Zane Williams and The Gods of Olympus

by thesuperone342

Ever felt like Jason Grace is a complete disappointment and a failure to what a son of Zeus should be? Ever feel like Thalia was a waste and was thrown away too quickly? Well, this is the fanfiction for you. Join Zane Williams on his quest to be the strongest. Current Arc: The Last Olympian. Yaoi. (Anime Elements/AU) [Bad First Chapter, Needs Rewrite]

48. I Command An Army

Alright, boys. Chapter forty-four is here, hopefully much quicker than the last one. We had a two-week difference between chapter one of TLO and chapter two, so hopefully this time I can shorten that to about a week instead. I want to have at least three chapters done by the time I move into my new apartment, which means this one and one more. We're going to get even deeper in the plot in this one, which is saying something considering all the crazy shit in the last chapter. So let's get into it, but first, some reviews.

But first before that, I need to address the response to last chapter. The reaction of 'Everybody hating on Nico for making a dumb but reasonable decision' is absolutely mind boggling to me. Okay, Nico did an oopsie, but to actually want his death for something like that is honestly insane. Zane was supposed to be the one painted in a bad light, not Nico. Zane very overreacted to what happened, as much to threaten to kill Nico.

The fact that a good number of people actually agree with Zane is surprising. Take it this way, Nico is a kid, who's barely even fourteen. He's at the height of puberty and isn't going to be the best with decision making. He trusted his father and thought he wasn't going to do anything crazy, only to be completely wrong. Remember, Nico spent an entire month in the Underworld with Hades, learning under him. Of course he's going to idolize him and believe every word he says, it's something Zane has already done and people seem to have no problem with that. Yeah, I know Zeus is a lot better in this fic than most, but the point still stands. Most kids are going to idolize their fathers, especially if they're nigh omnipotent divine beings. Y'all acting like Nico legitimately knew going in that Hades was going to go all crazy, and was trying to actually kill Percy when they 'fought.'

Okay, sorry for going on that little tangent there, people just got the exact opposite message I was trying to convey last chapter, which will be more explored in this one. And as for the two who went after SaUvE ViPeR, here's what I have to say to you. Viper doesn't 'dick ride' me. He has very clearly had problems with some of my writing in the past, and doesn't have any problem telling me. If legitimate enjoyment in the form of a review for a chapter qualifies as 'dick riding' to you two, then I don't know what to tell you.

Mr. Reader: "Honestly man, great chapter. I loved the fight between Zane and Hades, also the way you incorporated thunder-teleportation was incredible. I can't wait to see how you do Heroes of Olympus. Wonder if Zane's going to be a god by then? Or be in the seven prophesied demigods? Though, is Zane going to acknowledge he'd outlive everyone - excluding deities - if he became immortal?"

Response: Thanks for the review, bro. The Thunder teleportation was from Echoxenvy's Son of Hercules, taken from Malachi, but you probably already knew that. And Zane won't be a god in HoO, that'll ruin the fun entirely. He'll be in the Seven, and you'll see how. As for Zane knowing about outliving everyone, he hasn't really thought that far ahead about it, only seeing the power being a god can bring. You'll see him deal with that though, eventually.

Echoxenvy: "This fifteen-thousand-word chapter honestly felt like a twenty-thousand-word chapter. So much happened, and it was epic.

So to start, I really like how Zane and Taylor decided to start over and be friends instead of jumping right back into a relationship. That would be totally unrealistic, and them starting out again as friends makes it better, because they can build up the trust that was lost when Zane cheated on him. Percy was epic this chapter, no question, I'm glad you let him keep the Curse, since Zane already has enough shit in his arsenal. So you've added teleportation through lightning in the mix? Interesting. I think that's cool, and not a Malachi exclusive thing, because Zane is a son of Zeus, so he has every right to be able to do it to. In SOH, like I mentioned somewhere in Book Three, teleportation is a technique that everyone must learn, even gods. So Malachi had to train to be able to master it and make it instantaneous and was able to do so by the age of eight. Still, it took him a while, albeit his young age. Zane picked it up by mimicking it and adapting, which shows how impressive he is, able to pick up moves like that very quickly.

The fight was cool, I really liked it. Wasn't expecting Persephone or Demeter to join the mix at all lol, that was really unexpected, as in canon they just sat around and didn't really care what happened. But I guess Percy has to do something. Anyway, Heavenly Thunder Form was epic, and Zane telling Hades to get his crap together was long overdue. Good stuff.

Now the big thing, and the main subject I'll talk about. Nico. I know he unknowingly betrays Percy in canon, but I honestly didn't expect you to go with that here, much less have him fight Percy and become a traitor. The tension between he and Zane was really present, as it should be. He said some seriously messed up shit to Zane, and Zane cheated on him of course. Both have reasons to be mad at each other, and this was just adding to the fire. Nico legit betrayed them, and Zane was ready to KILL him. I couldn't believe it when I read it, mind blowing change of events. It's going to leave a huge strain on their relationship, but hopefully later down the line they can reconcile and even get back together. As of right now, hell no.

Next chapter is honestly where the real shit begins. I can't wait. I want to see the team back in action. A mention of Percy's vision of Annabeth in the styx would be great, and more Annabeth in general, as she's heavily involved in the battle, and more commander mode Zane. That stuff was cool, and I've never seen the word "impassive" used so much lol. I didn't mind it though. Dope chapter."

Response: Thanks for the review, man. Sorry I haven't been able to review your stuff, I'll rectify that asap. So yes, Zane and Taylor aren't getting back together immediately, as that would be retarded. Percy getting the Curse is epic, and we'll see a LOT of that in this book, don't worry. Zane getting Malachi's teleportation was in a moment of desperation, and seeing how Zane has mastered techniques on the fly before, this was easy for him. Zane beating Hades' ass was fun, nice callback to chapter six imo. And with Nico, I've heard your feelings on it, as well as everyone else's. Not sure how you'll feel about this opening, but hopefully you'll like it.

Guest: "Honestly fuck Nico. Zane should've offed him right there"

Response: Bruh.

YeahBoy: "If Percy wasn't there, Zane totally would've killed Nico. As he should've! He betrayed them! That argument Percy gave was bs, that Zane would've done what his dad told him to do too. Well, Zeus isn't that much of a dick in this fic, and he never tried to kill Zane and his friends like Hades has, and Nico was present for that. He knows what his father is like, is a smart kid, and didn't think for one second that his father might have an ulterior motive in "speaking" with Zane. Come on now, if you're not gonna kill him, you'd better have a hell of a redemption arc planned for him this arc. Zane and his relationship is fractured right now, and it's going to take a lot to build that back up. I've never been that much of a Nico fan to begin with, so for this to happen, really set him towards the bottom for me. We need more Annabeth and Arthur. Fuck Nico."

Response: Bruh.

DarkSydeAdik: "Can all of the Nico haters crawl out of their hole and rejoice with me? This is the same kid in BOTL when Zane confided in him about the Arthur drama, just said "Yeah whatever, fuck him. Btw you look sexy with a beard." He's just annoying, horny, and barely does anything. Percy would've mopped the floor with him. Maybe this is an indication that he'll get killed off or reduced to a side character so we can finally focus on the more interesting people like Annabeth, Arthur, and God forbid Taylor, who barely gets any attention, but is a lot more likeable.

DarkSydeAdik 2: "This is to Suave Viper, weird ass name by the way. Who are you to call me or any other quote on quote "Nico hater" crazy? Dude you dickride this story so much, if the author suddenly said one chapter "by the way, Zane has been part demon, part dragon, part Angel this entire time" or some crazy shit like that, you'd support it no question. You do realize that this story is rated M right? And there's a literal war going on? Okay, so what's one of the rules? No traitors. Nico is a traitor, and he should be punished. I'm not holding a pitchfork begging for Nico's death, but if he were to die, get banished or something, I'd be fine with it. He's not that good of a character in this story. Like I said before, he only got attention as a love interest. He never pays attention to any of the problems, it's just "kiss me Zane, please kiss me!" He does have more fights than Taylor, so I'll give him that, but that's not a high bar to reach. I'll say it again, Arthur is underrated, it's a shame he has barely any time to shine or interact with Zane. Took about 500k words to get there."

Response: Bruh.

SaUvE ViPeR: "Where did all of these Nico haters come from? Y'all chill out seriously. Now to superone, I honestly thought you would go another direction from canon and have Hades just find the trio in the Underworld and initiate the fight, not go with Nico pulling the same stuff he did in canon. But it didn't bother me that much. In fact, Zane overreacting bothered me more. I'm surprised nobody is talking about the fact he was about to kill Nico, his literal ex boyfriend and the dude he loves most. It's just Fuck Nico and that's it. People are nuts lol. But besides all that, great chapter: Zane and Taylor scene was great, Percy was great as always, I can't wait to see him get the Curse, and the twists you'll put on that. I can't wait for the final battle!"

