Reading about the Queen

by 0oDemigod

Demigods, gods, and goddesses have been gathered to read about the Queen of Olympus. Join them as they uncover her secrets, and hopefully begin to understand more about the tortured goddess.

6. Chapter 6

Guess who's back my lovelies! I aaaaam!

And I'm so sorry for being absent for over a month, okay please don't kill me. There has just been a LOT of drama going on for me the past couple of weeks, and it has been really hard for me to get on the computer and type.

HOWEVER, since I did keep you waiting a long time; I made this chapter especially long with a lot of big things going on. So, I do hope it makes up for keeping my loyal, amazing, wonderful fans waiting.

Warning: This story contains strong LBGT themes, and mild sexual situations. Don't like don't read.

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus. I only own this plot, and my O.C. Susan Holt. So, no suing please.

---

By the time morning came around, everyone was itching to continue reading.

The gods had discovered that they could not teleport out of the camp, so they had been spending time with their children and getting to know more about them.

Breakfast especially was an interesting time.

"Nothing like this has ever happened before," Poseidon explained to Percy. "The borders around the camp are completely sealed, and the outside world is frozen in time, It's as if someone just pressed pause on everything but us. As far as we can tell even Gaea's forces are frozen."

Percy blinked as he inhaled his blue waffles, "That's insane. But at least we don't have to worry about any surprise attacks."

Poseidon nodded, but he still looked uneasy as he glanced back to where his youngest sister was sitting, "Still, whatever is going on. I don't think Rhea and the Fates are the only ones involved."

Meanwhile, over at the Zeus table, said god was trying hopelessly to figure out what to talk to his two children about, "So, Thalia. Jason. How are things with you two?"

The Grace siblings exchanged looks. Zeus awkwardly cleared his throat.

---

After everyone had finished eating, they all went immediately to the amphitheater. Much to Hera's horror.

Hestia stood up from her place by the hearth, and held the book up. "Who wants to read?"

After a few seconds of silence, Hades shrugged and motioned for the book, "I will."

Hestia handed the book over to her brother, and sat back down in her seat as Hades cleared his throat.

Chapter Six

"Oh yeah, we've read a lot haven't we?" Reyna asked.

"Yeah. We read five chapters last night," Athena replied; absently waving a hand through the air.

'Run! Just keep running! Don't look back!' I thought desperately,

"Run?" Zeus muttered, "Who are you running from?"

Hera sighed and closed her eyes, "You'll find out."

'They can't catch you! They can't catch you!'

"Okay," Travis leaned forward. "Who is they?"

"I already said you'll all find out."

Looking behind me, I wanted to cry. The situation was hopeless.

"Now you know how we feel," Percy mumbled, crossing his arms and looking around at all the battle hardened demigods.

The god who heard him all flinched.

Poseidon stared at the floor.

My dress was nearly torn to pieces,

Lacy blinked, "That is not good."

"I know, a perfectly good dress, ruined!"

"Shut up Drew."

I had lost my sandals a long time ago, so my feet were cut and bloody,

Hermes winced and subconsciously rubbed his feet, "I know how you feel."

and I was forced to weave through an incredibly dense forest filled with about every kind of obstacle to ever exist.

"That sucks," Chris said, throwing an arm over Clarisse's shoulder.

Clarisse leaned into his side.

Ares's eyes flared behind his glasses.

Then there was that damn snake Python chasing me.

Apollo and Artemis immediately stiffened and stared at the book in disbelief.

The sun god turned towards his stepmother and gaped, "What!? Is that what I think it is?"

Hera didn't answer, instead she continued to stare at the floor.

Yes, I mean THE Python; the same Python that had attacked Leto during her pregnancy.

Apollo and Artemis growled, then turned and sent testy looks at Hera.

Hera closed her eyes.

And, to make matters worse, that stupid idiotic woman was helping him.

Athena narrowed her eyes, "What woman?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out bird-brain."

"Shut it barnacle beard."

The same woman who was continually making my life a nightmare.

Annabeth was thinking. She was beginning to piece together this mystery woman's identity.

She didn't like who all the signs were pointing too.

Freaking perfect. Just great. Isn't this just a wonderful day?

"Don't you just love sarcasm?" Connor chuckled.

Ugh, I just had to keep running that's all. They couldn't catch me. They just couldn't catch me.

"To bad that doesn't always work," Thalia muttered; carelessly sharpening her hunting knives.

The demigods all looked down.

Yet, even as I repeated the mantra a million times in my head; it became apparently obvious that I was trapped.

"I hate when I have dreams like that," Frank scowled. "It just feels so hopeless and sad."

The Seven and other more powerful half-bloods nodded in agreement with his words.

I was trapped, and I was scared.

More flinches from the demigods caused the gods to look slightly worried about their children.

Hera sighed.

Well, why wouldn't I be scared? Better yet terrified?

"Being scared is perfectly natural," Athena lectured. "It shows emotional awareness of the situation."

"Oh," Leo joked. "Then I must have great emotional awareness."

A few laughed at that, but the situation was still tense.

Let's recap the situation shall we?

"That's a good idea."

First, I'm being chased by my worse nemesis,

"Who's identity we don't know!" Apollo exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

Artemis rolled her eyes, "We'll find out eventually, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down little sis."

"I AM NOT YOUR LITTLE SISTER!"

and that gigantic overgrown worm (who is techniquely the strongest drakon to ever live) was also chasing me through the world's largest and never-ending forest.

Percy cocked his head to the side and smiled, "Well, they are kind of like worms if you think about it."

"Yeah, but it's also the most dangerous drakon to ever live."

"Don't ruin it man."

Oh yes, it's just a wonderful day isn't it?

"And the sarcasm returns!" Connor cheered.

"Shut it Stoll."

"Sorry Lou."

After another ten minutes of frantic running,

"Ahh, the frantic running away from monsters," Chris sighed. "Good times, good times."

horrible cursing,

About half of the amphitheater cracked up instantly; Hermes fell out of his throne, "Man, I don't think anyone has ever heard you curse before."

"That's because I can control what comes out of my mouth," Hera shrugged. "Plus, I don't like to curse in front of others as much."

"Oh."

and ugly sobs;

"More good times," Chris whistled.

Clarisse rolled her eyes, "Stop."

"Sorry babe."

I saw a opening in the brush, a break in the overgrowth.

Harley smiled, "Escape! You can escape!"

Nyssa ruffled her little brother's hair, "She certainly can."

Hephaestus watched his children curiously.

My horror turned to joy, and I made a break for it; tearing through the vegetation, and out into a meadow.

Many breathed a sigh of relief, but their ease was soon dissipated.

"Techniquely, the Python can still follow her," Athena pointed out.

A collective groan echoed across the amphitheater.

Hera refused to make eye contact with anyone.

I stumbled out into the open plain and collapsed.

"No!" Ares yelled, "Keep moving! Don't give the enemy a chance to catch up!"

Hera looked at her son, "This happened years ago Ares."

"That doesn't make it any less real for the rest of us," Ares growled.

A few blinked in disbelief, "Did you just say something smart?"

Ares glared, "What are you punks implying? That I'm not smart?"

"Uh, no Lord Ares."

"Good."

My chest was heaving, and I couldn't seem to catch my breath. After a few minutes of controlled breathing, my gasps for air significantly lessened.

Malcolm nodded, "Good. Now you won't accidently trigger a panic attack."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah."

Relieved, I closed my eyes, and just relaxed.

A couple of people sighed and shook their heads, "Bad idea."

Of course, I'm stupid and should of known better,

Some laughed despite the tense atmosphere.

because that's where it all went wrong.

Everyone flinched and looked at the book, waiting to hear what happens next.

Hera narrowed her eyes at the ground, and refused to look up.

She didn't want to relive this.

A horrible roar echoed across the meadow, causing me to bolt upward and look around intently for the source of the ugly noise.

"Where's it coming from?" Percy asked, scratching his head.

"We don't know seaweed brain," Annabeth said, simultaneously smacking her boyfriend upside the head.

"OW!"

After a painstaking minute, the whole left side of the tree line shook,

Piper looked thoughtful, "Really? How big is Python?"

Apollo, surprisingly, was the one to answer, "The Python is nearly three football fields long, and about as thick around as a jumbo jet."

"Dang."

"I know."

and the Python came thundering out of the forest.

"Thundering?" Persephone asked, "You seem to relate a lot of things to dad."

"Force of habit," Hera replied.

Instantly, I ran in the opposite direction,

"Good!" Jason exclaimed, "You need to get away!"

Zeus raised a eyebrow at his son.

Jason ignored his questioning look.

but suddenly a burning sensation erupted alongside the right side of my body.

A lot of people winced at that.

Annabeth, Grover, and Percy closed their eyes. 'Luke.'

A scream tore itself out of my throat, as I was harshly yanked back, and teeth ripped through my flesh.

Percy winced, "That is not a good feeling."

"How do you know that?" Travis asked.

Percy just gave him a blank stare until Travis understood, "Oh yeah. Sorry."

I had been caught.

"NO!" Was the collective cry that echoed throughout the amphitheater.

Hera blinked at the reaction.

A dry sob escaped me as the drakon wrapped around my now frail and weak body; painfully constricting, effectively cutting off my lungs and slowly breaking my bones.

