Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus. I don't own anything written by Rick Riordan.

Author's Note: So, I'm super sorry... again. I'm two days late. Wow. ANYWAYS, THERE WILL BE SOME IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER, SO STAY TUNED!

Also, missawesome-demigodish submitted the 100th review and I will be writing a one-shot to her specifications!

The 250th reviewer will also get a one-shot of their liking as long as they are not a guest and they don't request an M rated story.

Hans50: I'm glad you agree with my choices. As for verbal smack downs, soon... I think I want to get a feel for this new Percy before I write a bunch of arguments.

Charlee56: The next chapter already has some backstory - particularly how Iapetus and Seph got together.

team leo: Thanks for the idea. I've been considering wattpad for a while now. I might start something there once I've finished this story or Golden Drops.

Helmetgirl896: Maybe... I'm not sure yet.

I've started a new story called Golden Drops. Hope you all read it!

Chapter VII: Meeting Some Old Friends

Seph pulled away from Iapetus, blushing softly.

"Better?" asked the Titan.

The goddess nodded and pushed herself out of her throne and leaned heavily against her boyfriend of eight years; the flashbacks always took a lot out of her.

Iapetus wrapped an arm around her waist to help support her.

She glanced around to find the Olympians staring at her in shock.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"You were tortured?" asked Hestia.

Seph nodded, unsure of where the conversation was going.

"I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Poseidon, suddenly hurling himself towards her. "I should have trusted you!"

Seph flinched away as her sire – for he was no true father of hers – reached out for a hug. "Stay away from me," she hissed, "and don't be sorry. At least I found out who my true family and friends are."

Poseidon winced and backed away as if he'd been physically assaulted by the implication that she no longer regarded him as her father.

The other gods had various degrees of sadness adorning their faces as well.

"I presume my palace still stands and is in the state I left it in," stated Seph, leaning further into Iapetus as her legs threatened to give out from under her. It didn't help that she'd recently lost a lot of blood in a fight with a few hellhounds.

Athena nodded, eyes numb.

Seph grabbed Damasen's arm with one hand and the arm Iapetus had wrapped around her waist with the other. She shut her eyes and flashed away with her companions.

Seph woke up the next morning on the marble floor of the living room of her palace. She was wrapped in Iapetus's arms with Damasen pressed into her back. The three had taken to sleeping next to each other to make it more difficult for monsters to pick them off one by one in their sleep and hadn't been able to let go of the habit.

Additionally, the bed really was too soft to use after having become accustomed to the rocky ground of Tartarus and the barely padded cots of Damasen's hut.

"You awake?" whispered Iapetus.

Seph hummed, burrowing into his chest. This was the first time in years that she could sleep in without the worries of being killed and she intended to take advantage of the opportunity.

Iapetus laughed gently. "What do you say we go get something to eat that's not monster meat?"

Seph growled and stayed put. The offer was tempting, but she was rather comfortable…

"And you can have water – real, good, pure, fresh water," he whispered in her ear enticingly.

Seph practically stumbled over her feet in her haste to stand up – although she was careful not to disturb Damasen. "Come on," she hissed, dragging her boyfriend to the kitchen. She snagged a glass from one of the cupboards and held it under the tap. Seph sipped at it while keeping one hand under the running water.

Iapetus stood behind her, chin on her shoulder as she finally made contact with her element. Yes, there had been water in Tartarus, but it always came from the Acheron or the Cocytus – the Styx and the Lethe weren't remotely safe to even touch. Mostly, they had drunk from the Phlegethon, though. Liquid fire and waters that evoked misery had absolutely nothing on the water she was drinking at the moment.

"That good, huh?" Iapetus smiled at her delighted expression.

Seph hummed. "I've missed this – feeling water like this, I mean. It's so responsive, so… playful. Nothing like the manipulativeness of Tartarus's waters." She leaned into Iapetus's embrace.

"What do you say about going for a walk after we get ready?" asked the Titan.

"Sounds great!" Seph exclaimed as she twisted around to peck him on the lips.

Seph and Iapetus walked through the streets of Olympus. Iapetus had a spear strapped to his back and had changed into the jeans and button-up shirt some god had kindly left outside the palace. Seph had pulled on a pair of leather pants along with a silver and black tank top that revealed the multitude of scars, light and dark, that laced her pale skin. She was armed with the shield Tyson had made for her and her dual swords. One was Riptide, which she kept in her pocket. The other was an ice sword she had made from the waters of the five rivers of Tartarus. It was composed of various shades of blue - each river had its own color - with a stripe of fiery orange down the middle from the Phlegethon. In addition, a never-ending supply of poison lined its blade, turning the edges an ugly green. She also had a similar ice dagger sheathed in her boot.

