Note: This is the second post today, if you haven't read chapter 26, please do so now!
xXx
It didn't take long for my mind to put everything together as I stared at the woman my girlfriend had become sitting on the head throne of Olympus with one eyebrow raised and the barest smirk on her lips. It took me far longer to accept the conclusion my brain came to.
This was why I hadn't ruled out the dream idea because… what?!
And yet, even as I stared at the Olympian council, I knew it was right. I knew this made sense even if it made no sense at all.
Then, almost unbidden, a memory flashed across my mind.
"You turned down Immortality," my best friend whispered, kind of in awe as we sat on the beach, watching. We'd be going home again all too soon and I'd wanted to bring her out here to tell her… but hadn't worked up the nerve. It seemed she had other things she wanted to talk about anyway. Things I'd kind of like to not remember. "I mean, I knew you did, but… wow. I think it just hit me."
"It's overrated," I muttered.
She snorted. "What would you even be the god of? Idiocy?"
This time, I snorted in amusement.
"I doubt I could be an idiot as my father's eternal Lieutenant." Which didn't sound too bad, but did sound kind of… restrictive and thus not all that desirable.
"Well," she started in mock thought.
"Oi! You are not allowed to diss my father because of our parents!"
She giggled. "Alright, alright. But is that really what you'd want?"
"No," I said, making a face. "Which is why I turned it down."
Her smile dimmed a little and I frowned.
"What?"
She looked out to the sea again. Even if we couldn't really see the sunset from where we sat, it was still a lovely view. "You wouldn't want to live with your father and family… in Atlantis? Underwater…?"
There was something more to that question so I considered that. "Well, my brother and step-mother don't like me all that much."
"I wonder why," Annabeth said, trying to bring the previous lightness back. I stuck out my tongue before going back to my serious answer.
"But we'd probably learn to get along, so that wouldn't bother me too much. And I loved what I saw of my father's palace, even if it's destroyed now…" I faded off sadly. It had been so beautiful… "I'd like that but…"
"Oh? What would bother you?"
I nudged her shoulder with mine. "Well, there's you."
She flushed scarlet. It was adorable.
Aaaand I realized I wasn't quite ready to go there after everything that had happened, so I hurried on. "And Mom and Paul of course. I don't think I could ever leave Mom behind. And Camp…"
She muttered something under her breath that I couldn't quite remember. I bumped her shoulder again.
"What about you? What would you be the goddess of?"
"Architecture," she responded almost immediately, but then she paused and frowned. "And Mental Health if I could. Hades knows we need it."
I just grinned. "Sounds like something you'd be good at, Wise Girl."
I was drawn back to the present as my girlfriend (we were still dating, right?) cleared her throat. I focused back on her and opened my mouth, but… nope. Still not computing.
"Annabeth?" I managed to croak out.
She smiled. "Emma, right now."
My mind went completely blank. I really didn't know what to take from that…
"How… I… but you… and… just… what?!" was all that came out of my mouth.
Annabeth (?) laughed, albeit a little sadly. "Articulate as always, Seaweed Brain. I told you I would take on all the gods for you. So I did."
"It's so romantic!" Aphrodite gushed.
That didn't help.
"But… how?!" I stressed.
Father chuckled a little, still standing by my side, though shrinking down to my size and placing a hand on my shoulder in comfort. It helped.
"You probably can guess how often the previous council voted to do something about you regarding your power. We scraped by with 7 to 5 in favor of letting you live more often than I was comfortable with."
Funny, me too.
"Then the prophecy came out," my father continued. "That swayed enough to throw you into the Pit… but we all knew it was wrong." He shot a glare at some of the other gods, many of whom looked away in shame.
Good.
No, I needed to focus. So I shook my head, tried not to feel so overwhelmed and grasped at the questions I wanted—needed—answered.
"I don't understand. Why me? Was I supposed to overthrow Olympus or not?"
"We thought so," Apollo said. "Even I did, with the way it was worded."
"Everyone in…" I paused, not wanting to say the name, "the Pit said I was supposed to, too."
"You weren't, though," Annabeth said firmly. "And I knew it from the moment I heard it." She scowled, disgusted. Lightning flashed behind her, startling me and everyone else. Even her, apparently.
She jumped and then looked abashed as everyone stared at her.
"Sorry, still getting used to this."
"Can someone finally tell me what this supposed prophecy actually says?" I decided to ask, figuring we'd get to lightning and her being a goddess eventually. It seemed kind of important, but this had ruled and ruined my life for over a decade.
Annabeth—or should I call her Emma (and what was with that name?) right now?— nodded, glanced around the room, and spoke.
