The gods exist for a reason. Without a god of the sun or moon, the heavenly bodies don't move across the sky. With no sky god to throw lightning bolts storms become quiet. Even a distracted harvest goddess means the fields don't grow. This effect is even worse for gods with more abstract domains. If Eros, for example, stopped firing his arrows no one would fall in love.
With Percy gone, there were many strange effects. Once the oceans stopped grieving the difference between high and low tides was record-setting low all around the globe. Leaders stayed in power much longer than third parties would have predicted. Democratic nations had one party stay in office with no clear end in sight. People still fell in love, but no one stayed in love for long. High school social clicks that would have stayed in touch for years dissipated shortly after graduation. The global marriage rate was almost zero. People just didn't make it that far into relationships.
When he first awoke from the void he couldn't quite tell where he was. He felt the familiar atmosphere of Cabin Three at camp, but he saw hundreds of different images flash before his eyes. A couple agreeing to go steady. Blink. A dictator falling to the hands of the people. Blink. Rivers flooding with high tide. Blink. A group of college-age people meeting up for the first time in ages. The images were coming and going faster and faster and just when he was about to get swept away by it all he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Shhh." the gentle motherly voice said. "Focus on being here." As the woman said this Cabin Three came back into focus. "I know it's hard with so many places invoking your name." Hestia was at his side gently stroking his hair like his mother did for him when he was sick or just having a bad day. "The splitting will get better as you learn to let go of your mortal limitations and the world catches up from your absence."
Percy was confused. "What absence? How did I get here?" Then it all came flooding back. The battle with the mountain beasts, the moon arrow, and the blinding pain. "What did Artemis do?"
Fear flickered in Hasita's eyes before quickly being replaced by a gentle warmth behind the hearth goddess' golden eyes. "She sent you home. She hid you from those who what to use you, but they are still looking. Your uncle has been increasing his power over the council in the past few years. Some of us who regularly oppose him are starting to worry. But that is not your concern for now little one. Get some rest." With that Percy was asleep again
—-
Annabeth almost didn't believe it when she finally felt the familiar tugging in her gut that when the blessing told her Percy was back on this side of the doors of death. He was alive. Better yet he was close. She immediately got up and sprinted off towards the cabins much to the confusion of her younger siblings she was working with. Her eyes filled with tears as she tried to hold back a laugh of sheer delight as she ran. Many of the campers she ran past gave her strange looks, not used to seeing their normally downcast concealer so happy.
Berating into the Poseidon cabin she saw him at last. He was asleep on his bunk like nothing had gone wrong. Like they were still sleeping off the war with the giants. Complete with bruises and fresh scars. His midnight black hair was a mess like he laid on it and then rolled over, so it was sticking up in every direction. His orange camp shirt was wrinkled and stained with dirt and blood. She couldn't think of a time he looked more handsome. She leaned over and softly kissed his forehead. Smirking when he finally opened those sea-green eyes. "You drool in your sleep."
The smile he gave her was like the sunrise over the Atlantic. "I was told something along those lines when I was twelve. I remember thinking the girl who told me that looked like a princess. You are even more beautiful. Aphrodite herself couldn't compare "
It became one of the eternal debates at camp whether the Blessing of Aphrodite that followed all the goddess' children for the next week was her being happy the pair got back together or her being huffy over that comment. As all Greeks know, those kinds of comments start wars. With wars comes the attention of a god who loves them.
Rember when I said these were getting longer. Apparently, I lied. Is there a common length of chapters for fanfics (on this site or in general?)