Pothena 10

A/N: Hey guys, sorry I'm a bit late. Since the end of the year is here, it's been very busy. A lot of graduation stuff to take care of and finals to worry about. Props to 1-3! Anyway, I'm actually almost done here. This isn't the end of it though. In Book 2: Back in Time there will be some references to this story, but that'll be later. Anyway, I'm glad you guys liked this story. Even I was surprised with all the reviews and favorites. You guys are amazing! I hope you guys like this.

Percy: Wow, it's the end of the year. Cool!

OC: Don't get cocky Percy, there is still college to focus on.

Annabeth: What do you think I've been trying to tell him?

Percy: I know about college. I've been trying to save up, but somehow it's hard to convert drachmas into dollars!

Annabeth: Seaweed Brain.

Me: ?

OC: I'm just as confused as you are.

Me: Strange. Anyway, I don't own PJO or HoO.

Percy: Maybe the Stolls will help me

Annabeth: Don't even think about it.

ON WITH THE SHOW!

3rd POV:

The weeks that passed felt like years for Zeus. The Olympians turned their backs on the King of the Gods, and word got out of what Zeus had done to Poseidon. The Aphrodite children were the angriest when they heard the news. They became brave and burned some unmentionables in Zeus' name, and he didn't like it. That didn't mean he didn't deserve them. He got lucky to even get a prayer every once in a while from the Romans, but that was it. He got nothing else except glares from the passing Olympians. Even Ares wasn't too fond over the whole ordeal, and he was the god of war for crying out loud.

Poseidon kept to his word. His hurricanes grew larger and stronger, but they never touched the surface. Being the Stormbringer, he conjured storm after storm and directed them toward Zeus. His power grew, but they never compared to the wrath of Athena. Her wrath soon turned into an unhealthy sickness. A sickness that no one has ever seen in any of their immortal lives.

She turned her back on everything she held dear to her. Her virgin oath prevented her from doing anything rash, which was good since she spent her time on Earth instead of the safety of Mount Olympus. She hung out in the worst of places to just drown her hatred and sadness, but it never worked. Guys would hit on her, and instead of blasting them away with her amazing power, she continued walking, never saying a word.

Ever since their confrontation in the throne room, Zeus had been talking to Chaos. The Mother of the Universe would say the same thing over and over again. 'Strive for peace instead of guarding your pride.' Of course, Zeus kept ignoring her. He loved his daughter too much, and that resulted in the fight that drove them apart. Even in sleep, Chaos would give him the guilt trip. Visions of Athena in the middle of the dirtiest streets without protection against the human world entered his mind. He would startle Hera in the middle of the night with his cries for help. Still, he held on to his pride.

One day, Zeus gave up and approached Hephaestus. Of course, it was a challenge entering his forges because he would have to allow Zeus passage and that was something he couldn't do willingly.

"Hephaestus, please let me in!" Zeus called from the entrance of Mt. St. Helens.

"And if I don't? Will you fight me to the death and blame me for being a blacksmith who wanted peace?" Hephaestus would call out. "Will you banish me from Olympus just because I didn't allow entrance?!"

"Oh Styx Hephaestus, just let me in!" Zeus boomed.

Silence. Rage consumed Zeus, and he blasted a hole into the volcano. He attempted to enter, but the invisible force of the blacksmith's power prevented him from entering.

"Go ahead! Destroy my home! Give the rest of the world another excuse to hate you Zeus!" Hephaestus called out. "I guess Kronos has finally gotten to you!"

"Shut up Hephaestus! Remember that I am more powerful than any other who dares challenge me! I can easily pass through without permission!" Zeus bluffed.

A roaring laugher boomed from the volcano. "Try!"

Zeus gripped his Master Bolt. He called his bluff, and now he looked more like a menace than before. "FINE! FORGET IT!"

Zeus slumped down onto the ground, defeated. It was unlike the King of the Gods to quit, but he had no other option. A woman's voice entered his mind. 'Seek forgiveness! It's better than seeking a fight.'

