I wasn't king of the gods this time. No. Instead, I was simply on the Olympian council. I could see my friends in place of their parents making small talk in the throne room, joking and laughing. My father was even there. The moment he saw me, he stopped talking to Frank (the new God of War?) and walked over, grinning widely. He slapped me on the back warmly and then embraced me. I froze. Had I ever been hugged by my father before?

Then someone called the meeting to order. I turned and saw Annabeth in the head seat. My breath froze. What?

"You were right to put her at the head," Father said as he took his seat… next to mine. "She's amazing."

"Y-yeah," I whispered a little hoarsely. Poseidon would never say that… would he? "She would be."

"So, this is what you wish, Grandson?" Thunderbolts colliding reverberated through my mind, causing me to wince. The world around me froze. Tartarus stepped forward out of the corner where he'd been observing me. He began walking around, studying everything, which made me want to step between him and my friends. "Not something I've ever seen before, but workable." He turned to face me.

"If this is what you wish, we can make it happen."

I'd honestly had just about enough of this. But instead of my usual, frustrated anger that burned, I felt something cool—no, icy—settle into place inside me. I leaned back in my chair, simply glaring stonily at the Primordial.

"Fine. Let's say, just for argument's sake, that I agreed to team up with you and the Titans and the giants, again. That's actually my first point. The giants and the Titans lost. Twice. Each. One of those times was a couple of years ago. What makes you think they'll be able to win this time? Well, that kinda takes me to point two: How many of them have even reformed? Damasen—" and if I said the name through gritted teeth, I doubted he'd call me on it—"said he hadn't fully reformed, and he died before many of the others last time. Peaceful or not, there has to be something to that. Which leads to three: How many of them that have reformed would even consider following me?

"And let's say they do and we win. Point four: How many of them would want to be here on Olympus?" I gestured around us at the white marble with enough modern touches to remind me that my girlfriend had designed this before shaking my head and moving on."How many of them would be alright with staying under either me or Annabeth? Especially if some of the current Olympians," I gestured to Father, "stick around? At best I get a knife in my back the moment the Olympians are gone. At worst, we get another war! And how many of those do you think demigods can survive? Let alone mortals… you know, those people I'm protecting? Would there even be an Underworld for their souls to go to anymore? Or would that be overthrown too?"

I paused and took a deep breath, calming myself down before looking back at Tartarus and standing up. "There is no possible future where this actually happens. So you can sit here and show it to me all you want, but I'm not stupid. You can keep trying to take me in with these visions, but you'll always get the same result."

And with that, I turned and walked out of the room, not bothering to wait for a response.

I found myself on the camp half-blood beach again. Thanking Hypnos, I sat down and just listened to the waves on the shore. Especially after that… it was nice.

Tartarus didn't bother me again for a long while.

I woke to a thump, thump, thump and groaned a little. What… was that? I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and crawled out of my sleeping bag. Then I reached out to the ice that made up the plane and frowned. I could only feel one wing. The other one was gone… what?

I stretched out farther and found the ice wing on the ground. Again, what? I had a bad feeling about this.

More thumps and the second wing went.

My eyes narrowed as I melted one side of the plane so it became transparent and saw a dozen or so cyclopes outside. Now, I had a bit of a soft spot when it came to cyclopes due to my brother. But Tyson did not look like these cyclopes. My brother actually looked—and acted—fairly normal, if a little large and bumbling sometimes, I thought fondly. These guys looked like they'd been dipped into dull-colored skittle vats, ranging from blue to red and even pink, all about the same height though, not as tall as Titans, and probably about the size of the Laistrygonian giants. All of them looked to be pleased at having found my plane, and had wasted no time in trying to destroy it.

I narrowed my eyes and summoned more water from my seashell. I knew I could just use the water from the plane to take them out, but they'd ticked me off by waking me up and wrecking my vehicle. Their mistake. Besides, I wanted a little bit of a workout.

Grabbing my Nemean Lion coat, I wrapped myself in it and opened a hole in the roof again. Then I literally leaped up and out of it, water forming around me. I held Riptide in one hand and a water-whip in the other. I didn't even wait for them to look up as I leaped down on the first one with a yell. He looked up, surprised, just in time to get celestial bronze in his eye. He fell into gold dust, and I landed on top of the resulting pile. Without so much as a break, I leaped at the others. I got two more before they realized what was going on and started attacking back.