"The best of champions, dead and present, the demigod shines incandescent.
They'll rise ere their majority, And take Olympus through war or peace.
Half shall bend and half shall break, torn down to grow and to remake.
A choice then given to the wronged shall find them where they now belong."
Oh. That…
"We thought the 'wronged' might be some of the… monsters that haven't been treated completely fairly in the past," Artamis said.
"Though Father was convinced it would be the Olympians," Apollo muttered, sounding utterly done. I didn't blame him.
"But you certainly fit the bill of 'The Best of Champions'," Calypso said with a smirk. I couldn't really help but blush a little at that. She wasn't wrong.
"Zeus," Poseidon spat the name angrily, "also decided to preempt the prophecy."
Many of the gods and goddesses snorted.
"One would think he would learn," Hades muttered. More snorts; of agreement I thought.
An—Emma snorted as well (how did they all make snorting seem elegant?). "That is why he is no longer here." She shook her head and fixed her storm-gray eyes on me. I suddenly realized there were actual storms behind those eyes now… what a terrifying thought. And yet, I found I loved the idea.
It took me a minute to catch up and comprehend everything they'd said.
"He just assumed I was the best? That… that's why I was thrown into Tar… into…" I couldn't finish it, still feeling sick at the thought.
"You did save Olympus twice."
"And helped with the Triumvirate," Apollo pointed out quietly. He sounded so much like Lester right then I almost expected brown hair and acne when I glanced at him, but it was his typical blond physique. Still, the look on his face didn't seem to fit the Apollo I remembered from before his stint as mortal.
I shook my head and told myself to focus. Apparently demigods didn't grow out of ADHD. Go figure.
"But… I couldn't overthrow Olympus," I pointed out, frustrated. "I didn't have that kind of power!" Then. Now…
Maybe I should keep that to myself.
"Not then," Reyna (not Reyna?) said softly. I cringed as she echoed my own thoughts. "But you were growing in power and had only barely tapped your potential. Every god could see it. And you are a charismatic person, Percy."
I just stared at her blankly. "I couldn't have."
"And now?" Anna… Emma said quietly.
I felt my eyes widen and it was starting to get hard to breathe. Clean air. That realization made breathing harder somehow.
"No judgment here, son," Poseidon said. "You aren't going back. No matter what you say."
And looking into his eyes, then back up at my girlfriend (the leader of the gods? What?) and saw the same conviction in her eyes. This needed to happen. I needed to be honest with them. With her.
I could do that.
With all the others listening in it wasn't so easy, but I could.
So I took a deep breath.
"I have battled and killed multiple Titans, driven off giants and even…" I took another breath, then hesitated. "No I didn't kill Polybotes, did I?" I almost did.
Annabeth smiled. "No, I helped you."
"But still," Hermes said, looking utterly flabbergasted. He wasn't the only one. "Titans? In Tartarus?"
I couldn't help it if I shrunk back a little. "Yes."
"That shouldn't be possible for a demigod," Calypso said, hard eyes fixed on me.
I winced. "I… don't think… I'm entirely… mortal anymore," I whispered. "I… I can't be. And I don't mean demigod either."
It had been something I'd been ignoring forever, but if I died at that moment, I wasn't sure I would go to the Underworld. Hadn't Tartarus and the titans been telling me that for months? Years?
"Your soul is still tied to the Underworld," Hades said quietly. I looked up at him hopefully, but he seemed… troubled. Well, for Hades. "But barely. Currently, any offspring you had would be mortal, for instance, but depending on your death… it could go either way."
That made me sick. The only thing stopping me from throwing up was the grip of my father's hand on my shoulder. I took what strength I could from it.
"This… just…. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been banished!" I yelled, trying to ignore how raspy my voice suddenly sounded.
"Something many of us pointed out but… Father didn't seem to be able to see," Artemis said softly.
"It was a majority vote, but only barely," Apollo said, shooting a glare, this time specifically at Hermes.
"I thought I was over what happened to Luke. I wasn't. You guys know that," the messenger god said in defense, raising his hands.
A… Emma cleared her throat pointedly.
Hermes shot a glance in her direction, then sighed. "And I knew it wasn't your fault from the get go and shouldn't have blamed you. Or anyone but Luke and Kronos… and me. I was the one who let him down. It was… just easier to blame you… even after everything you did for us." He said it through gritted teeth, as if prying the very words out with a crowbar. But then he just deflated.
"I am sorry," he finally said, looking right at me. "No one deserves Tartarus… especially not for that long. And you least of all."
