Disclaimer: Same as always. Credit given to where credit is due.

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Chapter 28

Poseidon looked ashamed.

Bianca understood very well why. In fact, despite not believing this whole world existed in the first place just barely a week ago, it had really come at her really quickly. She had to adapt and learn quickly. Bianca wished there was some way to do it all over again. She didn't want to go through all that loss. She couldn't handle that knowledge.

"So, the boy has betrayed us?" Zeus said. He looked ready to attack Poseidon any second now.

"Y-yes," Artemis responded. She looked shaky for some reason. "He has."

Bianca stepped forward. "Lord Zeus—"

"Silence, demon spawn!" growled the king of the gods. "You shall not speak out of turn. Especially for my brother to do what he did."

Hades sulked in his seat, staring glumly at the ground. Even though she knew that the Lord of the Dead was her father, it was hard to believe. Nico hardly acted like the death god, and she figured she didn't act much like him either. But for some reason, she felt drawn to the god. She could see Nico in his expression.

The painful memories came back, and Bianca shut her eyes, blinking back tears.

"Still, to believe that you broke an ancient law for my daughter…" Zeus trailed off, speaking to Artemis. "It is unheard of. The punishment would be far less severe had you not attacked out of rage. What brought you to this? Why did you attack the son of Poseidon?"

Artemis gritted her teeth. "I could not stand him. He reminds me of all of the terrible men I've ever met. But the fact that he'd done good deeds to lure us into trusting him… it feels like him all over again. I'm sorry, Father. I never should have done what I did. I will accept any punishment that you give me."

Zeus sighed and grumbled, "Hermes. You know what to do."

The god of thieves glanced solemnly at Hestia once before leading the newly chained goddess out of the room. Bianca didn't want to imagine the horrible things that Artemis would have to endure, especially after watching Zoë die in her arms.

Bianca looked at Hestia. The goddess of the hearth gave her a sad but hopeful look, as if everything would turn out okay. From what she'd heard about Percy Jackson, Bianca wondered if the goddess Hestia ever gave this look to the son of Poseidon. Percy Jackson seemed so much like a determined hero who'd righted his ship the way Thalia described him, and it made her wonder if Percy was the reason Thalia became a Hunter. After this, Bianca didn't know what to think of the traitor. Sure, she'd first noticed what he was doing, but she recalled him and Annabeth shouting something about a plan.

"This girl is still dangerous," Athena said. "It is unfortunate that we lost lives during the quest—"

"Unfortunate?" Poseidon cried. "After your own daughter died? How can you not feel the slightest bit of sadness when you think about that? We may be immortal beings but we are not emotionless."

"Who says I don't grieve?" Athena shot back with narrowed eyes. "Your son made a gamble and he lost."

"It was because of the daughter of Zeus," Poseidon snarled, glaring at the king of the gods. "Had she the slightest bit of common sense, she would have realized he wasn't doing anything wrong. He was executing a plan. A plan that could have worked."

"It would be risky. It would not be worth it."

"How dare you blame my daughter?!"

The two elder gods glared at each other, and the tension in the room suddenly increased by tenfold.

"Perhaps, we should allow my daughter to speak, as she is the only conscious witness," Hades suggested. "Or will you be stubborn and arrogant and not let her speak what she saw. If she lies, Apollo will tell us. He is the god of truth, simple-minded as he is."

"That is insulting!" Apollo said with an exasperated look.

Hades sent a sharp look at the god of healing, and Apollo shut up.

"Go ahead, child of Hades," Poseidon said.

"You are not the leader of the Council, brother," Zeus growled. "You do not decide who will speak. I am the head and I decide everything. And I will let the girl speak her truth. If she lies even the slightest bit, I will cast her down from Olympus no matter what you two argue."

Hades sent a menacing glare at his brother. "Then I will hunt your daughter and cause her pain and agony a mortal could only imagine of. Then I will execute her in front of your eyes, given that she doesn't succumb to her injuries like a weakling."

"You would dare?!"

"I already have one dead child because of this," Hades spat. "If I have two, I will make sure your daughter feels the pain I do. And I will withdraw my help from you for the rest of eternity, you arrogant swine."

Zeus and Hades glared at each other for a quick moment before Zeus turned to Bianca and told her to speak.

The Council turned their eyes on her expectantly.

