Percy had been afraid before. Many a time, as a matter of fact. His first real fight, against a small group of Telkhines, was when he was 9. His first time seeing the Kraken, as his father led the charge of Atlantis against the beast. He was not permitted to fight it, but even from a distance, the beast terrified him. His first meeting with Oceanus, was during a 'diplomatic' meeting, that he attended with his father.

None of those compared to now, with him standing in the middle of the throne room of Olympus, with his aunts and uncle staring at him. 4 of the 6 elder gods, the most powerful beings that were active in the world. All of them watching him.

Lord Zeus, seated on a white throne with a light blue tinge to it, had the most scrutinizing gaze of them all, and Percy could have sworn that every time their eyes met, lightning sparked in the irises of his uncle.

Lady Demeter, wearing green, with a small crown made of grass and wheat resting on her head. She was seated on a green and brown throne, that reminded Percy of the wide plains on earth. Seemingly the most aloof of the four, she glanced at him with little more than mild interest. If Percy had to guess, she had already made her choice. If that was good for him or not, remains to be seen.

The great queen Hera, in similar garb to her husband, and seated on a white throne adorned with peacock's feathers, was looking at him with curiosity, and dare he say it, Excitement? He detected almost no hostility in her glance, unlike that of her husband, she seemed genuinely interested in him.

Finally, Lady Hestia. She was wearing an orange toga and seated on a simple orange throne that crackled with a fire at her feet. She was quite simply, warm. Looking at her, Percy already felt at ease. She was simply a calming presence.

"Let us begin" Zeus' voice boomed across the hall, as Poseidon flashed to his own throne.

"Boy, do you know why you are here?"

Percy took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, Milord."

"Good. That makes this easier. You are the first mortal child of my brother. You are the first mortal child that has been born of an Olympian, in fact. You are an anomaly boy, an entirely new type of being ."

"I understand, Milord."

"The council has already debated your case. Your father wishes for us to gift you partial immortality, erasing sickness and aging from your body. He believes that you, unbound as you are from the laws that prevent us from interacting with mortals, will be a valuable asset to us, a hand we may use to guide the growing mortal world. We see the merit in this claim. However, before we finalize our choice, we give you a chance now to state anything you wish, to benefit your case."

"Thank you, Milord. I am grateful that you would give me this chance. All I can say to help my chances here is this- I am young, even by the standards of mortals. I would like a chance to further prove myself. I am at the age where a mortal's Physical strength would peak, and I believe that if I am kept in this state, it would greatly increase my potential. As you said, I'm not restrained by the laws the fates have laid down, and I can spread the words and will of the gods through the mortal world. I can be the connection between the two if you would give me the chance. I swear my loyalty to Olympus, to my father, and to all of you, will be complete and unchanging, for as long as I may live."

His words were met with silence. He turned to his father, who gave him a small smile, and an even smaller, almost imperceptible nod. He had done well.

"Hm. You are good with words child. Leave us, that we may consider them. You will be summoned when you are needed."

Percy bowed deeply and left the hall.

As the doors of the throne room closed behind him, Percy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and bent over, holding his knees for support. He had hardly been in there for 5 minutes, had hardly said more than a few words, and yet. The sheer power present in the room was…. Mind-numbing, to say the least. He was used to being around his father, but the raw power when all the elder gods were present, all seated upon their thrones, which further magnified their powers… Percy didn't doubt for a moment that if he had been a mortal, he would have been dead the moment he entered the hall. He had a hell of a headache already. He took another breath, and steadied himself, taking the chance to look around Olympus, a chance he hadn't really had earlier.

The home of the gods was, as he expected, beautiful. He still preferred Atlantis, but Olympus was so astronomically different, that the only true connecting factor one could claim between the two would be the words 'Expensive' or 'Grand'. Olympus was all marble, gardens, white, and gold. Atlantis was darker, and, well… Underwater.

As Percy looked around, he saw a few other residents roaming around, naiads and nymphs mostly. He saw a few of the newly born minor gods roaming around, but there weren't many of them, although Percy suspected there would soon be more.

The city itself was rather busy, nobody paid Percy much mind, roaming from shop to shop, talking to neighbors and friends. If it weren't for the clearly divine nature of the place, one could mistake it for any other city square.