The water-whip was actually extremely helpful, although I had to keep a lot of concentration on it at all times. I could swing with it, draw enemies closer, whip water into their eyes… or other vulnerable parts, and even cut with it sometimes. By the end of the fight, it felt more like another limb that had grown from my hand than anything else. It was kind of amazing how much of a reach it gave me.

And then more cyclopes came rushing around the plane from the other side. One even crawled up on top and jumped over.

He landed on a water spike that hadn't been there before, immediately poofing into gold dust. Honestly, throughout the rest of the battle, I lost myself in the rhythm, easily keeping aware of the monsters trying to pile on top of me. Only once I looked around and saw no more monsters did I pause and take stock of myself. I had a cut on the cheek and one on my leg. I also had a bruised chin where I hadn't dodged a punch fast enough. Truthfully, it hadn't broken my neck or jaw, so I'd take it. But… that was it.

Nodding in satisfaction, I stretched for a couple of minutes, then used some hovering ice as a staircase into the plane's cockpit. That had been enough of a workout to wake me up, unfortunately, but it looked like I'd gotten a good… seven hours of sleep, give or take with Tartarus' strange time. Not too bad. I felt pretty well rested and just needed to fix the plane before I headed over the Dark Lands.

I took out the last of the food I had and began to eat. I decided not to drink any Phlegethon water as my lungs didn't hurt so badly today, and I needed to try and save it anyway.

After otherwise going through my morning routine, I climbed onto the roof of the plane and made my way down towards the middle. The plane had felt a little nose heavy the day before, so I thought to maybe move the wings up a little anyway? Probably a good idea.

I reached out to the shattered ice and melted it, then drew it up and caused it to reform. I sat there for several minutes shaping and reshaping the wings until it looked and felt similar to how it had yesterday. Nodding, I made sure the tail looked okay—the cyclopes hadn't touched that, thankfully—and once I was happy with what I saw and felt, I lifted the plain directly into the air as I strode back to the head.

At first I found myself struggling to move it. Ice wasn't exactly light and the plane was no different, but I figured it was just that I had to work with that much weight against gravity and without any aerodynamics. It took several minutes to get high enough to fly above the dark lands, but eventually I deemed it good enough, turned the nose in the right direction and pushed it forward while holding it aloft. The faster I pushed it, the less I had to struggle to keep it up and eventually, all I had to do was push it forward.

I had so much to tell Annabeth. She'd definitely appreciate my problem solving and solution. I just hoped the extra energy I'd used would be made up for by the plane itself being able to stay in the sky with minimal input from me. At least until I got near the Phlegethon.

The best part about the whole plane thing was that I could create a seat for myself and sit in my sleeping bag, nice, warm, and comfortable. That helped me get past my typical flying jitters. Once I did, though, I actually almost fell asleep and felt the plane begin to slow and shake or turn. That woke me up real quick. Maybe sitting there all comfy might not be the best idea. After some thought, I decided to lose the chair entirely, just to avoid temptation.

The cockpit wasn't huge, mainly just a pocket I'd created for myself, but I could train in it a little, if I didn't use Riptide. That ate up a few hours.

At one point, I made the entire cockpit clear so I could see everything around me, just out of curiosity. Maybe someone like Jason—or even Annabeth—wouldn't have had an issue, but I really didn't like it and had immediately regretted even having the idea.

Once I reached the five hour mark and barely felt a tug on my gut, I knew I'd made a good choice. I'd definitely include Leo when I told my girlfriend too, and I couldn't wait! Maybe my idea and solution wasn't huge for them, and they could come up with another solution or a much cooler design, but this was totally new for me!

At about the eight hour mark, I began to get really tired. I took to splashing myself with water to help wake me up for a couple of minutes. Unfortunately, it really did only last a couple of minutes before my eyelids started to droop again. Eventually, I decided to have another workout session, and that did its part in waking me up.

I'd hit almost nine and a half hours when another thump caused the plane to shake harshly.

"What?!" I asked, then cleared the top part of the cockpit to see if I could figure out what that had been. At first, I couldn't see anything, but then something flew by and I felt all the color leave my face.

No… no, no, nonononono, not again…

Arai.

The one I saw locked eyes with me, or… at least I thought it did. It was difficult to tell through the ice. It did grin at me though, sharp teeth very visible. While I watched, several more joined her. I felt sick. How were they even keeping up with me?!

Well, fine. (Not really, but I didn't want to think about that.)

