Chapter 4
Artemis' Point of View:
After Hades and Hestia explained the deal about the boy both Poseidon and I agreed to not mention him to the council and keep up appearances, that all was still well, and we were searching for him. We went our separate ways from each other none of our moods were very upbeat though. I noticed a grey barn owl fly off as I went into my tent. I shrugged my shoulder and ignored the fact that my sister was spying on me. I quickly fell into a dreamless blissful sleep.
Hestia came back to my camp the following morning. "Artemis we must speak at once." Her tone was surprisingly serious making me afraid of what is going to happen and take a hesitant step away from my aunt. "He ran away from my temple early this morning and neither Hades nor I can find him." Dear gods he is lost to us again, but why would he do this. "Your father will be calling a meeting soon on behalf of your sister. Athena overheard our discussion last night and wants to bring the issue before the whole Olympian Council."
I paled a little about the thought of what the reactions and demands would be made by the council. What will they do to my hunt? Before I even had enough time to recover from my shock and dangerous thoughts a booming crack of thunder was heard. My half-brother almost as annoying as Apollo appeared before us. "You two are needed on Olympus immediately for an emergency council meeting." The winged shoed messenger god said before he disappeared in a bright flash just as quickly as he arrived.
I gave a sigh in frustration. "This will no doubt be very annoying for us." I said looking at my aunt with stress filling my voice. She nodded to me before flashing away to the throne room no doubt. I went to my sister and lieutenant. "Thalia I have to go to a council meeting you are in charge we will be hunting that boy down from last night." I told her before I left in a flash. Upon arriving in the throne room I saw that all the other gods were present and seated in their respective thrones.
I quickly took a seat upon my silver throne. It has two date palms on the back, full moons above, I quickly adjust myself to be more comfortable on my wolf-skin cushion. Once I was settled into my throne my father cleared his throat. "Now that we are all here, Athena my wise daughter, do you mind explaining why you have asked me to call forth the entire council in such peaceful times?" The king of the gods inquired upon the wisdom goddess who seemed to hold a knowing smirk on her face. It was as if she know she held all the cards and nothing could stop her from getting her way.
Her face became serious and calculating as soon as the remainder of the gods focused on her, but her eyes were alight with pride and joy. "Certainly father I will explain why I asked you to call the council." Her words bordered on a gloating tone that irritated me to no end. "A serious crime of betraying this honorable council has come to my attention. Two of our members violated an edict set down five years ago." Before she could continue a chuckle stopped her in her tracks.
Hades managed to stop his chuckling and began to speak before anyone else could. "I am sorry niece but I must dispute your claim before it is even made." He said in a serious tone contradictory to the mirth he showed when he laughed at my sister. I and the rest of the council looked at him confused because we did not understand what he was talking about. "This council lost all of its honor seven years ago now after the second titan war when it failed to uphold its promise." He elaborated causing Athena to have rage quickly flash over his face and realization struck Poseidon and I resulting in very different reactions. Poseidon had a look of pride towards his brother where I felt a pang of loneliness in my heart.
Zeus finally managed to recover from the shock of hearing the lord of the underworld laugh openly. "What are you talking about brother we did everything we said we were going to do after we defeated our father once again?" He exclaimed as he felt personally insulted. Athena for her part had a look of fear momentarily cross her face as she realized the implications of Hades' words.
Hades for his part was calmly examining his sword, a memento from the exiled hero's adventures during the first war he fought through. "Then tell my little brother, where are Calypso and you mistress Leto?" He asked maintaining his peaceful façade, but in my eyes it seemed he was forcing it that way, concealing his rage.
Hera decided to speak up on her confused husband's behalf. "They remain where they should be, have been and will always be, if I have any say in the matter. Sitting alone on their cursed islands with no one to give them company for long." They queen of Olympus said proudly to her brother with a raised eyebrow. My brother and I let out slight sobs at the mention of our mother's imprisonment. Poseidon tightened his grip on his trident clearly struggling to maintain his rage.
Hades raised an eyebrow at the answer he was presented with. "As they should be you say?" He rhetorically asked with a condescending tone in his voice. "Did this council as spoken for by Zeus the king of the gods not promise to release them and even swear it upon the river Styx?" Hades asked as his anger started to show in his eyes daring anyone to defy him on the matter.
My father being the fool who must have had his brain fried long ago by his own lightning was the one who did step up to his brother's challenge. "I do not recall ever making such an oath or promise." He stated proudly causing Athena to gasp and my brother and I to let out another small sob as Poseidon snapped.
The god of the seas slammed his trident into the floor of the throne room. "Seven years ago after the second titan war and the defeat of our father, brother you made a promise and an oath on the Styx first that we would dissolve the failed pact of the big three, then to acknowledge all the children of all the gods and build cabins for them at camp half-blood." Poseidon sated in his rage.
Zeus being the prideful god he was interrupted his brother. "Yes, I recall that promise and I did follow through with it fully." He declared glaring at his brothers as if they were falsely accusing him of not fulfilling the wishes of the greatest hero to ever live. Poseidon's reaction was fierce and immediate.
"Do not interrupt me Zeus!" The lord of the seas yelled at my father. "There was a second part of that oath that you took on behalf of this council at the end of the second titan war. It was that we release all the peaceful titans who did not oppose our efforts directly in the war and those that have been unjustly imprisoned." He explained as he struggled to contain his rage. The anger and contempt that constantly burned in his eyes whenever he came to Olympus or sat with the council seemed to have intensified more than it normally was. The change more than likely came from the thought of his son constantly putting himself in danger by helping the children of the gods. Even though Perseus was not allowed to be near us or camp thanks to my father's over egotistical nature and the prideful girl he gave everything for.