More winces and flinched went around the area; a few rubbed old wounds as if the sentence reminded them.

As the monster opened it's jaws and leaned down towards my head,

Nico made a disgusted face, "It's going to eat you!?"

Hera reluctantly nodded, "That's what it says."

a haunting female laugh resonated all around the area.

"Who is the female!?" Enyo asked, leaning forward in her throne.

Hera shook her head at her daughter, "You'll find out eventually."

"Mom!"

I had just enough time to take one last gasp of air,

Percy flinched, his eye twitched unconsciously. 'Stupid unreasonable fear.'

before Python closed it's jaws and the world went dark.

Hera shuddered slightly.

Others just stared wide-eyed at the book.

Zeus stammered, "But... Did it just eat you?"

Hera chuckled without humor and turned to the oldest brother, "Continue reading Hades."

That was when I woke up thankfully.

Multiple sighs of relief echoed across the amphitheater.

"Good," Hebe sighed. "It was just a dream."

"I can't believe you all could not figure that out," Hera smirked.

"Hey!" Hermes protested, "We weren't there! How were we suppose to know that?"

"I still find it funny."

"HEY!"

After sending a rather sarcastic prayer to Morpheus,

Said god looked a little insulted.

Others laughed at his expense.

Hera felt a little shame, only a little.

I looked around the room and was relieved to see Susan sleeping away on her side of the bed.

"Aww!" Aphrodite squealed, "You immediately look to see if Susan is alright!"

Hera actually laughed, "What can I say? I'm very protective of her."

Chiron smiled, "That is a good thing, my lady."

Hera let the smallest grin appear, as she looked at her brother.

Her hair was spread out on her pillow,

"Does she have problems with bedhead?" Lacy asked.

Hera shook her head, "No. Susan's hair has always been very easy to care for."

"She's lucky," Lacy said, while her siblings nodded in agreement.

and I couldn't help but smile when I realized she had stolen another one of my sleep shirts.

Demeter smiled, "It is always adorable when they steal your clothes."

Hera nodded, a wistful smile present on her face, "I don't think there was a single article of clothing I own, that she didn't wear at least once."

The harvest goddess smirked, "Now, that must of driven you crazy."

Hera groaned, "Oh, it did."

Aphrodite squealed, and Zeus growled.

Hera rolled her eyes at the both of them.

It helped to calm my nerves after that particularly terrifying nightmare.

"Good."

Gently, I pulled up the shirt;

A few raised an eyebrow at this, while others wolf-whistled.

Hera glared, "I'm not doing anything like that, you perverts!"

to expose her midsection.

Thalia scrunched her eyebrows together, 'Why would she want to see her midsection?'

Athena, her children, and Artemis were thinking the same thing.

I then leaned down, and pressed one ear to her slightly swollen stomach.

At this, the smarter ones widened their eyes and whipped around to stare at the queen of Olympus.

Hera held one finger up to her mouth; in a effort to tell them to keep quiet, a mischievous look in her eyes.

I stayed like that for a few seconds, before using my godly senses to locate what I wanted to hear.

This time a few more people leaned forward, and began to figure out what was going on.

Hebe lite up, and beamed at her mother.

After about ten seconds, a strong heartbeat, Susan's to be exact, echoed in my ear.

Hera smiled softly and looked at the ground, "I love to listen to heartbeats. It reminds me how precious life can be."

Hestia grinned at her sister, and the hearth immediately warmed the entire amphitheater.

I smirked slightly, then intensified my powers.

Heracles narrowed his eyes, and spoke for the first time in a while, "Just what are you looking for?"

Hera smirked and shook her head, "You'll find out."

To my delight, a smaller sound then made itself known.

This time Hera grinned and leaned back in her throne.

By now, about every female knew what was going on and began smiling at the marriage goddess.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Zeus's eyes widened, and the other males all fell out of their throne.

Dionysus pointed at the book, "Tha...that...that's!"

Hera let out a small laugh.

I listened to the sound intently.

Hecate tapped the side of her head, "I think anyone would."

I listened to the sound of my child's heartbeat.

As soon as those words were spoken, Aphrodite squealed and tackled Hera off her throne, "Oh! A baby! I almost forgot about the baby!"

"Ack!" Hera gasped as she was pushed out of her throne, and strangled by a squealing love goddess, "Okay! Alright! Get off me!"

Aphrodite giggled, before climbing off the angry goddess and pulling her to her feet, "Sorry."

Hera dusted the dirt off her dress, then glared, "What's the big idea? You already knew all this!"

"Its just so... so..." Aphrodite trailed off, before squealing once more, "Oh I can't even explain how cute this is!"

Hera faceplamed while Hebe ran up to her mother, "Really? I'm going to have a demigod sibling from your side?"

"Yes sweetie," Hera cocked her head. "Well, techniquely you already have a demigod sibling. The baby was born twenty-four years ago."

"Oh!" Leo shot to his feet, "Can we meet the mysterious spawn?"

Hera narrowed her eyes at the 'spawn' comment, but shrugged, "It's not up to me."

Meanwhile, lightning was raging in the sky, as Zeus glared at the ground with intense hatred.

Hades rolled his eyes at his brothers behavior, and continued reading.

My face threatened to be torn in half by the grin stretching across it, as I lovingly pressed a sweet kiss the top of Susan's tummy, "Hey little one! It's your errr... daddy? Mommy?

A few burst out laughing, causing those around them to jump in surprise.

I don't even know honestly. It's been so long since I've had a half-blood this way,

Malcolm tapped his chin, "Well, the last half-blood to be born was Jean d'Arc. So its been a few centuries."

Athena, and her children nodded in agreement.

but I want you know that you are loved. Forever and ever, your parents will love you. That is a promise."

Percy smiled sadly at the ground, "It's good knowing you have parents who care."

Poseidon and the other gods all winced as the demigods all let out sad sighs.

"I think you're going to be daddy."

"Well," Iris said. "It looks like Susan woke up."

I jumped and looked up at the smirking face of my girlfriend.

Clovis yawned, "I take it, that's not the first time she's woke up to you talking to the baby?"

Hera chuckled, "No, it was not."

She was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, but somehow still managed to look like a supermodel,

Percy smirked and looked at his girlfriend, "Reminds me of someone."

Annabeth blushed and punched his shoulder, "Idiot."

"Oh really?"

"Hey!" Apollo raised his hands, "Don't argue with the woman!"

"I wasn't going to."

"Well," she laughed quietly. "I'm mommy. So you're daddy. It's how it is honey."

Nemesis laughed, "I suppose that does make sense. However, I'm sure most goddesses would prefer to be called sire, compared to daddy."

Said goddesses all snorted and nodded in agreement, "True. True."

"Uhh," Leo said. "What's wrong with being called dad?"

Aphrodite sighed, "Dad is the male name. We are female!"

As the other goddesses once again nodded in agreement, and the males all wisely kept quiet; Hades decided to continue reading.

I snorted, "Well, who am I to argue? Daddy it is."

"Hera doesn't seem to mind being called daddy," Dakota pointed out.

"Honestly, I didn't really care what I was called," Hera clarified. "Mom. Dad. As long as I'm some type of parental."

Susan smiled and pulled my face up towards hers. I took the invitation, and kissed the sleepy woman delicately.

Aphrodite squealed loudly, scaring everyone within a ten-meter radius.

Artemis rubbed her ears and glared.

After pulling away, I kissed her neck softly, "You should go back to sleep babe. It's five-thirty, and you need your sleep right now."

"Sleep is good," Hypnos smiled. "Very good."

Meanwhile, his siblings and mother sighed and shook their heads.

Sue looked at me expectantly, "And why are you up?"

"I know," Travis asked. "Who gets up at the ungodly hour of five-thirty?"

Apollo and his children all smiled, "We rise with the sun."

Grimacing, I quickly came up with an acceptable excuse,

"Why do you need an excuse?" Chris asked, "You haven't told her about the nightmares?"

Hera sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. She leaned forward and rested her face in her hands, "It's hard to admit something like that is going on. Plus, she's pregnant and I didn't want to scare her."

"That's smart," Artemis said. "Any form of stress or worry in the first trimester is bad for the child."

"Winter Solstice today. I got to finish up the paperwork and everything else I need to complete today. Plus, I've got to put some information together for the meeting later on in the day."

Several gods groaned and slumped in their thrones; Hermes pinched the bridge of his nose, "I hate the paperwork."

Hades sighed, "Tell me about it."

It wasn't a total lie. I did have paperwork to do, but I usually just zoned out during meetings;

"Really?" Athena asked. "You always look like you're paying attention."

"Eh, I've mastered how to successfully zone out without getting caught," Hera shrugged. "Besides, everyone's always to busy fighting to tell anyway."

A few Olympians opened their mouths to argue, then closed them when they realized she was right.

since all that ever happens is arguments and other crap.

"Seriously?" Percy rolled his eyes, "You all get along real well, don't you?"

Some gods glared, but otherwise remained silent at Poseidon's warning look.

Thankfully, she bought it, and simply nodded in understanding. After she kissed my nose, Susan laid back down, and promptly fell asleep.

Lacy smiled, "Nose kisses are the cutest."

Aphrodite grinned at her daughter, "You're right honey. Nose kisses are just adorable."

Artemis scoffed, "Of course you would say that Aphrodite."