I didn't say anything, just staring at the god for several seconds as I tried to process the fact that Hermes had just apologized. To me. For something he admitted he'd done wrong.
What.
What had I eaten last? One of the two-headed snakes? Maybe I should avoid those in the future…
"You don't have to forgive him, not yet and maybe not for a very long while," Annabeth (no, she was called Emma now, Emma) said, "but could you at least respond?"
I blinked at her, and then at Hermes, who had looked away in shame.
"Yeah. Thanks… for the apology." I couldn't bring myself to say anything else. I hadn't forgiven him… I hadn't forgiven any of the gods or goddesses from the original council really…
Which was part of why this was so confusing.
"Those of us who were against throwing you into the Pit—and even some who were for it—preemptively figured out pretty fast that you would be the wronged party the prophecy mentioned," Apollo said. "And suddenly a lot more made sense."
"Which is why we put together that… care package," Hades said dryly.
"After that, we could honestly only try to stop Olympus being conquered in a war," Artamis said, sounding tired. "Most of us wanted a peaceful takeover if it had to happen."
"Which is a large part of why Ares isn't here," Emma said, sounding amused (and a lot more like the Annabeth I knew).
"And we vowed we'd get you out as soon as possible," Haphestus said bitterly. "I voted against your imprisonment because I know what it's like to be cast down for something out of your control."
The room fell into an awkward silence that no one seemed to know how to break.
"This is one strange dream," I finally muttered to myself, shaking my head. I still couldn't bring myself to fully believe it wasn't. If it turned out wrong… that would break me. Completely and utterly.
I heard several intakes of breath in response. Then Emma rose and came to stand before me, her form shrinking until she stood at her usual size of a few inches shorter than me. It was… surreal.
"I am so sorry," she whispered. "I hoped that…" she faded off and shook her head, then met my gaze firmly and put a hand on my cheek. A hand I could feel.
It was very convincing. And yet…
"We'll prove to you this isn't a dream, okay?"
I studied her for several seconds, searching her face for any tells—I knew most if not all of them. I found none. She wasn't lying or exaggerating… she meant every word.
That was…
I closed my eyes, taking a breath of the clean, clean air. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. Repeat.
I continued doing that for several seconds before I met her gaze again.
"Okay." It would be nice to see them try.
"Did you want to hear the rest of our story?" she asked, gesturing to the gods around us. "Might clear some things up."
I swallowed the lump in my throat (or tried to) and nodded. The more information I had, the better decisions I could make. She'd taught me that.
She returned the gesture, smiling brilliantly in approval. I felt myself relax ever so slightly.
"Your unfair 'punishment' was the last straw… or brick, I suppose, for me. I was sick and tired of how demigods were treated. What the Old Council did to you would have utterly disgusted me even if we weren't dating. That fact made it feel more personal and I was just done—and I wasn't the only one. So I… may or may not have taken a page out of Luke's book."
She scratched her cheek a little sheepishly. The gesture did nothing to hide her pleased smile.
And then it clicked and I felt really stupid for not putting it together before. To be fair, I had been stuck in literal Hell for over a decade… I deserved a break, right?
"The prophecy was about you."
Her pleased smile turned into a coy smirk that did something to my stomach I either really hated or really liked. I couldn't decide at the moment.
"I decided to make it about me."
"You wanted to start a coup?" I asked, incredulous. I still couldn't seem to wrap my head around it.
She shrugged. "Luke didn't do it right, thankfully. As bad as the Old Council was, Kronos and the Titans would have been worse. Luke was so desperate for a change and Kronos wouldn't let him take the time to do what would need to be done to make it a sure thing. Kronos just thought he could power through anything when it needed a more… subtle hand. It was a matter of planting the right seeds. Zeus and the Old Council had already done that among the demigods themselves, actually. Someone just needed to nurture those. Everyone knew someone who had… been on the wrong end of his ridiculous rules and hypocrisy."
"To be fair," Maybe-Reyna spoke up, "he did start out just, as did his rules. They were there for a reason. For good reason."
Emma snorted. "Those rules were a patch job at best, barely able to do what they were meant to do."
Maybe-Reyna nodded, conceding the point. Or… at least I assumed that's what she meant.
Anna… Emma returned the gesture and went on.
"So, I started keeping track and 'complaining' about it, quietly of course. He made it so easy, especially when he broke his own rules. Then I did my best to give the camps a new hope. I started small, just petitioning for the rules to change. When they didn't, we pushed a little harder, wanting to be heard—wanting a voice. There were several groups with several ideas… I made sure I stayed abreast of all of them, counseling and pushing where I could.