The god of the seas was still seething in his throne when my meat headed brother decided to speak up in his stupidity. "Why should we release those weaklings? We should not even be giving the brats our attention. We do not need to do anything for that traitorous brat of yours barnacle face." Ares said proudly only to have a stygian iron sword slice through his throne beside his head.
Hades façade had finally snapped a he acted quicker than even his enraged younger brother. "He is no traitor you blockheaded fool. He never acted against this council only ever for its benefit by bringing your own betrayal to light from the beginning and besting you in a fight. That is why you dislike him so much. He then proceeded to fight two wars for us continually asking for us to better ourselves and rectify our own mistakes and in the end all he wanted was a peaceful life to be free of the burden we constantly put on his shoulders. To which he was banished from this council and all of our courts because some of you were and still are too proud to admit that he was helping us become better versions of ourselves. That betrayal crushed him and then he was broken farther by seeing his mortal family killed." The eldest of the big three explained to the council only for the proudest member to speak up foolishly.
"We never betrayed him. We simply took advantage of his wish and sent him away longer than he expected as a reward to another hero." The wisdom goddess said with pride most likely believing that what she said was the truth and best solution to the problem.
What happened next shocked the council to its core for the least likely goddess to get angry spoke up in a rage filled voice bringing all of our attention to her. "Shut up you stupid girl!" Hestia screamed at the goddess of wisdom. "You have the audacity to sit there and claim to have done no wrong to the twice over hero of Olympus. Not only did you support his banishment but I have since discovered that the monsters that killed his parents did not discover them on accident. He had not been there since before the war for his fear after it had happened that he would attract too many monsters to them. Yet somehow the monsters found them and when they reformed last year I had a little talk with them." She said sweetly to the rapidly paling goddess. "They confessed after a little persuasion from myself and Hades that they were lead there by a lovely barn owl after speaking to your daughter and you." The flames from her throne were intense and clearly barely being controlled by the goddess of the hearth. "You betrayed him and hurt him purposely because you do not like his father and him for once having feelings for your daughter." We were all sitting stunned as the most peaceful goddess was voicing her opinions about my sister before she turned her attention to my father. "And as for you Zeus you banished our greatest hero based on an unjust second wish to a bitter prideful girl who wanted to hurt him without even taking a vote." She continued to rant as flaming tears started to flow from her eyes as she vented her long hidden rage. "You could never understand how it is that he has not wanted power and that he simply wanted peace. So you sent him away without consulting the rest of this council. I have had to repeatedly stop him from killing himself and show him that there is still hope left in this world. You all broke him and then proceeded to smash the pieces to near unrepairable conditions."
Poseidon looked ready to either kill his brother or cry and let storms rage over the earth. "Before Perseus does something too rash that will cause himself or us harm and very possibly a catastrophe I suggest we rectify the mistake we made five long years ago and revoke the banishment set upon him and fulfill all of our promises to him by releasing the titans who were peaceful throughout the last two wars." I said in a serious tone bringing all the attention to me.
"I will never allow that inconsiderate whelp back into our presence. He was banished and that is final." Zeus hollered at us all with thunder booming around us to emphasize his point.
"That is enough of your stuck up attitude son." A noble woman said as she strolled into the throne room along with three old ladies. "My friends and I came to fix your councils mistakes and inform you of the status of your former hero." She explained to us all.
"Mother what are you doing here?" Zeus asked fearfully as he eyed his mother's disapproving gaze.
She let out a sigh. "Listen when I speak young man. You have not done a very good job ruling this world and as a result a replacement is being groomed much to his own displeasure. Now Apollo be a dear and reveal the secrets you have been hiding from the council about the one you have been discussing." Rhea told my brother sweetly but it was clearly not a suggestion and more an order. The fates were nodding along enthusiastically.
All eyes turned to my brother with many of their eyebrows raised in question. "Well you see seven years ago I may have learned that Percy would never be able to accept any offer of godhood no matter what we did." He said timidly.
Poseidon was the first to react to my brother's statement. "What do you mean by that Apollo?" He asked is a strained worried voice.
Apollo rubbed his head nervously. "At first I thought they were talking about how he would always refuse no how many times we offered him godhood because he cared for Athena's daughter." The mentioned goddess scoffed at the things the sun god was saying while others seemed to be nodding in acceptance of his words as though that would be in the demigod's nature. "I found out shortly after grandfather's essence was scattered that that was not the case though." He said clearly not jovial about what he was going to say. "I was wrong about him always turning us down so declared a prophecy that I choose to withhold from my Oracle." A green mist started to roll of my brother as he prepared to speak a prophecy for the first time in centuries.
The graecus son of Neptune will rise as the greatest hero to ever live.
Then be cast aside after helping all.
But he shall rise again as the head of his own hall.
Upon him rests the hands of Fate.
In his hand The Scythe shall finally cut justice.
His council that he shall lead unto the new golden age.
Once the lord of Prophecies seemed to return to normal not a word was spoken. "What does that even mean? That annoying brat has no domain." Dionysus said suddenly.
Three throats cleared suddenly before the fates began to speak to the whole council in a soft yet surprisingly strong voices overlaying each other. "It is true that when you last saw him he had no domains, but that is not the case anymore. He has finally started to take on his grandfather's powers as he was meant to do from the start. Now that he has roamed over the land going many places that the former lord of time had been it started when he was on his quest to save your roots. The more places he has wondered the closer to finally grasping his inheritance from defeating his the former lord of time that your ancestor unintentionally left for him and now that he has finally gotten enough power the blade will no doubt seek its new lord and once he holds it his transformation into the being he is undergoing be shall be complete and he will be able to stand up and be counted as a Titan." They said fiercely.