"Now, now." Aphrodite smirked and leaned forward in her throne, an alluring smile appearing on her face, "I can prove just how adorable nose kisses are, you know."

Artemis narrowed her eyes, "Don't even think about it."

"Oh, we'll see."

"APHRODITE!"

Quietly, I got out of bed, and changed into a pair of warmer clothes. My stomach growled loudly, and I wondered when the last time I ate was. After, my train of thought ended; I decided to head down to the kitchen. Since it was earlier, the chefs were not up yet. So, I had the kitchen to myself. My breakfast wasn't large, so I just decided to bring it up to my office on the fourth floor.

"Does the house have an elevator, or is it just a staircase?" Jason asked.

"It has a elevator," Hera answered. "Four flights of stairs would be a pain to climb."

Jason smiled slyly, "Unless you can fly."

Piper rolled her kaleidoscope eyes, "Not everyone can control the winds sparky."

Once I had finished eating, I mulled over my latest nightmare.

"I hate nightmares," Percy muttered, his sea green eyes dulling under apparent stress.

Annabeth placed a hand on his arm, "I think we all hate nightmares Percy."

All the demigods voiced their agreement, and Percy smiled his signature sarcastic grin.

Gods, I hated that stupid worm.

"So do I," Apollo muttered; crossing his arms and leaning back in his throne. "That stupid thing messed with my mother."

It was nothing but a gigantic pest, and pretty much blamed me for the whole Leto incident.

"But," Poseidon scratched his head. "Didn't you send the Python after Leto when she was pregnant with Artemis and Apollo?"

The Archer twins glared at their step-mother, but Hera only shook her head, "No. The Python is a child of Gaea-"

At the name of the earth goddess, many flinched and glared hatefully at the ground; Hera continued, "That snake doesn't take orders from anyone but her."

"Still," Apollo hissed. "You tormented my mother!"

Hera grimaced, and stared at the ground. "The situation with Leto was more complicated than you know; than anyone knows. However, I'm sure this book will probably explain what really happened."

Which wasn't fully my fault.

Apollo and Artemis exchanged angry and confused looks. They weren't sure they wanted to know who's fault it really was.

Honestly, I rarely hurt his mistresses,

"Well, we know that their is someone else working behind the scenes and framing you for a lot of stuff," Piper looked thoughtful. "But was all those crimes really this mysterious woman's fault?"

Hera flinched and looked down, "Most of the things done were caused by her, but their were instances when I..."

Everyone looked as the queen took a shuddering breath, "You know, I think the book will explain."

but sometimes, maybe once every few centuries, when I get really emotional, when Zeus oversteps his boundaries; the worst curse in existence (which of course, I just had to have) acts up, and makes me do horrible things.

"Curse?" Athena narrowed her eyes, "What curse? I've never heard of one so bad, it's been dubbed 'the worst in existence.' What effects does it have? How bad is it to be called that?"

Hera sighed and waved a dismissing hand, "The book will eventually explain. I'm sure of it."

And, since my womb was sealed;

Zeus jumped in his seat, as Demeter suddenly frowned and lashed out with her leg.

His royal shin was surely broken.

it's only gotten more and more unbearable.

Now more and more scowling females were glaring at the King of the Gods, most likely silently plotting his painful death.

Hera snickered in her seat, at her husbands' predicament.

But, every now and then, a light at the end of the tunnel appears. For me, that light was Susan Holt.

Aphrodite and her greek and roman children (except Piper of course) all squealed and clapped in their seats. The love goddess smiled, "She really is your saving grace isn't she?"

Hera smiled, although her eyes held sadness, "Yes. She certainly is."

My thoughts drifted to her, and I began to stray from my work.

"Oh?" Leo raised a eyebrow, "You're day-dreaming about her?"

"Shut up brat." Hera glared, but their was a light blush coloring her face.

Leo chuckled and shook his head, "You know Tia, you don't scare me since that 'teddy bear' comment."

"...Damn."

After about ten minutes, I zoned back in and focused on the work that had to be done.

Hades looked at his little sister, "Do you have to do a lot of paper work on a daily bases."

Hera nodded, "I average about fifty pages a day. Every wedding, child born, engagement, or family tragedy has to be personally dealt with. And each event is equal to about five pages. It can be a lot if I fall behind."

The rest of the day zoomed by, and once I finished my paperwork, I spent the time I had left with Susan and my unborn child.

"My gods," Hermes suddenly froze in place. "Guys, there is a little mini-me of Hera walking around somewhere. A freaking clone of Hera."

Hera glared at Hermes, and everyone else cracked up.

After a few minutes, Hades deemed it appropriate to continue reading.

---

When the time for the Winter Solstice finally came around, I began to get ready for the positively wonderful event. Bleh.

"I'm sure that's how most of us feel when it comes to the Winter Solstice," Apollo waved a hand through the cool morning air. "It's always the same fights, over and over again."

Annabeth laughed, "Yeah, it did take you all almost two years to decide to do something about Kronos."

The Olympians all glared at the daughter of Athena, but their embarrassment was evident by the blush on their faces.

Walking into the huge closet, I picked out an appropriate dress, beautiful jewelry, and diamond encrusted flats.

Aphrodite and her children all nodded approvingly, "Good choice."

Dressing in a flash was easy, so I checked my hair, inspected my face for any imperfections, and flashed to my palace on Olympus. I landed in my living room, and immediately checked the premises for any intruders.

"Seriously?" Ares snorted, "You're a little paranoid Mom. No one would dare break into your palace."

Hera rolled her eyes and looked towards Hermes, "Oh, I don't know. There has been plenty of pranksters in my palace before."

Hermes looked a little bashful, while his children all smiled at their father.

Travis and Connor actually got up and began bowing to him.

Once I determined the place was empty, I fell into my sofa and went over the facts that would no doubt come up in the meeting.

Hestia flinched over at the hearth, "I think I may remember this particular meeting."

Hera's eyes dimmed, and those who were able to recall what happened all looked a bit ashamed.

One, I've been MIA for the last two months. Two, I disrespected Zeus. Three, I basically walked out on Olympus if you really think about it. Oh, this was sure to be a fun meeting.

"It feels like you're going to trial," Malcolm observed.

Hera sighed and leaned back in her throne, casually rubbing her temples with her hands, "It certainly felt like I was going to trial."

The other Olympians all flinched.

After a while, the clock struck nine, and I was forced to make my way up to the throne room. I didn't feel like flash travel, so I decided to walk.

Athena winced, "That might not be the best idea at the moment."

Bad idea stupid.

Everyone cracked up, and the more immature ones (you know who they are) fell out of their thrones.

Walking through the crowds of onlookers, I seriously tried to ignore the whispering and pointing as I passed by. Well, emphasis on tried.

"It's hard," Rachel said; her shining green eyes dimming. "I hate when that happens. I hate when you know they're talking about you. Especially, when you're sure they're not saying good things."

Percy smiled sadly at his friend, "I know the feeling. Sucks doesn't it?"

Rachel sighed, "Yeah it does."

When I arrived at the throne room, I was incredibly relieved to see that I was the first one to show up.

"Eww," Apollo squealed a manly squeal. "Why would you want to be early?"

Artemis rolled her silver eyes, "Not everyone procrastinates like you Apollo."

"I take offense to that sis."

"Good. And don't call me sis!"

I made my way to my throne, sat down, leaned back, and closed my eyes. I was in no mood to deal with my loving family.

Said family all flinched and looked towards Hera, who for her part, stared at anything but them.

Hestia looked at the ground sadly; the hearth dimmed considerably.

However, as the other Olympians, Hades, and guest demigods began to appear I was forced to open my eyes. Immediately, I noticed some glared at me,

The Olympians now winced, realizing just how mean they've been to the Queen in the past.

Hera gripped the arm rests of her throne tightly.

This was one memory she hated remembering.

which hurt me a lot more than I would care to admit.

Demeter and Hestia looked at their sister, while their nieces glared at their family.

Aphrodite did greet me nicely,

Piper managed a smile, "Good for you mom."

Aphrodite stared at her daughter for a moment, before grinning at her and sitting up a little straighter in her seat.

which is probably what kept me from cursing at the other idiotic gods.

Cue the flinches!

Suddenly, thunder and lightning raged in the sky above, and all the Olympians rose from their seats as Zeus arrived.

Hades and Poseidon rolled their eyes, "Drama queen."

Zeus glared and thunder echoed across the sky, more or less proving their point.

Except me of course; I had no intentions of showing that bastard any respect.

"Yeah!" Nemesis cheered; throwing popcorn Hecate made appear in the air. "You go girl!"

Hera blushed as all the other females in the area began cheering and clapping their hands.

Zeus fidgeted under all the hostile looks her was getting.

He observed the Olympians; his eyes inspecting each and everyone of them. Then his eyes met mine, and I could immediately tell I was screwed.

"Uh oh," Travis sang. "Someone's in trouble."

Katie's eye twitched, before she snapped her fingers causing vines to wrap around the son of Hermes, and hang him upside down.

Demeter smiled proudly at her daughter, while Hermes slumped in his throne.

He smirked at me in an infuriating smug manor,

Poseidon shivered angrily, "I hate that look. You act like you own the world or something."

"Well, I am the king," Zeus boomed, which in turn made Heracles smile just as smugly as his father was.

"Yeah, the king of jerks," Hades retorted.

