more energy bolts hit her in rapid secession driving her further and further into the wall. As the smoke cleared the gods observed the large indentation in the wall and the still smoking body of Thalia laying on the floor unmoving.
"I win you impudent demigod! You should have known when you challenge a god such as myself that this is would be the only outcome, you unworthy whore! Now I will make Perseus mine!" Athena bellowed as she looked to every god in the throne room.
"Apo…Apollo…plea…please…check on…on Thalia…and see if…if she is alright." Zeus stutteringly ordered.
"There is no need for that father she is dead. I told her I would kill her for her disrespectful actions and I did." Athena said with a smile on her face.
"Apol…Apollo…please check…just…just to be…be sure." A somber Zeus ordered as he looked at the floor a tear fell from his eye.
"Father!" Apollo yelled as the gods all turned to look at him. "She's gone!"
"What!" Yelled Zeus "What do you mean she's gone?!"
"I…I went over to examine her and she was gone. It's like she disappeared!" Apollo exclaimed
"You lie! She took four energy bolts head on she is dead! What did you do with her body Apollo?!" Athena hissed as an irate expression came over her face.
"I…I…did nothing," Apollo replied nervously
"Then where is…" Athena was saying when suddenly a voice echoed throughout the throne room "you want to know where I am Athena, I am here, there, I am everywhere, you stupid owl for brained bitch. Oh and just so you know that was your second try." The voice said as a bolt of blue lightning outlined in black struck the throne room floor revealing the very much alive Thalia.
"Impos…impossible!" Athena bellowed as her face went pale white.
"Evidently it's not impossible Athena, cause here I am very much alive and waiting for my turn to kick your ass," Thalia said in response.
"Daugh…daughter, how…how did…did you survive? We…we all saw you…you get hit…with the four energy bolts." Zeus said in disbelief.
Thalia just rolled her eyes and went to speak when Athena gave a loud and frustrated war cry and charged Thalia. Thalia took her fighting position waiting for the goddess to reach her; however, as Athena got within five paces of Thalia, all anyone could see was something streaking through the air before hearing a loud "CLONK!" as Athena fell to the floor unconscious.
"Why the fuck did you do that?! I was about to win!" Thalia hissed to the person behind the thrones.
At this, the gods turned only to see a very much alive Artemis being accompanied by Perseus. The throne room erupted in chaos once again as the gods were shocked at seeing Artemis alive.
"ARTY!" Apollo yelled in joy as he rushed forth to hug his baby sister ecstatic that she is still alive. Unfortunately, for the sun god as he approached his sister she reared her hand back and brought it forward and slapped him, REALLY HARD as she hissed "I told you do not call me Arty, you damn Idiot!"
Suddenly a large lightning bolt struck the ground shocking the gods into silence as a voice could be heard bellowing "why?! Why did you do that?! Athena was mine to beat!"
"Thalia calm down, you must understand…" Artemis began to say when she was rudely interrupted "I won't calm down and I don't have to understand Jack shit! This was my fight and you interfered! How would you feel if I did that to you?!"
"I do understand, but what you are forgetting is that she was trying to take my place as Perseus's wife. I know it offended you which is why you did all of this but think of how I felt. I wanted to make her fade but Perseus would not bring me back until I calmed down. There will be plenty of time later for you to get revenge on this man stealing succubus." Artemis said as she laid a hand on Thalia's shoulder.
At this Thalia threw herself at Artemis hugging the goddess for all she was worth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be such a bitch. It's been a rough day and I needed to vent." Thalia whispered into Artemis's ear.
"I know Thalia, I know. As for venting your frustrations, we can take care of that later." Artemis said seductively as her hands moved down Thalia's back until she was able to grab two handfuls of Thalia's amazingly firm ass.
"MMMM…" Thalia moaned in pleasure as she whispered: "I can't wait."
"Well, the sooner we finish our business here the sooner you can vent," Artemis whispered back.
"Business? What business?" Thalia asked in confusion.
"Take a seat and watch, hopefully, this won't take too long," Artemis replied as she started towards her throne.
"Daughter, how…how did…you survive the eruption?" Zeus asked
"Father, everything will be explained but first Perseus has some business to take care of," Artemis responded
At this Perseus walked over to the throne of Hermes and held his hand out and said: "Hermes, I do believe I won the bet."
"No!" Hermes exclaimed, "you were not here to place a bet on the fight and since Artemis interfered, all bets are null and void!"
"How quickly we forget. I assume that you have a ledger in which you write all of the bet down in?" Perseus asked
"Of course, that way I can keep track of who bet on what and how much. What does my ledger have to do with this?" Hermes asked confusingly
"You will see. If you would please summon your ledger." Perseus asked sternly
One bright flash and Hermes sat on his throne with his betting ledger and said: "alright now what?"
"Open your ledger to the night of capture the flag, hunter's vs campers," Perseus instructed
As Hermes began to flip through his ledger to find the proper page he said: "If I remember correctly you didn't bet on that contest, because you already knew who would win."
"That is correct, I did not bet on capture the flag. However, if you remember I did make a bet concerning a certain fight." Perseus said smirking
At this, the expression on Hermes' face was one of shock as he reached the page and confirmed what Perseus had just bellowed "it…it's…not possible!"
"Just read what the ledger says, please," Perseus instructed in a tone that left the god of thieves' little choice.
"On this day June 26, 2016, I Hermes accept a bet with Perseus the prince of Asgard. The bet is that on July 4, 2016, Artemis will knock Athena out with an Escrima. Th…the…od…odds …are 2000 to 1 that it actually happens. Perseus bet 1000 gold drachmas." Hermes finished saying as he ripped his ledger apart. "Come on you can't seriously be enforcing that bet."
"Of course, I'm serious, I placed a bet and you accepted it. I won now pay up." Perseus said in an irritated tone.
"I…I don…don't have…that type…of money!" Hermes bellowed "this will bankrupt me!"
"Well, I suggest that you find a day job to supplement your income. Now pay up or suffer the consequences." Perseus threateningly said to the god of messengers.
"Uh…hey, Apollo…can you help me pay off this bet? You know I'm good for it." Hermes asked pleading with the sun god.