"Meanwhile, I got my degree in architecture and then went on to get a Masters. I began to look for jobs to do—large, important and difficult jobs. It was interesting work, but I also took them so I could get my name out there. I wanted to become well known in the architecture community at least. Meanwhile, I studied psychology."
I coughed. "When did you sleep?"
"Not often," she admitted. "And it wasn't easy. I studied on the side while I was doing everything else. Sometimes I wonder how I stayed as sane as I did. And that doesn't even touch on the subject matter. Some of the terminology with dyslexia…" she shuddered. "Studying in Greek helped, though."
"Why did you do that?" I asked, still so confused.
She reached up and put a warm hand on my cheek again. I leaned into her comforting warmth (ignoring Aphrodite's coos in the background).
"I knew how badly Tartarus was affecting you," she whispered. "From the dreams…"
"Right," I nodded, putting my hand over hers, keeping it on my cheek.
"I… I wanted to be able to help you as much as I could," she said. "That and I knew that learning techniques and how human problems work might actually help me help the gods too, not to mention the other demigods."
And something else fell into place.
"You're actually the goddess of mental health?" I asked loudly.
Several snickers sounded from the other gods, but I ignored them. (Why were we doing this in front of the Council again?)
"Yes," she replied, eyes twinkling.
"Oh…" I muttered, feeling stupid again. I glanced back at the seat that was (used to be?) Zeus'. It looked so innocuous, despite being the seat of the head god… or goddess, in this case.
She continued, answering my unspoken question. "Almost from the moment I heard the prophecy, I started aiming for immortality. I didn't see any other way to really fix what had constantly gone wrong in our lives. I made it a point to continue to prove myself to the gods again and again before I humbly approached my mother for trials to fulfill. I gave my reason as needing to fix what I could—at Camp Half-Blood, at Camp Jupiter and in the world in general. None of it was a lie, so I managed to convince her that I needed immortality."
"Is that when she suggested you join the hunt?" Artemis asked, sounding amused.
Emma grinned. "Yes. But thankfully, I couldn't hunt and do what I needed to do. I pointed that out to her—I'm sure she knew, but that was a test in and of itself, I think—and eventually, she approached the Council, who gave me ten trials to fulfill, much like Heracles."
"I thought his were given to him by a king," I said.
"They were, but they were also part of what proved his worthiness to the Council," she explained. Then she shuddered again. "He needs so much help, you have no idea.
"Anyway, with as well-known as I was becoming for architecture, mortals began looking up to me… or hating me. Which was fine either way. After talking to a couple of gods, I realized that admiration isn't that far off from worship. I'd been aiming for that as it would help my power as a goddess.
"Eventually, I finished my tasks and went before the Old Council. Since I had been so instrumental in helping with the wars—had survived Tartarus and had fulfilled my ten trials—they saw fit to grant me immortality. That's when I took on my new name, the closest translation for my name into Greek I was comfortable with. I needed that name for strength, to solidify my Greek heritage, which is why I chose it."
This time her chuckle was dark as she smirked at Percy. "That made many suspicious, but eventually, they dismissed it. After all, they had stopped the prophecy from coming about by tossing you into the Pit. Besides, even if I had larger goals in mind, any of the domains that would fit me were either already taken or would be too weak to gain me any power. Also, I was a daughter of Athena. No matter how many tasks I had fulfilled, I didn't have any innate power to actually build on. Supposedly."
Her smile was sharp.
"Of course no one would see me as a threat. Not even mother… although she suspected something."
"So they granted me godhood. I became a minor goddess of mental health and certain aspects of architecture. One thing they didn't really know or understand was that I also became the goddess of perseverance." She giggled. "I actually stole that from Heracles because the Fates decided I was more worthy of that domain. He wasn't happy when he found out."
Despite myself, I found a smile tugging at my lips. It… felt like my muscles didn't know what to do, so I probably ended up with a sort of creepy half-grin, but it was the best I could do at the moment.
(Hysterical laughing didn't count.)
"I'd imagine not," I said.
She winked at me before continuing. "Then I began—very quietly—approaching the gods I knew weren't happy about your unjust banishment, starting with your father, of course."
Poseidon scoffed in amusement.
"Together we decided to approach some of the other gods that could help me with my plan."
"What plan?" I asked warily.
"To stop the gods who wouldn't listen—who ruled with an iron fist but didn't follow the very rules they had set in place—to those who no longer held to their domains only as they wanted and had no intention of changing. I wanted to remake the Council into something we could be proud of…" she coughed, "I may have played up my fatal flaw a bit. It isn't unusual for gods that were once demigods to still have them."