"HEY!"

and I could tell I just fell into a trap or something. Knowing my family, I probably did.

Again the gods were torn between looking guilty, or simply smiling sheepishly.

It was a hard decision.

Zeus moved to his throne and I greeted him as a good wife should, but anyone with brains could tell I held no love for this idiot at the moment.

Snickers were common in the amphitheater once more.

Zeus glared at his wife, who only looked innocently back at him.

The king of the gods turned, and greeted the council and guests, "Welcome, my fellow Olympians, and our brother Hades to the Winter Solstice!"

The other attendees nodded and pounded on the arms of their thrones. Zeus held up his hand, "If there are no questions, Let us begin!"

"I have been to at least two Solstices," Percy admitted, before rubbing the back of his head and chuckling. "Mostly due to quests and whatnot."

"Me too," Annabeth grinned and kissed her boyfriend.

After that, the Solstice went as it normally does. The normal fights, the normal death threats, the normal declarations of war. You know, the usual stuff.

The demigods all cracked up, causing the gods to fidget embarrassedly on their thrones.

Travis and Connor were leaning on each other for support, "Oh my gods! 'The usual stuff?' Seriously!? WOW!"

Thalia grabbed her stomach as the giggles began to subside, but suddenly started laughing at full force again. Which, of course, caused the other half-bloods to crack up once more, "You guys act like children!"

The gods opened their mouths to argue, but stopped when they realized she had a point.

After a few more minutes, Hades continued to read.

But, towards the end of the meeting something peculiar happened;

Hades narrowed his eyes at the book, before hesitantly reading on.

Hades stood up and addressed the council,

This sent everyone back into hysterics, while Hera sent her brother an apologetic look.

Hades ignored everyone, and began to read. Although his voice had a hard edge to it.

"My fellow Lords and Ladies, I wish to inform you of some odd happenings in my domain. It could be nothing, but I thought it best to inform you of the situation; as precautions might have to be taken."

Artemis was the first to react; she leaned forward in her throne, narrowed her eyes, and seemed to brace herself for bad news, "What has happened in the Underworld, Lord Hades?"

Hades shifted in his temporary throne uncomfortably, and sighed as if the words physically hurt him, "There has been some uneasy happenings in Tartarus lately."

Everyone was dead silent for a moment, when Percy turned towards the gods; his eyes narrowing and his voice was practically a snarl, "You mean, you saw signs of trouble twenty years ago!?"

The Olympians shifted in their seats, Poseidon addressed his son, "This was all we heard. Nothing else was ever deemed 'more than the usual.' So, we didn't think too much of it."

Hades nodded, "There are always problems with Tartarus, and I only told them because it seemed to be going on longer than usual."

The demigods exchanged hard looks, before turning away from their parents.

Hades read on.

Some of the demigods looked frightened as soon as the word, Tartarus, was spoken; not that I could blame them. Meanwhile, every single Olympian in the room stiffened and looked at the Lord of the Underworld. Ares stopped sharpening his knife,

Aphrodite rolled her eyes, "When is he not sharpening his knife?"

Ares (who was sharpening his knife) looked at the love goddess, "What are you talking about?"

Aphrodite sighed in exasperation and angrily turned away from him, causing Hephaestus to laugh at his brutish brother.

and leaned forward, a mad gleam clear in his eye, "What do you mean? Are there any escapees in need of hunting down?"

Clarisse had the same mad gleam in her eye, and smiled wickedly, "Now there's an idea."

Ares looked proudly at his daughter, as the other demigods all rolled their eyes at the councilor of cabin five.

Hades shook his head, "As far as I can tell, all the prisoners are still in the pit."

"Not for long," Percy muttered angrily, while the other half-bloods all flinched and stared at the ground.

The gods watched silently.

Some of the Olympians relaxed at the news, but Athena still looked unsure, "Uncle, is there any chance of the Titans or any other enemy of Olympus escaping?"

"YES!"

"Travis Stoll!"

"Sorry Katie."

Hades looked thoughtful for a moment, before hesitantly answering, "No, I do not believe so. Still, I thought it swell to inform you of the situation at hand."

The demigods all face palmed, and the Seven scoffed, "Seriously!?"

Zeus abruptly slammed his hand down on the arm of his throne, causing thunder to crash in the sky. "Good. If anymore happenings occur, be sure to inform us. Discussion closed."

"Dad!" Thalia complained, "You should of taken that seriously! It's your rule that is threatened! Why do you seem to deny every freaking possibility of rebellion without even investigating what's going on!?"

Zeus grimaced and hung his head.

Some Olympians scowled a bit, as if they did not agree with that order; still they remained quiet.

"Ugh. Just great."

I, on the other hand, inwardly groaned at my husbands' poor judgment. 'Someday,' I thought. 'He's going to get us all in a lot of trouble.'

Everyone laughed bitterly, and Percy looked at the king of the gods, "Well, you did close Olympus. Don't help us. And pretty much are allowing Gaea to rise while you're safe and sound up in your eternal city."

Zeus glared at his nephew, but there was evident shame in his eyes.

Zeus cleared his throat, and watched me out of the corner of his eye.

"Uh oh," Leo said. "Now what's going on?"

The gods all fidgeted in their seats, and Hera avoided their apologetic gazes. They weren't really sorry anyway.

"Now for the last matter of the Solstice; dealing with my darling wife's punishment."

Hera glared intensely at the ground, while the demigods looked unbelievingly at the sky god.

Jason's eyes widened, "Dad, you're actually going to punish her?"

Zeus momentarily flickered from greek to roman, then shook his head and regained control. He looked guiltily at his wife, before ignoring his sons' question and ordering Hades to continue reading.

I blinked and I swear my heart missed a beat, "Punishment?"

I noticed again, most of the Olympians nodded in agreement with my husbands' stupid words.

Said Olympians shifted uncomfortably on their thrones.

Nyx's eyes significantly darkened, "Oh? So it was a team effort?"

Hera glared at her family, "It definitely seemed like it was."

Aphrodite looked at me worriedly, and Chiron stared at me with alarm plastered on his face.

Hazel smiled at the two mentioned individuals, "Well, at least you two cared."

Aphrodite grinned at the daughter of Pluto, while Chiron nodded in her direction.

I smiled slightly at him in acknowledgment; he always is a good brother.

Chiron smiled a bit sadly, "I do try my best."

Percy and the others all looked at the centaur in surprise. Annabeth turned to her boyfriend, a humorous smile on her face, "What? Did you forget he was their half-brother?"

"Shut it wise girl."

"Never gonna happen seaweed brain."

But then, I had to face my stupid husband, "On what charges? What have I done to deserve this punishment."

Zeus stared at me, and for a terrifying second I thought he found out about Susan.

Everyone widened their eyes in fear (sans Zeus and Heracles of course), and exchanged scared looks.

Luckily, he only smirked a bit smugly, "You have left Olympus and disregarded your duties for a total of two months, along with disrespecting your King and Lord Husband."

"Your know brother," Poseidon grinned. "You have quite the ego, don't you."

Zeus grumbled and crossed his arms, pouting like a three year old.

His siblings rolled their eyes at his childish behavior.

Anger bubbled in my stomach as I looked around the room, and discovered most of the council smiling in agreement with his words.

Said members of the council all looked very guilty now. Especially those who had to suffer through the disappointed looks their children sent them.

Hera looked a little happy at that.

Then, I growled and looked at Zeus hatefully, "And what is the punishment, my king?"

Zeus smirked, "You are to be detained to Olympus for fifty years."

"So basically, you're grounding her?" Miranda asked, rubbing her temple with one hand.

Zeus looked sheepishly at his wife, who sent him the glare of death. "That was the idea."

My mind stalled, not being able to comprehend what was spoken. Stuck on this stupid rock for fifty years? Oh gods, that would mean no Susan for fifty years. Hell no.

Eros blinked, "You're really in love with this woman aren't you?"

Hera looked at the ground and bit her lip, "Yes I am."

Zeus scowled and crossed his arms, while Aphrodite squealed intelligibly.

I glared at the guilty party, "You expect me to stay on this idiotic rock for fifty years due to false charges?"

"Well, techniquely she did do her duties as the goddess of marriage and whatnot," Annabeth mused.

Travis and Connor snickered, "You said duty."

Katie and Lou Ellen whacked their respective idiots.

Dionysus rolled his eyes, "False charges? I'm pretty sure you've been missing from Olympus for the last two months."

"Yeah, but she didn't abandon her job," Reyna pointed out; agreeing with Annabeths earlier observement.

"I didn't know at the time Ricki," Dionysus yawned.

"It's Reyna."

"Whatever."

"On vacation!" I spat at the lazy god, "And I have not neglected my duties!"

Zeus spoke up, "Yes you hav-"

"Are people still getting married!? Are couples still blessed with children!? Are women still gaining more and more equality!?" I exclaimed; my anger very close to boiling over, "I have continued to preform my duties at the Goddess of Marriage, Motherhood, and Family! As well as my duties as the Patron of Women! You have no right to punish me!"

"And Hera used rant!" Apollo laughed, "It's super effective!"

"Pokémon? Really?" Artemis deadpanned.

"Hey you recognized that reference," The sun god smiled. "You're more like me than you think."

"Don't ever say that."

"Sorry little sis."