"Keep up with this," I muttered, closing my eyes and concentrating on pushing the plane faster. I could certainly feel it picking up speed. After several seconds, I opened my eyes and glanced out the side. I found nothing but red clouds, and smiled in relief. I'd done it.

(I really should've known better by that point.)

The plane shuttered and I heard a cracking sound that filled me with dread. A moment later, I realized a wing was gone, dropping away into the dark lands below. The vehicle went from a boon to a liability almost instantly. I gasped, focusing on keeping the plane up at all, gritting my teeth. I knew I'd lost speed and tried to call forth more water to make a new wing. Something splatting on the front of the plane made me jump and lose control for a second.

That second almost cost me everything. The construct shook, beginning to roll before I caught and steadied it. Just about then, I realized several of the arai had somehow gotten ahead of me (seriously, how?!) and were now shouting through the ice. Some of them had begun to scratch and dig at the plane to get to me.

I felt myself begin to panic, automatically reaching out to the ice to change its shape and throw them off, but I stopped myself at the last minute. Would that count as killing them if they couldn't fly or something? Could I afford that?

Not really.

Gulping, I focused back on the plane and decided to just try and even everything out for now so I could focus on other things. I took some of the ice from the wing on one side and moved it over to the other, hardening it against the wind so I didn't lose much in the process. After almost a minute, the airplane had at least stopped trying to roll or turn or twist uncontrollably, and while I still needed to focus on keeping it up a little, I didn't feel nearly as strained.

Having done that, I opened my eyes just in time to see one of the arai lift her foot up and stomp down hard, breaking through the window. I wasn't sure what I expected to happen, but the ara had only made a small hole and their leg bust through. Then, either from the pressure or the ice cutting into her somehow, the ara burst into gold dust. This made both me and the other arai stop and stare for several seconds. I braced myself, waiting for a curse but… nothing happened.

"Um…okay…" I said, almost not daring to hope as I reached to the window and melted the ice back in place. The nearest monster snapped out of her stupor as she shrieked and lunged for the hole, tearing at it. I grit my teeth. Continuously sealing the hole would be a pain to say the least, dangerous at worst.

"You cannot escape us!" one ara shrieked over the wind. I wasn't sure how I heard it then but hadn't before.

"We will find you!"

"We will destroy your contraption!" another yelled.

That last one had me taking a deep breath to quell my fear and anger. I wasn't sure I could keep everything up at this point. I was beginning to feel that ache and I likely still had several hours (if I was lucky) to go.

This was starting to feel like I'd cornered myself.

I reached behind me and melted the ice keeping the wood in place. It was still fastened down with the wire and rope so it should be fine… right? (It better be or I'd be livid.) I wanted to reinforce the windows, so I used the water to shove the half-bird woman out, closing the hole again. They weren't happy and would be looking for other places to attack, so I decided having no wings would be better than one that wanted to make me roll or turn to the side. I wasn't one hundred percent sure I was still going in the right direction (which scared me), but all I could do was move on, so I drew the water in, smoothing it along the sides of the plane… er… rocket.

(This was why I hated flying! Why did it have to be such a useful way to get around?!)

I heard more screeching as they tried to attack the plane, so I also drew the tail in, leaving nothing obviousfor the arai to target, even if it made pushing the rocket forward all the more difficult. I almost wished I knew how they could do that much damage looking like old women. Almost. Then again, the Furies were certainly stronger than they looked too…

"Think," I told myself. If I didn't do something I'd have to land in the Dark Lands… or crash there. I doubted the curse spirits would leave me alone and the last thing I needed to do was fight the stupid arai in the dark lands again. I couldn't kill them, not when I had no one else to rely on to get medical attention.

This… looked bad. Eventually I'd have to sleep, one way or another. And by 'eventually', I meant soon. They'd broken through my ice in minutes. I wouldn't be safe and…

I needed to calm down.

I took several deep breaths, only now beginning to realize that my arms were starting to itch and my lungs hurt… the air was getting to me again.

Well, I could fix that at least.

I scrambled for the bag with my canteen clipped to the side and grabbed it. In record time, I'd taken off the lid and chugged Phlegethon water, ignoring the burning pain as it crawled down my esophagus. It helped the ache in my gut a little too. However, I did notice that it didn't seem as hot as it had… and it took longer for the healing factor to work. So it lost its potency after a while. Good to know.