"So… you wanted to stop Zeus and Ares mainly?" My words were dry. Could anyone blame me?
"And Hera," Hephaestus spoke up with his own vindictive grin.
An… Emma shot the blacksmith a disappointed look before shaking her head. "All gods have problems and issues, Percy. Half of the monsters in Tartarus wouldn't be there now if it weren't for the Old Council. Even those here have committed heinous crimes that we are going to make up for." She shot a stern look around and none of the gods, save Hestia and Probably-Reyna, would look her in the eye.
"However, yes, Ares, Hera and Zeus were the major offenders, especially because they wouldn't admit their wrongdoing," Ann—Emma said, though she did pause sadly. "I think Hera broke during her last rebellion—the torture that followed… I think she had a form of severe Stockholm Syndrome, or something very similar to it. But we needed to put a stop to the hypocrisy and call out anyone who supported the old laws to a point of blindness; people who wouldn't compromise—or even listen. We didn't want them killed or destroyed like Kronos, we… just wanted justice. We wanted fairness. We wanted things to change.
"By that point, we had most of the demigods on our side, which was why we decided to 'step it up'."
"But the demigods were only on our side if it was a peaceful takeover," Maybe-Reyna said. "No one wanted a repeat of the Titan War." She paused and thought for a moment. "With the exception of some children from Ares or Mars."
"We didn't want any more wars either," Artemis put in, "as I said before."
Annabeth nodded. "So, after careful consideration, Poseidon and I approached Aphrodite."
"Of course I was on her side!" the Goddess of Love said with a dramatic swoon. "Star crossed lovers and her undying resolve to find you and get you back… how could I not support her?! The only thing better than a tragedy is a tragedy persevered!"
The goddess that was my girlfriend (?) apparently hadn't changed that much, because she blushed bright red.
"You weren't the only reason I was doing this," she grumbled to me. Several of the gods and goddesses snickered or chuckled. "I really did want to fix things, like I said.
"In any case, once Aphrodite was on our side, we spoke with Hephaestus. Aphrodite wanted to go to Ares, but I knew if we did, we would take Olympus with a war and I really wanted to avoid that."
The Goddess of Love looked thoughtful. "I always thought war and love were two sides of the same coin—and still do in many ways. But Annabeth wanted a peaceful takeover because of love. She wanted to break the mold because of love. And not just love for you, Percy dear. It was such a pure form of love… I couldn't see it corrupted by war. So I agreed to go to… my husband." She said that last part with more hesitance than I'd ever seen from her.
Hephaestus looked like he didn't know quite what to think. I could relate.
"He…" Annabeth glanced at the large blacksmith, "was a harder sell than the previous two Olympians."
Said blacksmith snorted. "Probably would have worked better if you hadn't brought my wife," he pointed out. Then glanced at her before looking back at Percy and… Emma. "We're working on it."
Which was… really surprising, if I was honest.
"Thankfully, we talked him around eventually," Emma went on. "Then I approached Hecate and the twins while your father decided to speak with Hermes and Hestia."
The messenger god rolled his eyes. "Speak with me. Right. That was far more of a fight than a conversation."
Poseidon shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?"
Hermes shook his head. "Not right away."
"But after I spoke with you too," Emma said with a smirk.
The messenger god smiled wanly, more than a little guilt behind that expression. "Yeah."
Emma grinned. "We found out that Apollo, Artemis, and Hestia already had some plans supporting you in place, but they gladly joined forces with us. Hestia volunteered to approach Hades and the twins decided to try and persuade some of the minor gods. We had two thirds of Olympus on our side by that point, though only half of the original council, but we decided to enact the next stage in our plan.
"Between Hecate, Hephaestus and I," the blond goddess continued, "we managed to build something even gods couldn't withstand. And, to this day, only the three of us know how it is made and how to counter it. It takes all three of us in agreement to banish a god.
"Then I challenged Zeus."
I choked again. "You did what?! And banish them where?!"
Annabeth shrugged. "I challenged Zeus to a duel. If he lost, he would be put in prison for a thousand years or more depending on what the Council said. If I lost… I would go to Tartarus voluntarily."
"By that point," Poseidon spoke up, "she'd proven to be far more of a thorn in Zeus' side than he would have liked to admit. He saw it as a sure win, so he took her up on the offer, hoping to get rid of her too."
The blond girl grinned. "I won."
"How?" I asked weakly.
My girlfriend just tapped the side of her head. "I used my brains and the device Hecate, Hephaestus and I came up with. It sent him to a pocket dimension much like Earth before humans were created." She shook her head. "It's a fresh start for him if he wants it. I felt that was far more merciful than he really deserved.