"No problem bro I'll be happy to help. After all, that's what brothers are for to help each other out in difficult situations. How much do you need?" Apollo asked smiling brightly
At this Hermes showed Apollo something in his ledger, suddenly Apollo's eyes widened and then rolled back into his head as he fell off of his throne. "Apollo! Come on bro wake up I need you!" Hermes exclaimed as he tried to wake Apollo.
'Fuck!' Hermes thought to himself as he bowed his head and walked toward Zeus's throne where he kneeled on one knee and said "father, is…is there…anyway, you can…give me…an advance…on my allowance?" Hermes said in a pleading tone.
"What have I told you about taking bets you cannot cover?!" Zeus asked irritably
"I know, I know, but it was a fools bet, it was easy money there wasn't any way that should have happened," Hermes said trying to make his father understand why he took the bet.
"You were correct about one thing, it was a fool's bet and the fool lost!" Zeus replied angrily "how much do you need this time?!"
"I…uh…I need …" Hermes said mumbling
"Speak up boy!" Zeus bellowed
"I…I need… 200 years' worth… of allowance money." Hermes said meekly
"WHAT!" Zeus screamed as his hair stood on end as mini lightning bolts radiated from his hair.
"Please father, I really do not want to see what consequences Perseus will meet out on me if I cannot pay him," Hermes begged with a tear in his eye.
Zeus just shook his head and went to ask Perseus "Perseus would you….? Yes, of course, you would. Fine! But this is the last time, and you are forbidden from taking and making any bets for the next millennium!"
"What! That's not fair!" Hermes yelled like a whining child
"Fine then you can get yourself out of this, you spoiled little pain-in-the-ass!" Zeus replied in a pissy tone
"Fath…father…plea…please reconsid…" was as far as Hermes got as Zeus yelled "No! I am sick and tired of you taking or making bets you cannot afford to pay off and then come running to me hoping that I will pay them off for you! I have told you the terms, either accept them or find another way to pay off the bet yourself!"
Hermes just stood there looking at the floor thinking. Finally, he looked up with a dejected look on his face and said softly "very good father I agree to your terms. Thank you for your help." At this Hermes turned to make his way back to his throne but was stopped, "Hermes" Zeus called out "I know that the terms may seem harsh, but I need you and the others to understand that I was serious when I said things were going to change. That meant everyone in the throne room as well as myself. As gods we should set the example of what demigods and mortals aspire to be, not be whore mongering, gambling addicted gods who just skate by without any repercussions. I am not saying that you could never do any of these things but you must learn how to do them in moderation or accept the consequences of your actions. If I continue to let this behavior slide, I would be remised, in my duties as King of the gods and more importantly as your father. I do hope you understand why I had to do this?"
Hermes stood there taking in what Zeus had just said to him, when finally, he spoke "father…to be honest, I believed that you were just being a dick going on a power trip; however, hearing your explanation I understand now why you placed those terms. It will take some time but I am certain that I can improve my behavior and better myself so that I can make you proud of me."
At this Zeus smiled as he said "my son I am always been proud of my children and it is partly my fault for allowing this behavior in the past. All I ask is that you try your best."
Hermes just smiled bowed to his father and returned to his throne as a bright glow illuminated the throne room and three giant bags of drachma's lay on the floor in front of Perseus.
Perseus bowed as he said, "thank you, Lord Zeus."
"Ahhh…Perseus if you would could you stay after the meeting to discuss the wedding?" Zeus asked nervously
"No need for that Milord" Perseus replied as he teleported two of the bags of drachma's over in front of Zeus's throne. "The wedding is on me."
"Bu…but tha…that is…is your winnings from Hermes." Zeus stuttered in response
At this Perseus just smiled and replied: "money is of no importance to me."
Suddenly a voice bellowed out "What! You were about to beat my ass to Tartarus and back and now you have no interest in money?! Why did you lie about it!"
"Let us get something straight I DO NOT LIE!" Perseus hissed as his demeanor started to change "and money is of no concern to me. What is of concern to me is that the person who accepted the bet showed no loyalty to his patrons! If you do not remember I am the god of loyalty and I take my domains seriously and you violated said domain. So when I said there would be consequences I meant!"
"My…my… apologies… Perseus, it has…has been a rough… but an enlightening day." Hermes responded with a bowed head.
"I understand Hermes, but do not make such a mistake again or there will indeed be consequences," Perseus warned
"Ohhhh my there will be consequences!" Apollo exclaimed loudly "what will you do make him disappear?"
Perseus who now had a look of disgust on his face replied curtly "yes, as a matter of fact, I will! Would you like to see me do it?!"
"Hades yeah, I bet that would be hilarious," Apollo said laughingly
Perseus looked at Hermes who had the facial expression of a god who was about to piss himself, smiled and said "it shall be done" as Perseus snapped his fingers causing a bright light to fill the throne room. Once the light receded everyone was stunned to see Hermes still sitting in his throne. "I'm…I'm…still…here" Hermes said in amazement.
"Yes, you apologized and we put the situation behind us. I would not violate that." Perseus replied to a relieved looking Hermes.
"Then…who…who did…you make…disappear?" Hermes asked carefully
"Can you not tell?" Perseus asked smirking
At this Artemis yelled out in a laughing tone "it was Apollo!"
Suddenly the throne room was loud with laughter as they all realized that Apollo got exactly what he asked for.
"Per…Perseus…" Zeus said laughingly "why... why did you…do…do that to Apollo?"
"He was the one that asked to see someone disappear. So who better? Besides, he can help heal his brother for his trial." Perseus responded with a smirk.
"His brother?" Zeus asked "you mean Ares? I…we…we thought he was dead! We…we all saw Artemis destroy him!"