Once I could breathe a little easier, I focused back on the problem at hand. I had to take care of the arai… without killing them. I glanced at the gold dust now spattering the back of the room. Well, without killing them directly. But how could I set up for them to be killed indirectly?

Another several thumps made me wince. I had a little time to come up with a solution but it didn't feel like it. The tug in my gut reminded me that the sooner I came up with something, the better.

"Okay, think…" I told myself, again. "Breathe and think." I counted my breaths as I paced back and forth in the cockpit. It took four strides to get from one side to the other. Once I got into a rhythm, I thought back. What tools did I have on me? Two empty bags, some knives, some Acheron water, Riptide, my toothbrush and toothpaste, some soap, my sleeping bag, the trees, along with the rope and wire holding them together.

Could I use any of that? Maybe Annabeth or Leo could, but I was coming up blank. So I moved on. I also had my clothes—shoes, a shirt, the Nemean Lion skin… could I maybe make myself a target just wearing that? Well, yeah… but then what? The arai may not be able to tear me apart with that coat on, but said coat didn't cover everything. And one didn't always need to be cut or scratched to be killed.

No, that was a bad idea. Next.

I had a lot of water to work with, but most of it was tied up in the plane. Still, I could probably do something…

But what? I couldn't spear them with ice spikes. That would be the equivalent of killing them. So what could I do? Capture them? Freeze them? And then what? Just let them fall? Take them back with me? Keep them in an ice prison? Could I do that? I… didn't think so, and if I slipped up…

Come on, Seaweed Brain, think.

I'm trying, I thought back to the voice. But I wasn't Annabeth, able to pull out some amazing, death-defying plan at the last moment that relied on taking advantage of what I had around me and nothing else. I may have gotten better lately, but that didn't make me good at it.

Okay, what did I know about the arai? They looked a lot like the furies, could fly, were children of Nyx, hated me and likely all demigods, could tear a person apart with their bare hands, when they died they cast curses on their killers—curses set upon said killers by previously killed monsters…

Wait… why wasn't I cursed then? I looked down at the golden ash in the room again. The ara had died, by my plane and ice… and yet, nothing had happened to me. Yes, the indirect thing… But…

An idea came. One I instantly knew would work… but one that made me sick.

No, there had to be another way… I thought through everything I had again, but once again found nothing.

I'm missing something, I thought, desperately looking for some way to use the backpacks or… or something else—anything else. What was I missing? Annabeth would have seen it….

But again, I wasn't Annabeth.

Another several thumps made me wince, holding my arms over my stomach.

Stay alive, Seaweed Brain.

I closed my eyes and bit my lip, feeling my chest start to hurt with how fast I was breathing. I… I didn't want to do it… and I hated that I felt I had to do it to not die.

It took me several more seconds to work up the courage to open the roof of the rocket and stick my head out. The arai had all latched on with their leathery wings flapping in the wind as they angrily tried to pound or scratch their way through again.

I reached out and felt them…

Then I shook my head and ducked back inside. No.

But…

I had to.

Biting my lip, I reached out again and took hold of the nearest ara. She tensed, but her very blood moved against her. It was so easy… to take control of her. That surprised (and horrified) me. (I would not throw up… yet.) Taking a deep breath, I had her turn and leap at one of the others, claws outstretched. At the last second, I let go, and the two of them went tumbling off the plane and into the darkness below. One of them had their fingers buried in the other, who looked shocked. She burst into dust.

A second later, the first one screamed and burns broke out on her face before she disappeared from view.

Well, that one might be back.

The other arai had been watching that, shocked, and I got a hold of one more easily. I had her attack one of her packmates, slashing her across the throat.

(I hated this… it felt so cowardly.)

The attacked one crumbled into ash and blew away. The one I had her attack clutched at her chest suddenly, and also fell into dust. The other arai, perhaps about five of them, jumped into the air, still keeping up with my rocket-plane, but wanting to keep their distance as they tried to figure out what had just happened.

Yeah, I couldn't let them get away; couldn't take the chance of them following me to attack me later. So I reached for another one. She shrieked, surprised, but flew towards another ara near her. The second ara dodged, screaming and asking what she was doing before attacking back.

It was far more difficult controlling someone's actions through their blood than it was just moving myself. I managed to have her get a fatal hit in on one of the others before they incapacitated her. Her wings cracked and she shrieked, suddenly becoming dead weight. The others apparently hadn't been expecting this as she fell down, barely caught and held aloft by the others.