Chaos, Zeus assumed. He was right. The Mother of the Universe had surprised him by offering her wisdom in this situation. Even though he ignored her wisdom, it didn't mean he forgot them.

"I give up," Zeus muttered. He tossed the Master Bolt away. "I GIVE UP! YOU HAPPY?!"

Silence. The echoes of Mother Chaos silenced. The silence was replaced the sound of metal approaching the King of the Gods. Zeus turned around, and there was the misshapen form of Hephaestus. He sat down with the King of the Gods with a wrench in his hand.

"Would you like to talk about it?" he asked.

Zeus sighed. "What is there to talk about? I've lost it all. My daughter, my family, and my power. All I am now is the Bringer of Lightning. There is no Olympian Council anymore because of something stupid," he said. "You don't understand. You've never lost everything you hold dear."

Hephaestus chuckled. "I lost my wife to a stupid bike-riding war god. I lost an arm and a leg while working in the Industrial Age, and I nearly lost my immortal life thanks to Hera. And yet, I still keep moving." He rose up his mechanical arm. "I am not god-like. There is no god or goddess in history who has a mechanical limb keeping them from becoming a total cripple. As for what you say, I agree. I cannot understand losing your daughter and your respect."

Zeus' eyes flashed with lightning. "I don't have a daughter to call my own. If I did, I would let her grow up on her own," Hephaestus said.

"And leave her at the mercy of the world? Yes, humans have come a long way since that war, but they are still con artists wearing a mask. I don't trust the humans."

"Nor your daughter? You practically forced the virgin oath on her. Artemis chose it after Orion, and Hestia chose it to lead a better life. Athena probably wanted for so long to get rid of her oath, but she couldn't defy her father," he said.

Zeus chuckled. "Until she found Poseidon."

Hephaestus chuckled as well. "I must tell you a secret. Aphrodite has tried various times to get those two together for so long, I played along. Remember the amnesia incident?"

Zeus chuckled. While in Germany, Athena and Poseidon were struck down with a heavy dose of amnesia dust and their powers were lost. For quite a while, Poseidon and Athena bumped into each other and even flirted. Their amnesia lasted for two weeks prior to their diagnostics, and before Poseidon proposed, the spell wore off. The two have never felt more embarrassed in their lives. Especially when Hephaestus TV first came into the picture and broadcasted their whole two weeks together.

"You did that?" Zeus asked.

Hephaestus nodded. "Poseidon was in my forges when he got hit. I made him think that my inventions were safe, and he decided to have some fun with them. I can learn from Hermes," he said.

Zeus chuckled. "He always did have a child stuck inside him. Still, I must admit, he did love Athena. Should I apologize to Poseidon?"

"Is that a trick question? Of course you should apologize to him. Apologizing to him should be easy, but I'm not backing you when you face Athena. Hehe, I already received the nasty end of her owls. I don't want to have owl droppings in my gears again. Do you realize how long it takes to get rid of the stench?"

Zeus chuckled. He rose from the ground and summoned his Master Bolt. "Ok, now how am I going to get into Atlantis without drowning?"

Hephaestus laughed. "Don't look at me. I'm merely a blacksmith, not a burglar," he said.

Zeus sighed. "Looks like I'm coming in from the front." He turned to the blacksmith. "Thank you. You really are the person to talk to."

With that out of the way, Zeus assumed his true form and disappeared. Hephaestus sighed and entered his forges. "Great, first Apollo, then Poseidon, and now Zeus. Since when did I become the therapist in the family?"

He spun his wrench, and hit the wall. A huge metal door closed behind him and morphed into the rocky wall that fit in with the rest of the volcano.

A/N: I hope you liked that chapter. The next chapter may be my last one so hang tight. It will be ready soon. Until next time, and if there are any graduates, congratulations Class of 2013! The first class of the New Age. Farewell!