"I AM NOT YOUR LITTLE SIS!"

"But you are still my wife-"

"I can change that!" I snarled.

All of Hera's children widened their eyes; Ares ran a hand through his buzz cut hair, "I almost forgot you threatened to divorce dad. That was a pretty epic fight."

Zeus glared at the ground, while Hera stared at the sky.

Jason looked at his patron, "Is that the first time you threatened to leave him?"

Hera glanced at her step-son, "No. It wasn't."

Zeus stiffened in his seat, his nostrils flared as anger became evident on his face, "You would not dare."

"Oh she dares."

My anger boiled over, and exploded.

"And now," Hermes took on some type of boxing announcer voice. "In the right corner, your king, Zeus!"

Zeus rolled his eyes as Hermes children all mock cheered.

"And in the left corner, your queen, Hera!" Hermes continued; raising his arms for applause.

Once again, Hermes' children mock cheered, and Hera sighed in exasperation; shaking her head at the messenger god's childishness.

"I am the goddess of marriage! Not you! Know your place Zeus! For when it comes to this, my word is law!"

"Dang!" Leo whistled, "Let him have it Tia!"

Piper smacked his arm, and Jason rolled his eyes.

The other Olympians looked uncomfortable at my outburst,

"Well yeah. Most of us have never seen you that angry before," Aphrodite said; fixing her makeup.

and Hestia stood up from the hearth. She quickly quelled the frightened demigods, before turning to face me, "Now sister, you must calm down."

"Hestia is probably the only one who can successfully calm Hera," Demeter stated, before cocking her head to the side in thought. "Well, besides Susan it seems."

Hera scratched her head, "Hestia is the eldest. It would go against my beliefs to disrespect her, and she is my favorite sibling."

Hera's other siblings all sent her betrayed looks, before thinking about it and agreeing that Hestia was probably their favorite too.

The goddess of the hearth smiled.

I let out a bitter laugh; one filled with pain and suffering, "Wow! Sister! You know I almost forgot I had siblings! They must be sooo caring!"

Hera closed her eyes in shame, as Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, and Zeus all flinched at the words.

The other spectators watched or listened silently.

Nyx had a hard look on her face.

Poseidon stood up; hesitantly reaching out for me, "Hera-"

Percy looked at his father.

I snapped once more, and snarled at my brother. "NO! Shut up! Just all of you shut up!"

Everyone winced at that.

Poseidon gripped his arm rests just a little bit more tightly.

Demeter gasped; her eyes watered slightly, "Hera!"

The Demeter cabin and Ceres children all glanced at their mother.

Demeter had a pained look on her face.

"I thought I told all of you shut up!" I screamed. "I'm done with this meeting! And you know what!? I'm extending my vacation!"

Despite the situation, Connor wiggled his eyebrows, "Oh ho. More Susan time?"

Hera blushed and glared at the son of Hermes, who cowered behind his siblings.

Zeus scowled regally.

Hephaestus rumbled from his throne, "Mother..."

Hephaestus had a unreadable look on his face.

"No!" I cut him off before he could finish his sentence, then turned to bow to my fellow Olympians, "Now my Lords and Ladies, I bid you adieu!"

Chris laughed, "Okay now that is an awesome exit! 'Now my Lord and Ladies, I bid you adieu!' Genius!"

Clarisse rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, as all his siblings began eagerly agreeing with him, "Idiots."

With that said, I stalked out of the throne room; pushing past the scared demigods and throwing the doors open with more force than was necessary.

"Damn," Dakota widened his eyes. "You were angry."

"Watch your language young man," Dionysus reprimanded.

"Sorry dad."

I remember the feelings of utter betrayal and hate pulsing throughout my entire body,

The Olympians all flinched and looked at Hera.

The queen of Olympus royally ignored them.

as tears poured down my face. I marched straight up to my palace and barricaded myself inside.

A few demigods looked sympathetically at Hera.

I leaned against the wall and struggled to keep myself composed, but it was for naught.

Hera bit her lip and looked down; desperately wishing she didn't have to read this.

I can't exactly recall what happened next, just that one moment I was sobbing horribly, and the next I was furious. Furniture flew around and my palace slowly began to be obliterated from the inside out, but then my strength suddenly gave out; I fell to the ground, as darkness slowly overcame me.

Nyx widened her eyes and looked at Hera, "It started that early!? I thought you were only having dreams!"

The marriage goddess shrugged half-heartily, "I couldn't tell if it was the curse or just my anger."

I had another dream. Another nightmare actually.

Percy rolled his eyes, "Well isn't that just wonderful?"

Annabeth sighed, "Seaweed brain..."

Except this wasn't just a nightmare; it was a memory. A horrible, horrible memory.

Hera winced, and Zeus suddenly stiffened.

He really hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.

I was hanging from the sky.

"Oh!" A younger Athena camper bounced in her seat, "Is this after you and the other gods tried to get Zeus to be a better leader?"

"...Yes."

This was the first time Zeus hung me there. Why? I tried to get him to agree to be a better leader. Yeah, obviously it didn't work.

Poseidon and Hades scoffed, "Obviously. Zeus will never change his ways."

The King of the Gods scowled, "Like you two are any better."

"Perhaps, but we are not talking about us," Hades retorted. "We are talking about you."

Zeus glared at his brothers, while the demigods watched the Big Three argue with wonder.

My body was beaten and bloody. I was pretty sure at least one leg was broken.

Demeter looked particularly murderous at the moment.

Zeus jumped in his throne, and let out a very manly squeal as his other leg was also broken.

Meanwhile, those who had broken a bone in the past rubbed their arms or legs uncomfortably.

The anvils secured to my feet only intensified the pain of the broken leg, and the chains that held my wrists and ankles left my skin bruised and raw.

Apollo winced and began muttering to himself, "The force of the anvils could easily dislocate or break her arms. It would take months or even years for a god to recover from injuries that severe."

Several of the people who overheard the sun god flinched and looked at the stoic queen of the gods.

The pain was horrible. Even worse than almost anything I've ever experienced,

Percy looked thoughtful for a second; remembering his little swim in the Styx.

and I was forced to endure it as my muscles and ligaments slowly were torn apart, and my bones were dislocated one by one.

Hera rubbed her shoulders, as if she could remember the very feeling of being put through that torture once more.

The younger demigods looked appalled and hid their faces in their older siblings shirts.

Dimly, I registered that I was crying; I also realized I had begun to cough up large amounts of ichor.

Will flinched and narrowed his eyes, "That is a sign of internal bleeding. Even for a god, the after effects of internal bleeding can be catastrophic."

Zeus shuffled around uncomfortably on his throne, as his family gave him disappointed glares.

Slowly, my vision grew fuzzy, and my hearing began to dissipate.

Athena shook her head sadly, "That is a very bad sign."

Looking to the side, I vaguely was able to verify that some gods were watching from the edge of the mountain.

"Wait!" Piper raised her hands, "You all were watching, and could most likely tell she was in horrible pain; yet, you didn't help her!?"

Said gods looked at the ground, mentally kicking themselves over their past actions.

A few pointed and laughed cruelly. I was able to locate more than a few of my husband's illegitimate children in that group,

Zeus and his other children all stared at the ground.

Hera's face was hard, and it looked as if she was wearing a stone mask.

while some looked on in horror.

Jason grumbled and crossed his arms, "At least some of you were decent."

I closed my eyes and prayed, "Not this! Anything but this! Don't make me relive this again!"

Percy sighed, "I hate dreams like that."

Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore of the pain. Just when I thought I was going to activate that damned curse, someone shook me out of the dream.

"Good."

I shot up from my sleep, and looked around. The inside of the palace was completely wrecked.

Thalia raised a eyebrow, "Someone lost it."

Hades actually laughed.

Man, I must've really lost it.

Thalia paled, then turned and smacked anyone around her who was snickering.

Hera didn't really care.

"Yeah," A voice rang out. "You did kind of lose it."

"Who was thou one who spoke?" Zoe asked.

"You're all about to find out," Hera responded nervously.

She didn't know how they would take the news.

I freaked and looked around frantically. The female voice sounded close, and I distinctly recognized it.

Nyx cocked her head thoughtfully. She had a nagging suspicion...

But in my current state, I couldn't exactly recall who it was, "Who's there!?"

"Well," the voice started from behind me. "I'm a little disappointed that my own champion didn't recognize me."

Nyx let out a exasperated groan and slumped in her throne. "It's her."

The night goddesses oldest children immediately knew who Nyx was talking about.

Athena leaned forward in her throne and faced Hera, "So this is your patron?"

"...Yes."

My heart burst and I wheeled around to face the familiar figure. She was at least 5'9, with pale skin, and medium length dark hair. She looked around 16 or 17 years old, and wore a simple T-shirt and jeans,

Nyssa scratched her head, "She doesn't seem too godly."

Percy furiously shook his head, "Don't let that fool you. When I first meet Apollo he was only wearing a tee-shirt and jeans too."

Said god smiled and blinded everyone within a ten-meter radius.

but that did not fool me. This idiot radiated power like no one else, and she was easily older than anyone else I had ever met.

"If your patron is like super powerful," Leo tapped his knee. "Why do you call her an idiot?"

Hera smirked and exchanged a look with Nyx, "Because she is one."