She shifted uncomfortably under their gazes. "Well, I mean, Lord Zeus. You can confirm Percy prayed for you to strike the Ophiotaurus and retrieve its entrails, right? That's what I heard him shout."

Zeus nodded reluctantly.

"Annabeth interrupted while Thalia and Percy were fighting, shouting about how Percy was going to feign allegiance. I'm not sure if the Titan Atlas heard that, and I'm not sure if Kronos would realize that would be Percy's plan all along, but he looked confident and thought it would work. At least, from what I could tell. Thalia then went to stab Percy to kill him, not listening to what he and Annabeth were shouting, when Annabeth jumped in front of Percy. It looked like a scene out of a movie. She died in his arms. Slowly, he gained strength and ended up causing those injuries to Thalia—"

"Which are life-threatening," growled Zeus.

"I'd never seen such power from a demigod," Bianca admitted. "Not even Thalia emitted that kind of raging power, even when she destroyed a good portion of the Titan army. And Percy didn't even look like he was at full strength. When Artemis attacked, I dragged Thalia's limp body away. For the first time, I saw a demigod beating a god in battle. He made many mistakes, including two that would have been fatal. But the blades just bounced off. He kept attacking, as if he were invulnerable, and probably would have reduced Artemis to almost nothing if Phoebe hadn't distracted him. He beat her in hand-to-hand combat. He beat her in armed combat. The only thing that would have worked would have been ranged combat. Thalia told me Percy sucks at archery. But… I swear to the Styx that's what I saw."

Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Athena looked slightly troubled. She opened her mouth to say something, but Poseidon cut her off. "This isn't something determined by logic, Athena. There are many strategies, but even with millions of paths, human emotion is one thing that we cannot predict. Especially one of my children. They are unpredictable and this child is more turbulent than others. If only his mother hadn't been murdered when he was young, then perhaps…"

"We must get rid of him," Athena insisted. "It is the only way."

"But he bears the Curse of Achilles," Poseidon retorted.

"We will find a way to kill him," Athena said with finality.

"But—"

"He is our enemy now, Poseidon," Hades said lowly. "Let it go. Now, we have to put our faith in who remains."

"Are you suggesting your daughter?" Zeus asked suspiciously.

"Who else would I suggest?" Hades turned to Bianca. "Bianca, since you are the only one who will listen to me, I'll tell you this. I don't think Percy Jackson will die before he turns sixteen. I believe he will be the child of the prophecy. But he is our enemy. You will be known as the hero. You will no longer be shunned by the others. You are the only one Percy may listen to, one who has the power to fight him and not have his rage unleashed upon you like the daughter of Zeus, because he doesn't know you. Be careful, but if you can convince him… you will avenge your brother. Save Olympus, save Percy Jackson's soul, and avenge your brother."

"Hades…" Poseidon trailed off.

"I don't feel sympathy for the boy," Hades said. "This is my chance. The only chance I have at this. I will not fail. Bianca will not fail."

Poseidon looked at Bianca and reluctantly said, "All those who are in favour for keeping the daughter of Hades alive?"

Hades raised his hand. So did Poseidon. Athena and Zeus abstained, but from the Olympians who were still left, the rest raised their hands. Bianca felt a sudden surge in confidence. She wouldn't disappoint her father. She would avenge her brother. All she needed to do was defeat a Titan. Not a big problem.

Her biggest issue: killing Percy Jackson.

The winter solstice party was in a somber mood. Bianca found herself seated at the hearth next to an eight-year-old girl tending to the coals of the fire. She and Nico had spoken to her when they got to Camp Half-Blood. It was Hestia, the goddess of the hearth.

"You are uncertain about Percy Jackson, are you?" Hestia asked.

Bianca shrugged. "I dunno. I guess, when he jumped off the cliff, he kind of looked crazy… but in a sense persistent. He wanted to get to Annabeth that bad. I didn't know Annabeth that well, and I don't know what happened to her body, but I figured she must have been a great person. And I thought Percy Jackson was as well. Beckendorf, the Stolls, even Silena. And Thalia. They spoke of good things. And then I saw his bad side."

"Was that truly his dark side?" asked Hestia.

"Well, I mean, it looked like it."

"Truth be told, Bianca, Percy has been much darker." Hestia's expression was gloomy, as if she actually cared about the son of Poseidon. "From what you have said, he has shown no sense of evil. In fact, the blame lies with Thalia for misunderstanding, that is, if you desire to blame others. I'm sure Thalia resents her actions. There is a part of her many don't understand."