SaUvE ViPeR 2: "Gotta say, getting ganged up on in the review section of a PJO OC fic is a new one for me. Alright, I'm pretty bored anyway, so I'll indulge you weirdos.

To DarkSydeAdik and YeahBoy, weird names by the way. First, how does reviewing every chapter with mostly positive feedback indicate that I'm quote on quote "sucking the author off" mature accusation by the way, I think I've heard better insults from high school junkies. Numerous times I've pointed out flaws and things that I wasn't very happy about, but kept it respectful to the author. There's a clear difference thst I guess you just don't understand. Besides, there's not much to complain about. It's a good fanfic. Probably the best one on the PJO section, and maybe the whole site. Second, you guys are way to extreme. Yeah, it's a war, but these are also kids that you're talking about. Characters have made mistakes in the past, but the second Nico makes one, you come up out of nowhere and hope for his death? Does that not sound insane to you? He's a main character, that would be so abrupt and out of place. Zane overreacted, and that's clearly what thesuperone342 is trying to convey. You idiots really don't get it. Sure, you can have opinions on certain characters, but what you're doing is downright rude. I'm not going to say anymore, frankly because it's not worth it. I'd probably take you guys more seriously if you had accounts instead of hiding behind your guest names."

Response: Goddamn, this really boiled over real quick. You go, Viper! Kick their ass!

Shadowhunter2077: "Wow, Hades sure has a perfect timing and sense of priority, my most powerful brother is in coma and the second most powerful is busy, so let's just kill our best chance at winning this war because I'm pissed at something my brother did in the past in the worst possible time, like seriosly Hades was a idiot during the Last Olympian but here he decides to make the situition even worse, does he realize that Zane could have killed him then and there.

Also I understand why people are pissed at Nico but killing him would be to far, simply Zane making sure that he don't want to be near Nico anymore and reminding him that he nearly cost them the entire war would enough, I also hope they don't come back together, just stay with Taylor is way better.

Also man did you watched the Death Battle between Hercules and Sun Wukong, for me it was one of the best Death Battle they did, because they did researched on those guys, it's was good to see mythology getting a little love a lot of people underestimate the power of the beings from mythology."

Response: Hades being stupid and counterintuitive is pretty much his character in PJO, so we're sticking with it here lmao. Him trying to kill Zane was stupid, and Zane showed him why. As for the Nico situation, you'll see what happens, but they're definitely not getting back together anytime soon. And yeah, I saw that Death Battle. I think Zane would have trouble with the two, but with his arsenal and immense speed, he'd win.

Merrik69: "You won't find any Nico drama from me. I just want to say great chapter, the fight was awesome, the gray areas for the characters never disappoint, and I can't wait to see Percy get the Achilles Curse. Great stuff, man, keep this shit up."

Response: Thanks for the lack of Nico drama lol. Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like the chapter and hope you like this one lol.

KylerChu: "Hey, I love this story, and have been reading it for a while now. One thing that's talked about a lot in the canon stories, is fatal flaws. It's a very interesting concept, and each character has one, but I don't think we've touched on that in this fic, and I'm wondering if it will be mentioned this book. If not, I'd love to know. What's Zane's fatal flaw? I'd imagine pride, like Annabeth's, but it may be something else. As for Taylor's and Arthur's, well that I'm not sure on."

Response: So, me and Echoxevny have talked about this after seeing your review. Zane's fatal flaw is either pride or wrath. There's a case for both, although Echoxevny leans on pride, while I lean on wrath. Zane is definitely very prideful, although he carries a lot of dangerous rage within. His rage and pride are intertwined, with one being fueled by the other. I'm not even sure myself what his fatal flaw is between the two, but that's the answer. Taylor's fatal flaw? Probably manipulation or lying, as seen in book three quite a bit, although it's certainly weaker now. Arthur's? Likely jealously, as shown with Zane and Taylor, which he used to push himself. I'll try to get more concrete answers next chapter lol.

Man: "Pls pls update. I need the chapter I'm gonna die without it plssssssssssssessssseess"

Response: Sorry it took so long, bro. Here ya go.

Alright, enough with reviews. Let's blow this pop-stand.

(DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything portrayed here (Except the OCs). If the fact that this is one a fanfiction site didn't tip you off, you're fucking retarded.)

(000)

The silence between me and the son of Hades was palpable.

The two of us stood a few feet away from one another, not looking in the either's direction. The events of the past couple of minutes played through my head over and over.

The same scene of Nico transforming behind us and entrapping both me and Percy in his restraints played over and over like a movie scene, the same familiar anger building in my veins. How could Nico have done that to us, especially now of all times? He spent an entire month in the underworld with his father, he should be familiar with his ways and should have known he was going to betray us.

However, at the same time, I knew I overreacted. I just threatened to kill someone I once loved, and I was completely ready to do so as well. Despite how I still felt I was in the right, I felt genuine shame at my actions. I prided myself in how I had changed from my barbaric and murderous ways, but at the first opportunity I immediately turned to bloodshed.

To my left, Nico was seemingly stuck in his own head, too, as neither of us had spoken for nearly a minute. We had both been staring at the dark, oily river where Percy had been submerged. I wasn't concerned about Percy in the slightest, as I had complete and total faith that he would be fine. Percy had faced down gods, Titans, all kinds of horrible monsters, and even come back from death itself. The Styx would be nothing to Percy.

Eventually, sick of the awkwardness and the silence, I turned my head to Nico. "So, are we just gonna not talk about it? Is that it?" Might as well do this now, as doing it later would probably just make things worse.

Nico didn't look in my direction. In fact, he turned his head in the opposite direction of me. "That would be nice." Nico's tone of voice was completely subdued, as if he was…scared of me. I…didn't really know how to feel about that, although I honestly couldn't blame him after what had happened.

However, Nico's response made that same anger ignite once again in my veins. I turned around completely towards the son of Hades, a scowl directly on my face. "Well, that's too fucking bad, because we're going to talk about it." Using my immense beyond light speed movement, I appeared in front of Nico's gaze before he could even react.

Nico nearly lurched backwards at my sudden show of immense speed, and I crossed my armored arms. "You are going to explain what the hell happened back there, from bottom to the top. Right now." My bright, electric blue eyes met the dark, onyx eyes of the Son of Hades. "You said you didn't know Hades was going to try and kill us like that, and were even surprised when he did. Why? You've spent more time with him than anyone I know, and you still didn't expect that was going to happen?"

Nico was silent for a little bit, breaking eye contact as soon as the words left my mouth. "I…" Nico looked back at me, genuine remorse on his face. "I didn't expect he was going to do that. All he told me was to bring the two of you here, by force if necessary. He didn't tell me any of the specifics and I didn't ask."

I rubbed my palm on my face, groaning slightly. "Nico…your dad, the guy who has tried to kill both me and Percy before, the guy who has been mistreated by our fathers for millions of years, told you to bring us to him…by force…and you didn't think there was ANY malicious intent there?" I shook my head. "Nico, you're one of the smartest people I know, sans Annabeth. How can you be that stupid?"

Nico, after I broke down his decision piece by piece, had the decency to look ashamed. "Okay, when you put it like that, what I did was really stupid. But Zane, you have to understand…" Nico looked off into the dark, seemingly infinite abyss that was the Underworld. "He didn't act like that whenever I lived down here. He was kind, helpful and taught me almost everything I knew about my powers. He literally showed me who I was, gave me back my memories. Without him, I would have had to piece it together myself. I worshipped him."

Nico continued with his long explanation of his actions. "I know he acted hostile towards you and Percy in the past, but that was because his helmet had been stolen by Luke and he believed Poseidon and Percy had been behind it. I had no clue he would actually try to kill either of you unprovoked. He…deceived me."

I listened to Nico's explanation quietly, sighing whenever he was done. "Nico…why didn't you just tell us that he wanted to 'talk' to us whenever we first went? If you had just told us this from before, we could have gone in prepared. Or at least known that we were going to make a stop beforehand. Why didn't you tell us?"

Nico turned his head back to me, his face both downcast and sheepish. "I…didn't think anything was going to happen. I thought it was going to be quick, like he was going to threaten you because of what happened when you first met, or with what happened between us." Nico looked back at the oily water of the Styx. "I was also…angry, before we left. I didn't want to talk to you, much less explain that."

I would give Nico that one, but I still thought he should have at least told Percy. Maybe he did, in some way at least, and they both neglected to tell me. I was going to drop it for now, although I would ask Percy about later. I sighed, shaking my head. "Look, about what happened, about what I did, I'm sorry. I know you'll never forgive me and that's fine."

Nico didn't really response, just staying silent and looking at the onyx water of the River Styx. He was subdued, much less fiery and emotional than he normally was whenever I brought up the fact that I cheated on him. I could feel it in his emotions and his aura. He was terrified of me, and I didn't blame him. I had practically one punched his father and then proceeded to threaten his life.

