I don't know how long I sat there, crying. Not that it mattered. This was Tartarus. It hurt. So much. Not just the broken ribs and the wounds on my back.

Eventually Annabeth spoke again. "Percy, I wish we had more time, but we have to go. Can you stand?"

I… didn't know. I just felt so… broken.

Slowly I looked up at my girlfriend. What I saw had me blinking away spots. She glowed. Shone so brightly I almost couldn't make out her features in the darkness…

"Annabeth?" I asked again, reaching for her face. She didn't move away, closing her eyes when my hand touched her cheek. My skin looked so dirty compared to hers, sand and scars next to perfect, clean and tanned. Healthy.

"It's 'Emma' now, but yes. I am your Annabeth." She leaned down and kissed me then… and I could finally, finally feel her, warm and soft. Despite the fact that I was dirty and bloody from my fight, despite the fact that my lips were chapped and I probably had boils and cuts all over my skin again, despite the fact that my clothes were now in rags after that fight and looked awful, she still kissed me.

My tears were back yet again (had crying become one of my 'domains'?) and I felt yet another painful sob force itself out of my chest, sadly breaking the kiss. I winced, both in pain and regret.

"You need healing," she said. "I… don't dare try anything more than first aid. You still need the river."

And then Phlegethon was there, holding out his wine glass to Annabeth. "My Lady," he said quietly.

Annabeth seemed taken back for a moment, but then she smiled and took the cup. "Thank you, Phlegethon," she said.

"You must hurry," he said as she put the cup to my lips. I swallowed the familiar water.

She nodded. "I know. Thank you, again."

It burned. The pain made it real but I still couldn't seem to believe it—believe she was here for me, even if I knew she was coming.

Almost as if reading my thoughts, she whispered to me. "I told you I'd come. I'm just sorry it took so long."

She took the cup away and handed it back to Phlegethon.

"Farewell, Percy Jackson," he said, and vanished. I blinked. Farewell? Just like that?

"There you are! I couldn't find Hephaestus' sphere, but the signal's strong." a new voice cut me off before I could say anything, drawing both mine and Annabeth's attention. A very familiar looking man rushed forward, water trailing behind him in a massive bubble. "What about you? Did you find—Percy!"

Poseidon had never been the type of man (or god, I supposed) to really show me affection. I wasn't entirely sure he knew how. And yet, when he saw me sitting on the ground of Tartarus, recovering from a battle with his bane, he rushed forward and scooped me into a hug.

That was… strange. Not unwelcome, but strange.

"Better," I heard Annabeth say, "but you should have asked if you could hug him first. You've made great progress though."

"No time," Poseidon said hurriedly as he touched a pendent hanging from his neck. In an instant, the familiar sight of the Doors of Death appeared. I could only stare at them, looking like the elevator doors to the Empire State Building. They both haunted my nightmares and my dreams and I didn't know what to feel just then.

A rumbling shriek reverberated through the air and ground. I almost fell back to the black sand and stones below me, would have had Annabeth not caught me as my father whirled around, trident appearing in his hand.

"Hurry! They're coming!" Poseidon said, ushering the two of us inside.

"Doesn't someone have to hold the button down?" I asked. That seemed to be the only thing I could really grasp a hold of at the moment.

"Not right now," Poseidon said, pointing at said button. The water that had been trailing behind him encircled the entire structure. That… that would work.

"Oh," was all I could say.

"Go!" Poseidon practically hissed and then jumped into the lift behind us. He used the remainder of his water (it felt so… clean and fresh) to slam the doors closed and hold them down. Almost immediately we began to ascend.

I couldn't help but laugh a little, perhaps hysterically because the looks my father and girlfriend shot me didn't exactly inspire confidence.

"This isn't the last you've seen me, Grandson," a cold voice shot through my head suddenly. I clutched it, crying out, not hearing the worried noises from my father or Annabeth. "I will see you soon." I let out a gasp and then I couldn't breathe… the air was too clean and too good for me and it was too light and too much and—

"Knock him out!" Poseidon yelled. "That's basic! Did you only focus on winning?!"