"I must admit she came very close to doing so," Perseus replied
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Flashback
"Just after Hephaestus and I had freed Thalia, I asked Hephaestus to bring Thalia back to Olympus as I knew things were about to get explosive. I teleported to a relatively safe location and watched them fight. Ares did make an amicable showing of himself but in the end, Artemis's new powers were too much for him to overcome. I almost got involved when he pierced her thigh with her hunting knife but fortunately, I was able to restrain myself. I am assuming that everyone here saw when Ares fell into the volcano?" Perseus asked as the gods nodded "well luckily for him, he landed on one of the few remaining crosswalks in the forge; however, it was at this time that Artemis decide to end the fight and Ares. She began to gather power from the sun in Dusk-Bringer…" Perseus was saying when Hades interrupted "Dusk-Bringer?" At this Perseus rolled his eyes as he replied: "yes Dusk-Bringer as it is the last light you see before darkness claims you." Hades eyes widened in awe as Perseus explained the name of Artemis's new weapon. "Alright where was I, oh yes Artemis was charging Dusk-Bringer with power from the sun and fired it at Ares. Depending on your point of view you could say he was lucky or unlucky. The only part of the energy beam hit Ares. UUHH…" Perseus said shivering "it was nasty. The rest of the beam hit the volcano itself and…. well I'm sure you know what happened next. Now as to how they survived once, I realized that the volcano was about to erupt I stopped time and quickly made my way to Artemis and let her out of the time spell, then she and I proceeded to where Ares was still laying on the catwalk. I left him in the time spell as he was severely injured and would have probably died, which as we know would cause even more problems. So, I put him in a pocket dimension until we came back to Olympus so Apollo could heal him. Unfortunately, we arrived to find someone (everyone looked at Athena) trying to insert herself into a place that she is not welcome. Honestly, Artemis wanted to come out and whip her ass as soon as she heard what Athena said, but I talked her into watching how powerful Thalia is getting. Artemis only agreed if I promised her the first shot at Athena. So I believe that brings us to the here and now."
End Flashback
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"See I told you Percy wouldn't need to pick another wife. Why can't you ass-hats ever listen to someone other than yourselves?" Thalia said rudely
The gods looked at her in shock not believing that this demigod had the nerve to speak to them like this. Zeus turned to look at Perseus who just raised his hands and said: "Hey, she's your daughter and she has inherited your temperament, so do not look at me like it's my fault."
Zeus just sat in his throne and shook his head at the antics of his daughter and soon to be son in law and mumbled: "may Chaos help us."
"Lord Zeus, would you like me to bring Ares back so he can stand trial?" Perseus asked as Zeus nodded and a second later a still battered Ares was lying on the floor groaning in pain. "Apollo as well if you do not mind." Said, Zeus, as Perseus just smiled and suddenly Apollo appeared and he was pissed as he bellowed "who the fuck does Perseus think he is?! Putting me in here with Ares and then leaving me there?! When I get out of here I'm gonna kick his ass!"
At this, there was a tapping on Apollo's shoulder and he turned around only to see Perseus and the other Olympians. "Oh…uh…Hi?" Apollo said as he hoped that no-one had heard him rant.
"Little moon!' Perseus called out
"Yes, Perseus," Artemis responded
"Apollo wants to kick my ass. What should I do?" Perseus asked
At this everyone in the throne room looked confused. Especially Apollo.
"Why to ask me?" Artemis asked confusingly.
"Well, he is your brother little moon, so I will not hurt him unless you say it is alright," Perseus explained
Apollo smiled as he just knew that Artemis wouldn't let Perseus hurt him.
"No beloved, I am afraid I must ask you not to hurt my whore mongering brother," Artemis replied.
"Yes!" Apollo screamed in joy.
"Apollo, what are you yelling yes for?" Artemis asked her ecstatic brother.
"I knew deep down you loved me Arty, and you not letting Perseus hurt me proves it!" Apollo replied with a bright smile and happy tone.
"Oh, Apollo you didn't let me finish," Artemis said in a huff.
"Wha…what…are…are you saying?" Apollo said nervously no longer smiling.
"I said Perseus couldn't hurt you; however, I never said I would not do it," Artemis answered with a sadistic smile as she brought out Dusk-Bringer.
"Com…come…come on…Art…Arty…yo…you wouldn't…hurt me would you? I'm…I'm…your brother!" Apollo said pleading with his sister
"How…many…times…have…I… told…you… not…to…call…me…ARTY!" Artemis hissed as she pressed the gem in the middle of the Escrima causing it to become a three-quarter staff.
"Art…Arty…ple…please do…don't… ddd…do this." Apollo begged stutteringly as Artemis growled at the use of the nickname.
Artemis was just about to rush Apollo when a voice called out "Artemis stop!" At this everyone looked towards where the voice had come from only to find it was Aphrodite who had spoken and was making her way towards Artemis.
"What is it, Aphrodite?! You cannot save him or stop me!" Artemis hissed
"Yes! Thank the god's someone came to their senses!" Apollo exclaimed in relief.
"I do not want to save him," Aphrodite said seriously
"What! Oh, come on!" Apollo yelled in frustration
"Then what do you want?" Artemis asked curiously
Aphrodite leaned in and began whispering in Artemis's ear. As Aphrodite spoke Artemis's facial expression turned to one of shock and then disgust as she eyed Apollo while Aphrodite continued her story. Once Aphrodite had finished Artemis just looked at her and asked "Really?"
Aphrodite just nodded in response.
"Very well just do not hurt him too badly," Artemis said as she moved towards her throne.
Apollo stood there wondering what in the Hades was going on 'is this beat up Apollo day or something' he thought to himself. He watched as Aphrodite started towards him and said: "the last time you caught me off guard now I'm ready for you." As a bright glow surrounded his body.
Aphrodite stopped about six feet away from him and smiled as she raised the baton. At this Apollo fired an energy bolt made of solar energy at Aphrodite who, simply held the Uru made baton out in front of her and absorbed the blast into the baton.
Apollo was in shock as he watched his attack not only fail but be absorbed by this Asgardian weapon. Unfortunately, for Apollo the shocks were not over as Aphrodite reached down and ripped open the top of her dress revealing her gorgeous 38 DD titties that were barely covered by a red lace bra. Seeing this Apollo's mouth dropped open as drool started to spill out. At this Aphrodite held one end of the baton forward as some type of energy beam shot forth hitting Apollo square in the chest sending him flying into the wall. As he fell to the floor stunned Aphrodite stood over him and mumbled something that only the two of them could hear as a bright pink glow surrounded them. Once the glow subsided Aphrodite with her dress fixed returned to her throne smiling.