I, once again, couldn't leave it like this. "I'm also sorry I threatened to kill you. I was just…so angry. Everything is going to shit, and everything that happened down here was just even more to the pile." I was about to say more, as I opened my mouth to do so.

However, Nico cut me off. "Save it, Zane. I…don't blame you for acting like that. You've had to head the commanding force of the Olympian army for months at this point, not to mention Luke nearly killed your father less than a week ago. Your reaction thinking you had been betrayed like that is kinda justififed." Nico looked away. "Just…don't talk about the other thing. I'm not ready for that. What I said back then may have been really harsh but…just don't talk about it."

I nodded at Nico's words, my heart actually feeling…better? Nico's words weren't so hateful as they were when speaking to me before, despite him not wishing to talk about the fact I cheated on him. The two of us fell into a less awkward silence than before, now that we talked things out a bit.

Less than ten seconds had passed before both of us felt it. Percy's aura. It was surging. Underneath the Styx, his power was intensifying. It had been mostly the same for the past two or three minutes, but it suddenly started exploding in strength. Percy's starting strength was only about half of mine, but it very quickly closed that gap in seconds.

Both mine and Nico's eyes darted to the dark water, which started to shift and ripple. I turned my head to Nico. "Do you feel that?" Nico had the same shocked look on his face that was no doubt plastered on mine. Like I said, Percy's strength quickly shot up to mine, and then blew past it. Percy's power rose above my own, immensely so.

The water continued to shake, waves being produced by Percy's rising strength, literal bubbles being created. Eventually, after around twenty seconds, the black oily water of the Styx erupted. Thousands of pounds of dark water exploded upwards, creating a perfect split in the water. A very familiar frame stood in the part in the water, completely coated in a bright, surging sea-green aura.

Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, stood in between the parted black water of the Styx, his aura keeping the river parted indefinitely. He didn't look too different, although he was shirtless now, his perfect, rippling physique on display. His skin seemed to glow a slight yellow, as if it was a low wattage light. His aura was on display, almost with the same intensity as his Earthshaker Form, despite still being in base.

His power was absolutely insane, easily being five times greater than mine own, at the very least. His eyes were glowing brightly, the normal sea green almost luminescent. He walked out of the Styx with such confident, as if the very earth itself would fold to his word. The Styx behind him fell back into it's normal flow once he walked on shore, the part filling up.

Percy stood in front of us on the shore, looking at the glow on his skin, one that seemed to be fading. Percy looked at me, a smile on his face. "Well, I'm not dead. Think that it worked?" Percy really didn't even have to ask. I could feel it from just his power alone, he now had the Curse of Achillies.

I smirked at Percy's words. "Only one way to find out." I drew Prometheus' sword off my back, before stabbing it towards Percy's stomach. The point of the blade slammed into his abdominal region, stopping completely in it's tracks as if it had hit a Heavenly Diamond weapon. Percy looked down at the massive sword trying and failing to impale him, a grin on his face. I returned said grin. "I'd say it did."

Percy let out a chuckle, looking at his hands once more as the slight golden light completely faded from his skin. "Awesome." He looked at me, his grin turning into a smirk. "What would you have done if that big ass sword of yours ripped right through my stomach?"

I returned the same smirk. "I had complete faith that it wouldn't have. I could feel the change in your aura, and not just how strong you've become. It feels different, it feels…unbreakable." I motioned to his hands. "And plus, even if it hadn't worked, you're strong enough now that you could have dodged it easily."

Percy smirked. "That's true. Seems I've finally caught up to you now, Zane." That he had. Percy was now the strongest demigod in the universe. He had finally surpassed me, for the first time since we'd known each other. I had always had the advantage in strength between us, always was the number one. Even back in the Sea of Monsters, when our power was the closest it had ever been, I was still superior. But now everything had changed. Well, I was still stronger with Heavenly Thunder Form, but that was pretty much cheating.

I nodded at Percy's words. "That you have, Percy. That you have." Only took being submerged in a river that's supposed to completely eradicate you from existence, but I left that unsaid. I had also had outside sources making me stronger, which mostly included Thymos.

Percy cracked his neck and shook his head. "Alright then. What now exactly?" The three of us looked in between one another. "We go back to camp and hope for the best? Or do we need to get some help?" Percy looked at me with a raised eyebrow, which made sense, as the decision fell to me.

I remained silent for a few seconds, weighing my options on what we could do. Whenever Luke and Hyperion would attack, it's going to be in Manhattan. Matt's memories of Alternate Percy's explanation of the attack were clear. While it was from another universe and couldn't be taken as absolute fact, it was the best guide we had.

We needed help, plain and simple. While between me, Percy, Nico and Young Matt, we were all immensely strong, more powerful than most of the Olympians, we were outgunned and outmatched. Luke's Titan army had us outnumbered ten to one, and Luke and Hyperion were heading the assault, apparently. I was confident I could handle Hyperion, although Luke was another story.

I clapped my hands together. "Alright, this is what we're going to do. Percy, contact camp and tell them to bring everyone fit to fight. We're all going to march up to Olympus and demand some assistance. Maybe even from my father himself. Hopefully one of the gods will be able to pull away from Typhon and be able to at least give us some support in the final battle."

Percy nodded and pulled out his flip-phone. Normally, demigods couldn't use technology such as phones and computers, as it let off some sort of signal or scent that monsters could track. However, Percy didn't really care, as he could beat virtually any monster with his eyes closed and his hands tied behind his back.

I wasn't sure how Percy was going to get service down here in the Underworld, but I was going to let him figure that one out. I turned to Nico. "Nico, you're going to have to stay down here for now." Nico's eye widened in surprise, and he looked like he was ready to argue, however, I silenced him with a simple hand raise. "It's not that I don't trust you or anything like that, no. However, I need you here to convince Hades to help us when the time comes. I doubt he'll show up if left to himself, despite my threats. I need you here to remind him of what I'll do if he doesn't help."

Nico was quiet for a bit, looking down at the black, crusty ground. I sighed at Nico's mood. "Nico, please don't make this have to be an order. You being down here could potentially save the entire universe. If we get Hades himself to help us against Luke, that could tip the scale for the outcome of this war."

Nico scowled after my explanation, almost causing me to outwardly groan. Of course angry, emo Nico was going to come back. I guess the shell-shocked feeling of me nearly killing him vanished. "Fine. I'll make sure my dad stops sitting on his ass and letting all of us die. You better not screw this up, Zane." With that, Nico melded into the seemingly infinite shadow of the Underworld.

I sighed again, already exasperated with Nico's seemingly bipolar personality. I turned back to Percy, who had been talking on his cell phone, likely with Annabeth. I had no clue as to how the son of Poseidon had gotten service in this gods forsaken hell hole, but I wasn't going to ask. "You get in contact with camp?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah, we're bringing nearly everyone. Almost all two hundred of us, including our heavy hitters. The Olympians can't really say no whenever all their child soldiers show up and ask their parents for help, huh?" I wouldn't hold to that logic, Perce.

I nodded in affirmation right back to the son of Poseidon. "Good, good. We need to make a show to them, anything to hopefully lend us some small aid. With how everything is going, we're going to need all we can get." I took Thymos off my belt. "And considering Luke is likely going to make his final assault in Manhattan, it'll be good to have everyone there to defend it whether the gods give us help or not."

Percy looked at my Heavenly Diamond Morningstar. "What are you doing with that?" Percy, despite his new power and invulnerability, still looked at the chaotic weapon with a bit of dread. The Curse of Achillies granted Percy immunity to practically all forms of damage, except that of Heavenly Diamond. He was still just as vulnerable to it as I was, possibly even more so.

I channeled my aura into the chaotic Morningstar, the bright blue energy erupting around the weapon, complete with small dark particles. "Getting us a way out of here." I pointed Thymos into the sky, or whatever the equivalent would be here in the Underworld, and let out a massive dark blue, lightning surrounded beam.

The blast seemed to strike at reality, somehow hitting a fourth dimensional space as if it were two dimensional. I only shot the blast for about a second or two, however, that was enough for a portal to erupt out of existence. Instead of an infinitely colored kaleidoscope portal to the multiverse, the image showed Manhattan, right in front of the Empire State Building.

I sheathed Thymos back onto my belt, the black particles of the Heavenly Diamond weapon still emitting from it slightly. Percy whistled at the sight of the portal. "Damn. Well, that's one way to get from point 'A' to point 'B' really fast. I thought you could only open portals between dimensions and other universes, not just create them to travel anywhere?"

I nodded at Percy's question as the two of us walked through the portal. "That was the case a couple months ago, but not anymore. After more practice with this little piece of work right here…" I jingled Thymos around on my belt as if it was a Christmas ornament. "I can open portals between space, rather than just through dimensions. I guess opening portals through time is my next goal."

Percy scoffed as we walked onto the busy street in front of the Empire State Building, not a care in the world whether any cars hit us. A lot of angry drivers honked their horns at us, but we paid them no mind. "I swear, If you gain the ability to time travel to add to the list of overpowered and broken abilities at your disposal, then something is up."