"You make it sound like you watch them constantly," Bianca noted.

Hestia smiled faintly. "Luke wasn't the only reason she joined the Hunters. You only saw Percy fight to avenge the girl he loved. That is not his dark side. His dark side is much cooler-minded. He values human life, but will not hesitate to eliminate them if they aren't humans he likes. You see, Percy Jackson is an idealist. Most idealists would love to live in a world where everything is perfect. It is the perfect escape for Percy because he views his life as disaster. He thinks all the things that happen to him only happen in movies and books and stories. He is a leader. He is determined. He is stubborn. But he doesn't seek power, which is a contradiction in itself. In a way, he symbolizes much of what the United States used to be."

"How so?"

"At one point in time, America wished to be isolationist, yet they tried to assert economic and political dominance over the Americas. Eventually, to prevent others from laying their hands on territories they wished to use, they went through preclusive imperialism. That is similar to what Percy is going through. He ends up being an important figure even though he doesn't want to be. And subconsciously, he accepts that fact. And he embraces it."

"But what does that mean?"

"To defeat your enemy, you must learn about them. You know the basics. But you need to understand who he is to find his strengths and weaknesses, because sometimes the greatest of heroes have the greatest weaknesses."

Bianca frowned. "I thought I'm the hero."

"In a way, you will be, Bianca. You are a hero. But don't think being a hero is good. Fight, not only for your brother, but for the sake of your future and for the future of others around you."

"You're really wise."

"This is not wisdom. I speak out of my heart. I speak out of the hearth, which is the home and center of Olympus. But I caution you, Bianca di Angelo. Do not get caught up in making Percy Jackson the bad guy. Do not get caught up in avenging Nico. Not all enemies are evil. And not all vengeances will grant you joy and happiness."

Bianca looked down. "Then who do we choose to fight for, if there is no real good or evil. If the enemy isn't evil, does that mean we are?"

Hestia shook her head. "There is nothing wrong with having a point of view, Bianca. But you mustn't act rashly. Chiron would agree. Your father has high hopes for you. At this moment, I am not sure who you are and who you will become. However, the Olympians do not trust you, as a child of Hades. Be careful."

Percy stood on the deck of the Princess Andromeda silently. Night time of the day after the winter solstice was approaching.

Luke paced the deck, looking alive and rather healthy. The boat was cutting through the Pacific Ocean with ease. They were off the coast of San Diego now, and the few demigods who had decided to attend the burning of Annabeth's shroud prayed silently to whoever they truly believed in.

Percy felt the same as he had after Grover had died. There was a burning desire in his heart to right what had been wronged. He wanted to kill Thalia Grace and destroy her soul. But at the same time, he knew it was his fault. He should have been protecting her, especially because he had the Curse of Achilles. She shouldn't have been protecting him.

"What are we even doing?" a girl asked. Percy realized that it was that Louise girl from back in D.C. "She was on the side of the gods. Why are we mourning her?"

Luke held an arm up in front of Percy before he could do anything. "We respect the dead, even if they are our enemy. We mourn our losses just as much as they mourn theirs. Annabeth was a friend, even if she sided with the gods. It doesn't make it any more right to have a demigod kill her."

"But she was an enemy," some guy snapped. "Who cares if she's dead?"

"I do, you inconsiderate piece of shit!" Percy growled.

The guy scowled. "Don't act all high and mighty because you're the son of Poseidon. You're no better than any of us. You're a traitor to both sides, you arrogant prick. If this was my army, I'd kill you right away before you destroy everyone with your treacherous backstabbing and—"

Within a second, the guy was struggling to breathe.

Percy continued until Luke commanded, "Stop!"

The son of Poseidon let go of the boy and let him collapse to the deck. With a harsh glare, he snarled, "If you stray out of line again, I won't hesitate to kill you, no matter what Luke says. Insulting me is one thing, but giving Annabeth crap because she was on the other side is crossing the line."

"Percy, don't bring unnecessary deaths to dishonour Annabeth's funeral," Luke said darkly. "I'll usher everyone out of here and let you mourn in peace. But if you try to escape, I will find you and be your enemy. I will never stop trying to kill you. This is your chance to join us… to join a better world, Percy. Remember what I said? A world where demigods rule. Not Olympians."

Soon, everyone left, many glares sent toward the son of Poseidon.