Shock and awe hit me like a sledgehammer, and I immediately dropped to one knee and bowed,

"Yet you still show her respect," Persephone noticed.

Hera sighed, "She is still my patron."

"Chaos."

Silence.

Then all hell broke lose...

"CHAOS!?" Zeus thundered, "AND WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS!?"

"More to the point," Athena interrupted. "How is that possible. Chaos was simply used to describe the state of the universe before the rise of the primordial gods; the actual deity Chaos was thought to simply be... well, mythical."

Hera opened her mouth to explain, but was interrupted by angry demigods.

Percy was pissed off, his eyes bore holes into the queen of the gods, "You mean to say, demigods are fighting to survive here, and you have the strongest primordial in existence basically on your speed dial?"

Hera raised her hands in surrender, as the half-bloods all roared in agreement, "Let me expla-"

"Maybe, you should let me explain the situation Hera," Nyx stood up, and everyone turned their attention to the primordial goddess. "Chaos indeed was a state of existence before the birth of my siblings and myself. However, shortly before we were born Chaos gained a conscious. Ever since then she has been mostly sleeping, since, like Gaea, her domain is actually her body; therefore, making it almost impossible to stay awake and aware for more than a few decades at a time. As for your question tourist, the very aura and power my mother subconsciously emits, much like your demigod scents, are enough to cause Gaea and other of the more hostile primordial gods to awaken. Which is why she needed Hera as her champion. She carries out the orders Chaos gives her. Do you all understand now? The Queen of Olympus is Chaos' will on earth."

Realization dawned on everyone's faces, and after a few minutes Hades continued to read.

Chaos, the creator of the freaking universe, smiled and pulled me to my feet, "It's been so long calf."

Travis snickered, "Calf?"

"Be quiet mortal."

I laughed and threw my arms around the primordial, "I thought you were still sleeping! My gods, I haven't seen you since Jean was born!"

"Jean as in Joan of Arc?" Annabeth hesitantly asked the queen.

Hera grudgingly nodded at the daughter of Athena, "Well, she was techniquely Juno's daughter."

My patron hugged me back, before pulling away and laughing awkwardly, "Yeah sorry about that. I know six-hundred years is a long time to go without any guidance. I really didn't expect to sleep that long. Maybe a century or two, but definitely not six."

"So she overslept?" Leo asked curiously, casually flicking little flames into the hearth.

"Basically yeah she did."

I waved her off, "That's okay. Man! I have got so much to tell you!"

Chaos sighed and took my hands in hers, "Soon, my champion. But first there are more pressing matters to attend too."

"Uh oh," Frank said. "I have a feeling we're about to hear bad news."

Hera flinched, and looked away from the amphitheater and towards the sky.

She didn't want them to find out what was going on.

My heart dropped to my stomach, "Bad news?"

Nyx sighed, "Very bad news."

Hera sighed.

She nodded hesitantly, her eyes were like a reverse black hole; like a universe constantly in creation,

Everyone's eyes lite up, and Percy and Annabeth turned to look at the primordial of night, "Like your dress?"

"Well, where do you think I got the idea from?"

and they were filled with sadness,

Hestia's eyes dimmed, "That doesn't sound good."

"We have much to discuss. I fear for the future of Olympus,

Hazel gasped, "She knew!"

"What?" Frank said.

"The wars!" Hazel exclaimed. "It makes sense! She must of warned Hera about the Titan and Giant War!"

At that, all the demigods widened their eyes and turned to face the Queen of the Gods.

Hera held a single finger to her lips in a show of silence, before gesturing Hades to continue to read.

but mostly, I fear for your safety."

Hephaestus scrunched his eyebrows together, "What does she mean?"

I flinched, "What do you mean!?"

Hephaestus looked like he might spontaneously combust, while Ares snickered at his brother.

Hera watched her sons out of the corner of her eye.

Chaos smiled sadly at me, "You've been slipping lately. Losing control. I imagine the nightmares have returned?"

"Oh yeah," Lou Ellen muttered. "The nightmares have definitely returned."

"Yes, but..." I sighed; I knew what was happening, but I had been in denial.

"Sometimes, the truth of the situation can hurt you more than anyone else can realize," Athena solemnly said.

Hera grimaced and closed her eyes. This situation was definitely worse than anyone else realized.

Still, I never imagined it would happen like this.

"What?" Demeter asked, "What are you so scared of?"

Hera's face was unreadable, and she looked away from her sister, "You'll see."

"That's always the first sign Hera," Chaos said. "You know that. You should of contacted Nyx or Erebus. You should of told them. Do you not remember what happened the last time your seal broke?"

"Wait!" Will held his hands up and pointed at Nyx, "So you're kind of like a safeguard or something? You know how to deal with this... whatever it is?"

Nyx nodded, "Both my husband and I were informed and prepared to deal with the situation."

I grimaced, "Leto... I... I..."

"You what!?" The Archer twins snarled; their protective instincts flaring up.

Hera bowed her head in shame, and everyone was shocked to see how fully regretful she looked.

"You almost killed her," Chaos continued.

Apollo growled and Artemis gripped her bow, both of them glaring hatefully at their step-mother.

Said step-mother ignored their glares, and stared sadly at her hands.

"True, you fought the effects of the curse for as long as you could, trying to give Leto as much time as you could to get to safety.

The anger melted off the Archer twins' faces and they faced Hera, "You did?"

Hera scowled, "Why? Does it surprise you that I'm not heartless?"

The other Olympians shifted on their thrones.

But the day the curse took control..."

She shook her head, "Never the less, you are lucky Leto figured out what was going on. If she hadn't, the seal would never of been repaired, and both you and your unborn children's lives would of been lost."

Zeus narrowed his eyes and turned to face his wife, "What does that mean? 'Your lives would of been lost?' How bad is this curse?!"

"Not to mention, Leto apparently knows about it," Athena pointed out; causing the Archer twins to look thoughtful.

Meanwhile, the demigods all exchanged frenzied glances; wondering what the hades was going on.

Hera refused to hold eye contact with anyone, intently staring up into the clouds instead.

I stared at the ground, remembering my first pregnancy by Zeus.

I hated how close I came to losing Ares and Enyo,

Said immortals blinked and exchanged shocked glances.

Hera closed her eyes.

how close I came to killing Leto,

Apollo and Artemis scrunched their eyebrows together, while Hera sighed and hung her head.

The demigods watched silently.

"I've been having the nightmares for months now! Last time I only had a week until the seal broke! Why is it different now?"

"A WEEK!?" Malcolm gasped; his mind whirled with a thousand explanations, "If that's true, what's holding the curse back now?"

Reyna narrowed her eyes as a sudden idea came to her, and turned to face the queen of the gods; her silent question evident in the praetor's eyes.

Hera gave her a almost unnoticeable nod, her form flickering from greek to roman as she stared at the praetor.

Reyna leaned back in her seat, a slightly smug shine in her eyes as her suspicions were confirmed.

Chaos stared at me, her eyes seemed to see straight into my soul. "Your mistress-"

Hera glared at the book, "Girlfriend."

Zeus rolled his stormy gray eyes.

"Girlfriend," I hastily corrected;

"Geez Tia, you didn't need to repeat yourself, you know."

"Shut it, halfwit."

Susan didn't deserve to be classified as a mistress.

Some smiled and nodded in agreement.

"There is something off about her. True she is mortal, but her very aura seems to cancel out the effects of the curse. Is she clear-sighted?"

"Yes," Thalia said; absently shooting tiny pebbles at the boys sitting around her.

Artemis smiled at the sight.

Hades coughed back a laugh.

"Yes." I answered.

Thalia looked mortified, while everyone else giggled childishly.

The daughter of Zeus shocked every single one of them.

Hera didn't seem to really care.

Chaos grinned, "I believe she may be the key to delaying the curse, at least temporarily."

Athena leaned forward in her throne, "Now that's interesting news."

Her children nodded along with their mother.

"Uhh... What do you mean?"

"Seriously!?" Travis threw his hand's up in amazement, "You seem so smart and regal and queenly and whatnot! How come you're so clueless at the moment!?"

Connor elbowed his brother on the ribs hastily, and Travis suddenly paled when he remembered just who he had called clueless. Hermes prepared to protect his son from his stepmother's wrath.

Instead, and to the amazement of everyone else, Hera simply shrugged. "I was still in shock in a way, not clueless."

Travis nodded his head furiously, before leaning back against his siblings.

Katie had watched the whole exchange rather nervously.

The primordial looked at me, "I believe that her very presence is holding back the curse."

"Hold up," I retorted. "You told me the curse is incurable. You told me that it may even cause me to fade if I lost control!"

"FADE!?" Everyone yelped; panic evident on some faces.

Hera stiffened in surprise at the unusual reaction from the surrounding listeners, but nodded hesitantly anyway.

Chaos sighed, "I am your patron Hera. It is my job to ensure your destiny is fulfilled,

Jason blinked and looked at his own patron, who stared intently at the sky once more.

If you looked closely, it was possible to see the longing look on her face. The look that made it easy to see how badly she wished for a better day.

even if you may not always be the same as you are now."

A cold breeze swept through the amphitheater at the foreboding words.

Hera almost wanted to sob from the reminder of her fate.

Her words swirled in my head, and my heart was pounding in my chest, "How long do I have? How long until the curse takes control?"

"Hopefully, a long time," Hestia mumbled; prodding the hearth once more.