I chuckled at Percy's faux bitter remark. "You're just jealous all you can do is create earthquakes and control water and I got all the cool shit." Percy smirked at my reply as we stood at the doors of the Empire State Building, not paying the long line of tourists any mind. I looked up at fourteen-hundred-foot building. "I guess all we have to do now is wait for everyone to show up."

Percy looked up at the building as well, no doubt imagining Olympus above the clouds. "Yeah, I'd say that's all we need to do at the moment." Percy trailed his eyes down to himself. "Well, maybe I need to find a shirt…" Percy immediately vanished in a burst of speed, a burst that I couldn't even trace with my eyes. My eyes widened slightly. Percy was ridiculously fast now.

Percy appeared right beside me with a Hawaiian shirt one, obviously a deep blue color. "What do you think? Fits me, right?" Percy motioned down to the ugly shirt, which I now noticed had tiny blueberry designs draped across it.

I shook my head at the son of Poseidon's antics. "I swear, you're worse than Grover."

(000)

We stood in front of the gateway to Olympus for nearly an hour waiting for the rest of camp to arrive. It was almost painfully boring affair, as me and Percy didn'thave anything to do. Yeah, we could go anywhere in the world to pass the time and be back in an instant, but when you've seen the things we've seen, that's not particularly interesting.

Eventually, after what felt like eternity to me and Percy, several large, white vans pulled up to the curb of the Empire State Building. The doors slid open and dozens of kids of ages varying from eight to eighteen came pilling out. Several faces I recognized herded the younger children. Lee Fletcher, Annabeth, Taylor, Grover, Charles Beckendorf, Arthur and lastly, Young Matt.

Annabeth led the group, as always. She walked up to Percy, the rest of the campers. "I got your call and brought almost everyone. Only Chiron and the youngest of the kids are back at camp, along with a couple guards. Why are we here? You didn't explain over the phone." Of course he didn't.

I looked at Percy with a deadpan look, my intimidating armor and weapons likely making me look comical. "You didn't even tell her why she needed to bring the entire camp with her to the foot of Olympus."

Percy had the decency to at least look sheepish. "Well, I wasn't sure how long I would be able to keep service down in the Underworld, so I made the call quick." Now both me and Annabeth gave Percy the same 'tired of your shit' look. Percy shrugged our looks off. "Well, we're all here now. We'll explain real quick."

And that we did. We explained where me, Percy and Nico had disappeared to after the meeting. We had only been gone around thirty minutes, so not too many people noticed that we left. We explained that while in the process of getting the Curse, we had an altercation with Hades, who had been assisted by Nico.

Taylor, who had walked up beside Annabeth soon after me and Percy's explanation began, chimed in when I mentioned Nico had forcibly delivered us to Hades. "Nico did what?!" Taylor's voice was a mix of disbelief and anger.

I held up a hand before Taylor's anger could come out on display. "Before you get too angry, Nico did not betray us. He was simply deceived by Hades, who used Nico's adoration of him to manipulate him." I sighed. "I didn't see this at first, and after I defeated Hades, I threatened to kill Nico." Both Annabeth's and Taylor's eyes widened at my words. "I…feel terrible about it. I didn't even give him a chance to explain himself. If it wasn't for Percy, Nico would be dead."

Taylor shook his head. "Zane, don't beat yourself up over that." I looked at Taylor, surprised. I thought he would be disappointed in me for losing my shit. "I can't blame you for reacting like that. The final showdown of this war is pretty much right on our doorstep, and with your dad in a coma, it's pretty much up to you to win. You're the strongest we've got." Taylor smiled at me. "And if it's worth anything, I have faith in you. We'll win with you leading us."

I smiled at Taylor's faith in me, the smile almost ear to ear on my face. My face flushed and I felt my heart beat a little quicker. "Thank you, Taylor." I breathed in and clapped my gauntleted hands together. "Alright, everyone! Gather around!" The campers, who had been standing close by waiting for the big boys to stop talking, quickly surrounded us at the sound of my voice.

"Alright, listen up. We're going straight up there." I pointed to the skyline above the Empire State Building. "To Olympus. We're going right up there, straight to the Olympian Throne room. We're going to get right in the face of the gods, right in the face of my comatose father if we have to and demand some fucking help." All the campers around me started to murmur to themselves in agreement, whispering to each other. "Now let's fucking go."

I turned around and marched right into the doors of the Empire State Building, nearly two hundred demigods behind me. Security tried to stop us from skipping the line into the building, however, I simply used my telepathy to manipulate their minds into simply letting us through. I didn't bother doing anything to the tourists who started to complain.

Me and the campers quickly filled the lobby, almost outnumbering the tourists who were already in the building. Percy, Annabeth and Taylor behind me, I marched up to the front desk alongside all the other demigods. The same guy who was always at the desk was there, reading that giant fantasy book of his. He obviously noticed the two hundred plus people wake in the door and pill in front of his desk, but he pulled the book closer to obscure his face.

I stood right in front of him, looking him directly where his eyes would be. "Hey." He didn't respond to my words, causing my eyebrow to furrow. "Hey, dumbass!" I lifted a hand and threw his giant book to the side with my telekinesis, glaring at him directly in the eye. The guard shrunk under my gaze. "Six hundredth floor. For all of us. We're going to go see the gods, right now." I motioned back to the two hundred plus demigods behind me, who all had looks of determination on his desk.

The guard looked at me and all of the demigods, sighing. "Shit…" He muttered underneath his breath, clearly knowing what was about to happen. He gave us a very, very strained smile. "There's no such floor, kids. Please leave." My face darkened at his words, causing him to do an audible gulp.

I lifted my hand up as if I was holding an invisible cup, creating a telekinetic grip around his neck. The guard immediately sputtered and choked as the power of my mind pressed down on his throat slightly, causing him to panic. "Wait! Wait! J-Just take the fucking card and go! Please!" The guard took the card out of his pocket and held it up in the air.

I let the panicked guard down back in his chair, pulling the card from his hand with my telekinesis as well. The guard was breathing heavily from my show of power, looking down at his desk. I smiled at the guard. "Thank you." I handed the card to Annabeth, and she led the campers to the elevator that shot up to Olympus. "Why do you do this every time we show up? You know who we are."

The guard was still shaken up. "I-I'm contractually obligated to deny the existence of the six hundredth floor to anyone who isn't a god or an Olympian guard. I-It's the rules." Hm. Well, at least I knew he had a reason now, despite it being dumb.

I leaned over on the desk. "Well, for your information, I'm Commander of what the higher ups call 'The Grand Army of Olympus.' A little more important that your average Olympian guard, don't you think?" The guard froze slightly, looking up at me. I patted him on the shoulder. "Don't do this again." With that, I walked over towards the elevator.

It took us nearly half an hour to get everyone up the elevator to the marble pathway to Olympus. The elevator could hold at most twenty people, and we brought over two hundred. Maybe this wasn't the best idea in the world.

Once we got up to the pathway, I led the campers across it. It felt poetic in a way, as the marble bridge was completely covered with the children of the gods, all of them marching into the city of their parents. I sighted Olympus ahead of us. It looked the same as it always did. Giant, flat top mountain erupting from the clouds. On the top of the mountain, a massive, gold and marble city that dwarfed Manhattan sat. Mount Olympus, everybody

We marched into the city, making good time towards the main palace. Several minor gods and goddesses watched us walk through the city with confused looks on their face. We didn't pay them any mind, as we all had one goal on our mind. Get to the throne room and demand some help.

We made it to the main throne room, marching right outside the giant, gilded doors. The guards stationed on the outside tried to stop us at first, but after they saw me and Percy, they immediately ceased any attempt to do so. I didn't even use my hands to open the door, opening it with my telekinesis instead.

We all stepped into the massive throne room of Olympus, which once again looked the same. Giant, unique thrones all in a circle, celestial space ceiling, seemingly infinite ornate pillars, everything. The throne room was empty, no gods or anything else inside. Except for one specific person.

He was ten feet tall, so he was obviously a divine being of some sort, and considering he was in Olympus, was likely a god. His wore a white and gold gilded toga, complete with a dark gold, sparkly cape. He wore bright golden sandals with wings clipped on at the ankles, wings that seemed to be alive. He also wore a round, gold helmet with the same wings on the side like that of his sandals, which also seemed to be alive. He radiated power, although not enough to actually be anywhere near a threat. This was Hermes, god of speed, messengers, travelers and a bunch of other shit no one cares about.

I didn't bother with any pretenses or any of bullshit. I marched right up to Hermes, all of the demigods flowing my move. Hermes' eyes turned towards us before we even made it halfway to him. He looked incredibly irritated, which was fair, if I'm being honest. He has been fighting Typhon alongside most of the other Olympians for days, unable to help in the war spearheaded by his own son.