"In any case, by defeating and imprisoning him, I gained any of his domains that fit me. So I am now the goddess of the sky, of thunder, of justice… I became that much more powerful.
"Hera was furious."
"Understatement," Apollo muttered through a smile.
"When I claimed Zeus' seat as king, she was outright livid," Emma went on. She must have noticed (sensed? She was a god now, so maybe…) how tired I was feeling because two chairs our size appeared right by her throne and she tugged at my arm, silently asking me to come and sit with her. I was glad she didn't grow in size again. I liked being able to look into her eyes.
"I couldn't challenge her to the same kind of duel I challenged Zeus to. It's one of the most ancient laws I completely agree with. Making one of us too powerful if we take over another's domain. I could only do it once, which was why I challenged Zeus.
"Hera demanded I go on trial. That… did not go as she wished. I gladly went on trial, but only if she would too, with the stakes being that she would be banished like her husband if found guilty. Long story short, she was, I wasn't."
"It really wasn't that easy," Hephaestus muttered.
"Another understatement," Hades said.
An—Emma ignored them. "Then I told everyone I would be implementing changes. Not everyone liked those ideas. Not even everyone here." Several of the gods, from Hephaestus, through Hades and right over to Hermes looked away.
My girlfriend just continued. "Strangely enough, it was Demeter and Athena who spoke out against that. I informed them that if they didn't like the changes, they could join Zeus and Hera. That I was willing to compromise on a lot of things, but confronting their own hubris and examining their mental health and how it affects the world was not one of them. Everyone still here was willing to do that."
At that point she paused and looked into the distance, eyes sad. "I'm really surprised my mother didn't… she refused on principle saying I was changing too much too fast—that I was used to the human world and still had the limited view and mind-set of a human." She sighed. "She wasn't entirely wrong either." Then she snorted. "Of course not. She's my mother. But it had to happen…"
Emma paused in her explanation for a moment before she went on. "In any case, anyone who did not go through actual therapy sessions with me would be kicked from the Council. Demeter and Athena declared they would go to war if I pushed the subject. I told them that if they chose to nurture their pride instead of facing it, that they would face justice.
"They managed to get Dionysus on their side and Ares sided with them as well… albeit after going through a session and disagreeing with more or less everything I said." She rolled her eyes. "They declared war and were about to walk away from Mt. Olympus. I didn't want to use my position as head so soon, but I basically told them that if their bad habits were more important to them than their children—who would undoubtedly be drawn into this war and killed for their hubris—that they would be sent to the other dimension to… 'cool off'. There was… a skirmish and we managed to banish all of them."
"You should be the Goddess of Understatements," Apollo said wryly.
Emma shot him a half amused, half annoyed glance, but he didn't look remotely repentant. She shook her head, then looked up. Her eyes seemed haunted.
"I'm… not going to lie. I'm not sure I did the right thing. No one should be banished simply for disagreeing with me."
"They weren't disagreeing with you, My Lady," Maybe-Reyna said quietly. "They were outright sabotaging you."
"Those therapy sessions you had me go through were great, actually," Apollo said. Beside him, Artemis looked annoyed that she was agreeing with her brother, but she nodded as well.
"They certainly put views of the demigods into perspective," Aphrodite said thoughtfully.
"I wish I could have gone to something similar from the day I was tossed off the mountain," Hephaestus said quietly.
Poseidon snorted. "I didn't care for them… but they did help me understand some things."
"I hated 'em," Hermes muttered. Everyone turned to look at him. He sighed. "But they were helpful and eye-opening. Doesn't mean I agree with everything you said," he looked at Annabeth. But then he deflated. "However, that just goes to show that the others could have at least sat through a couple of sessions and just listened… you know… like I did."
An—Emma looked at him sympathetically. "I still think we need to get you someone to talk to who you don't have any baggage with."
Hermes frowned. "I thought you said the baggage wasn't your fault."
She shrugged. "Doesn't mean it isn't there."
He nodded, conceding the point. "Still. It wasn't that hard to just sit down and talk. Or listen."
"Speak for yourself," Poseidon muttered. Then he saw me looking at him and cracked the tiniest smile. I let out an amused huff, not quite a chuckle but… real enough.
"So I became the 'child of the prophecy' this time," Emma said with a grin. "Funny. They wouldn't have had a problem if they would have just been honest and fair about everything."
I snorted. "Zeus? Fair?"
To my surprise, my father spoke up, sounding strangely sad. "As He used to be." Then he sighed. "A long time ago… I suppose. As Lady Synigoros** has said."
