"If the cards are stacked against you reshuffle the deck"

Percy was really getting tired of this.

He had JUST defeated Kronos, and now, his Father and Zeus had to RUIN everything again. He was actually looking forward to this summer, for once in his life, and they go and start a divine war.

For gods sake, couldn't he have one summer of peace?

He was sitting on the beach, next to a small log cabin. In Florida. He had to escape from the tensions of the camp.

Tempers between his father and Zeus had been flailing ever since the fiasco with the bolt. The two brothers never stopped being at odds. It had almost been war for the gods, but there children had engaged eachother. Luke had managed to accelerate tensions to a point where it split them into two factions. One backing Zeus, and one backing his father.

A unfortunate "incident" which saw a son of Ares with a sword in his head (Most likely murdered by Luke but he didn't 100% know for sure) had led the camp into a full blown battle for a few hours before Zeus and Poseidon called it out.

Yet the ever calculating God of Thunder and the Earthshaker did not relent. Both of them were engaged in a card game of sorts, playing there hands. The two gods knew that facing eachother off directly in a one on one was a bad idea. That was mutually assured destruction. So they pooled there assets and played there hands.

During the sea of monsters quest, the quest to save Artemis, and even after the battle of the Labyrinth the brothers had not stopped being at eachothers throats. To Percy, it seemed it was just another millennia of Tensions finally coming to a boil, and he did not like what that boil would cook.

Divine war between both of them seemed... Almost inevitable. Although a small part of his mind thought they'd back down, the cunning of Zeus and the sensibility of his father would prevail.

But NO.

Zeus, ever prideful and intelligent, and Poseidon, tempered but cunning, would go to war. Atleast that was everyone's consensus. And now he had waited with bated breath, waiting for the conclusion of the Winter Solstice. He knew nothing good was coming from it, but that small part of his mind clinged onto the fact that somehow- the situation might be defused. Ever the optimist he was.

A merman had came through the water, with a message from his father

And then it came. The reality struck. Zeus had played his cards on the deck, trying to get another advantage, and restricting Poseidon power. His father had two options, Fold his cards and maybe even loose the Hand, or challenge Zeus. War.

And he had already guessed His fathers decision. He played his card, and he chose the possible destruction of the earth, over folding to his brother. Such was the way of immortals, yet he could not do much about it.

Thus he resolved, if he must fight, it would be for his father. Riptide by his side, and nothing more. He didn't have any armor, besides a bronze chestplate, to cover his Achilles spot. He would get a signal from his father, he was sure of that. Poseidon was not one to communicate directly about anything that could be used against him.

Looking of into the distance, he could see the waves crash against the beach. A clear blue sky. Suddenly he realized, he probably wouldn't be seeing one for a long while. But he didn't care. He had spent his whole life fighting, why stop now? He blamed himself partially for the events that happened anyway. He should of been faster, not getting stuck in that stupid Casino. Tensions wouldnt of been so high if he had just returned that god damned bolt earlier.

Nothing he could do about it now. His mind flashed again, all the persons he had lost. Annabeth died from exhaustion. She had died from her mothers hand, as she had communicated with her, to keep holding on. Athena had always been the tactician, and although the loss of her daughter was a pain, she saw it as a necessary sacrifice to keep Atlas from rising.

He fucking hated Athena.

Yet the spirit inside him was not extinguished after these memories, it only burnt stronger. He had been born with the mentality of a warrior. One who never backed down to action, and always held himself up with stride. He would not yield, not to Zeus.

And he sure as hell would make sure he got revenge on Athena.