Iapetus was in the middle of asking Seph which garden on Olympus was her favorite, when she froze, eyes staring straight ahead. Iapetus glanced in that direction, as well, confused.

Six gods were headed in their direction. He only recognized one of them - Anthony Chase. Therefore, he realized, it followed that the rest of the group was most likely part of the Seven of the Great Prophecy.

Anthony was holding a Latina's hand. That would be Lavinia, according to Seph's tales. Another girl - this one golden eyed and mocha skinned - was shyly brushing hands with a much larger male. Those two had to be Hazel and Frank, Iapetus decided. So, that meant the blonde boy was Jason and the Native American girl whose shoulders his arm was wrapped around was Piper.

Iapetus wrapped his arm around Seph's waist and pulled her close. "We can leave if you aren't ready to face them yet," he whispered in her ear.

"I..." Seph bit her lip, one hand clinging to Iapetus's arm. "I need to face them. I need to know if they believed in me or if they thought I had betrayed them."

A bubble of pride formed in the Titan's chest. "I'll be here, if you need me," he told her.

"Thank you."

They waited, together, for the six gods to reach them.

Anthony immediately detached himself from the group and ran up to Seph. "Percy! Thank the gods you're okay!" he exclaimed, arms hesitantly opening for a hug. "I've been telling mother everyday for the last decade that she was wrong to not trust you. Hades, your fatal flaw is loyalty! Some goddess of wisdom she turned out to-"

He was cut off as the breath was knocked out of him by Seph flinging herself into his embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered, barely loud enough for Iapetus to hear her. "Thank you for believing in me."

"I could never do otherwise," said Anthony matter-of-factly. "You're my best friend. Always have been; always will be."

Seph finally stepped away from him and turned to the others. "And you?" she asked. "Did you doubt me?"

"Not for a moment," said Hazel firmly, hugging Seph quickly and Frank nodded in agreement.

"There's not an evil bone in your body," added Lavinia, coming forward to place a hand on the sea goddess's shoulder.

"Nobody could ever betray the very people they lead as passionately as you do," stated Jason.

"I could still feel your love for us even though you were down in Tartarus," threw in Piper.

As the other five caught up with Seph, Anthony approached Iapetus. "Hello, Bob."

"I go by Iapetus, now, actually," corrected the Titan. "Hello to you, too, though."

"How are you, Iapetus?" asked Anthony, smiling.

"I'm doing well. And I only feel it's right to warn you: Percy goes by Seph now," Iapetus added.

"Thank you for keeping Seph safe," said the son of Wisdom, going straight to the point and acknowledging the Titan's statement..

"I'm not sure I did," remarked Iapetus, glancing at Seph's arms.

"Not many of those scars are new," said Anthony softly.

"She showed you her scars?" the silver-haired man asked, surprised.

Anthony nodded. "Once. I'm afraid I didn't react well. Regardless, I'm just glad she's alive and safe."

"She... she was tortured for a month by Tartarus," said Iapetus gently.

The god's eyes widened. "I- She's fine, though?" he checked.

"For the most part. She has... flashbacks, sometimes."

Anthony nodded again. "That's to be expected, of course. Either way, I am in your debt for helping her."

"I love her," Iapetus stated simply.

Anthony was slightly surprised, but took the information in stride. "I suspected when I saw the two of you together. I'm glad. She needs someone who won't betray her in her life. Just... don't break her trust."

"You're eight years late with the protective best friend speech," remarked the Titan. "But, I promise I will never hurt her if I can avoid it."

They stood in silence for a minute.

"Eight years, huh?" Anthony finally said. "When are you planning on proposing?"

Iapetus's jaw dropped open and the god couldn't help but laugh.

A/N: What did you all think? This chapter was on the shorter side, I'll admit.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I'M CUTTING UPDATES DOWN TO ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS. I'M IN THE HOME STRETCH OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AND I CAN'T BALANCE MY STUDIES WITH MY WRITING - ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE IMPORTANT COLLEGE-LEVEL TEST I HAVE COMING UP. SORRY ABOUT THIS, BUT I WILL STILL UPDATE. (IF POSSIBLE, I'LL GET THE UPDATES OUT TO YOU SOONER, BUT NO GUARANTEES. AT THE MOMENT, THE NEXT UPDATE WILL OCCUR ON APRIL 17.)

Super sorry about that, guys. Anyways, please review and give me ideas!