Percy was tempted to sit, but also didn't want to make a bad impression, so he just stood around, trying to calm his nerves. Eventually, the doors swung open, and Percy poked his head inside, seeing the council seated as they were before. Following a nod from his father, whose face was painfully emotionless, Percy entered, standing in the same spot he had been earlier. Zeus began to speak.

"Come Perseus. The council has deliberated your case. The final vote will now be held. All in favor of granting the child the partial immortality his father requested?"

Percy had screwed his eyes shut but now forced them open, to see…. 5 hands raised. A Unanimous decision by the council.

"Congratulations boy. We all agreed with your father, and your words. But remember this. You are a new type of creature, never seen in this world. We will be watching you. You will be the link between God and mortal, our hand and the instrument of our will. And if you serve well one day, you may join us upon Olympus as an equal…. If you prove yourself worthy."

Percy was giddy. He had been working towards this his whole life and he had done it.

"Before you get too excited, there's the actual act of giving you said Gift. Remember, this is the first time we are ever doing this, so this might hurt, it might feel like your soul is being torn from your body, or you might not even notice it. Prepare yourself."

"Wait wh- "

Percy had been hurt before, as you'd expect from a boy who had been trained to be a warrior prince since the age of 10. But this was true pain. Every joint in his body was burning, he felt every single one of his muscles tear apart and recombine itself, stronger than it once was. He felt himself grow heavier, but his strength soon grew accordingly, and he no longer felt the difference. The process lasted all of 10 seconds and left Percy winded on the ground.

"What in Kronos' ballsack was that"

Percy looked up as Zeus cleared his throat, poorly attempting to conceal a grin behind his closed fist.

"It seems our assessment was correct; it did cause great pain. Unfortunate, but good to know for the future. In any case, it seems to have worked."

Percy took another breath. He felt… Different. He could tell he was stronger already. He cleared his throat, rolled his neck, and bowed deeply.

"Thank you, milords and ladies. I will cherish this gift, and I will use it to further the goals of Olympus, as I am ordered."

Get the semantics out of the way.

"As is expected of you. For now, congratulations, Perseus. The first of your kind already, you are now the first partial immortal. You are given two weeks' time with your father, to learn of any changes to yourself besides the obvious. Then your work in the mortal world begins. You may leave now. Your father will join you soon."

Percy simply nodded, and Poseidon raised his arm, Percy looked at him, barely seeing the smile on his father's face before he was in Atlantis once more, in his chambers.

The waters themselves felt different to him now. He always felt comfortable underwater, he could always feel his influence on the water. But now? Percy had never felt so connected to the seas. Every move he made; he felt the waters shift to accommodate him. He extended his mind around the palace, and he could feel every single guard, soldier, servant, and minister roaming the halls and grounds. He could feel the waters move around their bodies. He felt their gills move as water flowed in and out of them. It was intoxicating. But also, exhausting. He withdrew his mind, a few beads of sweat forming on his head before they dissipated into the waters around him. He sat on his bed, making a few small constructs with the water in front of him. His stamina for water control had increased exponentially, he could already tell.

Soon, Poseidon appeared in the room next to him. Percy shot to his feet and charged at his father, crushing him in a hug. Poseidon laughed joyously, returning the hug

"You've done it! You did incredibly well my boy. My siblings have an excellent opinion of you, it was hardly a debate at all. I'm incredibly proud of you my child. Tell me, does it feel different?"

"Thank you, father. And yes, it feels… amazing. I feel stronger already, I can tell my water abilities have grown stronger by a good bit."

He decided that he'd leave out his ability to feel just about any amount of movement in the waters. That he would tackle on his own. Stick to easy to explain abilities.

"Excellent. Rest assured, I will help you push the limits of these new abilities as you want. Soon, Atlantis will be introduced to its immortal crown prince. For now, however… we have a few hours free. Wanna go wrestle a colossal squid?"

"Thought you'd never ask."

Chapter 2 is done and dusted. Bit of a slow start, I know. I promise things will speed up soon. I intend to take this story through ancient Greece and eventually into modern-day, so you have plenty of content lined up. For now though, read, follow, favourite and review! Tell me what you like, what you don't, and I'll see ya around. Peace.