Most of the throne room sat there in stunned silence except for Thalia, Artemis, and Perseus, who were all on the floor laughing. After a few moments, the gods began to recompose themselves as Hera looked at Aphrodite in awe and asked "wha…what…did you…you do to him?"
"Well from what I understand from Sif, any weapon made of Uru such as this baton has the ability to absorb an energy blast directed at me. So when Apollo used his solar energy blast, Ball-Breaker (is what she is now calling the Baton) absorbed the energy. Now the energy that came out of Ball-Breaker I am not sure about that myself." Aphrodite said in a confused tone.
"If I may? That energy blast you released from your weapon is called anti-force. It is a power of my brother Thor and you seem to be gaining it through your bond." Perseus said answering the question everyone wanted an answer to.
Hera nodded and said "thank you for that information Perseus. Now, what was the pink glow about?"
"Oh, that." Aphrodite replied with a smirk "that was just a small curse on Olympus's favorite playboy. Every time he approaches a woman he wants to have sex with he will become impotent. The only time he will be able to get an erection is with a woman he doesn't desire."
The room grew silent once again as everyone sat there thinking about what Aphrodite just said and as they realized what it meant the throne room erupted in laughter knowing that for the time being the Apollo cabin will not be growing in size.
In a surprising move, Artemis jumped out of her throne and made her way to Aphrodite and hugged her yelling "I wish I had thought of that years ago."
Aphrodite smiled and hugged Artemis back as she said: "us sister-in-laws have to stick together."
"I…I guess…I got…got lucky" a voice spoke up as everyone turned to find a still severely injured Ares sitting on the floor watching what just happened.
"What did you say?!" Zeus hissed as he looked at his chained up son.
"I was remembering when she hit me, I thought that was bad but what she just did to Apollo shows me how lucky I had it. It looks like being with the Asgardian is agreeing with you." Ares said looking at Aphrodite.
Again most the gods were stunned at how casual Ares was speaking despite his situation until finally Hera spoke and asked: "what are you playing at Ares?"
"Honestly mother, I'm not playing at anything. My time is up and I've accepted that. The only thing I want to do is meet my end with the little dignity I have left." Ares said softly.
"Ares this deceitful tactic will not save you!" Bellowed Zeus
"Father, if I wanted to use a deceitful tactic to save myself I would blame you for this, but I'm not. I know what I did was wrong and I accept the consequences of my actions." Ares replied firmly
"How…how…can you…you blame me…for this?" Zeus asked stutteringly
"For thousands of years we… did as we pleased without suffering any or very little consequences or repercussions, as long as it did not affect you or your rule. Then out of nowhere Perseus shows up hands me an ass beating, and within a day or two everything we knew, did an 180-degree turn. We had no time to ease into this, it was thrust upon us and we didn't even get to voice our opinions on the subject. And as if that wasn't bad enough Aphrodite dumps me for Perseus brother and then she beats my ass. With all of this happening it was only natural that I would be pissed off and do something stupid, which admittedly I did and now I am going to accept my punishment for it. I do beg for one last favor." Ares stated somberly
"There is no amount of begging will save you. Do not waste your breath, you disappointing bastard of a son!" Hera hissed out.
Ares looked at his mother with a fire in his eyes and bellowed passionately "mother, I have already said that I am ready to accept my punishment for my actions! It doesn't matter how terrible the two of you were or are at being parents I am responsible for my own actions. The favor is not for me!"
Hera went to respond but was stopped by Zeus as he asked: "what is this…favor you ask for and why should we grant it?"
Ares looked at Zeus and slightly bowed his head as he said: "I am assuming that I will be forced to fade." At this Zeus simply nodded. "What I ask of you and the council is to please, please, save my demigod children."
A gasp could be heard throughout the throne room as Ares continued to speak "once I've faded one or two things will happen, another god will take my place as the god of war, which will make his or her demigods the children of the god of war. If that happens my demigod children will become outcasts, known only as children of a god that betrayed Olympus and was forced to fade. Or I will be erased from history and the new god of war will take my place meaning that my children will never have been born. I…I…will be…the first to admit…that I have never been a kind or loving father to my demigod children, but just this once I want to be able to do the right thing by them; even, if it is the last thing I will ever do."
Zeus sat on his throne with a stunned look on his face as he was surprised that for once in his immortal life Ares was thinking of the well-being of his children. Soon a somber look took its place on Zeus's face as he reluctantly said "I wish I could tell you that I knew of some way to keep this from happening to your children, but in truth I do not. It is an unfortunate consequence of thejustice being served, sometimes no matter how much we wish it there are causalities injustice as there is in war. I am sorry to…."
At this Ares erupted in anger as he bellowed "justice! That is not justice! They did nothing wrong and they are being punished simply because they are my children! For Chaos sake, they are your grandchildren, have you no feelings for them?! I cannot wait to fade I am sick and tired of your justice! If it had been Athena, you would be bending over ass backward to try and save her children…"
At this, a voice yelled out "WAIT!" Everyone turned to see Perseus walking towards where Ares was being restrained and looked at him for a moment studying him. Perseus then turned to Zeus and said in determination "Although I do not want to admit it, Ares is right, punishing his demigod children is not justice and as the god of justice I cannot and will not allow this to happen!"
"With all due respect to your domain Perseus, this is the way things have always been done on Olympus. We cannot take the chance that his demigod children could go rogue gather an army and try to overthrow us Olympians." Zeus replied firmly as the hope in Ares' eyes seems to fade.
"And with all due respect to you, as justice is my domain you should already know that I will not allow this to happen. I do not care what you have done in the past, that is why you are in the situation you are in now. It is time to look for solutions to problems such as this instead of ignoring them or obliterating them. Consider for a moment, your granddaughter Clarisse, if not for her we would not have the information on the labyrinth that we now possess. She leads the Ares cabin training them to be the best melee fighters in camp. Which will be greatly needed in the upcoming war, and you will not even try and find a way to save them. I will ask you one time to reconsider before I take matters into my own hands." Perseus said sternly as he summoned Storm-Breaker.