I stopped right in front of the god of speed, looking up at him dead in the eye. "Brother." Hermes looked down at me, his massive form towering over mine. "We all need to speak to our father. Is he awake yet?" It just hit me that I had never spoken a single word to Hermes before, despite seeing him on multiple occasions and feeling his influence through Luke's existence.

Hermes looked at me and all the other demigods in the room, not seeming amused in the slightest. "Zane Williams, my most powerful brother…" Hermes crossed his arms. "…and all the capable demigods from Camp Half-Blood. To what do I owe the…pleasure of all of you being here, rather than on the frontline?"

I scowled at Hermes' attitude and tone, knowing this was probably going to go terribly. "There isn't even a frontline just yet, Hermes. Your son hasn't even shown up with the main bulk of his army just yet." Hermes' scowl deepened. So that's what he was mostly angry about. "But like I said, I need to talk to our father. Is he recovered yet?"

Hermes shook his head, half glaring at me. "No. Our lord father is still in a coma. His wounds are not healing, despite our best attempts via ambrosia. Even if he does wake, we fear he'll never make a full recovery." Hermes' glare became a full one. "Anything you were going to tell him; you can tell me. I am the Messenger of The Gods, after all."

I digested Hermes' words, particularly the words about my father. If Zeus never recovered, if he never woke from what Luke did to him, then this might not be the last war I fight in anytime soon, maybe even this year. Regardless of that, I had to focus on the current situation, despite my feelings. "Fine. I'll pass the message on to you then. We need help."

Hermes raised an eyebrow, which prompted me to continue. "Look, Hermes. So far, we don't stand a chance in this upcoming battle. We're outnumbered ten to one, with Luke controlling thousands, maybe tens of thousands of monsters, not to mention Hyperion, who is stronger than ever, along with himself." I sighed. "We can't beat Luke. Hell, I could barely even fight him seven months ago, and he's only gotten stronger." I turned back to Hermes. "So we came here, to Olympus, to ask for support."

Hermes looked at me with a deadpan expression, before shaking his head. "No can do, kid. With Typhon pretty much rampaging through the country, and with us not having Zeus to take care of him, we're working full time trying to slow him down. If he gets here and…Luke is here at the same time with his army, we're doubly screwed."

My brow furrowed. This was going to be harder than I thought. I turned back to Annabeth, entering Commander Mode. "Annabeth, take everyone outside and wait where the guards are. I need to have a serious talk with my brother here." Annabeth nodded, knowing this was going to be difficult. I turned my head back to Hermes, noting that Percy and Taylor were still behind me.

I sighed again. "Look, I know all of the gods are busy, trust me. My father is busy being nearly dead, Poseidon is busy with a war on his doorstep, Hades is busy with a hole in his chest, and all the rest of you jobbers are busying being Typhon's punching bags." Hermes' look got angrier by the second as I started to demean our family. "However, we desperately need at least some support. Maybe one of you gods can pull away from Typhon, act as another heavy hitter for us, or at least be a healer or something."

As I spoke, I noticed Annabeth had come back into the room, follow only by Young Matt. Guess he wanted to be part of this as well. In front of me, Hermes' mood was deteriorating by the second. He full on glared at me, his aura becoming stronger by the second. "You have some nerve to come here to Olympus, with your disrespect, to demand help of the gods, Williams. I should strike you down where you stand."

I glared right back at the messenger god. "I would like to see you try. I've killed stronger and faster beings than you in my sleep." I scoffed. "Besides, even if you could kill me, you'd be shooting yourself in the foot. I lead your 'Grand Army of Olympus' and I'm one of the strongest people we have, second only to our father." I groaned slightly, tired of Hermes' antics. "Why are you being so difficult and hostile, Hermes? We're both on the same side, and I'm just trying to get the means to help everyone."

Hermes glared at me once more. "You know why, Zane Williams. It's because this entire situation is your fault in the first place." I looked at the messenger god in complete surprise. Where did he get that from? "It was your meddling with reality that caused this. By wielding such a weapon as that cursed chaos spike on your waist, and traveling to alternate universes, you've given my son both the idea and the means of doing the same thing. You're the reason our father is going to die, and why we're going to lose this war."

I looked at Hermes with an expression of complete incredibility. "You cannot be at all serious, you fucking idiot. How was I supposed to know that Luke would mirror me going into another universe? And how in the hell was I supposed to know that Luke was going to make his new scythe a Heavenly Diamond one? I'm not Apollo, I can't see the future."

Before Hermes could reply, no doubt to make the conversation even more heated, Annabeth stepped in between me and Hermes. "Lord Hermes, we didn't come to argue with you. Like Zane said, we desperately need help. Luke's armies likely number in the tens of thousands, and we're only two hundred and thirty four strong. Even with people like Percy, Zane and Matt on our side, Luke still has a massive advantage. We're just looking for every possible way to stand up to Luke, that's all."

Hermes likely didn't even listen to a single word that came out of Annabeth's mouth, as his glare deepened even further than when he was arguing with me. "Ah, the daughter of Athena. You have some nerve standing before me now, considering your failure in what I asked you and Jackson to do." Annabeth just looked confused as Hermes continued. "This is just as much fault as your as it is Williams'. You, one of Luke's oldest and most trustful friends, failed to take him off his dark path. Now, he is becoming the Titan of Time himself, and is lost forever." Hermes turned his head, an expression of sadness coming up on his features. "My son…"

Despite Hermes' obvious mental agony, Annabeth was now totally pissed. Any thought of diplomacy and talking Hermes down was now gone from her mind. "You, of all people, are going to blame me for letting Luke go down the path he went down!?" Annabeth's brow was furrowed, and her teeth were borne. "Luke had been looking for approval and recognition his entire life from you! But you gave him nothing! If anything, this is all your fucking fault!"

Those were the absolute wrong words to say to the god of speed, as his face shifted from melancholic sadness to absolute rage in the blink of an eye. He held out his hand, his staff materializing from straight up nothing into his grip. His staff, Caduceus, was a golden, gilded staff with two, actually alive snakes coiled around it, along with a spear tip at the top. Hermes' aura erupted around him, being a lemon yellow colour.

"YOU DARE!? I AM HERMES, MESSENGER OF THE GODS!" Hermes' bright yellow aura moved to his staff, as he pointed it at Annabeth. In response, Annabeth immediately switched into her Eyes of The Owl state, dropping into a combat stance with her dagger. "AND YOU, DEMIGOD, WILL FEEL MY WRATH FOR YOUR DISRESPE-!"

Before Hermes could even get another word out, Percy appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. He was already in his Earthshaker form, completely coated in his sea-green aura. My eyes widened at the sight, as I didn't even feel Percy's aura spike. Was he that faster than me now? Percy planted his fist into Hermes gut, condensing all of the force into a small point with his vibration manipulation.

An arm sized hole appeared in Hermes' torso, with ichor erupting from both ends. Hermes' yellow aura immediately dispersed, and the god dropped his staff, ichor exploding from his mouth. Hermes dropped to his knees, clutching the hole in his torso. "W-Wha…how?" The hole was already regenerating, although Hermes' power and aura had practically dropped to zero.

Percy's bright, sea-green eyes bared into Hermes' downed and defeated form. He grabbed Hermes be the neck, lifting him up slightly, mirroring what I had done to Hades not two hours prior. "You will never, ever, threaten Annabeth again in all of your immortal life. Do you understand, Hermes?" Hermes didn't respond verbally, he only grunted as more ichor run out of his mouth.

Percy leaned in at Hermes' defeated form, his voice becoming only a whisper. "If you do, I will destroy you so thoroughly and completely, that even Heavenly Diamond would be jealous." Percy threw Hermes on the floor, leaving him completely broken. Percy turned back to us, returning to his base form. "Well, that was a bust."

Annabeth looked at Percy in complete shook, despite still being in her Eyes of The Owl form. Her face was completely red, as if she couldn't believe what Percy had done for her. "U-Uh, y-yeah. It was. Complete waste of time for us to even come here. We could have been doing so many…er, better things." I smirked at Annabeth's tone of us, which completely failed to hide her obvious attraction for Percy at the moment.

Young Matt had very different words for Percy. "Holy shit…" He whispered, looking at the completely defeated Hermes. "You just took out a god, in one hit…" Young Matt was still ogling the downed Hermes, his expression that of complete wonder and shock. "Will I be able to do that one day?" Young Matt whispered, mostly to himself.

I patted my young apprentice on the shoulder, giving him a smile. "Definitely. Your counterpart already can, and I bet you'll be stronger than him one day." I seriously doubt it, to be honest. Matt had things like the Master Bolt, the Red Beam Cannon, and training with his father behind him. Young Matt simply wouldn't ever have any of those.

Percy smiled at Annabeth's words, bringing her into a tight hug. While hugging Annabeth, he turned his gaze to me. "Now what? We're already here in Manhattan, with all of the campers and Olympus' army right here in the city. We know Luke is going to make landfall in the city below with his army, so should we go ahead and start setting up defenses?"