Percy felt like destroying something. He wondered if they realized he could decide to drown all of them if he wanted to. He wouldn't hesitate to do it. They were a bunch of brainwashed idiots with false ideas of an ideal future. To be brutally honest, he also had similar ideas, but at least he wasn't fighting for a leader who was using them as tools. He was fighting for Camp Half-Blood, and now he was fighting to kill Thalia Grace. Indirectly, that involved Artemis. He had no love for the maiden goddess and would kill all her Hunters if it came to that.

Percy thought about the daughter of Hades, Bianca. She was clearly a threat to the Titans, but she was fairly irrelevant as long as he lived. But his plan was ruined.

What point was there in fighting now? What point was there in pretending to join the Titans again? Annabeth was dead. There was no one he could trust to kill him. There was no one he knew would survive to the end and be there aside from Thalia. Could Bianca make it? And if she did, how would he know whether to trust her or not?

Once the burning of the shroud was done, he went to bed and had a very angering dream.

He was in the throne room, and nine of the twelve Olympians were there. For some reason, Artemis, Poseidon and Hermes weren't present. There were no other beings there.

"I don't like that kid," Apollo said suddenly. He looked angrier than usual, and his usually bright demeanor was harsher and more heated. "He's just like Orion. He's tricked us all into believing him when he's really been doing stuff behind our backs. Even if Hermes' kid was the one who took the bolt, we all know that he openly expressed his hatred for us."

"He only expressed hatred toward certain deities," Hephaestus said gruffly. "Reason I say that is 'cause he doesn't hate me. He only hates you arrogant types."

"You're arrogant too, ugly," Ares growled.

"Is that the best you could come up with?" Hephaestus snorted.

"Why you little—?"

"Be quiet!" Zeus commanded. "Let Apollo speak. This is a Council meeting deciding how we go forth. One of the topics of interest is Percy Jackson. He is allowed to speak his opinion, no matter how biased it may seem."

"What I was saying before I was rudely interrupted…" He paused to glare at Ares and Hephaestus. "…is that I don't like that Percy Jackson. He's different from all the other heroes. He's stupid, he's prideful, he's flawed. He relies so much on his emotions. He's not smart. He's not strong like Hercules. He's not cunning like Odysseus. He's not warrior-like like Achilles. He's different."

"I think he's just like all other heroes," Dionysus said. "Self-absorbed. Oh, boo-hoo, a few friends and family died. Get over it, whiny little brat. I told you. You should have killed him when you had the chance to kill him. Now, it's too late."

Percy wanted to shout at Dionysus, but his voice didn't work.

Aphrodite sighed as she checked herself out in a mirror. "He had a tragic love life, but it was booooring. Not enough drama. I mean, the girl had to join the Hunters. I could have been a wonderful love web! But he had to ruin that by obsessing over a girl who liked him back. Short, sweet, but boring. And he's totally not a cute boy. He's so moody and totally dark. At least some of Poseidon's other bandit kids are interesting."

"I told you, father," Athena said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You should have killed him when you had the chance."

"I risked war with Poseidon and my own daughter's death," Zeus argued.

"But now his son wants your daughter dead more than ever because of her inability to listen," she pointed out. "That is a fact we cannot ignore."

"Is it your duty to go against everything we consider good?" Zeus said through gritted teeth. "My daughter was not at fault!"

"I merely point out the risks and the realities," she said. "And the reality is that you stayed your hand, and that traitor has slipped out from under your grasp and snuck to the other side. He is a worthless, untrustworthy boy. It is clear none of us here like him, and though some may not feel any emotion toward him, no one has claimed that they think the boy deserves any respect."

"Well, at first he was on our side," Demeter added. "Then your daughter ruined everything, dear brother."

"It was not her fault!" boomed the god of thunder. "It was that reckless behaviour of his that is to blame."

"Then you clearly haven't loved a partner or mate before," Hera huffed.

"What is the meaning of that?"

"True, enough," Aphrodite said with another sigh. "He did act because he loved Annabeth so dearly. I haven't seen that in forever from any heroes. What's even more surprising is that she loved him back! Oh, the feels." She smiled giddily.

"I suggest that we stop talking about my daughter and that sea spawn at this very moment," Athena said harshly. "My daughter deserved better than him. And in the end, she died because of him. That boy will never see the light of day. When I find him, he will know suffering beyond Hades' cruelty." Her grey eyes swirled darkly.