At first, anger flowed through Zeus's eyes, but that turned to disbelief as Artemis, Thalia, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus stood by Perseus's side. "Yo…you…would jo…join him?" Zeus asked in shock
Artemis stepped forward and replied "yes father we will. Like Perseus, I do not particularly like Ares but his demigods are innocent in this and should be saved if we can manage it." The others nodded in agreement showing their support.
"Father please," Ares said as if he were begging "for weeks now you have listened to the council of Perseus. Even I must admit that without his help we probably would have already lost the war with the Titans. Why doubt him now. Please listen to him and save your grandchildren."
"Ares now I must admit something. You have truly surprised me and made I am proud to have called you son. I would normally call for a council vote; however, looking at the expression on the face of the council I can safely say they will support our saving your demigod children. Perseus, I am sorry for the way I acted. It has been a trying time and the stress of the war along with everything else overwhelmed. Please forgive me." Zeus said with a gleam in his eye.
"Thank you father, now I can fade knowing my children are taken care of. And thank you as well Perseus this would not be happening without you." Ares said in gratitude.
"No thanks are necessary it is the just and right thing to do," Perseus responded
Zeus cleared his throat and asked, "does anyone have any suggestions on how we can make so that the children in the Ares cabin can remain alive and at camp?"
The council began deliberating amongst themselves as the minutes passed one voice rang out. "Brother I believe I have a solution." Everyone in the throne room turned to see that it was Hestia had spoken.
Zeus smiled as he said, "yes sister what do you have for us?"
"Before I say let me ask will Ares just be made to fade or will he be erased from history?" Hestia asked with a somewhat sympathetic tone.
"Zeus looked confused for a moment and then responded "I…I am not sure. I suppose that is up to Lady Chaos as it was she who made the vow to Odin to take care of this personally. I will try to summon her." Zeus closed his eyes and began to mumble to himself almost as if chanting. Soon a portal appeared in the middle of the throne room as Lady Chaos emerged from it.
"Lord Zeus," Chaos said with a slight head bow "am I to assume that since Ares is here in restraints that it is time for his punishment?"
"Uh…yes, Lady Chaos. We do have one question about his punishment. Will he just be made to fade or will you erase him from history as well?" Zeus asked carefully and respectfully as he bowed to her.
"He was sentenced to fade so I see no reason to erase him from history. Why do you ask?" Chaos asked interested as to why they wanted to know.
"We are trying to find a way so that the demigods in Ares cabin will not be affected negatively by their father's punishment," Zeus responded
"I see, and have you found a solution?" Chaos inquired
"Hestia may have a solution but she needed to know the extent of Ares punishment." Zeus answered as he turned to Hestia and said: "sister does that answer your question?"
"Yes brother," Hestia said with a small frown as she turned to look at Ares "what if the new god of war were to adopt the children of Ares. Then we can summon Hecate to use the mist to make them and the campers believe that they have always been children of the new war god."
"That is an excellent idea sister!" Zeus exclaimed as he turned to Chaos and asked: "Lady Chaos, how would we go about doing this?"
Chaos eyes widened as she was stunned that Zeus asked her this question. After a moment she finally answered, "it can be done, however, you must get the approval of the new god of war."
At that Zeus just stood looking at Lady Chaos with a confused look on his face. After a moment Chaos became self-conscious and summoned a mirror checking to see if she had anything on her face. Relieved at finding nothing she looked at Zeus who still had that look on his face. The look was really beginning to irate her so she hissed out "WHAT!"
"It…it's just…well…you did…tell Lord Odin…that…that you would handle…everyth…" was as far as Zeus got before Chaos erupted with "by my father's bikini briefs you have to be fucking kidding me, you have not chosen a replacement yet!"
"I…I…I assumed…" Zeus stuttered as Chaos once again interrupted him "you assumed?! You assumed?! How can you assume anything when it appears you do not have a brain! Why?! Please tell me why I left this world in the hands of such inept godling's such as you?!"
Zeus sat there stunned his mouth opening and closing like a fish as the others remained stunned in silence.
"Will gods damned Olympians hurry up and decide! I have a date in a few hours and I still need to get my hair done, a Medi-Pedi, and a Brazilian wax job!? Chaos hissed out before slapping her hand over her mouth.
At this Aphrodite let out an ear piercing shriek "EEEEEEEEEE… with who Lady Chaos? This is just so juicy is he handsome? Rich? Well endowed?"
"Aphrodite!" Zeus bellowed
"Oops sorry Lady Chaos the love goddess in me took over," Aphrodite explained
"It…it is quite…alright" Chaos replied
"Ahem!" echoed as everyone turned to see it was Perseus who had gotten everyone's attention said with a smirk "with all due respect Milady I am with Aphrodite on this just who is it that you have a date with?"
"None of your business Asgardian!" Chaos yelled out in embarrassment
"That's fine" Perseus replied with a gleam in his eye and a smile on his face "I will just ask Heimdall he see's everything and as his prince, he has to tell me any information I ask."
Chaos glared at Perseus in hate as she hissed "you would not dare!"
Perseus just smiled and yelled "Heimd…"
"Alright! I tell you!" Chaos blurted out causing Aphrodite to squeal once again.
(Marvel comics owns the comic book rights to this character while Fox studios own the movie rights.)
"It…it's…&^&^7" Chaos mumbled so low no one could hear
"Repeat that please we could not hear you," Perseus said teasingly to Chaos
"It's Galactus you damned piece of Asteroid shit! Are you happy?! I have a date with Galactus!" Chaos screamed as her face turned a shade of red that has yet to be invented.
At this Perseus began to laugh so hard he fell on the floor rolling.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS SO FUNNY?!" Chaos yelled
"It…it's…just…I…I already…knew that." Perseus replied holding his stomach while still laughing.
"How…how…did you know?" Chaos asked in surprise
"Who…who…do you…you think brought…the two of…of you together." Perseus responded
"You…you…what!" Chaos exclaimed
"Who do you think made it possible for Galactus to find you?" Perseus said still smirking.