"R-right," Annabeth said. Then her hand passed over my vision and then blackness.

xXx

I was dreaming again, except this time I'd gone back to the ocean. I loved these dreams. This one was particularly nice as I could even feel it touching my skin. Not only was that unusual in dreams, but normally while submerged, I would reject the water a little to keep me dry as I was more used to fighting like that, but now… now I drew the water close. Untainted water that only healed. Even the water I'd summoned in Tartarus had been tainted, I realized, because compared to this… it was just so light.

If I hadn't been submerged, I was positive I would have had fat tears in my eyes again. Was there a god of crying I'd need to talk to about that?

If I woke up with tears running down my face… well, who would know except me? And maybe Tartarus.

I breathed the water in, reveling in its coolness. Such a contrast to the heat of The Pit. Maybe I was just in my pool room again, and had gotten a particularly nice dream? It could get particularly cool there, though this felt… larger and deeper than that.

What a lovely dream. This… would be hard to wake up from.

"Percy?" a voice drifted through the water to me. I blinked my eyes open and saw more water. All around me. Not the pool room I'd built, not the saltwater pool I'd dug… Just water. It felt endless. I frowned.

Then my eyes focused on the figure in front of me.

"Dad?" The dream was getting better and better. I wondered where Clovis was. Was this his doing? I'd have to thank him.

I was angry at the gods, but I knew my father had done everything he could short of going to war to keep me out of Tartarus. I didn't blame him for that. I couldn't.

Besides, he was a god. We'd obviously never been close because of that, but I knew he cared for me. During my years questing and in Tartarus, I'd come to realize that Poseidon wasn't meant to be perfect—god or not. He was, if anything, even more human than any human I had ever met. All the gods were. Didn't mean I had to like or even forgive all of them, but my father tried, at least.

"Hey, dad," I said with a sad smile. Then I blinked and looked around. "I know where we are but… why are we here?" I could see the ocean floor below me but the water seemed less salty than most of the ocean I remembered. There weren't very large waves either.

"I wanted somewhere near land but away from… Greek influence. Relatively away from Roman influence. This is one of the cleaner Californian bays."

"Ah," I said, nodding. He wanted to talk to me then? Tell me something? Hence why we were metaphorically away from where he (and the rest of the pantheon) had influence. Though I didn't know why he bothered inside a dream. Then again, gods did a lot of things I didn't understand… wasn't sure I wanted to understand.

I didn't really want to hear whatever he had to say just yet (probably something about some other stupid decision the Olympians had made about me), so I focused on the ocean around me instead. Not Santa Monica or San Francisco, so I'd never been there. "It's nice. Bet it's nicer in person."

My father looked confused. "I don't understand. What do you mean 'in person'?"

"It'll change in a minute. It always does. I don't mind it though. It helps me remember." I turned to him again. "Did you want to say something? I'm guessing Clovis connected us."

I'd never seen my father look anything less than, well, godly. Even in a Hawaiian shirt and fishing hat with sandals, he just gave off a sort of aura. He'd been both stand-offish and kind, encouraging and not (on accident and on purpose), concerned and angry, but I had never seen him look truly… well, shaken. Not quite fearful, but certainly unsure. Which was what I saw now. Like our first meeting but dialed to eleven.

"Percy… you think you're dreaming?"

I nodded. "Well, yeah."

The god reached out carefully, broadcasting his intentions as he put his hand on my arm. (I could feel that too… weird.) "Do you remember Emma and I coming for you? Did… you not think we would?"

It took me a moment to remember who my father was talking about, then realized he was referencing earlier in my dream. Annabeth said her name was Emma now. Another weird thing, but I could roll with it. I hadn't thought it was a dream then, but now it couldn't be anything but. It was just too surreal otherwise.

I grinned. "Oh, I know Annabeth will come for me."

The expression crossing the older man's face portrayed confusion and frustration. "Then why do you not believe you're actually here?"

Oh. So my subconscious was making me acknowledge it, huh?

Once again, I was glad I was underwater, where it didn't matter if I cried, so I could still put a brave face up in front of my father (who was being particularly nice… I liked it).

"Why would she—or you—rescue a monster? She said she'd still love me, but… monsters belong in Tartarus."