"Anywhere from twenty to forty years,"

"B-But that means," Hebe paled once she did the math. "Mom yo-you don't hav-"

Everyone else stiffened and turned to face the queen of the gods. Hera's face was like stone, cold and unreadable. She turned to her brother and glared stubbornly, "Read!"

Hades continued, not because he was ordered, but because he saw the tears pooling in his little sister's eyes.

Chaos looked at the ground. "That is how long Susan's aura will keep the curse at bay. Beyond that, I do not know."

Percy sighed and muttered to Annabeth, "That really sucks."

Annabeth didn't answer; she was to busy thinking of an explanation to why Susan's aura would suddenly give out.

I let out a shuddering breath, and hastily wiped the tears from my eyes.

Some gave Hera sympathetic looks.

I didn't want this. I didn't want to be this way, but I knew some things are unavoidable, "And, if the curse kills me?"

"Don't think like that!" Ares snarled, the fire behind his sunglasses flared violently, "It won't help."

Hera gaped at her son, not because he spoke up like that, but because she could hear the worry and fear in his voice.

Chaos gripped my shoulders and smiled, although it was clearly pained, "The void of course! That place is a paradise like no other! Faded gods and only the most heroic mortals are offered that option! There is no way you would be denied entrance!"

Hades narrowed his eyes, "Better than Elysium and the Isles of the Blessed?"

Hera nodded without hesitation, "Yes."

The demigods stared at the book hopefully, that place sounded amazing to them.

Her words did cheer me up, but I was still unsure. "Very well."

My patron grinned at me, before quickly becoming serious once more. "Now don't look so relieved yet. You know that I can only tell of the future in the most dire situations. The greatest threat Olympus has ever faced is on the horizon."

Every single half-blood in the amphitheater suddenly tensed, "Is she talking about the Titan and Giant Wars?"

The marriage goddess nodded, "Yes."

The seven of the prophecy immediately turned and faced the one who put the whole quest into motion, "That's why you knew about us! You were told! She must of warned you about Gaea, and you brought us together because of it!"

Hera smirked, "Maybe. I mean in a way I am just as much as a pawn as you all are." The queen of Heavens looked at her champion next, "You listen to your patron, and I listen to mine."

Realization flooded across everyone's faces, and Annabeth actually felt some shame well up inside of her, "You were just following orders. All this time, you were only following orders."

Hera leaned back in her throne, a smug look on her face. After a few minutes of mumblings and mutterings, Hades continued reading.

Those words instantly put me on guard, "What is this great threat?"

"War Hera." Chaos moved to the window, and peered out into the courtyard, "Who the enemy is? I cannot say. This is something you must figure out on your own. But, it falls on you to prepare the demigod leaders of this generation."

I felt as if I had suddenly been punched in the stomach, the news actually caused me to take a step back in surprise, "Me?"

She nodded her assent, "Yes you."

"That must of been a surprise," Hermes chuckled. "No offense, Queen Hera. However, you wouldn't of been my first choice."

"And how is that suppose to not be offensive?" Hera glared.

"Hey, I said no offense!"

"That doesn't help your cause Hermes."

"Well damn."

My head spun. I rarely understood demigods, mostly because I seldom had them myself;

"Well, we didn't know we had any demigod siblings at all," Hephaestus rumbled; his beard sparking with sparks of fire.

Enyo nodded, although there was a sense of eagerness behind it, "It is kind of exciting though. Now, we get to find out powers and whatnot our half-blood siblings get. I wonder if they are good fighters?"

Ares smiled wickedly, "We will certainly find out, huh sis?"

The war gods smirked at each other, and Hera rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

"But mommy!"

"No!"

"Fine!"

and the ones I did have were almost always given into my husband's service.

Demeter scowled dangerously, and Zeus casually inched his throne away from his scary older sister.

Poseidon and Hades snickered childishly at their little brother.

I would definitely be the last person to appoint this task too, "I'm sorry, but I just don't think I am the right person to do this. I mean I just don't get along with most half-bloods. The old myths don't exactly make me seem to likable in their eyes. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Techniquely," Malcolm started. "With everything we're learning at the moment, how many of those myths are actually true?"

Hera groaned and flopped back into her throne; rubbing her eyes in a tired fashion, "Hardly any of them are true!"

"That's interesting," Athena mused. "Whatever really happened must've been quite shocking to create a cover up of that magnitude."

"Oh it was very bad." Hera sighed, "Very, very, very bad."

More glances were exchanged between the listeners.

Chaos sighed through her nose, "Actually, they will probably hate you. Despise you. They will loathe you more than any other half-blood ever has before."

"coughcoughAnnabethcough," Travis said; casually faking a coughing fit.

Annabeth glared at him, and unsheathed her knife.

The son of Hermes paled and held up his hands in surrender.

The knife was slowly put away.

I glared hatefully, "And that's suppose to encourage me?"

She shrugged, "Now there, you didn't let me finish."

"Fine!" I growled, "Let's here what you have to say!"

"Someone's angry," Apollo noticed.

"Well, what did you expect?" Hera retorted, "For me to be practically overflowing with happiness?"

"Olympus will be saved Hera," Chaos said. "The wheels of war are in motion. You know this. If you do this, your family will prevail."

Hazel winced, "She's not gonna like that. Her family just tried to have her punished, and Hera's probably not in the best mood at the moment when it concerns them."

The Olympians all flinched and gave their queen sheepish looks.

Hera just sighed and pinched her nose.

I tensed; my entire body felt as if I was suddenly frozen, "Why the hades would I help them? They just tried to have me punished! They've been nothing but rude, disrespectful, and cruel to me! Why the hell would I ever help them!?"

At that, everyone grimaced and looked down. Before, they didn't know how badly their actions against the marriage goddess would be. But now, with the reading of this book underway, a war with Gaea loaming in the distance, and the knowledge of Hera's very powerful patron hanging over their heads; let's just say they felt more than a little regretful.

"Because you are the Goddess of Family. Because no matter what they do to you, no matter what they put you through; you will always help them. This I know to be true."

Hera let out a miserable sigh, and her shoulder's slumped as if life had beaten the crap out of her.

Her family meanwhile looked at the Queen sadly.

I wanted to die;

Hera's daughters all inhaled sharply; Enyo looked angered, "Don't ever say that!"

Her mother simply looked away.

A pang of disappointment echoed throughout the war goddesses' chest.

I wanted to disappear. I wanted to just leave all this behind, and live out the rest of my life in peace.

Gwen let out a longing sigh, "If only it was that easy..."

The gods looked guiltily at their children, who avoided their gazes.

But, I knew that could never be. Instead, I glared and crossed my arms, before storming into the kitchen.

"And there is that famous temper!" Hermes cheered; throwing his hands up in the air.

The male gods all cheered with the prankster god, while the demigods watched and laughed.

Hera hid the small smile that appeared on her face.

But not before flipping the creator of the universe off first, of course.

"Rebellious!" Leo said in a sassy voice, and snapped his fingers in the Z formation.

Piper and Jason rolled their eyes, and Nyssa reached over and smacked her brother upside his head.

Hephaestus watched his son and daughter with a smile on his face.

Aphrodite noticed and grinned at her husband.

Chaos followed me, her eyes softened considerably, "I know this is hard for you to understand-"

"No, no." I interrupted, "I understand alright. I'm suppose to guide a couple of demigods to their destinies, hopefully save Olympus, then most likely die. Yeah no, I completely understand!"

"Well, except for the dying part; it doesn't sound so bad!" Dakota grinned, holding up his Kool-Aid goblet in a salute.

Dionysus smirked behind his magazine.

My patron flinched, "You know I would banish this curse, but I can't.

Athena leaned forward in her throne; her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "This curse must be very dangerous if even the creator of the universe cannot control it."

Hera pinched the bridge of her nose in aggravation, "You don't know the worst of it."

This...this curse is unlike anything I've ever seen before. I don't know how to cure it."

Percy nodded empathetically, "That sucks."

Annabeth gripped his hand, and leaned against her boyfriends' side.

A horrible thought bubbled up into my head, "My child? My half-blood child! This seal is suppose to be inherited by my mortal children and grandchildren, it's suppose to protect them from this damn curse, but the seal is thousands of years old. Is there any chance my child will inherit the curse?"

Everyone paled at the thought. True, Hera may not be their favorite Olympian, but the child was innocent.

It wasn't fair for the infant to be put to the curse's cruelty.

Zeus simply grouched in his throne, "If only.."

To his immediate demise, Demeter heard. He only had moments, before she once again lashed out with her foot, and broke his freshly healed shin.

Zeus cursed and cradled his leg, while Hera rolled her eyes at her husband.

"I do not know," Chaos said.

"Okay, this is really bad."

"Wow! Ya think!?"

"The sarcasm was not needed Katie."

"Shut it Stoll."

My stomach did uneasy flips, and I began to feel nauseous, "Even when the seal was still at full power all those years ago, some of my demigod children did show signs of the curse. Minos and Alexander to be exact."

Nico grumbled moodily, and Percy's eyes darkened. "That guy clearly had some issues."

Everyone looked to Hera, who simply shrugged and pointed at the sky god, "He thought Zeus was his daddy. If I was allowed to interfere I would of, but the laws had to be upheld."