"Bu…but how?" Chaos asked in shock
"Remember back when you were creating Cedi Alpha 12? I may have created an energy trail that led him straight to you." Perseus replied
"Bu…but why?" Chaos asked still in shock at the news
"You looked lonely and to be honest, there really are not too many people interesting enough to gain the attention of Lady Chaos. So I arranged a little meeting." Perseus said still smiling.
"Oh," Chaos replied her face blushing a deep, deep, red.
"Perseus! Please do not annoy Lady Chaos!" Zeus exclaimed
"Hmm…oh my apologies Lord Zeus I was just trying to lighten up the situation. Lady Chaos if I have embarrassed you or offended you I deeply apologize it was not my intention." Perseus said sincerely.
"I would warn you against doing such a thing again but we both know such a warning would be useless. However, I do accept your apology." Chaos responded, "now what are we going to do about finding a new god of war?"
At that, a black raven flew into the throne room and landed on Perseus's shoulder. Perseus looked at the raven as if he was listening to it and suddenly exclaimed "Oh come on! You have got to be kidding me?!" After his outburst Perseus continued to listen to the raven as a look of demoralization came over his face. With a large huffing sigh, he asked: "do I really have to?" Evidently the raven answered him and not with the answer he wanted as he bellowed out "fuck!" The raven sat on his shoulder just looking at him as Perseus was starting to become very uncomfortable until he finally relented and hissed out "fine I'll do it! Just do not expect me to like it!" At that, the raven gave a squawk and left.
The emotions and expressions of those occupying the throne room varied. Some such as Artemis, Zeus, and Thalia were laughing and had smiles on their faces as they knew that Perseus had just received a message from his father Odin. The others did not know what to think and had blank expressions on their faces to reflect their confusion. Finally, Chaos decided to ask "Perseus, was that not one of your father's ravens?"
Trying to calm himself Perseus slowly answered "yes Lady Chaos…it was…Huginn."
"Why did Lord Odin send Huginn to you, if I may ask?" Chaos inquired curiously
"Ah yes you may Lady Chaos, but first…we must secure the room." Perseus responded once again confusing everyone in the room. "Hermes, could you please close the throne room doors?" Perseus asked and Hermes nodded and went and closed the gigantic doors. "My thanks, Hermes," Perseus said to the messenger god as he closed his eyes and began to glow. Soon the makings of a barrier could be seen encompassing the throne room. Soon the barrier was complete and Perseus opened his eyes.
"Perseus, what could Lord Odin have told you to tell us that would warrant this action" Chaos asked
"Lady Chaos, we are at war with the Titan and their benefactor. We do not know who on Olympus could be spying on them. Father felt it would be safer to relay his message without prying ears." Perseus replied somewhat frustrated.
"And you are sure that this barrier is safe?" Hera asked
"Yes, I used force-field-generation, which essentially produces a barrier from the fourth dimension thus separating us from the confines of the third dimension," Perseus explain to the queen of the gods
"Pers…Perseus…just…just wha…what did Lord Odin have to say?" Zeus asked
"He…he…said that although he and the Asgardian council are enjoying this cluster-fuck that you call a meeting it is accomplishing nothing. And even though Ladies Freyja and Frigga want to know more about Lady Chaos's booty call later it is irrelevant to the situation." At this Chaos blushed red in embarrassment once again. "My father also says that he has the solution that you need concerning a new god of war. But before I can reveal the solution certain precautions had to be taken. The first was securing the room and now for the second." At this Perseus turns to Thalia and ask "Sparkles could you please come forth?"
With a look of confusion on her face, Thalia walks over to Perseus and asks "did I do something wrong?"
"No, Sparkles it's nothing like that. I just need you to swear on Lady Chaos what you are about to see and hear will not be repeated until the gods permit it." Perseus said reassuringly.
"Perseus! Why must my daughter swear an oath to Lady Chaos do you not trust her?!" Hissed a slightly angered Zeus.
"I trust her with my life; however, this is sensitive information that you Olympians have been hiding for thousands of years." Perseus snapped back
"No! You…you can't mean to…to tell her…about that?!" Zeus bellowed in surprise
"We must it is the only way to solve your problem," Perseus replied
"I would not ask this of you Sparkles but I have been told to by my father. Just know he would not ask if he did not feel it was important." Perseus said pleadingly
Thalia looked at her future husband and nodded as she said: "I Thalia Grace, future wife of Perseus prince of Asgard, daughter of Zeus, do hereby swear on the name of Chaos not to repeat anything that I am about to learn until such time as the gods permit it." At that, a black double helix appeared signifying the oath. Chaos looked at Thalia and said "I accept your oath. Please be mindful of it." To which Thalia nodded and made her way back towards Artemis and Hestia.
"Now before we continue, I have more instructions to follow
"Lady Chaos my father said that we cannot use Hecate. She is a supporter of the Titans and she could relay vital information to them about what is about to occur. So you and I will need to make the demigods at camp believe that the new war god has always been here." Perseus said as the gods started gossiping about what they just heard concerning Hecate.
"Quiet!" Chaos yelled as the talking stopped "That is fine but can we please hurry up I…well you know."
"Worry not Milady you will make your date with time to spare. I am the god of time so I've been slowing time some so that you will have enough time to make your date." Perseus replied to the surprised looking Chaos. "Now let us get this show on the road. According to my father we already have the perfect candidate to take over as the god of war. Ares, please stand."
At this, the throne room once again erupted in chaos as Chaos herself began to fume.
"QUIET! I SAID QUIET!" Perseus yelled as the floor began to shake.
"YOU! You cannot mean to leave Ares as the god of war?!" Chaos hissed
"NO, I DO NOT! IF EVERYONE WILL SHUT THE FUCK UP! I WILL EXPLAIN!" Perseus said as the floor shook even more.
The look on each member of the council was one of anger but Perseus did not care for he was under orders from his father as well as satisfying his domain of justice. "Ares," Perseus said as the restrained war god looked at him. "I have learned that you are not the only god of war, are you? That there is, in fact, a Roman god of war who is actually a part of you. Is that correct?" Perseus asked
"Yes, that is correct," Ares replied
"Is the Roman god of war the same as the Greek version, or is there differences?" Perseus inquired.