This, fortunately, had the effect of making all of them fall behind me. It started getting hard for me to keep control of them. Still… five of the nine or so arai taken out wasn't so bad.

They'd probably come after me again, but… well, maybe they'll think twice. And if they come to my home, I'll freeze them in place or something. Set them against the next monster that came and watch while they tore each other apart. Watch while…

Wait, why was I thinking like that? I immediately dropped any hold I had on the ara, ducking inside and out of the wind, closing the top after me and just sitting there in the sudden silence. Did controlling blood and poison do that to me, or did I have to be in that mindset to control blood and poison? With poison, I felt… vindictive and powerful, angry and ruthless. With blood I just felt… powerful and ruthless without the anger, as if my superiority was a given fact. I felt...nothing besides that, actually. Pragmatic, perhaps… but to the nth degree.

I honestly wasn't sure which one was worse.

I sat there for several seconds, just willing the construct around me onward. But, eventually, when no more attacks came, I decided I needed the wings back. So I pushed aside my fear and worry so I could call forth more seawater.

Several seconds later, I was back on the roof of my construct, bubble of water around my head as I trekked down towards the center of my plane, ice spikes on my shoes keeping me in place. Then I went about reconstructing the wings and tail. It was a relief to get back to a point where all I had to do was push the construct forward again.

My gut was beginning to really hurt and I hoped I had enough stamina to make it out of the Dark Lands at least.

Once I made it back to the cockpit, I just sat inside, head buried in my arms and knees up to my chest. I felt like I was twelve all over again, just finding out who and what I was… and I didn't like what I found.

Before, at Damasen's camp, it had been a reaction—a desperate reach for something to save me and those I cared about. This time, it had been a deliberate, conscious choice. That made all the difference in the world, and because of it, I didn't feel human anymore.

xXx

I came out of the darklands into what looked like a field of brown and gray grass. It was both a welcome and unwelcome sight. The last time I'd wandered into an unknown field, I'd regretted it. Despite my gut actively hurting at that point (it had taken thirteen (ish) hours this time) I turned my plane to the right (ouch, I needed to figure out how to steer better) and flew along the edge of the darklands for several more minutes, until I started seeing the black dirt and sand I recognized from the Phlegethon's banks.

Only then did I set my plane down near some rocky hills.

Despite not having any food, I didn't leave my ice construct that night, only poking holes in the sides and laying down to sleep.

Fortunately, if any monsters came across me, they didn't attack and Tartarus didn't invade my dreams that night. At least… I didn't think the Primordial did. That didn't stop me from having normal Tartarus (the place) influenced demigod dreams.

I recognized Olympus almost immediately. I was inside the Hall of Gods. Around me, the original council sat arguing loudly with each other. Surprisingly, the only two not involved in everything were Ares and Father.

The war god sat back on his seat, watching the chaos around him with an enormous grin on his face, as if he were right at home. I could only look on in disgust.

Poseidon, on the other hand, didn't seem to even realize he was there in the throne room, eyes down turned, not in submission, but in thought. His gaze didn't seem to focus on anything.

Finally, Zeus seemed to notice that his brother wasn't participating and asked loudly. "And what about you, Poseidon?"

Blinking, Father looked up, and scowled… actually, he sneered. I didn't think I'd ever seen my father sneer like that. It looked… wrong on his face. Kind of terrifying. I knew Poseidon was not always a kind god. He was the sea personified, for better or worse, but I'd never really seen Father like this—actively malicious.

"Oh, so now you care?"

Zeus sighed, as if put upon. "Don't tell me you're still on about that brat—"

"Percy. His name is Percy. Or Perseus. One would think you of all gods would remember that, Brother."

Zeus' eyes darkened. "I am concerned for you, brother." He didn't sound concerned. "You seem to care for a mortal's fate far more than your duties, or the family you have had for much longer."

Poseidon snorted. "Family. Right. Spare me, Brother."

"Poseidon, I am the king of the gods," he warned.

"Of course you are, Brother. Will you go to war over something as simple as a truthful name I wish to call you by? I am concerned for you, Brother."

"Why are you being so difficult over a mortal?" Hera asked, stepping in for Zeus who looked livid.

Poseidon just shot her a cool look. "Spoken like someone who cares nothing for her children. You truly are a perfect match." He gestured between her and Zeus.

"Poseidon," Athena, of all people, spoke up, looking surprised… and probably stopping a three-way battle with her timely intervention. "Riling everyone up will gain you nothing. It brings no good to our current discussion as well."