My father's eyes went wide and I could swear his face paled.

"What?" the god's voice came out raspy and strangled. He shook his head. "There is so much wrong with that statement I don't know where to start. I should have listened to her…" He dragged his hand down his face. Listened to who? Annabeth?

"Alright, let's start with why you don't think you're human anymore. Then, I guess we can talk about how being a monster isn't necessarily a bad thing. You know good monsters. Like Tyson," he smiled softly before his face twisted in distaste, "and that harpy he is with all the time now. Or your hellhound."

"It's not 'bad', I guess…" I said slowly, not sure if I could believe that. But then, he wasn't wrong. So I really thought about it. Why did it bother me? "It's just… not me, you know? It's the fact that I became this without wanting to." The words felt true, if incomplete in ways I couldn't understand, although I'd never thought about it like that before. It wasn't the 'monster' thing that bothered me (although I still didn't want to start craving demigod meat or whatever), it was… everything else. The circumstances, I supposed.

"As for why…" I looked down at my hands, then held them up for my father to see, showing how sharp my nails (claws?) were. I could still pass as human, but then, so could many monsters. "They wanted to see how long it would take. It's why I'm still alive and… somewhat sane. I practically lived off of the Phlegethon—the kindest river there—for…" I paused. "How long have I been gone?"

Poseidon didn't wince, but it looked to be a near thing. "Fourteen years. Almost fifteen."

"Oh," I, unlike my father, did wince. "Yeah… that's… a long time." I felt that old anger at the Olympians raise its head but after a moment, I just ignored it. It was too exhausting to entertain just then.

"Time runs differently down there," the older man said softly, trying to be reassuring. He didn't succeed very well.

"Well, it… it was a long time. Eating mainly monsters and drinking from the Phlegethon every day and every time I got hurt. That… that changes you. Also, I'm not the only demigod down here…"

"The others you're talking about were cast down there because they deserved to be there."

I shrugged. "Doesn't change the fact that living in and off of another realm changes you. I was cast down there too." I said the last part quietly. I didn't mean for it to sound accusing, but it did. My father had objected the vote to toss me into the Pit, but he'd still complied. I had known that going against the majority vote meant war… I still didn't want to blame my father for that—couldn't, really—but… but that didn't stop it from hurting.

"But you didn't deserve it," the sea god insisted.

I snorted. "According to who?"

"According to the rules and laws already set down by my hypocritical brother and the rest of the Pantheon."

"Then why didn't anyone stop it?"

Poseidon took a deep breath and I noticed the waves above us were much larger than they probably should be. Huh, my water sense didn't usually transfer to my dreams like this.

"I am not cut out for this."

"For what?" I asked, confused, puzzled and a little hurt.

He rubbed his forehead, as if he could get a headache. "Talking."

For several seconds the two of us just sat there looking at each other, and then I burst out laughing. "No… you're really not."

Poseidon looked a little annoyed. If I didn't know better, I'd say my father was pouting… scratch that, the sea king was doing exactly that. Elegantly, perhaps, but it was what it was.

"I'm trying," he said indignantly. "It isn't exactly easy to go against several millennia of thought and action."

That just made me laugh harder. Now I knew this was a dream. I'd begun to doubt it.

"I wish," I said, never noticing when my laughs turned to sobs, "I wish it could have been like this all my life. Just… just having you here… even if… even if just like this. In a dream."

My father's expression softened.

"I'm sorry, son. I'm here now… if you want me to be."

I smiled up at him, the expression wobbly. "Thanks." Then I let the smile fade. "I don't want to wake up, Dad."

Another sigh. It was always strange to me that I could hear my father and other siblings through the water as if we were on dry land. "I, we rescued you. You're not down there anymore."

I tried to smile again, but it didn't work. I wanted to believe my dream dad. I really, really did. But what if it wasn't true? What if I woke up back there? I… I didn't think I could handle that.

I opened my mouth to deny it, but Poseidon held up his hand to forestall me saying anything. "Perhaps we should discuss this later. Right now, we have somewhere to be."

I blinked. "Where?"