"Then that settles that!" Apollo exclaimed. "Next chance we get, we kill Percy Jackson. Of course, we won't break the ancient laws like my sis, but if he attacks us, we'll crush him. Right? Poseidon is the only god who likes the boy. Just make sure Poseidon doesn't see and we'll be fine!"

"Yes," Zeus mused. "That sounds like a plan. Very well! Percy Jackson, from this day forth, is an enemy. Even if he comes back pleading for forgiveness and his life, we shall not grant it to him. That power should not exist."

The dream dissolved slowly, giving him time to realize the anger flowing through his veins.

If the gods wanted him to be their enemy, he wouldn't hesitate. How long had this been building up? It had only been half a year since he prolonged a major disaster. It had only been a year and a half since he'd prevented the master bolt from reaching its intended destination. Why did the gods have to hate him?

Percy knew he had been spending the past couple of years trying to make the gods see that he was on their side. But was this how they had been feeling this whole time? He already knew Zeus', Hades', Dionysus', Ares' and Athena's feelings toward him (mostly contempt). What had he done to Apollo and Artemis to receive that kind of judgment? Did he do anything resembling Orion? What did Orion even do? Whatever happened, he didn't do it.

It was just as he feared when he defected back to the side of the gods. He wouldn't be accepted by either of the sides. He wouldn't be forgiven for his actions. The Titans would never trust him because he prevented something major from reaching the Titans twice. The Olympians would never trust him because his allegiance was too shaky. And it was true.

Percy felt no love toward the Olympians. He had always felt that way. They weren't good rulers at all. Luke was right. If a world governed by the best demigods could exist, it would be the best world possible. It would be the ideal world.

The gods didn't deserve that power.

Lord Kronos, he thought. Let the ones who do nothing live. They will not revolt. If they do, they can be imprisoned.

Percy suddenly felt something cold and sharp on his neck and his eyes shot open.

Before he was even fully awake, he had the rude guy from earlier pinned to the ground.

His eyes wide, the guy gasped, "No… way…"

Percy glared at him harshly. He saw the knife on the ground next to him. It had shattered. He came to a conclusion. "So, you tried to kill me, huh?"

"Curse… of… Achilles…" gargled the guy. "But…"

There was a bubbling feeling inside of Percy he had never felt before. It was like anger, but the anger couldn't be suppressed. He had to have an outlet of some sort. And the anger was directed toward the guy he had pinned to the floor. Percy glanced at the shattered knife. He could see the small, jagged edge still attached to the hilt. A brutal image flashed in his mind.

Like a madman, he grabbed the broken dagger and laughed. Then, without mercy, he brought it down on the guy's neck. It didn't kill him right away. Percy kept hacking and stabbing until the ground around him was flooded with blood. The horrible image of the guy's open jugular vein imprinted itself on his mind. The image of his lifeless eyes imprinted itself on Percy's brain. But Percy felt no guilt. This guy had insulted Annabeth and tried to kill him.

Percy didn't care that both of his pant legs were soaked in blood. He didn't care about the stains on his shirt or hands or face. He dropped the knife by the dead boy's head. He took a cold glance at him and kicked his head before spitting on the body.

The rude girl from yesterday, Louise, and Luke opened the door, seemingly to call him from his slumber. Both stared in horror at what he'd done. Louise backed up a little before collapsing into a heap on the floor, her eyes clearly reflecting her terrified emotion. Luke was more than startled. Luke didn't expect this at all. He stared at his former friend with horrified awe. "Percy, what did you just...?"

Percy gave him a steely look. "Yes."

"Yes, what?"

Luke watched as an evil smile spread across the son of Poseidon's face.

Percy felt himself grin. "I'll join the Titans."

It's up to you guys to figure out whether Percy's joining for real or not. That's the ending I want to leave it on. Now, you see a different side of Percy. Tell me what you think! And you get some insight on Bianca's thoughts. Obviously, you don't see much of her character because she's most inquiring, but next chapter you'll get more of a backstory on her and why she is who she is.

Read and review!

Thanks,
SharkAttack719

P.S. Nothing can really beat that last chapter, though. To be honest, I wanted Thalia to die at first. I'd responded to someone questioning whether Percy was joining the gods' side way back when he was beginning to switch that I'd wanted to have Percy betray the demigods in a certain way. But then I thought killing Annabeth would definitely be more infuriating to readers, especially considering the situation. Who knew Thalia could be so thick-headed?