I nodded at Percy's questions, slipping into Commander Mode for a bit. "Yes. We have the timing advantage right now, as Luke's army shouldn't get here until a few days at the very least. Go ahead and take all of the demigods down to the city, start setting up small camps and defense posts. I'll conscript the Olympian army, have them join us within the next few days." I turned my head towards the Olympian Thrones. "But first, I have something I need to take care of first. Don't wait up on me."

Percy, Annabeth and Young Matt nodded at my orders, turning around and walking out of the Throne Room. I walked deeper into said Throne Room, paying Hermes no more mind as he groaned and grunted in agony at his healing wound. No, I had something far more important to do that continue to talk to the worthless god of speed.

I didn't know exactly where I was going, considering I had never actually been any deeper inside an Olympian building besides the Throne Room, but following a particularly specific aura was very helpful in this situation. An aura that was damaged and trying to rejuvenate itself. After several minutes of walking through magnificent and ornate rooms that were not my target, I found what I was looking for.

I opened the massive Olympian door made from ornate metals and jewels, leading me to a room that only had two occupants. The room was a large, private infirmary, with divine medical equipment everywhere, along with ambrosia and nectar. In the middle of the room was a massive bed, big enough to fit a god. And it was occupied by a god, a very familiar one. My father, Zeus.

Zeus laid on the bed, covered in bandages that were stained with ichor. His aura was the weakest I'd ever felt it, weaker than even your average Olympian. I reached out into his mind, finding no activity or thoughts. I didn't know if that was common for a coma, but it still made me concerned nonetheless.

"His mind. Empty, isn't it?" I turned around at the sound of the voice, which came from the other occupant in the room I didn't pay much attention to. He was a god, which was easy to identify by the fact he was here and on Olympus. He was a little shorter than me, which was much shorter than the main Olympians. He had blond hair, similar to Apollo's but slightly curlier. He wore a blue toga, similar to the one Atlas had worn, but a bit more feminine. He was attractive, a mix between cute and handsome, which was odd. He carried a staff with a weird, blue glowing orb on the top.

Who was this guy? I felt his aura, and it had some slight semblance to Apollo, but it mostly felt completely unique. The god must have realized my confusion, as he quickly held out a hand. "Sorry for startling you. My name is Asklepios, nice to meet you." The name clicked in my head almost immediately. Asklepios, son of Apollo and god of medicine. No wonder he'd be here taking care of my father.

I took Asklepios' hand, shaking it. "The name's Zane Williams, son of Zeus. You might know how I am." Asklepios nodded, and I felt his emotions, feeling that he actually did know who I was. Not exactly surprising. I turned to my bedridden father. "He's not getting better, is he?" Even though I wasn't versed in the healing arts, I could tell there was something very wrong with my father.

Asklepios shook his head. "No. He's not." The god of medicine sighed, walking closer to Zeus. "As I'm sure you're aware, considering your position, your father and my grandfather was critically injured by several strikes from The Titan Lord's Heavenly Diamond weapon. He was impaled twice, once in his middle spine, and once in his left chest muscle. Not to mention he was then disemboweled." Asklepios pointed at the many bandages covering the King of Olympus' torso.

Asklepios continued. "Heavenly Diamond is practically poison to immortals. It's infused with chaotic energy, which erodes and erases everything it touches. Right now, that energy is constantly inside Lord Zeus' body. His natural regeneration is doing it's utmost to counteract the effects, but eventually, it will likely fail. Unless there is something that can purge the energy from his body, I fear it will eventually kill him."

My mouth became dry, and blood ran cold as I heard Asklepios' voice. "You're saying my father will die soon?" My licked my lips, trying to get my tongue undry. I felt a bit of panic start to set in. Zeus, my father, was likely going to die. I felt many, many feelings about that, but as a war was on our doorstep and we were about to fight it, my brain first went into everything that my father's death would cause. For one, after this war, there would definitely be a rebellion, likely a massive one, between the gods. They would all try to fight for Zeus' throne, will would no doubt be brutal and bloody. "How long does he have?"

Asklepios nodded. "Yes. He will likely die from the wounds, as they cannot heal and nothing at our disposal will fix them, including ambrosia." Asklepios sighed. "As for how long he has. Hm….at this rate, I'd say days. Maybe less." My stomach and heart dropped at Asklepios' words. My father might only have days to live? I…no, this can't be happening.

I turned to Asklepios, my tone and voice slightly clipped and shaky. "Thank you for your time, Asklepios." I quickly marched out of the room, not giving the god of medicine any time to ask what could be wrong. I was breathing slightly heavy, and my thoughts were running at a million miles per second. I couldn't even comprehend the thought.

My father was pretty much invincible. He was the strongest being in our pantheon, possibly even the actual strongest being in the entire universe, more powerful than fate and time. And now he was dying, all because he underestimated Luke and how dangerous he was.

And not to mention that he was my father. Zeus had helped through some dark times, helped me change who I was and suppress my more murderous side of myself. He saved my ass on multiple occasions, first starting against the Laestrygonians, when he unlocked my divine potential in the form of Thunder Form and helping me win. Not to mention the time where he saved me on Mt. Othrys, and at Camp personally.

I…I was scared. Terrified even, of my father dying. I didn't even know how to deal with the thought of not having a father, as I believed my own father was pretty much infallible. But now I knew he wasn't, as he lay dying in a bed in another room.

I shook my head. Now was not the time to be dealing with this. Yes, my father may die, but that was something I had to deal with later. Right now, I had a city to defend and an army to destroy. I marched right back through the Olympian Throne, barely noting that Hermes was now gone, leaving only behind an ichor stain.

Before I could make it to the giant, gilded door, it opened for me. On the other side, Percy was there, jogging towards me. He looked serious and worried, which automatically made me serious and worried as well. "What's wrong? Is the Titan Army here already?" I knew they were on the brink of invading, but Percy had destroyed the Princess Andromeda less than a day ago. That had to be at least somewhat of a blow to their schedule, right?

Percy shook his head. "Not that I can tell, no. But you're really going to want to see this." Seeing just how serious Percy's expression and tone was, I nodded and followed behind the Son of Poseidon. We made our way outside the main Throne Room and to the steps of the palace overlooking the rest of Olympus, seeing the two hundred plus demigods all looking at the city down below.

I turned my head to Percy, slightly confused. "What is everyone looking at? What happened?" I looked down at the city, noticing that it was quiet. Too quiet. Manhattan, and all of its surrounding cities, were usually bursting with activity. If you listened, you could usually hear it.

However, I couldn't hear it. Even with my enhanced demigod hearing, I couldn't hear a peep from the massive city. It was if everyone had up and vanished out of nowhere. Percy looked down at the silent city below. "You missed it while it was happening, but while you were still inside, energy from the sky materialized and went into the city below. Ever since then, we've heard nothing but silence from down below."

I looked at the city with an expression of confusion. What had happened exactly? One of the biggest and most populated cities in the world suddenly goes completely silent and war is on our horizon. That made pretty much no sense. I thought about the prophecy, trying to make connections about what just happened. And then, it came to me. 'See the world in endless sleep.'

My eyes widened as I looked at the now sleeping city below. That energy…that was Morpheus, wasn't it? He was one of the minor gods how had gone over to the Titans side, at least allegedly. Or it could be his father, Hypnos. But it really didn't matter all that much. What mattered was that Manhattan, or potentially the entire world, was now unconscious.

Percy nodded once he saw my expression of realization. "It's beginning. The war. All of Manhattan is unconscious, and the Titans are coming." Percy turned to me, his expression one of utmost seriousness. "What are we going to do, Zane? What's your plan?"

I stood in silence for a few seconds, my faith in myself starting to shake. Could I do this? Could I lead a war against an ancient, millions of years old enemy that has finally returned for vengeance? I'm just a kid, I realize. I might look like an adult, might be one of the strongest beings in the universe, but I couldn't even legally drive yet. Why was I the one who everyone was relying on?

But then who was going to be the one who was going to save everybody? I was the strongest person we had, even stronger than Percy was now with my Heavenly Thunder Form. I was Luke's greatest enemy, and his only obstacle in taking Olympus at the moment. I had to step up and lead, otherwise we were all going to die.

A look of steely determination appeared on my face as I turned back to Percy. "Bring everyone down to Manhattan and begin securing the entire city. Close off any access that the Titans could use to get into the city and gather all the unconscious mortals. Place them in safe places and create small, defensive camps across the city. I'll direct the positioning whenever I arrive, although you command them at the moment."

Percy looked surprise I was giving him command over the campers. "Wait, you want me to do all this? What are you going to be doing in the meantime?" Percy looked at the nearby campers, slight nervousness appearing on his face.

I clapped him on the shoulder, something he no doubt didn't even feel. "You'll be okay, Percy. It's only going to be for a few hours, if even that. As for what I'll be doing in the meantime, I need to gather the forces here on Olympus, the armies of the gods. They'll join us for the final battle and the defense of the city. I'm the Commander of the Grand Army, so they'll do as I say." My brow furrowed. "They better, at least."