"Mount Olympus."

I couldn't help my violent flinch. My power reacted and dragged me out of Poseidon's reach. He looked surprised.

"No…" I shook my head emphatically. "I c-can't… I can't go back there…"

"Percy," Poseidon started, but I cut him off.

"NO!"

He looked so lost for a moment. Like he was realizing something horrific (though I didn't know what) before he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh filled with… was that guilt?

"Not even if Annabeth is there?"

I stopped cringing, looking up at my father with wide eyes. "W-what? Why?"

The older man regarded me for several seconds before shaking his head. "That is her story to tell. Just know they cannot harm you." His voice softened. "I won't allow it. And neither will she."

But he'd allowed it before…

Annabeth hadn't though. I knew she'd fought for me every second…

And, at least in the dream, she'd won.

I could face a bunch of overgrown babies with too much power who had… who had condemned me to literal Hell for being too powerful—for a supposed prophecy I didn't even know the words to.

My hands shook and I hated that. I felt weak and useless and… I really did not want to go… but… Annabeth…

"Okay," I heard myself whisper and cursed my fatal flaw. Then I gathered myself as best I could and looked up at my father, nodding firmly, despite my tense muscles. "Okay."

I hadn't been to Olympus in these dreams yet… Not where I could interact. I felt sick.

Was it just me or did Poseidon look relieved?

To be fair, that was probably the longest conversation my father and I had ever had… and whatever his goal was, I had just agreed to face it…

And what could they do that was worse than what they'd already done?

I swallowed.

My father held out his hand. "When you're ready," he said.

I would never be ready… so I grabbed the offered appendage before I could allow myself to back out.

We vanished in a spray of bubbles.

xXx

We arrived at the base of the Empire State Building, on the street, with people swarming around us. Seeing so many other humans helped me feel both massive relief and panic. For a moment, I wondered what the mist had shown to the mortals around us when we'd popped in, but then I'd realized where we were and I almost backed out of the deal right then and there. The friendly atmosphere seemed to darken and the New York buildings practically loomed over us like Primordials.

I did not want to be there.

Then I reminded myself that I hated the gods and would never cower before them. I had faced down beings far more powerful than them on a regular basis for almost fifteen years. I did not fear them.

(I wished I could believe that.)

Forcing myself to look steady, I followed my father inside.

"W-why not just appear there?" I managed to ask, hating how tight my voice sounded.

"Emm… Annabeth thought that you just appearing there might be worse than taking the normal route that you're familiar with."

"Oh." No, it would have been just as bad either way. Was probably worse this way just because of the anticipation. Still, I said nothing as my father waved to the security guards, who both took one look at the God of the Sea and stood ramrod straight.

"My Lord!" they said in unison. Then they noticed me standing behind him nervously. One of them gasped and the other just stared, open-mouthed. That one looked familiar, if much older than he should be.

Then the man smiled warmly. "It's good to see you back again, too, Mr. Jackson."

The one that had gasped coughed and wheezed as he looked at his companion and then back at me in awe. "That's…?"

Yeah… this was super awkward. I shuffled under their scrutiny.

"As you were," Poseidon said sternly.

"Yes, M'lord!" the two said again, snapping salutes. Did security guards salute like that? Wasn't that a police or military thing? Or had that changed? After all, I had been gone for…

Stop thinking about it, Jackson, I silently hissed to myself.

The two of us hurried into the lift. Poseidon waved his hand over the keypad and the button for the 600th floor appeared.

Right… god.

We rode up the elevator in a heavy silence for several seconds before Poseidon looked up at the ceiling. "Is it always this slow?"

I snorted and my father's lips quirked. Had he just been trying to make me laugh? Huh…

"You've… changed," I finally said slowly, my curiosity overpowering my caution (weird).

The sea god tipped his head to one side thoughtfully. "How so?"

He was… kinder. Warmer. More open. And I wasn't about to tell him that and insult who he used to be. Nope. I wouldn't even if this weren't a demigod dream at least.

(At least I was demigod enough for that still…

Or maybe monsters had dreams too.)

So I just shrugged.