"I care for my children!" Zeus almost exploded as if Athena hadn't spoken. The goddess sighed and rubbed the side of her head.

"No, you care for the prestige they bring you," Poseidon shot back. "You care only for you. You haven't cared for your actual family in such a long time, which is why I don't consider you much of family any more. Haven't for a long while."

Gasps rang throughout the room.

"I don't know what happened to you—if the power just got to you, or if the changing societies did. Perhaps both. Perhaps the king is always fated to be corrupted. Again, I don't know. But you are not the brother I pledged to follow."

Zeus stood slowly, the world around them darkening with storm clouds. Poseidon didn't look disturbed in the slightest. I certainly was. I wanted to tell my father I was fine, and most certainly not worth starting a war over. That had been the entire reason I'd agreed to jump to begin with!

"You speak treason."

"Do I?"

"You will never have this throne," Zeus spat.

Poseidon rolled his eyes in exasperation and threw his hands in the air. "I don't want it!"

"Is that true? This isn't the first time you have tried to steal my seat."

Hera, Athena and several other gods looked away.

"I put my cards behind the wrong people last time. I have no one to put my cards behind this time. You do not have to worry about me trying to usurp your precious power. I told you, I don't want it, and I meant it. That doesn't stop the fact that you are no longer a god of justice."

More gasps as I winced.

"Don't start a war," I said, but no one seemed to hear me.

"Your son was just a mortal," Demeter of all people spoke up, a little fearfully. "Brother… our gracious leader has a point. Why are you still upset over someone who is likely already dead. You knew he would die the moment he was born. Human's lives are so short. Why is he so important?"

Poseidon looked around the room incredulously. "Not once but three times he was involved in conflict and chose the side that keeps you where you are. If he had chosen the other side, they would have won according to the prophecies. Yet he chose you and you do this? Dismiss him as if he's nothing? All of you?!

"The only reason I haven't declared war on this entire council is because he wouldn't want me to. He cared for your children far more than any of you ever will." Cries of outrage came at Poseidon then, but I could only stare in shock.

"You can deny it all you want, but you are all only angry because it is true! Did you know how long he mourned for your son, Zeus? Far longer than you, despite his 'short life'. He was still mourning when you tossed him unjustly into TARTARUS."

"Names!" Athena hissed, but Poseidon ignored her.

"Hades himself told me he voluntarily jumped into the Pit, despite his utter fear of it. He came out of there with such terrible memories the first time that he never stopped having nightmares. And he did it because he did not want to hurt all of your children. Why do I care about him? Because he is a far better person than any of you have been in centuries. Than I have been in centuries. Maybe ever. But at least I can admit it.

"You all disgust me."

And with that he simply walked out of the hall, leaving stunned silence behind him.

I didn't know what to think… because I wasn't that good. Not really. Poseidon had made me sound like some kind of saint or something, but… I used underhanded tricks and motives to get what I wanted, I could hold onto grudges like none other and sometimes enjoyed a victory for the sheer feeling power it gave me. Those were dangerous traits… even I knew that.

"Like father, like son, I suppose," Athena said, a little disdainfully. "It's obvious to see where Perseus got his fatal flaw from."

"As angering as he is," Artemis said quietly, "he is a god. He cannot have a fatal flaw."

"He still passed that particular trait onto his son, who did have a fatal flaw," Athena returned. I didn't like how she talked about me in past tense.

"Poseidon has still changed," Demeter said, looking after her younger brother with a frown. "And not for the better."

"Have any of us?" Apollo asked quietly.

Athena snorted. "Of course I have." A chorus of agreements, but not everyone looked entirely sure of that.

"In any case," the goddess of wisdom turned back to Zeus. "As for my daughter's request?"

"She is doing this in Jackson's name," Zeus shot back.

"She hasn't denied it. She says she wants to stop this situation from ever happening again. She wants peace so demigods aren't forced to become so powerful just to survive, and I sensed nothing but truth from her. I would also like to give her some time to come to the realization that if he does come back to fulfill the prophecy, fighting for us will only benefit her. That can only help us in the long run as well."

I winced. So they still thought I would fulfill the prophecy too. That… hurt, even if it didn't surprise me.

"Hmm," Zeus muttered, still not looking happy. "Very well, she may have ten challenges to see if she is worthy, but we will keep an eye on her power as well."

"Of course!" Athena sounded almost offended.