Poseidon growled, "I hate those stupid laws."

Apollo reached over and patted him on the back, "We all do man. We all do."

Chaos nodded, "Yes, but if I recall correctly, their symptoms never went past fits of rage and madness."

I closed my eyes and leaned against the kitchen counter, "That was nothing compared to what happened to Heracles though."

Said half-blood turned god stiffened in his seat, his eyes intently trained on the book in his uncles' hands, "What!?"

Hera looked at him sadly, before gesturing for Hades to continue reading.

Heracles tore his gaze from the book to look at his step-mother.

Zeus shuffled uncomfortably in his seat.

The creator of the universe snorted, "True."

My throat constricted, and suddenly I felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders.

Percy, Annabeth, and Artemis shuddered at the memory, "Don't remind me."

Chaos looked at me and sighed, "Your blood ran through his veins Hera.

The son of Zeus's eye twitched and he snarled, "WHAT!? What does she mean 'Your blood runs through my veins!?' I am a son of Zeus! Not you!"

Jason growled; stories he had heard from his sister regarding the older half-blood coming to mind, "You hide in dad's shadow! You love the fame being a son of Zeus gave you!"

Heracles turned to face his younger roman brother, "Watch your mouth boy. You may be family, but I am his favorite!"

Jason looked at his father, and Zeus just looked down.

A horrible feeling rose in the son of Jupiter's stomach, and his eyes slightly stung with tears. Thalia got up and hugged her little brother, simultaneously giving both her father and half-brother looks of death.

Suddenly, a calming feeling passed over Jason, and he immediately looked up towards his patron. Hera's form flickered to Juno, and for the first time in probably a century; everyone saw a gentle and comforting smile appear on her face as she looked towards her champion.

Piper grabbed Jason's hand and kissed his cheek, while the former praetor straighten out and regained his famed roman look.

After a moment of comfortable silence, Hades continued.

He was a great-grandson of Perseus, your child by Danae."

Heracles blinked in surprise, "My great-grandfather... was your son!?"

Hera reluctantly nodded, "Yes."

The famed hero of old looked a bit shell-shocked at the revelation, and leaned back in his throne; a contemplating look on his face.

I felt angry, at who I did not know, I was just suddenly angry, "I told Zeus to stay away from Alcmene. I told him the risks coming from mixing the bloodlines. Immortal blood activates the curse in those who are distantly related to me. I told him what would happen."

"Seriously?" Thalia looked at her father, "You knew about the curse all this time?"

Zeus shook his head guiltily, "No. She told me something very bad would befall any children born from the union. At the time, I thought she was only being paranoid and jealous; so I did not heed her words."

"Which was obviously, a huge mistake," Artemis grumbled; glaring at her half-brother who dared to hurt her former lieutenant.

Heracles squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

Zoe grinned at the show.

"Yet he did not listen," Chaos groaned.

"When does he ever listen to anyone?" Poseidon mused.

Zeus zapped him.

"When does he ever listen to me?" I asked miserably, "Even after all my warnings, he still went after my grand-daughter."

"Father," Athena called. "Perhaps, you should try to cut back on your womanizing ways. It seems to only cause trouble."

Zeus blushed lightly, and shook his head stubbornly, "The king may do as he like."

However, he soon regretted that as a very dark aura coming from his wife's thrones suddenly became apparent to him, "Uh, I mean if his queen approves."

Hera smirked at him.

"And Heracles was born," Chaos let out a soft sigh. "A son of Zeus and a legacy of Hera. He was quite the hero."

"Depends on the perspective you look at it from," Percy muttered angrily; Thalia nodding in agreement with him.

"Maybe he once was," I snapped. "But he's nothing but a snobbish little daddy's boy now. Do you know what he's done? The blood of innocents coats his hands, and he blamed me for it! The nerve of that brat!"

"Because you made me do it!" Heracles snarled at his step-mother turned great-grandmother person, "I didn't have a choice!"

Hera glared, "An easy way out. Blame the evil step-mother! Wow! That sure never gets old!"

However, one could notice the pained look in her eye as she argued. The words were recited as if she was a robot, and the plain tiredness on her face was clear to see. That one fact caused Heracles to back down, once he saw how she didn't seem to actually mean the words she said.

My patron placed a hand on my arm, "Calm yourself child."

I let out a shuddering breath and covered my face with my hands, "Oh, but it was my fault. I didn't curse him with madness; he was born with it. That stupid curse was affecting him."

The demigod turned god looked up, "Curse? I had the curse? That's why the madness came!? That's why my family was killed!?"

Hera looked sadly at him and nodded her head, "Yes. That is why."

Chaos inclined her head, "He built up a blood guilt. He was destined to do that long before he was born Hera; you cannot blame yourself."

Clarisse snorted, "It was quite the blood guilt too. One of the largest in the ancient stories."

Heracles scowled at the daughter of Ares; her father's horrifying glare being the only thing that kept him from attacking the demigoddess.

"I gave him that curse," I muttered. "My blood carried it. It's like some kind of stupid disease."

"Okay," Frank held up his hands. "And I thought my stick was bad. This just plainly sucks!"

Leo grinned at the shape shifter, "Hey, I fixed that problem didn't I?"

Frank grinned and gave Leo a fist bump, "Yeah, thanks man."

"Don't mention it."

"I know."

"Oh, but I tried to fix my mistake," I continued. "I knew the fits of rage and madness was my fault. So, I devised the Labors to clean the Blood guilt, and ensure his assent into godhood. Me! Not Zeus! Not Athena! ME!"

"So, the Labors we're actually suppose to ensure he became a god?" Hebe asked curiously. The news about her husband surprised her.

"Yes my dear," Hera closed her eyes. "After all, it was my fault he even had the curse in the first place."

Nyx sighed, "Do not blame yourself for every little misfortune your descendants encounter. No good shall come of it Hera."

The marriage goddess did not answer.

My hands were shaking and I couldn't catch my breath, and I let out a miserable sigh, "But, I failed. Sure, he became a god, but he suffered. I hoped to explain my actions to him on Olympus; I really did. But, Zeus sent him to the Pillars almost immediately, and I never got the chance to explain myself."

"That's horrible!" Persephone gasped, "Father! Why didn't you let her talk to him? It's like you want her to be hated."

Zeus stayed silent, and was rewarded with a disappointed look from his daughter.

Heracles also stayed silent, but for different reasons. He was in shock.

I felt horrible guilt build up in my heart, "Now, he guards the Pillars, nurses his hate, and curses my name. Never to know the truth."

Heracles shook his head and spoke softly to himself, "Now I do."

Those who heard him smiled slightly.

He seemed to be undergoing a change of heart.

Chaos clicked her tongue, clearly disagreeing, "You cannot blame yourself for the past. You must move on, and learn from your mistakes.

Annabeth nodded approvingly, "That is correct. Learn from the past, and use your lessons to make a better future."

Percy grinned at his wise girl, "Exactly."

Now, you have a chance to fix everything! You have a chance to set things right. Do it now... do it before you lose your chance. Create a world for your child. Create a world where you don't have to worry about this!"

Hermes had a longing look in his eye, "That... that would be nice."

Apollo sighed, "Our children deserve better."

The immortals all looked down, while the demigods watched.

I stared at my patron, then turned and looked out the window. My mind cleared, as if the sun suddenly broke through a cloudbank.

Apollo grinned.

I knew what I had to do; the answer immediately came to me, "I will do whatever it takes. I will save my family. I will create a better world for them, for all of them. This I swear on the River Styx."

Hestia's eyes widened, and she quickly looked at her youngest sister, "That is a very dangerous oath Hera!"

Everyone else all voiced their agreement and stared at the queen of the gods as if she was crazy.

Hera simply shrugged, "I don't care. When I made that oath, I meaned it. I plan to follow through with it."

"Gaea stands in your way of that," Reyna realized. "That's why you pulled the Seven together. You swore on it."

Hera nodded, and looked at the demigods. "Do you see now? I did not take your leaders to spite you, but because the fate of Western Civilization depends on it. I didn't have a choice."

Jason and Percy exchanged glances, while all the greek and roman demigods all looked at each other.

Everything was slowly falling into place.

Thunder boomed and Chaos smiled sadly at me, "You'll make them proud Hera. I know you will."

Aphrodite smiled, "Yes, she will."

Hades held up the book; a relived look on his face, "That was the end of the chapter. Who wants to read next?"

Hazel stood up and walked to the greek version of her father, "I will."

Hades smirked at his daughter, before handing the book to her.

Hazel walked back to her seat by Frank, sat down, opened the book, and looked at the chapter.

Just as she was about to read, a bright flash illuminated the amphitheater; causing everyone to look away.

After a moment had passed, the light faded and revealed two females standing there. Hera immediately stood up from her throne and stared at the newcomers with tears pooling in her eyes. Zeus glowered darkly when he realized who had appeared, and all the others watched with quiet fascination.

The younger girl looked around curiously, before turning to face the gods, "Uh... What just happened?"

---

God, that was a long chapter; my hands freaking hurt.

Anyway, please leave a review telling me what you thought and your favorite part of the chapter!

Plus, who do you think the newcomers are?

Anyway, I will freaking try my best to update as soon as I can, but the next chapter is gonna be a bit shorter. (since my hands can only take so much typing)

Have a great rest of the day my lovelies!~