Percy didn't comment on the darker undertone of my words and simply nodded. "Alright, Zane. I'll make sure the campers at least don't die in the first few hours, although I might have to conscript Annabeth into helping me make that happen…" Me and Percy chuckled at the son of Poseidon's joke. Percy clapped me on the shoulder. "I'll see you down there, man."

I nodded at Percy's words, clapping him on the shoulder once more. "You too, man." Percy marched towards the campers, immediately taking command of them, with Annabeth quickly joining him. I smiled at the two giving orders to the demigods, mirroring their alternate selves I had met in Matt's universe.

I broke my look at them and turned away, taking flight. Time to find the army commanders and demand they follow my orders, giving me their troops.

(000)

(Five Days Later, September 7, 2009)

Manhattan was quiet, as it had been the past five days.

Well, it was void of it's usual sound. What replaced it was the sound of thousands of soldiers all preparing for war. Dozens of camps and small forts, complete with stockades and border guards. Demigods, automatons like the ones Daedalus, friendly monsters like satyrs and nature spirits, several nameless minor gods and even several clear-sighted mortals. The Grand Army of Olympus, everyone.

Like I said, we had been in the city for five days at this point. We had completely filled the city, having dozens of camps and small forts in important places throughout the city. The Titan army hadn't arrived just yet, keeping the shadow of the upcoming battle over our heads. At the beginning while I was gathering Olympus' forces, Percy and Annabeth had taken temporary command of the forces, just as I asked them to.

They had handled the situation very well, and I hadn't had to undo any of their commands or orders ever since I had returned. When I did come back however, I had taken full control of the entire operation. I had organized formations, defensive positions, supplies, and made sure everyone knew what to do whenever shit hit the fan.

I had established my lieutenants all across my new several thousand strong army, which was mostly filled with Olympus' forces, rather than the ones from camp. I had split up my closest friends and people I trusted to lead all across the army, with them leading their own battalions and soldiers. My right hand was obvious Percy, as he was my brother in all but blood. Not to mention his immense strength and battle experience.

My left hand, or third in command was Annabeth, who took charge of most of the organization of the army on the smaller scale, rather than just deal with commanders like I did. Most of the local commanders of the Olympian conscripted forces were a bit miffed to take orders from a sixteen-year-old girl, but said sixteen-year-old girl was as powerful as a minor god and was just as deadly to boot.

The main chunk of the rest of my lieutenants were made up of Taylor, Arthur, Charles Beckendorf and surprisingly, Young Matt. He was young, but surprisingly experienced. He had fought hundreds of monsters and was pretty good at general combat stuff. While nothing compared to his older counterpart, but better than most.

All of the counselors from camp were lieutenants in the army now, although they weren't exactly on the level of my friends. Lee Fletcher, The Stoll Twins and Silena Beauregard were also now in charge of portions of the army, although I didn't exactly one hundred percent trust them. We had a spy in our ranks, and it could be one of them, so I tried to give them less important jobs in the army.

All this preparation and waiting around was killing me. Five days ago, I was told by Asklepios that my father was likely to die very soon, so I was itching to kill some Titans to make up for it. Speaking of my father dying, I could literally feel it. Zeus' aura was weakening by the day, not regenerating and recovering like it should be doing.

The dread of my father's death was something that weighed heavily down on my shoulders. It's not only because he was the king of Olympus, and that his death would only bring a second war after this one. No, it was because he was my father. He birthed me, gave me power and glory, and now he was going to die. I…loved my father, and that was the last thing I wanted.

It had become a topic of discussion whenever I would speak to any of my friends, especially Taylor. They would always ask how I was holding up, or if my father was recovering. I tried to be strong and put on a face for my friends, but that was something that had been happening for awhile at this point. I had been pretending to be a man for too long, and it was weighing down on my mind.

Taylor was the main one to pick up on it, although I could tell Percy knew it was affecting me, too. In fact, I could feel Taylor's aura moving towards me right now, no doubt to make sure I was okay again. I pulled myself away from my makeshift desk, which I had created as soon as I settled in, to better command the army from.

Taylor walked through the entrance to my large tent, the Olympian guards outside already knowing better than to stop him. "Zane." The son of Ares said, staring at me in concern. "Are you alright? How are you holding up?" I hadn't left my tent very much in the past five days, only really to make sure things were running smoothly and I didn't need to change anything.

I bit back a sigh as I heard the question escape Taylor's mouth. Of course he was going to come ask how I felt. I turned to the son of Ares, no doubt bags likely under my eyes, despite not feeling tired. "I…" The excuse of 'I'm fine' or 'I'm good' fell dead in my mouth. I didn't have the heart to lie to the son of Ares this time.

Time to actually open up to the son of Ares. "I'm…tired, Taylor." Taylor looked at me with a raised eyebrow, surprised that my Commander mask had cracked a little. "My father is going to die, whether it be sooner or later and I don't really know how to handle that." I chuckled a bit, bitterly. "Not only that, but I have to lead a war that will decide the fate of the universe and make a choice that decides the fate of Olympus in two days. Did I mention I'm still not old enough to drive yet?"

Taylor just looked at me in sympathy, not finding even my sad attempt of humor even the slightest bit funny. "Zane…" Taylor trailed off, looking at me with a bit of sadness. Taylor walked up to me, grabbing one of my armored arms and hugging it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I sniffed slightly, wiping my left eye. Huh, didn't even know I had started to cry. "There's not much to really talk about, I've kind of said it already. My father's dying, I'm a child soldier commander and everything is depending on me. Not much clearer than that." My tone was dry, yet filled with emotion at the same time.

Taylor sighed, putting his cheek on my shoulder pauldron. "Zane…I won't stand here and pretend I know what you're going through, because I sure as hell do not." Taylor put one of his soft, delicate hands on my bearded face. "But whatever happens, I trust that you'll do the right thing. I'm right behind you every step on the way."

I nearly gasped at Taylor's words, absolutely touched by what the son of Ares said. He…believes in me? Even after everything I've done, including to him? I didn't even know what to say. Me and Taylor had still been in that 'Talking' phase again, but this time there was a lot of history there. Neither of us knew what to do next, but it seemed Taylor took the first move.

I opened my mouth to reply. "Taylor, I…" I trailed off, my aura sense suddenly berserk. I felt the auras of thousands of monsters simply appear several miles away, as if the ocean itself spit them up. My eyes widened. That shouldn't have become possible, as my aura sense could pick up nearly anything on the planet.

Out of nowhere, one of the winged Olympian scouts rushed into the tent, looking panicked. "Lord Zane! Lord Zane!" The scout was out of breath, his hands on his knees. He looked up at me, his expression one of fear. "The enemy has arrived. Thousands of monsters, all on dark iron warships. They sail for the harbor, and half the force seems to be sailing for the Tappan Zee Bridge."

I nodded at the scout's report. "Thank you for getting to me so quickly. Before you rejoin your unit, I must ask." The scout looked at me, and unreadable look on his face. "Was Hyperion with them? Or Luke Castellan? Are they marching on Manhattan to end the war, or is this just a simple force of monsters?"

The scout paused a bit, slight fear on his face. "Hyperion was with them, lord." I took a deep breath at the news, knowing that the Titan of Heavenly Light was going to be a tough son of a bitch to put down, especially if he's regained all his power and somehow acquired more. The scout continued. "Luke Castellan was not with the enemy, however."

Hm. I thought over the scout's words several times, analyzing the situation. If Luke wasn't here, leading the final assault himself, then this was not the final attack. Luke's full army size was far larger than what the scout reported and what I personally felt with my aura sense. This was likely just a vanguard, to gauge our forces.

I nodded at the scout. "Thank you for the report, soldier. Send the message to gather our forces. Tell them to gather outside this camp, on the double." The scout saluted and sprinted out, leaving me with Taylor. I turned to the son of Ares, sighing. "Looks like it's begun. Gather your battalion and meet everyone in front of the camp."

Taylor nodded, before hesitating. I gave the son of Ares an odd look. What was on his mind? Before I could even articulate my next though, Taylor walked up to me and kissed me on the lips. My eyes widened in shock, and I felt my entire body go slack. What the hell was Taylor doing?

The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds, but it sent electricity all through my body. I hadn't talked about it much, but ever since Taylor and Nico had broken up with me, I've been with dozens of other people. Kissed, slept with, cuddled, everything. I've been with many others, in an attempt to reignite the spark I had with Nico and Taylor. None of it worked, despite everything I did.

In this small kiss with Taylor, I felt said spark once more. I hadn't felt it in almost a year, so if I had been a lesser man, I probably would have quickly devolved into making out with Taylor violently, but I had more control over myself than that. Taylor broke the kiss, before cupping my right side of my face. "For good luck."