"The Roman god of war Mars is different from me. He is more strategic and only goes to war to protect Roman. He is not bloodthirsty like I am." Ares responded.
"I ask the council is what Ares said the truth or did he lie?" Perseus asked the council.
The clear consensus of the council was that Ares was indeed telling the truth. "Sense the council is in agreement that Mars is different than Ares and is a more just god of war, then he shall be called forth and made the new Greek god of war. Is this agreeable to the council." Perseus asked as he explained why Mars should be the new Greek god of war.
At this Zeus spoke "We shall out this to a vote. All those who agree with Mars becoming the new Greek god of war raise your hand." At this, the hands of the majority of the council went up with the only exceptions being Apollo (who was still unconscious), Dionysus (just because he didn't care), Ares (well we know why he didn't vote), and Artemis. "Daughter you vote against this?" Zeus asked in surprise
"No father, I am abstaining. I know that Mars is the best choice, but he is a part of Ares and at the moment I am having difficulty separating the two. So it is best to remove me from the voting process." Artemis explained
"I understand your reasoning and am happy that you took such a diplomatic approach," Zeus said smiling at his daughter.
"The majority has voted to anoint Mars as the new god of war. Hephaestus please undo Ares restraints enough to where he can separate himself from Mars." Zeus instructed.
Hephaestus made his way over to the restrained war god and undid his restraints enough to allow Mars to separate himself. As soon as he did Hephaestus retightened the restraints.
"Mars!" Zeus called out "I assume that you know and understand why you are here before the Greek council?"
"Yes lord Zeus, I do," Mars said in reply
"Will you accept our offer of becoming the Greek god of war, while remaining the Roman god of war?" Zeus inquired
"Milord, I accept the offer, but I must ask how will we explain having one god of war when there was once two?" Mars asked
"If you would allow me, Lord Zeus?" Perseus asked "Lady Chaos and myself will use magic and the mist to make the Greek demigods believe that you have always been their god of war. The Romans already know you as their god of war so there is no need to make any adjustments there just yet." Perseus explained
Mars nodded and stood there thinking for a moment until he finally said: "I would be extremely honored to become the Greek god of war."
"That is excellent news, but there is one more thing we must ask of you," Zeus replied
"What would that be Lord Zeus?" Mars inquired
As Zeus went to speak, Ares spoke up "father please may I be the one to ask him?" after a moment of deliberation Zeus nodded his consent. "Mars, I ask a favor of you. This is not for me but for my children, my demigod children have done nothing wrong and yet could be punished because of my actions. If you were to make them your own no actions would be taken against them. I ask this for them not me, I was never a good father and they deserve better. They deserve a war god such as you. Please do not let my children be punished or extinguished. As long as I know that they are alright I will accept my fading without question." Ares asked pleadingly with a serious look on his face.
"I maybe a god of war, but I cannot allow innocent bystanders such as children be hurt if I can prevent it. And in this case, I can. Rest easy brother I will take care of your children." Mars said to he who was basically his brother in compassion.
At this Ares just smiled and nodded and then turned to Perseus and said "Perseus, I want to thank you. You helped my children when no one else would. I am grateful, I would apologize for what happened but we both know I would be lying; however, I will say this. You are one lucky SOB, you have two women of immense passion and skill. Artemis straight up kicked my ass. Yeah, I got some good shots in but she gave even better than she received. You have been a good influence on her, in the past, I could use her anger against her but now she channels it, using it to fight even more effectively. And then there's Thalia; although she is not as powerful as Artemis she was a keen and devious mind. She used my own tactics against me knowing that she would soon be rescued." At this Perseus just nodded as Ares turned to look at Hera and Zeus "mother, father, I am not asking for your forgiveness. I just ask that every once in a while, you think of me." Zeus and Hera looked at their son and nodded as he turned to Chaos and said: "I'm ready."
Chaos nodded and held her hand up and started chanting in an ancient language even the Olympians did not know. Soon Ares began to glow brighter and brighter until finally he could not be seen. Suddenly the sound of the restraints falling to the floor could be heard as the glow faded leaving only Chaos with what looked like a small glowing ball of energy in her hand.
"Mars step forth and claim your Greek godhood," Chaos instructed
Mars made his way over to Chaos who once again began to chant as Mars glowed brighter and Chaos shoved the ball of energy into his chest. Mars screamed for a moment and then fell to one knee as he was breathing deeply at what Chaos had just done. "It is done. Rise, now you will be known as Mars the Greek and Roman god of war." Chaos announced
Mars stood up bowed to Chaos and walked over to sit on his throne. After a moment Mars winced like he was in pain which did not go unnoticed. "Mars are you alright?" Chaos asked
"Ye…yes Lady Chaos. I was not prepared for the sudden influx of actions happening within my new domain. I just need a little time to adjust and I will be fine." Mars replied
"Very well Perseus, come and let us complete this task. Olympians we need for you to watch the camp and make sure that we have done our job correctly" Chaos instructed
Hestia created a portal from the hearth showing the demigods of Camp Half-Blood, who the gods watched with great interest.
"Yes, Milady," Perseus replied with a bow as he walked over to Chaos and put a glowing hand on her shoulder.
At that Chaos closed her eyes and began to chant once again as Perseus and herself glowed brightly. Chaos and Perseus continued on for what seemed like hours, expanding their vast energy so that Mars and his adoption of the children of Ares would go unnoticed by the other demigods.
"Lady Chaos, the Ares cabin is now known as the Mars cabin. Also, the campers and inhabitants of the cabin believe that Mars has always been the Greek god of war. Clarisse is even calling herself a daughter of Mars! Hestia exclaimed
At this, the glow receded as both Chaos and Perseus fell to one knee in exhaustion. "By my father I am tired." Chaos huffed out "I do not know if I will be able to make my date with Gally."