"Hmm," was all my father said for a moment before apparently deciding to elaborate. "Well, I have been speaking to the goddess of mental health for almost a year now. It's amazing what a little perspective can do for one's motivation."

I felt my eyes go wide as I stared at my father.

"You've… been seeing a shrink? A goddess shrink?"

To my surprise, he burst into deep, rumbling laughter—the sound of distant thunder on the sea. "I wouldn't call her that to her face."

"I've… never heard of her," I muttered. The closest god I'd ever heard of when it came to mental health was Dionysus with his sobriety aspect.

"She's… new." Poseidon seemed rather amused by that… like he knew something I didn't.

"Oh," I muttered. "Um… congrats… I guess?" I wasn't sure what else to say. I didn't have the presence of mind to really think through that at the moment.

Before Poseidon could answer, the elevator came to a stop. My stomach dropped, but I firmly ignored that and took a deep breath, bracing myself to face those who had condemned me. I'd even tell them to screw right off to their faces.

That… would actually feel pretty good, I thought. Even if it was just in the dream.

Whispers followed the two of us as we strolled calmly but firmly along through the streets of Olympus. The other minor gods pointed, some of them in fear, others in excitement. My skin itched with their stares and I had to clench my fists, hard, to stop myself from scratching or rubbing my arms and neck.

That was… actually the first time I really noticed that my clothes had changed. I wore traditional Ancient Greek clothing, complete with sandals and the tunic-dress thing that wasn't quite a robe. It looked far nicer than anything I felt I deserved at that moment, but I was glad for it. At least no one saw me in the torn-up clothes from the fight with Polybotes (had that been part of the same dream? I thought so…).

We reached the enormous doors to the Hall of Gods and I had to bite my lip. My stomach churned, almost ready to throw up.

"They agreed to let you out, you know," Poseidon said quietly, noting my reluctance. Then he smiled sadly. "Emma… Annabeth and I wore them down."

Not trusting myself to speak, I just nodded. That information did help… A little. But still…

You can do this, I told myself, willing my mind to believe the words. Without killing anyone. Or attacking, or maiming…

Maybe I was more scared of my reaction to them than anything else…

Yeah, not going there either.

"I'll be there with you," Poseidon said again, voice so firm and warm…

I liked this new sea god. I had no doubt Poseidon still had a temper, or that he wouldn't be ruthless if he had to be but… this was the calm, welcoming side to the sea—the side I'd always loved.

"Yeah," I whispered. "Let's go."

"Are you sure?"

That question meant more to me than I thought my father could ever know. It was what gave me the strength to nod firmly.

"Yeah."

Poseidon opened the doors and strode through, suddenly in his much larger, god form. His Hawaiian shirt and fishing cap had been replaced with a small, coral crown and an otherwise simple, purple Greek garment fixed on his shoulder. Around the base of it, I could see little, gold horses and fish practically dancing across it.

Oh, no. They were dancing. Or swimming…

Gods. Right.

The last time I'd been here, my father hadn't bothered changing… what had happened?

Just then, I realized that all eyes in the room had turned to us. I gulped and glanced around. Then I blinked… and I blinked again because… what?

Some seats stood empty, but that wasn't unusual. What was unusual were the people occupying the thrones that weren't empty.

I saw some of the gods I knew should be there, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes. Even Hades was there with a blank expression on his face in a thirteenth chair… and in a fourteenth sat Hestia.

But those were the least of the changes.

Instead of Athena in her usual seat I saw a goddess who looked exactly like… Reyna? Surely not…

And was that… Calypso? Well, it was always a relief to see her off of that island… but what was she doing here?

And Hecate…

But where were the other gods and goddesses?

It was the fourth person that occupied the throne where Zeus used to sit that had my jaw dropping open. My father walked forward, blocking my view at first, before he bowed respectfully and then stepped aside to reveal…

"Annabeth?"

xXx

AN: Next chapter will be up in half-an-hour or less, or your money back. ;)

Thank you to my beta readers! Berix, Ajax, Asterius Daemon, Starlight3 and Quathis! I did change some stuff last minute, so if there's anything off, that's on me, not them.:)

Next Chapter Title: The Prophecy

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