With that, Taylor turned around and marched out of the tent, leaving me only with my stunned thoughts. Did that actually just happen? Did Taylor, the Taylor I cheated on, just kiss me? We had practically just gotten back together as friends, and it had only been five days! I know we had talked fairly extensively waiting for Luke's army, but really?

I felt my heart do a little dance and a smile make it's way on my face. Despite the slight incredulity, I was very happy. If Taylor felt comfortable enough, I would want to have a talk about us again. But right now, I couldn't dwell on that, at least not too much. I had some soldiers to inspire at the moment.

I marched from my tent right out into the heart of camp, noting the hundreds of Olympian soldiers and dozens of campers all scrambling to get prepared and ready. Good, they would need that enthusiasm to defeat the Titans.

I walked outside of Camp, making a makeshift stand made out of wood quickly with my telekinesis, bonding the material together on the molecular level. I stood on the stand, waiting for my campers and soldiers to arrive. And they did. By the hundreds in formation, over five thousand soldiers for Olympus were standing before me, all of them behind their battalion leader.

They were all whispering to each other, murmuring to themselves about the upcoming fight. How this wasn't even the final battle, and there were thousands, no, tens of thousands of more coming. However, I had one thing to say to all the chatter. "SHUT UP!" My incredibly loud, shockwave generating voice erupted from my mouth, instantly shutting everyone in front of me up.

I looked at all of the campers, the soldiers, and everyone else. My expression was that of a glare, one I produced to make everyone feel small, so they'd work together in the incoming fight. "Since this is only, oh how did most of you put it, 'not even the final battle,' I'll make this speech short, since I need to save the good one for the actual final battle."

I pointed in the direction of the incoming monsters, forcefully I might add. "Over in that direction…is your death." Everyone's face dropped at my words, all of them immediately looking fearful. "That is, only if you act the way you're acting now. Shaking in your shoes because a few thousand monsters and a simple light Titan are coming."

I clapped myself on my armored cuirass, the sound reverberating across the crowd. "You…all of you, are the Grand Army of Olympus. A gaudy title, I know, but there has to be something for you faithless shits to be inspired about, so act like you're part of an army." I stared at only the campers this time, purposely. "The soldiers I trust here have already done this once before, in our own home, nonetheless. This little outing will be a cakewalk for them, watch."

I looked at the rest of the soldiers, the ones from Olympus. "And I guess most of the rest of you are immortal, so you've had to at least of seen some fighting before. Now that you all know what I think of you, lemme go ahead and tell you what the enemy thinks."

I slammed a fist into my other hand. "They. Are. Fucking. Terrified." I looked at the surprised expressions of my army, having to contain the urge to smirk a bit. "Yeah, you heard me. They're fucking scared. They, a bunch of reject monsters and demigods who joined the Titan Lord in some sad attempt to regain respect, glory or even something as base as a food source, aren't even worthy enough to be part of the main force."

I grinned sadistically, putting on a show for the soldiers. "They're shaking in their fucking boots at the thought of having to fight you. You, the culmination of millions of years of Olympian rule. You, the most elite soldiers that the gods could provide. You, their literal children, whose blood is ripe with divine power!" The soldiers in front of me were starting to get hyped up. Good.

I raised one of my arms, looking at the soldiers questioningly. "So…I've told you what the enemy thinks of you and what I think of you. Which version are all you sorry sacks of shit gonna be!? The weaklings who quake in the presence of the laughingstock of the Titan army!? Or the champions who beat these fuckers black and blue and send them crying back to Luke!?" The soldiers roared at my words, bringing a grin to my face.

"Good. Now that you've stopped pissing yourselves, follow your battalion leader back to your camp and prepare for battle. The Titans will probably be here in a few minutes, so hurry. Once you are ready, wait for my orders. Now, disperse!" The soldiers roared in affirmation, breaking apart the large formation into smaller ones, moving back to their camps.

The only commanders who didn't lead their battalions back were Percy, Annabeth, Taylor and Arthur, who were all originally part of my camp. Percy grinned at me as everyone approached, clapping me on my pauldron covered shoulder. "That was an awesome fucking speech, man. Not like Independence Day level, but still an awesome speech."

I chuckled at Percy's words. "Well, didn't you hear me? I'm saving my big speech for the final fight. I'm going to need it if I'm going to convince everyone to face down Luke and his tens of thousands strong army." My face got serious. "Alright, everyone. Focus up. I'm going to tell you where your unit will be."

I turned to Taylor, my mind not forgetting how he kissed me not five minutes prior. "Taylor, you're going to be on the front. You're going to take your force, commandeer two other battalions of your own choice, and follow the biggest warships to combat the bulk of their forces. Your knowledge of warfare is on par with Annabeth's, so we're going to need your knowledge. If you see Hyperion's warship, do NOT engage. Leave him to me and Percy." Taylor nodded, taking out his spear and enchanted shield.

I turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth, you are going to take yours and Percy's soldiers and defend the city of Manhattan. Split up the soldiers and place them at key positions the Titans are going to want for themselves. You're also in charge of all of the other commanders besides Taylor, Arthur and Percy, so make sure they do what needs to be done in the upcoming battle." Annabeth nodded, unsheathing her twin daggers.

I turned to the son of Helios. "Arthur, you're going to be in charge of the skies. Take your forces and take to the rooftops. Take out any aerial enemies in the Titan Army and rain down hellfire on them. Don't join the melee unless it starts to get bad, understand?" Arthur nodded in affirmation, his plasma energy sparking from his fingers.

I turned to the last commander here, my right-hand Percy. "Percy, you're with me. Our job is a special one." Percy raised an eyebrow but nodded for me to continue. "We're basically going to be a shock force. We're going to hunt down the enemy commanders and legendary powerful monsters the enemy controls and take them out. We're going to cut off the heads of our enemy and our forces should destroy the rest." My face became even more serious. "As soon as the enemy commanders are dead, we kill Hyperion."

Percy looked at me in surprised. "Kill Hyperion? Are you sure that's even possible? Zane, you weren't there whenever me and Arthur tried to defeat him. He took us down with no effort, like he wasn't even trying. He's even stronger than that alternate version you told me that you killed who had his full power. Much stronger."

I sighed. "Percy, I know how difficult this is going to be, more than even you. Remember, I've fought the shiny bastard three times, and barely came away with my life each time. You were there for all of them, if you remember. Hyperion is stronger than ever, but so are we." I pointed at my chest with my thumb. "My Heavenly Thunder Form doesn't kill me as quickly and I can summon more power than ever. I could probably defeat Hyperion alone if I had to, but with your new strength, we can handle him without too much trouble."

Before either I or Percy could say anything else, Annabeth chimed in. "Zane, what about the bridge? From what the reports said, half of the incoming army is making it's way there, probably to set up camp. Your plan covers for the defense of the island and dealing with the forces that are attacking, but what about the defending ones?"

I bit back a curse hearing Annabeth's logic. She was right. I had forgotten about the other half of the Titan army, the half that wouldn't be attacking. If I had more aerial units, like the ones Arthur commanded, I could have them do aerial raids to make sure they don't settle in too comfortably, but I didn't. I'd probably have to destroy the camp myself, and that would create blocks in my original plan.

Before I could even say a word to the daughter of Athena, a familiar voice broke out from behind me. "Well, it's a good thing we're here, then!" I turned around at a speed much faster than light, both Keravnos and Prometheus' sword drawn. Only for my eyes to widen at the sight.

Pre-pubescent girls who carried themselves with a much greater age, silver ski parkas, silver bows and similar auras. The Hunters of Artemis. They were all in rank and formation, covered head to toe in weapons of all kind. From the formation, two figures stepped forwards.

One looked to be around twelve or thirteen, wearing the same silver ski parka/jeans outfit they normally wore, only with one difference. She had a silver circlet on the top of her head, complete with a familiar and powerful aura. Zoe Nightshade, daughter of Atlas and Lieutenant of the Hunt.

The other figure looked to be around fifteen, maybe sixteen if you squinted at her. She had shoulder length, black spiky hair that was very similar to mine, complete with a face that would look just like me if I had my gender swapped. She stood around five seven, same height as Taylor complete with electric blue eyes. My eyes widened at her particularly. "Thalia…" My face was one of complete shock.

Thalia Grace, daughter of Zeus and my half-sister, smiled back at me. "Hey there, Zane. Nice speech."

(000)

And boom. Chapter forty-four is finally done. I'm soooo sorry this took so long, I had a lot of stuff to take care of, like not being homeless. Which I was…for like two weeks but we don't talk about that. Let it be known, I will never abandon this fanfic whether I'm homeless, rich or poor. I will always find a way to get this done, even if I die.

As for the pretty much lack of any canon material in this chapter, be prepared for that this whole book. Mainly since a lot of the canon plotlines and payoffs can't happen due to this being an AU and I've always wanted to try my hand at OG arcs anyway lol. Get ready for ZW craziness, because that's all we're getting at least until HoO. Anyway, See you next time y'all, hopefully this doesn't take as long lol.