Perseus raised an eyebrow as he said with a smirk "Gally huh. I cannot wait to see Gally again." At this Chaos gave Perseus an evil eye that actually scared the son of Odin. "Just joking Milady as for your low energy that is about to be taken care of," Perseus said as the Bi-Frost opened in the throne room leaving a small basket with two golden looking apples in them. Perseus made his way over to the basket picked it up and went back over to Chaos. "Milady," Perseus said offering her an apple.
"Is…is this what I think it is?" Chaos asked
"It is. These are the golden apples of Idun. They will help to replenish our energy." Perseus said in response and then ate his apple. At first bite both Perseus and Chaos could feel their energy returning. As they finished their apples both immortal had returned to almost full power.
"Please thank Odin for me Perseus. I would stay longer but you know." Chaos said as she prepared to leave.
"Wait! I have one more urgent matter that I must speak with you about!" Perseus exclaimed.
"Perseus, I changed my mind do not thank your father for me, I will kick him in the nuts the next time I see him!" Hissed and angry Chaos
Perseus placed his hands over his own precious jewels as he carefully approached Chaos and whispered in her ear.
"HHHMMM I see. Odin does make a valid point. Very well it shall be so." Chaos said with an irritated tone. "Olympians until the end of the war the ancient laws governing your ability to interact with the demigods is hereby suspended. However, this is so that you can help them train and prepare for the upcoming war. If any god or goddess Olympian or not tries to train and turn his or her demigods against another god that is not, I repeat that is not an enemy of Olympus will be stripped of his or her godhood and powers. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR!"
At this, the council answered in a round of yes's.
"Good now I must be going, I have a date to get ready for. I do know one thing, though, after everything I have gone through today, Gally better fuck me tonight!" Chaos bellowed as she disappeared through a portal.
"AHEM!" Zeus said clearing his throat. "I believe it is best that we never and I do mean never speak of this again. All in favor?" Zeus asked calling for a vote.
Instantly eleven hands shot up in agreement. Apollo couldn't vote as he was still unconscious, Aphrodite was expected not to agree as she is the goddess of love and this kind of stuff seems to get her off. However, it was the last naysayer that surprised everyone, it was Artemis. Zeus turned to look at his daughter who said "What! I think it is romantic that she has a man in her life. If there is anyone who can identify with Lady Chaos' position it is I. I would love to have lunch with her one day to swap stories about the men in our lives."
"Don't worry Artemis?" Aphrodite said with a wink "you and I can still meet up with Lady Chaos and talk about our men."
"Jus…just…leave us…out…out of it." Zeus stuttered
"No promises," Aphrodite said smirking as Artemis was heard giggling
"Husband let us finish this meeting it has been extremely trying for us all." Hera requested of Zeus
"Quite right…quite right. Is there anything else that should be brought to our attention before we dismiss the meeting?" Zeus asked
"Yes," Perseus called out. "We need to discuss and assign which gods need to do what at Camp Half-Blood to help prepare them for the war."
Zeus sat on his throne rubbing his head with his hand a combination of exhaustion and irritation and finally said "yes it would benefit us to get this out of the way. Do you have any suggestions as to who should do what Perseus?"
"I do have a few suggestions, Lord Zeus. Mars and Athena should train all campers in melee combat. At some point in the war, every camper will be forced into some type of melee combat and who better than the god of war and the goddess of battle strategy to teach the campers. Then gods such as Apollo, Hermes, and so on will teach their own specific cabins, how to better use the gifts and hopefully develop new gifts from their godly parents. It is imperative that the demigods be as prepared as possible which is why Lady Chaos has temporarily rescinded the ancient law." Perseus answered in reply to Zeus's question.
"Hmmm…that is a very good idea. I believe that we shall institute Perseus's plan, all in favor raise your hands." Zeus instructed to the council.
Once again eleven hands went up as three stayed down. One was no surprise as Apollo was still laying on the floor drooling over something. But the one that did surprise everyone was Athena. "Athena, why do you disagree with Perseus's plan?" Zeus asked in confusion.
"Father I feel my talents would be of better use planning the strategy that will win us this war," Athena explained
Before Zeus could reply, Perseus spoke "Athena, I do agree that a good strategy is vital in helping us win this war; however, how will that strategy fair when the demigods who have to enact the strategy are not trained properly all because one goddess thought she was above training them. As a goddess of battle strategy I believed you to be the equal of Mars in combat, it seems that I was mistaken."
"How dare you!" Athena hissed as her face to beet red. "My battle skills easily match those of Mars! I care little for sharing my skills with the other demigods, they are for my children only!"
"I see, so you believe yourself to be better than everyone else." Perseus responded as he turned to look at Zeus "Lord Zeus, I do not like that I have to suggest this but it seems that I must; any god or goddess who does not do his or her part in the training of the demigods will be punished severely. I take no joy in suggesting this but this is your world and lives at stake and if your pride is more important. Then actions must be taken to ensure cooperation."
"I must agree with Perseus, Athena; your pride is blinding you. Everyone who agrees with Perseus raises your hand. Eleven hands shot into the air as everyone turned to look at Athena and Dionysus (come on you had to know it was him) as ever so slowly their hands went into the air. "It is agreed the motion is carried. Prepare yourselves for tomorrow your training of Camp Half-Blood will begin." Zeus ordered
All around the throne room a chorus of 'thank the gods' could be heard.
"Percy!" was yelled out and Perseus turned just in time to catch Thalia in his arms. "Hey Sparkles" Perseus replied with a smirk. "I'm glad that's over I'm tired. I just want to go back to Camp Half-Blood and get some sleep.
"UUUUMMMM…there…there might be…a slight problem with that." Perseus said in a cautious tone
"What do you mean there might be a problem!" Thalia exclaimed attracting the attention of the council who all turned to see what was going on.
"Well,…it is not so much of a problem as that you cannot go back to camp," Perseus responded softly
"The hell I can't. I'm going back to get some rest and to tell the others that I'm fine! And there isn't a god's damn thing you can do to stop me!" Thalia hissed at her fiancé
"Sparkle please you need to understand…" Perseus had gotten out when Thalia yelled "I don't have to understand shit! You got..." when Perseus shouted out "you cannot go back because your dead!"
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AN: DA DU DUUU!