I certainly didn't remember any legends about Zeus being a good or fair god… but I supposed there had to be some or no one would have worshiped him. And, to be fair, I couldn't exactly claim to be the most knowledgeable about the Greek myths. Part of me wanted to look into that, curious, but most of me was just… tired and didn't want to think anymore at all.
"So, that's about everything," Annabeth said with a soft smile. Then she blinked. "Oh, except that I revoked the whole 'cannot be around your children' rule. We have to be careful around our children, and the more powerful they are, the more careful we have to be but… yeah." She grinned. "It's gone."
Is it sad that that shocked me more than anything else that day.
She seemed to realize I needed a little time for that because she smiled again. "So we invited you here to give you the official pardon. In compensation, you can have anything you want."
It took a second for that to sink in. When it did, my eyes went wide and I could only blink. "I… wait, what?"
"You can have any wish of the gods," she said, gesturing around to the room.
I, again, could only stare. Eventually I opened my mouth, but she put her finger to my lips. "Think about it, okay? Don't make your decision now. Just know we owe you one. A big one."
I didn't know what to think, honestly. I could have anything. I'd been given this choice before, and I didn't regret what I'd chosen but… I bit my lip and looked down. "But… aren't I a monster now?"
Annabeth blinked. "What?"
"You know… I told you," I said. Tartarus took and took, seeming only to know greed. "Before I left they said…"
"Percy," the golden-haired goddess sitting before me said quietly but firmly, her hands on my cheeks, not seeming to mind the mess of a beard I had (I hadn't even noticed until she cupped my face like that… and my hair that I'd been chopping off with knives, I really must look awful). She looked into my eyes. "We got to you in time. You are not a monster. And even if you were, I wouldn't care. I've told you that before."
A squee from Aphrodite.
A squee.
And still I couldn't take my eyes off of the gray ones in front of me.
"But…"
"But nothing, Seaweed Brain." And with that, she leaned forward and kissed me. Right there in front of the Council. As if she didn't care in the slightest.
At first I didn't know how to react and kind of wanted to panic, but then I remembered that this was Annabeth… my Annabeth…
And if she said she didn't care, then she didn't.
It took every ounce of will I had to not break down crying (again) right then and there.
When she broke the kiss and looked at me again with that warm smile, so full of love and relief and joy… I had to close my eyes to keep from sobbing. I couldn't stop the tears.
Wasn't Tartarus supposed to make me stronger? Not… this…
"What do you want right now, Percy?" she asked. "This isn't your wish, this is just me asking. What do you want to do?"
For a moment, I wasn't sure. But then I remembered blue cookies and cake and some of the best enchiladas ever (according to Grover) and warm hugs and…
"I want to go home," I whispered.
Annabeth—Emma (I wasn't sure I'd always remember that… or ever remember it) just nodded. "Your father and I can take you."
I almost collapsed off of my chair in… well, so many emotions I couldn't really sort them out, especially not right then. It was so… heavy and yet freeing at the same time. Terrifying but liberating and exciting.
"Come on," she said, pulling me to my wobbly feet. "Let's get you home."
xXx
Mom was old. Well, older. She had been twenty when she'd had me. Then eighteen years of raising me before I was tossed into… well… before the gods condemned me. Fourteen more years after that…
She was 53 years old.
She still took one look at me when she opened the door after I knocked on it before gasping and throwing her arms around me.
She recognized me immediately.
Cue more crying. I'd cried more in the last day than I probably had in the rest of my life combined. That didn't stop me from curling into her and breaking right down like I was twelve years old all over again. I didn't know how long we stood there on the front steps of the Blofis home with two gods looking on, but at that moment I didn't care.
"Welcome home, baby," she whispered in my ear.
I just clutched her tighter. It felt like if I let her go, she'd just vanish on me all over again.
"Hey mom!" a female voice yelled out, drawing everyone's attention. "Who was at the… oh."
A dark haired teenager with gray streaks (despite her age) stood in the entryway just inside the door. Her wide, green eyes fixed on me.
Estelle.
(Funny, hadn't I gotten my green eyes from Dad? Why did hers look just like mine? I was positive Mom hadn't cheated on Paul.
Then I told myself to ask later, if at all.)
Then the girl's gaze drifted hesitantly from me to the other two figures behind me and somehow her eyes grew even bigger.
"Oh," was all she said for several seconds.
"Estelle, I don't know if you remember, but this is—"
"My brother, Percy," the girl interrupted with a soft, sad smile that didn't fit her young face. She was only fifteen or sixteen, but for that moment, she looked much older. "I'm glad you're finally safe… and home. It's good to finally meet you."