Ares scoffed. "As if a brat like her will ever be powerful."

"She found and returned my Parthenos when no one else could," Athena defended. My heart leapt in my chest. I'd suspected before but couldn't help but perk up now that I knew they meant Annabeth.

The war god rolled his eyes. "Only because your children are so weak. What actual power does she have? Nothing."

"Dismiss my children at your own peril," Athena said haughtily.

"If she ever becomes immortal, she'll have barely more power than a nymph."

"How dare!" Athena stood angrily. Ares just grinned right up at her, looking just as at ease as ever.

"Enough!" Zeus bellowed. The Goddess of Wisdom huffed, shooting one final glare at her rival before taking her seat again. "Ares, you bring up a good point, but Athena does too. However, it is only because she cannot ever become powerful enough to fulfill the prophecy that I will allow this. Understood?"

A chorus of agreements.

"Now, let us take a vote."

"Without Poseidon here?" Apollo asked, glancing at the door to the hall.

Zeus scoffed. "He chose to leave. Now, all for?"

They voted, and most of the gods and goddesses there were for giving Annabeth ten challenges of some kind. Ares and Dionysus were the only two who voted against.

"I will inform her myself," Athena said, smiling smugly. "Thank you for your consideration."

With that, she, too, left.

Once she was gone, Diagnosis spoke up. "Father, this is dangerous. The Annabelle girl was targeted by the Earth Mother for a reason."

"Hmm," Zeus said. "Perhaps. But in this case, I will keep my allies close and my enemies closer."

"You think of her as an enemy?" Aphrodite asked.

"Not particularly," the god of thunder replied easily. "But I do want to keep an eye on her. In any case, this council is dismissed until the winter solstice."

The gods all rose, turning to speak with one another or leave.

"Well," I heard Ares say to Aphrodite, whom he met with and walked towards the door, despite Hephaestus looking on with a resigned shake of his head. The war god said it with an enormous grin, "Meetings have certainly been more entertaining recently."

Aphrodite actually frowned at him, but didn't respond.

xXx

When I woke up next, I decided I didn't want to get up just yet and stayed in my sleeping bag. I couldn't help but feel warmed by the thought that Father had spoken for me like that; that he cared for me that much. I wished I'd known that before. He'd always been so… standoffish.

My smile dimmed as I remembered how the rest of the gods still seemed to think I would overthrow them. It hurt, but it also kind of made me want to try. Kind of. They didn't know what they'd done by tossing me down here, the torture I was going through. The separation… the corru…

Nope. Not thinking about that.

Back to taking over Olympus… I only indulged in that thought for a moment before burying it deep in my soul, if only to not give them the satisfaction.

I could live off of spite. Fine.

But in a minute. For now, I just wanted to relax in the warmth of my sleeping bag and pretend I wasn't in Tartarus, that the gods didn't hate me, that I could get up in five minutes and see my girlfriend, that monsters making even the most experienced demigod balk weren't waiting for me.

I felt safe. That was dangerous. I knew it was only temporary, but was it really so wrong to want some permanence? Maybe if I was at home and had some modicum of safety then… then maybe I could let such a horrible idea, like rallying Tartarus' monsters to overthrow Olympus, go and deal with everything else.

Then I sighed as the safe feeling vanished like fog on a sunny day. No, I wasn't safe, but this wasn't permanent either. Annabeth would come.

(That didn't mean I'd be able to leave.)

I laid there for a long time, hating the thoughts that kept running through my head. Eventually, though, I managed to drift back to sleep.

OMAKE (Not-canon):

Before Jason's death—

Jason and Percy speeding by in a cart, flying several feet above the ground.
Percy: Looks up and down fearfully JASON, SLOW DOWN! Or better yet, set us down!
Jason: grinning Oh, yeah, I forgot. You hate flying.
Percy: I can fly just fine, but what you're doing is suicide!
Jason: Pauses and frowns. Huh. Given our personalities, I always thought that would play out the other way arou—
Percy: JASON! PULL UP!
Jason: Pulls up, barely missing a house.
Percy: Clinging for dear life to the side of the cart. WHY DID I LET YOU TALK ME INTO THIS?!
Jason: Laughing.

xXx

AN: I'm using "arai" as plural and "ara" as singular here. Hope that's correct. :)

Thanks to SmolAvidReader, Berix, Asterius Daemon, and Quathis for their help! :D

Title of next chapter: Back to Base

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