"Come on," Sally said gently, "let's get some food in you and then you can see the room we made up for you. Oh! I might have to move a couple of things, but we set it up the way your old room was. Annabeth, Po—" she cut off and glanced at Estelle.
"Percy's father, right?" the girl said nonchalantly, but there was a spark in her eyes. She knew. Was she clear-sighted like Mom? Probably…
"I am," the god affirmed.
"It's nice to meet you," Estelle said, stepping past me and mom while holding her hand out to him. "Estelle Blofis."
"Poseidon," he returned, an amused grin on his face as he took her hand and shook it. Estelle blinked, as if she hadn't expected that. Then she just returned the shake firmly and turned to their other guest, holding her hand out again.
"Annabeth Chase," my girlfriend introduced herself. I briefly wondered where the whole 'Emma' thing had gone…
Something to think on later.
"Are you two staying?" Mom asked.
"I cannot," Dad said regretfully. "I have already put off my duties for long enough and my… other son will not be happy if I delay further. However," he took Mom's hand and bowed low, kissing the back of it, "it is always a pleasure to see you, Sally."
Mom sighed and rolled her eyes, taking her hand away as she shook her head in exasperated amusement. "Flatterer."
Poseidon just grinned and then turned to Annabeth. "If I may?"
"Of course. Say hi to your family for me," my girlfriend replied. We watched him walk down the walkway before he paused and glanced back.
"I think some time at my home would do you some good, Percy. Please consider it. You can stay as long as you wish."
I liked the sound of that, but could only nod in acknowledgment. That seemed to be enough for Dad, who got back into the taxi cab we'd taken here (I didn't know whether it was an actual taxi or just a construct of some kind, though did it matter?) and drove off.
"I take it you're staying then, Annabeth?" Mom asked my girlfriend. I didn't expect her to say yes. She was the head of the gods now. She must have so much to do.
"Of course, Sally… if you'll have me." I was pleasantly surprised.
Mom's smile was better than the sun and the sea combined. "Of course, dear. I was just fixing dinner. Please come in. Both of you."
She stepped aside and I slowly walked in.
I'd never been in that house before, but it smelled like Mom and Paul and love and…
I had to be dreaming… because this was home. I was actually home.
And I absolutely loved it.
xXx
AN: *Reyna, in Greek, means Counsel or a Song. O Synigoros = Council in modern Greek. Literally the title 'Lady Counselor' or 'Respected Counselor'. She also has a Roman side.
So, there it is. People may not agree with my choices, but *shrug* I do have reasons for them. I will be explaining more from other people's points of view (Athena, Hermes, Thalia, etc) in the sequel, although the sequel will be rated a mild M for mature discussions dealing with intimacy and relationships. However, I kind of feel like all of this has been a build up to that, just because of some of the ideas that came up while discussing this fic. LOL Most people probably won't feel the same, but yeah.
We will also be getting updates on Oizys and Tartarus, the gods in general, how their system will be changing in the next couple of years, etc. We'll also get more definitive answers on just how much Percy has changed physically and mentally. What exactly is he at this point? Not sure even Tartarus knows.
Some questions: Emma–the closest translation to 'Annabeth' according to Google Translate. She wanted to keep her work and home life separate (so to speak), so having two different aspects separated by names (names have power) seemed like the best option to her at the time. It was one way for her to keep her mortal memories and ideals more/longer.
As for Percy getting out of Tartarus, it's already established as a way to get out from the books, and Tartarus obviously didn't want them to leave in House of Hades, so those couple who said they didn't think anyone could get out of Tartarus unless the primordial let them, I'm going with canon on this one. You're welcome to disagree. Although, if he had gotten out before then… then what? Run to Alaska. If they manage to make it there, what about his family? Could they make it work? Yes. Do I think it would be a good idea? Actually, yes. But Percy's a self-sacrificing idiot sometimes. NGL, I seriously considered it, but yeah, he'd think he'd be too much trouble, imo.
In any case, there will be an epilogue… well, two, but the second one is more of a segway into the sequel, which will be a series of one-shots, often related, to address things Percy couldn't have known in this and some things that happen afterwards. It'll be in third person instead of first, and probably have a very different feeling because of how different everything will be at that point.
Also, I couldn't find a good spot to put it in the story, but Tartarus was purposefully keeping Damasen, Bob, and Small Bob from reforming.
In any case, thank you for reading. Hope to see you next week for the last two updates.
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, it's not them.
Next Chapter Title: Epilogue-The Healing Begins
Discord: discord. gg/xDDz3gqWfy (no spaces)